"So Will told me that he totally likes me, but then he told Sarah that he likes her too. Then Melissa told me that she heard that Will told Ryan that he doesn't like either of us. So I'm just completely confused!" Quinn let out an exasperated sigh, as she rambled on about things that I used to care about. I could barely follow along with what she was saying, but I was fascinated with how much she cared about the petty drama currently plaguing her. I guess I used to be like that too, but that was before I was almost killed by a werewolf in my living room. "Helllooo?" Quinn waved her hand in front of the camera on her laptop. We were face timing each other on my phone while I sat in the backyard.
The fresh night air was exactly what I needed. It allowed me to space myself away from Jen--who was home early from the hospital making dinner for the two of us--and finally get the alone time I've been craving. I was wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt that bellowed in the warm night air. The shirt exposed my bare skin, allowing the claw marks on my arms to be visible. I shuddered, trying not to think about the small, yet visible--no matter how hard Jen tried to clean it--blood stain on the carpet besides the couch.
That blood stain was part of the reason why I had chosen to sit outside as I waited for dinner. I didn't want to be constantly reminded of what happened to me.
"Are you even listening to me, Val?" Quinn sighed. Her blonde locks fell in front of her face. She was sitting in her bedroom, which was painted a vibrant yellow--properly matching her bright personality. She hugged a plush pillow to her chest and adjusting the camera on her laptop.
I sat upright, shaking out of my trance. "Sorry, Quinn." I apologized. "I just got a lot on my mind these days." I ran my fingers through the grass, plucking strands from the ground and tossing them in the air. Fireflies flittered around me, lighting up for brief moments as the sky began to darken.
"What's going on with you? You didn't answer any of my texts this weekend." She stated plainly. "I already have to deal with Eric acting all weird lately, I don't need it happening to you too."
"What's happening with Eric?"
"He's been hanging out a lot with some boys from the lacross team. He leaves early in the morning to 'work out' with them, and doesn't come back till late at night. I'm just worried about him, y'know?"
"Have you tried talking to him?" I asked.
"Of course I have." Quinn replied. "But every time I try talking to him, he just ignores me." The sliding glass door that led from the kitchen into the backyard squeaked as someone pushed it open. I turned my head towards the noise, to see Xavier walking towards me. He had a smirk spread across his face and rubbed his hands together excitedly like he was about to share some big news with me. "Kind of like how you're ignoring me right now." Quinn interjected, slightly raising her voice. Xavier made his way into the backyard, wearing tight skinny jeans and a long sleeve flannel over his Led Zeppelin t-shirt.
"I'm sorry." I apologized for the second time, unable to peel my eyes away from Xavier's sultry gaze.
"Why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?"
Xavier gestured for me to hang up on her. I gave him the middle finger and he chuckled. My heart skipped a beat whenever he looked at me, and I could've sworn my scar was glowing ever so slightly.
"Things are just complicated lately." I told Quinn. Xavier made a gagging gesture with his finger. I couldn't help but smile a little at him in return.
"What could possibly be that complicated that you can't tell me?" Quinn was becoming increasingly annoyed with me.
"I have to go. Jen's done cooking dinner and needs help setting the table." I said, refusing to acknowledge her previous question. "Can I call you back later?"
"Sure. Whatever." Quinn shrugged, and I hung up before she could.
"Don't you know that it's rude to show up to someone's house uninvited?" I turned to Xavier. I brushed my hair behind my ears and pulled my knees to my chest.
He clapped his hands together. "For your information, Jen was the one who invited me over." He said, plopping down onto the grass besides me. "So this is where you've been hiding?" He observed, scanning over the backyard analytically. I didn't respond. I just stared straight, continuing to watch the fireflies that buzzed around me. "You know..." He started, scooting closer so that our legs were touching. "you really shouldn't be ignoring your Protector's phone calls."
"I thought you hated Chase." I commented dryly. "Shouldn't you be happy that I'm ignoring him? All you two do is fight over who gets to be my Protector." I said, rolling my eyes at the idea.
"It's easy to blame Chase for what happened to you." Xavier replied.
"I never said I was blaming--"
"That's exactly what you're doing. Listen, I'm not the biggest fan of Chase, but even I'll admit that he did everything in his power to protect you that night. You can't blame him for what happened."
"It's easier than blaming myself." I muttered quietly.
Xavier reached his hand out to touch mine. I shuddered away from him. He sighed loudly. "Chase and I used to be good friends. The two of us trained together until I was assigned to my Enchantress. He's like a little brother to me--an annoying, pain in the ass little brother, but just because we don't get along doesn't mean that I don't care about him. And if there's anything that I've learned about Chase throughout all these years, it's that he cares about you more than anything else in this world." He reached over and grabbed my wrist so that he could hold my arm up into the air. "Chase didn't give you these scratches, that Lawless did."
I yanked my arm out of his grip and cradled it to my chest. "Please, just leave me alone." I begged.
"You didn't fight back. Why didn't you fight back? Were you just going to let him kill you?" He raised his voice.
"Because I was weak!" I shouted, rising to my feet. "Because I was terrified." I breathed, staring down Xavier as my chest rose and fell. " I couldn't defend myself because I am just a seventeen year old girl who found out a week ago that she's an 'all powerful Enchantress' and I'm still trying to figure out what the hell that means!" The angrier I got, I noticed how colder the wind against my skin felt. Even the sky seemed to grow darker with my mood. "I couldn't defend myself because I'm still recovering from the fact that my parents kept this secret from me for seventeen years and I can't even go to them for help, because THEY'RE DEAD!" With that, I fell onto the grass and burst into tears.
"Are you done?" Xavier asked. "Did you get it all out of your system or are you going to yell at me some more?"
"I'm done." I sniffled, wiping my eyes that filled with tears.
"Okay, good, because it's my turn now." He said, readjusting his sitting position. "I used to have an Enchantress, too. I wasn't always this deadbeat Protector that I am now." He said, chuckling softly to himself. "Her name was Rebecca, and I loved her." He swallowed hard, and I could tell he was forcing back his emotions. "Unlike you, Rebecca grew up knowing her real identity and she thought that allowed her some sort of superiority over me. She was an Enchantress of fire, and she used to play these pranks," He paused for a second to laugh to himself. "she would play these pranks, where she would set something like my homework or pants on fire."
"That's horrible!" I laughed.
"But, she had the most amazing smile. She would smile and it could light up an entire room. She made it almost impossible to stay mad at her for long. All she had to do was smile, and you were hers." His eyes drifted away from mine and I noticed that the tone of his voice had slightly changed.
"So what happened to her?" I asked softly.
"Rebecca thought she was invincible, and I let my feelings for her get in the way of my duty as her Protector. There was this one night...she had convinced me to go with her to some stupid party. It was getting late and I was trying to get her to come home with me, but her smile--that stupid beautiful smile--it clouded my judgement and I allowed her to have her way. By the time we finally left the party, it was way past midnight. I was drunk, and so was she. Maybe if I hadn't had too many drinks, and maybe if I could've convinced her to leave earlier, she would still be alive. But I can't change the past. So we left the party, and I was so drunk I could barely walk straight. When the Lawless came for us, neither of us stood a chance. When I tried to fight, I ended up falling over. The alcohol caused Rebecca to lose control over her element. She tried to defend herself, but she could barely toss a flame in their direction." He took a deep breath. "I still remember the sound of her body hitting the pavement when they slashed their claws through her neck. Even worse, I still remembering the searing pain I felt in my scar when the bond that connected us to each other was broken as she took her last breath. Rebecca died in the middle of someone's driveway, and I did nothing to stop it."
"It wasn't you're fault."
"But isn't it?" He retaliated. "I was there. I saw them slash their claws through her neck, and I couldn't even pick myself up off the ground." We both fell silent. "When I heard that the Lawless attacked you, I felt the same feeling of helplessness that I felt the night Rebecca was attacked. I couldn't help but feel responsible for you not being able to defend yourself."
"The scratches will heal." I reminded him.
"The fact that the Lawless got close enough to you, to rip his claws through your skin...it makes me so angry." He shook his head and squeezed his hands into fists.
I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You couldn't have prevented it."
"I've already lost Rebecca. I can't lose you too, not another Enchantress." He shook his head and we fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"Can I ask you a question?" I turned to him. "At Eric's party...I still don't remember the exact order of events but I do remember you coming up to me. And at school, you approached me at my locker. Why? Why didn't you just tell me who you were right away?"
"Can you really blame me? You're a beautiful girl, Valerie. What was I supposed to say? That I'm a retired Protector because I let my Enchantress get murdered, and by the way, I'm sort of friends with Chase?" He teased.
"You're very difficult to figure out, Xavier." I replied. "You put up this tough front, but you have your sweet moments. Like this one." I looked up at the sky, basking in the moonlight that radiated down onto us.
"I could say the same thing about you."
I let a small smile escape my lips as I let my body fall over backwards onto the grass. Xavier collapsed over besides me, stretching out his arms above his head as we looked up at the stars. "Does it get easier?" I whispered, turning my head to the side. Our lips were only a couple inches apart.
"I'm still trying to figure that out myself."