The Immortal Cure

10. History

Riley and Seth seemed to have taken off after our group discussion.
I didn't plan on spending much time hanging around Duke. He was in another foul mood.

So, after much thought, I decided to make my way down to the kitchen, where Anna sat at the dining room table.
The windows surrounding the room were wide open, letting in a light breeze swaying the curtains. She sat with her legs crossed propped up on another chair, sucking in deep drags of a cigarette in between her small fingers. That explained the windows.

I tried to make my presence known without startling her, lightly stepped forward, my converse tapping lightly on the floorboards. She jerked around violently, ready to throw her cigarette into the trash bin as her eyes caught sight of me.

"Sorry for startling you" I defended as I crept forward, taking a seat across from her; well away from the angle in which her smoke was being blown. Her body relaxed, and she gave me a weak smile.

"That's okay, I just thought you were Duke, he hates me smoking in here" She spoke as she took another long drag

I leaned back in my seat and watched her as she narrowed her eyes out of the windows.

"Do you ever do anything else beside cook and clean?" I asked, breaking the thick awkward silence

"Nope" She answered simply as she popped her p

"How come?" I continued, edging for information

She shrugged, and exhaled another puff of smoke, it twirled in patterns out into the wind.

"I enjoy playing bingo with my grandparents when I get the chance" She admitted as she pushed her cigarette on the inside of the trash can

"That's good" I mumbled, looking out the window towards the green grassed backyard

Another awkward silence dared to settle before I cut it off
"How well do you know Duke?" I asked, already knowing the truth.
I wanted to see what she would reveal to me.
She gave me a sideways glance before sighing.

"I used to know him well. We used to be, involved. But certain circumstances changed everything" She willingly admitted

She surprised me with her honesty.
"Oh?" I simply urged her for more

She scoffed
"We dated for awhile. But things got out of hand and he..." She pointed to her scars with a gentle gesture
I acted shocked and bulged my eyes out like I hadn't heard the news before

"He did that?" I asked, continuing the charade

She nodded "Yeah, after that I could never forgive him. To be honest, I'll never forgive him. Being attacked and mauled by someone you thought loved you isn't really easy to forget, or forgive" She continued as she angled her body towards me, her legs slumping back onto the floor from the chair they rested on

"I can see your point"
It was honest. I could see her point. It was like the way my mother had turned. I thought she loved me, until she turned to drinking. For that I'd never forget, or forgive.

"Besides, what we had wasn't real. His brother on the other hand..." She trailed off, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
This time my eyes widened naturally.
What was she talking about?

"I haven't heard anything about Duke's brother. Nobody ever mentions him" I casually answered, keeping myself composed to gain what I and obviously Riley had missed.

"Of course they don't. He's Victors favourite over Duke. Darius is, everything a girl could dream of" She continued as I sat forward resting my hands on my folded fists, waiting for her to continue