Expected Perfection

Lucky Charms/ Friend Or Foe

Acquila steps out of the shadows, "Carmen?" he walks and stops a few feet away. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

What the hell is he doing here? Jason or Pete usually follows me when I go on a mission or run off so where the hell are they. Why is Acquila the one standing here looking at me? I swipe angrily at the tears still on my face. A sad smile appears on his lips as he grabs my hand, "No! Don’t! Don’t do that; don’t hide your pain from me especially not from me." I look up at him, this is weird, a small voice in my head yells 'weird, it's not weird it's fricken ridiculous' we’ve hated each other for years ever since Jason had to move in with him when mum fell pregnant with Violet. " Why shouldn’t I hide it from you, everyone else expects perfection so why don’t you, you can stop pretending your happy about marrying me, we both know you want Angela despite what we know they are responsible for. Why are you even here you have less than a year to be free so why aren’t you off with her." Deep down I know it’s not true, deep down I know she makes moves for him and he constantly rejects but the anger has taken over, I know I’m being vicious and unreasonable but my anger pushes all that aside. He steps closer and puts his hands on my shoulders, "NO!" he growls his voice full of anger as the unmistakable look of pain covers his face, proving to me that I hurt him. "Because in less than a year I’m going to have what every man in the kingdom wants, YOU, because for the rest of our lives we will be depending on each other, because in less than a year I’m going to promise myself, my possessions, my title, my life to YOU and only YOU, because Pete and Jason aren't the only ones who can read you like a book, aren't the only ones who see the pain through the smile."

I fill with guilt as the anger disappears and the tears start pushing their way up again, "I’m sorry" I whisper turning away embarrassed that I let my emotions get so out of hand, but as I do something catches my eye. The necklace he’s wearing, it’s the same as mine. "Where’d you get that?" I whisper confused, mine was specially made. He smiles, "You left it at my place when Jason first moved in. He was scared and wanted you to stay, when you left in the morning it was under the mattress. Jason has never notices it or if he has he hasn’t said anything, I tried to give it back to you but you were always angry with me." He walks over to a big rock on the other side of the clearing and sits down, I’ve worn it every day, since Kurtus said it brings me luck," he gestures for me to sit beside him, I do and he pulls my chains out from under my shirt. "Jason told me you lost it and that you had gotten it replaced a few days later so I didn’t think you’d mind me keeping it." he says stroking the silver tiger cub dangling from my neck. "Yeah dad replaced it within a week it’s my good luck charm too." He takes my hand and looks at the necklace sitting against my chest. Then he stands pulling me to my feet, he brushes a stray trand of hair back behind my ear, "we better get back" he whispers and then turns and pulls me back down the path I had run half an hour ago.

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I think the whole way back to the safe house, for years now I’ve been rude and mean to Acquila because I always thought he had hated me so I started hating him back so why is it different now? Why is he holding my hand? Why am I allowing him to continue holding my hand? Why didn't Pete or Jason come to find me and bring me back? And how the hell am I going to cope without Violet? Where have they taken my sister? Is she scared? Are they torturing her right now? Everything and anything races through my mind as we walk back but Acquila stays silent leaving me to sort through my thoughts. I don’t understand why this has happened it’s been over 10 years since any actual fighting has happened and even longer since the Re-Res have been made to intervene so why now?