۞ VI ۞

HER SMILE DIDN'T DISAPPEAR, "I KNOW."

He gasped, "You knew?"

"From the beginning. I always knew you had a crush on me. It was obvious. You never hid it. Very cute."

"Oh, my Gods," he covered his face with both of his hands, feeling his skin burn. "I can't believe you knew."

"Even if you blushed pretty hard every time you look at me, the way your heart races when you merely look at me was enough for me to tell," when his eyes widened, she giggled. "My hearing is sharper than most."

"You must think I'm stupid," he cried.

"I don't. It's adorable to know you like me, and that you don't care about how weird and unhuman I may look, or about how dangerous I am. But, Lewis," she sighed and turned to him, "I can't have anything physical with you."

He gulped, "Because I'm 5 years younger than you?"

Her face didn't change, "No. Because I really can't have anything with anyone. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to even kiss you without killing you."

What? "Is that what happened to Anthony?"

"Yes. I almost turned the boy into dust. I still have nightmares with that," she clenched her jaw. "I can't kiss, neither can I do anything further than that. I'm really cursed to die a virgin," a dry laugh came out of her. "My magic goes out of control when I'm in a high level of sexual desire and that happens when you kiss or do something more. My lips were about to touch his when I almost killed him!"

"What happened?" He came a little closer, putting his arm around her shoulders, and she let him.

"I burned him. 3rd degree burns that burn all your skin. My fire isn't a normal Fire magic, Lewis. I have what they call a Hell Fire. Never seen on a human before, just as my lilac eyes, my extremely heightened senses, or my ears, for a matter of fact. They suspect it happened because of the Devil made a deal with my mom when I was still in her womb. The deal must have been sealed with some kind of unbreakable spell, and that power caused me to be born different," sighing, she clenched her fists.

He caressed her shoulders, showing that he was there, he was with her, she wasn't alone. "Well, let's think of the good side. Your eyes, your hair, and your ears make you darn beautiful. Blinding beautiful, to be honest. I was always kind of scared to tell you that, but you already know I like you, so, whatever. And even if what you have is Hell Fire, it is damn amazing, and powerful."

She chuckled at his honesty, but as she inhaled deeply, she got serious again, "That's why we can't have anything, Lewis. I'm sorry!"

"It's okay. I understand it, Donna. But, like… if we could… well, if we could do stuff without me being burned to death, hypothetically, would you be with me? Would I have a chance? Would you consider me? Would let me be with you for as long as you stayed here?"

When she looked in his hopeful eyes, hers were kind, "Yes. I think I would. You are quite the match, Lewis. You are handsome, tall, adorable, responsible, and you are also strong in both physical strength and magic. So, I don't see why I wouldn't." The kid's hot. He may be some years younger, but he's hotter than many villagers here. Or than the nobles I had the displeasure to meet.

He beamed, "That's enough for me then."

She moved on his arms and hugged him in a better pace, "I have a question about what you told me earlier!"

"I'll tell you everything I know, Donna!"

"It's just that it sounds weird to me. It has been a while since the last time the Devil took someone from our territory, and at that time, no one really told me shit. All feared how I could react. Scared that I would be too shocked, would lose my shit and explode everything around me. Which, in all truth, is very understandable, but still."

"Well, I won't hide anything I know from you."

I'm sure of that. "Six people were taken. All in quite the short span of time, and all from the same village. There must be something that act as a trigger. Anything that all the six of them had in common."

"Well, they were all previously orphans."

I don't feel like that's it. "But many of the others who were taken by the Devil before that, weren't. I'm looking for a similarity that can connect all of them. Most of the others I heard, were married people who were taken away. But I doubt these kids were, since they were all young."

Lewis tilted his head to the side softly, thinking in what could connect them to one another, then he froze, "For what I knew of them, none of the six who were taken, were ever scared of the Devil. Rather, they believe he wasn't a monster, but a savior of those who needed. They weren't taken seriously, but well, now they were taken by him."

Donna frowned, "Why did they think such absurd?"

"No idea. But…" Lewis cursed. "Donna, they also were all going through some sort of abuse."

"Abuse?" Her siren eyes darkened, going from lilac to purple. "What kind of abuse, Lewis?"

"Look, I don't know for certain since I wasn't close to any of them, but from what I heard, the youngest, Vivian, had been adopted some months before that and she her new parents were horrible. They beat her up constantly, and the older kids also suspected that something… worse had also happened to her. The same that happened to Leesha, who was living with her older boyfriend, and he abused her in more ways than just thorough beating." If we had knew that before, we could have tried to help her out.

Donna felt nauseous, "They sexually abused a 14 and a 17-year-old kid? Gods' above. What about the others?"

"Miriam was the only one who was married, and she was married to a volatile guy who constantly beat her up as well. I remember seeing her with bruises since I was a kid, but I was too young to do anything. The man was huge, a lot taller than I am and full of muscles, he would only hurt her and all of us who tried to help her out."

Fuck. If I knew, I would have helped the girls out. I would have burned them all to death. "And the three?"

"Tiana had also been adopted some years ago by an older guy without a wife, and though we almost never saw her again after that, some of the older kids around who met her, said she was full of wounds. Wounds from physical attacks," Lewis clenched his jaw.

"And the… the two boys?"

"Both had been adopted. John was picked up by one of the old guys who lived around us, but he rarely left his new house. One of the boys said his foster father was not just beating him, as he also was… doing stuff that made it hard for him to walk. He didn't explain it, but it's easy to guess. Now, I saw Bruno thrice and he was weird and full of wounds, as if all his happiness had been sucked away!"

"I… fuck," she ran to the trashcan and vomited.

Donna vomited so much that Lewis ran to her and held her braids. She kept throwing up for long minutes, until all she ate this night had left her stomach. When she was done, she gave Lewis some gold to buy three bottles of water around, and when he came back, she used one to wash her mouth, one to drink, and the other for him.

"In conclusion," she mumbled, still nauseous, "the Devil went after those who were miserable. Was it to help them and save them as they believed, or was it because the taste of their meat would taste better if they had lived such a horrible life?"

Lewis gasped at her words, "How can you say that?"

"It's the truth, nonetheless. What about their abusers, Lewis? Are they all still alive? Did the Devil kill any of them?" Because if he hasn't, I fucking will!

A nod, "Vivian, Leesha, and John's abusers were all found dead. Not just dead but ripped in lots of pieces. Their houses tainted with their own blood. Miriam, Tiana, and Bruno's are still alive." He turned his eyes to her, "Why?"

"I'll finish the Devil's job before he comes to get me. Tomorrow, when we meet to take the food for the kids, you tell me where all of them live." I'll fucking destroy them. "I'm in the mood for killing, and I'll stay in it the whole week!"

Ugh, she's so attractive. "I'll go with you."

She clicked her tongue, "I don't know if that's a good idea, Lewis. If I do it alone, they won't be able to do shit to me, because I'm a noble and I'll soon be dead. But if they catch you, it'll be bad. I don't want that to happen to you, the kids need you."

"But" she stopped him.

"And I intend for you to have a greater future than that, kid. You can't come with me."

"What do you mean?" He frowned confused.

Sigh, "Well, I may or may not be planning to take my family down with me, to repay them for all the shit they put me through my entire life. If I succeed, my paternal uncle, Count Harlan Geneva will become the new Marquis, and he's light years better than my father could ever be. He is probably the only good soul from my father's family. And his wife, Countess Eliza, is a good woman, she cares about the people. They are young and only have a 10-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, they're both good kids."

I would do the same in her position. "And?"

"And, with them becoming your new Marquis and Marchioness Geneva, the Marquise will prosper, and the villagers won't be tormented by my family anymore!"

"That's sounds too good, Donna. Too fucking good, more than I thought possible," she giggled at his words.

"I want you to sign up for a Knight position once I'm gone and my father, the wrench, and the bastards are gone as well. My uncle will probably want to re-do the Marquise army, and that will give you a chance," I'm sure he'll make through the cut.

What? "You think I have a chance?"

A nod, "I do. You are strong, tall, and 17. That's the best age to become part of the Knighthood. You will start as a squire and stay as one for about two years, maybe less, then ascend as a Knight at 19. Not to mention that telekinesis is a very strong and valued magic, and you happen to have quite the strong amount of it."