The Freak with the Violet Eyes

FVE- Chapter 2

Chapter Two

    Dinner had gone by just fine till halfway through and Nathan's Uncle turned his sights on me. "My nephews say that you were suspended from school today."

    Sharie dropped her fork loudly on her plate. "What did you do today?"

    Nathan's older brother glared at my guardian. Nathan had whispered his siblings' names to me during the beginning of the meal. His older brother was Michael, like the archangel. "She had done nothing wrong. That jock pushed her down and dug his shoes into her back."

    She huffed. "She's always causing trouble at school. Don't think she's innocent of anything."

    My hand set my fork down and folded my hands in my lap. Outside, thick clouds started to form and cover the last bit of light of the setting sun. Sharie threw down her napkin and rose from her seat. "You will stop that this instant you little demon bitch!"

    Nathan and his whole family shot up from their seats. His uncle took a step toward Sharie. "I suggest you never use that foul language again." He turned to look at me as Nathan knelt next to me.

    He took my hand. "Just breathe." I took a deep breathe. A ragged and stunted set of tight breathes. He rubbed my hand and I felt warmth in my hand. I tend to turn cold when I turn inward.

    His Uncle advanced more toward Sharie. "I suggest you madame learn manners the next time you have guests over and start demeaning your ward. As I see first hand how you have treated her, I have the mind to take her out of your belittling care."

    He turned on his heels and Nathan pulled me up from my seat. Sharie seethed as she shouted that they couldn't take me from her. She was just worried about all that free labour and money she got with me living with her. They all just ignored her and surrounded me as they took me to their vehicle.

    Just a foot away from the vehicle, I paused. Nathan looked down at me. I glanced at house that had been where I stayed since I was out of the hospital as a baby. "Do you want to go with us?"

    I caught sight of Sharie speaking very adamantly on her phone. Most likely she was talking to the Mayor himself about what was going on. She must be telling them that the new family were kidnapping me. I felt a bit fearful for this family. They were the first to act like this and now they might be in serious trouble over me.

    "Everything will be fine. Uncle will deal with her and the authorities. We'll even find your real family for you. People who would love you and care for you properly."

    "I'm not worth it." A tear fell for the first time in so many years.

    The world spun around me and I was wrapped in warm arms. I had thought it was Nathan as he's done that earlier this evening, but the one that held me was much taller than Nathan. I was a bit shocked to find it was his Uncle that held me so brutally tight.

    "Don't utter such a thing evey again. We demons are worth so much more than those awful humans. Never think otherwise." He pulled back and the look on his face was of concern. "They may think we all should die, but they have no idea what we really are. We aren't damned or evil. We're just different from them."

    He turned and steered me to the front passenger seat. "It is baffling how many of our demon children that are found by humans that aren't reported to us. It is under the treaty that every orphaned baby is brought to our attention." He gave me a hand up and turned my chin to look into his eyes. "You're not alone in how you were treated. It breaks my heart seeing it over and over again."

    All of us turned when there were sirens blaring and lights started flashing. Nathan's Uncle moved away from me and shut the door. He moved to stand in front of his vehicle and waited for the sheriff to stop. He was patient and was polite when he spoke to the sheriff who wasn't giving the same courtesy. The sheriff had his hand on his revolver the entire time and his eyes flickered to me occasionally.

    When the sheriff pulled out his gun, everything that happened next was a blur. I rushed out of the vehicle as the sheriff kept yelling at Nathan's Uncle that he had to hand me over. All I thought was that I didn't want his Uncle to get shot over me. The others in the vehicle were shouting at me to stop.

    Then the shot came. My body spasmed for a second. I looked down and my breathe came out that I had held. Nathan's Uncle caught me as I fell back into him. I had taken the bullet that the sheriff meant to shot him with. How could I have sat and watch someone get shot over me?

    "No no no!" His Uncle placed his hand over the wound in my side. "You weren't to come out here. I could take a bullet. I've done it before, but you're young. Too young to heal as quickly as I can from a bullet."

    I looked up at him and saw tears in his eyes. "I don't mean a thing. I couldn't see you get shot. You're too kind for that."

    He gave a strangled laugh. "But I could heal from a bullet in the heart."

    I whimpered. "It hurts."

    He nodded. "I know. Just stay with me." He closed his eyes and his hands grew warmer. I whimpered more as I felt a burn from the bullet. "Shh, just getting the bullet out and healing most of it for you." Turning my head more into his chest, I whimpered more before I screamed into his chest when the bullet thrusted itself the rest of the way out of me.

    Then I was shifted into another's lap. My body sagged into the new person's. "That was so foolish Dahl!"

    A strained giggle came out. "You gave me a nickname already?"

    Nathan smiled as he put his hand over my wound and his Uncle rose turning on the sheriff. "Yeah. Do you like it?" His hand warmed and I winced as my wound stung. "I couldn't call you Linda because that doesn't fit you at all. Too human. Dahl sounds so much better." Using his other hand, he moved my hair out of my face. "Because you are beautiful."

    My eyes fluttered close as the pain was getting to me. I vaguely could hear his Uncle shouting at the sheriff. But it was Nathan's presence that made me feel protected. "I want to stay with you."

    I felt Nathan's smile. "We'll take care of you. Don't worry about anything. You're safe now." I just let those words ease me and I drifted away.