Chapter 53: Harlyn and the Sweet Treats

VALE:

It had been nearly a week, and still, I was forced to stay at this hospital. Apparently, the poison was significantly stronger than I had expected it to be. Stronger than anyone had expected, in fact.

It didn’t make sense to me that their poisonous bites had gotten stronger since Ares’ injury. Then again, two years had passed, and I shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was. Mutations like this never happened so fast.

Bearing this in mind, I couldn’t help but feel that maybe I was weaker than I had originally thought I was. I mean, what other reason could there be for me to have succumb to the bite so quickly?

Honestly, I preferred the idea of being weaker than I thought than these beasts mutating so quickly over the last two years. It was off-putting.

Fortunately, I was at least permitted to sit up and walk around. Leaving, however, was a big bloody no-no for me.

Rolling my eyes at the thought, I look outside the window, watching as the autumn sun began to set. I wanted to be out there so bad. I wanted to help. I wanted to be involved. I wanted to be…distracted.

With my hand held against the aching wounds caused by being careless and stubborn, I leaned my forehead against the window of my room.

“A lot on the mind, I take it.”

The voice that I heard exuding from that remark surprised me more than a little. I turned around and there was my sister standing there with bags in her hand and a small furrow in her cocked brow.

“Hello, little sister,” I greeted to her. Part of me felt a need to address as such rather than the endearing nickname of Harly.

“Little…sister.” Her comment wasn’t necessarily mocking but there was a bitter amusement about it. Where her green-brown eyes were averted, she looked at me again. “I’ll not get used to that any time soon.”

There were very few ways that Harlyn could mean that. Either way it was offensive to hear. I don’t even think she understood why.

The old me would have held my tongue-though toward the end, I’m afraid I did become a little more…contrary.

“Funny,” I said, mirroring her bitterness with more of my own. “It shouldn’t have been that hard to adjust to. Or at least, I didn’t so. Then again, I guess that would only be the case if you ever truly considered me your sister in the first place.” I leaned against the window, my hand still against my stomach as I stared dismissively at her.

Calling her out on her foolish remark seemed to render her without a response. It was amusing. Out of all the years I had known her, Harlyn was never without a response, and never was she intimidated.

This time, however, I sensed that she was.

She sighed. “I brought you clothes,” she said, and placed a bag onto the bed. I glanced at the clothes. Yes, I needed them, but I wasn’t going to thankfully run to the bag as I would have in my past life in an attempt to show an overactive amount of appreciation.

I could get my own clothes.

“Did the old man tell you to bring these?”

“Do you want them or not?” she asked.

“It’s a necessity at this point, if I’m being honest.” She didn’t speak but her expression said enough. She was frustrated, and a lot was on her mind. I wonder what. “Thanks?” I said as I had assumed that that was what she wanted to hear. It was what she was used to.

“You too good to say thanks now?” Harlyn asked.

I smiled. “Did I not just say thank you?” I asked.

“I don’t consider that a thank you. You’re just-”

“No,” I interrupted her. “I’m just not groveling like the grateful little gopher that I once was.”

“Vali, now you know bloody well that I have never called you such a thing!” Harlyn exclaimed defensively.

“You didn’t have to.”

I recalled the way she would talk down to me, chastise me if I even seemed as if I thought that I thought higher of my self-worth than what she deemed fit.

“Your actions told me how you really felt about me.” In case she didn’t remember, I decided to remind her. “Never ceasing to remind how I was your little human. That you were a good keeper to me as if I needed to be reminded that you owned me.”

“Vali, I never-”

“You know,” I interrupted her again. “I wonder what would have happened that evening…when you tried to force me to mate with Tobias…for stronger human vassal…babies.” Recollecting what she had said to me that night and how she’d said it. “So…unbothered by how…dehumanizing it was for me.” I chuckled harshly. “I guess to be honest, I didn’t really realize it either until…they opened my eyes.”

My eyes distantly stared at the floor. I couldn’t even look at her at that moment. There was a pain there. One that I found hard to unpack.

“Valene, I didn’t mean to make you feel so worthless. I guess, I’m just programmed to-”

“No,” I cut her off, taking a step forward, one that seemed to unnerve her. “You were raised with me! We grew up together. You were always my sister! You were always a sister to me!” I scoffed, “But I was never that to you.” An amused and resentful feeling emanated throughout me. “I mean after all…I was only there to get your mom back on track. Since dad had you…he didn’t need me anymore…right. I was fine with being your drudge.”

My words were almost verbatim to what she had said to my father that night, while I was out.

Harlyn’s eyes widened and then she took another step back. “How did you…”

“This power of mine…the shadows…” I didn’t know how to even put into words how my abilities worked. I couldn’t read minds. To be honest, I didn’t know what the power was, but somehow, I knew. The shadows that I controlled-they knew. I decided not to further explain this to her. “It doesn’t matter how I know, Harlyn, the point is that I was just a prize vassal that you liked to show off. You never truly cared.”truly cared.”

As I said this, I took gradual steps toward my little sister. With every step that I took forward, she took two back.

It may surprise one to learn that I didn’t find delight in this. I still cared about Harlyn, and I didn’t need her to be afraid of me because deep down I always knew that I could put her down if ever I needed to, and sometimes…sometimes I almost thought I would.

My steps toward Harlyn-to face her, was only to make eye contact. It may sound like an insignificant thing to someone who hadn’t knowingly lived under thumb of those naturally superior to them.

As someone who spent most of my life in fear of making the wrong move or saying the wrong thing, it was something that I didn’t have to worry about anymore. I was on her level now-maybe even above, and I needed her to understand that I was no longer her pet.

When I stepped face-to-face with Harlyn, we were silent for a moment as her eyes shifted between me and the floor.

With her eyes steady to the floor, Harlyn sighed, and she finally spoke. “I’ve always cared about you, Vali,” she said to me. “I…I always loved you.” she finally looked me in the eye and that was when I saw the tears radiating her green-ish eyes. “And it broke my heart when we thought we lost you.”

Her words caught me off guard. “Did it?” I murmured.

“It did,” she said.

I studied her solemn expression, and then looked at the bag in her hand. I could smell what it was. I struggled not to smile. I guess I conveniently forgot that one thing about Harlyn was that she knew me.

Maybe she did care. At least more than I initially thought. Guess it all wasn’t just gaslighting.

“What is that?” I asked, glancing at the bag and then back at her.

She was upset at this point, and I could tell that she had very little else to say.

“Your favorite,” she answered in a hushed and almost defeated voice. She lifted her arm to drop the other bag on my bed and then walked away.

“Thank you,” I said casually as she turned to leave.

She paused at the door and instead of saying you’re welcome or even just leaving without another word because that would have been more Harlyn’s speed, she said, “He didn’t send me to check on you or bring you anything, Vali,” she said to me.

Harlyn didn’t turn around completely but her head turned to the side enough to catch my gaze. “I just…I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay.”

Without another word, she walked out of the room.

I watched the spot where she once stood and accepted that my feelings for my little sister was mixed just as I’m sure she felt the same.

Despite my frustrations with Harlyn and my past relationship, I did love her. I always would.

Plopping down on the bed, I looked into the bag with the clothes that she’d brought. I was glad that she decided on something stretchy and comfortable.

The leggings were black, with pleather siding. Nice. A new pair of underwear-thankfully as I’d been going without underwear for four days now.

I had already taken a shower, so I put them on. They weren’t the most comfortable pair that I’d had. I guess they were called cheekies, and the description was certainly in the name.

I then put on the leggings. Fortunately, the scratch on my leg wasn’t as deep as the bite on my stomach. It was wrapped, and that was fine, but the wound on my stomach was a different story.

I looked in the bag, and fortunately saw a sport’s bra-black and gray fatigue, and racerback. There was a shirt inside as well, but it would be too tight to wear. I put on the bra and tossed the hospital gown given to me back on the bed.

Then…though I tried to fight it, I looked in the other bag, and could not hide the excitement that I saw.

Sweet treats!

I popped open the bag and stuffed my face with the Donnette's that Harlyn brought for me.

“That sweet tooth.”

When I heard his voice, immediately my heart sank and then quickened. It was annoying that this big bloke had this effect on me. I looked up at him, a grimace on my face as I suddenly remembered our last conversation with one another.

“Ares.” I exhaled frustratedly. “What are you doing here?