Ruth Foster
They all have the same face. I mean I expected this since they come from the same vagina, but it's amazing how strong their genetics are. It's scary too, knowing there's someone alive out there who has the same face as you, and Orion has lots of somebodies who look like her. It's frightening.
I can't escape her.
Not now, and I have a feeling I never will.
His jaw clenches, "Does she have to be here?"
I know he's referring to me. His eyes glare right at me. I don't know this man. I only know that he's Orion's brother, and that his name is Rucifer.
Orion let's out a scoff, "We've discussed this."
"No. You discussed this on your own. What kind of leader do you plan to be if you marry an imbecile. That makes you an imbecile too, doesn't it sister?"
"Watch your tongue, Rucifer." Her jaw clenches this time, and she looks straight at me, then back at Rucifer, "She's here because I require to be."
"If you have a problem with it, leave." She finishes, and then throws a glance at Atticus to cut in.
Atticus lets out a cough, "With the elders now aware of your," He takes a pause, trying to find out the right word to use, "Womanhood. They'll figure out a way to either kill you, replace you, or kill Ruth." I feel my heart sink at his words. Kill Ruth.
I want no part of this, why do I have to die?
"Let them try," Orion doesn't seem bothered by the fact that men, grown men, are going to want her head on a stick, "Fuck the patriarchy," She says.
A giggle escapes my lips before I can stop it. All eyes turn to me. "Taylor swift once said that," I whisper lowly to myself, but they all go on with the conversation, treating me as if I'm nothing but ghost. A nobody. A pawn. A mere casualty.
By the time the meeting is over, I can't help but stand up too quickly from my seat. Orion notices my urgency, and motions for me to sit back down.
"Your brother hates me, Orion," I speak.
She nods slowly, "As do I. Your point?"
"Are you still taking me to see Emily?" I change the conversation, and ask about something I actually care about, Emily. My one family. "Are you?"
"No," Is all she says back.
I raise an eyebrow and question, "No?"
"No," She repeats it again, more sternly.
I can't believe she lied. She said she'd take me to see her, and now she's saying no. "You gave me your word," My words come out fragile, and sad.
"No. I gave you my word that she wouldn't be killed. She hasn't been. I gave you my word that I wouldn't see to it that she be skinned alive, and burned. She hasn't been. I gave you my word that I'd keep her alive, and she is. I never gave you my word that I'd let you see her. Your cousin is alive, and I give you my word to that," She replies.
"I want to see her," I state.
Orion laughs, "It's quite funny how you think I give a shit about what you want. I think you're forgetting who you're speaking to, Ruth Foster." Again with the full name. I'll never understand why she says it like that. It's annoying. She's annoying.
"I never knew who you were in the first place. You abduct me, you hold me against my will, you tell me that I'm to marry you, you threaten me, you threaten my life, and Emily's. You claim that my father, and uncle, were apart of some mafia. You know all the things I don't, and yet, I know nothing of you. You don't even try," I muster up enough energy, and courage, to spit back at her.
"Because you mean nothing to me," Her voice loud, and clear, "You're nothing. I don't feel the need to explain to you anything, because you're nothing,"
She stands up from her seat, both hands on the table as she stands there, now yelling at me, "Look at you. You should be thankful for me. Thankful I took you out of that little apartment you were living in, living paycheck to paycheck. You're living like a queen now. You wake up and find breakfast laid out for you on the table, but what do you do? You ignore it, because you'd rather starve, than admit that this, is great. This marriage is probably the one exciting thing that has happened to you in all your years of living, and do you want to know why?"
She takes a breath, "It's because you're nothing. Your life, means nothing. Look at you, Ruth. Your father would have been utterly disappointed."
With tears in my eyes, I take in her words.
She still stands there looking at me, hands on the table, but she's silent now. I can't even look at her without wanting to burst into tears, because I know she's right. Years ago I had plans to become somebody, somebody who'd make my parents proud. Now look at me, I'm a prisoner.
I'm nothing.
I stand up, and clear my throat, "You said if we have a problem, then we can leave. I'm going to do that now," I speak hesitantly, afraid that she'd just yell, and offend me like that again.
To my surprise, she doesn't. She sits back down in the chair, and I make my exit out, knowing she wouldn't follow me, or object to my leaving.
• • •
It's been hours, and nothing.
I haven't done anything but sit up in this bed, and think of her words. They replay in my head, and then I repeat them in my mind. She's right. The son of a bitch is right, and it hurts more knowing that she is. My father would've been disappointed in me, and he would have ever right to be. I don't understand why she doesn't just kill me.
She needs me to be her wife, but there are plenty of different girls out there. I can't be the only one that qualifies. I wish it didn't have to be me. Just my luck, out of the seven billion people who live in this disgusting world, I have the pleasure of being the one kidnapped, and held by a psychopath.
A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts.
"Come in," I speak.
The door opens, and Emily appears. Orion is by her side, and just stands there and watches as Emily runs up to hug me. I hop off the bed, and hug her back, squeezing tightly to make sure that she's really here, "You have ten minutes," Orion speaks.
"That's not enough," I reply lowly, looking into her eyes, and watching her jaw tick, "Please," I add.
"Eleven," Is all she says before walking out, and shutting the door behind her. Finally, we're alone.
"Did she hurt you?" I quickly ask Emily.
Emily shakes her head, "No."
"What happened?" I question her again.
"I woke up, and you were gone. I called out for you, but he said you were somewhere else, and that if I ever wanted to see you again, I'd be good."
I furrow my eyebrows at her, "Who?"
"I didn't get a name, Rue. This is crazy. You have no idea how much I miss you, and want to go home." I can her the sadness laced in her voice, and see the tears that she's struggling to hold back.
I grab ahold the sides of her face with my hands, in a way to comfort her, "Listen to me, Emily. We will get through this, somehow. We'll go home, and I'll never complain about having to listen to your crappy love life. We can go back to being normal."
"And if we can't?"
My heart sinks at her question, knowing she's right. Nothing about this is normal. Emily had plans too. She was going to start her own life, get married, and have kids. That was always her plan, but because of me, she can't have that now.
Because of Orion.
I open my mouth to reply, but the door opens, and the devil herself appears, "Time's up."
It can't be. There's no way that it's been eleven minutes already, "Just one more second, please."
"No. Time's up," she repeats again, "Now."
I pull Emily in for a long embrace, before having to watch her leave. Emily hesitates to walk out the door, and my heart breaks all over again.
Orion doesn't leave. Instead she just mutters words to Emily, "He's waiting out front." Is what I hear her say, and then she whispers something once more, which I'm amusing is some threat to let her know that trying to escape won't do her any good.
Orion walks into the room fully, and closes the door behind her, "You said I don't make an effort."
I nod, "You don't. You say you give me eleven minutes to talk to my cousin, and you cut that time in more than half. I barely said two words to her."
"Yet you saw her, like I said you would."
"No. I barely did," I shake my head in disappointment, "That's not what I wanted."
"And how many times do I have to tell you that it's not all about what you want?" She questions.
"It's all about what I want, and what I say goes."
I let out a scoff, "It must be nice knowing that you can control a persons life. You ended Emily's, and you're ending mine. I hope you're happy with yourself, seems like you're getting everything you want. What do I do now? Am I supposed to bow to you, or kneel? Am I going to be your wife, or your prisoner?" I finish breathlessly, and scared.
"My father was a cruel man. He would've had your tongue cut out of your mouth if you ever spoke to him that way. Tell me, Ruth." Her lips twitch as she takes a pause, "If your father and uncle were willing to do business with a man who they knew were cruel, then what does that say about them?" I refuse to believe her insinuations about my family.
"If your father and uncle were willing to do business with a man who wouldn't hesitate to kill his own child, or harm them, what does that say?" She questions me again, "They're no saints, Ruth."
"They were nothing like your father," I retort.
I can't see how she could compare us. Her family is wicked, and kill people for a living. My father was a chef, and my uncle was a mechanic. That's the version of them that I mourn, and that's the only version I know. Whatever Orion says, is a lie.
"Since you need a villain so badly, then fine." She walks closer until she's standing in front of me. I sit on the bed, tears on the verge of bursting, "Make me your villain, Ruth Foster. We both know you need one, just to make yourself feel good."
"Just to deem yourself innocent, because anything is better than having to admit that a small part of you knew your father was as sick as mine, just like you're as sick as me," She finally finishes, takes another look at me before turning, and leaving.
I take in her words.
Just like you're as sick as me.
I let the tears fall. I'm nothing but a victim of circumstance, and for her to suggest otherwise, just proves how delusional she is. She kidnaps me, and yet, I'm the sick one here. I'm not, and never was.
It's her.