Beyond Redemption Ch. 03byLucifix©
The bell chimed signaling the end of the first lesson. Ray ignored Seth completely as she abruptly stood up and slowly made her way towards the door. She sneaked glances at everyone through her lashes. Today's generation certainly did not measure up to her standards. They were slothful and stupid. In her day, these people would have died through survival of the fittest. Being here was degrading.
She inhaled deeply. Yes, she could smell pheromones mingled with perfume and ...fear?
Her gaze swept over the classroom, taking in the facial expressions and the overall atmosphere.
Of course, people tend to disguise their fear. She shrugged and made to walk through the door not really being arsed to investigate further when Nathan blocked her path. There was a strange glow in his eyes and his cheeks were red as he towered over her, slightly panting.
Ray felt the instinctive urge to blast him into oblivion. How dare he obstruct her way! He who was not even worthy of licking her feet!
Just as she tensed her muscles with anticipation, pain seared across the scars on her back, making her stiffen in agony.
She gritted her teeth hoping her expression didn't give her away. Display of pain is a display of weakness.
As the pain began to fade, so did her unreasonable rage, her shoulders slumped and she had worked up a sweat. Nathan was still staring at her, blocking the door. The other students behind her started to crowd the door, but still giving her a respectable berth as they didn't know what kind of person she was yet. No one had dared to tell Nathan off yet, not even Mrs. Jansen. They held their breath waiting for Ray's reaction.
Ray's primal rage was replaced by annoyance. It seemed that everyone but Nathan felt the air crackle with electricity and backed away from Ray as waves of fury emanated from her body.
Nathan mistook her angry expression for nervousness at the thought of him asking her out. So he puffed out his chest importantly and said:
-"I'm Nathan and it's the duty of the captain of the football team to show new students around the school. A babe like you would definitely look good walking down the halls next to me. So whaddya say then? I'll definitely show you around everywhere and I'll take real good care of you."
He stressed the last sentence and leered at her. Ray looked openly disgusted and fought to keep her temper in check for fear of the horrendous pain she new she would feel otherwise. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Before she can reply to Nathan, however, a smaller figure with chocolate brown hair flew at him and started biting and scratching at his face like a rabid cat.
Sydney was humiliated, and she wanted Nathan to pay for it. How dare he ask another girl out when SHE was his girl friend?
-"I hate you! You bastard! You son of a bitch!"
Nathan roared and backhanded her, sending her sprawling to the floor. He laughed at her.
-"why would I want a used up slut like you? I'll date whoever the fuck I want bitch. You're just another lay and you were a really good fuck at that."
He chuckled at her enraged expression and then reached for Ray's waist intending to pull her closer to him.
Ray watched as he backhanded Sydney and felt no sympathy for her at all. It was her fault for not learning how to defend herself. Weaklings... the lot of them.
As Nathan was reaching out towards her, she felt her rage build up again and her scars began to twinge in pain.
PAIN BE DAMNED!
Ray whipped her leg around with lightening speed, aiming straight for the solar plexus.
Before anyone could register what happened Nathan was thrown against the lockers outside the classroom, causing them to dent inwards from the force of the blow.
He was knocked unconscious and there was blood trickling down the side of is head. The entire class rushed out and surrounded him, and student who were already in the hallway were startled and crowded over for a better view. Whispers and gasps were being exchanged and there was much commotion. There were flashes of light as the crowd clambered to take pictures with their cell phones.
Seth knew the rumor that Nathan got his ass handed to him by a girl half his size would spread like wildfire, but he didn't care about that just now.
During the entire encounter, he was staring at Ray. He felt her rage and he noted the pain she felt. He felt it inside him. It made his eyes tear. He saw her fall to her knees after kicking Nathan, tears rolling out of her beautiful eyes as she squeezed them shut and bit her lip in pain, drawing blood.
Mrs. Jansen fainted after one look at Nathan. poor old woman wasn't accustomed to seeing much violence and she was rather old fashioned.
Sydney got to her feet crying and started walking over to Seth, purposefully swishing her hips.
No one had noticed that Ray was now on her knees, hunched on the floor gasping as the pain reached an unbearable climax.
Seth shot to his feet and was walking towards her without thinking. Ray was in pain and she needed help were the only thoughts in his mind, But he was intercepted by Sydney who threw herself into his arms, crying pathetically.
He tried to push her away but she clung to him. He was looking over at Ray the entire time while absentmindedly trying to brush Sydney off.
He stopped dead however when he heard a rumbling growl come from Ray.
She stood up slowly and turned to glare at him, and then her gaze locked on Sydney, still clinging to him. She moved so fast that he barely registered her movement. She grabbed Sydney from the back of her Jacket and tore her away from Seth with a possessive growl then slammed her against the blackboard, knocking her out. She then tossed her to the floor where she lay crumpled in a heap.
Seth stared at her, fear evident in his eyes. But as his fearful gaze met hers, he saw her eyes glaze over and knew that she was going to lose consciousness. He caught her as she stumbled and fell.
Ray fought to stay awake, but the pain was making it hard. She felt the blackness that was closing in and tried to maintain focus. But at her eyes met Seth's, she saw the fear in them and she instantly felt regret. She knew that seeming vulnerable would quench that fear, she could feel it in his thoughts. She stopped fighting the impending blackness, allowing herself to slip into darkness and fall into his arms.
Ray looked around. The familiar walls, tan in color and made out of stone were welcoming. She inhaled and smelled the aroma of incense. Yes, she knew this place perfectly well. It was where she was created. It was home.
She looked down and realized she was dressed in the traditional robes of the temple, made from Egyptian cotton, tan in color, with slits that ran up her legs from the sides, with the insignia of the ancient Egyptian goddess Bast on the chest. How she loved this place.
She walked along the hallway, admiring the sculptures and artwork along the walls, then through a door that led to the altar, only to find the entire room turned over as though a storm had struck and the walls smeared with blood. Her heart slammed against her chest as she realized which time-period she was in. it all played out in her mind like a video being fast-forwarded.
Legend had it that the goddess Bast, the great desert lion, was the daughter of the god Ra. She was created to restore and maintain order, but her thirst for blood became insatiable. So her father tricked her into drinking an excess amount of beer which he tainted with blood to trick her into a stupor that she did not awake from. When she did wake, she was completely docile, a demure kitten.
What the legend failed to tell was that because of her thirst for blood, she pillaged villages and slaughtered people mercilessly; saving only one young man. He was so beautiful that she fell in love with him, and he, just as taken with her beauty and ferocity fell for her.
They mated and Bast gave birth to a litter of desert lions that later grew and were able to shift into human form. Their aging stopped from the moment the shift occurred.
She realized there was a gap in her memory when she was suddenly thrown into blackness, as though someone had cut part of the video that was her memory.
Then her memories continue from when she and her sisters, the girls she had grown in the temple with, had trained with, were restrained and locked in the temple as Ra was deceiving his daughter into submission. When Bast fell into hibernation, so did her children. All but Ray...
She knew why she hadn't fallen into hibernation, but she couldn't remember. She just knew that she had to run away from the temple and nearly died in the desert. Why she was running, she did not know.
There was a nagging sensation, as though the memory was just beyond her reach, when suddenly she was thrust into a different time-period and the faces of two friendly middle-aged people flashed in her mind. They were a married couple with kindly faces as they answered their front door. "How may we help you?" asked the woman politely.
Ray did not remember what happened after that either. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach and dull pain throbbed from her back where she knew her scars were. What happened to that couple? Why was she still awake and not in hibernation like her sisters and her beloved mother?
The last thing she saw was the handsome face of a man she recognized but could not quite place. He was looking at her tenderly and was whispering to her softly but she could barely make out the words. He ran his fingers along her cheeks and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. It broke her heart. He leaned closer and kissed her lips softly then said in audible whisper:
-"go now! run!"
Ray looked down to see the ornamented hilt of a dagger protruding from his abdomen area. His blood was all over her. But numbly, as though following orders, she turned around and ran as fast as she could into the scorching heat of the desert...
-"Will she be all right?" Seth asked the nurse worriedly.
-"Not to worry, She's just exhausted by the looks of it. Nothing serious." An attractive nurse tended to Ray as she lay motionless on the bed.
-"Is it all right if I stay here with her?"
-" Sure, I'll just need your name so that I may inform your teachers that you won't be attending the next lesson."
-"Seth Connor. And thank you Miss Kadena."
Seth had carried Ray to the nurse's office and sat next to her bed. He watched her restlessly toss her head around on the pillow, clearly distressed in her sleep.
He wondered if he should wake her up or just let her sleep through it.
He felt his hands shake with fear of what might happen if he...
He shook his head as though telling himself not to be silly. Of course, he should do something that might relieve some of her pain.
He reached out towards her hand which was laying at her side and gently twined his fingers with hers. She mumbled something in a strange language in her sleep and furrowed her brows, making a crease appear between them, But her hand tightened around his a little.
He watched over her silently.
After an hour, he became worried when she held still for so long that he thought she might have died. As he leaned in to check her breathing by putting his ear near her mouth, he felt her soft breath tickle his jaw.
He felt slightly high from being so close to her, inhaling her soft scent, and didn't realize what he was doing until his lips were suddenly locked with hers in a tender kiss.
He withdrew suddenly realizing he would have been dead had she been awake. But for some reason, the thought didn't scare him so much. He felt it would have been worth it.
He shook his head, tutting.
-"What am I? a masochist?" he asked himself in a loud exasperated whisper.
He felt his erection strain against the confines of his jeans for the second time that morning, but brushed it off determinedly. Instead, he leaned closer to Ray's ear and whispered to her gently; -"come back to me, I'm waiting for you"
He knew he would stay by her side until she woke up.
Until then, he would puzzle over why she made him feel things he never felt towards anyone before. It was unlike him to care so much for someone he barely knew.
Deep down he really believed that he could be of use to her. For some reason, he felt that she wasn't as invincible as she seemed. The feelings he had for Sydney were put to shame next to how Ray made him feel.
Though he was intimidated by her at first, when she stood in front of him that morning, he felt he was looking at the loneliest person in the world. He lost himself in thoughts of her and slowly fell asleep...
Ray moaned and stirred in her sleep.
Her eyes snapped open suddenly and she sat up so slowly but wearily, Seth was dozing off near the edge of the bed with his head on his arms, his fingers caressing the palm of her hand.
Ray leaned her head to side, taking in his tousled dark blonde locks and his long lashes.
She acted on impulse when she slowly moved her other hand across her lap to brush away a stray lock of hair from his brow. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around drowsily.
His eyes slowly widened as he realized she was awake and he still had his hand in hers.
He felt his pulse quicken, but tried to remain calm on the surface.
She sensed his tension but ignored it, instead she leaned in closer to him and softly kissed his cheek.
-"thank you" , she whispered in his ear.
His heart skipped a beat when she kissed his cheek and he felt elated.
Suddenly a bell chimed in the distance, rousing them both from their contemplations.
Seth quickly glanced at the clock near the door.
-"shit! It's eleven o'clock! We missed two lessons", Seth groaned.
Ray gave him a strange look before smiling slightly.
-"well we can always just revise it after school. We live next to each other. Didn't you know?"
Seth looked at her surprised. He didn't expect her to speak to him so naturally. He stuttered nervously while trying to reply
-"well uh, yeah uh, that would be great. M-m-my place or y-yours?"
Deciding where they would revise made him think of how alone they would be. He didn't know how much self-control he had. He wondered if she would strike him dead if he lost it and just kissed her. He realized he was staring at her and looked away embarrassed, clearing his throat.
Ray suppressed a smile, it seems her previous assessment was at fault. He IS resonating to her presence.
-"you don't have to be so tense, Seth"
He felt a pleasant shiver run up his spine when he heard her say his name.
He looked up in time to see the corners of her mouth twitch. She was suppressing a smile.
He felt the tension leave him and he gradually relaxed around her. He smiled at her charmingly, making her feel warm in the pit of her stomach.
-"speak for your self! You don't have to suppress your happiness at being around me" he teased.
Ray snorted derisively and stood up, then flicked Seth's nose with her thumb and index finger.
-"Let's get a move on, we've already missed two lessons and now we're missing lunch"
At her words, her stomach gave a large rumble.
Seth chuckled but quickly held his hands up in surrender as she threatened him with another painful nose-flick.
Lunch was enjoyable enough.
It would have been much more enjoyable if people didn't stare so badly at Seth and Ray as they walked into the cafeteria.
Seth was sure that at least ninety percent of the school was now informed of the Nathan incident. But that wasn't what caused the stares.
Ray had piled up so much food on her plate that it was in danger of spilling over.
She sat down and shoveled it in her mouth, moaning with content. Students and teachers alike watched with amazement as she put away two more such plates of food.
Seth thought it might have been the buzz of the milk machine, but he heard a distinct purr from Ray as she ate her food.
She was a strange one all right. But Seth felt like he can accept anything about this girl.
They were told upon their arrival to the cafeteria that Nathan was taken to the hospital, but Sydney was only slightly concussed, recovered shortly and had gone home for the day. Seth was ecstatic. This day couldn't get any better!
Ray sneaked peaks at Seth through her lashes while she ate. She wondered what he would think if he knew about her. How old she was, what she was and her history.
She pondered about what she should do now that she found Seth.
The one with the required genetic mutation.
She pushed that thought out of her mind though. Now was not the time to be thinking of that.
After she finished her food, they got up and went to Seth's locker to retrieve the books they would need for the next lesson.
The day proceeded without further drama. The only difference was that Ray and Seth were now getting along like old buddies.
He could hardly believe how easy it is talking to her. She accentuated the social part of him. He found himself talking and laughing with her for hours on end. Though he couldn't help but notice how eagerly she changed the subject when he asked about her parents.
When the last bell chimed, signaling the end of the last lesson, he packed up his bag and walked towards the exit, accompanied by Ray.
As they walked, Seth's mind was buzzing with a million questions. He wanted to know everything about her. She intrigued him. He looked to his left where her lovely red locks bounced on her shoulders as she walked and asked the question that was bothering him for sometime now.
-"Where are you from?"
-"My last name is Cousteaux, take a lucky guess" She smiled slightly.
-"It sounds French..." Seth looked a bit unsure as he said this.
-"Bravo!" she clapped her hands mockingly.
Seth bit his lip thoughtfully and Ray resisted the urge to bite him. He shook his head as though ridding himself of a thought and Ray couldn't help but ask:
-"Why do you ask?"
-"well, Cousteaux sounds French... but you don't seem French. You neither look French nor have the English accent that hints to French being your mother tongue." He said accusingly.
It was Ray's turn to bite her lip. She hadn't expected him to poke questions regarding her origin yet. He was smart. She knew her answer would have to have no flaws for him to believe it.
-"Where do you think I'm from then?" She smiled at him charmingly. Seth blushed and looked away, embarrassed.
-"well, you strike me as middle-eastern"
-"Well then, Mr. Connor, I'll leave it at that." She smiled mischievously and continued:
-"Don't you think it's more exotic when it's a mystery?" She winked at him playfully.
Seth had purposefully chosen to walk home this time in order to get to know her more. He didn't want to part from her. The thought made his heart ache. They talked as they walked and were already half way when She replied jokingly, but there was a hint of finality that warned him against pressing the matter any further. He surrendered and let the matter drop.
He realized that he hadn't said her name at all. He wondered how it would feel to say.
He glanced at her, somewhat unsure of himself. She sensed his glance and looked at him questioningly.
He hoped that his voice didn't shake when he took a deep breath:
-"mmm?" She hummed inquiringly.
They turned the corner that would take them down the street with no lamps. It wasn't even half as creepy during the day.
Seth released his breath and looked, felt, confused. It didn't sound right to him.
Ray seemed to have noticed his discomfort but decided not to comment on it.
She stopped at the entrance of her building and looked at Seth expectantly.