Chapter 4

EMAL'S POV

The detention room gradually gets darker as it is already evening and the dark clouds are fast covering up the bright sky. It seems like everyone forgot me here. If I have some powers, I would break through the iron lock guarding the room.

Right now, I can't reach out to anyone neither can I mind-link Matilda. I sigh and sit back on the floor gazing at the door at every passing second. Minutes passed already and I begin to lost hope until I hear footsteps, feet away. The steps are quick and getting closer. My face brightened up when I saw my sister. At least, she never forgets me for so long.

Indeed, she's the only one that treats me well and I have no doubt about it. "Emal,” she ran to me and passed me a bottle of water from her bag."

After drinking to my fill and recovering from exhaustion, we head out of the school. On our way back home, we both remain silent.

"I'm sorry." she breaks the silence and I tilt my head up to look at her face.

"Why are you saying sorry?" I ask. It's not like she was the one who hurt me.

"I ought to have known what happened when I didn't see you at all, but I didn't think of it until I heard a group of pups gossiping about it."

"Indeed, rumors spread way faster than you can ever imagine." I mutter inaudibly and she asks about what I said.

"I said you don't have to be sorry, you're not at fault." she pats my back and we become silent again.

"Actually, I don't blame anyone for what happened today. It's my fault for not being like everyone. Seriously thinking of it, I'm like a disgrace to myself and everyone in our family, most especially dad." I express what I really feel and she stops me from walking.

She places her hands on my shoulders, staring at me for a while before saying what she wants to say.

"Look Emal, mark what I want to say now and never forget it. Everything that you're going through now is just a matter of time. You're not at fault for not having your strength now, neither are you at fault for not having much abilities. The real people at fault are those taking advantage of your situation to deal with you and harass you." she pauses and continues, still looking at my face intensely with all seriousness.

"Trust me, they are the bad guys and you have no fault. I know you will surely be strong one day and when you do, you have to show them their place. Okay?"

I nod to what she says and smile. I hug her and she pats my back. I just love her for no reason. Her words give me a new found confidence and I feel stronger than before.

We continue our journey and we race our way home quickly, as it is getting late.

"Why are you returning by this time and where did all the bruises come from?" Dad queries me the moment we set our legs into the castle. He is sitting on the golden throne with his legs crossed on each other and his hands folded on his belly.

I know I don't need to answer him because he sure knows what happened already, for news about me goes faster around the pack than any other news. Since the pack pups returned home before me, it's a given that dad already knows about the incident.

"Dad, he's stressed out after a long day. I don't think he should be questioned now." Matilda defends me as she makes sign for me to run but I didn't.

"Leave now! It's no business of yours." Dad snaps at her and she left, grumbling all the way to her room.

"Now tell me what happened."

"I don't have anything to say." I reply. It's not like saying a thing would change the situation at hand.

"Come over," he signals with his hands and I move closer to him. He touches my bruises like he cares and I shift backwards a bit away from his reach.

Why does he have to act like he cares when he doesn’t? All I've received from him since I grew sensible was nothing but yells and punishments.

Like he understands what I mean, he returns his hand to his besides, diverting his gaze elsewhere.

"Does it hurt?" he asks and I do not respond to him. Rather, I was stunned by his care. It feels strange and weird to me.

"Does it hurt?" he asks again and I mutter a 'no'.

"Go to your mum and tell her to do the needful." I nod, leaving the throne room, to my mother's quarters.

On getting there, I found no one in sight.

"Your highness," I call out into space to see if she is around but there is no response. I call her a second time, still no response.

As I whirl my trail around to go out of the room and search for her elsewhere, she comes out gracefully in all elegance from the second door of her room which leads to the secret chamber meant for the Luna.

"What do you want?" she asks swiftly without restraint in her speech.

"Father told me to come see you for these," I pointed at the wounds on my body. "He said you should do the needful."

I move closer to her so she can take a closer look.

Unfortunately, she didn't bulge an inch. She stares at me coldly for a while bringing about a terrible silence between us which makes me feel nervous.

I turn my gaze at the floor, fiddling with my thumbs and a resounding slap land on my face. I feel numb for a while as blood rushes to the spot I was hit making me feel so much pain.

Slowly, I raise my head to look at her.

"Wh.......?" I want to ask her why she hit me when another slap hit my other cheek. This time, it hurts more than the first.

"What did I do to deserve this?" I ask angrily.

"You dare raise your voice at me?" she fires at me and I keep mute as tears rolled down my cheeks. And this is what I meant when I said I'm not sure what my mother feels for me. Times like this, I dread going close to her abode.

She's so confusing. One minute, she nice; another minute, she's like a lioness whose cub got killed in its presence.

"Why would you fight with Blake?" she queries. Now I know what the slap is for.

"Wait, was this what father meant by the needful?" I ask myself with much more pain. Here I am, thinking he is trying to tell mum to tend to my wounds. How deceiving! My heart clenches tightly with so much pain.

Being bullied here and there is not something I wish for and it's not my fault for being in the world in the first place. Someone brought me to life after savoring minutes of pleasure. How is it my fault for being the way I am?

Luna repeats her question, but I only look away. What's the use of defending myself anyway? Since no one trusts me, they might as well allege me with the crimes of the whole pack criminals. There's no need for me to explain or defend myself. No matter what I say, there's still going to be some doubt in their minds.

Giving her a final glance with my teary eyes, I run out of her chamber and out of the castle. I run frustratingly without nowhere in mind, till I reached the bank of the lake surrounding the castle.

Still in tears, I sink to my knees in the night cool breeze, weeping like a baby.

"It all hurts, it hurts so much, I'm not at fault." I repeat silently till I finally fall asleep.