۞ II ۞

BUT NONE OF THEM EVER MISTREATED HER IN THE WAY GWENDOLYN and her siblings did, so it was better to be with them then in the Castle. If she stayed there, she would have to fight her excruciating desire to kill them.

And she was guarding that for the night of her 21st.

She may fall, but she'll take them with her. She's a vengeful person, who can't either forget nor forgive those who harmed her unjustifiably, and they fell exactly on that spectrum and thus their days were counted as much as hers were. She's been planning that for years now, and that was the only reason why she was anxious to turn 21. Although she still hadn't decided how she would deal with her father.

Donna wasn't against to killing if they deserved it, and neither was she a stranger to that. Though she usually only killed animals, it can't be that different, since humans are animals as well. Arguably rational, but animals, nonetheless.

"Donna, sweetheart, yer skin is blushing, were ya running through these woods again, ma' love?" Raye, the old woman who owns her favorite tavern asked, when she popped up and sat over the sit in front of her counter.

She smiled mischievously, "I'm fine, Raye, don't worry. Those woods are a home to me, I know them just like I know myself."

"Like a home to ya? Have ya burned yer home more than five times too, lil' cat?" Grover, her husband came closer with a savage grin on, as he held his hand up for Donna, in a high-five.

He'll never let me off with that, will he? It's not like I burned his home down. "More than 10 times, actually!"

The tall fat man burst of laughter filled the tavern, "Ah, lil' cat. I'm gonna miss ya face 'round here. Ya drinks will all be on us tonigh' and for the rest of yer last week."

Donna smirked, "The food too?"

"Greedy lil' cat," he grinned widely. "Fine. Yer food will be on us too," then he turned to his wife. "Ma' love, by the way the little cat eats, we'll be outta food stock in a day!"

She sulked, "Come on, I don't eat that much."

"Yah, ya do. Ya eats as if ya had never seen food before," Raye spoke with a kind smile. "But that's fine, sweetheart. Ya ain't gonna live too long, so ya need to eat as much as ya wants on yer last week." She petted her wild hair, "Ya wanna me to do some braids on yer wild hair?"

Donna tilted her head softly, "Can you?"

"Course' I can." She turned to her husband, "Ma' love, bring two bottles of our strongest wine with a pie of cheese and boar meat. And two big slices of that strawberry with chocolate pie I made in the mornin'."

"Aye!" As he left, Raye crossed the counter, going to where Donna was sitting.

"Have I told ya how yer hair is gorgeous, ma' love?"

Donna felt her face burning with the compliment. She isn't used to them, but she cherishes when she hears one, "Yeah, but you can say it again. I like it." Turning her front to the counter again, she let Raye's hands divide her hair in the middle.

"Are ya scared?"

After a minute, Donna exhaled softly, letting her shoulders relax for a moment, but keeping her posture. "A bit, yes. It's not always that you know a Devil will come to take and kill you for his dinner," she mocked her own misery. "But at least I was able to live to the fullest during this almost 21 years."

"And have ya thought 'bout what I told ya?"

Is she referring to when she told me to enjoy my last days and sleep with one of the hot villagers? And even suggested me to do it with her son who's two years younger than me? Gross. "I prefer not to do that, even if it's pitiful for me to die a virgin, I don't want to risk killing someone. I told you what happened when I kissed Anthony, the Librarian's son who's two years older than me, two years ago."

She chuckled, "Ya ain't gonna kill him, darlin'."

Given that I have no control of my magic when I'm in a state of high arousal like that time, I might pretty much burn the dude to dust if I have sex with one. "Raye, I almost killed Anthony, and it was just a kiss. I'm not able to control the lilac fire if I'm under a high amount of sexual desire, and sexual desire would be necessary for me to have sex with a dude. If I almost burn him to a point that would be impossible to heal, imagine what would happen with the guy I tried to have sex with!"

"Didn't ya tell me ya ain't against killin'?"

"Killing someone who deserves it, not an innocent boy whose only sin was to be with me. There's a difference. I don't want to kill a person just so I can fuck them. Besides, if I tried, the guy probably would turn to dust before we even got there!" I don't want to kill someone with sex.

The woman found her words funny, giggling as she braided her hair like a professional. "It's sad that ya won't know how good sex can be."

"Fret not. I'm fine without it!"

"Ya is fine without it cuz ya never got a taste of how good it is, darlin'. Once ya gets a taste, it'll never be enough and ya will want more and more. Especially when ya are so greedy." She turned her head to the side and began braiding the side where her hair was still loose. "I know for a fact!"

Raye's words made her blush even more, turning her ears red, "If you say so. I still don't want to risk it, though!"

"Ya are a pussy," she giggled.

"I'm not a pussy, I have a pussy. It's different," Donna caressed the braid that was done, reaching a little further from her belly button. "Did my hair grew more?"

"It did. Yer hair was shorter a week ago."

"Cool," she smiled satisfied with it. It's been five years since she hasn't cut her hair. She let it grow because Raye said it looked better long on her.

"Have ya siblings and that wrench been pesterin' ya these days, ma' love?"

Donna bit her bottom lip, "Yes. But I'll deal with it."

Raye, who was around 5'10 tall, bend down a bit at the height of Donna's sensible pointy ears and whispered so no one else could hear it, "Ya should kill them. They've been pesterin' ya for so long. And if ya do it before that comes to get ya, ya won't be punished. Ya will be dyin' soon, so nothin' could stop ya from that."

That's why I like her so much. We think alike. Donna thought as her mischievous grin grew wider, "You are the best, you know that, right, Raye?"

"Aye," she blushed. As she finished Donna's braid, she turned her to her again. "Ya are too sweet, darlin'."

"Are you worried about what it'll be of the village after I'm gone?" Gwendolyn and the twins have been a pest to them, after all. Always coming here and making a ruckus, humiliating them and shit like that. "Worried if they might torment you all more frequently again?"

Sighing, she walked back behind the counter, "We all are, ma' love. We all are. Ya is the reason they haven't been comin' here so much. They fear what ya might do to them, now that ya time is ending and ya will be actin' more reckless than usual."

As if I didn't know. These fuckers must be counting the hours until I turn 21, so the Devil can come to take me away from them. "Don't worry, Raye. I'll free you all from them before I leave," Donna whispered to her and winked.

In that moment, for Donna's happiness, Grover came back with a big wide tray of food and jars of wine, without a cup, since they are already familiar with how Donna drinks from the bottle. "Ya food and wine, lil' cat. Eat it all, aye?"

"Aye!" She smiled delightfully. "It smells divine."

"Course' it does, lil' cat. Our food's the best in the Kingdom. Ya knows that better than anyone, since ya are always here eatin' all the food we have stocked!" He put the tray down in front of her, cleaned his hands on his apron, and petted her hair. "We made these specially for ya tonigh', lil' cat."

Aye, this dumbass. He ain't trying to make me cry right in front of my precious food, is he? "You are the best!" It was all she managed to say before taking one of the slices of the cheese with boar meat pie and eating a mouthful. "Falkaing daloucious."

"Don't eat with ya mouth full, lil' cat. We can't hear shit ya is sayin' when ya does that!" Grover mocked, but in a gently manner, he wasn't joking when he said he was going to miss her. Poor kid fated with such miserable death. All cuz her mother made a deal with a Devil. It pains me to see her like this.