Days later, Encre's POV
"Encre...."A voice says
Then silence.
"Encre."It says firmly
I get nudged, but don't wake up.
"Encre!"A voice shouts
"Huh?"I yelp, waking up
I wake up to find Fallacy hugging me.
"You were whimpering in your sleep again."He says
"O-Oh..."I say
"Another nightmare?"He asks
I nod, looking to the pictures on the nightstand.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"He asks
"I....I never want to see Simon or Issac again."I say
He cuddles me close.
"I promise that you will never deal with them or get harmed by them if I have anything to say about it."He says
I smile.
"Thanks, Fallacy."I say
"No problem."He says
There is a knock at the door. I hear it, but Fallacy doesn't pay much attention. I look at him.
"It's the time keeper. If he thinks we're not in here, he will go elsewhere."He whispers
"M'LORD! I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE! You have a meeting in 10 minutes! Come out now! I have everything set up! Let's not have another Poussière problem!"Suave says through the door
"Dang it."He says
"Be good and if you don't whine, I'll schedule an hour between your meetings to spend however you wish."Suave offers
"Yes!"He hisses, pumping the air with his fist
I look at him and smile. He leaves and Suave peeks in.
"He hates meetings. Finds them boring and annoying to keep idiots from being idiots. But they are mandatory. I schedule them for him and it's often the deals that get him through the day. You ready for your visits?"Suave says
I nod. Suave has scheduled secure visits with my friends and grandmother so they can see me without causing issues or suspicions.
"Let me check the list...."He says
He takes out a clipboard and scrolls down it with a finger.
"Rufous and Classique. Boy, that will be interesting."He says
"Thanks Suave."I say
"Anything for you, my friend."He says, humble as always
He leaves and as soon as he does, Felicia comes in.
"I made a breakthrough! Come on!"She says
She leads me up a long spiraling stairway and has me sit in a dip in the wall, as if a room was meant to be there but isn't. She claps and a wall goes up.
"Just stay calm. It will be over in a few moments."She says
"O-Okay...."I say
The room began glowing with orange and red colors. It washes over me as I try my best to stay calm. Soon, it ended and Felicia pulled me out.
"Okay, now jump until you touch the ceiling."She says
I no longer had the urge to do it.
"Why?"I ask
"Yes! It worked! You're freed from those tests, Encre!"She cheers
I check myself and find that I am a skeleton again. And the fact that I can still use my senses and didn't obey her proved that the tests are gone. I smile and hug her.
"Thank you so much!"I tell her
"Anytime, Encre."She says
I go down the staircase and go outside. I hear running footsteps against the mushy snow that is melting in the rising sun. Classique comes over and sniffs me. He smiles.
"Encre!"He cheers, tackling me to the ground
He kisses and licks me, hugging me while his tail wags. I laugh and he talks so quickly. Then his head perks up, sensing something. He looks behind himself and his ears lower. He lets out a growl.
"Wow, you certainly have some protection there, Encre."A friendly voice says
I look up and see Rufous coming over.
"Relax, Classique. This is my friend."I say
He gets up and helps me up. He turns to a skeleton with a dark blue jacket and black pants, though still had the ears and tail. Rufous looked at him in amazement.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Classique!"Classique says, smiling brightly
"I-I'm Rufous."He replies, seeming taken out of a trance
We gather together and spend the next while catching up. A howl around noon rings out and Classique leaves. Rufous realizes he has to go before the village starts wondering where he is. He bids me goodbye and runs out of sight.
I head back inside, feeling happy and safe. I start heading to Jasper's room. I hear heavy footsteps behind me. Thinking it was Fallacy, I look over my shoulder and smile as I take my coat off.
It was not him. No. Not even close. And it wasn't just one person. It was four.
They cover my mouth before I could yell as they closed in on me and cornered me. Each of them began to bite me, hit me, kick me, punch me, do any sort of thing to hurt me.
"Stay away from our leader."One says
"Our Lord does not have any reason to deal with crap like you."A second says
"Village filth."A third says
"You are nothing more than food. Food stays with food. Not among us. Get to know your place and stay in that place."A fourth growls
They say many other things, worse and worse everytime.
I look up at them as they beat and bite at me, crying. I could recognize their eyes. The first had green eyes, the second had one orange eye, the third had eyes that changed from purple to red&blue at each blink, so Poussière's. The fourth had a creepy red eye. They tied something around my mouth to gag and muffle me. I don't fight back. I don't know how. I'm outnumbered and that wouldn't help things either. I am trying to show that I am not a threat and fighting would make it look like I am. They tied my wrists together, then my ankles.
"Where should we hide him?"One asks
"Where he belongs."The fourth replies
They pick me up as I continue to cry from the pain and fear. I get tossed into a small space, then hear a door slam. I look up to see it was shut and locked.
"Let's come back for it later."I hear one say
"Try not to get caught."The fourth says
Then I hear them leave. I bang myself against the door, trying to get out, but it was no use. I glance around the dark room and froze. There were shelves of meats, fruits, veggies, other foods as well as jars labeled blood. I am in a food storage closet! They're gonna come back and kill me! I couldn't do anything. I just lay there, bleeding and crying muffedly. Why can't everyone accept each other?
I hear someone approach the closet door. I stop crying, too scared to make a sound. I could feel myself tremble. Maybe if I play dead, they will just take blood from a jar and think that I am not "fresh food" or whatever. Or maybe if I hide, they won't get me.
I inch away from the door, hiding under a shelf that is low and full. I even move some jars to block any sight of me. Just in case, I rest my head against the floor, shutting my eyes and using all my strength to not move in the slightest. I hear the door unlock and open. I start trembling uncontrollably. I open my eyes, too scared to not see what is coming. I see a hand reach down to the spot I was bleeding out on, dipping into the blood pool that formed. The hand leaves my sight. I hear a hum in satisfaction, like the noise someone makes when eating something yummy. Then there's a gasp.
"This is....Encre's blood....But what would he be doing in here?"A voice says
My body went numb. My arms could not move, neither could my legs. Especially near my bound wrists and ankles.
But I know that is Fallacy.
"Encre! Where are you?! Please be okay! Come out wherever you are! Give a sound or sign! Please!"He shouts, running out of the closet
I see the door start closing.
"Fallacy! Please don't go! I'm here!"I yell, though the gag muffled me
He quickly comes back in. He shoves the jars out of the way and crouches down, seeing me. I burst into tears, relieved that he heard me and didn't leave me here....Where the next time that door opened....It wouldn't be good. He scoops me up and whisks me away, seeming panicked at the very sight of me. I couldn't stop crying, silenced by the gag. He tears the rope around my ankles, but I couldn't move. He tears the rope from my wrists too. He snaps and my clothes are replaced with new ones. He broke the gag off of me. I cling to him tightly, scare of letting go. I cry into his shoulder, fearing what could have happened if he didn't find me.
"Encre! What happened to you? What were you doing in that closet? Who did this to you? I'll kill them!"He asks me
I take some deep breaths, trying to calm down.
"No need to kill anyone, Fallacy."I tell him, though my voice shook as I spoke
"They were gonna kill you!"He snaps
"Two wrongs don't make a right. Besides....They were just following the logic they know. I am to them just a stupid, worthless, ugly, dirty, village member that can only be used for food. My place is where they can get a meal. Anything out of that is bad and wrong to them. They are just doing what comes naturally. Villages don't have good histories with vampires....They were just being protective of their leader I guess. They really love and care about you. They don't want me screwing things up...."I say
"History is history! Now is now! Two seperate things! I don't care what motives or logic they had, it doesn't make it right! You're my friend and guest! You should be protected, cared and respected as the rest of us! You are none of those things, Encre! And they must've forgotten that I brought you here. It's not like you broke in here. Plus, many of my friends are not vampires, like Suave for example, but they must not have issues with them. Which contradicts their crappy logic. You do not deserve this. You deserve better."He growls
I sniffle.
"I-I'm not?"I whimper
"Not even close. You are smart, important, honest, kind, sweet, and handsome friend of mine and others. The only filth on you is from them, which means the culprits are filthier. Friends are not food. You have whatever place you like, you are full of potential and greatness."He tells me, kissing me on the head
I give a small smile.
"Now who did this to you?"He asks
"Poussière and three others. I could only recognize their eyes....Please don't kill them."I say
"They don't deserve your mercy. They were so merciless with you."He huffs
"My grandma says to never look for revenge yourself. Karma will come and bite them much harder in the ass. Or she will whack common sense into them."I say
"That's fair."He says
He carries me to another room and bandages my wounds.
"I....I can't move."I say when he tries to test my reflexes
This seemed to anger him even more.
"What are you gonna do?"I ask
He smirks.
"Be karma's delivery person."He says, nuzzling my head
"....One question. Why did you make the noise of satisfaction that Jasper does whenever he eats cookies when you scooped up some of my blood?"I ask
"You....Saw that?"He says
I nod.
"Not to sound weird, but your blood is the sweetest I've tasted. That can tell a lot about a person to a vampire. And I loved what it told me about you."He says
He carries me into the hall.
"Suave! Cancel my free hour and call the council for a mandatory meeting!"He shouts
"Yes, M'Lord!"Suave says
He goes to a big room with a long table that has a dozen chairs. He sits in the big chair at the end, turning it to face the large window so nobody would notice us when they enter. He has me settle in his lap, tucking my feet so they don't dangle and give our presence away. He gazes at me while I look at the window. In the reflection of the glass I could see each attacker enter as well as a few innocents, like a kid that followed in. My soul pounds as the kid shuts the door before taking a seat. Everone is here.
"Are they here?"He whispers
I nod.
"Huh, guess he is late again."A voice says
Fallacy spins the chair around.
"I am not pleased with any of you."He snaps
"YOU GOT HERE EARLY?"A bunch of them shout
"HEY! HE BROUGHT LUNCH!"The one with the red eye exclaims, pointing to me
I grip Fallacy tighter, terrified.
"Shut the fuck up, Horror. But thank you for making it clear that you are culprit number one."He says
"Culprit in what?"The little boy asks
"The purpose of this meeting Charlos. Apparently some of you did not understand that when I bring someone here, that does not mean kill them! Encre is my friend and Jasper's. I was gonna make this time some free time followed by the fun meeting of silly debates that you all have asked to do, but four of you ruined that!"He snaps
"Well it wasn't me."Poussière says
"Don't give me that garbage. Encre recognized you first. And I am disappointed in you. You are supposed to be my most valuable advisor in this council, smart and open-minded, not an idiot like Horror. You knew beforehand and already tried to hurt him once, what made you think the second time would go better?"Fallacy growls
"Told ya we should've finished him off."Horror huffs
"Shut it Horror!"He snaps
Poussière bows his head.
"My friend and guest here does not deserve to be treated like filth! He is not food, he is my friend! And you shall give him the respect he deserves!"Fallacy declares
"What makes this so important?"The green eyed one says
"Well during the break I was looking for him. I found him bleeding out, tied up and crying in the food closet! He could have died!"Fallacy snaps
"What makes him so special to you? He is not a vampire. He is just food."Horror says, creeping closer from his seat
I bury my head into Fallacy's chest, not liking this one bit.
"Sit your ass back down Horror. He sees us differently than others do. He likes us and accepts us. He fixes our history, haven't you noticed the new historical paintings? And he protects my son. He deserves as much acceptance as he gives all of us."He says, holding me close
"He is no vampire though."The orange eyed says
"Neither is Suave and yet you never attacked him since the day he came here."Fallacy points out
"Yeah, cause he is nice."Poussière says
"You haven't given Encre a chance to show you how nice he is. All you have done is try to kill him. All of you. We are not as savage as that, we are nice and civilized and reasonable. ACT LIKE IT."Fallacy says
"Is there any proof of that kindness besides what you say?"They ask
Fallacy looks to me.
"Fallacy wanted to kill you all for hurting me but I told him not to. You guys don't deserve such cruelty. Two wrongs don't make a right...."I say
"He gave mercy that you didn't give him and in my opinion you did not deserve. How much kindness does that show you?"Fallacy snaps
They all look at me in shock.
"Point to the four that did it."He tells me
I do as told.
"You four are on cleaning duty under Suave's supervision. Good luck. Suave is very fond of Encre and he will not go easy on you for hurting him."Fallacy says
Charlos comes over to me.
"I've heard of you from Jasper. I am sorry for their stupidity."He says
"It's okay..."I tell him
The door gets kicked down.
"THEY DID WHAT TO ENCRE?!"Jasper snaps, bursting in
"WHERE IS MY SMACKING PAN?!"Felicia yells down the hall
"I assume you heard."Fallacy says
"Yeah! Auntie is telling Suave while she gets her pan! You four are despicable!"Jasper snaps
The four guilty vampires shook like they got chills down their spines from what Jasper said but also bowed their heads with shame and guilt. Jasper slapped Poussière.
"LEARN YOUR LESSON! DO NOT EVER HURT MY FRIEND ENCRE OR ANY FRIEND AGAIN!"He snaps
"I am sure we made a clear point. Even so, whoever attempts to harm Encre again gets a severe punishment."Fallacy says
"Yes, Fallacy."They all say
"Dismissed."He says
They all leave.
"There we go."He says with a grin
Suave gave me a checkup and said it's best I stay in bed until further notice. Fallacy put me in bed and pried my weak body off of him. He kisses my head and tucks me under some blankets.
"It's the best that you rest. I'll be back to check on you at midnight."He says
I nod and watch him leave. He shuts the door. I shut my eyes, going to sleep. After some time, I hear the door creak open. No footsteps. But I could feel like someone was watching me. I open my eyes and see Horror looming over me, watching me. I start trembling. He leans down, opening his mouth...........
SMACK!
A gloved hand smacks his face and covers his mouth.
"Go ahead. Try to hurt Encre. I dare you. See what happens!"Suave says, a knife pointed at Horror's neck
Horror completely froze up.
"Are you gonna hurt Encre?"Suave asks
Horror shakes his head no.
"Good, now get out before I tell M'Lords what you did."Suave says
Horror runs off.
"Jokes on him, I already did."Suave says
"Thank you for protecting me, Suave."I say
"Anytime. When you get your strength back I'll start teaching you self-defense. Also, I got your journal from your house."He says, setting my journal on the nightstand
I smile and nod. He leaves and I doze right back to sleep.
Weeks go by and I slowly regain my strength. I was able to sit up, sketch, write, do anything with my arms within two weeks. Getting movement in my legs took longer. Jasper came into my room one day. I set my journal aside and greet him. We chat for a bit, but I could tell his curiousity was hooked on something.
"Encre, have you ever had a crush or been in a relationship? I'm just curious."He says
"Well, I've never been in a relationship. But I had a crush years ago.....It did not go over well. But things change and I can hardly remember the guy."I say
"Do you have a crush now?"He asks
"I dunno. I kinda forgot the feeling of having a crush..."I say
"What were your parents like?"He asks
I look at him.
"Were they nice like my father?"He asks
I try to remember. It was all fuzzy and in broken pieces.
"I...Don't remember them. Grandma is the only family I can remember besides my grandpa who died in a traveling incident."I say
"Hasn't your grandmother told you about them?"He asks
"I can't ask about them. Ask about my father and she gets angry, muttering to herself. Ask about my mother and she gives the silent treatment, looking sad."I say
"Oh..."He says
Then he runs off when Charlos called for him.
Fallacy came in my room next.
"Wanna see something? Just don't laugh please."He says
"Sure."I say
He takes a small figure out of his pocket. I could tell it is a painted piece of wood carved to look like a person. He could move the body parts too.
"Like how you secretly make those paintings....I make these puppets of the ones I love. This one is of you...."He says
I smile.
"That looks amazing."I say
"You....aren't laughing?"He says
"Is there a joke I missed?"I ask
"My council likes to refer the puppets as dolls, therefore they are childish or for girls....I haven't told them but they find whoever makes or plays with these a stupid idiot."He says
"Well then they are quite stupid to not understand true craftsmanship. Plus you're their leader, I'm sure they can open their minds to you."I say
"Yeah, but not Horror. He is in the dungeon anyway. Heh, thank you."He says
"Of course."I say
As the days went on, I got motion and strength back in my legs. Fallacy would look for any excuse for me to join him, no matter the activity. He never wanted me out of his sight. He would only trust me around Felicia, Jasper or Suave or whoever is visiting. Poussière tried to make things up to me to try and get on Fallacy's good side again. After a few days, it worked. We became friends and he got just as protective. He protected me from the other council members, though sometimes went too far. He was very friendly once we got to know each other....Too friendly for Fallacy's liking. One day he pulled Poussière aside to have a little chat.
While they did that, Suave took me outside to teach me self defense. I SUCKED at it. But after a few weeks of training, I got better and he was very happy with that. We'd do it out of sight of Fallacy's castle, just so we don't get distracted. We'd come back once done.
One day, things changed. Suave and I had just finished another practice of a self defense trick for when we get cornered. We came back soon to the castle. I find Fallacy with Jasper and another person. Fallacy's face turns a bright yellow for some reason.
"Why is that painter so hot?"The stranger says
"Uh, cause he was exercising and it's the middle of summer?"Jasper says
They begin to talk, blocking the door. Suave and I look at each other.
"Is there a back entrance?"I ask
"Mhm."He says
He starts walking around the castle, having me follow. By now their whispers grew louder to shouts. Arguing.
"THAT IS MY ENCRE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!"I hear Fallacy snap
"Oh M'Lord...Here he goes again. I told him never to set Fallacy off in anger. He never listens. And today was his first day back."Suave mutters
"Who? And first day back?"I ask
"Derik. He used to be a member of council but was kicked out because he wanted to take over the world and turn it into his land where he rules...I dunno, some crazy idea of his. He got banished after causing trouble and today was his first day back from it. Clearly he didn't learn his lesson about ticking Fallacy off."He explains
"Well I don't see a mark on him."Derik's voice says
WHOOSH!
I feel two hands grip my shoulders tightly. I look at Suave, who stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"M'Lord! NO!"He snaps
Then, before I could process anything, I feel two fangs dig deep into my neck in one single bite. They sank in deeply and stayed there. I break into tears as pain shot up and down my body from my neck.
"JASPER! F10!"Suave shouts
I hear Jasper gasp.
The fangs slip out of my neck,allowing it to bleed out. I feel a hand around the wound on my neck, the other hand still digging into my shoulder to keep me still. Then, the hand on my neck leaves when my neck no longer bleeds.
"Mmm-mm..."A voice hums behind me
I look up in tears to see Fallacy behind me. He....Bit me....Was he trying to kill me like Poussière did? He licks the blood off his hand, looking satisfied. Like a kid when they get their favorite candy.
"Well now you do, Derik!"He shouts proudly
I hear a slow clap.
"Wow, great job, your majesty. You made him cry. You scared him. And look! He is shaking! You must be real proud of yourself now."Derik's voice says
Fallacy releases his grip on me. He seems to realize what he did. I back away from him, Jasper bandaging my neck.
"Encre..? No, wait! I didn't mean to! I-!"He begins, reaching to grab me
I back away, trying to get rid of my tears. The stranger now known as Derik hugs me.
"Encre, it is a pleasure meeting you. I'm sorry he hurt you, I can tell you trusted him a lot."Derik says
"W-What was the p-p-point of that?"I ask
"You've never gotten bitten on the neck before?"Derik says
"Poussière did before we knew each other and that was to kill me..."I say
"That's most likely what he was trying to do. Such a terrible thing to backstab someone like that."He says
Then I feel a pain in my spine. I stifle a cry and grab him by his arms. I did not think. I just use my training. I flip him over and feel something get yanked out of my back in the process. He hits the ground, a bloody knife falling out of his hand.
I tremble, feeling the pain in my back too now. My legs feel weak. I look to Fallacy. He...wouldn't try to hurt me, right?
"E-Encre?"Fallacy whimpers, crying
I try to walk but stumble. He grabs me before I fall and I hold him tightly.
"I'm so sorry, Encre! I don't know what I was thinking!"He cries
"I-It's okay...J-J-Just why did you do it?"I ask
"I was trying to mark you."He says
"M-M-Mark m-me?"I ask
"Yes. It's where a vampire will bite another person not to kill them but for protection. It is a mark from a vampire's fangs that tells other vampires to back off. I'm sorry I did it so suddenly."He says
I hug him tightly.
"It is okay."I say, looking up at him and smiling through the pain
I claw at his back as I feel my legs go week and start slipping. He lifts me up and bandages my back where I got stabbed. I hold him tightly. He takes me inside quickly, setting me in bed.
A few hours later, Derik comes in.
"Hey, I only stabbed you to have the same guilt as him. I was the one who pissed him off which led to you being marked."He says
"Oh...Okay."I say
He glances around the room.
"Something is missing. Where is that rose I gave you? And yes I was the bat on the windowsill."He says
I shrug.
"No matter, easily replaceable."He says, handing me another rose
"Ummm, thank you?"I say
He smiles and leaves. I shut the door, then open the window and drop the rose out of it. I am NOT interested in literal backstabbers, thank you very much.
A few months later, Azure found me in the forest while I was reading outside. Good thing the castle was out of sight, I never want Azure of all people to find that place.
"Oh thank the heavens I found you! Come on! I wanna show you to the new ruler! He is very nice!"He says
"But-!"I begin
There is NO WAY I am trusting Azure to leave me in the care of another ruler after the last mess.
"No but's! Come on!"He says, trying to drag me away
I grab his wrist, twisting it and flipping him over.
"AZURE LISTEN!"I snap
"Since when did you know that?"He asks
"Suave taught me it. He thought it would be best if the guards won't protect me that I show know tricks like that. Now listen, Azure. I do not trust your judgement. You thought the last guy was just fine but he nearly killed me. You thought monsters or beasts are so bad that it clouded your judgement when I was turned into one. You didn't listen and nearly KILLED ME. I am sorry, but I lost my trust in you. It started with the gossip but my life is a different story. You need to open your eyes and mind, realize that things aren't what they seem. The beasts aren't beasts. They are as good as us, or better. Now, I am not trusting you to throw me into the care of another stranger after what the last guy did. Unless you can prove that this guy is good or that you can be a good friend and guard, I am going nowhere with you. I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to have my life put on the line because of you again."I say
"Where will you stay?"He asks
"With Suave and Jasper as well as my other friends. The beasts that you call so terrible have done better at caring and protecting me than you. They accept me as well. So, tell everyone I said hi but I am not going to that new ruler."I say
He looks at me in shock.
I walk away, climbing the trees to get out of his sight. He gets up and runs off. I slide back down and head back to the castle. I enter my room and sketch until the sun went down. I check the calendar. The 28th is tomorrow. Autumn has begun. But I know that date better than any other day. Oh great.....
"Hey, Jasper?"I say
"Yeah?"He says, coming in
"There is one thing I know about my family. It's that every year on my parents' anniversary, I get this weird dream and that starts off a domino effect of other weird occurrances. And it's tomorrow."I say
"Oh....OH! What kind of weird things?"He asks
"They change each year. Just...Keep this between us, okay?"I say
He looks at me confusedly. I explain everything.
"Okay, I'll be here if you need anything tomorrow."He says, hugging me
"Thank you so much."I tell him
He smiles and leaves.
I go to sleep, hoping for the best. Maybe this year it won't happen.
It did.
I see a blurry face of a lady. But now I see her eyes. They were dazzling.
"Il y a mon petit Sprinkle-Skittle! My little artsy pumpkin! Laisse moi voir ce sourire! Let me see that cute little smile!"She says
(There is my little.....Let me see that smile!)
Laughter echoed around us.
Then, I find myself in her arms.
"I can't wait to go visit my mother. We're going in four days right hun?"She says
A shadowy figure nothing but a blur for a face.
"Yes, but tonight I want to treat you to something special for our anniversary."A deep voice says
"Oooo!~ I love surprises!"She says
In a blink, I could hear a scream. I laid in a crib, small like a baby. I hear shouting and a loud, painful scream. I crawl out of the crib and down the hall. A purple light shines throw a doorway slightly cracked open. I peek in and see strange candles lit, precious pictures and items broken. Strange drawings were painted on the walls. But I saw the lady tied up and a strange flame consuming her. I couldn't move, just watch and listen as she screamed. The shadowy blur snickers and showed a nasty grin. The lady disappears. Crying is heard. The figure looks to me and grabs me.
"I cannot have any witnesses. Can't get caught. You have no value anymore. So don't recall anything that happened here, don't recall me or anyone. Or else severe consequences will come you dumb baby. You are never seeing your mother again. Tell anyone and the Démon du Vide will kill you the same way she did."He growls
Then I feel pain fill my body and mind. I start crying until I get dropped.
"Encre!"a voice shouts
I wake up quickly, finding Fallacy hugging me close. I look outside and it's day already. I find tears in my eyes.
"Encre, my dear! Are you okay? You're crying!"He asks
Put on a smile. It's ok. It's gonna be a long day, nothing we can do...
"I'm fine. Just....Another bad dream."I say
"Simon? Issac?"He guesses
"Not this time."I say
"Azure? My council?"He conitnues
"No."I tell him
"Derik? M-Me?"He asks
"Nope. No! You're my friend! I will never fear you!"I say
Not when there is something more scary to deal with today.
"Then what is it?"He asks
"It's nothing to worry about. I am okay."I tell him
He nuzzles me head, wiping my tears. He leaves the room with a sigh. I get dressed but then get a burning sensation. I roll up my sleeve, seeing words burned into one of my arms. It says Sprinkle Skittle!
It's starting already.
I frown.
I need to smile to hide it.
I come out, rolling down my sleeve. My head aches and I shake it away. Fallacy comes over, linking arms with me. He leads me around as he does the daily tasks. We chat, then out of nowhere my voice turns my talk to French.
"Encre, is everything ok? You don't speak French often. And you swapped out of nowhere."He asks
"Rien.......Nothing to worry about..."I say, forcing some English out
He looks at me with concern and worry. I turn away for a few moments. Get my shit together! Can't worry him! It will all end at midnight! Just like the few last years!
"Encre?"He asks
I turn back to face him.
"Everything is okay........."I tell him
I smile, huging his arm to reassure him.
We keep walking, going from task to task. Then we take a break. He seemed to finally relax.
I feel another burning feeling. Stung too. Guess I didn't hide the pain well because he gently grabbed me, having me sit and then he forces me sleeve on my other arm up. I glance at this arm, seeing it marked with the words Don't forget the Démon du Vide!
"What is the Démon du Vide?"He asks
"Nothing."I ask
"Who is it?"He asks
"Nobody."I lie
He wraps his arms around me.
"Why is your arm marked by this?"He asks
I cover my other sleeve, gripping it tight.
"I...Dunno. It happens every year on this day. Always stops tomorrow...I don't want to talk about it."I tell him
He looks at my other arm. He rolls that sleeve up and sees the marks on that.
"What is that name for?"He asks
I go silent. Something in me felt that this name was valued and beloved....Just dunno why. And I don't wanna talk about it.
"Encre! Are you alright? I remember what you told me yesterda-"Jasper begins as he enters
He sees us and goes quiet.
"What did he tell you yesterday, Jasper?"Fallacy asks
"I will not break a pinkie promise. Does he need anything?"He says
I shake my head. Fallacy looks at me and pulls me close.
"I want you to be happy."He whispers
"I am okay, I promise."I assure him, hugging him
He leans down to my neck and kisses it. I twitch, my face burning.
"F-Fallacy, what was that for?"I ask
"To show my care."He says, kissing my neck again
I jolt.
"Are you sensitive there?"He asks
"Mhm."I say
"Aww..."He says, making my face burn
He looks at me.
"Your rainbow is adorable."He tells me
My soul skips beats. Then he gets up and leaves. Jasper hugs me, trying to help.
Meanwhile, Fallacy's POV
I pull a hood up and sneak off to his grandmother's house. I want answers. If something is bothering him, which clearly there is something or someone bothering him, I wanna know who, what, why and since when. Maybe this Démon du Vide is the source. My mind goes blank, never hearing it before. Maybe it's an ex or something. If anyone were to know, it would be his grandmother. I arrive and knock.
I could sense her on the other side. She opens the door with a big smile.
"Hello, Fallacy? How are you and everyone at home?"She asks
"Not terrible, that's for sure."I say
"Your sister tells me that you marked my grandson."She says
"I'm so-"I begin
"No no. It's fine. I know what it means to vampires. And I would rather Encre under nobody's marked protection than yours. But try and sneak past that line without taking another test from me and we have some problems. Vampire or not, got it?"She says
She is always so bold and protective.
"Understood. I actually came here to ask you about Encre. Did he have any past relationships of any sort?"I ask
"Why? Jealous somehow?"She teases
"No, just trying to understand something."I say
She has me come inside and she shuts the door.
"He was never in a relationship. Never had to give anyone a test to see if they were fit for him. But there was a crush....Childhood one. Boy I made that kid pay!"She says
"What happened?"I ask
"He was new to my village, the one that I was later kicked out of. He was maybe 6 when he got it. He was living with me and met this boy.....Forgot his name. This boy was a few years older, probably 9 or 10, and he was the kind that would do all these stunts and was Mr. Popular in school. But then one day, this kid thought it would be funny to pull tricks on him. He had Encre come with him behind a building saying that he loved Encre back. But when Encre got there, this kid beat him up and made fun of him. I found him crying behind that building and took him home. I found out what this kid did and let's just say it was whacking time. Other kids learned what this kid did to Encre and the kid lost his popularity. That's when the kid came crawling back to Encre, but this time he was the one who got rejected. That's when Encre got the belief of loving a person for who they are, not their reputation or something they have."She explains
Oh jeez, poor Encre.
"Why did you wanna know?"She asks
"I was wondering about who the Démon du Vide might be."I tell her
She drops her cane, looking shocked.
"Did Encre tell you...?"She asks
"No but it was marked on his arm today. The other arm was saying Sprinkle Skittle. He says it happens on this day every year but won't tell me why. I wanna be able to help him."I reply
Tears rolled down her face.
"It's the time of year again....I thought that stupid curse would stop by now.....He's still under that fear....He is so dead if he tries anything with my grandson!"She mutters to herself
"Is everything okay,ma'am?"I ask
She snaps out of it and looks at me.
"Take a seat, there is a lot to tell. I knew someone would find out about it one day."She says
"Find out about what?"I ask
"His curse....I'll get tea."She says
"He's cursed?"I ask
"Why do you think his neck is sensitive and he can't remember his parents? I assume you know how sensitive his neck is in the very least."She says
I nod.
"Well get cozy because I am about to tell you the truth that not even he knows about."She says
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TBC