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Chapter 16: Patterns and Changes

|—————[Makura's POV]—————|
Rumi: "I...well, it— my..."

Zoey hugged her reassuringly and Rumi took another deep breath to calm down.

Rumi: "My father wasn't a human!" She rushed out quickly, as if ripping off a band-aid.

The two girls tensed up and I could see panic and regret seep into Rumi's eyes.

Makura: {You've got this. It's a serious conversation, it would be more concerning if they weren't tense.}

Rumi nodded her head and let out a shaky breath before continuing. Though this time, she was looking down at her lap instead of looking at the girls.

Rumi: "He was a demon... while my mom was a hunter." She added the well known second part with a mumble.

The two girls were still tense and were now staring at her in shock.

Zoey: "What?" She squeaked out.

Rumi shakily lifted her hand to her long sleeve and pulled it up. She flinched at the gasps of shock from her two friends. The shame patterns on her arm had spread just passed her elbow and reached over her shoulder.

Makura: 'They've gotten worse since her and Celine's argument.'

Rumi: "They showed up as early as I can remember. I think I was 3 or 4 maybe? I can't really remember though and it's a taboo topic to bring up with Celine, so I can't really ask her."

I noticed Zoey's eyes glimmering with sadness, but it was Mira's eyes that showed a recognition that could only come from someone who understood.

Mira: "I... I get it. Well, kind of, maybe not the demon thing but..."

She paused before letting out a sigh and looking directly at Rumi.

Mira: "My parents and I had a lot of things that we disagreed on. Like, a lot of things. It was almost like anything that I actually enjoyed talking about was some sort of taboo subject in that house. It used to hurt, still does, but... I learned to just... let it go and be myself."

She moved closer to Rumi. Suddenly, Zoey spoke up with a hesitant voice.

Zoey: "How... how did you do it? How..." She paused as she struggled to find the right words.

Rumi: "How did I not hate myself?" She finished with a self-deprecating smile.

Zoey flinched.

Zoey: "I didn't—"

Rumi: "I know."

Zoey: "I just... you grew up being taught to hate demons, that they were bad... how did you even manage to deal with that?" She asked sadly.

Rumi: "Honestly? If it wasn't for Makura, I probably wouldn't have been able to handle it. He's been my best friend since I was 8 and he's the only one who knows about my patterns other than Celine... well, and you guys too, now."

Zoey had a contemplative look on her face before she eventually looked over at the patterns. Rumi let her sleeve drop back down, her head still hung low.

Rumi: "Are you guys mad?"

The two girls looked startled at the question.

Zoey: "Mad? I mean, I wish you would have told us sooner, but I'm not mad at you. It's not even something that you can control."

Mira suddenly pulled Rumi into a playful chokehold and messed with her hair, resulting in a squawk from Rumi.

Mira: "Yea! You should have told us before, you idiot!"