Time Warp

Ch9-Killeen

Once again I sat with my back against the headboard and my arms behind my head.

I cannot stop thinking about this woman...I wish I hadn't snapped at her earlier, but she just makes it so damn hard!

The way she runs her mouth, who does she think she is? Telling me off in my own house about what I do with my victims.

She is a visitor here and needs to respect my boundaries.

But that doesn't mean I had to do what I did...

Her poor face, red from vomiting and covered in tears, snot, and vile...staring up at me as she just trembled against my firm grip on her hair.

The exact moment I was staring into her eyes and realized what I was doing completely contradicts what I told her. I was hurting her, and despite her disrespecting me or not, I promised her that I would not hurt her.

Not only that, but the utterly pitiful way she was looking at me. So terrified and fragile, just making me feel horrible the moment I snapped out of my anger.

She didn't come down when I called her for dinner...or say goodnight when I called to her through her door...

I haven't checked on her at all, or even apologized for what I did. Maybe if I apologize to her...

With a rough sigh, my hands went over my face and I laid my head back against the headboard. I've never had to do any of this before, I've never had to be gentle, or scared that I was going to break something.

I've never had to be compassionate before.

But, if I want her to actually try to get home, I can't just make her so scared of me she holes herself up in her room.

I still don't even know if she's telling me the damn truth. For all I know, she's lying, and just waiting for the moment she can turn me in.

My eyes widened then when I realized...I haven't checked on or heard from her at all...there's a window in her room.

We're on the second floor but a fall from that height wouldn't kill her...

Fuck.

Throwing the covers off my body I scrambled out of bed, hurrying down the hall towards her room. If she's gone, if she is not in this room, I swear to god I'm going to—

As soon as I opened the door, my thoughts ceased.

There she is...curled up on top of the covers. She had her arms around her knees, hugging them to her chest.

My brows furrowed, and I glanced at the window. It's still closed and locked. The expression on my face softened and I sighed quietly, slowly approaching her bed.

I couldn't see her face, and her room was dark aside from the small bit of moonlight spilling in through her window.

Her body still looks small swallowed in my night clothes, and even smaller now that she's scrunched into this little ball.

Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, I just sat there with her for a second. She's probably awake, I've learned she's a relatively light sleeper.

I suppose now is as good a time as any to apologize.

"I'd like to...apologize to you for my behavior earlier..." I started quietly, keeping my eyes on my hands in my lap.

She stayed silent, but her body shifted just slightly, telling me that she is awake...and she heard me. I looked over at her, a relaxed expression currently on my face because she's not looking at me.

It was then I noticed the faint, hand shaped bruise on her upper arm.

My brows pulled together and I shook my head and put my hand over my face, sighing. Just a physical reminder that she's fragile, like every human being.

Reaching over, I gently touched the spot. She flinched, but relaxed soon after at the feeling of my thumb gently rubbing her arm.

"And I'm sorry about that too...I didn't mean to grab you so hard..." I mumbled, "I just...I'm learning to live with this like you are, and I...I'm not used to it yet, so...let's just work together from now on. We'll get you home, and we can both pretend like we never met the other," I said quietly, raising my eyes to look at her.

I watched her back rise and fall as she let out a sigh, "I don't..." she started, gaining my attention. Her voice was hoarse and just made me feel that much worse about everything that's happened between us.

"I don't...want to be afraid of you..." she whimpered quietly.

My hand was still rested against her arm, and again I brushed my thumb over her skin. She let out a shaky breath, finally turning herself to face me.

Quickly I lifted a smile to my lips, meeting her eyes as she looked at me.

"I have a question..." she said, making me tilt my head.

"Are you just going to keep hurting me over and over and over again? Is that why you kept me alive? Do you even really believe why I'm here, or do you just want something you can torture until you completely break my will in half?"

I sat, speechless at her words. Curiously, I tilted my head.

"And what if my answer to that was yes? What would you do?" I asked her, simply intrigued by what her answer might be.

Fight me? Run? She can't possibly think either of those would work in her favor.

"I'd kill myself."

My eyes widened. Kill herself...?

"Dear, you're so adamant about me not killing you, yet you'd kill yourself?" I chuckled in slight confusion as I shook my head.

She wore a stone cold expression, her eyes dull, "I'd rather do it than give you the satisfaction of taking my life. If you're not going to help me get home, if you don't believe me...I'd rather just die. I'm not a toy, I'm not a puppet, and I sure as hell am not going to sit back and let you abuse me every single day."

Again her words left me speechless, and my throat felt just a little tight. I looked away from her and brought my hand back to my lap, swallowing to wet my suddenly dry throat.

"Well..." I started, "to answer your question...no, that is not why I spared you. Like I said, I'm sorry for the way I lost my temper in the bathroom...it was inappropriate, especially since you were obviously in a state of distress. I could've shown you a bit more patience, and I regret my actions," I apologized again, keeping my head down.

She scoffed, turning back over away from me.

I pursed my lips and sighed, tapping my fingers together before pushing up off the bed to exit the room once again.

"I won't hurt you again while our deal is still in effect..." I said quietly, opening the door, "I can promise you that much...goodnight, dear."

She didn't respond, so I just stepped out and closed her door.

Standing outside her room I sucked in a deep breath, and held it for a few seconds before letting it go.

That didn't go as bad as I thought it was going to.

Something she said passed through my mind, and I furrowed my brows.

Do you even really believe why I'm here, or do you just want something you can torture until you completely break my will in half?

Do I believe her...? Is there a fraction of me that may believe her ridiculous story? Is that why I spared her?

In all reality, in the moment, it was the entertainment of it all that made me spare her...paired with the fact that she is a woman, that also helped her case.

But it was the sheer entertainment of this idea she has pitched to me, this idea of time travel...saying she wants to go home to the future.

I didn't believe her then, no, not even a little bit.

However, the more time I spend with her...the more I doubt myself. She's unlike any woman I have ever met, she's...independent...she's abrasive, she's talkative...

Or at least she was before she knew who I was...

Now she barely even speaks to me.

But although none of that is direct proof that she's from the future, I just cannot shake in my mind that she is strange. She is different.

Then my eyes widened when I remembered I don't have to second guess myself...

Quickly, I made my way to my room, immediately going to the bathroom and tossing open the drawer that held my comb.

I picked it up and looked at the teeth closely, my smile widening when there was one strand of her hair left tangled in them.

Pulling it free, I looked over the strand in my fingers and tossed the comb back into the drawer. Going to my bedside table, I opened another drawer and pulled out a key ring with several keys littered across the loop.

Then I made my way to the door I keep locked under all circumstances...except when I need a favor.

Undoing all the locks, one by one they came undone, and soon the door was open to me and I quickly glanced to her room.

Her door is still shut tight.

I slipped into the room, closing the door and sighing before I turned the lights on and looked around at all of my voodoo charms and sacrifices.

Whispering a small greeting incantation to the spirits, I lit a candle and made my way to the small altar I created for spells and such.

I use this room wisely...it's dangerous, dark magic, but damn is it helpful sometimes.

I ask for a favor, and they provide...sometimes they ask for a soul or two, but it's nothing I can't bring them in no time at all.

But this time...this time I need something small, something that may seem mundane to them, but I just have to know.

Snapping my fingers, the candles on either side of the altar lit up, and I looked at the hair in my grasp.

"Zanmi, mwen bezwen sajès ou..." I whispered, setting the hair into a small bowl settled at the center of my altar. (Friends, I need your wisdom...)

Like always, a shadow that looks strikingly like myself appeared across from me, mirroring my movements and giving me a chilling smile.

They've accepted my request.

Looking at him, I took one of my sacrificial knives and sliced my palm, holding it over the bowl and letting the blood drip onto the hair.

That is sacrifice enough for the small favor I'm asking of them.

"Please, tell me...is she being truthful?" I asked the shadow, and he tilted his head, training his electric blue eyes down at the bowl that now held a mixture of hair and blood.

Placing his hand over it, he closed his eyes.

Then his jagged smile stretched wider and he opened his eyes, producing a haunting chuckle before he tipped the bowl over, spilling the blood inside.

My eyes widened at the now black blood...and the completely intact piece of silvery blonde hair.

My lips parted, and I covered my mouth.

Had the hair turned black...that would've meant she was lying.

But my blood turned black.

Meaning she's...she's either telling me the truth, or she fully believes that she is telling me the truth.

I looked back to the shadow, nodding. "Thank you..." I uttered quietly, bowing my head.

He bowed as well, and swiped his hand over the blood and the hair, causing them to disappear as he collected the sacrifices.

At that same time, the cut across my hand healed itself as it always does.

Then he clapped his hands, causing the candles to go out, leaving me alone in the darkness once again.

With this new knowledge that she's been telling me the truth this entire time...