Chapter 6
Six
“Come on,” Jullia whines. “It’ll be fine, I promise!”
This is the third night in a row, the millionth time today. One week down, a billion more to go. That’s a sort of positive at least. That and the fact that nothing else has happened to me this week. It’s been radio silent from the celestials and Professor Asier has more or less avoided me.
The only non-positive is all week Jullia has tried to get me to go to at least one party with her.
The start of some sort of party binge or spirit week or whatever they want to call it started Tuesday night.
Since we have a sort of block schedule Tuesday was the official end to day one of school. That means everyone celebrates.
It’s also the start of initiations month. For the next thirty-four days, until the full moon next month, students will be sought out by the five Houses. Societies that are more or less like sororities and fraternities. Though it’s dipping closer to cult than a girl or boyhood.
Scrolling through the advisory careers tab, I come to the bottom with no new openings. Sighing in defeat, I toss the thing onto my pillow and roll to my back to stare at the bland ceiling. Apparently no one is hiring. Which means no job, which means no money, which means I have nothing.
“You’re forgetting,” I finally answer Jullia, “I have nothing to wear, no means to buy food after all the drinking I know you’re going to want to do, and no means to buy food tomorrow or Sunday to replenish all the nutrients I lost from drinking and puking all night.”
She harrumphs and climbs onto her bed to pout.
My excuse tonight is even more sound because the cafeteria only serves food during days we have classes.
Meaning weekends I’ll be left to dry. Not the worst predicament since I’m no longer receiving water mage blood bags, but blood only sustains me so much.
There’s a soft knock on the door before it’s opened and Asher walks in. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a polo with sunglasses on even though the sun is about to set. He’s also been encouraging about getting me to go.
“Asher!” Jullia jumps up from her bed and practically tackles him.
“Help me convince Mavyn to go out with us. Didn’t you say tonight is the start of all the real parties.
The ones the societies will be throwing and those are legendary.
Please tell my boring, introverted roommate that she should at least live a little and can borrow my clothes since she doesn’t have to cover up with there being no sun? ”
True, I don’t have to cover up since the sun will already be set, but there’s another problem with that situation anyway.
Dragging myself into a seated position, Jullia grins at me. Giving Asher a dry look, I say, “Close the door and turn around.”
His eyes slightly widen as he doesn’t hesitate to do so and Jullia squeals as I start unbuttoning my shirt. I’m still in my school issued white button up since I haven’t changed into the pajama set Jullia has let me borrow yet and I have nothing else to wear.
Since it’s a pair of pants and long sleeve, and I always change and shower when no one can see me, she hasn’t seen my body.
Unbuttoning the last button I pull the shirt off me and watch in almost slow motion as Jullia’s excited eyes dim and her whole demeanor shifts. Asher, with his back still to me but beside Jullia to see her expression, tenses his shoulders.
They saw only a piece of it a week ago when Asher had to put the rune on my arm.
All up and down my arms, my shoulders, across my chest, my stomach, and covering my back are scars.
There’s a flower, a dark blue bell-shaped flower that can kill every creature nearly immediately.
It’s a poison you need the antidote immediately after ingesting in order to survive.
Though if done correctly you can ingrain it into weapons to weaken nonmortals and leave permanent scars.
I’ve been told I sometimes smell like that flower.
Like a deadly poison. It’s because remnants are trapped within my scar tissue.
If diluted an insane amount it won’t kill you, but that’s another reason I get so easily tired.
Poison lines the majority of my body, flowing through my veins, sucking my energy dry.
Jullia finally makes a move but it’s to cover her mouth as a choked sob escapes her throat. Shit.
“Okay,” Asher rushes out, “I’m sorry Mavyn but Jullia is staring at you like – “
His words don’t even make it out as he had been grabbing for Jullia and already halfway turned. Olive green eyes track up my arms, over my chest, across my stomach. Modesty was a luxury I never got to learn, but at least I still have my bra on. And I know Asher’s gaze isn’t lust filled.
No. His eyes match Jullia’s, minus the tears. Though his had shown more horror. Snaping his eyes away, Asher pulls Jullia into him but she refuses to look away from me.
“Oh Mavyn,” she sobs. Grabbing for the long sleeve sleep shirt, I pull it on to cover the scars. “I saw the ones on your arm,” she hiccups, “but I just thought. . . oh my goddesses I’m so sorry.”
It may only have been a week, but Jullia feels like more than just a roommate.
She reminds me of Cordellia and maybe it’s just because I miss my home at the brothel, but I’ve let Jullia take me in just as the girls in New York did.
She feels like a close friend I’d want to stay close with even after we graduate.
She feels like how a best friend should feel like.
Sitting in the middle of my bed I pull my knees up and rest my chin on top of them.
“It happened a long time ago,” I try to console. “It really isn’t – “
“Those are torture scars,” she hiccups harder. “Don’t say it isn’t bad or try to downplay it. Those were burns, and scars that had to be from other weapons. And those were bite marks, Mavyn. Scared bite marks with fang imprints, at least a dozen of them. Don’t try to say it doesn’t matter.”
She pushes out of Asher’s hold and stomps over to me. Crawling onto my bed she sits right beside me and wraps her arms around me. Warmth envelopes but it doesn’t burn and a solid pressure of comfort wraps around me.
Asher watches us with an expression of disbelief, though I’m sure that’s more because of my scars.
“It happened a long time ago,” I repeat. Quieter and more detached. I can feel Jullia silently sobbing. Even as she holds me tighter. “I don’t even remember most of it. Except sometimes. . . “
“The nightmares,” Asher murmurs in understanding. I was positive Jullia had told him. Especially after the third time when I had woken her up because of them.
Yes. Those damn nightmares. They didn’t start until after the devil and mage who first adopted me had already died. Another remanent making it impossible for me to forget about those seven years in hell.
I blink and Asher somehow disappears from the room. Jullia continues to hold me with tears I can feel dampening the sleep shirt. I wonder how someone could have so much love in their heart, could be such an empath that their heart hurts for someone they’ve just met.
I blink again and we end up laying on my bed. Even though she’s slightly taller than me and definitely has a few more pounds of muscle, her head is tucked underneath my chin with her arms still wrapped around my middle.
There’s a reason I don’t like showing anyone my scars. Initial expressions are usually horror or disgust. Then pity and sorrow tend to work their way through. Ms. Elaycia had nearly had a heart attack the first time she saw them. Cordellia did too.
Then they cried like Jullia is doing. I didn’t know succubi could cry, but Ms. Elaycia did and then she took me under her wing and the last five years she’s been more like a mother than any of the other woman who’ve taken me in before.
God, I miss her. I miss her and Cordellia and Nana in the kitchen and Rosemary with her big sister vibes and Ana who never leaves the attic. I miss our Sunday brunches when the club is closed all day and the night markets we used to go to and family dinner.
That’s what the club was. Even if it does hide a brothel behind legal affairs it felt more like a home than anywhere else I’ve ever been. Ms. Elaycia would make some of the other girls hug me a lot too. She said physical contact was essential, not just as a sexual need but as a humane one.
Both the six beings of moral and the celestials need physical contact. It’s ingrained in our biology, whether certain races want to admit it or not.
I wrap my arms around Jullia as she continues to cry.
I don’t know who’s comforting who at this point, but either way it feels nice.
I wasn’t lying to Jullia when I said all this happened a long time ago.
But even Ms. Elaycia would brush that off.
She would tell me some scars linger even after they’ve healed and faded.
These scars, my scars, will never fade. Even the bite marks. That’s another cursed thing that damn devil did to me. In addition to powdered blue belladon that was imbedded into the weapons he used, he was able to somehow add them into his fangs.
I can’t die from the wounds since they were never fatal, but with the poison they’ll never fade either.
They ache sometimes too. I wish I was back in my room where I had my herbs and tonics and creams. Nana would always help me make a salve to ease the ache of my scars. Help neutralize the poison for a time.
I really do miss them. I hope Ms. Elaycia is okay.
Eventually, Jullia falls asleep. Asher doesn’t come back to the room and I curl her body closer to mine.
Using our body heat to keep each other warm and soon enough my eyes are drooping.
I know I have homework to finish, I still need to look for a job, but it feels so much like home does. So I pretend, and I sleep.
. . .