Shady

Blissfully ignorant— Rage surged through her and she was on her feet before she had a chance to think about what she was doing. She stormed further into the woods. ...

“No, it wouldn’t,” she sighed, some of the frustration leaving as she was just filled with sadness instead. “Then you’d just spend your entire life wondering what you’d done so ...

“Must be nice.”

Jerica's metaphorical hackles instantly went up. She set her jaw, body tense as he chose to go there . He could have just answered her question, but no, now he ...

That was a cop-out answer. She cracked an eye open to look at him irritably. He was the one that started this line of questioning. She was minding her own ...

She wasn't really sure what she was supposed to learn from it. That she was a danger to everyone she was around if she wasn't actively making sure that she ...

“I was the one who did it, whether I like it or not.” She closed her eyes, wishing with everything within her that that wasn’t the case. But it was. ...

"No one was in control of me." She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "They weren't. I wasn't... and apparently, when I lose control, I murder people."

“What kind of monster murders someone when they’re only eight?” Jerica’s chest was tight, voice barely so soft she wasn’t sure he heard.

"The physician," she whispered, pulling her arms tight around her abdomen. She didn't give nearly as good of hugs as Elias did. Her mind's eye flicked back to that scene ...

"What's it going to do, curse me?" Jerica asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Her eyes landed on the page in front of her, and she suddenly straightened. That symbol. She'd ...

"Try to," she agreed sleepily, closing her eyes. "At least dull the memories a bit. I have to drink a lot to actually forget anything. But at least when my ...

"I dunno." Jerica stretched out, laying back on the ground to stare up at the stars. "But rum makes me not know a lotta things. So it's possible."

Jerica smiled at him but suddenly felt tense. Funny things didn't really happen to her. She was usually either training -- which wasn't fun -- or getting yelled at -- ...

Jerica blinked at him, wondering if this is what the mother of children felt like when they wouldn't just go to sleep. Still, it was nice to have company. She ...