Chapter 24 - Living with the Guilt
Submitted April 17, 2009 Updated June 22, 2009 Status Incomplete | After getting kidnapped, girl finds herself in world where the supernatural exist and to find that she's not human, but a sorceress I don't have a title for my story yet Be harsh on the comments y'all cos i'm thinking of getting this published x
Category:
Fantasy |
Chapter 24 - Living with the Guilt
Chapter 24 - Living with the Guilt
Kerri looked at the t-shirt and burst into laughter.
Arik frowned. “What’s so funny?”
Kerri tried to stifle her laughter and pointed to the t-shirt. Arik twisted the shirt around and flushed bright red. There was an extremely warped version of Santa Claus, and next to it were the words “Where’s my Ho at?”
“Um, Drake gave me that last Christmas as a joke.” He threw the shirt away to the far end of the corner.
“You know,” Kerri told him as she took his button up shirt, “you should put it somewhere clean. That’s probably the shirt you’re going to be wearing tomorrow.”
She grinned when she saw the look on Arik’s face.
“Oh, and uh, my toothbrush isn’t here either,” she told him. “I think all my things have been taken.”
“Um, you can...use mine, if you want.”
“If you don’t mind.”
“No. And...do you need something to wear...down there? You know, short, anything?”
Kerri blushed. “Uh, well...”
Arik looked around frantically. “Wait, here’s a pair of your shorts!” He practically leapt into the closet. “You can wear these.”
The both breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at each other’s expression.
“Thanks.” She reached out and took her favourite purple shorts—thank God those weren’t taken as well—and shut the door to change.
The button up shirt Arik lent her was long-sleeved about two sizes too big so that her shorts were hidden underneath. She rolled the sleeves up to her elbows and piled her hair messily up on top of head and secured it with her scrunchie. She hadn’t done that for a while because Ty hadn’t liked it.
Well, screw him, she thought as she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Screw him down to hell and back. Well, maybe not back. Just screw him down to hell and let him stay—or preferably, rot—there.
When she went into the bedroom she found Arik on the phone. He looked up and his mouth dropped in surprise when he saw her. He blinked a few times, and then turned away to resume talking to the other person on the phone.
“Yes, sir. Friday night, sir. See you then.” He snapped the phone shut and turned to her. “Hey. Wow, that shower must’ve been really...refreshing. You look...” he trailed off.
Kerri grinned. “Clean?”
“Uh, yeah, clean. Clean. And great.”
“Thanks.” She was really enjoying the blush on his face. “You can use the bathroom now.”
“Right. Okay.”
She grinned as he made his way to the bathroom. She couldn’t believe that he, who looked like a Greek god, just looked at her like she was a...well, Greek goddess. Or something like that. He was cute. And hot. Both. At the same time.
The hot part was definitely confirmed when she was towelling her hair dry—with the torn t-shirt—and he stepped out of the bathroom with only his boxer shorts on. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced herself to turn away and take deep breaths before she started to hyperventilate.
“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked her, his voice smooth as silk.
“Uh, mind what?” she tried to keep her voice calm and steady, turning back to him.
“Me...not wearing much.” He smirked. Damn. He must’ve seen the look on her face before she turned away.
“No, of course not. I mean, it’s not like I’m wearing that much myself.” She smiled slyly. She’d show him. Two could play at this game.
He was immediately distracted. “Yes, yes,” he murmured, looking elsewhere.
She followed his gaze. He was looking at what used to be furniture but now could only be known as garbage and absolute shoot. And it was all her fault. She sighed.
“I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”
“Right.” He focused on her again.”Goodnight.” He started to head towards his bed—well, at least, where it used to be—when he remembered that there was only one bed.
Kerri had forgotten as well until he stopped and looked up at her. “Right. We uh...only have one bed,” she said, stating the obvious.
“Always the observant one.”
“Shut up.”
He looked around the room. “I’ll...sleep on the...floor.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That floor is covered with shoot. It’s dusty and dirty and...probably going to break as well.” She looked at the bed. “This...this is a big bed. It can fit two.” Very snugly together.
Arik looked doubtfully at the bed. Then at the floor he was about to sleep on. He obviously found the bed more appealing and comfortable than the dusty cold and hard floor. “Uh, yeah,” he said unconvincingly after some staring. “The bed can fit two.”
I see I’m not the only who’s a fantastically horrible liar, Kerri chided him as he got into the single bed.
A corner of his mouth went up as he rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t mind us...don’t mind me being in your bed?” he asked hesitantly. They were both in a sitting position, and were looking nervously at each other. The bed suddenly seemed so much smaller.
“Uh, no, I don’t mind,” she breathed. She slid down the sheet so that she was lying down.”Uh, goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” He clicked his fingers and the lights went off. He lay down next to her, their shoulders and arms touching. Was it just her, or was the room suddenly hotter?
Arik seemed equally uncomfortable because he opened his mouth at the same time she did.
“This is—”
“It’s really—” they both trailed off.
“Uh, let’s just each...turn to on our sides,” Kerri stuttered. “We’ll...get more space.”
Arik agreed, and as they turned to roll on her side, she rolled off the bed instead.
She shrieked as she landed in a pile of—well, she didn’t know what she landed in because it was too dark to see.
Arik clicked his fingers and the light came back on again. He turned over in bed. “What on earth—” he stopped when he saw her sitting on a broken drawer on the floor and gave a short laugh. He opened his mouth to say something when Kerri beat him to it.
“Don’t say anything,” she growled, pushing herself up, rubbing her butt. “Just don’t.” She gave her butt one last rub before climbing into bed again. “Don’t move,” she warned him.
“Why not?”
“Because I’ll probably end up on the floor again and if it’s because you moved, I’m taking you down with me.”
Arik didn’t move. She climbed in next to him again and lay down on her side so that she was facing him. She looked up and almost collided head on with him. They stared at each other, both aware of the discomforting closeness. She sat up.
“I think I’m going to face the other side,” she told him.
“Good idea.”
***
Kerri stuck her hand out from underneath her and looked at her watch, its fluorescent hands glowing bright green in the dark. It was almost two in the morning. She’d been awake for almost three hours and she couldn’t sleep. Normally, she’d twist and turn, but she couldn’t do that tonight, because she didn’t want another trip to the floor again. She never knew that staying in one position could be so uncomfortable.
She stared at the blackness, tucking her hand beneath her again. She was aware of Arik sleeping behind her, his chest falling and rising rhythmically to his breathing.
She shivered. With the heater broken, the room was cold. Not freezing cold, but cold enough to keep her awake. She pulled the blanket tightly around her but they didn’t really help much. She shivered.
“Are you cold again?” he asked her suddenly.
She gasped in surprise. “Uh, yeah. Did I wake you?”
“No.”
“Oh. Right. Okay.” There was an awkward pause. “Right then,” she said. “Goodnight.” She gave another shiver.
He shifted closer to her. “You’re cold.”
“Gee, you think?”
“No sarcastic comments for now, please.” He hesitated before sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. “Is that…warmer?”
Warmer? Warmer? It was suddenly so flipping hot she thought she had a fever. “Uh, yeah, thanks,” she said breathlessly. “Why aren’t you cold?”
“Dragons are…less sensitive to the cold.”
Less sensitive? He must be immune to it to be that hot—pun intended. A few minutes later, Kerri could already feel the circulation back in her hands and feet. Behind her, he had seemingly fallen asleep again. Kerri sighed inwardly and stared at the darkness in front of her.
She thought of the destruction she had made—indirectly, that is. The people put their lives at stake just to save her. Every single one of them. Joshua, Arik, Drake, Carter, and the people she didn’t even know properly. And probably even Mandy. All of them risked their lives to protect hers.
Look at the mess she’d made. It would take at least millions of dollars to repair the damages to the company. But no amount of money can bring back the dead. The wounded, maybe, but never the dead.
She rolled back a little so that she was leaning against Arik more. He shifted a little and the arm around her tightened, but he didn’t wake up. The arm was kind of comforting. It made her feel like she wasn’t alone in this.
But she was.
She was the one who caused this mess. Maybe if she just handed herself over to the C.E., then she’d stop causing so much pain and destruction to the company, to the people she loved, because although she’d only known them for a few days, she’d learn to love them because they were her family.
If you hand yourself over to the C.E., then we’ll fight like hell to get you back, Arik’s voice sounded in her head, his tone gentle.
Hey, this is my head. Don’t I get some sort of privacy?
Not here, you don’t. He leaned in closer to her and pulled her even tighter against him. This isn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself like this.
This is my fault, and I can blame myself. If I wasn’t here, then there would be no invasion.
Arik was determined. Say we didn’t take you that night. Your boyfriend would’ve taken you to the C.E. then. And don’t you think that we won’t fight for you then?
Kerri shook her head. I caused this mess. People could’ve died because of me. They probably already have.
You can’t say—
Kerri spun around and looked him the eye, anger sparking inside her. Tell me that no one died today. Tell me that no one got hurt. Go on.
He looked at her silently, his green eyes glowing with a deep intensity. I would, but—
You’d be lying, Kerri finished for him, her eyes filling with tears.
Stop interrupting me. He caught her as she was about to turn her back against him again. It’s rude.
She snorted. You’re one to talk.
I am never rude. Arrogant, but not rude.
The difference being?
Being arrogant means you can actually afford to be rude.
She paused to process his words. You know you’re not making sense, right?
Arik frowned. “What’s so funny?”
Kerri tried to stifle her laughter and pointed to the t-shirt. Arik twisted the shirt around and flushed bright red. There was an extremely warped version of Santa Claus, and next to it were the words “Where’s my Ho at?”
“Um, Drake gave me that last Christmas as a joke.” He threw the shirt away to the far end of the corner.
“You know,” Kerri told him as she took his button up shirt, “you should put it somewhere clean. That’s probably the shirt you’re going to be wearing tomorrow.”
She grinned when she saw the look on Arik’s face.
“Oh, and uh, my toothbrush isn’t here either,” she told him. “I think all my things have been taken.”
“Um, you can...use mine, if you want.”
“If you don’t mind.”
“No. And...do you need something to wear...down there? You know, short, anything?”
Kerri blushed. “Uh, well...”
Arik looked around frantically. “Wait, here’s a pair of your shorts!” He practically leapt into the closet. “You can wear these.”
The both breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at each other’s expression.
“Thanks.” She reached out and took her favourite purple shorts—thank God those weren’t taken as well—and shut the door to change.
The button up shirt Arik lent her was long-sleeved about two sizes too big so that her shorts were hidden underneath. She rolled the sleeves up to her elbows and piled her hair messily up on top of head and secured it with her scrunchie. She hadn’t done that for a while because Ty hadn’t liked it.
Well, screw him, she thought as she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Screw him down to hell and back. Well, maybe not back. Just screw him down to hell and let him stay—or preferably, rot—there.
When she went into the bedroom she found Arik on the phone. He looked up and his mouth dropped in surprise when he saw her. He blinked a few times, and then turned away to resume talking to the other person on the phone.
“Yes, sir. Friday night, sir. See you then.” He snapped the phone shut and turned to her. “Hey. Wow, that shower must’ve been really...refreshing. You look...” he trailed off.
Kerri grinned. “Clean?”
“Uh, yeah, clean. Clean. And great.”
“Thanks.” She was really enjoying the blush on his face. “You can use the bathroom now.”
“Right. Okay.”
She grinned as he made his way to the bathroom. She couldn’t believe that he, who looked like a Greek god, just looked at her like she was a...well, Greek goddess. Or something like that. He was cute. And hot. Both. At the same time.
The hot part was definitely confirmed when she was towelling her hair dry—with the torn t-shirt—and he stepped out of the bathroom with only his boxer shorts on. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced herself to turn away and take deep breaths before she started to hyperventilate.
“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked her, his voice smooth as silk.
“Uh, mind what?” she tried to keep her voice calm and steady, turning back to him.
“Me...not wearing much.” He smirked. Damn. He must’ve seen the look on her face before she turned away.
“No, of course not. I mean, it’s not like I’m wearing that much myself.” She smiled slyly. She’d show him. Two could play at this game.
He was immediately distracted. “Yes, yes,” he murmured, looking elsewhere.
She followed his gaze. He was looking at what used to be furniture but now could only be known as garbage and absolute shoot. And it was all her fault. She sighed.
“I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”
“Right.” He focused on her again.”Goodnight.” He started to head towards his bed—well, at least, where it used to be—when he remembered that there was only one bed.
Kerri had forgotten as well until he stopped and looked up at her. “Right. We uh...only have one bed,” she said, stating the obvious.
“Always the observant one.”
“Shut up.”
He looked around the room. “I’ll...sleep on the...floor.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That floor is covered with shoot. It’s dusty and dirty and...probably going to break as well.” She looked at the bed. “This...this is a big bed. It can fit two.” Very snugly together.
Arik looked doubtfully at the bed. Then at the floor he was about to sleep on. He obviously found the bed more appealing and comfortable than the dusty cold and hard floor. “Uh, yeah,” he said unconvincingly after some staring. “The bed can fit two.”
I see I’m not the only who’s a fantastically horrible liar, Kerri chided him as he got into the single bed.
A corner of his mouth went up as he rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t mind us...don’t mind me being in your bed?” he asked hesitantly. They were both in a sitting position, and were looking nervously at each other. The bed suddenly seemed so much smaller.
“Uh, no, I don’t mind,” she breathed. She slid down the sheet so that she was lying down.”Uh, goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” He clicked his fingers and the lights went off. He lay down next to her, their shoulders and arms touching. Was it just her, or was the room suddenly hotter?
Arik seemed equally uncomfortable because he opened his mouth at the same time she did.
“This is—”
“It’s really—” they both trailed off.
“Uh, let’s just each...turn to on our sides,” Kerri stuttered. “We’ll...get more space.”
Arik agreed, and as they turned to roll on her side, she rolled off the bed instead.
She shrieked as she landed in a pile of—well, she didn’t know what she landed in because it was too dark to see.
Arik clicked his fingers and the light came back on again. He turned over in bed. “What on earth—” he stopped when he saw her sitting on a broken drawer on the floor and gave a short laugh. He opened his mouth to say something when Kerri beat him to it.
“Don’t say anything,” she growled, pushing herself up, rubbing her butt. “Just don’t.” She gave her butt one last rub before climbing into bed again. “Don’t move,” she warned him.
“Why not?”
“Because I’ll probably end up on the floor again and if it’s because you moved, I’m taking you down with me.”
Arik didn’t move. She climbed in next to him again and lay down on her side so that she was facing him. She looked up and almost collided head on with him. They stared at each other, both aware of the discomforting closeness. She sat up.
“I think I’m going to face the other side,” she told him.
“Good idea.”
***
Kerri stuck her hand out from underneath her and looked at her watch, its fluorescent hands glowing bright green in the dark. It was almost two in the morning. She’d been awake for almost three hours and she couldn’t sleep. Normally, she’d twist and turn, but she couldn’t do that tonight, because she didn’t want another trip to the floor again. She never knew that staying in one position could be so uncomfortable.
She stared at the blackness, tucking her hand beneath her again. She was aware of Arik sleeping behind her, his chest falling and rising rhythmically to his breathing.
She shivered. With the heater broken, the room was cold. Not freezing cold, but cold enough to keep her awake. She pulled the blanket tightly around her but they didn’t really help much. She shivered.
“Are you cold again?” he asked her suddenly.
She gasped in surprise. “Uh, yeah. Did I wake you?”
“No.”
“Oh. Right. Okay.” There was an awkward pause. “Right then,” she said. “Goodnight.” She gave another shiver.
He shifted closer to her. “You’re cold.”
“Gee, you think?”
“No sarcastic comments for now, please.” He hesitated before sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. “Is that…warmer?”
Warmer? Warmer? It was suddenly so flipping hot she thought she had a fever. “Uh, yeah, thanks,” she said breathlessly. “Why aren’t you cold?”
“Dragons are…less sensitive to the cold.”
Less sensitive? He must be immune to it to be that hot—pun intended. A few minutes later, Kerri could already feel the circulation back in her hands and feet. Behind her, he had seemingly fallen asleep again. Kerri sighed inwardly and stared at the darkness in front of her.
She thought of the destruction she had made—indirectly, that is. The people put their lives at stake just to save her. Every single one of them. Joshua, Arik, Drake, Carter, and the people she didn’t even know properly. And probably even Mandy. All of them risked their lives to protect hers.
Look at the mess she’d made. It would take at least millions of dollars to repair the damages to the company. But no amount of money can bring back the dead. The wounded, maybe, but never the dead.
She rolled back a little so that she was leaning against Arik more. He shifted a little and the arm around her tightened, but he didn’t wake up. The arm was kind of comforting. It made her feel like she wasn’t alone in this.
But she was.
She was the one who caused this mess. Maybe if she just handed herself over to the C.E., then she’d stop causing so much pain and destruction to the company, to the people she loved, because although she’d only known them for a few days, she’d learn to love them because they were her family.
If you hand yourself over to the C.E., then we’ll fight like hell to get you back, Arik’s voice sounded in her head, his tone gentle.
Hey, this is my head. Don’t I get some sort of privacy?
Not here, you don’t. He leaned in closer to her and pulled her even tighter against him. This isn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself like this.
This is my fault, and I can blame myself. If I wasn’t here, then there would be no invasion.
Arik was determined. Say we didn’t take you that night. Your boyfriend would’ve taken you to the C.E. then. And don’t you think that we won’t fight for you then?
Kerri shook her head. I caused this mess. People could’ve died because of me. They probably already have.
You can’t say—
Kerri spun around and looked him the eye, anger sparking inside her. Tell me that no one died today. Tell me that no one got hurt. Go on.
He looked at her silently, his green eyes glowing with a deep intensity. I would, but—
You’d be lying, Kerri finished for him, her eyes filling with tears.
Stop interrupting me. He caught her as she was about to turn her back against him again. It’s rude.
She snorted. You’re one to talk.
I am never rude. Arrogant, but not rude.
The difference being?
Being arrogant means you can actually afford to be rude.
She paused to process his words. You know you’re not making sense, right?
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