What did they mean? I knew who I was, didn't I? I was Rosalia Mallory, a girl left on the doorstep of our town's foster agency to find a new home. From there I went through three homes before at the age of 16 instead of having to live in the group h...
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Rosalia's POV:
Keeping the barrier up I meet Ash's eyes across the narrow space that separates us and see the grim determination in his eyes. He offers me a small smile, nothing more than a twitch at the corner of his mouth on one side, but it's enough. It's enough to take off some of the edge. Some of the tension. Funny one Ash, I mumble quietly, how'd you figure that one out so fast? I was attempting to aim for lightheartedness. Jovial almost. But I can't completely banish the fear that remains from snaking through me. Winding around my insides like constricting ropes that keep squeezing tighter and tighter....like the magic spell from before.
But Ebony's eyes remain on me. Without looking at her I could feel the heat of her stare like burning suns. Or alternatively, twin flames that are intended on burning down all things in their path. "What did you do?" Her words are soft and carried by the darkness of her Shadows that she manipulates by stroking over the shadows in the room. "What did you do, you worthless fucking SLUT!" Screaming the last word it hits me like a silver dagger in the gut and wounds my spirit so much that the barrier I'd been holding up wavers, the colours fading for a second.
But that moment of weakness, of tears, passes when Hunter takes my hand back. Lending me his strength to keep going down the path I know I must. But when I look to the Bonds between us I can see the swirling pool of anger inside him at his mother's words. Hatred and anger that spills over when he speaks. "Don't call her that." He doesn't shout but his tone is almost scarier than if he'd just raised his voice and yelled. His quiet anger is more dangerous than mine that boils over...until it cools. "Don't ever call her that again. She doesn't deserve that name. No one ever does but especially not her."
Smiling internally at his words the calming feeling of his presence soothes my restless spirit and helps to give it direction. Like a phoenix being reborn from the ashes, it gives my anger direction. Direction and purpose. And it seems to strengthen the fight in me so I'm not ready to let go. Not ready to give up on this fight that we've been engaged in for a long time. So instead I turn to address Laurel who's watching me with barely veiled disgust. "And you?" I called over, snapping her out of whatever daze she'd been in. "How long have you been trafficking with these Shadows of Evil?" I ask, following my gut and asking the question aloud.
She snarls at me - well technically her little protegee Morgan does - but her lips curl in a smile that's a mockery of happiness. Instead, hers is full of malice and ill intent. Enough that it makes me feel sick to my stomach with fear. When she smiles wider the fear inside me changes from a constricting rope to a viny stem like that of a rose. Tipped with wicked-looking thorns on both sides it slices through me and lets the fear seep inside my organs, saturating my body with the metallic taste that fills my blood. "A while," She counters, her eyes alight with a feral joy. "And they aren't evil, they're just power." She almost croons the words, cocking a finger towards a few of the more storm cloud looking shadows that skittered over towards her, lapping around her like eager children. "Not that you'd know anything about that of course," She sneers at me and shares a look with Ebony. "I've said it before Rosalia and I'll say it again: You are nothing more than a child."
