Forgotten Royalty (Escaping The Throne)

by Tiffany Wood

  “His name is Bane and in case you’re wondering, no he isn’t my friend.”

  I find a scratch on his shoulder to fix. “I didn’t think he was. Why did you do that? You didn’t have to save me.” I was trying to look anywhere but in his eyes. I was running out of places to clean up. I moved to a spot on his forehead. “Last one. There, good as new. Well almost.” I turned to the sink and started cleaning up my mess.

  He stood up behind me and I looked up to see him behind me in the mirror. “Yes, I did.” He looks straight into my eyes in the mirror. My knees felt weak.

  I broke the gaze. “No you didn’t. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate you doing it. But,” I drop the first aid kit and as I bend to pick it up, he kneels beside me. He puts the first aid kit on the sink and takes my hands.

  “Yes I did. I couldn’t let him hurt you.” He lifted my chin with one hand and I melted. My eyes started to water, I was about to cry when he leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine. He pulled away just a little as if he were asking if this was okay. I laid my face against his palm and he came closer again. This time, he really kissed me. I had never kissed a boy before but it seemed so right. I didn’t want to stop but he pulled away. He caressed my face and took my hands again. As we stood up, he wiped my tears away.

  “I should get dressed now.”

  What? I forgot he was still soaked to the bone and shirtless. “Oh, right. I’ll just go change in my room. I’ll be out in a minute.” I walked to my room and closed the door. I leaned against it and bit my lower lip. What was I thinking? I just met this boy and I’m kissing him in my bathroom while we’re home alone. But I felt the urge to go back to the bathroom and do it again. Think Sara. Priorities: First, change out of your wet clothes. Second, Fix your hair and wipe your face off. I start to strip out of my wet clothes when there’s a knock on my door.

  “Sara, can I come in?” Damian sounds a little concerned.

  Crap. “Just a second.” I already had my bra and shirt off. I grabbed my night shirt from the back of the door and threw it on. My pants could wait. “Okay. You can come in now.”

  As he opened the door, I could see that he hadn’t changed out of his clothes yet. He was still shirtless and he’s coming into my room. He slowly walks in and turns back toward the door.

  “I can wait in the living room.”

  I find myself grabbing his arm. “Wait. Don’t…I mean, you don’t have to go. Why didn’t you change?”

  He looks down. “I was gonna ask if you minded me taking a quick shower, but then I saw you standing here. I guess I just wanted to say that what happened in the bathroom, if you want to pretend it didn’t, I’ll understand.” He looked down and started to turn around again.

  “Wait.” I hadn’t let go of his arm yet, “Do you want to pretend it didn’t happen?” I waited for him to look at me. He kept his head down. If I wanted him to look at me, I was gonna have to play his game. I reached out to his face and put my hand under his chin. He lifted it automatically. “Damian. Do you want to pretend it didn’t happen?”

  Our eyes locked and he reached up to my hand. He turned his face into my palm and kissed it. He reached his other hand over to my face and slowly caressed my cheek. I turned my face as he had and kissed his palm. He ran his fingers through my hair and wrapped his other arm around my waist. He pulled me closer and I ran my hands down his chest. He leaned into me and gave me such a passionate kiss that I couldn’t feel my legs. He picked me up and sat me on my bed.

  He stopped. It was as if he was waiting for something. I started to ask him why, but he put a finger to my lips. He went over to my closet and shut himself in. I heard it then.

  Someone had come in the door and was coming up the hall. It wasn’t my aunt because she wears high heels to work and I would have heard her at the door.

  As if he heard my thoughts, Damian opened the door back up and reached for me. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me in with him. We were pushed together tightly between the door and the clothes. He had pushed me in first and had his back to me.

  I wish he was facing me now so that I could see his expression. The footsteps were outside the bathroom. I heard something like a dog sniffing. Then the footsteps came to my door. I heard the knob turn and before they could open it I heard my aunt at the front door. Her keys jangled as she put them in the lock. She wouldn’t realize I had forgotten to relock it. The footsteps moved down to the hall closet and I heard the door shut.

  Aunt Lynn started into the kitchen and put down her purse. “Sara, what on God’s green earth is all over my carpet? Did you get in another fight at school?” Of course, it had to be me that was hurt. I squirmed to get around Damian.

  “You can’t go out there,” he whispered

  “I have to. If I don’t they might hurt her.” I started trying to squirm around him again.

  He pushed me against the wall. “Stay here!” He growls, “I’ll make sure she’s safe. I mean it Sara, don’t move! I’ll be back.” It was like he was yelling at me, but in hushed tones. I could barely hear him, but he knew I understood. He quietly opened my closet door and left me there as he closed it behind him.

  I was so scared, I couldn’t feel my legs. I quietly crouched down until I was sitting on the floor. I couldn’t hear Damian’s footsteps in the hall. Was he still in my room? I heard my bedroom door creaking open and I would have thought it was Damian sneaking out, but I heard a small whimper that I assumed had to have come from Aunt Lynn.

  I pulled my knees up to my chest and waited. The door opened and the footsteps entered my room. Damian had gone to make sure Aunt Lynn was safe and now I was here by myself. The footsteps came towards the closet and stopped. I heard the sniffing again.

  Suddenly it sounded like two dogs fighting. I heard whimpering and yelping and I didn’t know what was going on. My closet door was made like venetian blinds. I crawled to the door and peeked out. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were two dogs fighting in my room.

  I picked up my dad’s hockey stick that I kept in my closet as I stood up. I managed to sneak out of it, but one of the dogs jumped at me. The other one head butted it just before it bit.

  The second one turned and glared at me as if to say get back in there. That cost him though because the other one grabbed his leg and tossed him across the room.

  The first one turned to me again and I swung dad’s hockey stick just like he showed me when I was little. Smack! Yelp! The first dog hit the wall. He didn’t get back up. The other one started toward me slowly and I raised the hockey stick. It lay down as if to say “I won’t hurt you.” I put the hockey stick down slowly and the dog, no wait, it was a wolf. The wolf came over to me. It grabbed my shirt in its teeth and pulled me back in the closet. He looked at me again like he was telling me to stay put. I nodded and shut the door. I heard whimpering again. I didn’t try to peek this time. I heard someone or something dragging what I assumed was the other wolf out of my room and down the hall. The front door shut and I heard the locks engaging. Then I heard someone running down the hall from the kitchen.

  Aunt Lynn burst into my room. “SARA?” Should I answer?

  More footsteps came down the hall. “Sara, it’s me, Damian. You can come out now.”

  Damian? “Is it safe?”

  He comes to the door and opens it. I’m huddled with my knees against my chest again. He crouches down and takes my hands. “It’s okay. He’s gone.” I jump into his embrace and he holds me tight against him. “Can you stand up?” I felt kinda shaken, but I tried anyway and fell. “Whoa, we keep meeting like this.” He laughs. “If I didn’t know any better I would say you were falling for me.”

  Aunt Lynn just looked at me with huge eyes. “Will someone explain to me why a huge dog was just drug out of my apartment and while you’re at it, why don’t you throw in why there is a teenage boy in your room?”

  Busted, what could I tell her. She wouldn’t believe me if I told her the truth and I can’t lie to her. “If I co
uld try to explain Mrs.? What did you say your aunt’s name was again?”

  “My name is Lynn Thielman. I’m a therapist.”

  Here we go. “I just started school with your niece today. I saw her walking in the rain on the way home from school and thought I should pick her up. When I stopped someone tried to grab her off the street and I fought them off. I got a nice mark on my arm here to prove it. So she invited me up to look at my arm and forgot to lock the door behind her. She bandaged me up in the bathroom and said she had some sweats that I could borrow. As you can see, I didn’t get to change. Somehow that dog got into the apartment and she had been in her room changing. She opened the door and it charged in. I heard her scream and came running in. I fought with the dog and that’s why I didn’t hear you yelling in the hallway. The rest you pretty much know.”

  Wow, did he just make that up as he went? He must be used to thinking fast on his feet.

  “Is that true Sara?”

  I looked up without a second thought, “Well, it’s not like I bring guys up here all the time for make out sessions. What do you think? You know I don’t have a boyfriend, and, no, Shaun doesn’t count.” Did I just announce all of that in front of Damian?

  “What did you say your name was young man?”

  “My name is Damian Lykaios, and I’m pleased to make your acquaintance Ms. Thielman.” He really seemed like he was too.

  “Well why don’t you let me take a look at those cuts while Sara finishes dressing? You can change in the bathroom after I look you over.”

  Chapter Eight

  They walked out to the bathroom before I could say anything else. At least she hadn’t walked in while we were having our make out session. I took my night shirt back off and put on a dry bra. I changed the rest of my clothes and found a t-shirt that wasn’t to girly but showed a little bit more of my shoulders and neck. I put on dry socks and shoes and heard Damian in the bathroom acting like a big baby.

  “Ouch. That really burns.” He didn’t complain when I was cleaning him up so I was really hoping she wasn’t cleaning him up with alcohol.I went to Aunt Lynn’s room and used her little half bath. I washed my face and brushed my hair. I pulled it back up into a pony so that she didn’t get to suspicious. I hurried out to the living room and took up residence on the couch. Aunt Lynn must have finished with all of his cuts and bruises because she went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple diet sodas. She brought them back to the living room and sat them on the coffee table. She went to her room and grabbed a pair of men’s socks from her drawer and brought them out to the living room also. She put them on the arm of the couch and sat down in the chair across from me. She hadn’t looked at me until now.

  “Well, you won’t wear regular clothes for me, but a boy saves your life twice in one day and you immediately change your style.”

  What? Shoot, “No, all of my black clothes are in the laundry. I would have had them done by now if it weren’t for me having to be rescued.”

  “Oh, here comes the man of the hour now. Damian, I brought you out some dry socks. Please, sit down for a while and we can talk. Sara, why don’t you take his clothes and shoes and throw them in the dryer?”

  I knew that was more of a ‘don’t push your luck, I am only asking to make it seem nice’ question. “Ok, do you need anything while I’m up?” I get up and grab the pile from Damian’s arms. He tries to tug them back like he is embarrassed, but I just keep a hold of them as I turn. He was either going to let go, or go with me. I could deal with either.

  “You really don’t have to.”

  My aunt gestures for him to sit on the couch, “Oh, nonsense. What kind of host would I be if I didn’t dry your wet clothes?” My aunt was giving me the opportunity to do something that I would have never dreamed of doing before. I checked his pockets and made sure they were empty. Now anyone who has done their own laundry as long as I have, would know that you have to make sure that the underwear are not left in the pants or they don’t get dry. So he’s a boxer man. Never would have guessed that. Prime blackmail doesn’t come cheap. I would definitely save that information for a rainy day. I put his clothes in the dryer and grabbed the hair dryer off the shelf. I might as well put this to good use. I spent the next twenty minutes drying his shoes with the hair dryer while Aunt Lynn sat out there torturing him.

  Damian’s POV

  “So, Damian, tell me what classes do you have with Sara? Did you get to talk to her much today?”

  Is this really happening? I go from trying to stay away from her, to protecting her, to getting the third degree from her aunt. I suppose it could be worse. She could be coaching me on not having sex.

  “Actually, I am in all of her classes. She helped me out a lot today. We did get to talk some in study hall but not much other than that. She helped me audition for the play. I needed a partner and didn’t know anyone else.”

  That made her smile, “So you joined the drama club too? Did you meet Shaun? You know, he and Sara have been friends since Kindergarten. Where is that girl?”

  This is my chance, “Why don’t I go see what’s taking her so long?” I hop up before she can answer and hurry off in the direction that Sara had gone. I didn’t need to know where, I could smell her. “Hey, are you using a hair dryer on my shoes?” I start laughing.

  “What’s so funny? Would you rather I threw them in the dryer and had the belt break? If that happened you might have to stay here even longer to fix it and who knows what else Aunt Lynn can come up with to talk about.”

  Ah, so she knew that her aunt was drilling me for information. “I think I could handle anything she may ask me.” I lift her onto the dryer with her legs spread around my waist.

  “You like to live dangerously, don’t you?” She asks slightly out of breath.

  Not that she seemed to mind, I probably could have laid her on the floor at that point and she wouldn’t have cared. “Just proving a point, I’m dangerous.” With that, I took my shoes, and turned to leave.

  “Wait a minute. Where did that come from? What are you talking about?” She begins to storm after me.

  I couldn’t tell her. “Just giving you something to think about before the next time you touch me.” The next time? I wanted to take her to her room now and lay with her. Stop it! Take control of yourself. “Are you coming to school tomorrow?”

  She looked down at her hands, “Will you be there?”

  I turn towards her, “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

  She looks up into my eyes and her thoughts begin flowing into my mind, “Will you miss me if I’m not there?”

  I turn away. Why was she playing this game with me? Doesn’t she realize she’s going to get hurt?

  She puts her hand around my bicep and pulls me toward her, “Do you want to pretend that we didn’t kiss?”

  I never wanted to forget that kiss, but I couldn’t answer her. I walked to the living room, politely thanked her aunt and told her that I was leaving. As I headed to the door, I heard Sara run back the hall to her room. She shut the door softly so her aunt wouldn’t hear, but even after I shut their front door, I could still hear her crying.

  Sara’s POV

  Why did I think he would want me? I wasn’t beautiful and I didn’t wear sexy clothes. I had a boy’s body structure and dull, dry hair. No boy in their right mind would want me. I dressed in black all of the time. No one would want to be around someone so depressing. I dried my tears before I started gathering up my clothes. I unlocked my door and went back to the laundry room.

  I managed to have all of my clothes done in the washer before dinner and put them in the dryer right before I headed to the shower. I decided I wanted to burn the clothes that I was wearing now. I wasn’t sure how I would do that without Aunt Lynn noticing though so I threw them in the trash. I don’t want to remember anything about tonight. I use a scrub brush to wash my body. I brushed my teeth and tongue like ten times before I went to bed. I cried myself to sleep that night, and though I didn’
t want to think about him, I dreamt of my hero all night.

  I woke up early again and swear I saw him in the corner. My eyes were still full of tears when I sat up. I had cried all night even in my sleep. Why can’t I quit thinking about him? I just want to feel his arms around me again. I put on my clothes from my laundry and see his clothes folded neatly on the dryer where I left them. I shoved them in a grocery bag and went out to eat breakfast.

  I wrote Aunt Lynn a note telling her I left early so that I could practice with Shaun this morning for the play. Really, I just wanted to walk to school. I left the apartment and started walking. Hardly anyone walked down my street, especially this early in the morning. I heard footsteps behind me. Just keep walking Sara. It’s probably just someone out for a morning jog. I keep looking ahead and as I round the first corner, I see Damian’s car sitting on the side of the street. I ignore it and keep walking. I wasn’t playing his games today. After I passed his car, the footsteps stopped. Good, it was probably him and now he’ll know what it feels like to be shunned.

  As I got to school, Thai pulled up to the curb. “Sara, why didn’t you call me? I would’ve picked you up yesterday and this morning.”

  Truthfully I wish I had. “Sorry Thai. I meant to call you when I got home last night, but everything started going wrong and I forgot. Do you forgive me?”

  He smiled, “You know I can’t stay mad at you. I’ll be here at 3:15 to pick you up ok?”