Chapter 25

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He had been serious about taking his time. Mike spent several hours, just sitting there and staring at me. He didn't speak to me or move to touch me. He just stared, and every once in a while, he would chuckle to himself or mumble something under his breath.

I spent my time trying to plot an escape. But there was only one exit, and he made sure to stay between me and the way out of the cave. My invisibility would be useless against him, since he could still see me. And I knew that I was too weak to make my scent and sound invisible.

That left me with my power to control the elements. I knew that my best bet was fire, since that was what could actually destroy vampires. But fire was also the hardest to conjure up. There was always air and soil around, and little water droplets were ever present in Washington State. But fire was something I couldn't just find and grasp on to unless there was already a flame nearby- it was something I had to create myself. And I just didn't have the energy to do so, despite all my hours of sitting on the cave floor and struggling to push a spark out from my fingers.

So was that it then? I was too weak to fight back, so I just had to sit and wait for death? For the millionth time in my life, I was furious at the human part of me, the part that allowed me to be weak. The part that allowed the blood to drip down my face, blurring my vision. That part of me that caused my tummy to growl and twist, despite hunger being the least pressing issue in that moment. The part of me that made me too scared to even try to stand up and fight.

"She didn't deserve it, you know," Mike mumbled, and it took me a few seconds to realize he was speaking to me, and not to himself, like all of the other times in the past several hours. His eyes were locked on me. "Louise never hurt anybody. She was mostly vampire, but the kindest soul there was. She loved to sing and laugh, and she could control the elements, like you. She would spend her days growing the most beautiful things."

His eyes hardened and a somber laugh escaped him as he glared at me. "No... Not like you," He mumbled. "That's the irony in all of this. You may look just like Louise. You may have the same power over the elements as her. You may have her eyes, and her laugh, and her golden hair. But it's all a trick. You fooled her into believing you were good, and then you destroyed her from the inside out. The bruises. The broken ribs. The constant pain. You made her last few months on this earth a living hell. You tortured that beautiful, perfect woman to death. You're the worst kind of demon there is. You can't fool me, you little monster. You'll pay."

I could almost picture her. My Mother, with my eyes and hair, laughing and twirling as she sprouted beautiful flowers up all around her. Her voice, soft and sweet, creating a beautiful melody that wove through the trees. Her smile as she watched butterflies land all around her, enjoying her creations.

And I had destroyed her. Slowly. Painfully. Sadistically. He was right. I was a monster.  A horrible, vulgar monster. 

But wait. An electric feeling pulsed through my chest, the faded throbbing of an old emotion. Something I had struggled to cast aside, but had remained somewhere, deep in me. The knowledge of what I was, the acceptance and empowerment behind that.

I was a monster. A strong and powerful and fearless monster.

I was the Queen of the Forest.

With a furious roar, I blasted up from my position on the floor. My legs hurt terribly, but I hardly noticed as I threw all of my weight on to Mike. He stumbled, but quickly recovered, his arms reaching for me. 

But I had managed to squeeze past him as he staggered and regained his balance. The forest was in my sight now, and I saw a a huge oak tree just past the river. I thrust my hand out, knowing that if I failed here, my death would quickly follow.

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