Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Stars of Fate ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

He shook his head, shuddering as the warm water hit his skin. "I...don't know. All I remember was that Ophelia wanted to come after you...for more money. Why would she give up the money if she wanted more?" His hands went to his head. It hurt trying to remember.

Alana looked at the clothes on the floor and all the blood. It wasn't hard for her to put the pieces together, but she didn't say anything. Grabbing a warm towel, she turned off the water and wrapped the towel around him. "I put some fresh clothes on your bed. Go get changed," she said and grabbed his blood clothes and the money bag. The money wasn't bloody so she would just put it back in the safe. The bag and clothes she would burn in the fireplace.

As Yori stood and wrapped the towel around himself, he looked at Alana and hugged her. "Whatever happened, I just hope that it doesn't cause you trouble." He smiled and pulled the towel tighter as he started to his room so that he could get changed. Even though his wounds had healed, his body ached. It felt as if his bones had broken and then healed. Flexing his hands, he looked down at his claws.

He'd felt like this once before...but just like now he couldn't remember why or what happened.

Alana looked down at herself. His hug had wet her clothes. She smiled and put the money away then went down stairs and started the fire. She threw the clothes in and the bag and watched them burn. Standing, she grabbed a rag and cleaned up the blood trail Yori had made coming back to her house. Afterward, she walked back upstairs and peeked in on Yori.

Yori had managed to put on the clean pair of boxers she had left for him, but that was all he had managed to do before falling asleep on top of the bed. He hadn't even bothered to pull back the covers. He'd simply curled up and drifted to sleep. He moaned slightly in his sleep, whimpering at whatever nightmare was plaguing his thoughts.

Alana moved into his room and pulled the covered over him. Her hand moved over his cheek. He had killed that girl because he was protecting her. She should be scared of him, but she wasn't. He was a monster to her people but to her...he was just a boy she couldn't stop thinking of. Now that Ophelia was taken care of, they were safe. But why was he still here? And why didn't she want him to leave?

The next morning Midori nearly had a heart attack when she heard the local gossip. It was even on the holoscreens. She was surprised that an Eldarian massacre would rate so highly on the human news. It must be a slow news week. As soon as she found Alana's number she got to a phone and called her. "What happened last night?" she demanded as soon as Alana picked up the phone. Undoubtedly Alana had seen the news by now.

Alana peeked in and saw Yori was still sleeping. "Keep your voice down," she whispered on the phone. "He's still sleeping and I don't want him to know. Yesterday he went to Ophelia and offered her money to keep what you had said to herself. She took the bait...but when he went to give it to her...I think she said something about hurting me and Yori killed her...and the others. He came back her covered in blood and not remembering anything. Midori...what the hell is he? If I have something that dangerous in my house, I need to know." She looked at Yori again, he was whimpering in his sleep. It was cute.

Midori groaned this was just great. "Listen, I'll be there in a little bit. It's not...it's not safe to tell you over the phone." After making sure the twins would be watched out for, Midori covered herself and hurried to where Alana lived. Knocking on the door, she was quickly ushered in. "Is he still asleep?"

"Yes," Alana said moving her to the kitchen. She pushed a plate of cookies to her. "Coffee?"

Midori shook her head. "So, last night he went to speak to Ophelia. Obviously that didn't go well. I can't believe she'd tempt him like that." She sighed and took a seat at the counter. "What I'm about to tell you can't leave us. Do you understand?"

"I've been drug so deeply that I believe if I did tell I would die. I have a Eldarian prince sleeping in my guest bed...I'm pretty sure I'm not going to say anything," Alana said sitting back.

Midori just nodded. "Our race...is a very...primal and feral one. Your government already knows this, but they try to keep it from the general public. For centuries our race wasn't much more intelligent than your average house cat. Over time, we grew smarter and eventually overcame our primal nature."

She took a deep breath as her hands fisted her dress. "When an Eldarian turns ten years old, a ritual is performed by an elder to seal away our feral side. It's safe and fool proof...unless someone interferes with it." Her eyes started watering. "When my brother...when it was time for his ritual I was mad at him. He'd ruined a dress...God, I was angry at him for nothing really. I decided to play a joke on him during his ritual. Because of my interference the ritual went very badly."

"My brother was never the same after that. It was like his mind was stuck as a child's. No matter how old he got, his mind was still that of a ten year old. My dad blames me...and rightfully so. I killed my brother that day. His feral side is still free. Only by his sheer will power is he able to keep it at bay. When he gets angry or frustrated he runs the risk of going feral. Most of the time he is able to get it under control. He doesn't know what happens when he goes feral; he just knows that it's bad."


"If anyone ever found out...they would kill him. They couldn't trust him not to try to kill them. I won't let him die because of what I did. He's a good kid; he wouldn't harm a fly normally."

Alana passed her a tissue box. "So...there is a potential monster with the mind of a ten year old in my guest room?" She rubbed her head. "Wow...must be hard for him to be mind set so young. I always wondered why he acts like such a child."

Midori wiped her eyes. "I don't think he really cares. He's happy, and that's all that matters to me." She toyed with the tissue for a bit before meeting eyes with Alana. "I hate to ask this of you, but would it be alright, for the time being...if he stayed here just a little longer? With the bar incident, I'm afraid that people might start taking a second look at him. Everyone knows he's just a little off, but most don't say anything because of who he is."

Alana nodded. "Yeah...he can stay. He's not any trouble," she said.

So he had the mind of a ten year old... That made thing very hard for Alana. Talking to him was difficult already, but now it would be even harder knowing she was practically talking to a child.

Midori nodded. "Thank you," she said. Checking the time, she frowned. "I'd better go. Don't let him know that I came...and if possible please don't let him se the news reports."

She left a few minutes later. The house was quiet again, at least it was until Yori finally woke up. Stretching, he yawned and started to get dressed.

Alana played with the spoon in her coffee. Weeks ago she was just a normal trouble marker and now she was a girl that had betrayed her kind to have an alien sleep in her bed. How long will this last? Would she get caught? And if she did, how could she explain herself? No one will care that she was trying to help. She laid her head in her arms as her arms rested on the table.

"What in the hell am I doing?" she mumbled to herself.

Yori walked downstairs as he pulled on his shirt. "Good morning," he said cheerfully. The events of last night were long since forgotten as he looked at the breakfast she had prepared. "I'm sorry, I wanted to cook you breakfast again. I don't know why I slept so late." She looked upset again, so he hugged her. "Everything okay?"

Alana pulled his arms from her. Knowing what she did made things weird. To a ten year old, hugs were normal. To her, hugs were special, they meant something. "Everything's fine, Yori. Help yourself to breakfast. I made a lot like always," she said and sipped on her coffee.

Yori looked at her funny. "You don't look like everything's okay."

Alana smiled. "Would you look ok if you betrayed your race and committed treason?" she asked.

Yori frowned at this. He contemplated her question. "I don't see how this is betraying your race.... You're helping a friend." He looked up at her. Something had changed since last night. "I think that I'd better go home. Sis is probably worried about me. I need to find work; and get ready for the arena. I don't want to put you in harm's way any more."

Alana grabbed his tail lightly. "No, you should stay here until she sends for you. If you want you can call her. You're not putting me in harms way...not as long as you stay hidden. And to my people, Yori...just you sleeping in my house is treason." She stood and played with his tail while her hand pet his ears. "Don't worry about me ok? You think of yourself."

Yori purred slightly as she rubbed his ears and played with his tail. No one could pet him quite like she could. "Okay," he sighed, turning to look at her, their faces were just a few inches apart. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I really like you, Alana. You're nicer to me than even most Eldarians are."

He smiled. "If we weren't two different races I'd probably date you." He chuckled slightly, but for some reason his heart hurt when he thought about that. They couldn't date or get close because they were different races.

Alana pulled back from him. "I don't think race has anything to do with it, Yori. I'm not one to really care about those kind of things." She sat back done and played with her coffee cup. "We are very different. And I don't mean in race wise."

Yori looked at her with questioning eyes. "We don't exactly seem that different," he told her. "I thought we always had fun when we worked together."

"We think differently. We have different views on life. It could cause conflict," she said. She smiled. "Don't worry about it, ok? Eat your breakfast."

Yori shook his head slowly. "I'm...I'm not hungry." What had happened while he'd been asleep? Looking down at his hands, he wondered if it was because of what he did. What he couldn't remember. Without saying another word, he went up to his room and shut the door. He just curled up on the bed and stared out the window. He thought about how Alana rubbed his ears and hugged him. She made him feel nice. He liked her, more than he did Ophelia; and for a little while there he thought she liked him too.

Alana smacked her forehead. "Wait to go!" she snapped at herself. She walked upstairs and knocked on his door. She walked in and sat on the bed while he laid there. Her hand brushed through his hair and started rubbing one of his ears. "I didn't mean to upset you. It's just..." She sighed. "Remember when I asked how old you were and you said you are eighteen and I said I thought you were younger by the way you act? Well...that's how we think differently. For you, the world is a play ground, for me...it's a challenge just to find a friend."

His eyes narrowed as he listened to her reasoning. He wanted to stop purring, but her rubbing his head and ears felt too good. "The world isn't a playground for me," he said as he looked up at her. Now that he thought about it, he could smell his sister on her. "But I'm certain that Midori has already warned you about me. Just because I don't act depressing and serious all the time, doesn't mean I'm an idiot or a little kid. I like laughing and smiling, because I'd rather smile then act all depressed."

Alana sighed again. "No one is asking you to be depressed. The world isn't a depressing place. Just," she stopped rubbing his ear and laid down next to him, "it's hard to see you as an eighteen year old when you act so bubbly and young."

As she laid down, he gently nuzzled her hand so that she'd keep rubbing his head. "If I acted older...would you like me then?"

She started rubbing his ears again. "Be yourself, Yori. Don't change for anyone."

Yori started purring again as he moved his head closer to her. "But I would change for you," he said softly.

Alana stopped petting him. She sat up. "Stop doing that. It's what got you into this mess with Ophelia. You are trying to be something you aren't for someone who doesn't deserve it," she said. "Just be Yori. Be who you want to be."

Yori sat up and looked at her. "I want to be me," he told her. "But I don't...I mean..." He growled in frustration. "I don't know who that is. Sometimes I feel like everything so clear, then everything gets all muddled, then there are times that I don't even remember what happens."

Finally he just sighed. "I just don't want to be different anymore."

She patted his head. "Being different is what separates us from everyone. Do what makes you happy. No matter what anyone says. If it makes you happy, then you have the right to do it," she said.

Yori looked at her. If it made him happy? Leaning forward he kissed her. That made him happy.

Alana pulled back quickly and in the process, fell off the bed. "Ow..." she mumbled while lying on the ground.