Chapter 6

The forest was vast and desolate. Only the birds and rustling of trees could be heard for miles. The cottage was cozy and quiet, it was just me. My small hands ran over the raw meat on the wooden counter and I then lifted up a knife to cut into it. I was preparing dinner for tonight. Father caught a goose and skinned it for me. Now all I had to do was cut it up and prepare it while he worked on chopping lumber outside. I looked out the window and saw him at work, slamming an ax down on cylinders of wood. The wood fell over in piles once it was split and he'd huff every time. I giggled and went back to cutting up the meat.

Once it was cut into appropriate portions I placed them over the fire in the kitchen and waited. I grabbed a rag and wiped down my hands then looked out the window. Father seems a little tired though he said he'd be chopping until dusk. I decided to bring him some water and grabbed the pitcher on the counter filled with the liquid. I grabbed a polished wooden cup from the cabinets above and poured the water. Once I was done, I walked out of the cottage and made my way towards him. My faded blue dress dragged slightly across the fallen leaves of autumn and I finally came up near him. He chopped one last piece of wood and looked up at me. His face was dampened with sweat from all of the work and I smiled at him. Father was tall and a very sturdy man. And he was a very smart one too. His hair was brunette, like mine, but his is short of course, and he has a beard of the same color. He wears his spectacles all of the time and he's always sporting a serious expression.

"Hello, Emily," he said, "What are doing out here?"

"I came to bring you some water," I explained, holding up the cup to him. He looked down at it and then gave me a soft smile, which he rarely does. He took the cup out of my small hands, allowing me to feel his big, calloused ones for a brief moment. "Thank you, daughter," Father told me, before drinking the water.

"Anything for you," I told him, bouncing slightly.

"Is dinner almost ready?" he asked me. I nodded and told him, "I barely just put it on the fire. It should be done by the time all of the wood is chopped and dusk comes."

Father handed me the empty cup and I took it from his hands. "Emily, I'd have a bit more closure if you were precise and you would say dinner will be done by dusk. I rarely ever say the word should. I expect you to do the same and be precise about anything and everything. You are my daughter, after all."

I pouted slightly and murmured, "I know, Father.." He nodded while he put his ax up on his shoulder and said, "Good. Now go back inside and tend to the fire. I don't want the cottage burning down."

I nodded and followed Father's orders. I turned back around and made my way back to the cottage. As I walked, I looked into the woods that surrounded us. My emerald eyes widened and I stopped in my tracks. My shock made me lose my grip on the cup and it dropped to the ground. Something Father and I dreaded was coming. This always happened. I went into immediate action and ran up to my occupied guardian. "Father! Father!" I called, tugging on his button shirt. He stopped chopping for a moment and looked at me, groaning, "What is it Emily?"

"Look!" I said, pointing into the tree-line. Father looked over to see what I was telling him about and his brown eyes widened. His jaw clenched and I could hear a faint gulp within his throat. He dropped the ax and said, "Get inside."

"But-."

"Get. Inside. Emily," he ordered once more and I quickly scurried back to the cottage. I quickly closed the door and went to the kitchen to put out the blazing fire. As the fire became tails of smoke, Father entered the cottage and shut the door, bracing it with a wooden barrier bolt. I watched him with frantic eyes and then looked out the window. I gasped once I saw the men outside. They were barely coming out of the trees and they all held muskets in their hands. I watched them as they circled the front yard and looked at the wood piles Father had made with precarious looks. There was a total of five men. They were all from the town a few miles away from our cottage. They must have heard of us and decided to deal with us like all of the other townsmen in other towns have tried to do. Each man was different, each weapon they had was different, each place we stayed in that they came into was different, but the intent of their actions was always the same. They all wanted to see me burned at the stake.

Father saw the men searching around the house and came over to hold me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and the both of us backed into the farthest corner of our cottage. He intently watched the men scour the area and I could only watch with nervousness. What if they come in here and find us? What will they do to me? What will they do to Father? They'll surely hang him!

I grew frightened yet I was concerned. I couldn't let those men take me and Father away from each other. We've been through so much. This isn't the first time this has happened but with each group of townsmen, I feel that the both of us are coming closer and closer to our end. The men will probably try to come in. The barrier bolt will hold them but not for long. The men always have a way to break in and attack us, which results in Father having to fight them off. But this time will be different. Father won't have to fight and gain more wounds like he's done many times before. I can fight back this time!

Turning to Father, I said, "Let me fight them off."

"Wh-What?" he hissed. I nodded and gave him a hard expression, showing that I will not take no for an answer. "Emily, it's too dangerous," he stated.

"Please, Father...!" I pleaded, "Let me help! Let me fight! I can do it! I promise I won't get hurt! I won't allow that to happen! Once this is all over we won't have to worry about them. Please, let me protect us!"

Father stared at me, upset with my suggestion as it had shown itself within his brown eyes. After a tense silence between us, he sighed and said, "Fine. I will allow you to fight. But do not come back with even one scratch."

"I promise," I said, smiling wide. I quickly walked out of his embrace and made my way to the door. I lifted up the barrier bolt and then sucked in a breath. My heart was racing as I reached for the doorknob. No, I said I would fight. I'm not about to become a coward and change my mind. I can't let Father strain himself with brawling again. I must protect him at all costs.

I finally opened the door and stepped out. All five men turned to me and then scrambled to cock their guns. They all took a few steps back and one man shouted, "That's her! That's the witch!"

"I knew we'd find her!" another man remarked.

"Let's finally stone and burn this little harlot!" a third man growled, raising his musket higher. I looked at them all with a serious expression. Another man took a few steps towards me and said, "Emily Mason, you are hereby under arrest for the crime of withholding the magic of witchery. Your sentence is immediate death. As God as our witness, we will solely purify the evil within you. Only children of God are allowed to walk upon this Earth, and you are no child of God, but an abomination created by the Devil himself...! We will not allow you to infect the other young girls and women with your evil like other witches have done. You will be eradicated from this world, along with your undignified, heathen of a father!"

I frowned at the man and inhaled sharply. Then, I uttered with bravado in my voice, "If God is your witness then he will say that you are blind."

All five men gasped and one growled, "How dare you speak the Lord's name with your filthy, sinful mouth, witch!"

"But is it not true," I began, "He would say you are all blind. What you all call witchery is really what is the unknown, the unnatural. You are afraid of what you do not hold knowledge of. And, if you are afraid of what you do not know then would you all not be afraid of God himself?"

The men all gave me appalled looks and I continued on. "Even the highest of priests do not fully know God. Yes, he brings life to us all and he is the embodiment of purity itself, but that is all we know. So, here you all stand, pointing your muskets at a child, yet do you not think to point it up to the sky at least once? Or rather to yourselves?"

The men stared at me, baffled by my words. "God is inside us all, is that not what the priests say? If anything, we are God. Is that not true? Go ahead and aim your muskets at me. But now that you have heard my words, you will now be aiming at God, your Lord and savior."

"Quiet, witch! You do not have the right to utter such things to us!" one man yelled. "She is deceiving us! Just like the Devil! She and all the others are nothing but his pawns! We cannot allow the Devil's pawns to live any longer!"

"Let's just shoot her right here and now," another man growled, cocking his musket. I stood my ground, not saying a thing or giving them any sort of look. Then I told them in a calm, leveled voice, "I belong to no Devil, and if you claim I am not a child of God then I do not belong to him either. Who do you all belong to? You all preach the word of God yet you shoot, stone and burn the unusual out of fear and violence. Who do you belong to? Hmm?"

"What kind of question is that," one man asked snidely. "God, of course. We are his children and he created us in his image. He gave us life and a purpose. There is no other answer."

"If he gave you all life, then what about everyone else?" I asked, "Those who are alive now were the ones chosen by God, is that what you are saying? If so then I was chosen to live. God gave me a purpose. He gave me life and my gift. I was meant to be what I am. My witchery was by his order and I intend to honor that order, even if he is not the one who commands it. So if you all are so keen on killing me then be my guest! But first I'd like to show you what God has bestowed upon me."

I raised up my hands and all five men started fidgeting and jabbering words to each other. Their muskets were ready to fire at me but I would not allow that. I made a promise to Father and I intend to keep it. "Ready, Sam?" I asked.

Yes, my dear Emily.

I smiled and concentrated, allowing my friend Sam to resonate and combine with my will. With one twirl of my hands, Sam and I yanked the mens' muskets out of their hands and they levitated in the air. All five men stumbled around in fear and confusion and watched as I broke their muskets in half. They all looked at the pieces as they fell with baffled looks and then one of them turned to me, pulling out a dagger. He came charging at me but Sam quickly reacted by throwing a piece of chopped wood in his face and sending him falling back. The dagger fell out of the man's hands and it was left laying on the leaves. I concentrated on the little things and made them swirl around in the air and surround the men, shrouding them in nothing but the orange leaves. I could hear their frightened screams and pleads for me to stop but I wasn't done yet. I had to make them leave.

No.

My face contorted into one of confusion. "What do you mean no?"

We can't allow them to escape. They'll tell the whole village about us and we will have a mob at our front door. We have to get rid of them forever...!

"No Sam!" I scolded him, "I will not allow you to kill these men! Father and I can just travel to a new place again! I promised to protect him but I will not do it at the cost of five lives!"

This is why people keep coming after us! We don't handle them properly! It's time you realize that this is the solution to our problems.

"We will not kill these men! I forbid it!"

Who ever said we?

My eyes widened and I caught Sam lifting up the fallen dagger and aiming at one of the men. "No, Sam!" I screamed. I kept concentrating and forcing the dagger away from them. The dagger kept wavering in the air from Sam and I struggling against each other. I concentrated so immensely that I forgot to keep the leaves swirling. They cleared up and I saw one of the men come after me. Panicking, I let the dagger go and it went flying towards the man running at me. It went straight through his head and blood sprayed through both openings. He crumbled to the ground in front of me and I screamed. I felt Sam do something else and I looked over to see Father's ax in the air. Before I could stop it, the ax went swinging into a man's sternum and he died instantly.

The ax was yanked out and was swung into another man's head, a loud, spine tingling and blood chilling, watery crack erupting into the air. That man fell to the ground and only one man was left standing. I shook my head and screamed at him, "Run! Leave this place! Just run!" But it was too late. He began running and was thwarted as Sam grabbed him by the ankles and dragged him back onto our front yard. The poor man was sniveling and muttering prayers in desperation. He looked me in the eyes and I couldn't help but feel like a monster. I shook my head as the ax was raised above the man and he pleaded not to be hit. But he was not answered and the ax came down on him, the blade slicing into his right leg over and over again until it was forced to detach. The man was screaming his lungs out and tears were all that lay on his face other than the blood spots. The ax violently rammed into his stomach and the man gagged and spit up blood. My body was shaking as I watched the horror unfold and I backed away slowly until I hit the door behind me. I slid down to my bottom and sat there, watching a living being getting slaughtered right before my very eyes. Covering my mouth I witness the ax cracking his rib cage, tearing into his skin and mushing organs. Blood kept flying and I was unfortunate enough to have some splatter onto my clothes and face.

After what seemed like an eternity of watching pure horror, the man uttered one last gurgled cry before the ax smashed into his face, a loud watery crack sounding. Half of his face was nothing but blood, muscle and bone after the hit. I sat there with tears streaming down my face and Sam threw the ax aside.

No more problems...

I just sat there and trembled, feeling the mens' blood on my face and my tears were surely mixing with it. I stared at all of the bodies with traumatized eyes. Then, the door behind me was opened up and I nearly fell back. I looked up to see Father standing there, looking at the gory scene on our front yard with horrified eyes. He looked down at me and his eyes widened in concern. "Your face is all bloody," he stated, helping me up to my feet. I looked down and murmured, "All of the blood isn't mine..." Father inhaled a breath and he kneeled down to meet my eyes. He pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping my face. The white cloth was getting stained with the crimson blood but Father didn't seem to mind it. As I stared down at the ground, I began tearing up until I closed my eyes and whimpered like a baby, "They're all dead... All because of me...! I didn't want to kill anyone... I didn't! I'm going to Hell! I-I don't want to be a murderer! I don't want to be a monster!"

Father cupped my face within his strong hands and made me look at him. "Emily this is not your fault. You were only protecting us. It is my fault. I shouldn't have let you handle them. If I had declined then none of this would have happened."

"But I'm the one who suggested the idea," I protested.

"I still agreed to it," he said. I shook my head and began crying some more. I killed those men. I watched them die. I've never seen anyone die before. It's terrible! All I wanted was to scare them away. Now I'll really be seen as the Devil's atrocity. I've endangered Father and I even more than before. I just want this nightmare to end!

Father began to frown and he said, sharply, "Stop crying. It serves no purpose. All it will do is annoy me and make you feel even worse," he said, "Now, get a hold of yourself and help me burn the bodies. We'll prepare to move again afterwards." Father stood up straight and I gaped at him. Shaking my head I said, "B-But Father! You can't be serious! I-I can't-!"

"Are you disobeying an order," he asked with a slight growl and I quivered. I shook my head and he huffed, saying, "Good. Don't you dare disobey me, do you understand? When I tell you to do something you do it! And it's not because you should, it is because you will! Now quit your damn sobbing and help me burn the bodies." Father's voice was loud in my ears and his scolding voice scared me. Without questioning him again, I began following him out the front door to dispose of the bodies I had just mutilated.

...

"Did you lose sleep again?" Kayla's voice rang in my ears and I snapped out of my groggy trance. I looked at her and mumbled, "Y-Yeah..."

"What's up with you lately?" Craig asked me, taking a swig of his drink. We were in the cafeteria eating lunch. Or at least Craig and Kayla were eating. Ive kinda just been mindlessly sipping on my juice through a straw. I looked at the tip of my straw and saw many bite marks on it. I sighed and pushed myself away from the table and against the booth seat. "I don't know," I answered, "I guess almost getting kidnapped kind of shook me up."

"Well, I think that would shake anyone up," Kayla remarked with a concerned look. I ran a hand through my hair and groaned. Craig wrapped an arm around my shoulders and said, "Hey, don't stress out. It's not like you."

"I know," I murmured, "But a lot of weird things have been going on and it's kind of hard to process them all."

"Don't worry, Ao," Kayla said, "We'll help you through it all. Right Craig?"

"Right," Craig said and hugged me closer to him. I gave them a half-smile and closed my eyes, eventually snoring and falling asleep on Craig. "H-Hey," he stammered and Kayla giggled. I could only snuggle into him more and listen to him jabber.

...

Craig and I walked out through the front of the school since the school day was over. I had my violin case in hand and I held onto Craig's arm to keep myself from falling over from grogginess. I was still feeling the after effects of poor sleep. Once Craig and I made it to the gates we stopped and he asked me, "Are you sure you're willing to do this? You don't have to."

"My mother and father were very terrified when I told them about almost getting kidnapped," I explained, "Not only were they greatly concerned of me but of us as a whole. The men wanted only to get to my father and that also meant taking me and my mother down with him. They asked of a better way for me to get home when both of them aren't available to pick me up. So this is the best way I could come up with."

Craig nodded and we walked a few blocks from the school until we were within taxi limits. Craig hailed a taxi and once it stopped in front of us we both got in. We gave the man our addresses and he nodded and began driving. Craig's house is closer so the man was driving us there first of course. As he drove us, Craig shifted in his seat and said, "You don't have to do this for me, ya know?"

"I know," I said, "but I still feel better knowing you're here with me. Besides, I don't mind paying for you."

"I'm sure you don't, but it still bothers me a little," he said with a smile. I smiled back and leaned against my side of the car. Craig told me to get some sleep while we waited for our destination and I obliged without argue. I rested my head in his lap and he just chuckled and pet my hair. I fell asleep as the taxi drove on and after a while I felt Craig gently shake me awake. "Ao, wake up. We made it. I'll be leaving now," he told me. I sat up and rubbed my eyes groggily. I yawned and then murmured, "Okay. Hold on." I dug around in my pocket and took out some money to pay for Craig's half of the trip. The man took the money and tipped his hat at Craig since he was leaving.

Craig hugged me and said, "See ya, Blue Boo. Be safe." I nodded and said, "Bye Craig." He gave me a smile and got out of the taxi. Craig made his way to his front door and I waited and watched until he was finally inside his home. The taxi driver began driving again and I sighed. I leaned against the car door and looked out the window, my head resting in my hand. I watched as the city whizzed by and I felt my body relax. The taxi turned corners, accelerated and took stops multiple times. But at one particular stop at a red light I noticed something. As I looked out the window, I saw a man leaning against a brick wall, wearing nothing but black. He was hooded and it took me a while to finally notice the tinge of blue under that black hood.

Ecstatic and surprised, I jumped in my seat and pressed my hand and face up against the glass. Suddenly, the taxi jerked and began moving and I panicked. "Wait! Wait! Wait! Stop!" I exclaimed and the taxi suddenly jerked to a stop. The man gave me a strange look and I quickly fumbled with the money in my pocket. I handed the cash to him and then just got out of the taxi. "Thank you!" I exclaimed before closing the door and quickly crossing the rest of the street we were on.

I stopped by the curb and looked over at the man. He was still there and I couldn't help but smile. "Jack!" I called out to him and he jolted in his spot. He looked up at me and I waved. He pushed himself off of the wall and looked around cautiously. Jack then beckoned me over with a black gloved hand and I came over. Once I was standing in front of him he looked down at me and asked, "What are doing? Why are you calling out that name?"

"Well, it's your name isn't it?" I asked, looking confused. He sighed and said, "Y-Yes it is. But don't say it out loud like that."

"Why?"

"For reasons," he answered blatantly. I stared at him for a few moments but then smiled. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. Jack leaned back against the wall and looked around. "I'm just...taking a stroll," he said, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I saw you here and I wanted to say hi," I told him. He turned his head to me and said, "Alright, well hi."

"Hi!" I chimed and waved at him. Jack just stood there and stared at me through his mask. I rocked back and forth on my feet and then decided to stand next to him against the wall. I hummed and minded my own business and when I looked over at Jack he was still staring at me. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Why are you being so friendly with me?" he asked. I blinked, then smiled and answered, "Well, why not? It wouldn't be right to be mean to you."

"It'd be a wiser choice if you were," he stated bluntly and my mind went blank for a moment. With a concerned expression, I asked him, "Why?"

Jack sighed and muttered, "Because I'm a frea-." With almost lightning fast moves, I shot my hand out and covered the area of his mask where his mouth was supposed to be. He had stopped talking immediately and I exclaimed,"Don't say that word!" He just stood there and he slowly pushed my hand back down. "Okay...I won't say it...," he said, clearly weirded out by my actions. I nodded and then stood up straight against the wall again, clutching my violin case with both hands. Jack and I stood there, next to each other for a few moments. None of us seemed to mind, though I figure Jack just doesn't care. I watched vehicles whizz past us and pedestrians walking this way and that. I watched the city around me in silence and it was quite calming. But over the sounds of cars and people, I heard Jack's voice. "Did they hurt you?"

Confused again, I asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Those men that tried kidnapping you," he mentioned, "Did they hurt you?" I was taken aback by this. How did he know about that? Was he around when it happened? "How do you know about that?" I asked him.

He looked over at me and then reached an arm to me. I felt him grab the hood of my jacket and lift it up, covering my head. "Remember?" he said, and it dawned on me.

Keep your hood up. You never know who might be watching.

My eyes widened and I jumped in front of him. "You knew they were after me?!"

"Yes."

I gaped at him. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

Jack shrugged and replied, "How would I have known you'd be kidnapped? Maybe men wearing a lot of black and talking into a walkie-talkie while they eyed you is a normal thing here."

"It's not normal, Jack," I muttered.

"It is to me."

"What?"

"Nothing."

I sighed and leaned back against the wall again. "Well, at least I'm still alive and not getting sold all over the world to perverted and sadistic people," I mumbled. Jack didn't say anything in reply. I blew a strand of hair out of my face and puffed up my cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye, Jack pushed off of the wall and started walking away. I was taken aback and I quickly went after him. "Hey, where are you going?" I asked

"Away," he answered. I frowned slightly and kept walking beside him. "You don't have to be around me," he said. I took that as a sign to part ways but I didn't want to. I wanted to talk to Jack and I know I must be being rude to him but I want to figure things out. That familiar feeling that I have with him is bugging me. I have to know more about him than just his name. Once I know more then I might be able to piece things together to finally get my answer. I just have to hope I don't officially piss him off.

"Can I ask you a few questions?" I asked him.

"No," he said with a staid tone in his voice.

"Okay how about a couple of questions?"

"No."

"Just one question?"

"I said no." He groaned and I pouted. He suddenly stopped walking and stood in front of me. I bumped right smack into his chest and stumbled back. He loomed over me and said, "Go home. You can't be around me. So just go home."

"But," I started, mumbling, "I...I like being around you."

I could see his shoulders tense up and his breath hitched beneath his mask. I just looked at him, waiting for him to say more. He just shook his head and said, "You shouldn't."

"But I do," I said and took a step towards him.

"You still shouldn't," he said, taking one step back.

"But I still do," I added, taking another step towards him.

Jack growled and said, "Just go home already-." Another growl accompanied him and we both stood there, surprised. I gave him a look and he sighed and turned his head away from me. The same growl came again and that's when I figured it out. "Hungry?" I asked, giggling.

"No," he muttered, clearly lying to me. His stomach growled again and he groaned. I watched him for a few moments before perking up and saying, "Let's get you something to eat." I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and gently led him along. "I-I'm not hungry," he lied again, "I'm perfectly fine." Another gurgling growl sounded and I said, "Your stomach begs to differ."

I walked him along the side walk and looked around for a place we could go to get food. "What would you like to eat?" I asked Jack as I craned my neck to look at him. He didn't say anything and I stopped in my tracks, making him bump into me this time. "Is there anything specific? I could get it for you. Whatever you choose, I'll buy it for you. Anything specific at all?"

Jack shifted in his spot awkwardly and mumbled something I couldn't understand at first. I asked him to repeat himself and he had said, "Meat."

I gave him a questioning look and asked, "Okay. What kind?"

"...Raw," he muttered. My eyes widened and I remarked, "You eat raw meat?"

"Maybe," Jack said. I stared at him for a while until it finally came to me and I laughed. "Are you talking about sushi?" Jack looked at me and mumbled, "...What's sushi...?"

I gaped at him. "You don't know what sushi is?" I asked. He was hesitant to shake his head and I flashed him a wide smile. "Come on," I said and started leading him along again, "I know the perfect place!" We walked around street corners and passed by shops. I was surprised Jack hadn't run off on me. I wasn't sure if he was enjoying this or not. He seems like he wouldn't care either way, and I didn't mind that. I can tell that's just how he is. After a while, I finally brought him to the place and pointed. "This restaurant has the best sushi," I told Jack. He looked up at the sign and then looked at the entrance. I could see him tense up and he said, "I can't go in there."

"Why?" I asked.

"I just can't go in there," he said, "people will see me."

I smiled softly and said, "Don't worry. I'll stay right by your side. You'll be okay." My eyes suddenly widened and my vision blurred slightly as I heard another voice.

Don't worry. I'll be here for you. No one will hurt you as long as I'm here.

"Ao?" Jack's voice snapped me out of it and I looked at him, slightly dazed. I put on a smile again and squeezed his wrist. "I'm fine. Let's get going," I said and lead him inside. Once we walked in I dragged him over to an empty booth in the farthest corner of the restaurant, knowing Jack would have wanted to sit there. I let him sit and I sat across from him, setting down my backpack and violin case. "Now all we do is wait for a server," I told him and he nodded while looking around the wide room. He looked down and said quietly, "You play violin." It seemed more like a statement instead of a question but I nodded anyway. "What are you able to play?" he asked.

I smiled, feeling a warm joy just knowing I can talk about this with him. "I can play at least three of Beethoven's symphonies, Mozart's symphony number forty, Vivaldi's four seasons...well, kind of...and I know I've done some other pieces but I can't remember them." I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Impressive," he remarked and I smiled. After a couple of minutes, a waitress came up and welcomed us. She gave us menus and asked for drinks. Jack didn't answer so I just got us glasses of water, to make things even. We stayed waiting again and I was surprised to hear Jack ask me, "Why is your name Blue?"

"Well," I started, "My adoptive parents gave me that name because it was my favorite color. It was practically my obsession. It still is."

"You're adopted," he said.

I nodded.

"Who are your real parents?" He asked.

I shrugged and answered, "I don't know. I've never known. I consider my adoptive parents my real parents. They were the only ones ever there for me and they're all I've ever known."

Jack stayed quiet after that. The server came by again and gave us our glasses of water. Then she asked us what we would like to order. I didn't really look at the menu but I've been to this restaurant countless times with my parents and with Craig and Kayla. I just got the usual. But as for Jack, he didn't speak and I started thinking. He said he likes raw meat. There's a dish I think he would like. I decided to get him that and the waitress wrote everything down. She walked away and it was just me and Jack again. I was about to strike up another conversation when Jack started with, "Why do you like being around me? Don't you think I'm strange?"

I looked at him and replied, "No, I don't think you're strange. You're just different than what people normally see. And I like being around you because...well, I feel like I know you from somewhere."

Jack looked down at the table and asked, "From where...?"

I shrugged and said, "I don't know. At least not yet anyway. I'm trying to figure things out and I'm hoping that being around you will help me. Plus I really do like your company. I feel at ease when you're around."

Jack didn't reply. I wonder if I made him uncomfortable with what I said. I hope not. I don't want to weird him out or anything.

After another few minutes the server came back again but this time with our food. I thanked her and she gave me a smile before walking away. I looked up at Jack and saw him just sitting there, staring down at his meal. He reached for the pack of chopsticks, opened it and held the sticks in his hand. I sat there and stared at him. "Um," I started, "You know how to use them right?"

"Yeah..," he mumbled and then stabbed the chopsticks into the sushi. I stared, knowing that he lied. I shook my head and said, "That's not how you use them."

"Then how?" he asked, picking up the piece of sushi he stabbed only to have it fall back down on the plate with a splat. I giggled and took out the chopsticks that were given to me. I showed them both to Jack and placed them in the correct position on my hand. "You hold it like this," I explained, "the bottom chopstick rests on your ring finger and you move the top one with your middle and index. Like this." I showed him and picked up a piece of sushi then ate it. Jack put the chopsticks on the correct position and moved them to get a good grip. But as soon as he went to pick up a piece of his sushi he lost his grip and the sticks flipped and tumbled out of his hand. I chuckled and said, "Its okay if you don't get it the first time."

"I think I got it," he said and picked them up again. He finally picked up a piece of sushi and held it up. I smiled at him but then cocked my head as he was just holding it up. "What's wrong?" I asked him. He slowly brought a hand up to the bottom of his mask but then hesitated. "I shouldn't lift up my mask," he told me.

"Well, you don't have to take off the whole thing. Just uncover your mouth," I suggested. He gulped and then slowly lifted the mask up to uncover his mouth. I was able to see the gray complexion of his skin and his lips were even gray. He opened up his mouth a little and I saw sharp, shark-like teeth. I would be lying if I said I wasn't fascinated by the sight. As soon as he put the piece of sushi in his mouth and bit down, the chopsticks snapped and broke and I jumped at the noise. He pulled the broken chopsticks away from his mouth while the other pieces were still between his lips. I shifted my gaze from him to the chopsticks with wide eyes but then smiled and chucked. "I'll go get you some new ones," I said and got out of our booth to ask for another pair of chopsticks. I was given some and I came back to give them to Jack. He opened them up as I sat down and went to pick up another piece of sushi. As I was grabbing my own piece with my chopsticks, I heard another loud snap and I sighed. I looked up and saw the new chopsticks I gave him had been broken again. I got up to give him new ones yet again.

Once I came back, I sat down and gave him the new ones. I put my attention to my food and picked up a piece of sushi. Just as I was about to eat it, I heard another snap and I dropped my chopsticks. "Alright," I started, "lets not massacre any more chopsticks."

Jack put down the broken chopsticks and sat there. "How do I eat now?" he asked.

"With your hands, I guess," I said. He raised up a gloved hand but put it back down. I guessed he didn't want to take off the glove. I remember when I shook his hand that he was unsettled when I pointed out his skin tone. He's still hooded so the lower half of his face is still a little covered but his hand wouldn't have anything but just the glove. But he has the bandages. Wait, why does he have bandages? Did he hurt himself somehow? Is he wounded? Does he have scars? Either one of those could be the case. I hope he's okay-.

"Ao," I heard Jack call and I snapped out of my thoughts to listen to him. He was still holding up his gloved hand and I looked down at my chopsticks. I looked back up at him and said, "You know what? Here." I reached over and picked up a piece of his food. I held it out for him and he just sat there. "Um..," he mumbled, "I don't think..."

"It's fine," I said, "just don't break them."

"Well, you know I could-."

"Eat it," I said and stuffed the sushi in his mouth. He stopped talking and I slipped out the chopsticks before he decided to bite down. He chewed a bit before swallowing. "What do you think?" I asked. He took a sip of his glass of water and then said, "Its good."

I smiled and gave him another piece of his meal. I didn't have to tell him to eat as he just leaned forward and took the piece in his mouth. I quickly pull the chopsticks out of his mouth and I've done this as to save the sticks from total annihilation. I kept feeding him without any regard to eating my own meal. I wasn't that hungry anyway. Plus, feeding Jack was kind of fun.

Eventually there was no more food on his plate for me to feed him. Jack set his mask back in place and said, "Thank you for the meal."

"You're welcome," I said. I waited for our server to come with the bill and I paid for it, also leaving a tip. I got up from the booth and picked up my backpack and violin case. Jack and I walked out of the restaurant and stopped at the curb. "It was nice seeing you again," I told him. He nodded and stood there. I smiled and checked the time on my phone. "Well, I should get going before my parents get home," I said, "Bye!" I waved at him and began turning to walk away. But I didn't get far once I felt a hand land on my shoulder and a deep, sultry voice say, "Wait."

I stopped and turned to see Jack. I looked up and he said, "Let me take you home. I'm sure you wouldn't want to get kidnapped again." I nodded and he reached down to grab my violin case. I let him take it and he propped it up on his shoulder. "Come on," he said and started walking. I stood there for a while and stared at him, feeling surprised for some reason.

"Are you coming or not?" Jack called out. I jolted and nodded. "Y-Yeah! Coming!" I shouted and quickly hurried to walk beside him. I smiled up at him once I was next to him. He reached out and tugged my hood over my head. "What'd I tell you? Keep your hood up."

"Oh," I said, adjusting the hood, "gomennasai...I mean!- Sorry!"

"It's fine," Jack said. I smiled a little and felt my face grow warm. Throughout the walk home I started chatting with Jack, despite that he didn't really talk back. He mostly listened which both comforted yet concerned me. But having him in my company made me feel safe and happy. And of course that familiar feeling was still lingering. I wonder if Jack feels it too. I can't tell with how he keeps to himself. Whether he does or doesn't is fine. As long as I can keep seeing him again and again, I'm happy and I hope he is too.

...

The girl, a blue lilac, and the yajuu had finally been caught within the grasp of each other. But as the blue lilac's heart grew warmer and warmer, the yajuu's could only ache harder. Denial cannot defeat memory. His past was all he could seem to think about. A past where the beautiful girl would still love him. A past where he was still human. He was fitted to the image that his family; his clan wanted and that image was distorted by society's ignorance and fear. A creature as damaged his him would be liable for the destruction of another pure soul. He didn't want to lose his little blue lilac. And she didn't want to lose her yajuu to unknown causes again. A bond between horror and beauty is both dangerous yet wonderful. But no matter how anyone looks at it:

Horror and beauty.

Purity and sin.

Ying and yang.

It's all the same.

An eternal essence that will always remain, even in death.

-

*APOLOGIES FOR THE LATE UPDATE AND FOR ANY ERRORS IN THIS CHAPTER. I RUSHED TO COVER WHAT I WANTED TO WRITE AND I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE GOING THROUGH IT TO EDIT ANY MISTAKES. I CAN ALWAYS DO THAT LATER ANYWAY. ALSO, THE RELIGIOUS VIEWS THAT I WROTE IN THE BEGINNING DOES NOT REFLECT ON ME OR ANYONE ELSE. YES, MY MIND DOES THINK THAT WAY SOMETIMES BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING. I'M NOT SUPER RELIGIOUS. I'M JUST CATHOLIC AND I'M NOT ONE TO BOAST RELIGION. I'M IMAGINATIVE BRAH. I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FITTING FOR THAT SCENE. SO, IF ANY ONE WAS OFFENDED BY THE VIEWS ON GOD, I AM SORRY. AND I DON'T WANT ANYONE ARGUING IN THE COMMENTS ABOUT THIS RELIGION AND THAT. YA FEEL ME? AIGH'T COOL.*

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~