Forgotten Monsters

Chapter 34- Aftermath

The dining hall was silent except for the sound of the queen's silverware hitting the plate. Cain sat silent and unmoving, his eyes void of any emotion. Serena smiled to herself, patting her mouth clean with a perfect, white napkin. It was so much easier this way, without him fighting against her she didn't have to be inside his head all the time. She simply left a mark, a personality, which acted on its own.

It still delighted her to see him follow her orders without hesitation. She tried it out now. Leaning forward she spoke quietly into his ear. He stood, and with a few long strides reached the doors. He disappeared momentarily, but returned quickly. This time, he held a struggling girl in his arms, a hooked dagger in his hand. He dumped the girl in front of the Queen.

"What is your name darling?" She asked sweetly, the girl had a gorgeous head of thick red hair. The girl didn't respond, instead a tiny, stifled sob escaped her mouth. "Don't be afraid, the pain is only momentary. The Prince will put you out of your misery." Serena tilted the girls head up to reveal silver trails of tears.

She reached through the girl's chest, feeling her shudder with horror. The heart emerged, glowing with a soft red light. She had all the power she needed, this heart wasn't to keep. This heart was for the glorious burst of ecstasy that came with youth.

The warmth soaked into her chest, sending her into a wonderful trance for a few moments, but then the feeling ebbed, the warmth disappearing as the heart adapted to its new home. Serena felt suddenly cold, and hopelessly alone. Sucking in a breath to steady herself she opened her eyes.

Cain understood. He jerked the girl up by her hair roughly, she let out a yelp of pain. Leaning down so his lips grazed his victim's ear, he whispered to the girl.

"Three, two, one." With the last word he slid the knife across her throat and dropped her. The child crumpled to the ground, still desperately trying to breathe, but her eyes soon stopped searching and she was still. Serena glanced down at her dress to see crimson droplets staining the hem. It looked almost pretty she mused; perhaps she would have rubies stitched into her next dress.

Cain stared down at the girl's frail body and for a moment Serena was afraid he was feeling remorse. But then he looked up and despite his still expressionless eyes, he was smiling a familiar, cruel smile. A warm feeling buzzed in her chest.

"Would you like another?"

Tessa stumbled through the steadily darkening streets. Snowflakes floated through the air, resting on her shoulders and freezing against her frigid skin. Before she had cried, confused and hopelessly lost. But now all she did was try to shuffle forward and think about how blindingly cold she was.

Her foot caught on a cobblestone and she flew off her feet, landing in a heap. The freezing ground bit into her hands and she cried out in pain. And once she had made a sound it grew into a keen and into a wail. Her body shuddered with sobs. She had nothing: no sister, no Cain, not even anger to keep her moving forward. Tessa just wanted to curl into a ball and die. But then she felt the warmth of fabric being wrapped around her shoulders.

"Leave me alone." She moaned, but the figure just looped their arms under hers and heaved her to her feet. Dimly, she recognized the man who half dragged, half carried her through the snow. He had shaved his beard off and gained a few pounds to pad his scrawny bones, but the enormous front teeth and winged ears were still the same. "I want to die." She whispered into Rat-face.

"I know sweetheart, I know." And then she blacked out.

She awoke feeling sore and feverish. Through a haze she felt a cool hand on her forehead and voices stabbing at her consciousness.

"Is she going to be alright?" A child's voice pounded in her head.

"Of course Indigo. Stop being a nuisance." An older, and significantly deeper voice reprimanded.

"Gray!" The hand moved away and with it the only source of comfort.

"Be nice to your sister." Sister. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes just as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

The next time she woke up she no longer felt the searing pain in her head. Instead there was a dull, if insistent, ache in her temples. Groaning she sat up, feeling her headache intensify in the process.

A figure was slumped in the chair next to her. It was a boy, her age or younger. He had wide shoulders that he hadn't quite grown into yet and hair that stuck out in every direction. He glanced up to reveal severely expressive eyebrows over stormy grey eyes. Currently his eyebrows were saying that he was furious.

"Jade!" He shouted, sending spikes into Tessa's head but not caring when she winced. "It's awake."

"You're a grown man, Gray, take care of her yourself!" He glowered at that response and muttered a string of profane words that might have made Tessa blush had she been in a different situation. But she was so desperately sad. When Molly had died she had thrown herself into her anger, and then Cain had been a distraction, but now there was nothing to think about except the enormous gaping wound in her chest.

She couldn't believe no one could see it. closing her eyes she felt her eyes fill with tears she willed away, but they couldn't just leave her be. So instead she felt her body shudder with silent sobs.

After what felt like a few years she opened her eyes to see Gray looking away from her, something she was thankful for.

"Do you have any water?" She asked, her voice scratchy from lack of speech.

"I'm not your servant." Tessa glared at the boy, when she was out of this bed she was going to make his life a living hell.

"Get me water." She said in a dangerously serious voice. He scowled, but didn't back down, just glared right back at her.

Their confrontation was ended when a pleasant looking middle aged woman walked in. She had auburn hair tied back under a scarf and a scattering of sun marks over her broad cheeks. This must be the Jade Gray had asked for only moments ago.

"Get out Gray." She said, dismissing the moody youth. He stood up abruptly, knocking his chair back before storming out and slamming the door behind him.

The woman righted the chair before sitting down and handing Tessa a cup of water. Tessa mumbled her thanks as she drained the liquid.

"Sorry about my nephew, his parents have just died." The woman's eyes caught alight at that and Tessa felt that maybe that same fire burned just below her mellow surface. "Ash told me you've been through a lot so you take your time getting better. Don't let my hotheaded nephew make you think otherwise."

"Ash?" She asked, confused at who could know about her.

Jade rolled her eyes, "He likes to be called Rat-face, goodness knows why." Tessa smiled faintly as she felt her eyelids slide shut. But in the darkness, the voices never stopped screaming, and everyone was still gone.