Status: About once or twice a week. More if I ever get a break from school. :)
The Damned
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-six
Easter's POV
Micah and I were just lounging around after work in one of the fields. We'd finished really early...well, it was almost seven o' clock, but it was summer and the sun was still up. I'd laid down on the grass and after complaining at me for making his get ALL the way down to the ground, he did too. We weren't really talking or even kissing, just lying in each other's arms.
Still, we both jumped away from each other guiltily--As if we had a reason to feel guilty. It's not like it's a secret that we're dating. Everyone knows--when Ms. Diana rushed over to us. This confused me for a few reasons. One, I was surprised she rushed anywhere considering the high heels she wore every day. I thought she might break an ankle as it was. Two, I'd never seen her look--Dare I say it?--frightened before. She was shaking, her eyes were petrified, and her normally perfect bun was askew. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Three, I'd expected her to yell at us--or me-- the second she saw us because she was one of the many people who disapproved of our relationship.
"Micah! Oh Micah, I'm so glad to see that you're alright. I was sure he'd lured you away and done something horrible to you," she gasped, yanking a very confused and annoyed Micah out of my arms and onto his feet.
As I scrambled to my feet, Micah wrenched his hand out of her grip. I could tell that he was ready to walk away from her, deciding that this conversation was stupid and pointless.
"No! Please don't go!" she begged before rounding on me. For such a small woman, she can be awfully intimidating. That's probably because she holds my whole life in her hands. She can assign me so many chores that I die of exhaustion or take away my food or even decide whether I live or die if I miss work. "I know whose side your on, you monster! You led them here. I knew our Tsar and Tsarina were being too merciful when they allowed you to live. You should have been down on your knees, thanking them for letting you live and instead you decided to be a traitor. How dare you! Micah get away from him!" she snarled.
I felt afraid. All I knew was that this insane woman was yelling at me and I didn't know why. I felt a sharp sting across my cheek as she slapped me. I was a little surprised, but not too angry since it didn't hurt. More than anything, I just wanted to know what had caused her to go off the deep end. Ms. Diana had seen us together before and while she hadn't looked too thrilled about it, she didn't look like she'd go off like a raving lunatic. That just goes to show you that you can't always tell by looks.
Micah, unlike me, was furious. "Don't touch Easter! Get away from him! If you ever lay a hand on him again--"
"Just come with me! I wish you wouldn't bring him, but if you must I won't argue right now. We just have to get out of the open. I don't know if there are more of them out here," she hissed, grabbing Micah's hand again.
Micah looked like he was trying to pull away again, but I heard something in Ms. Diana's voice that Micah didn't. Something bad is happening. "Micah, stop! Let's go with her," I said urgently. I took his other hand and we ran as fast as we could towards the castle. "What's happening?" I asked. "Is someone trying to hurt Micah? Is it Logan?" I felt horrified at the thought of Logan being back. I never want Micah to be hurt again. I never wanted Micah to get hurt again. I remembered for one terrifying second how Micah had looked so still after being beaten up. I was sure he was dead and I know I can't bear to go through that again.
"Shut up!" she snarled at me. "It's not like you don't already know. "
Micah looked like he wanted to start another fight, but I headed him off.
"It's okay, Micah," I said. "I decided to just shut up for the rest of the way back. It took us nearly half an hour to get to the fields, but less than five minutes, we were within sight of the castle's front steps.
Ms. Diana slid to a stop and she almost knocked us over. "They're already here," she gasped.
"What?" Micah asked. "Who is? What going on?" Micah asked, angry that no one was explaining this to him.
"Not now," Ms. Diana said, dismissively.
"Yes, now," Micah ordered. "Is my family in danger? Are my friends?"
"It doesn't matter. Your parents ordered that their heir be kept safe. There's no use in you dying along with you family and friends. You have to think of your country," she reprimanded him.
Micah and I weren't listening anymore. Our friends could be killed. We can't leave them to die. We raced across the grounds towards the castle. I noticed distantly that Ms. Diana wasn't following us, not that I blamed her. Even though she was supposed to protect Micah, I couldn't expect her to when Micah and I were willingly putting ourselves in danger. I didn't understand where she got the idea that the people who'd come to hurt us were already inside. I didn't see a thing out of place.
As soon as we ran into the entrance hall, all of that changed. The Tsar and his wife were standing on one side of the room, looking cold and angry but distinctly afraid. On the other side, were a man and a woman who I was positive I'd never seen before, but they seemed oddly familiar. They looked absolutely furious until we walked in. Their eyes softened at the sight of us. "Easter," the woman whispered.
"How do you know my name?" I asked, curiously.
Micah wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned over me like he was trying to hide me from them. It was clear that he didn't feel familiar with them like I do.
"Of course we know your name. You're our son," she said. She started to cry, but still had that soft smile on her face, so I knew she wasn't sad.
"What?" another voice said, shocked.
I looked over to the corner and realized that our friends were there.
"Easter, let us explain," the man--presumably her husband--said. "We just came here to take you home."
"I'm sorry. You must have made a mistake. My parents are dead."
"That's right, dear," Micah's mother said.
"Stop talking or so help me," the woman who claimed to be my mother snarled, lunging at Micah's parents.
The only thing that stopped her from hurting Micah's parents was "my" father. "Please," he pleaded. "We'll explain everything. If you stay they'll kill you."
"No one is going to kill me. I've been fine so far. I haven't had a reason to doubt that until you showed up," I said trying not to sound as scared as I felt.
"How do we know you aren't the ones who want to kill him?" Micah asked. He wasn't even trying to hide how scared and angry he was, but he never once loosened his protective hold on me.
"Why would be hurt you? We're demons, just like you. Can't you see that? We want to take you somewhere where you'll be safe," the woman said, a pleading look on her face. Yes, it was obvious they were demons, but I was still so confused. They can't be my parents. I remember all the way back to the day of my birth. They weren't there. They sounded so convincing though...I just don't understand.
"There isn't anywhere that demons are safe," I told them, looking at them like they were crazy. Do they think I want to go into hiding in some forest where I'll never be able to see other people again? That's the only place that would be remotely safe for me. Every country hates people like me and they'd be all too glad to send me right back to Micah's parents.
"You're wrong," the man said. "Those people-" he glared at Micah's parents. "-Don't want their people to know that there is a country of our kind, or that we're really not that dangerous if we are taught some control. They need an enemy, something that will unite their people. Unfortunately for us, they chose our kind. That way when our kind are born in this country, they are kept isolated and unaware of the rest of their kind. Why do you think they were so eager to find out that you are a demon? I'd bet you were the only of your slave group who was beaten when you were brought here. They tried to come up with an excuse to kill you too, didn't they?" he said, before offering a small smile to Micah. "You're lucky their son seems to like you. They knew who you were, can't you tell that by the way they've been treating you? They even tried to hide you. I doubt you've been off the grounds since you came here. I can't believe they thought they could enslave you and get away with it," the woman claiming to be my mother screamed.
I wished I had a pause button. Some of the things they were saying were scarily accurate, but some parts were wrong. It was scary that they'd been right about me being the only one who was beaten up. On the other hand, they were wrong about me leaving the grounds since I went to the beach yesterday. What my "parents" were saying sounded true, but to agree with them would be like calling Micah and his whole family liars.
Haven glared at everyone in the room, his "protect his little brother" instinct flaring up. "Both of you leave him alone. You're not getting anywhere and no one else is even going to think about killing Easter, or I swear I'll kill them first," he snarled.
"This isn't your place, slave," the Tsar hissed. He didn't seem inclined to go up and do anything about it, especially when that means fighting an angry vampire who towered over him by at least 6 inches. "The demon slave is staying here."
I wanted to say something to make all of the arguing stop. I wasn't sure what, but since this whole fight was my fault, I thought that I should be doing something other than stand there like an idiot. Just when I was opening my mouth to tell everyone to shut up so I could think, I felt Micah gently prod me.
He leaned over me like he was going to kiss my cheek. Instead of a kiss, he almost soundlessly whispered, "Say you'll go with them. Trust me."
I finally knew what I had to do. Even if I have no idea what is going on, I know one thing: I can trust Micah. "I'll go with you," I told the demon couple.
"No, Easter! Don't go! We'll free you, I promise," Micah begged.
I almost turned around to ask why he was saying that. Wasn't he the one to tell me to go? Oh! Now I understand. I'm really stupid sometimes. "I'm sorry Micah,. I love you, but I've got to go. Can-can I have some time to pack and say good-bye to my friends privately?" I asked.
My "parents" nodded. "You have half an hour," my "father" said.
"Thank you," I said. Without another word, I ran up the stairs, my shocked friends and my boyfriend who was still begging me not to go, running up the stairs after me. Once we were in Micah's room, I whirled around to look at Micah. "You don't really want me to go, do you?" I asked. For a moment, I was afraid he would say yes.
Micah laughed. "No, of course not. I don't know what to believe and I knew you didn't either. Everyone in that room was going to keep screaming at each other and saying that they were going to kill you, which wasn't making this any easier. I've been thinking for some time that my parents have been keeping a secret from me, so I don't trust them, but at the same time I don't want to send you off to some strangers who might never let me see you again. If we stay here, you probably won't ever be free, but if you go with them they might kill you. The only solution I can see if not to agree with either of them. We need to run away," Micah said, very quickly and nervously like I was about to tell him that he's crazy.
"So what do the rest of us do?" Haven asked. "We won't be free either."
"Since I figured you'd say that and I've been thinking that for awhile about you guy's freedom, I packed bags for all of us. I've been planning this for a long time. I just didn't think I would have to use it now. I was hoping to gather a little more money first, but I guess this will have to do. You don't have to go if you don't' want to. I'll completely understand, but if you want to...well, you can," he finished.
Haven and Indigo exchanged quick looks before breaking into identical grins, a little bit scary if you ask me. It still surprises me how alike they are sometimes. "We're in," they said.
Seven and Jay nodded in agreement. "Us too."
I squealed and hugged them all. "I'm so glad you're all coming! I'd miss you so much if we had to leave you," I said.
"Come one. We need to go now," Micah said hurriedly. "We want to get as much of a head start as we can. They'll expect Easter downstairs in about twenty minutes now. We have an hour at most before they figure out what we did and they send people after us," Micah continued as he pulled three bags out from under the bed. He handed one to Indigo and one to Jay. "One for each couple," he explained. "We might have to split up for awhile and I don't want anyone to starve to death."
"At least we're faster than humans...except for Seven. You're a little freak though and actually like to run around, so I know you'll be fine," I said, teasingly to Seven.
Seven giggled. "I'll run circles around you," he laughed.
"I'm sure you will," Micah said as he opened the window. "You do have human bones though and a three story drop will probably break your leg, so Jay will have to catch you."
With that, everyone took turns jumping out of the window. Luckily, there were no broken bones and soon Micah and I were the only ones still in the room. "I love you so much, you know that right? You don't have to go though," I said, feeling so nervous. "I don't want to ruin your life."
"Don't even think that," Micah told me. "I love you, babe. I want to go. I would never choose to be separated from you. Let's go now, okay?"
"Okay," I said, throwing my arms around him. "We can really date now; like go out on dates and everything. No one else's opinion about us matters anymore."
I jumped and a moment later, Micah followed me. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I grabbed Micah's hand in mine and took off at a run towards the forest which was about a quarter mile away. My friends were right behind me. I figured the woods would be the least protected and it might even be the way Logan and his friends got out. Hopefully, if we do run into someone guarding the mansion, no one will have sent out the message that we've run away yet. I hope we can at least get off the grounds before people come looking for us. Running to the forest is probably the most dangerous part of this whole thing. It only takes one person to look out the window, see us, and sound the alarm. Next thing we'd know, a hundred people would be chasing us and it would be almost impossible for us to escape. Who knows what will happen if we get caught. I can't imagine that it would end well.
I felt a huge surge of relief when we got to the edge of the forest less than a minute later. I didn't slow down in the slightest, even though we now had to dodge tree roots and it was like being plunged into the darkness because the trees were planted so close together even though we were only at the edge of the forest. We splashed through lazily rolling streams, hopped over the rotting remainders of once great trees, and slid through oozing mud.
Finally at a break in between some trees, we could see the sun again. I was surprised to see how far it had moved. If my guess was right, we have been gone for almost an hour already. I would be very surprised if the people chasing us haven't left yet. Even now they're most likely only a few miles behind us.
I heard something that made my heart stop and I froze. Everyone else stopped behind me. There was a rushing river in front of us and I just wanted to give up right there. Before I could get too worried, Micah did what looked like a victory dance. "Yes! I didn't think we'd get here this fast. We've already gone over five miles!"
"We've gone far, but now we have to go along the river. It'll be much easier for them to catch us," I pointed out. We can't swim across," I said, shaking at the thought.
"We could swim. Indigo could get us across, but Jay, Indigo, and I usually don't. We can climb up a tree on this side and cross the branches to a tree on the other side of the river. We used to do this all the time when we were little," Micah explained.
"Plus, this means we're at the edge of the grounds. As soon as we're on the other side, it's like we've won half the battle already," Indigo said.
"Great," Seven gasped. He was bent over double and trying to slow his breathing again. "First, we run. Now we have to climb. My lucky day," he complained.
"Do you need a minute?" Jay asked.
"No, I need to be more in shape, but we don't have time for that." Apparently deciding that standing there wasn't doing him any good, he shimmied up one of the tree trunks. When he got to a branch from a tree on the other side of the river, he swung between the two branches, making Jay gasp nervously. Of course Seven made it and scurried out of sight. Not having heard any screams or crashes, we followed him.
In less than five minutes, we were all across. It wasn't nearly the terrifying, time for Easter to throw up moment that I thought it would be. What a relief.
We went back to running much to Seven's quiet displeasure.
We heard voices just after sunset and we all had to dive into the bushes. I could barely breathe. All I could think about was what would happen to us if we got caught. I could imagine Seven, Jay, and I getting beaten, maybe even put down like animals for what we've done, but what about our boyfriends? Would they get hurt too? Would their parents enslave them?
The voices got closer and closer. I could hear the loud crashing and cursing as the stepping on tree logs, slid in the mud, and went through everything we'd already gone through. I could even hear the ragged breathing. If I wouldn't have been as horrified as I'd been, I would have felt a secret joy that they already sounded so tired. Being tired wouldn't matter at all if they caught us now though. We'd have to escape from this first.
Fortune must have been smiling on us because the nearly one hundred people who passed us didn't look around that carefully. It looked like they were just expecting us to be standing out in the open just waiting to be caught. Whatever. If it makes it easier for us to get away, I'm all for it.
We waited with bated breath until we heard the voices, crashing, and every other noise that goes along with a huge crowd of people eager to catch poor, defenseless us. We started to run again, but this time we were almost sprinting and angled our journey away from our hunters.
I knew I had an advantage in the dark. I can see so much better. The only problem was that my friends didn't have that advantage and it was making our distance shrink. I was afraid at every moment that we would get caught. I made us take the hardest route I could find. Even though I felt bad about it, I knew it would be even harder for the humans that we following us so I knew it was the right thing to do. No one complained even once. In fact, no one was talking. We all knew how serious this was and that our safety might depend on us hearing them before they heard us.
It felt like I was slipping right back into the months I spent hiding from people after I'd killed my parents. I was running on instinct, not thinking, just knowing what I had to do. I think my friends were grateful that I had some experience with this. Haven and Indigo could still fit into society and they never actually had to survive in the forest. I'd been in almost this situation before, but admittedly the people who would have gladly turned me in for murder if they'd seen me weren't a gigantic mob paid to do this by the Tsar. That definitely turned up the pressure.
I continued to worry that one of my friends would trip over a tree root they couldn't see and break an ankle or that something equally horrible would happen. We'd almost definitely get caught if that happened. Thinking it'd be better if we slowed down, I did exactly that.
Seven immediately got hopeful. "Are we stopping soon?" he asked when he noticed my change of pace.
I could tell that everyone was just as hopeful as Seven was. "Sorry, guys," I said, apologetically. "We're still too close, maybe only thirty miles away. At most our hunters are five miles away. They could easily catch us if we stop to rest. They'll expect us to stop by sunrise and they will probably stop then too, so any distance we get after then will help us. We really shouldn't stop until tomorrow evening and then for only a couple of hours. It also depends on how difficult it is for them to keep up with us. The more streams, think trees, and rain the better," I told them.
Everyone sighed, looked upset and tired.
"On the bright side, it is going to rain like you hoped," Indigo said. He sounded like he was in a significantly better mood at the thought.
"How do you know? It's not even cloudy," I asked, confused. I couldn't help feeling the nerves settle into my stomach at the thought. Rain equals thunderstorms and I don't do well around thunderstorms at all. The last thing we need is for me to go all demon and out of control because I got scared of a storm. I really need to get all these stupid fears under control. We're going to be in a lot of situations like this and we don’t have time for me to freak out every five minutes. Even so, I wanted to ask Indigo if it would be a thunderstorm, but I couldn't figure out a way to ask without sounding like a scared, little kid.
"Indigo is like our weatherman. He's never wrong though," Jay explained.
"I can sense when we're around water. There's a lot of water in the air right now. In 3 hours, we'll have a nice steady rainfall probably continuing all night and into tomorrow. There's also a huge river about ten miles southeast of here, if you want to go in that direction. I can slow the current enough for us to swim across," he offered. "If we go that way it'll take probably five hours for them to cross it, maybe even longer. We'll really get ahead that way."
"Um…" I said nervously. I knew it would be a good idea, but swimming and I don't mix.
Micah looked at me understandingly. "Don't worry, Easter. I'll help you. I won't let you down," he reassured me.
"Alright then," I sighed. "Let's go." I was still nervous, but I know Micah wouldn't let me get hurt.
We picked up our speed and in just over an hour we stood at the bank of the thing that terrified me. The river was so deep and wide and I was absolutely sure that if I tried to swim across I would either drown or be slammed again a rock. Neither one sounded fun so I wasn't at all eager to jump in the water. To other people that may sound stupid; to me it is common sense. No way. There's no way I can do this. I started shaking all over and I thought I would pass out.
"It's okay, Easter," Micah told me, wrapping his arms around me.
I shook my head. "I'm not doing this. I can't swim," I whimpered, burying my face in his chest.
"There's no trees we can climb over, sweetie. We have to do this. Once we're on the other side, we'll be a lot safer. I'll be able to take you on dates and we can get a little house and we'll be very happy, I promise," Micah whispered in my ear, before kissing me on the cheek. "You can do it."
Indigo looked at me with a small smile on his face. "Don't worry. You won't drown. I swear you'll be fine."
"I know. I'm worrying over nothing. I'm alright," I murmured, but I was still shaking like a leaf.
"Good," Micah said. "I'll be with you the whole time."
Indigo smiled reassuringly at us. "I'll let Seven and Jay go first, then you and Micah, then Haven and I will go last. Does that sound okay to everyone?" he asked.
We all nodded.
Indigo turned his attention to the river and immediately the current began slowing down. A couple of minutes later, it was at a complete standstill. The water looked like glass. Seven and Jay jumped right in and were across in no time.
"It's our turn now," Micah said.
"I know," I replied, shaking even more if that's possible. I felt like my legs were about to go out from under me.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could fly you across," Micah said sadly.
"I wish you could too," I replied, glaring at the water like we were mortal enemies. In my mind, we are. Maybe I should explain the reason Micah can't fly me across. Our wings are like birds wings. You don't see birds carrying other birds for a good reason. Our wings are designed to carry only our weight. Even with my light bird bones I'm too heavy because Micah has the same bird bones. We’re both about one fourth the weight of normal humans. "Don't let go of me," I said and jumped.
I landed with a loud splash and immediately reached out for Micah. I was quickly finding out the only thing that got rid of my fears was worrying about Micah's well being. The thought of him drowning terrified me ten times more than the fear I'd felt for myself. When I found him, I didn't think I'd ever felt so relieved. I threw my arms around him making a loud splashing noise. I let out a small sob and hid my face. Micah told me how to kick at the water so we could get across faster and I whole heartedly helped. I didn't realize I was talking to myself until Micah pointed it out.
Micah made me look at him and said, "Sweetie, you're fine. You won't drown."
I stared at him not understanding what he was talking about. I was worried about him, not about myself. I tried to explain, but all that came out was, "Don't drown. Please don't drown."
Micah understood and just held onto me. After what seemed like years, we got to the other side. I made Seven and Jay help Micah out first, before they tugged me out of the water. Lying on the bank I must have looked like I had hypothermia, I was shaking so bad. Micah wrapped his arms around me until Haven and Indigo were also safely across. I wiped at my eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Micah tugged me to my feet. "Are you ready to keep going?" Micah kissed me chastely on the lips.
I nodded with a smile.
We started walking again.
We weren't quiet for very long before Haven said, "Micah's right. You shouldn't worry. Everyone's afraid of something."
Jay giggled. "What are you afraid of?" he questioned.
"Heights. I don’t have wings. I don't fly. My feet belong on the ground and that's where I'd like them to stay," he told us. "Even jumping out of Micah's window about gave me a heart attack," Haven admitted.
"And you?" Seven asked Indigo. I guess they decided it was survey day.
"Fire," Indigo answered simply. "My parents taught me to use my powers by setting my things and a couple of times me on fire. I still have a couple of scars from it."
I frowned at the apparent child abuse. Jeez, did any of us grow up in a good home? Haven seemed to be having the same thought I was having because even though he took his boyfriend's hand to comfort him, his fangs were sticking out over his lips. He looked like he was going to rip apart Indigo's parents the next time he saw them and knowing Haven, he probably would.
Seven turned his stare to Micah. "Oh no you don't. You go first," Micah laughed.
Seven thought for a minute before saying. "I don't like the dark, or being alone. I always used to freak out when I was little because…I've said it before, but my parents would lock me in my room for a long time when I wouldn't change back into a…when I wouldn't change the way they wanted me to. They'd turn the lights off and I didn't like it at all," he said. "That's why I always used to sleep in Easter's bed."
Jay made a funny choking sound. "Slept with?!"
Micah laughed, knowing what Seven had meant. "I think we know what Jay is afraid of."
"No, just slept, you nut case," Seven said to Jay. "And Jay's afraid of spiders. He screamed like a little girl when there was one in his room. I had to put it on a piece of cardboard and put it outside because Jay was trying to find a really big stick to squish it with."
"NOW, it's your turn," Seven said looking like he was daring Micah to argue with him.
Both Jay and Indigo snickered.
"You're both assholes," Micah said glaring at them. "I don't like being touched. It freaks me out."
"I don't understand. You touch me all the time," I said ignoring how everyone caught the unintended double meaning in that sentence.
"That's why I was so determined to talk to you at first. I didn't want to scream and hit you when you touch me. It took years to let Jay and Indigo touch me and I still try to stay out of arms reach of Haven and Seven whenever possible. Sorry," he said to Haven and Seven. "I usually don't tell people. It's kind of awkward to tell people you don't like it when they touch you. It's part of why I don’t talk to that many people," he replied, blushing.
"Well, you learn something new every day. Remind me not to put you in a crowd of people," I told Micah and kissed him quickly.
"Oh, don’t you worry. I'll remind you," he said.
There was no more serious talk then. We started to run again, but this time was so much more fun. Knowing we were safe for the moment, we allowed ourselves to chase each other and run around laughing. It might have been partly because we were half delirious from lack of sleep, but that didn't make it less fun.
We all finally collapsed in a pile like a little of puppies around midday. We hid ourselves in some thick bushes and before I knew it, I was asleep in Micah's arms.
Easter's POV
Micah and I were just lounging around after work in one of the fields. We'd finished really early...well, it was almost seven o' clock, but it was summer and the sun was still up. I'd laid down on the grass and after complaining at me for making his get ALL the way down to the ground, he did too. We weren't really talking or even kissing, just lying in each other's arms.
Still, we both jumped away from each other guiltily--As if we had a reason to feel guilty. It's not like it's a secret that we're dating. Everyone knows--when Ms. Diana rushed over to us. This confused me for a few reasons. One, I was surprised she rushed anywhere considering the high heels she wore every day. I thought she might break an ankle as it was. Two, I'd never seen her look--Dare I say it?--frightened before. She was shaking, her eyes were petrified, and her normally perfect bun was askew. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Three, I'd expected her to yell at us--or me-- the second she saw us because she was one of the many people who disapproved of our relationship.
"Micah! Oh Micah, I'm so glad to see that you're alright. I was sure he'd lured you away and done something horrible to you," she gasped, yanking a very confused and annoyed Micah out of my arms and onto his feet.
As I scrambled to my feet, Micah wrenched his hand out of her grip. I could tell that he was ready to walk away from her, deciding that this conversation was stupid and pointless.
"No! Please don't go!" she begged before rounding on me. For such a small woman, she can be awfully intimidating. That's probably because she holds my whole life in her hands. She can assign me so many chores that I die of exhaustion or take away my food or even decide whether I live or die if I miss work. "I know whose side your on, you monster! You led them here. I knew our Tsar and Tsarina were being too merciful when they allowed you to live. You should have been down on your knees, thanking them for letting you live and instead you decided to be a traitor. How dare you! Micah get away from him!" she snarled.
I felt afraid. All I knew was that this insane woman was yelling at me and I didn't know why. I felt a sharp sting across my cheek as she slapped me. I was a little surprised, but not too angry since it didn't hurt. More than anything, I just wanted to know what had caused her to go off the deep end. Ms. Diana had seen us together before and while she hadn't looked too thrilled about it, she didn't look like she'd go off like a raving lunatic. That just goes to show you that you can't always tell by looks.
Micah, unlike me, was furious. "Don't touch Easter! Get away from him! If you ever lay a hand on him again--"
"Just come with me! I wish you wouldn't bring him, but if you must I won't argue right now. We just have to get out of the open. I don't know if there are more of them out here," she hissed, grabbing Micah's hand again.
Micah looked like he was trying to pull away again, but I heard something in Ms. Diana's voice that Micah didn't. Something bad is happening. "Micah, stop! Let's go with her," I said urgently. I took his other hand and we ran as fast as we could towards the castle. "What's happening?" I asked. "Is someone trying to hurt Micah? Is it Logan?" I felt horrified at the thought of Logan being back. I never want Micah to be hurt again. I never wanted Micah to get hurt again. I remembered for one terrifying second how Micah had looked so still after being beaten up. I was sure he was dead and I know I can't bear to go through that again.
"Shut up!" she snarled at me. "It's not like you don't already know. "
Micah looked like he wanted to start another fight, but I headed him off.
"It's okay, Micah," I said. "I decided to just shut up for the rest of the way back. It took us nearly half an hour to get to the fields, but less than five minutes, we were within sight of the castle's front steps.
Ms. Diana slid to a stop and she almost knocked us over. "They're already here," she gasped.
"What?" Micah asked. "Who is? What going on?" Micah asked, angry that no one was explaining this to him.
"Not now," Ms. Diana said, dismissively.
"Yes, now," Micah ordered. "Is my family in danger? Are my friends?"
"It doesn't matter. Your parents ordered that their heir be kept safe. There's no use in you dying along with you family and friends. You have to think of your country," she reprimanded him.
Micah and I weren't listening anymore. Our friends could be killed. We can't leave them to die. We raced across the grounds towards the castle. I noticed distantly that Ms. Diana wasn't following us, not that I blamed her. Even though she was supposed to protect Micah, I couldn't expect her to when Micah and I were willingly putting ourselves in danger. I didn't understand where she got the idea that the people who'd come to hurt us were already inside. I didn't see a thing out of place.
As soon as we ran into the entrance hall, all of that changed. The Tsar and his wife were standing on one side of the room, looking cold and angry but distinctly afraid. On the other side, were a man and a woman who I was positive I'd never seen before, but they seemed oddly familiar. They looked absolutely furious until we walked in. Their eyes softened at the sight of us. "Easter," the woman whispered.
"How do you know my name?" I asked, curiously.
Micah wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned over me like he was trying to hide me from them. It was clear that he didn't feel familiar with them like I do.
"Of course we know your name. You're our son," she said. She started to cry, but still had that soft smile on her face, so I knew she wasn't sad.
"What?" another voice said, shocked.
I looked over to the corner and realized that our friends were there.
"Easter, let us explain," the man--presumably her husband--said. "We just came here to take you home."
"I'm sorry. You must have made a mistake. My parents are dead."
"That's right, dear," Micah's mother said.
"Stop talking or so help me," the woman who claimed to be my mother snarled, lunging at Micah's parents.
The only thing that stopped her from hurting Micah's parents was "my" father. "Please," he pleaded. "We'll explain everything. If you stay they'll kill you."
"No one is going to kill me. I've been fine so far. I haven't had a reason to doubt that until you showed up," I said trying not to sound as scared as I felt.
"How do we know you aren't the ones who want to kill him?" Micah asked. He wasn't even trying to hide how scared and angry he was, but he never once loosened his protective hold on me.
"Why would be hurt you? We're demons, just like you. Can't you see that? We want to take you somewhere where you'll be safe," the woman said, a pleading look on her face. Yes, it was obvious they were demons, but I was still so confused. They can't be my parents. I remember all the way back to the day of my birth. They weren't there. They sounded so convincing though...I just don't understand.
"There isn't anywhere that demons are safe," I told them, looking at them like they were crazy. Do they think I want to go into hiding in some forest where I'll never be able to see other people again? That's the only place that would be remotely safe for me. Every country hates people like me and they'd be all too glad to send me right back to Micah's parents.
"You're wrong," the man said. "Those people-" he glared at Micah's parents. "-Don't want their people to know that there is a country of our kind, or that we're really not that dangerous if we are taught some control. They need an enemy, something that will unite their people. Unfortunately for us, they chose our kind. That way when our kind are born in this country, they are kept isolated and unaware of the rest of their kind. Why do you think they were so eager to find out that you are a demon? I'd bet you were the only of your slave group who was beaten when you were brought here. They tried to come up with an excuse to kill you too, didn't they?" he said, before offering a small smile to Micah. "You're lucky their son seems to like you. They knew who you were, can't you tell that by the way they've been treating you? They even tried to hide you. I doubt you've been off the grounds since you came here. I can't believe they thought they could enslave you and get away with it," the woman claiming to be my mother screamed.
I wished I had a pause button. Some of the things they were saying were scarily accurate, but some parts were wrong. It was scary that they'd been right about me being the only one who was beaten up. On the other hand, they were wrong about me leaving the grounds since I went to the beach yesterday. What my "parents" were saying sounded true, but to agree with them would be like calling Micah and his whole family liars.
Haven glared at everyone in the room, his "protect his little brother" instinct flaring up. "Both of you leave him alone. You're not getting anywhere and no one else is even going to think about killing Easter, or I swear I'll kill them first," he snarled.
"This isn't your place, slave," the Tsar hissed. He didn't seem inclined to go up and do anything about it, especially when that means fighting an angry vampire who towered over him by at least 6 inches. "The demon slave is staying here."
I wanted to say something to make all of the arguing stop. I wasn't sure what, but since this whole fight was my fault, I thought that I should be doing something other than stand there like an idiot. Just when I was opening my mouth to tell everyone to shut up so I could think, I felt Micah gently prod me.
He leaned over me like he was going to kiss my cheek. Instead of a kiss, he almost soundlessly whispered, "Say you'll go with them. Trust me."
I finally knew what I had to do. Even if I have no idea what is going on, I know one thing: I can trust Micah. "I'll go with you," I told the demon couple.
"No, Easter! Don't go! We'll free you, I promise," Micah begged.
I almost turned around to ask why he was saying that. Wasn't he the one to tell me to go? Oh! Now I understand. I'm really stupid sometimes. "I'm sorry Micah,. I love you, but I've got to go. Can-can I have some time to pack and say good-bye to my friends privately?" I asked.
My "parents" nodded. "You have half an hour," my "father" said.
"Thank you," I said. Without another word, I ran up the stairs, my shocked friends and my boyfriend who was still begging me not to go, running up the stairs after me. Once we were in Micah's room, I whirled around to look at Micah. "You don't really want me to go, do you?" I asked. For a moment, I was afraid he would say yes.
Micah laughed. "No, of course not. I don't know what to believe and I knew you didn't either. Everyone in that room was going to keep screaming at each other and saying that they were going to kill you, which wasn't making this any easier. I've been thinking for some time that my parents have been keeping a secret from me, so I don't trust them, but at the same time I don't want to send you off to some strangers who might never let me see you again. If we stay here, you probably won't ever be free, but if you go with them they might kill you. The only solution I can see if not to agree with either of them. We need to run away," Micah said, very quickly and nervously like I was about to tell him that he's crazy.
"So what do the rest of us do?" Haven asked. "We won't be free either."
"Since I figured you'd say that and I've been thinking that for awhile about you guy's freedom, I packed bags for all of us. I've been planning this for a long time. I just didn't think I would have to use it now. I was hoping to gather a little more money first, but I guess this will have to do. You don't have to go if you don't' want to. I'll completely understand, but if you want to...well, you can," he finished.
Haven and Indigo exchanged quick looks before breaking into identical grins, a little bit scary if you ask me. It still surprises me how alike they are sometimes. "We're in," they said.
Seven and Jay nodded in agreement. "Us too."
I squealed and hugged them all. "I'm so glad you're all coming! I'd miss you so much if we had to leave you," I said.
"Come one. We need to go now," Micah said hurriedly. "We want to get as much of a head start as we can. They'll expect Easter downstairs in about twenty minutes now. We have an hour at most before they figure out what we did and they send people after us," Micah continued as he pulled three bags out from under the bed. He handed one to Indigo and one to Jay. "One for each couple," he explained. "We might have to split up for awhile and I don't want anyone to starve to death."
"At least we're faster than humans...except for Seven. You're a little freak though and actually like to run around, so I know you'll be fine," I said, teasingly to Seven.
Seven giggled. "I'll run circles around you," he laughed.
"I'm sure you will," Micah said as he opened the window. "You do have human bones though and a three story drop will probably break your leg, so Jay will have to catch you."
With that, everyone took turns jumping out of the window. Luckily, there were no broken bones and soon Micah and I were the only ones still in the room. "I love you so much, you know that right? You don't have to go though," I said, feeling so nervous. "I don't want to ruin your life."
"Don't even think that," Micah told me. "I love you, babe. I want to go. I would never choose to be separated from you. Let's go now, okay?"
"Okay," I said, throwing my arms around him. "We can really date now; like go out on dates and everything. No one else's opinion about us matters anymore."
I jumped and a moment later, Micah followed me. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I grabbed Micah's hand in mine and took off at a run towards the forest which was about a quarter mile away. My friends were right behind me. I figured the woods would be the least protected and it might even be the way Logan and his friends got out. Hopefully, if we do run into someone guarding the mansion, no one will have sent out the message that we've run away yet. I hope we can at least get off the grounds before people come looking for us. Running to the forest is probably the most dangerous part of this whole thing. It only takes one person to look out the window, see us, and sound the alarm. Next thing we'd know, a hundred people would be chasing us and it would be almost impossible for us to escape. Who knows what will happen if we get caught. I can't imagine that it would end well.
I felt a huge surge of relief when we got to the edge of the forest less than a minute later. I didn't slow down in the slightest, even though we now had to dodge tree roots and it was like being plunged into the darkness because the trees were planted so close together even though we were only at the edge of the forest. We splashed through lazily rolling streams, hopped over the rotting remainders of once great trees, and slid through oozing mud.
Finally at a break in between some trees, we could see the sun again. I was surprised to see how far it had moved. If my guess was right, we have been gone for almost an hour already. I would be very surprised if the people chasing us haven't left yet. Even now they're most likely only a few miles behind us.
I heard something that made my heart stop and I froze. Everyone else stopped behind me. There was a rushing river in front of us and I just wanted to give up right there. Before I could get too worried, Micah did what looked like a victory dance. "Yes! I didn't think we'd get here this fast. We've already gone over five miles!"
"We've gone far, but now we have to go along the river. It'll be much easier for them to catch us," I pointed out. We can't swim across," I said, shaking at the thought.
"We could swim. Indigo could get us across, but Jay, Indigo, and I usually don't. We can climb up a tree on this side and cross the branches to a tree on the other side of the river. We used to do this all the time when we were little," Micah explained.
"Plus, this means we're at the edge of the grounds. As soon as we're on the other side, it's like we've won half the battle already," Indigo said.
"Great," Seven gasped. He was bent over double and trying to slow his breathing again. "First, we run. Now we have to climb. My lucky day," he complained.
"Do you need a minute?" Jay asked.
"No, I need to be more in shape, but we don't have time for that." Apparently deciding that standing there wasn't doing him any good, he shimmied up one of the tree trunks. When he got to a branch from a tree on the other side of the river, he swung between the two branches, making Jay gasp nervously. Of course Seven made it and scurried out of sight. Not having heard any screams or crashes, we followed him.
In less than five minutes, we were all across. It wasn't nearly the terrifying, time for Easter to throw up moment that I thought it would be. What a relief.
We went back to running much to Seven's quiet displeasure.
We heard voices just after sunset and we all had to dive into the bushes. I could barely breathe. All I could think about was what would happen to us if we got caught. I could imagine Seven, Jay, and I getting beaten, maybe even put down like animals for what we've done, but what about our boyfriends? Would they get hurt too? Would their parents enslave them?
The voices got closer and closer. I could hear the loud crashing and cursing as the stepping on tree logs, slid in the mud, and went through everything we'd already gone through. I could even hear the ragged breathing. If I wouldn't have been as horrified as I'd been, I would have felt a secret joy that they already sounded so tired. Being tired wouldn't matter at all if they caught us now though. We'd have to escape from this first.
Fortune must have been smiling on us because the nearly one hundred people who passed us didn't look around that carefully. It looked like they were just expecting us to be standing out in the open just waiting to be caught. Whatever. If it makes it easier for us to get away, I'm all for it.
We waited with bated breath until we heard the voices, crashing, and every other noise that goes along with a huge crowd of people eager to catch poor, defenseless us. We started to run again, but this time we were almost sprinting and angled our journey away from our hunters.
I knew I had an advantage in the dark. I can see so much better. The only problem was that my friends didn't have that advantage and it was making our distance shrink. I was afraid at every moment that we would get caught. I made us take the hardest route I could find. Even though I felt bad about it, I knew it would be even harder for the humans that we following us so I knew it was the right thing to do. No one complained even once. In fact, no one was talking. We all knew how serious this was and that our safety might depend on us hearing them before they heard us.
It felt like I was slipping right back into the months I spent hiding from people after I'd killed my parents. I was running on instinct, not thinking, just knowing what I had to do. I think my friends were grateful that I had some experience with this. Haven and Indigo could still fit into society and they never actually had to survive in the forest. I'd been in almost this situation before, but admittedly the people who would have gladly turned me in for murder if they'd seen me weren't a gigantic mob paid to do this by the Tsar. That definitely turned up the pressure.
I continued to worry that one of my friends would trip over a tree root they couldn't see and break an ankle or that something equally horrible would happen. We'd almost definitely get caught if that happened. Thinking it'd be better if we slowed down, I did exactly that.
Seven immediately got hopeful. "Are we stopping soon?" he asked when he noticed my change of pace.
I could tell that everyone was just as hopeful as Seven was. "Sorry, guys," I said, apologetically. "We're still too close, maybe only thirty miles away. At most our hunters are five miles away. They could easily catch us if we stop to rest. They'll expect us to stop by sunrise and they will probably stop then too, so any distance we get after then will help us. We really shouldn't stop until tomorrow evening and then for only a couple of hours. It also depends on how difficult it is for them to keep up with us. The more streams, think trees, and rain the better," I told them.
Everyone sighed, looked upset and tired.
"On the bright side, it is going to rain like you hoped," Indigo said. He sounded like he was in a significantly better mood at the thought.
"How do you know? It's not even cloudy," I asked, confused. I couldn't help feeling the nerves settle into my stomach at the thought. Rain equals thunderstorms and I don't do well around thunderstorms at all. The last thing we need is for me to go all demon and out of control because I got scared of a storm. I really need to get all these stupid fears under control. We're going to be in a lot of situations like this and we don’t have time for me to freak out every five minutes. Even so, I wanted to ask Indigo if it would be a thunderstorm, but I couldn't figure out a way to ask without sounding like a scared, little kid.
"Indigo is like our weatherman. He's never wrong though," Jay explained.
"I can sense when we're around water. There's a lot of water in the air right now. In 3 hours, we'll have a nice steady rainfall probably continuing all night and into tomorrow. There's also a huge river about ten miles southeast of here, if you want to go in that direction. I can slow the current enough for us to swim across," he offered. "If we go that way it'll take probably five hours for them to cross it, maybe even longer. We'll really get ahead that way."
"Um…" I said nervously. I knew it would be a good idea, but swimming and I don't mix.
Micah looked at me understandingly. "Don't worry, Easter. I'll help you. I won't let you down," he reassured me.
"Alright then," I sighed. "Let's go." I was still nervous, but I know Micah wouldn't let me get hurt.
We picked up our speed and in just over an hour we stood at the bank of the thing that terrified me. The river was so deep and wide and I was absolutely sure that if I tried to swim across I would either drown or be slammed again a rock. Neither one sounded fun so I wasn't at all eager to jump in the water. To other people that may sound stupid; to me it is common sense. No way. There's no way I can do this. I started shaking all over and I thought I would pass out.
"It's okay, Easter," Micah told me, wrapping his arms around me.
I shook my head. "I'm not doing this. I can't swim," I whimpered, burying my face in his chest.
"There's no trees we can climb over, sweetie. We have to do this. Once we're on the other side, we'll be a lot safer. I'll be able to take you on dates and we can get a little house and we'll be very happy, I promise," Micah whispered in my ear, before kissing me on the cheek. "You can do it."
Indigo looked at me with a small smile on his face. "Don't worry. You won't drown. I swear you'll be fine."
"I know. I'm worrying over nothing. I'm alright," I murmured, but I was still shaking like a leaf.
"Good," Micah said. "I'll be with you the whole time."
Indigo smiled reassuringly at us. "I'll let Seven and Jay go first, then you and Micah, then Haven and I will go last. Does that sound okay to everyone?" he asked.
We all nodded.
Indigo turned his attention to the river and immediately the current began slowing down. A couple of minutes later, it was at a complete standstill. The water looked like glass. Seven and Jay jumped right in and were across in no time.
"It's our turn now," Micah said.
"I know," I replied, shaking even more if that's possible. I felt like my legs were about to go out from under me.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could fly you across," Micah said sadly.
"I wish you could too," I replied, glaring at the water like we were mortal enemies. In my mind, we are. Maybe I should explain the reason Micah can't fly me across. Our wings are like birds wings. You don't see birds carrying other birds for a good reason. Our wings are designed to carry only our weight. Even with my light bird bones I'm too heavy because Micah has the same bird bones. We’re both about one fourth the weight of normal humans. "Don't let go of me," I said and jumped.
I landed with a loud splash and immediately reached out for Micah. I was quickly finding out the only thing that got rid of my fears was worrying about Micah's well being. The thought of him drowning terrified me ten times more than the fear I'd felt for myself. When I found him, I didn't think I'd ever felt so relieved. I threw my arms around him making a loud splashing noise. I let out a small sob and hid my face. Micah told me how to kick at the water so we could get across faster and I whole heartedly helped. I didn't realize I was talking to myself until Micah pointed it out.
Micah made me look at him and said, "Sweetie, you're fine. You won't drown."
I stared at him not understanding what he was talking about. I was worried about him, not about myself. I tried to explain, but all that came out was, "Don't drown. Please don't drown."
Micah understood and just held onto me. After what seemed like years, we got to the other side. I made Seven and Jay help Micah out first, before they tugged me out of the water. Lying on the bank I must have looked like I had hypothermia, I was shaking so bad. Micah wrapped his arms around me until Haven and Indigo were also safely across. I wiped at my eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Micah tugged me to my feet. "Are you ready to keep going?" Micah kissed me chastely on the lips.
I nodded with a smile.
We started walking again.
We weren't quiet for very long before Haven said, "Micah's right. You shouldn't worry. Everyone's afraid of something."
Jay giggled. "What are you afraid of?" he questioned.
"Heights. I don’t have wings. I don't fly. My feet belong on the ground and that's where I'd like them to stay," he told us. "Even jumping out of Micah's window about gave me a heart attack," Haven admitted.
"And you?" Seven asked Indigo. I guess they decided it was survey day.
"Fire," Indigo answered simply. "My parents taught me to use my powers by setting my things and a couple of times me on fire. I still have a couple of scars from it."
I frowned at the apparent child abuse. Jeez, did any of us grow up in a good home? Haven seemed to be having the same thought I was having because even though he took his boyfriend's hand to comfort him, his fangs were sticking out over his lips. He looked like he was going to rip apart Indigo's parents the next time he saw them and knowing Haven, he probably would.
Seven turned his stare to Micah. "Oh no you don't. You go first," Micah laughed.
Seven thought for a minute before saying. "I don't like the dark, or being alone. I always used to freak out when I was little because…I've said it before, but my parents would lock me in my room for a long time when I wouldn't change back into a…when I wouldn't change the way they wanted me to. They'd turn the lights off and I didn't like it at all," he said. "That's why I always used to sleep in Easter's bed."
Jay made a funny choking sound. "Slept with?!"
Micah laughed, knowing what Seven had meant. "I think we know what Jay is afraid of."
"No, just slept, you nut case," Seven said to Jay. "And Jay's afraid of spiders. He screamed like a little girl when there was one in his room. I had to put it on a piece of cardboard and put it outside because Jay was trying to find a really big stick to squish it with."
"NOW, it's your turn," Seven said looking like he was daring Micah to argue with him.
Both Jay and Indigo snickered.
"You're both assholes," Micah said glaring at them. "I don't like being touched. It freaks me out."
"I don't understand. You touch me all the time," I said ignoring how everyone caught the unintended double meaning in that sentence.
"That's why I was so determined to talk to you at first. I didn't want to scream and hit you when you touch me. It took years to let Jay and Indigo touch me and I still try to stay out of arms reach of Haven and Seven whenever possible. Sorry," he said to Haven and Seven. "I usually don't tell people. It's kind of awkward to tell people you don't like it when they touch you. It's part of why I don’t talk to that many people," he replied, blushing.
"Well, you learn something new every day. Remind me not to put you in a crowd of people," I told Micah and kissed him quickly.
"Oh, don’t you worry. I'll remind you," he said.
There was no more serious talk then. We started to run again, but this time was so much more fun. Knowing we were safe for the moment, we allowed ourselves to chase each other and run around laughing. It might have been partly because we were half delirious from lack of sleep, but that didn't make it less fun.
We all finally collapsed in a pile like a little of puppies around midday. We hid ourselves in some thick bushes and before I knew it, I was asleep in Micah's arms.
♠ ♠ ♠
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