The Monster You Made Me

Chapter 4

Trigger warnings: Swearing/Blood/Violence/Death/Sex
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The night seemed to drag on for her. She had wrapped her hand back up hoping to keep up the charade of being injured. Reid had kept quiet after Kai's visit and kept his distance from her. Which, was kind of a relief for her. She was still pissed with what Kai had done and didn't feel like dealing with anyone. But, there was still work to be done. Work that wouldn't get done if she kept thinking of him. Letting out a breath, she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind.

She pretended to be happy so her customers would feel welcomed and happy as they ate and drank. Deep down, however, that's what she wanted. She wanted, no needed a drink. And a strong one at that. Once her customers were dealt with, she leaned against the back counter behind the bar. With everyone happy, she was now left with the one thing she couldn't and shouldn't be dealing with.

The thoughts of the morning and afternoon events played over and over in her mind. She tried to piece what little information she had together. She only knew two things, she had broken an entirely full bottle of wine, wound up with a cut on her hand because of it, and had been miraculously healed all within a few hours. It wasn't physically possible for that to happen. And yet it had. Just what was going on?

"Ruby?"

And why did Kai seem so afraid to tell her? Did he think something would happen? It didn't make sense. Nothing seemed to add up. The more she thought of it, the more it drove her nuts.

"Are you just going to stand there and ignore your best friend?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ruby looked up to see Nikky sitting at the bar with a smile on her face. Ruby couldn't help but smile back. Nikky was a much-needed break from everything.

"Can she drink with me?" Nikky asked looking at Reid with pleading eyes.

"You might as well," Reid replied as he looked at Ruby, "You've been through a lot today. And it's only fair since you did start early."

"Aw thanks, Reid," Nikky said before Ruby could reply.

Smiling, Ruby thanked Reid for understanding and told him she'd help out if it got too busy. Not that it seemed to be. But still, Ruby felt she owed him, not only for helping bandage her hand but for leaving her be. Walking around the counter, she sat next to Nikky and ordered a glass of whiskey. Whiskey wasn't her favorite drink, to be truthful, she really enjoyed the colorful fruity drinks. However, with how she was feeling at that moment, called for something with a bit more kick.

The two sat in silence for a while. Nikky sipped slowly on her cocktail while gazing admiringly at Reid. Ruby knew that Nikky had a soft spot for him, it was the one thing she wasn't good at hiding. Ruby smiled as she took a small sip of her whiskey. Her mind still whirling with her thoughts about the day's events. There had to be some explanation for Kai's behavior. She just didn't know what.

As their night wore on, Ruby had moved onto her favorite drink 'The Hurricane', a combination of rum, lemon juice, and passion fruit syrup served in a tall hurricane lamp shaped glass. She stared deep into the red drink before her, as the ice slipped as it melted, she couldn't help but feel entranced by it. Taking a sip she let out a breath. Its fruity sensation left her mouth tingling for more.

"That's the spirit girl," Nikky slurred.

By now, Nikky had had a few drinks more than Ruby had. There were a few empty upturned glasses in front of her, and they just kept coming. Ruby wasn't the one to get wasted drunk, but lightly buzzed. As she watched her friend down another drink, she looked to her half empty glass. Maybe, just this once she would let go and get drunk. After all, she needed to feel something other than the mystery that surrounded her and her brother.