Sticks and stones can’t break my bone, your words will never hurt me.
Styx and Swords, however.
Styx and Swords can break my bones and her words are careful and chosen. Styx and Swords leaves me cut and bruised, for this I do quite love her.
She is harsh as ice and hard as stone, but ever so sweet and tender.
Styx and Swords Understands my woes and therefor I chose her. She is my friend, and I am turn is hers. We are soulmates. Two souls meant to meet.
In the cold and rain, she shivered from the shadows that consumed her. I could have left her there lost and broken. For the doctors to have, but I saw myself in her. She couldn’t fight back. Drew the wrong cards of life.
I watched them burn those numbers into her skin. The smell filled the room.
I watched for five days waiting for my opportunity. She was far to sick to move, and I feared her death.
When Pandora awoke I needn’t have worried.
She killed them all.
I watched as she realised what she had done. The fear clouded over her eyes. I told her I was a friend and that I wanted to help her. I help her close and nursed her back to health. That is our secret, something I will never tell. It is not my story.
It was just us, and the wolf. She was scarred far from home, and culture shocked. After a few months, she joined our ranks, never telling the story of her number.
It was a constant reminder of the day she killed her first human. The day of her great slaughter. The blood thirst in her eyes is something I still see in my nightmares.
She stands before me, the same bloodlust in her eyes. They were the colour of the ocean under the sun. Her hair was tied in a braid; causing her whole head to look like her fringe. I could see the scars on her face. The on her jaw and in her brow.
Her stance was low, and his fists were balled. She was ready to fight. Our dance of death.
It was a waltz of blood and bruises.
Her movements were controlled, and I could see her concentration as I dodged attack after attack.
As we danced I couldn’t help counting the scars she had on her body.
On her right calf were scars from a bobcat.
On the top of her left foot, left ankle and left hand were scars from barbed wire.
On the bottom of both her feet were scars from when she walked on glass.
On her right arm around her elbow was a burn in the shape of a hand. A childhood accident.
Around her stomach were scars from our very first encounter.
Around her left leg, upper left arm and right shoulders were the scars from her encounter with the flesh mound.
On her back was the biggest one of them all. It twisted like veins, trying to reach over her shoulder and her lower back. In the centre was the symbol of the river Styx. The entire scar was black as the void.
Pandora decided along the sandy floor and swiped my feet out from under me. I fell hard and sunk into the oily black of the shadows. I could see her outline blurred and smoky. She was looking for me.
I walked behind her to kick her in the back of the knee.
Crack.
I was lying on the floor; she had judo-flipped me before I got the chance. I growled and sunk once again.
“Getting tired?” She asked her voice distant.
“You wish.”
I stepped out again and kicked her in the stomach. She folded and fell to her knees, coughing. “You are so, fucking dead,” She hissed staggering to her feet.
Her hair started to act like she was underwater. Her eyes glowed blue. Water short from her hands and curled around me. I tried to leap back but I was trapped. She lifted me off the ground and threw me into a wall.
I glared at her as she charged dragger drawing. Shadowy hands grabbed her ankles and pulled her down.
She screamed.
Her daggers were gone, as she crawled at the sand.
“Drake this isn’t funny!” She cried as she sunk deeper and deeper, into darkness. “Drake!” She wailed. Tears in her eyes. Her voice cracked with fear.
More and more hands dragged her down. She cried, screaming my name.
‘do not save her,’ a voice hissed in my head.
Her scream was the last thing I heard.
I watched the spot where she had been as if expecting her to rise up out of the pool. Where my anger was, began to mix with guilt and shame.
I had let them take her.
I ran over to the shrinking pool and reached my hand to grab her. The shadows were cool and oily. I tried to find her; to pull her out.
Tears dripped into the pool. I couldn’t find her. I reached deeper but she was gone. My vision blurred as tears fell down my cheeks.
I pulled my hand out before it closed and punched the ground where it had been, screaming. My fists were blooded by the time I stopped.
‘your fault,’ a harsh voice hissed
“No.”
‘just like the others.’
“Shut up,”
‘she hates you.’
“…I know…”
With a final defying scream I let myself drown; in my grief falling into the shadows, towards my realm.
The shadows court.
My throne was cold beneath me.
The walls were obsidian. Dark and washed over in cold blue fire. The lights flickering. Across the floor stalactites and stalagmites were jutting out like teeth.
At the other end of the throne room, was a high archway door. I could see shadows slip in and out of sight.
My subjects.
They awaited my orders. I sat upon my throne once again, just like in the old times.
I didn’t give them the satisfaction.
I stood and walked around the halls ignoring their whispers. My breath curled through the air.
It was cold in my realm.
There was no sun to even give the illusion of warmth and the fire was always cold. I had long become accustomed to the chill.
As I walked through my palace, I couldn’t help but think how much it looked like a monastery. Hall with no windows and hollow halls.
In the central garden, I saw a young woman shivering, by the river Obumbratio.
She was just like the rest of the realm. Grey. Her back was turned to me. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes blazed blue. As she took me in her eyes filled with betrayal and anger. She was dripping in shadows.
Pandora.
I grinned ear to ear and jumped through the arch towards her.
“You almost fucking drowned me!” She yelled, her voice distant and quiet.
“Pandora!”
Crack.
Black ichor dripped onto the ground. My nose burned. I stared at her with a stupid grin on my face. My eyes watered and I could only smile.
She covered her mouth and stepped back towards the river. “Oh shit, shit, shit. I am so sorry. I—”
I cut her off pulling her close to my chest and holding her tight.
“I’m sorry,” I choked. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I — fuck, I’m tired.”
I took her through the gardens and out of my realm. My wings wrapped around her for warmth.
She was never good with the cold. Before long, we were back in the mortal realm.
The winter’s warm light hurt my eyes. Aztec and Pepper were barking and whining; smothering Pandora and me as we lay sprawled on the ground on the playground.
Pandora was still dripping shadows and shivering. I got to my feet and helped Pandora to her feet. She gripped my hand as we walked.
“You deserved it.”
Her comment caught me off guard.
“Huh?”
“The broken nose, you deserved it.”
“Oh… fair.”
The rotting building that is the hospital came into view. It was a long building with a clock tower at the front. As we got closer however the dilapidated building became pristine. In the windows, I could see spectators watching our approach.
As we walked inside there was a nurse behind the reception desk. She had warm dark skin, and black hair in victory curls under a nurse’s cap from world war two. She wore red lipstick and a white dress that ended just above her knees. She stared at us with a blank stare on her face.
“Can I have a nurse for Miss Delmaria, thank you,” She sighed, over the intercom. Her thick Sothern accent was warm and kind. A nurse walked out into the room. She wore a nurse uniform from the 1990s. Short light blue dress with red hair tied back in a bun. Pandora waved to the nurse behind the desk
“Thank you, Alice,” She smiled.
“Why is it always you two?” Alice asked me, handing me a hacker chief; a laughed placing it on my bloody nose.
“Because we have unhealthy outlets for our pent-up emotions,” I said walking down the hall, where I could find some pure HE.
I opened the door and saw Bones Daciana running around franticly. He was crying. I walked into the room and grabbed his shoulders.
“Bones!”
He looked up to meet my eyes. Tears streaming down his face. “I can’t fix him!” He cried during his face into my torses. I placed a hand on his head and looked towards the bed.
Koa Kaʻaukai; was hacking up blood and convulsing. His heart rate was rocketing.
“Shit.”
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