Absolution and Fragility

II

I am ruination.

Lexi lived in the dark. Her wrists were bound constantly. She was not spoken to.

There were moments when she wished she could cry, but she wouldn't, not in front of these foul men that preyed on the weak. In her most vulnerable, she would never show them how weak and insecure she felt about her current situation. The King clan would never see her as anything less than the Drakos she was.

If she were to die this way, she would die with the intention of making her father proud.

On a loop when things had been quiet for too long, she told herself on a loop, "Eímai katastrofí." Her native tongue would be the only thing to keep her sane. Her mother's words to remind her in times of trouble would be the only thing to keep her going.

Lexi would ruin them all for what they were doing, for what they were trying to do. The King line would end with Theodore King. Her hands would become bloody as she diced him into small bits to feed the fish off the coast of their island. Theo would need to beg for mercy from a higher power because she couldn't offer it.

A door creaked open loudly. Her attention turned, but she didn't. Lexi stayed focused on the shuffling of feet across a hard floor until it stopped directly in front of her. As inconspicuously as possible, she inhaled deeply. Whoever was in front of her had been to the sea recently; the smell of the ocean was heavy on him but so was the deep scent of evergreens and dirt.

Hands that slightly caressed her bare knees gave her a gentle squeeze before leaving her skin. Suddenly her eyes were free to visualize the room she was being held in, but the light from the hallway burned. Lexi had to blink hundreds of times to adjust without tearing up and even then, it was hard. She had to lean her head back and away from the light to get a slower adjustment.

Eímai katastrofí. Eímai katastrofí. Eímai katastrofí. Eímai katastrofí. Eímai katastrofí.

When she had finally gotten used to the low lighting, she observed there was nothing in the room besides her and the slender man with blonde hair and elven features from the party. He was squatted in front of her with a black cloth playing between his fingers.

"My name is Calvin," he voiced quietly – almost a whisper.

Lexi reared back to spit in his face but thought better of it. Instead, she stayed quiet and observed him and his actions.

"I've been told your name is Alexia Dr—"

"Do not speak my name, choíros," she snarled.

"I apologize for offending you." There was a hint of English. Lexi was trying to pinpoint which region, but his accent was so faint that it was almost impossible. "Is there something else you would rather me call you?"

Lexi stayed silent.

"I'm not putting this back on," he said and gestured the black cloth in his hand upwards.

His blue eyes were soft. Calvin had not seen a war or even had half an idea of what he was getting into, Lexi was sure of it. The game he might've seen in England was not a game in Greece. Things were nastier, harsher, rougher. Lexi would die before she would go home, and she would bet that Calvin didn't believe that.

A shadow appeared on the wall outside of the door that caught her attention. It was long and narrow as most shadows were, so she couldn't be sure if it was the shadow of the devil himself or not, but her soul called to it.

Eímai katastrofí. Eímai katastrofí. Eímai katastrofí. Eímai katastrofí. Eímai katastrofí.

"Lexi, focus on me," Calvin whispered.