12 Inner Demons

Suddenly, his hands reached out to grab her wrist. Soteria tried grabbing her hand back, but he was far stronger than she was. 

"Why are you always running from me, little rabbit? I don't bite…...much, "he said with a smirk. Why was she always running away from him? He hadn't hurt her, had he? At least, not that much. Only when required. Why would she keep holding that against him? Why didn't she understand how he felt? Why couldn't she think about him more? Why didn't she try to reach out to him? And why, in Moon Goddess' name, was she blushing like that when she touched that b*tch? He had never seen her look like that before. It fascinated him and made him angry that that look wasn't directed at him. What? Just what did he have to do to possess her? What did he have to do to make her his?

She struggled to break free, but he wouldn't let go of her. 

He looked at her, laughing crazily, "You're mine, aren't you, Soteria? Mine and mine alone. You know how much I want you, right? " Why was she always struggling to get away from him? Again, once again, she was doing it. Why? Why him? Why couldn't it be him that she smiled at? Why couldn't it be him that she loved? Tighter and tighter, he squeezed her hand until she cried out from the pain. Her cry jolted him from his thoughts, and he loosened his hold on her until he felt her pulling away again. 

"Hey, Soteria, tell me. You are mine, aren't you? Aren't you?!" He screamed at her. He couldn't believe it. She was still running. She wouldn't even respond to him. Was he so beneath her notice? Or did she just despise him that much? 

"Let me go!" Soteria cried. She was frightened because, as much as she knew his other side, she had never seen him so unhinged.

"I love that tone of voice, little rabbit. Do you have any idea how enticing it sounds? The despair in your voice really…."

"Enough!" came a shout from behind us. 

Nathan had come back to the kitchen to speak with Soteria and Estelle privately. He was completely stunned at the sight of his son. He expected him to be upset, but this…..this behaviour was beyond his expectations. He truly looked crazed. When did this happen? When did he start feeling this way about her? Why hadn't he seen any sign of it? This was too different from his usual presentation of himself. It didn't seem like the put together image he usually projected at all. He shuddered to think of the consequences should he have arrived later. In this state, who knew what he'd do?

Nathaniel looked at his father enraged, but he knew he couldn't do anything to him for the time being.

Nathan continued, "Nathaniel, why the hell are you annoying Soteria while she's working? Leave! And don't harass her again. "

Nathaniel snorted, leaning over her shoulder to say, "I'll see you later, little rabbit." He looked at his father, then walked out of the kitchen to Nathan's relief. Nathan looked at Soteria as she leaned against the side of the wall, catching her breath, and decided to speak with her tomorrow. There was no way she'd be in the correct frame of mind for that conversation. It was a much better idea to allow her to adjust her mindset first and speak with her later on. With that in mind, he turned and left the kitchen.

As soon as he walked out, Soteria shuddered and slid down the wall where she was leaning. Moon Goddess, that was really scary. She thought he would really hurt her this time. Much more than usual. That was a close call. He had gotten physical a few times before, but never in this way. It was mostly him enforcing her "punishments", but today, he really was much more intense than usual.

Estelle walked in to see Soteria, looking pallid, sitting on the ground rubbing her wrists. As she walked closer, she saw the redness on her wrists in the form of a handprint. Her heart dropped. "Who was it?" she asked, her voice dark. Soteria just shook her head, unable to speak because she felt she'd cry if she did, and she wanted to be done with crying. It didn't help her situation and only made her feel more pitiful than before. No one cared about her. They all wanted to use her. What had she ever done to anyone? Why did they treat her this way? Each thought was like a knife stabbing Soteria in the heart. She felt like she was falling. Falling into a deep abyss from which there was no return. 

Like the buzzing of bees, thousands of voices whispered in her mind, overlapping. "They don't care about you. You don't matter. You mean nothing. If you died, no one would care. Why continue to live in pain? You should just die. No one would care if you did. Die, die, die, die!" They were all her inner demons. They tormented her in her sleep, adding to her despair at any chance they could. If someone were to ask her where demons reside, she'd definitely reply "in her heart". Over and over they repeated themselves. The worst part was that Soteria had no means to deny those whispers. All she could do was what people do best at the edge of a precipice. Fall.

A familiar heat suddenly suffused her body, rushing from her blood, warming her from the inside. She felt warm arms around her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Estelle hugging her, crying. She was baffled.

Estelle had watched as Soteria shook her head and screwed her face in pain and despair. Her face had suddenly smoothed out into a blank, expressionless visage that tugged at Estelle's heart. It looked like hopelessness. She immediately reached out for Soteria, pulling her into her arms. She felt her blood heat up again, but it wasn't as strong as the last time. It simply made her feel warm this time. All she hoped was that Soteria would feel the same. It brought tears to her eyes, knowing just how much Soteria took constantly and the thought that she contributed to her damaged heart; but, she didn't deserve to cry. Not now. Not until Soteria did, because she was the one who was truly hurt. 

Soteria wasn't sure what to make of the hug but she felt as though the knot in her heart that was keeping a tight hold of her feeling unraveled a bit causing her to feel a bit lighter. She didn't even realize when she started crying but before she had buried her head in Estelle's chest crying out her grievances. How scared she was at that time, how relieved she had been when Nathan came, how lonely she felt before Estelle showed up and how warm she felt after being comforted for what felt like the first time in her life.

As they sat holding each other, they didn't notice that someone had come back into the kitchen. They didn't see the way their face darkened, nor did they see the maliciousness on their face.