Rise of a Queen

Chapter 5

Corinth came out of her room different than when she went in. Still cursed with rosy cheeks, but no longer withered inward as though she were devouring herself from sorrow. Her eyes were bright, absent of the tears I've come to assume had fused with her biological structure, and the sag of her shoulders was lifted by some invisible force and dispelled from her body.

She walked confident, strong. Each step ringing distant promises of protecting those she cared about so that none would ever face the pain that she has endured since the moment her eyes opened so long ago. Corinth is far from your average woman, far from your average human in general. With a cracked heart stained black from sin yet still glowing with pure intent, she is a being very rare to this world. Hardly is there ever a single being so deceitfully evil while also carrying a contract of the saints.

And yet, she is not the only one I know. Behind her was Eli, always abiding to his love for her. His transgressions would obliterate him should they ever be weighed against his soul, a soul as tarnished as his dear Corinth. But they navigate that darkness together, sharing their sins to dilute the impact. Always trying to move on but never daring to forget. Their past is what makes them unique because so few have faced such wicked provocations and still manage to find mercy for those doing them wrong.

Two people with spirit so rare, taking residence of the same space, becoming one rather than separate entities.

"Here." Corinth handed me a small drawstring bag, light in weight, and comfortable around my shoulders without excess clutter within, containing only: a toothbrush though no toothpaste, a few hair ties, a single change of clothes – consisting of underwear, a bra, an old t-shirt ripping at the seams, balled up socks, and a pair of black jeans – all rolled up to allow for more space, a water bottle, a phone charger, and a few granola bars.

My family was never well off since most of my parents' income went towards paying off Toby's medical bills, but I have never traveled with so little. I've grown accustomed towards living as the Tribe does, with bare minimum to make due, but even this seemed a little sparse. The luxury the Tribe feigned to outsiders was nothing more than a well developed lie. One walking down the road would think the compound is a castle, and one who encounters a Tribe member would think we're rolling in riches from one illegal transaction or another.

But they don't see the web we've construed around ourselves since the day of Dustin's passing. Reconstruction of the compound didn't come cheap and our members are in no condition to carry out their normal scams.

The compound is no castle, is it a fortress, and the members are not royalty. They are warriors without war, knights without a king to protect.

I, however, am not the warrior Corinth is. I have not grown into my armor yet, and so I chose my words carefully to not offend or insult, "Is this all we have?"

Corinth wasn't phased, "This is all we'll need."

She adjusted a similar bag of her own over her shoulders, it too looked rather empty save for the heavy object resting at the bottom that pulled the fabric downward from weight. Whether it be a gun or a knife, I couldn't tell, but one thing was certain from Corinth's conviction.

This isn't her first rescue mission.

From outside the doors, Brandon called to us impatiently. After disappearing down the hallway, he returned only minutes later with a hardened expression, insisting that Lumiere was taking too long, mumbling under his breath about how the 'gimp' was going to slow us down. Brandon was certainly doing am extraordinary job of maintaining our hatred for him. I think he wants us to hate him, but I see through his charades like peeking through the cracks. Catching glimpses but never the entirety.