Heina: The Red Demon Dragon

HEINA

Still mid air, it reached out a hand...paw? Talon? I couldn't tell which, to take a swipe at me.

In a panicked response, I fell backwards, dodging what would have been a painful ordeal. My back hit the ground.

It landed on the floor. From the growing dark, in this thick, dense forest, I could manage to make out the dull glow of its eyes.

A talon. They were talons. But what kind of animal was this? It was a dragon... maybe.

Another cry left my mouth as I dragged myself on my butt backwards, I couldn't run anymore even if I tried. My legs were too buttery with fear to save me. My glasses chose that moment to fall off my face.

Frantic with desperation, I felt around for my glasses. Oh my goodness, I couldn't see a thing. My eyesight was worse at night, I'd be eighty percent blind without my glasses. During the day, it was fifty percent.

My chest heaved, my heart racing erratically on panic.

A low cackle and I felt a kick to my stomach, beating the wind out of me. I gasped and choked on a whoosh of breath.

Using my instincts and what little percent I had left of my eyesight to try to dodge another definite blow.

Ignoring excruciating pain was a tough job but if I didn't want to get killed in a thick forest and become meal for wild animals, I had to channel my focus on listening.

So I did...and let out a shriek. Sharp talons dug into my left foot, snapping bones. Too late, I hadn't listened fast enough.

Slowly, it drew talons out from my skin, earning a painful whimper from me.

Still, I managed to follow the sound and movement, when it made another attempt to swipe at me, I raised my arm to defend, noticing movement aiming for my face, it was a weak, defenceless move but it was the only one I could think of.

A low, desperate cry rolled off my lips, readying myself for more pain. My eyes reflexively closed shut.

The next following seconds were more blur. I heard a mighty growl, followed by the sound of a body thudding.

I opened my eyes and blinked tears that worsened the condition of my poor eyesight.

More growls, then a whimper. Someone else was here. This someone has come to save me. To help me.

It was a mixture of relief and fear. What if this new person was just another animal trying to hurt me more?

"What happened to staying in your room?" A pair of hands lifted me off the dirty ground like some weightless sack, sounding very annoyed.

I recognized the voice as one of the twins'. I didn't know which, I didn't even know their names. But relief was overwhelming fear.

He carried me, possibly heading back to the house. I could barely see a thing. There was a dim blur of light that I saw and that was all.

The light grew the closer he got. I turned to look at his face, I saw blurry features staring at me.

A moan escaped me, pain clawing its way to where I'd been hit.

"You stupid girl." He hissed.

He climbed upstairs - his movement gave that away - and was soon dropping me on what I assumed was a bed. I was finding it hard to see. Plus the injury.

A blurry figure stepped through the door and walked up to me. My glasses were back on my face and I visibly let out a breath of relief - my vision was back.

But I still had my pains and wounds to deal with. I couldn't stand. My left leg was bleeding. The one with sapphire had carried me, the blood stain on his shirt was a giveaway.

I pressed my lips tight, pain shooting through me. The current dress I was wearing was soaked in my own blood. I laid there, helpless to do otherwise.

"You are enough trouble as it is, do not make things worse." The one with sapphire orbs started, his tone dripping with such flatness and detachment.

He could as well be speaking to a stranger who was a child. And it wasn't borne out of concern, just irritation and annoyance.

If I wasn't already crying from the pain these wounds were putting me through, I could have cried listening to them.

It was barely twenty four hours day and a lot of things had happened already. I was already expecting my birthday to go bad when I'd women up this morning by my parents but never in the entirety of my existence had I thought it to become this intense of a nightmare.

Azila came in with a bowl of green liquid that I wondered briefly what it was. She bowed to the boys before reaching where I was.

"I'm sorry, My Lady." She soothed, using the clean rag she'd brought with her to clean the wounds. First, she gently undressed me, leaving me in my underwear.

Then she proceeded with the towel, dipping it in the green liquid and applying it on both my stomach and affected leg. I emitted whimpers and low cries as she tended my wounds. This liquid made it stung even more.

I felt the boys' eyes on me and was quite embarrassed to be seen half naked by the opposite gender. I've never been this exposed in the presence of boys before now.

But I didn't know whether to feel insulted or relieved that they weren't drooling at my body. Not even in the least.

"You should feel better by tomorrow, My Lady." Azila announced as soon as she was done.

Despite the coolness of the room, I was sweating and panting, my body feeling abused and weak.

"Why did you fucking have to be born?" One of the boys uttered in a low voice.

I froze, blood rushing to my ears despite the pain I was going through. Tears rolled down my face but I couldn't make a sound, not even the weakest one. It felt as though my throat was suddenly clogged.

Those words of his caused a painful pang in my heart. Things had never gone my way before. I'd always wonder why it seemed that my life was different - and not in a good way.

I'd always wondered but I'd never heard anyone ask me such question. But maybe he was right. I wasn't a great catch, physically speaking.

Everything about me was an imperfect two at best while girls like Jocelyn ranked a perfect ten. I didn't even rank average.

A lot of things I never thought were possible turned out to be and I was going through the hell of encountering them.

Since I could remember as a child, I'd always been useless. I excelled at nothing, just in academics.

So he was possibly right. Why exactly did I have to be born?