Primal

Chapter Ten and a Half

*********

Chapter Ten and a Half

 

Love has its place, as does hate. Peace has its place, as does war. Mercy has its place, as do cruelty and revenge. ~Meir Kahane

****

After he found out the truth about Noor, his heart was full of absolute hatred. Everything he once found beautiful he now found annoying, his eyes constantly watching her in case she was trying to kill him as well. As a murderer, she could not be trusted in any scenario. Like an animal, once they gained the taste of bloodshed their reign of terror could not stop. She would kill again, and he didn’t want to be the next victim. He could barely trust her to make him food now in fear that she had poisoned it. One night they were in her home, sitting in front of the fireplace in silence. Her hand rested on top of his, and he could feel every muscle on that side of his body stiffen under her touch. There was a blade under her leg. Maybe it was under her bench, or maybe even inside the bowl of last night’s dinner that still sat a few feet away. Zander had heard somewhere that in a ten minute long conversation with a stranger, the average person tells about three lies. He had once loved the girl in front of him, but she now felt like a stranger and knew that every single thing he said to her was a lie. Maybe his love had been a lie too. How would he know? He could only believe the words that Tilly told him now. Everyone else could be a possible threat.

 

No one has to be taught to fear the dark, just as Zander now naturally feared Noor. Fear is all derived from instinctive emotions that flow through the veins and minds of people. All he needed was something to insert a bit of fear into him, and it spread throughout his entire body without control. Noor finally left him alone in her prison of a home, excusing herself so she could run to the market and pick up the supplies for their dinner. Zander wouldn’t eat whatever she tried to feed him, but there was never a better time for her to go shopping. He was alone, the fire crackling in front of him, illuminating his face in the dark. She still had Yuna’s band hidden somewhere in the house, and he had to find it and give it to Tilly. She deserved it far more than Noor did. He watched Noor’s outline disappear into the trees before he started to search the house, his hands searching through ever drawer that he could think of. There was no sign of its existence, and with every place he searched he became a little more desperate. He made his way to the bedroom, pushing through her dresser with frenzied movements. She’d be home any moment now, and he couldn’t be tearing her house apart when she walked through the door.

 

Eventually he made his way to the bed, laying flat on the wooden floor to pear under it. There wasn’t a single speck of dust under it, the only object finding its home there a thick wooden box. Though he doubted that she’d keep such a small ring in such a large box, he pulled it out anyways. He pried open the heavy lid, and when he saw the contents he felt his heart jump. Sitting on top of a small gray folded piece of fabric was the golden band he had given Yuna, its gleam lighting up the dark room. He knew Noor could not be far from home now, and he quickly shoved the wooden box back under the bed. His fingers wrapped around the band before sliding it into his woven pocket. Just as he found his place sitting in front of the fireplace, the front door opened and Noor walked in with her arms full of fresh berries and plants.

 

When he was finally able to escape her presence, he made his way to the woods to meet up with Tilly. She had been guiding him through the process of revenge, healing his broken heart in the process. It was wrong on many levels, as the two races were supposed to be natural born enemies. How could the love he had for her grow every time he set his eyes upon her? When he walked into their clearing her arms were automatically around his neck, her body jumping up to cling onto his as her lips pressed forcefully to his. Connecting with a Felamus like this was wrong, he knew that it was wrong, but she was the only one that he could trust anymore. He slid his fingers into her curly orange mop that she considered hair, his heart pressing against his own chest with the threat of bursting out.

 

Eventually they calmed down, and Tilly slid until her feet hit the ground. He pulled out the golden band, sliding it onto her finger. “It’s yours now. Not Yuna’s band, not Noor’s ring, but my little piece of solid sunshine.” She smiled up at him, and his heart somehow managed to race even faster. He could feel it running, pressing, bursting, and speeding up all because she was looking up at him with her light smile. “Thank you.” Her voice smoothly came out of her mouth, falling naturally into his ears as if he was meant to hear it. He knew that she meant it, her hands pressed happily into his. His fingers wrapped around hers, their eyes happily gazing into one another’s.

 ****

He woke up with Tilly entangled in his arms, her face pressed into his chest. He smiled, gently shaking her awake. They had big plans for today, the final step to pushing Noor over the edge. Noor had confided in him and stated that she thought that someone was following her, which was either Tilly or Aeron. Neither of them were sure which one she was picking up and noticing, but the point was that she believed she was going crazy. Soon she’d be at her breaking point, and he just had to push her over the edge.

 

They kissed gently in the form of a quick goodbye before he had to leave her there, making his way back to the city where he would have to face his love’s killer once more. He dreaded leaving Tilly behind him and walking towards someone who irritated him to his very core, but he had to do it in order to get revenge.

 

They met in the marketplace in the same spot he used to meet Yuna, and Noor’s arms finally found their way around his waist. He wanted to push her away, but a forced smile was carved onto his face. She pressed her disgusting lips onto his face, and he barely moved at all. They talked for a little bit, her oblivious to the words that spit out of his mouth like venom. There was a difference between love and hatred, but she obviously couldn’t notice it. She kept pressing herself against him, her hands locked around his throat in a loving embrace.

 

He somehow brought Yuna back into the conversation, just as he had been doing. Every time they fought for a little longer, and she got more upset with every time Yuna crossed her mind. Noor never caught on to his true intentions, but the effects were still lasting. She was completely on edge, her emotions wildly wavering with every sentence she spoke. This time he said something about how he still felt Yuna around sometimes, her presence comforting him in times of distress. Noor automatically began to freak out, rambling about how she never felt her sister anymore before she let go of him. She ran away from their spot and into the crowd, and he called out after her with a halfhearted attempt to get her to stay.

 

When she finally disappeared into the crowd, he began to smile. Tilly would be so proud of him. They had finally done it. He had pushed her so far that Noor had finally broken. He made his way to the clearing through the back roads, a bounce lasting in his movements every step that he took closer to his destination. Zander hadn’t been so happy since Yuna had disappeared, but now he couldn’t possibly be any happier. He finally got there, and Tilly was standing there waiting for him. She expected some huge results, and her smile grew larger with every word that came out of his mouth. She threw her arms around him in celebration, both of them happy that they finally got the revenge they had been fighting for.