Goddess

Chapter Eight

When I wake up, I've forgotten the events of... when? I look up and see sunlight. That's odd. I can't have been asleep for such a short time; it feels like it's been forever... but then why is it so sunny if the morning has already passed? But what's even stranger is the emptiness of the room. Then I realize that Noah isn't there, and it all comes rushing back. Like a train, the memories hit me hard and I'm almost crushed by the weight of what's happened. Noah's gone. And it was all my fault.

Despite the voice in the back of my head saying I couldn't have done anything to prevent it, I can't help but feel guilty. I could have saved him, I think to myself. But I didn't and now he's dead. Noah is dead and it's all my fault. It's all my fault. It's all my fault. The words bounce in my head like a mantra, echoing in the empty cavern that used to be my mind. I'm not even aware of the tears until I feel a wetness on my lip. My tongue darts out, and I taste salt. But this time I'm determined to be tough. I bite my tongue in an attempt to not cry, and then blood enters my mouth, so now I taste salty iron, I guess. Despite everything that's happened, that taste is what occupies my mind now. Salty iron. Iron penny. Salty penny? That makes me laugh and then I can't stop. I'm in hysterics. Eventually, I'm laying on the ground in some sort of fetal position, clutching my sides as tears of mirth stream down my cheeks. I know I'm not laughing because anything is funny; I'm just too tired of crying from sadness, and I guess laughing like a maniac is a reasonable substitution.

When I finally calm down I have a stitch in my side and I'm out of breath. I sit up and my breaths come in gasps, and I cough a few times before I'm able to breathe properly again.

Clap, clap, clap. I whip around so quickly I nearly crick my neck. Peri's standing near the door, an amused sneer painted on his face. I push myself back against the opposite wall and reach for the air. For the first time, Noah's hand isn't there for me to grab on to for support. This thought alone makes me want to break down, but I manage to stay calm. Well, not entirely calm. Without Noah around to keep me from making rash decisions, and without the possibility of him taking a punishment for me, I glare back up at Peri, tear tracks staining a path on my dirty face.

"You monster," I hiss. "You horrible man. You killed Noah."

"That I did, Goddess," Peri confesses casually, as if he's talking about the weather and not a human being. "But I must say, your reaction was quite a bit more... extreme... than I had anticipated. I didn't know you and Noah were quite so attached to each other."

"Don't!" I scream suddenly, tears falling hot and fast. "Don't talk about Noah like that! It doesn't matter that we were friends! It doesn't matter! You killed an innocent human being!" I finish my tirade, breathing heavily. I meet his rapidly darkening eyes with a challenging stare, as if to say, "What are you going to do? Kill me like you killed Noah?"

"You should watch your words, Miss Delarose," Peri says, his voice barely above a whisper. "You may think that was cruel, but you haven't seen anything. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"I don't care!" I cried. "I have nothing left to lose... nothing..." I collapse into sobs again.

Peri's lips curve into a sinister smirk, and he says, "Well, in that case, I'll just leave you to your thoughts."

"No!" I plead, "Just kill me now. I have nothing to live for."

"Ah, but you see, Goddess, that is exactly why you must stay alive," Peri responds.

"Monster," I whisper, curling into myself as I come to terms with what he's doing; Peri's actually trying to drive me insane. To take apart my mind piece by piece, like taking down legos, and then nothing will be left. The ultimate torture; he knows as much as being beaten may hurt, it's only skin deep. Physical torture doesn't provide satisfaction for him anymore; now he's resorted to mental torture. And I have to admit, it will probably work. As much as I hate to acknowledge it, I don't see a way out of this situation.