Dark Hour

Part 10

I looked around at the coloured light's projection on the white walls. Everything was so loud. So crowded. Everyone acknowledged me as Apollo's girlfriend, or that girl who nearly died in that Ghost jump, or that girl who nearly died from that vampire attack. I wasn't happy. Whoever had been spilling rumours was going to pay. I wasn't just some gossip toy that anyone could talk about. I was a human being, okay, I was a hybrid being (or something like that). I did have feelings too.

Everyone was there, I mean everyone. Werewolves, vampires (I tried to stay away from them), faeries, skin shifters and the Marked. I liked to just observe, but every now and then, a group would come over for a chat. And that was how I found out about two questions I'd never really thought about.

The first being, Tiffany was actually that murderer that the two police, the detective and the sergeant, were looking for. The second being, the reason detective Boa had gone crazy was because the Marked are part demon, part angel. So when I scowled at the detective, she saw my demon face. Apparently they aren't pretty to look at.

I didn't touch the food. It looked too. . .magical, some of the food was sparkling in the light, there was also these buns that floated every time you touched them. And once I had a muffin that giggled every time I bit it, it put me off eating anything altogether.

"Enjoying the party?" A voice whispered in my ear.

I spun around and Apollo was standing behind me. I nearly collapsed at the sight of him. I hadn't seen him all night, now that I had, I wished I hadn't. He was too distracting. I was here to have fun. Not to drool over my boyfriend's abs. Apollo was wearing a white T-shirt that was not buttoned up, he had black jeans rolled up to his mid shin. In his hair was a wreath of olive leaves. I looked like an ant in comparison with my white dress.

"Wow." I said, stunned into silence.

Apollo smiled goofily and snapped me out of my trance when he placed a wreath of apple flowers onto my head. I blushed as he pulled me towards a particular crowd of people.

The shape shifters.

I stopped smiling and stared. I couldn't go up to them. What if they recognised me? Too late. Apollo gently shoved me towards the group and my stomach knotted up in dread. The group went silent and I knew that this was a horrible idea. I was about to leave when a quiet voice said;

"You're Laurette's daughter, Ares?"

I turned trying to spot who'd said my mother's name. I never did.

"Who," I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Who said that?"

A boy walked forward, he was about my height. Blonde, ashy hair, almond shaped eyes that were a strange shade of green. I felt Apollo's grip on my shoulder tighten as the boy walked forward. I noticed that his step was slightly swaggered and his shoulders were a little too far back. Apollo let out a low warning growl.

The boy rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna hurt her, alright?" He had a strong American accent.

"I'm not leaving." Apollo stated firmly.

I looked at the boy as he came closer. Too close. I shrunk back into Apollo's arms, knowing that the boy wouldn't touch me there.

"Scared are ya?" He chuckled. "My name's Clarence." I scowled at him and his grin faded. "You really do look like our old Laurette. Same hair, same face." Clarence paused. "Fathers eyes though." He muttered. I scowled even harder. "And scowl." He added chuckling. Clarence talked about my parents as if they were a couple, as if they died together in a blaze of glory. They didn't, my Mother died because of my Father.

Because of her love for him.

Because of me.

I backed away from the boy and started to hyperventilate, memories of my childhood flooding back. I was always missing one parent. A fake dad and no fake mom. Clarence continued to walk towards me and Apollo jumped in between us.

"That's enough Clarence, you're scaring her."

Clarence looked at Apollo in anger.

"She better be afraid." He raised his voice. "Half Marked hybrid!" He yelled at me. I blinked, trying to hold back the tears that were already flowing down my cheeks.

"You don't belong here! . . ." the rest of the insults were cut off as the rest of his group crowded around him and shoved him outside. The room was silent before the chatter started up again and I was left on my own to look for a place to hide. I knew coming here was a bad idea. Everyone knew me as an abomination, a messed up mix-breed that had no proper home. I was one of a kind. No one else was like me in the whole world.

I was alone.

I sat in the bathroom crying. Then Apollo found me and we embraced on the edge of the bathtub.

"No one accepts me." I whispered. "They all hate me."

Apollo kissed my cheek. "I don't hate you." He murmured in my ear.

I leaned against his chest and waited for me to compose myself.

"I don't think I can go back out there." I said.

Apollo hugged me and carried me outside of the bathroom. "You can just sit on the couch and pretend to be asleep." He suggested.

I gave him a look. "I would prefer a bed to a couch any day."

Apollo put me down. "Fine then, you can sit on the couch and watch everyone have a good time."

I nodded in fake enthusiasm. "Okay." I replied.

He put me on the couch and brought me a slice of edible, non-magical pizza. I watched the party like I had originally done before the whole skin shifter scenario. I was happy sitting alone when a group of females came over and sat down introducing themselves as;

"Sophie, Clara, Meghan and Lucy." They were all golden blondes that shone in the low light. They all had bright shining faces and bubbly nature. I immediately took them for werewolves.

We did a lot of talking about who would you date, the best food and the best make up. Eventually they had to go because the rest of their pack was leaving to go to an elder's funeral. How sad. But when all of them were getting up to go, Sophie said to me;

"Congrats love!"

I had no idea what she was talking about. So I went to Apollo and told him about it. . .

He shifted uncomfortably. Moving his weight from one leg to the other.

"Well?" I demanded. "What was she talking about?"

Apollo looked at me, anguished.

"Sit down." He said. I did and prepared myself for the worst.

"People think we're getting married." Apollo blurted out.

I blinked, I was not expecting that. Marriage?

"But we're not engaged!" I exclaimed.

Apollo looked like he was trying to hold himself together.

"I know, but it is a tradition that once a mate has been picked, for the two to join in matrimony." He whispered.

I leaned away from his pleading face. A mate?

"And steal the free will of the bride? You just think that I'm shallow enough to happily agree to marrying you after knowing you for a month?" I took a deep breath, not thinking my next words carefully.

"I'm leaving." I said. "And that's final. I'm not going to let a ring and some words steal my freedom."

I stood up and opened the front door. "Take me home." I said quietly.

Apollo didn't move, then, one moment he was there and then he was here. He kissed my cheek and whispered;

"I feel our love infection."