Sakura Eyes

Chapter 7

When I opened my eyes, I found myself shaking from the coldness. Getting up, I cracked the door open and realized night had fallen. The courtyard was empty and silent with all the children fast asleep in their homes.

I stepped out and let out a long breath. After the conversation with her, I told them I had to excuse myself to get some time to think alone, when in reality, I just wanted to get away from the suffocated atmosphere of the room.

Taking advantage of the silent and still village, I decided to explore a little more around the hideout. I walked past more straw houses and farms. As I passed by a farm, I stopped by a light brown horse that was drinking water outside the shed.

Its ears twitched when I leaned against the brown fence, and it neighed at me. I placed a finger to my lips and reached out towards its muzzle. The horse rubbed itself against my hand and stared at me with its unblinking dark brown eyes.

"What are you doing?"

I gasped and held in a shriek. As I whirled around, I realized it was just Justin. He stood in front of me with his arms crossed, a scowl scribbled across his lips.

"Oh it's just you," I muttered turning back around to rub the horse's mane. "What do you want?"

"I was just taking a nice stroll before it was rudely interrupted by a stranger touching my horse."

"Your horse?" I asked suspiciously. I took my hand off the horse, and it neighed at me again. Justin rose an eyebrow at the horse and patted its nose.

"Hmm," he said, studying me while caressing his horse.

"What?" I asked, slowly covering and shrinking my body away from him.

"Don't worry," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Your body has no sex appeal whatsoever."

I huffed and smacked Justin's arm. He glanced at his arm and back up at me. I froze. I had forgotten how much Justin hated me. He was probably going to get angry and—"You seriously...have no arm strength whatsoever."

I tilted my head and blinked. Justin seemed to be struggling with himself and suddenly blurted out, "Anyways...sorry for being harsh with you. It..it...wasn't my intention..."

I stared, stunned at his sudden apology before smirking. He stared at me with an arched eyebrow. "What?"

"It's alright," I snickered. "You don't have to force an apology just because they told you so."

"How...?" he asked.

"It's written all over your face," I sniffed. "I know you don't like me. Whether it's because I'm useless or I complain a lot, I know what you said back there was truly how you felt. It's alright. You don't have to lie."

Justin didn't respond and continued scratching his horse's mane. "While we're on the topic of honesty, there's something else you don't know about yet. Do you remember when you fainted in the forest?"

"Yes."

"Right before you blacked out, I saw your eyes."

"My eyes? What about them?"

"They were.....red."

Shock and surprise coursed through my body like an electrical current. Red? That was what that woman was talking about but—

"But that woman said Royal Demon's eyes were purple..."

"Well, you're a special case."

"Then do you know why mines is red and not purple?"

"No."

Silence filled in between us again.