Innocent Devil

Why?

I felt a heavy pounding in the back of my head as I tried to grasp at reality. I woke gradually, my eyelids fluttering open. My brain worked its way past the last of the fog and I gasped as the pounding in my head turned to a sharp pain and my hands flew to my head as I cried out. I heard a shout of alarm at the noise and only just managed to sit up before the door burst open.

“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt but Seth was mad when you killed one of the guards.” She leaned down to whisper in my ear. “I have to admit, he was also a bit upset to see the type of person you have become.”

“Why does he care what I’m like?” I said, my voice croaky.

The woman looked nervous but decided to answer.

“Stay calm okay. Seth was assigned to look after you so we enrolled him at your school in grade eight, when we decided he was trained enough to protect you.”

“Why would he need to protect me? I can take care of myself.”

The woman looked like she was about to argue but decided against it. I concentrated on her face and frowned, she looked so familiar and looked to be in her mid-twenties.  I shook off the fanciful thoughts.

“You said I killed one of the guards?” I asked suddenly.

“Yes.” She pursed her lips in anger before schooling her features. “The other one is in hospital, you should be grateful.”

“Yeah definitely.” I said sarcastically but inside I was relieved.

Freed from the malice of my dark side I was the Innocent, not the Devil. I was disgusted that I had killed a man and I would never forgive myself for it, let alone if I had killed a boy even younger than I. The woman looked disappointed at my tone and again I wondered why she even cared. I looked away from her disapproving gaze and let my eyes roam around the room. It was nothing special, just a small bed, chair and dresser but even that was more than I expected after I had broken into their house and killed the guard.

 The woman stayed with me for a long time after and tried to get me to answer questions about my past which I avoided answering. I spoke with hatred and malice but it was only to hide the tiredness and frustration I felt at being so helpless. Eventually I stopped bothering to answer at all and ignored her, choosing to instead stare at the ceiling. We had been in these positions for about ten minutes when we heard a smash and loud cursing.

“That’d be Sam.” I said smugly and the woman glared at me, but the expression looked odd on her kind face.

“Really?” The sarcasm was obvious but I blatantly ignored it.

“Yep, you’d better go see what he’s done this time.”

“Why would you care unless you are going to run while my back is turned? I won’t lose you again.”

That last part confused me but I didn’t want to break my disdainful pretense to ask her what she meant.

“I just think it’ll be hilarious to find out what priceless item he’s managed to destroy in your precious house when any decent guard would have been able to stop him.”

The girl just looked at me with concealed sorrow on her face but her voice did not betray any of it

“Just remember that there are plenty of guards to subdue you if you try to escape.”

“Whatever.”

 I waited for her to leave the room before I let a smirk grace my face. I glanced around for a weapon and grimaced when I saw none. Instead, I reached over and grabbed the round ball on one of the bedposts. The training with Sam had given me a decent amount of muscle and with a strong heave; I pulled the ball clear of the post. Standing, I poked my head out the door and saw four guards standing along the corridor outside my room. They have more people guarding me than they did their main vault, that’s flattering. With an indifferent shrug, I stepped outside and behind the first guard. I lifted my dodgy weapon and swung it against his temple and watched as he fell to the ground unconscious. These are really dodgy guards. Rolling my eyes at his incompetence, I stepped right in front of the next guard and he only had time to furrow his eyebrows in confusion before I brought the metal ball down on his head as well. I dispatched the next two guards within a few seconds and crept down the hall, listening for footsteps as I went. In a huge place such as this, the woman’s footsteps would have echoed loudly around the house, even with her few minutes head start. But there was nothing, she was good, maybe even better than I was. I halted that train of thought and kept walking. Kept listening. My efforts were rewarded when I heard voices drifting from a room somewhere to my right. I strained harder and slipped into the corridor where the noise came from, slipping into an alcove as a guard walked past me. The guard was nothing like the woman; his steps were heavy and lumbering, easily heard from a distance. I had to stop myself from shouting in triumph when I heard Sam’s voice coming from a door in front of me. He was shouting, but did not seem in pain so I hesitated and continued listening, hoping to learn something about this mysterious woman.

“Hello, Sam.”

Sam ignored her.

“You might as well tell us what we want to know, since she won’t. We might even give you a shorter jail time if you do.”

Sam finally seemed to be angry enough to answer her.

“Why would I answer anything you ask me? You told me I had three years to bring her to you because you didn't think she would remember or trust you, and this is how you repay me?" He was furious.

No. The words replayed in my head but I failed to comprehend them as I started to back away from the door, tears forming in my eyes. He betrayed me. I loved him and he betrayed me! A sob escaped my throat and I only just managed to smother the sound before it could give me away. I didn’t manage to get more than a few feet before my legs gave out and I sank to the floor.

No.

“You were supposed to bring her to me, yes. But you were not supposed to turn her into a criminal who murdered a guard. You were not supposed to turn my sister into a monster.”

 It took even longer for those last words to register in my head then Sam’s betrayal had. Lips trembling, I tried to stand up again, but my legs were still incapable of holding my weight and I stumbled and fell. Another sob came from me but was stopped almost as soon as it started when I heard a loud alarm ringing through the house. They were coming for me.  I finally managed to stand and with tears streaming down my cheeks I started running without knowing where.

 I could have been running around this maze of a mansion for minutes or hours when I heard a shout and felt a large object collide with my leg. I heard the shouting getting closer as I fell to the ground but I lacked the strength and will to get back up. I felt arms grab me and wrenched my arms roughly behind my back but I no longer felt the ability to care.

 Why?