Eaden Forever

Boone's Memory: Cruelty

Cruelty: Memory #3

Every day I was forced to follow Eaden around the castle. As far as I knew, it was a castle, either that or a substantial home made of stone.

At least once a day, she would send the kids off to play tag or something, and she would throw fire at me again. It was becoming annoying, to be honest. I feared the day I would be human, and I would not be able to handle the white fire.

It burned hotter than any other flame I've come across.

That is what scared me the most. If she had the chance to burn me while I was human, she would kill me.

How fast would it take me to burn? Don't I want to leave this place?

I can't leave if I'm dead... but at the same time, I would be able to escape if I were.

I hate this feeling.

She turned around to stare up at me.

"What is it?" I asked her.

She barely reached my stomach. She was small for a seven-year-old. Every other child here was bigger than her.

She grinned from ear to ear before fire surrounded me.

She was getting better at surprising me, this was bad.

I was quick to use my arm to absorb the white flames, and she giggled.

No one else has survived her fire, would I be any different?

This was different from the first time she burned me. The first time was an accident. I can't forgive her, because every time since had been on purpose.

Did she expect me to burn? I honestly didn't know what she thought.

Even if I feared for my life, it wasn't worth letting her find out my secret.

She just continued to stare at me with a smile on her face.

Maybe she was used to killing everyone with her fire?

Perhaps me not dying was a relief for her?

I wanted to shake my head and say no that she was a monster, but I don't know. She is a child, and she is secluded from the rest of the world because of the fire she controls.

People used to call me a monster too. I was nearly killed for it. Here she was safe, and Lucia was protecting her.

I have never seen that kind of love for another person. Eaden loves her just as much.

Speak of the devil.

I glanced up to see Lucia standing behind Eaden, and she smiled at me.

"Good morning," Lucia smiled.

Eaden turned around excited and jumped into the older woman's arms.

"I missed you!" Eaden shouted.

Behind Lucia, I could clearly see the Viking. He was never too far from her, and it made me wonder why.

Did she need to be protected? If she did, then why?

I stared into the eyes of the Viking, Maccon. His expression was unchanging.

He looked almost numb to it all.

His eyes reminded me of the ocean. They were that blue.

"Good morning," I said to them both.

Maccon grinned at me. I wasn't sure why.

I rarely saw an expression on his face that wasn't stoic.