--Briar--
I close my eyes as I listen to Bastet's footsteps fade. They're coming around me. Since that night I returned the jacket. They seemed different somehow. More on edge when I watched them silhouetted against the false light of their home. Their movements were slowed like they were wading through mud. But the moment their eyes found me; the mud disappeared.
They were okay again. And we talked. They seemed frantic at first. But that is better than the mud. Then they were calm.
And we walked through the streets, if you could call them that. But the soft glow of the light inside the cottages melted to their features making them wrapped in it. I caught myself looking. The way their myth flicked around them quickly made the light dance.
I rub my eyes, getting rid of the dried tear trails. My skin feels tight underneath. It's not like I wanted to cry. But when I got back, I couldn't help it.
In no way will I ever be able to love Bastet the way I want to. And knowing that hurts. But it hurts more to know that something is wrong in their life, and I can't do anything to help.
I'm supposed to kill them.
I'm supposed to be the villain here.
And yet. They make me want to be the hero. And I hate it. Because I can't be. No matter what. But they still come around. They still make time for the villain in the story.
My smile fades as I strain my ears. I can't hear their fading footsteps anymore. They must have left the grove of trees we chose to be in.
I frown. I don't know what I'm going to do.
You deserve all the pain you will ever feel.
I hope you're happy, Odessa.