Midnight Playground

Chapter 18

"Cassie!" Emmery wailed, flinging her arms around her neck. In her confusion, Cassie even let the hug go on, sliding herself out of Jace's hold over her. "I was so worried about you! What happened, I thought that you were right behind me?" She tightened her grip, tears falling upon her shoulder. "I was so worried..."

Cassie frowned awkwardly, feeling a tickle of wetness landing against her chin. With her surroundings still whirling around her, her head felt too light to understand anything that was going on. Resisting the sickly feeling in her throat, she stiffly began patting the sobbing girls' back.

"There, there?" She said, timidly looking around her. "I'm alright." Her heart felt strange, like something had begun stirring inside her chest. It was unfamiliar and she didn't like it. Softly removing herself from Emmery's rather strong grip, she wobbled back a step, hoping that someone would be able to stop her world from madly spinning. The helped that she received, was not quite the kind she had been expecting. In mere seconds, she was flat on the ground, holding her swollen cheek, with Kayne's fist held above her. Well, at least now she was awake!

Emmery screamed but Cassie's eyes barely lifted from the green grass that brushed against her skin. Noise was static and the air was light and refreshing, giving her the sensation of floating. If it hadn't been for Cole snatching her by the arm and yanking her onto her feet, she would have allowed herself to indulge in the rare comfort.

"This is all her fault!" Kayne hissed bitterly, his claws digging into the soft flesh of his hands. His glare bore into her and even she felt herself shrink back from his intimidating looks. Her fault? How could any of this be her fault? She glanced up at Cole who hadn't yet released her arm and who continued to scowl menacingly at Kayne.

"Move aside Cole, this has gone far enough!" Kayne barked loudly, his fangs stretched over his bottom lip. Feeling Cole's fingers lift from her arm, Cassie watched in puzzlement as he walked in front of her, placing himself between them. She felt the ooziness of before return to her. This was just a territorial display, there was no deeper meaning to it! Or so she told herself but still, she felt a vague pressure fall over her chest.

"Must I say this again? This doesn't concern you Kayne. Leave!" Cole's tone was stern, forceful and yet strangely calm compared to Kayne's deadly expression, his face growing dark.

"The hell it is! Because of THAT wench, we've lost everything!" Cassie's heart inexplicably sank at his words. So even after pledging her loyalty to Cole, it still wasn't enough. Kayne lunged for her, only to be ruthlessly stopped by Cole who had quickly caught him by the throat. How was any of this her fault? Why was it her fault?

"Get the hell off of me! Why should I be forced to endure this!" Kayne gnashed, struggling to break free. Cole's eyes glinted red.

"Those who understand nothing should not speak!" His grip tightened, leaving Kayne struggling for breath. "This is the last time I will say this..." He drew in closer, until Kayne could see nothing but the crimson glint of his eyes. "Don't. Interfere. Again." Kayne's feet stumbled as he was finally freed, his head reeling high from Cole's mighty fist as it connected hard with his gut. The pain caused a spray of spit out of his mouth until he was on his knees.

"Don't make me regret sparing you." Without warning, Cole quickly seized Cassie's wrist and dragged her away, showing no concern for either of their injuries.

With gritted teeth, Kayne watched them go wobbling uneasily back onto his feet. Yuki rushed to his side placing a tender hand upon his arm. He roughly snatched it back, glowering at her touch. He didn't care that her face was dampened with tears or that her eyes were puffy. None of that mattered at all because she was alive. And yet, Cole's words continued to ring on in his head.

'Those who understand nothing, should not speak.'

Those words bothered him. It was true that he didn't understand this ridiculous obsession with the wench but he had realized that he never would be able to. He was an outsider in all this, an accident. He belonged to no clan, no queen and no purpose other than to be a demon. That is what he had to believe. Perhaps that was why he hadn't yet been able to let go of his past. His fellow demons had purpose, had witnessed and felt that unyielding need to serve. He could see it in their faces and in their eyes. There was no comparison. His thoughts once again fell into loneliness. He remembered little of the time before meeting the others, only the emptiness of losing his memories. He had been an empty shell with nothing left to lose. Or at least that was what he had believed. Becoming a demon, chained by the rules gave him a lot to think about and a lot more to regret.

Kayne jumped when he saw a small object flying towards him. The lighter landed before him with a thud upon the grass, Luther's reflection glinting within its nostalgic glow. Kayne averted his gaze awkwardly from his examining stare.

"I didn't say anything wrong!" He grumbled irritably, wiping his hand down his face. Luther said nothing, knowing well that the silence would do his work for him. "I didn't do anything wrong, this is all her fault! It would have been better if she had died in that house-"

"You're wrong!" The sudden exclamation startled him and all eyes turned to Emmery who was now stood in front of Kayne, wheezing out her frustration. With tears in her eyes, she shook on the spot, fists clenched. "Cassie saved my life! She helped me! You know nothing about her!" Nobody had ever heard Emmery scream like that before, even Luther was a bit stumped by it.

"Who do you think endangered your life in the first place?" He growled out of annoyance. "Go away already, you stupid girl." He placed his fist beneath his chin. "cry-baby."

Emmery felt her face flush hot and without thinking, her hand collided with his face.

"Get over yourself! Cassie is my friend, don't insult either of us or else! She doesn't deserve your hateful words." Her hand trembled and lingered in the air, partly due to the shock of the impact. Kayne's hand remained held over his cheek, his eyes flashing from red to brown, dumbfounded by the situation. Withholding a deep tickle of laughter in his throat, Luther patted Emmery on the shoulder, hoping to relieve the tension in her arm.

"I feel sorry for you, you look so...lost."

It was those words that felt the coldest that day. Like the point of an icicle stabbing him in the chest. He couldn't remember the last time that someone had looked at him with so much pity in their eyes, although a part of him felt as though it had once been done very often. Who was he back then? How had he come to be this way? So cynical and cold. When he thought back on it, he had often wondered how cruel the world had been to him, to make him accept the life of a demon instead. He lowered his gaze, the orange lighter sparkling in his eyes. Truly only one element of his old life remained, a memory of old that haunted his existence. He couldn't let go of it since he wanted to remember. He reached out to it, his fingertips barely scratching the surface before a heavy foot came crashing down on top of it. Retrieving his hand just in the nick of time, Kayne listened in horror to the loud crunch and shattering of glass as Jace slowly lifted his foot from on top of the smashed glass.

"Sorry, my foot must have slipped." Jace chuckled, watching with satisfaction as the sound of falling glass dropping from his shoe caused Kayne a wide-eyed expression of terror. With a last grind with his heel, Jace left, a smirk placed at his lips. When the commotion ended, all that remained was Kayne, picking up the shattered remains of the lighter, as though both his heart and memories lay crushed within them