Love Comes In Many Dangerous Forms

I didn’t know I fell asleep until I heard something knocking on top of the carriage. They were packing up the luggage, I sighed moving over to the far corner, resting my head against the window. Blaine was sitting next to me; I guess he never left last night.

I heard the door squeak open, but I didn’t look to see who it was. I just looked out the small tinted window there were three of them in the carriage, the other two must be onto steering. No one spoke a word as Aidan pulled the carriage through the woods, and I never tore my eyes away from the window.

I may have drifted in and out of consciousness, but I wasn’t sure. The woods were calm and peaceful. The vegetation started to bloom in the new spring months, flower buds just started sprouting in the trees and in the bushes.

But then there was a spark, maybe a few yards away from us and it grew and grew until it consumed everything surrounding us. The purple fire mocked me as it danced around us. I glared at it, shutting the curtain close. I didn’t need to deal with his shit now.

I took a deep breath and turned away from the window.

Tristan, Athen, and Zach were all staring at me. Zach and Athen were both glaring at me, they were both sitting on the opposite side of me, and Tristan gave me a hesitant smile.

I gave him the best small smile I could muster up, but I couldn’t hold it for long.

“You look like hell,” he told me bluntly.

I scoffed lightly, “I know.”

“When do you think we’ll be there?” he asked.

“Hopefully by tonight, it’ll be late though, but sooner than tomorrow morning,” I answered him.

“And I’m guessing that you and Hillary don’t get along as well as you use to,” he frowned.

“No, we don’t agree on anything anymore,” I sighed, looking down at my bare feet that were covered in bruises and cuts, as well as being coated in dirt. I really didn’t want to talk about Hillary or my parents.

This was going to be a very long trip back.

***

I managed to sleep most of the way back thankfully, but for the minutes when I was awake were filled by awkward silence.

I was pretty sure it was very early in the morning – around four or five o’clock – when I saw the village again.

I don’t think I have ever smiled as much as I did the moment we entered through the gates. That is until I saw the welcoming party.

Audrey just about ripped the door open and jerked me out of my seat, “Don’t you ever do that to me again, young lady.”

I groaned, “You’re two years older than me, and I will do as I please.”

She glared at me as Vera wrapped her arms around me, “I was so worried.”

“I’m fine, okay? Please… just stop,” I pulled away from her, and walked through the open French doors.

“Cassiel,” Vera sighed, but didn’t follow me.

I ran upstairs and opened my bedroom door. I smiled as I saw Jimmy sleeping peacefully under the covers. I smiled softly as I walked up to the bed. I brushed his blonde hair out of his face. I sat on the end of the bed, and waited for him to wake up.

According to the old grandfather clock in the corner of my room, it was seven-thirty when he opened his eyes.

“Hey Jimmy,” I murmured, picking him up.

He rubbed his eyes, and blinked at me, “Cassie?”

I kissed his forehead, smiling to myself, “I love you, sweetie.”

“You’re awl dirty,” he giggled.

“I know,” I fixed his bed head with my free hand. “I want to meet someone.”

His face was unsure and untrusting as we walked downstairs.

“Tristan?” I called as I reached the bottom step.

He entered through the opening to the library, his confused eyes landed on Jimmy and then they looked at me.

“Tristan I want you to meet the most important person in my life. This is Jimmy,” I told him as Jimmy lightly pulled on my hair.

“He has your eyes, Cassie,” he whispered in my ear.

I nodded, smiling softly at him, “He’s my brother,” I whispered back to him.

Jimmy looked back at Tristan, tilting his head slightly.

“I’m sure you have a few questions,” I sighed turning to Tristan.

“This is Blaine’s son?” he asked.

“Yes,” I adjusted Jimmy so that he was on my other hip. “Blaine and his wife, Clara, died he was only eight months old. I adopted him a few days later after I found him.”

“So you’re…” he trailed off.

“A mom,” I finished. “It’s crazy, I know.”

“How old is he?”

“He’ll be four in September,” I answered him.

“Hello Jimmy,” Tristan smiled at him.

“Hi,” he murmured back hiding behind my hair.

“Do you know where Blaine is?” I asked him.

“I think he’s still outside.”

“Thanks,” I smiled one last time as I walked out the doors and looked around the garden.

“Blaine?” I spoke as Jimmy rested his head against my shoulder.

I saw his shadow move towards us, and I set Jimmy down still holding his hand.

“Jimmy this is Blaine,” I bent down next to him.

Blaine reached out and touched his cheek, but jimmy flinched away.

“He looks like the Scary Man,” Jimmy whimpered, standing behind me.

Blaine tilted his head.

“He used to have nightmares all the time about a year ago. There was a man in all of them, he just called him the ‘Scary Man’ he wouldn’t tell me anything else,” I explained.

“He looks wike him, Cassie, but he doesn’t sound wike him,” Jimmy told me, frowning.

“You can hear him?”

Jimmy nodded his head, “But only I can hear him.”

Must be a demon thing, I guessed.

“He says his brother is the Scary Man, is he mean Cassie?” he looked up at me.

“Yes,” I nodded, biting my lip. “He is very mean, Jimmy.”

He frowned, and pouted slightly, “The scary man would tawk about yo, Cassie. Do you know him?”

“No, I don’t Jimmy. But if he ever comes back, tell me okay?” I told him seriously.

“Otway Cassie,” he agreed.

“Cassiel,” I heard someone behind me.

My eyes narrowed in confusion, “Yes Colton?”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I pick Jimmy back up and Blaine followed us back into the castle.

“Jimmy, I think Vera is in the kitchen, could you leave me and Prince Colton to talk? I’ll come in a few minutes,” I bent down to his level.

He nodded, his bottom lip jutted out.

“Thank you, sweetie,” I kissed his cheek. “Blaine, could you go with him? And please, don’t let anyone see you.”

He nodded and followed Jimmy.

I sighed, running my hand through my dirty hair, “What do you want Colton?”

“Were you ever going to tell me that I was going to die?”

I frowned, “Of course I was going to tell you, but I didn’t trust you. Jimmy is everything to me, and I do all I can to protect him. But I would tell you, I wouldn’t have kept it from you. And you do understand that I’m going to die as well?”

He just shook his head at me and walked back upstairs, his lips were in a tight line. I leaned against the banister, trying to ignore the guilt that threatened to consume all of me. It was my fault he was going to die. It was my fault my family was going to die. And it would be my fault when people suffered for it.

“Cassiel?!” I heard Audrey call out from upstairs followed by

I nearly groaned, pushing myself off of the banister and trudged upstairs, “Coming.”

“Wait!” she ordered, pushing me into my room, making my trip over my own feet. “Go take a shower, you’re filthy.”

“Gee thanks,” I rolled my eyes and closed the bathroom door behind me. The cracked tiles were replaced, you couldn’t tell the difference between the old and the new. The counter had new perfume and hair products lined along the back. And the mirror was no longer in broken pieces; it had been replaced as well. But Michael’s message was still fresh in my mind.

I turned the faucet on and peeled the ruined dress off of my skin and let the water washed over me. The translucent liquid turned a muddy brown as it streamed down the drain. I shut my eyes as my tightened nerves relaxed as the scalding water pelted against my shoulders.

I washed he dirt out of my hair with the foaming shampoo, and nearly scrubbed my skin raw. I turned the water off and wrapped the white fluffy towel around myself. I walked back into my bedroom and someone covered my eyes.

“You’re not allowed to see,” Audrey told me wrapping a cloth over my eyes.

“See what?” I sighed.

“Your gown, I need to make sure it fits,” she explained taking my towel and immediately placed the fabric around me and started working on it.

“And why can’t I see it? Why are you even working on it already?” I frowned as she stuck the needles to close to my skin for my liking.

“Did you honestly forget your own birthday? Its tomorrow,” she scoffed threading the fabric so that the corset fit me like a second skin.

“What?” I peeked at her under the blindfold.

“No looking,” she commanded pulling it back over my eyes. “And yes tomorrow is March seventeenth,” she adjusted the bust and then the waist.

“Great,” I bit the inside of my cheek so hard that it started to bleed.

“And I don’t want you fighting with anybody tomorrow,” she ordered sternly. “But you can beat the hell out of Hillary when everybody is gone.”

“Trust me, I’m won’t talk to my parents. And I don’t think Zach or Shane will talk to me, or even look at me for that matter.”

“You’re probably right about Zach, you know how he is. Shane on the other hand, looked upset when you guys got home,” she pondered, unlacing the back.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” my voice was thick with betrayal.

“Because you already have to worry about everything else, we didn’t want to add more to that list,” she explained taking the dress off and handed me a silk gown, which I put on without any hesitation and removed the blindfold when I heard her shut my closet door.

She locked the door and put the key in her side pocket, “Let’s get you something to eat.”