daughter of esmund

Three

What the hell is happening.

My first instinct is to run, to leave, but I don't move. I just stand there wide eyed and staring at him.

I can tell he's a little shocked as well. You know, since he probably thought I was dead. I try to form words to speak but they get caught in my throat, pulled from my mind and replaced with the feeling of my heart pounding in my chest and my instincts telling me to flee. I still don't though. I'm not sure if it's because I want to get an explanation or if it's because I'm so extremely bewildered at what I'm seeing that it has frozen me in place.

Eventually, he takes a step forward. I flinch. Instantly.

One thing you should know about me..

I don't flinch.

I then realize, that yes, I am absolutely terrified but happy and also nervous all at the same time. A storm of emotions has developed in my mind and I don't know how to control it. Fear, happiness, anger... they all mix into a cocktail of emotions that I don't know how to sort out. He's taken a step back from me, most likely my reaction told him to. All of us stand in silence, the room filled with tension.

"U-um," he says finally, running a hand through his hair nervously.

Tears brim the edge of my eyes as I look down and as everything from what happened rushes back. The hundreds of words and actions that had torn me down came back. It made me snap.

"W-what do, y-you want?" I say quietly, the words slipping out like venom.

"Annie, I, I-"

"You what?"

I look up to see that his eyes are still widened. We look at each other awkwardly. I hope that someone else will step in and say something, but Katelyn has pulled Aphmau aside into another room.

Moments pass before I speak, or, more like I yell,

"Do you want to explain why you stabbed me and left me for dead?! Do you want to explain what the hell you were thinking?! Do you want to explain why you turned your back on me?!"

He stays silent, still staring at me.

"No, of course not," I reply stepping backwards.

"Annie you don't understand-"

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT VYLAD?! WHAT DO I NOT UNDERSTAND!" I scream, tears falling from my eyes as my face heats up in anger.

"Y-you don't understand why I did what I did Annie!" He yells back.

It startles me. I've never seen him angry before.

"W-what," I take a breath, "W-what do I not understand? Do I not understand how you left me in the forest for dead? O-or that you did it because you just didn't care anymore-"

I'm cut of by someone slapping me.

I look up, my hand on my cheek to see Katelyn standing there, in between Vylad and I. Aphmau is standing in the doorway, her face showing concern.

"Snap out of it Annie! Yelling isn't going to fix anything," she says, taking ahold of my shoulder, squeezing it with little force in order to keep me calm.

I take a deep breath, holding back a sob as I wipe the few tears that fell from my eyes during my rant.

"I-I'm, I'm sorry," I say finally, taking a deep breath.

"Look, I'm sorry for hitting you and I know, I know you're mad. But this isn't an efficient way to communicate what happened. Both of you need to cool off. Annie, take a walk."