Lucid Blood

Ch 5

“Alera!” Emma snaps.

I twist around to glare at her, happy to hear her irritated.

“I asked you a question” she growls.

“I’m sorry, I must not care as much as you think I do” I turn back around, glaring at the painting again. This time I was the one in the dress though, and Emma’s head hung in my hand, her body at my feet.

“When’s your next menstruation cycle” Emma’s cold voice cuts through me.

I turn back around, tempted to ask ‘what?’ but instead I shrug a shoulder. “Within the next month sometime” I say and take satisfaction in seeing her glare. Serves her right. Next time, maybe should give me straight answers.

“You-“

Matt clears his throat, cutting off Emma. “Alera, stop being a pain”

“What are you going to do? Stab me?” I scoff. I reach out, touching the edge of the pot in front of me. The same blue flower like the first one I’d seen sat in the middle, razor leaves luring me to reach out.

“I could” he snaps.

“I know” I smile, looking over at him.

He says nothing, falling silent again.

“When’s your next menstruation cycle” Emma asks again.

I tilt my head to one side, before tilting it to the other. I never really kept track of when I was going to have my period, but I wasn’t going to tell Emma that. I guessed it was about 2 weeks away, instead I shrug again. “I told you, sometime within a month”

Chair feet scrap the ground and suddenly find Emma standing over me. “Stop it. I’m not afraid-“

“’To spill your blood’, I know” I mimic, shaking my head even when her nails bite into my shoulder, piercing the skin just as well as Karou’s might.

“Then answer the question” Emma hisses.

I look up at her lazily, aware of my heart about to burst in my chest, the ice in my veins and the cold water on my skin. “I don’t want to” but a second later I hiss in pain, trying to draw away from Emma. Her fingers dig deeper into my skin as she jerks me towards her and grabs my face. Her sharp nail press against my cheek, threatening to bring blood.

“Answer the god damn question” she sneers.

“No”

Her nails in my shoulder clench, ripping open the flesh. Blood seeps into my shirt, tiny little stops under her nails. “Stop trying to act though. You’re not getting out of this, you hear me? You’re going to die, and I’m gonna watch your stupid little human body fail, the light drain from your eyes. Now answer the fucking question” She snaps. Her fingers dig into my cheek, searing pain. When I offer her a hard smile, she clenches harder.

Copper fills my mouth; the stains on my shirt grow bigger. I jerk back, not from pain, but Emma smiles cruelly, as if my jerk made her day. But, if anything, it made my day.

My fingers curl around the edge of the pot and I drag the small thing forward. I get a good grip on it a second before Emma looks up.

The pot shatters again her face, orange chunks of clay falling onto my legs. Emma cries out, jerking back, ripping at the plant which clung to her face. The leaf’s, which I had notice look like knifes, stuck into her skin, having the same effect as sticky weed. I leap from my chair, clay falling to the floor with a series of thuds. I look around, searching for something else to throw at her as she pulls the plant from her face.