Chapter 8
When she found me out, I had no idea of what to say. The thought she might push me away from her was unbearable but already taken into account. She needed to know if she was going to fight them. I sat down quietly in the chair of her living room as she stood in front of me looking for the world as if she was going into battle, which in her case she was. I wouldn't be able to tell her everything and even if I was able to I wouldn't lie to her. She was my queen.
"Who are you?" she asked me bluntly taking the first step.
"I don't remember. My memories of my name are completely gone," I answered just as blunt. A frown cut her mouth downwards while I sat forward to stare at my hands.
"You don't remember? Everything you told me about your past was a lie?" she stared at me hurt playing across her features. A grimace stepped up to my mouth and I shook my head.
"I don't remember my name not the events I've been through although sometimes I wish I didn't," I sighed pushing a hand through my hair. "The only name I've always had is Castor. Anything other than that is a complete mystery. Aliases have come and gone but the one you call me now has always stuck.
"That doesn't explain the Poison Five," Kyle snorted taking a seat in one of the overly large armchairs.
"Or why you're the King of the Poison Five," Nil brought up perching on the edge of the couch to look from one of us to the other.
"Shelia's been showing us your dreams lately," the young boy answered the unspoken question by tapping his forehead. "She's not lying to you. I've had a couple of spirits following this guy around and all he's been doing is watching you. That's suspicious on its own."
"She's my queen!" I protested but the two boys shook their heads.
"Queen? Are you so certain? What about the Med Five? You thought we didn't know about that?" Nil raised an eyebrow but when I glanced at Mina she was thoroughly confused.
"Med Five? Castor, what's going on?" her bewilderment colored her voice as she frowned at me. I waved my hand to keep them quiet.
"Can I think a moment about where to start?" I silenced them.
"Where you left off," she suggested helpfully. Deciding it was a good place to start, I nodded.
"I kept running around on the streets after my abuser died. The boy who took me in was no better than a common street beggar and we both knew it. However I was able to use my powers to help make his life better. I knew when to snatch food and how to get away. I knew where the safest place to go would be out of the rain or snow. I was able to get clothes from a bakery woman after making her baked goods better. I helped him and he helped me by keeping me protected from the other kids. The ones who could hurt me but it was all gone within the briefest moment. I don't experience headaches like Cards do. All I feel is a stabbing pain in my gut but I didn't think anything of it until my friend touched me and died a moment later falling on the ground while spitting and seizing. I didn't know what to do. I ran as far away as I could from his body so no one would suspect me. I went so far as to go to the next town that was five days away.
"My life changed after that constantly living in fear I was going to be taken to prison for killing my friend. A man came up to me during one of my worse days and asked me, 'would you like to be rid of your fear?' I didn't know what to say so I said the one answer I could say, 'yes.' He took me away to a place I didn't know the location of. Children like me, poisonous to the human population were stowed away there. They made us touch each other to see who would react, who would die. Every time someone touched me they would fall to the ground and die. Finally, there were only five of us left. One by one, they sent in adults to see if they could kill us. When all of them died, they took us into a room, a small one with space only for about twenty people to cram in there. Ten of us faced each other, five adults and five children. We stared at each other so long none of us were able to say just how much time we spent. As the silence grew thicker, a girl I had never spoken to took a step forward and brushed her hand against her partner. Gasping the woman fell to the ground and screamed out words I've blocked from my memory. All I can remember is her face as it turned purple and shriveled up. I knew my victims didn't die that way. I didn't want anyone else to die such a horrible death. That's why I reached out and gently touched my partner and the three others that were still standing. The others just looked at me not understanding why I had taken mercy on their partners or even if I was able to do that. When the man I had met earlier glided into the room, we stopped breathing.
