Firecracker, page 15
I stared at her, wide eyed and shocked by the ferocity of her outburst.
‘I’m already in love with you, Fiya. I have been since the moment you first started bitching at me for whatever it was that first time we spoke. So, yeah…let’s call it a fucking day-because this won’t end well. You’ve already broken my heart, you see. Go on…let’s get out of here,’ she muttered.
I didn’t know what to do, so I turned and left, walking away from her swiftly. Tears flowed down my cheeks in rivers as the realisation that I loved her too, hit me. I didn’t stop walking until I found the nearest bathroom. Slumping into the corner of a stall, I felt my heart break as I cried and cried. It was over. The love of my life; my soul mate, and it was over.
For the rest of the day, I avoided seeing Dax. In the final class of the day, an announcement on the overhead speakers requested that Dax and Aradam attend the principal’s office. I thought nothing of it, aside from the fact that it reminded me of her. Watching the clock move too slowly on the wall, I longed for the day to end but the seconds seemed to tick by in slow motion, making me ache to go home, call into a ball on my bed and cry.
When the day finally ended, I walked out of the building to a commotion out on the lawn. People were crowding in groups, chatting, crying and being dramatic in the way they spoke, and I was instantly confused. Hurrying over to where Avi stood with her group of people, acting in the same way.
‘Avi? What’s going on?’ I said, joining her side. I noted her concerned face and the shocked stares of the guys surrounding her.
‘You haven’t heard?’ she gasped.
‘No, what is it? What’s going on? Why is everyone freaked out like this?’ I wanted to know.
‘It’s King and Queen Diazak,’ she said, urgently. ‘They’re dead!’
I literally froze on the spot. ‘They’re what?’
‘Dead! They’ve been killed!’ she exclaimed, shaking her head.
I felt my knees threaten to buckle, as all my thoughts went to Dax instantaneously. This was why she and Aradam had been called earlier. My heart broke for her. ‘No…’ I denied.
‘The news is all over it…saying it was the work of vampires…oh my God, Fiya, the news is talking of war!’
‘War?’ I cried, shocked.
‘This could take us to war…if it was vampires, they’re not going to accept it, not after our history with the vampire clans!’
‘No,’ I kept saying, shaking my head. ‘Dax…’
‘She’s gone, Fiya. They took them earlier from school. Oh my God, she’ll have to take over…she’ll be Queen now. She has no choice but to step up to the role!’
‘She doesn’t want that…’ I murmured, shaking my head as silent tears fell from my eyes.
‘Oh Fiya, don’t cry,’ Avi said, gathering me close.
‘Dax…’ I whimpered, helplessly.
‘I know, I know. Come on. Let’s get home and watch the news. Your Mum might have heard something too. Let’s go.’
I let her guide me away from the college, stumbling down the pavement together, completely in shock. All I could think of was Dax and what this meant for her. Grief filled me, and I barely functioned as Avi led me back to the house.
When we reached home, my mother was already back, and as expected, as shaken as the rest of us.
‘Fiya! You’ve heard!’ she exclaimed, as Avi led me through the door.
‘What happened?’ I cried, falling into her arms for a hug-something I rarely did these days.
‘We were all sent home when the news came in,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘All we know is that the King and Queen have been killed,’ she said, wide-eyed and shocked. ‘They’re saying on the news that it was the work of vampires,’ she continued. ‘And that we could be going to war.’
‘But Dax!’ I cried, flooded with tears.
‘Yes, I know…she’ll be queen now, I suppose,’ my mother said, leading me to the lounge to sit down.
The TV was on, and we all crowded around, watching the live news on the subject. They kept repeating the same facts-that the King and Queen were dead, and that they thought it was the work of vampires. The discussions of war were worrying, talk of assembling armies and everyone gathering together to fight back was terrifying to me. I couldn’t stop thinking of what this meant for Dax and the changes this would bring in her life-not to mention the loss of her parents, which would be devastating.
‘I have to see her,’ I said, unexpectedly.
‘Who?’ my mother frowned. ‘Princess Araiadax? Why would you need to see her?’
‘She’s my friend!’ I exclaimed. ‘I need to tell her…need to make her realise…need to…she needs me…’
‘Fiya; Araiadax will be grieving right now! She also won’t have the time or inclination to see you, Fiya! Honestly! The poor woman is dealing with her parent’s death, taking over the crown and dealing with impending war. I know you were friends, Fiya, but honestly…not now!’ she said, somewhat angrily.
I slumped on the sofa, crying. No-one even questioned my reaction due to the fact that everyone was so upset and in shock. I felt powerless to help, even though I was desperate to. I loved Dax and wanted to be there for her. I knew, though, that in a heartbeat, everything had changed. Life had changed. Everything was different now and these irrevocable changes would alter everything. As grief settled over me for multiple reasons, somehow, I knew that life would never be the same again.
Chapter 8
Eight years later
‘Where the fuck have you been?’ my husband demanded as I walked through the door, arms loaded with boxes.
‘I had to collect the last of Mum’s belongings, Garsay. The house has to be emptied,’ I reminded him.
‘Does that mean you haven’t been to work again today?’ he demanded. ‘No more money again, yeah? Honestly, you’re such a fucking let down, Fiya.’
‘My mother has just died! I had to take the time to sort out her belongings! I have responsibilities!’ I cried.
‘You have responsibilities here,’ he growled, ‘Ones which you’ve been neglecting all week!’
I knew what he was talking about and felt sick to my stomach. ‘My Mum just died, Garsay,’ I reminded him, coldly.
‘Yeah, yeah-keep using that as an excuse, right? Come to the bedroom. The twins will be home in half an hour-you need to make sure you’ve done your duty before I have to go to work. One of us needs to…for fuck’s sake,’ he said, shaking his head.
‘No, Garsay…please? I can’t do that right now…my Mum just dies…I’m not in that place…not thinking about that…’
‘You’re never thinking about it, that’s the damn problem. Put those down and get into the bedroom. Now!’ he demanded.
I gaped at him, shocked at the change in his anger levels. He’d been verbally aggressive constantly, physical on occasion but he hadn’t yet forced me to have sex with him when I didn’t want to. True, I’d never refused before my mother died, thinking it was my ‘duty’ but now I wasn’t so sure.
‘Come on,’ he said, striding over to me.
He grabbed the boxes and drooped them unceremoniously on the floor. I heard something break and cried out my hurt. ‘Stop! You broke the vase! It’s precious to me.’
‘It’s just stuff, you stupid bitch.’
With that, he stopped even attempting to play nice and physically manhandled me to the bedroom where he I fought back against him, desperate for him not to do this-and making it known.
I’d shut my mouth for so long that it seemed that I couldn’t stop ranting at him. I yelled how I hated him, how he disgusted me and how I hated sex with him. He responded by hitting me angrily, slapping me around the face and then pushing me to the bed, face down.
Pulling at my clothing, I wrestled against him but found him far too strong to get away from. His attempts to rape me lasted no more than a minute before he growled in frustration. ‘Ugly bitch! Stupid frigid bitch! You’re so, fucking disgusting that I can’t even get hard!’ he said, trying desperately to get himself to the point where he could hurt me.
I kicked out, scrambling away, panting hard. ‘Get away from me! I want a divorce! To break the bond!’ I screamed at him.
‘You stupid fucking bitch,’ he said, glaring at me. ‘As if want to be with you anyway! I’m leaving,’ he decided. ‘I’m going to be with Atrina…at least she’s not a frigid bitch like you…opens her legs for me willingly. Take your bitch ways and fuck off with them…take the fucking brats too…drive me nuts,’ he muttered, shaking his head.
‘Those children are the best thing that came of this union, and you know it!’ I raged.
‘Nothing good came of this union,’ he shouted back, ‘And you just try getting out of it! Good luck with that, you stupid bitch.’
‘I will end this!’ I raged, losing my shit, and getting to my feet angrily.
He responded by grabbing me by the neck and slamming my head towards the bed. Unfortunately, it hit the bedside table instead and a painful crack sounded in my head. I cried out in pain and whimpered, unable to move.
‘Stupid fucking bitch,’ he said, one more time, and spat on me before footsteps sounded.
Unable to move, I lay there, shaking in shock.
When I was able to move, I lifted my head and put a hand to my skull. I was bleeding from my forehead so grabbed a pillow and pressed it against the painful area and sat up. Reaching for my phone on the dresser, I called someone I knew would always be there for me in my time of need.
‘Hello? Fiya?’
‘Avi; I need your help,’ I said, quietly.
She paused for a long moment. ‘I’m on my way,’ she told me, and hung up.
When Avi arrived, ten minutes later, I hadn’t been able to move from the bed.
‘Fiya?’ she called, coming into the house. ‘Fiya, where are you?’ she called again.
‘In here,’ I managed, struggling with the pain.
‘Fiya? Oh my God, Fiya!’ she exclaimed, rushing to my side, and grasping my shoulders.
‘I need your help,’ I said, quietly.
‘Oh sweetheart, up we get…come on…oh my God, did he do this to you?’ she asked, gently moving me so that she could get to my head.
‘He was so angry,’ I said, quietly, resigned to this being the end now.
‘Oh Fiya, I’m so sorry, sweetie…no-one should ever hurt you in this way,’ she said, tending to my head. ‘Hang on…I’m going to get something to clear you up…’
Avi gently cleaned the blood away and checked me over for more injuries. Aside from bruising and the head injury, it seemed I would be okay.
‘Tell me what happened?’ Avi begged, when I was cleared up a bit.
I shuddered, crying a little. ‘I, uh…came in…with Mum’s stuff…I couldn’t face work today again…’
‘Of course no, Fiya! You just lost your Mum! You can’t be in work!’ she exclaimed.
‘Well, I didn’t feel up to it, but then I got home after picking up the last of Mum’s stuff. He went mental, saying I should have been at work,’ I cried. ‘He told me I’d been neglecting my duties…honestly, Avi, I thought he was going to rape me.’
‘Oh my God, Fiya!’
‘He tried but couldn’t get it up…said he was leaving and going to Atrina’s place. I’ve suspected another affair for a while but I didn’t know with who. Avi, I need your help-I can’t carry on like this,’ I told her, tearfully.
‘No, of course you can’t!’ she exclaimed. ‘Tell me what you need me to do.’
‘Can we come and stay for a short while? I want to get in touch with the elders and the high priestess. I need to end this before he does something even worse. He doesn’t even care about the children, Avi. Please? Let us come and stay with you? I don’t feel safe here anymore.’
‘Oh Fiya, of course! Ayce and I will take care of you until you sort all of this. Don’t worry for a second longer. Now come on-let’s pack what you need and get gone. I’ll pick up all the kids from school in an hour and you can start trying to get in touch with the powers that be. We’ll help you-and won’t rest until this is solved. Don’t worry, okay? We’re here for you.’
I nodded, sagging against her in relief. I would get out of my personal nightmare, there was no other choice but to do just that.
It took a week to be granted a meeting with the high priestess and elders. After a week staying with Avi, Ayce and their three children, I was more than ready to make some changes. Witnessing their union, their happiness, was a shock to me. Their marriage was the real deal, and it made me realise just how awful mine had been.
During that week, Garsay had come calling several times, but been refused and escorted away by Ayce forcefully both times. The police had been called twice, but it didn’t seem to stop him. He still wanted to exert his control over me, despite knowing that I wanted to end things.
‘You okay?’ Ayce asked, as he drove me to the evening meeting, a week later.
‘I’m nervous,’ I admitted, struggling with my emotions.
‘I’ll be by your side, okay? I’m sorry it’s me and not Avi-but she was in a better position to stay home with the kids.’
‘I know,’ I said, looking over at him, ‘And I’m glad it’s you,’ I murmured, gratefully. ‘You make me feel safe, Ayce-and I really appreciate how you’ve protected me from him this week.’
‘He will be held to account, don’t you worry. I’m ready to say my piece to the elders if they refute your requests. Stay strong, okay? State the facts clearly and make it known that this cannot carry on.’
‘What if they say no?’ I said, trembling.
‘Don’t think like that, Fiya. Stay strong and I’ll be there to back you up,’ he promised.
I sighed, feeling the butterflies gather in the pit of my stomach. ‘Yeah…let’s get this done,’ I said, reminding myself to be brave.
When we arrived at the grand house, there seemed to be a gathering of sorts going on. Lots of people were in the lounge area and we approached the door, were asked for our names and then led into sit in a waiting area.
While we were waiting, another two people sat waiting for their meeting with the high priestess. They were both men, and I could sense their nervousness.
‘Do you have a meeting as well?’ I asked, tentatively, scanning them both.
‘Yes,’ one of them answered. ‘We’re seeing the high priestess…you?’
‘Same,’ I nodded, ‘Requesting to break a bond,’ I sighed, unsure of why I was sharing this with them.
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ she same guy responded. ‘We’re here for the opposite reason-to request a union.’
‘Oh!’ I said, surprised. ‘Well, I hear they’re becoming more willing to accept same sex couples these days,’ I murmured.
‘We’re really hoping so,’ they guy said, reaching for his partner’s hand. ‘Neither of us could cope with being mated with a female. We love each other too much.’
I felt a deep sinking feeling in my stomach, remembering my own past and the choices and sacrifices I’d had to make. ‘I hope they grant it,’ I said, as my name was called. ‘Excuse me-that’s us.’
I got up and followed the regal-looking man who had called for me.
Inside the great hall, I was led to were sat a line of important looking elders, flanked along each side of a grand table. I saw the high priestess head towards me, floating on air it seemed, as her gracefulness defied logic.
‘Why, Fiya Kaira! How lovely to see you, my dear. I’m so sorry to hear about your poor mother. Such a wonderful, hardworking woman she was. I trust you gave her a good send off?’
‘Yes, high priestess. I’m still grieving for her, but yes…her funeral was well attended.’
She nodded. ‘You must release her from your thoughts. She is in a wonderful place-and with loved ones.’
I swallowed hard, thinking of my father and brother. ‘Yes,’ I nodded.
‘So, you are here for a reason, I gather?’
I nodded. ‘I wish to break the bond of my union. I have multiple reasons and evidence to provide you with…’ I said, somewhat desperate for her to believe me.
‘Place your hand in mine, child,’ she ordered.
I lifted a trembling hand towards her offered palms. When she took mine, she stared at me intensely, as if she were looking right inside me. The coldness of her long fingers was a shock, and I shivered under her captive gaze.
‘Interesting,’ she mused. ‘Very interesting…’
‘Can I break the bond? Can you see how it’s been?’ I said, shaking with the desperation of someone who needed her freedom-needed the bonds to be broken.
‘You were on the wrong path, my dear. This was not your intended destiny,’ she informed me.
‘It wasn’t?’ I questioned, trembling.
‘No, my dear…I see all-and know all. I see your past, present and future. Yes, I shall grant the dissolution of the union. I shall see to it that this man never harms you ever again. I also believe there is someone here today who you need to meet once more. A difficult reunion,’ she mused, thinking about her words, ‘But necessary. I shall be back, my dear. Stay present.’
I nodded, shaken.
The high priestess turned and floated off and I turned to Ayce, who stood a few steps behind me.
‘What did she say?’ he hissed, joining my side quickly.
‘She said she would dissolve the union,’ I said, still reeling in shock. ‘She said that it wasn’t my destiny to be with him.’
‘No shit,’ he muttered, under his breath. ‘No-one deserves to be with that piece of crap.’
‘She said she could see everything about me when she held my hands.’
‘I’ve heard that…she’s very wise, Fiya. I trust she’ll know how to help you,’ he said, kindly.
‘I hope so,’ I sighed. ‘I just want an end to this so I can move on. I’m sick of being miserable and living each day wondering what’s coming next. It’s like living a life treading on eggshells. It has to end.’
‘It will, Fiya. I’m sure.’
‘Okay-so, what’s happening now?’
‘She said something about a reunion? That she needed to go and get someone I needed to talk to-what’s that all about?’ I questioned, baffled.
