Chapter 78 Sword
Chapter 78 Sword
Callista.
There it is. Morbidly, I pat myself on the back for guessing that before. Internally, of course. Externally, I stay frozen, staring at her with wide eyes. I don’t try to talk, because I had far too much experience with the skittish type wolves and did not want to set off the same person who admitted she wanted me dead for killing my sister who tried to kill me.
Oh, man, I’m going to be offed by a sword in the middle of a hospital compound, aren’t I?
“But then Theon tells me that it isn’t true.” She shakes her head, and I breathe just a little. Theon had told her that, which means he believes me now. This very thought brings me joy, but not without bitterness. Took him too much time and too many sacrifices on my part to realize that didn’t it? I had to bleed on a stone slab for him to even entertain the idea. “He tells me that you didn’t murder your sister. That you just wanted to get away, and she chased you. Makes one wonder, how exactly did her death occur if it wasn’t with your hand.”
“It was the rogues,” I reply, trying not to let my voice waver. “We were in the part of the forest infested with rogues, except I didn’t know. They caught us and chased us. I tried to save her, but it was too late.”
“I see. How unfortunate that is.” She looks so impassive. “Why are you hospitalized, may I ask? Did the rogues get to you as well?”
“Uh, no. I mean, yeah back then I got injured a bit, but this is from something else. Basically, I became a human sacrifice for a Coming-of-age ceremony. I wish they were into melee weaponry, but no such luck. They liked blood a bit too much, especially when it’s the humankind.” I ramble before closing my mouth with effort. I didn’t mean to unload all that on her.
Finally, her mask cracks and confusion lines her face. I get the strangest urge to laugh.
“Pardon?”
“It happened after I ran away from the Rexellen pack because everyone here except for two wolves thought I was the one who killed Ruelle and then got caught up in this werebear coming-of-age ceremony. They thought I was a human because I haven’t found my wolf yet and, therefore didn’t smell like a wolf which meant I had to be a human, regardless of my telling them that I was not a human at all, and tried to sacrifice me because of some misplaced sense of vengeance for when a bunch of genocidal humans mass murdered their pack, like, ages ago.”
Valencia gawks at me. It’s kind of nice seeing the expression on her face, makes her look more like a werewolf than an ice princess. “How did you survive?”
“Theon got me out. He killed the Bear Alpha and half the bears in attendance, which ran the rest of them off.” I shrug, trying not to think how screwed up the whole situation had been. So many Bears died, and for what? “I guess I should thank him for that.”
Valencia looks at me like she doesn’t know what to think of me.
“How…interesting.” She murmurs. “But you’re healed from the ordeal, aren’t you?”
Is it wrong that I am enjoying this a little?
“Kinda. I got a little amnesia now.” I chirp.
“Amnesia?” She chokes.
“Yeah. I forget Theon and Dr. Haeger when it rains because the bears screwed with my head with a magic room of doom. Oh, and I also see phantoms when I forget Theon. We call them my episodes.”
I am going to hell for this, but I can’t stop my mouth from running after all that. I tell her about what happened in detail, and feel some amount of glee as she pales with every word. To my surprise though, in many instances, her features twist in what I could call sympathy, and that brings a warm feeling to my heart. It reminds me of Esther, who had the same expression on her face whenever I got bullied for being Farris’ girlfriend all those months ago.
It makes me feel like I can trust Valencia Everheart, even though I just met her and knew very little about her. Also, she came here hoping to avenge my dead sister before changing her mind. I can’t forget that. And she was Theon’s childhood best friend. I have no idea where they stand now, but there has to be some camaraderie for her to come all this way to give him her condolences.
The feeling of finding myself getting dragged into something peculiar was creeping up my spine. All I can predict is that if Valencia was going to stick around, things were going to get interesting around the pack.
We chat for a while, and when the sun started to set, she looks surprised that she had managed to sit and speak with me for that long.
“Well,” Finally she says, getting up. There is a questioning expression on her face as she gives me a nod, no less elegant than any of her other actions. I wonder if the Galdine pack teaches all their wolves to behave like they’d stepped out of an epic fantasy drama. It’s weird hearing someone speak that formally without at least a British accent to go with it. When Valencia speaks, she’s all crisp, perfectly enunciated words and haughty tones. “It’s nice to meet you, Callista. Thank you for your companionship, it had been an…experience. Now, if you could excuse me, I need to go talk to Theon.”
I stand up as well. Something tells me shaking hands is off the table, so I keep mine in my pockets and give her a nod.
“Sure. Thanks for listening to me ramble and you know, not killing me for allegedly killing my sister.”
She stares at me for a couple more beats, turns, and leaves without a word.
After a few steps she stops and turns, her expression inscrutable.
“I assumed wrong.” She utters, “I apologize for that.”
And then she leaves without looking back.
I gawk for a moment before nodding myself. Then, I turn and start walking to find Dr. Haeger so I can find a way to contact Haden to ask who exactly Valencia was to Theon.