Valen
The house was pretty quiet this afternoon. Carl had already left for his terrific "date", leaving the whole house to myself. Usually I hated being home alone due to the fact I didn't have anything to preoccupy myself with. However, now that he gave me my first cell phone last March, I looked forward to these lonely moments.
I didn't dare mutter a single word. It would ruin the soothing tranquility of the dining room. Why on earth would I disturb such a perfect atmosphere? That would just make me out to be quite stupid, and why the fuck would I want to be stupid?
Well, sometimes being stupid can be a good thing. Look at Carl, for example. I know, I know, I keep bashing on my uncle, but honestly, he deserves it. I love him and all, but to be frank with you, he needs a reality check. Actually, make it ten reality checks. This man is so damn lonely that he'd date a stripper with herpes if it meant he could find love. I admire him somehow for that. Like, I need that kind of optimism and dedication. The gays must be committed…
Anyway, I sat down at our small, circular dining table, doing homework with my right hand, fiddling with my phone using the other. Crap, I should've gotten Roxanne's phone number. I mean, I know we're not on the best terms right now, but it's not like we're enemies…right?
God, what am I thinking? I should be loathing her right now!
What the fuck am I doing, craving her digits on my phone? That is ridiculous! C'mon Valen, get your shit together!
I slapped my hand onto my sweaty face, letting out a strained sigh. What was even the concept of today? I woke up, went to school, saw my ex-best friend, beat her up and got sent to the nurse's office… then nearly collapsed in the middle of the sidewalk while escaping…
Y'know, what even is the concept of life? You live and you die. Does having a "good life" depend on what you do during your life, or is it the legacy you leave behind from your actions? Do these things even matter? Nobody is going to remember if you donate a couple hundred dollars to a charity, or if you bought your granddaughter a nice dress. That charity is going to use your donation, forget about it, and move on. And your granddaughter will probably send it off to the thrift in a year anyway. Unless you are famous, nobody is going to remember who the fuck you are. I know it's unfair, but that's life. If you wish to change it yourself, then argue with whoever the hell invented the system. Don't shoot the messenger.
I have to write this stupid paper about faith in my religious studies class. The funny thing was, I didn't give a crap about faith. What has faith ever done for me? All it's done was bring me misfortune and disparity. This class was one of my countless reasons why I hated my school. All 10th graders had to take it because it was important to learn about god and spirituality, whatever that means. We didn't even learn about other religions, just different forms of Christianity. This unit we were learning about Lutheran Christianity, which isn't all that bad. In fact, it's the most agreeable branch we've learned about so far, but I digress yet again.
I hadn't finished the paper yet, and it was due tomorrow morning. I had to truly focus on getting this shit done so I could finally relax after this torturously eventful day of chaos. Yet, somehow I couldn't get myself to focus at all. All my mind could think about was damn Roxanne.
Roxanne…
A faint trail of heat crept across my cheeks. My eyes widened in surprise, shaking my head violently to try to ease the unfortunate truth. As much as I tried to deny it, to scream and cry into my pillow and punch the wall, I still saw them as a friend. Since she ghosted me over the summer of 7th grade, I desperately wanted to hate her, to resent them for all the pain she's caused me. But whenever I see her bubbly smile… her sparkling black eyes…
I found it impossible to push her away.
I clutched the fragile pen between my fingertips, unable to communicate anything onto my blank paper. What did faith mean to me? I had no idea. I never saw the universe of having a creator, or a person to idolize and beg for their mercy. Nobody would bring me onto my knees, even some so-called "god". My dignity is my number one prized possession, and I would have to be going through hell to ever consider giving it away.
Then again, I had to write something on that piece of paper. Anything. My grades were already in the gutter, and the last thing I needed was for Carl to pay me a visit to the morgue. I stared at that blank paper once again, my eyes scanning it up and down. What to put, what to put…
Then it clicked.
It never stated in the instructions earlier that week that we had to paint religion in a positive light. We could instead write a rebuttal, disproving the idea of faith and expressing our true opinions on the topic. Inspiration and motivation invaded my dopamine receptors, suddenly able to write my feelings away like I had nobody to offend.
Faith
The title stood out on that crisp white paper. It stood there, alone. Isolated. No words followed for the next two minutes. What on earth was I going to write down? I honestly had no clue. The confidence and assurance that once bubbled up inside me only moments ago fizzled out, leaving me deflated and unambitious. Sighing, I set the assignment to the side of the table. I wasn't in the right state to deal with this. I can always work on it in the morning. In the meantime, I could direct my energy somewhere else, like that new tv show that came out. I have no fucking idea what it's called, but Carl was watching it last week, and I have to admit, it was pretty interesting. Some chick was cheating on her husband with this old dude who owned half of Tunisia… god, I was invested.
I lazily stepped towards the couch, laying my fatigued body across the cushions. I was about to reach for the remote when my stomach began to roar in pure rage.
Crap. I forgot to eat.
Like a bomb was ticking inside my intestines, I immediately stood up, running to the refrigerator. And then, a knock disrupted my frenzy. A toe-curling, ear screeching, mouth quivering knock. I let out an unexpected yelp. Who the fuck-
My arm opened the door, revealing a figure looming creepily in front of me. My body stiffened. At first I assumed it was Carl and he just had diabolical luck, but that wasn't the case at all. This man was a similar height to my uncle, but he looked thirty years younger. His hair cascaded down his neck into a curly mullet. I could vaguely see something bright red sticking out of his hair, but I wasn't quite sure what exactly it was. His skin was a warm tan, which reminded me of rich caramel. And his eyes…they were intriguing, to say the least. They were a similar amber to mine, yet vastly more red.
I think he noticed me sizing him up, because he flashed me an insanely charming smile to make up for his intrusion. His two canines were alarming to look at. They were as sharp as a dog's, and it was terrifying. Who was this dude? He looked around my age, perhaps a year or two older. And an even better question, why the hell was this random ass boy at my house!?
"Oh hello miss… I didn't mean to startle you," He smiled kindly, gently raising one of his dainty, elegant hands in a friendly wave.
My eyes narrowed, unimpressed. This little shit just disrupted my perfect fantasy of solitude, just to smile like that, like nothing even fucking happened? The audacity he had! Who does he think he is!? Wait… why the fuck is he knocking on our house for? This was the only house in these woods for at least half a mile. Either this boy is lost… or he's here to fuck my uncle.
Ugh, gross! Valen, stop being dirty-minded! He's literally your age, dammit!
"Who the hell are you?" I asked in a tone colder than I intended.
As soon as those words had escaped my mouth, his soft smile curled into a cheeky smirk. His stature was confident and playful, yet equally reserved. He fidgeted slowly with the loose chain wrapped around the waistline of his skinny jeans. His body seemed pretty lean, with a good amount of muscle to make up for his otherwise skinny build.
"You done checking me out, or do you not wanna know my name?" He chuckled.
My cheeks flushed pink, the fire in my irises blazed more intensely by the second. This guy was definitely trying to toy with my patience. If he was truly trying to fuck Carl, he would've saw me and assumed he had knocked on the wrong house. This man would not take a hint! His slouched posture straightened slightly, leaning against the doorframe casually like he owned the damn place. My muscles burned and ached for assault, desperately wanting to chase this boy away like I have done in the past. I had no possible scenario that I could possibly create in my head that could possibly explain why this dude was in front of me, and I hated every moment of it.
I had no fucking willpower.
I looked him up and down, trying to bite back a hoard of insults, swallowing rather aggressively.
"Well? Spit it out, man," I raised an eyebrow.
"You're quite brash, miss."
My teeth clenched together. I was really starting to lose my shit. Either this guy leaves right now, or he was going to be up close and personal with my fist. I assumed my attempt would be in vain, however. He seemed like the kinda guy to be into that freaky shit. The chains and the spiked collar were a dead giveaway.
"Answer my fucking question."
"You curse a lot."
"NOW!"
The boy put his hands up in surrender, grinning from ear to ear. God, this dude definitely was created to drive me insane. Everything he did irked me; the way he talked, the way he treated me like some sort of pathetic joke…
I was going to make him pay.
"Chill, fire lady. I'm Caspian," he chuckled, gently dropping his arms to the side.
My eyes widened, but I recovered quickly.
"…Caspian? What kinda name is that?" I asked, unable to stifle my laugh.
Caspian rolled his eyes in annoyance. I must've hit a nerve there. Hey, it isn't my fault that this guy's name was stupid. What kind of mother would look at their kid and be like, 'Hey, y'know what, let's name this kid Caspian!' ? If I were him, I'd get it changed as soon as I became of legal age.
"What's your name, fire lady?" Caspian smirked.
"Valen,"
A loud bark of laughter erupted from his chest, nearly falling onto his knees. My eyes narrowed. How could he possibly laugh at the name Valen? My name was at least a million times more reasonable than Caspian. I blew a stray strand of hair on my face away, annoyed by our silly, childish banter. What I truly wanted to know about Caspian was why the fuck he was even here.
"Are you lost or something…?" I asked, my tone suddenly awkward.
Caspian looked down at me, thinking. His eyes stared right through mine, his face stripped of any sort of emotion whatsoever. I wondered what on earth he could possibly be thinking about. If he was lost, he could just say so. I knew the ways of this forest inside and out since I was ten years old, so it wouldn't be a problem at all to guide him back to the main streets. Or maybe he wasn't lost…?
"I need to tell you something," He finally spoke.
"What?"
"I need to say something. Don't laugh, okay?"
"I can't guarantee that,"
Caspian's lips pursed together into a thin line, his blank face finally showing some sort of emotion.
"Please trust me on this one, Valen. This is serious." Caspian replied, clasping a hand onto his face in frustration.
I raised an eyebrow, "I barely know you, man. How do I know that you're not trying to kill me or somethin'?"
"Fine, you don't have to trust me. Just hear me out," Caspian sighed, "I'm not human."
My eyes widened in surprise. Now that was a forward statement. A million thoughts raced through my head as I stared straight into his eyes. What did he mean by not human? Was he some sort of cult leader, trying to lure me closer towards my inevitable doom? Was this all just a goofy prank? I hated how just one stupid sentence made my mind blow up into a thousand tiny pieces.
"What the hell do you mean?" I asked.
"Exactly what I said. I'm not human."
"I don't believe you. I'm confused," I retorted.
"You don't have to believe me."
He ruffled his hair just slightly, exposing the red I thought I had seen earlier. However, to my utmost shock, the red wasn't hair; it was horns. Yes, two bright crimson devil horns sat on top of his messy brown locks. My jaw hung open like gravity suddenly attacked it profusely. There was no fucking way that those were real. They had to be fake…right?
…right?
"Haha, very funny dude. Take em' off," My laugh wasn't genuine.
Caspian's eyes softened, his once cocky smirk morphing into a sad smile. He looked up, staring at something I couldn't quite figure out or comprehend.
"They aren't fake, sadly…" He glanced again at the now darkening sky, "May I come in?"
"What!? There's no way I'm letting you into my house," I scoffed.
"Please. It's urgent," His voice sounded almost frantic.
"My dad would kill me."
"I'm good at hiding."
"No. And that's final," I rolled my eyes, turning to shut the door behind me.
"WAIT!"
My breath hitched as I felt a set of bony fingers wrap around my wrist. His grip was strong. Like, really strong. You wouldn't have been able to guess that from his physique alone. His eyes bore into mine, tears forming around the edges. It was strange. He looked somehow pathetic. And the worst part was, I almost felt sorry for him.
"I won't cause any problems, I promise. Just… don't leave me out here," A single tear fell down his cheek.
He immediately flinched, letting out a ragged gasp the second the teardrop touched his tanned skin. A faint sizzle escaped his body, and I could see him wince in pain. What the fuck…
"Let. Me. Inside. Now," Caspian hissed.
I felt my body weaken drastically from those words alone. It felt like he had just possessed my body, if that was even possible. I threw open the door, allowing him to run inside like a maniac. His limbs swung wildly back and forth as mine froze still. Once he was behind walls, I shut the door loudly behind me with a sharp thud!
I panted heavily, my chest heaving in and out. Caspian was breathing wildly as well, but he looked far more relieved than exhausted.
"Happy now?" I huffed, now tempted to wrangle him with my fists.
No answer. Caspian just stood there, looking like a confused idiot. Well, he probably was one, so it was to be expected. He looked like the kind of guy to ask somebody for coke, then get confused when he had to pay for it. Don't ask me where I got that analogy from—I'm just well educated.
"Thank you…" He muttered weakly.
"My dad's gonna kill me,"
"I'll protect you,"
I rolled my eyes, "The fuck you won't."
A raspy chuckle escaped his lips, his body shaking weakly from my effortless remark. I shuddered on instinct. Why the fuck was this dude such a walking loser? He looked homeless, spoke like an old Englishman, and had the strangest behaviors. Not to mention, he had bright red horns sticking out of his damn head. This guy was a freak.
But I couldn't worry about my suspicions at the moment. Because something far worse was in my way. Once I heard that sharp click from outside the panelling, my heart stopped.
Carl was back from his date.