Storm

Storm (Chap. 13)

Chapter 13

It was twelve-thirty when Ray finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. From his reaction to my torture, I figured that he had been tortured himself at one time because of the sheer depth of his feelings. No one could possibly understand what one went through when they were submitted to such helplessness.

I planned on moving to the spare room and letting Ray sleep in my room, but the second that I tried on slipping out of his arms, his hold actually tightened. I knew many ways of getting out of someone’s hold because of all my martial arts, but none that wouldn’t wake him up.

Then don’t, Ileana’s voice whispered.

What do you mean? I thought back, utterly confused.

You need him, don’t push him away now.

Push him away? Need him? I don’t need anyone.

Underneath the scorn, I was terrified. Despite what Ileana said, if I needed someone, that could very well kill me. Or them. People like me couldn’t get close to others for more than one reason. When you needed someone, that made you weak. If someone got close to me, that would put them under even more danger than just knowing me, they would be tortured even more ruthlessly for information on me. Then there was the most important reason, I was evil, no matter how much I tried to hide it, tried to fight it. No one like that deserved the comfort of others, they deserved to die alone.

You’re not evil. It was Ileana’s voice, but this time it wasn’t my voice that was talking to me, it was part of a memory.

“I wish I could just take this all away, Ilie.”

“Take what away?” she asked with out even looking up form her book.

“My powers! I hate them! They make me feel…tainted, evil.”

Now she did look up… to roll her eyes. “Ana, you’re an idiot. You’re not evil. How many times do I have to say it?”

I shifted my eyes away from the intense look in hers. “Glad that you are so sure about that. It-it just feels so wrong.”

“Ana! It is natural, at least for you. We went through the dairies, your family has had powers for over three thousand years, so that makes it natural.”

I stood up and started pacing around my room. “I-I just can’t think that it was, I’m sorry, but as long as I live, I don’t think that I’ll be able to get over that fact.” When she didn’t say anything, I stopped my pacing and sat down heavily on my bed, playing with my necklace. Sarah’s necklace, the one that gave me my powers.

“If you hate your powers so much, then why do you keep that?”

“It’s not like destroying it will do any good,” I whispered.

“It’s the same with your powers. Whining won’t do you any good, you just have to live with them.”

I closed my eyes. “Okay, Ileana, I am going to listen to you, I just hop you’re right.”

“I am, Anastasia, I always am.”

“I’m not so sure, Ileana,” I whispered now.

“Who’s Ileana?” Ray asked sleepily, just waking up.

“A friend.”

Ray’s eyes opened and he sat up, letting go of me. “Am I just blind or is there no one here?”

I felt an unwilling curve my lips. “She’s not here. It’s just us.”

He rubbed his eyes. “Then I am confused.”