Chapter 102: Chapter 102

Sara stared at the dead body at her feet with no emotions, not knowing what to exactly feel, it was strange, unsettling in a weird way, for she had never thought it to be that…easy!

Her old self would have never thought about killing anyone, not even the priest who tried to rape her or the demons who abused her, nevertheless, she knew that in her query for vengeance she will end up taking some lives, but she never gave the matter much thought, that her, the harmless girl, would one day possess not just the strength, but the drive to kill.

Not that she regrated it, the bastard at her feet deserved to die in a slower and more painful way, it was just, strange! it was not hard, it wasn't problematic, it didn’t take any planning or second thoughts, it just happened, just as easy, she simply curled her long fingers around the old man's neck and squeezed, and that was it, the man died...

It felt weird, how frail life was actually, how easy it was to take it, without the slightest remorse in her heart, in fact, she felt nothing at all, she didn't know what was it, and didn’t plan to stay and dwell on the matter as she knew it would bring her unnecessary troubles, turning around, she walked out of the stables, consumed by her thoughts, a small part of her, the one she was trying so hard to bury, the one that had silver hair and an innocent soul was curled in a dark corner in the back of her mind, terrified of her new self, of the things she was capable of and how easily she committed them.

As she left the inn, Sara kept on thinking about one question, the reason for the murder she committed, she knew that the world was a dark and cruel place, but she was already adamant on leaving it as it was, others’ misfortunes were none of her concern anymore, the world was none of her concerns anymore, all she wanted was revenge, but still, she stopped and saved the girl, but saving the girl didn’t necessarily mean killing the man, and she couldn’t stop herself from thinking that maybe she didn’t do it for the girl after all, maybe she did it for herself, as the man reminded her of the monsters who tried to abuse her, maybe it was to give herself some sense of justice, and by killing the old man, she was also killing the bastards who hurt her the same way.

And that was terrifying to the girl in the back of her mind!

Stopping suddenly, Sara sniffed the air and listened closely, almost cursing herself for not noticing that she was being followed, looking back, she noticed the small figure hiding behind a tree, shaking with fear and cold.

Not a threat, she told herself before she turned around and kept and walking, the girl wasn’t going to tell on her, and even if she did, all she saw was a dark figure wrapped in black man clothes, but after a few steps, she stopped again, turned slowly as scanned the girl who was still following her, even when she had entered the dangerous woods, she scanned the girl's appearance before looking away with zero interest, the girl had short straight black hair, she was too pale and skinny for her age, which was around ten or less, her chest moved in a weird way indicating how hard it was for her to breathe, she was still in the same dress as before, the one that couldn’t protect her from the cold of the forest, and with the grey sheen that surrounded her, she would be dead by morning.

“P-please!” the girl plea fell on deaf ears as Sara didn’t stop, not at first at least, she thought about speeding up, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so, the way the girl was huffing and gasping for air, falling every now and then only meant that she was at her limit, leaving her in the forest which she had let her to was only going to get the girl to die, she was innocent! Sara told herself, and what was the point of saving her from one monster if she was going to let her die by the hands of other monsters, real ones, what would that make her?

A monster! just like the rest of them! the silver-haired girl shouted from the back of her mind!

She couldn’t just leave her, but that didn’t mean she welcomed the company, with that thought in mind, she turned sharply toward the girl who stiffened in her spot, obviously terrorized.

Good!

''Go back...'' Sara ordered in her cold voice, noticing how the girl shivered and swallowed, but didn’t move, not even looked away, tired of the whole situation, Sara turned back and began walking, thinking that the matter would no longer weight on her stupid conscience that decided to suddenly reawake, there was no reason for her to feel guilty or blame herself or even think about the girl now that she had sent her away, Sara told herself before stopping again, as the footsteps never stopped following her.

“P-Please!”

“What do you want?” Sara tried to make her voice sharp but it only came out cold and indifferent, surprising even her, her voice wasn’t giving away anything anymore, just a cold indifference.

“I-w-want to go home!” the girl said in a small voice, one which was barely audible.

“I told you to go back home.” Was she expecting her to take her back to the inn, Sara wondered, but the girl shook her head, more scared than before.

“That is not my home! A-and the mistress would kill me! P-please, take me home!” tears started falling from the girl’s brown eyes as her voice cracked with the last word, home, and Sara couldn’t help but stare at her, trying to decipher her words.

''Then go home...'' It was not in her favor, Sara told herself, the girl wasn’t her responsibility to worry about, she had a quest, a dangerous one, and a child with her was only going to make things harder, but before she could turn, the girl fell on her knees, more tears falling on her cheeks as she begged more.

“You shouldn’t talk to stranger little girl; I could be another monster!”

“You are not a stranger! You saved me!” the girl replied innocently, her eyes looking at her as if she had said something so horrid and unacceptable, pursing her lips, Sara hesitated a little before lifting her hand and lowering the scarf she used to cover her face, revealing her ugly scars.

“See?” This would scare her away, Sara thought, “I am a monster…”

“D-did someone hurt you too?” the girl interrupted her, her small hands coming to her lips, her eyes widening, but not out of fear or even disgust as Sara predicted, but out of pure sympathy.

Taken aback, Sara couldn’t help but walk towards the girl, seeing the whiteness under the grey, a pure soul, she told herself, one that also suffered the cruelties of the world but didn’t change.

And the white reminded her of herself, of how helpless and lonely she was, the girl, after all, was just like her.

“Did someone hurt you?” once she was in front of her, Sara bent down, giving the little girl her hand which she took eagerly.

Sara didn’t wait for an answer, and instead, lifted the girl in her arms and wrapping her under her cloak, the girl leaned on her shoulder, too happy to say anything.

“So, where is your home little one?” Sara asked, noticing how heavy the girl’s eyelids were, the poor thing was sleepy, and she allowed her to sleep once she heard her whisper the name of her village.

Tuba.

Sara knew that village, she had studied about it when she was in the shack, it was a small village near the borders of Taghit and Manrast, she thought as she gently removed her cloak and placed the girl under a tree before sitting next to her, her sharp eyes watching around her afraid that some predators would jump from the shadows and attack them.

It was reckless and stupid, she thought as she stared at the sleeping girl who curled and snuggled next to her, so frail but yet so carefree, probably because she knew she was protected, and Sara wondered how could she trust her so easily? Or maybe it was the normal thing to do as she did the same before and trusted the man who saved her without a second thought.

Sara felt her throat tightening when she thought about him, her savior and tormentor, shaking her head, she pushed away any thoughts she had about him, he was an enemy, the first name in her vengeance list, the only thought she should have about him was how to kill him, nothing more.

Looking back at the girl, Sara wondered if she trusted her the same way, which was no little, the calm way she slept told so, and even when her mind told her that it was all a bad idea, Sara couldn’t help but feel a strange warmth in her head as she thought about the whole situation.

For the very fist time in her life, she was needed by someone else, she was important, it was a feeling so overwhelming to the point where she felt herself being tied up to the girl she took under her wing, swearing to protect her and to take care of her.

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