Touch of Darkness

Chapter 22: Skipping School

I ended up skipping school the next day. After the whole witch hunter mess, I wasn't ready to face Zedd. I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid him forever but I needed one day. One day to make peace with the fact that this guy, someone who had become such a big part of my life, could have been lying to me from the beginning. Nothing can prepare me for that reality.

I woke up to the sound of yelling. It wasn't anything new, after hearing it for seventeen years I knew exactly what was coming. I walked over to the window, unlocking it. I opened it a bit and sat on my bed. I could hear it more clearly now.

"If you hate it here so much why the fuck don't you get out?"

"Trust me, if there was any other choice I would!"

"You are such a useless son."

"Like my father."

I grimaced at the sound of the hit. I knew that had to hurt.

"Fuck you!" At that point, I heard the door slam and feet stomping down the porch. I knew he would see the opened window. I heard him grunt as he climbed up and then I saw the damage. The black eye wasn't as bad as it was in the past, and there was a small bruise forming on his cheek. His lip was busted, some dried blood on the side of his mouth. He collapsed on the window bed and hit the side of the sill as hard as he could. I went into the bathroom and brought him a cold rag and he accepted it gratefully.

I didn't have to say anything, truth be told, there was nothing I could say. I rubbed his back and rested my head against his shoulder. Here's the truth about Cain, he always wants to make other people feel safe. He has been there for me through every single rough patch in my life. I do the same, I always put everyone's needs before mine. The biggest difference between the two of us is, I still have my mom. My mom would still give me a safe haven if I needed it. Cain's father would not.

Cain's mother died when he was about 3 years old, leaving no one to protect him from his father's fury. His father could be cruel, I remember when he kicked Cain out simply because he did not like broccoli; Cain was 5. Ever since his mother died, we came up with a pledge. We would be there for each other, no questions asked, and no judgement. I made good on the promise. My window was always unlocked and open for him.

"You can always move in here," I tell him, "I'm sure my mom won't mind."

He laughs, softly, "Very tempting offer, but I can handle my dad."

"You shouldn't have to," I tell him.

He sighs, "Life sucks."

"Yeah it does," I say, standing up and holding my hand out with a smile, "Pancakes don't though."

He smirks, "Pancakes are always the way to go."

Cain and I spent the rest of the morning making pancakes from scratch. It took a while to find all the right ingredients, then to cook it, and on top of it we had a pile of dishes waiting to be washed. It was worth it though because these were probably the best chocolate chip pancakes I ever made.

"So I know why I'm skipping school," Cain speaks, "But why are you?"

I look at him, "You know why."

He rolls his eyes, "Is it about what the witch hunter said? Victoria, you need to know that he has a vendetta against witches so he's going to say anything."

"What if he's not wrong?" I ask, "Maybe I brought Zedd in too early, it does seem strange."

"Hey," he says, "You know that I am not a fan of Zedd at all, but I don't think you were wrong, he helped us. I hate to admit it but he saved your life, if it wasn't for him, you could've died."