Chapter Thirteen

''It's strange how easy it was, once we tried, to just spend time being broken together.'' -Rasmenia Massoud, Tied Within.

Faith's injured mind throbbed, desiring for peace, that didn't seem to want to come. How her heart desired such, how her body craved for it. The silence that came with being broken. That came with being shattered to pieces like the metallic lining of a glossy living room window. Shattered to pieces, but still somehow? Could be put back together with a little glue and some tape. Could she even consider herself close to the same? Was she like a window? A window that could break, but overtime, hard work, could be put back together again? A part of her wasn't so sure now. Since someone had lit a candle inside her mind, for hours, all she could feel was the burning temperatures of the candle's burning warmth against the walls of her mind. And everytime the candle paused, flashes of lonesomeness, and fear came flooding back, more powerful each and every time. The camp. The base, her people had spent months trying to make safe and protected at every single cost! Burned to ashes, all around her, in a blink.

She craved for such much more. But forced herself to remember, she couldn't have any of it. This was her life now. And the pain of haunting and stabbing mixing with the scent of so much blood, sometimes she barely could tell the difference between the human or Arrow it'd been stolen from. The feelings in her chest caused her injured, ash covered bones to ache, as she pulled her arms from her sides to her lap, landing restlessly, as the coolness from the marble surface took its time garving the surface of the patterns into the skin along her back. A knock on the descortive, pattern along the door that lead into the room, captured her attention, drawing her attention from the fiery thoughts she'd rather think about, as she drew her dull, puffy, eyes to the person standing behind the door frame. Peaking himself over the side, she spotted a soft pair of purple eyes, the pair that brought her the most warm, and softness, she admitted to feeling in such a long time.

Valdin's gental, soft smile, burned into her mind, finding a place to live inside her, as he walked along the floor towards where she lay. Banadaged, a bowl of hot water, and a washcloth, accompanied by a well sized med kit, she was surprised but refrained from saying anything bad about it. Remembering the way his body felt against hers, when he had risked his own life just to rescue her from the fire spreading through her chambers, only what felt like minuets ago.

She drew into him almost immediately. The look of a soft expression, presented behind a cool smile. ''What're they saying about me out there?!'' Faith asked, laughter buried throughout the sentence.

''Don't worry about them.'' He replied. ''It's you, you should be worried about.'' HIs lips turned thin, and his jaw snapped, almost like he was clenching and pushing on his teeth so hard, his cheeks looked puffed up, washing over with the reddish color of a tomato. Anyone who's eyes found him, could see he was trying attempts at hiding his anger, but seemed to be failing miserably, as he slid his bottom across the polished marble table like bed, and turned his body to face her. HIs eyes lost Faith's for a moment, his eyes bowed, the wings on his back vanishing entirely, as his body shifted from the tension he felt, creeping up inside. HIs fists tightening as the tan of his skin, transformed in the shade of white anger. '"Why did you save me?'' Faith blurted out, coming off more surprised than she'd intended. Valdin's eyes locked onto hers, so suddenly, wide and wild looking, as his nostrils flared.

Shock - pure shock and obliterating concern washing over his fair features.

''Why would you even ask me that?!'' He hissed, sharply. Valdin seemed to stare at for much longer than it felt, as Faith's voice finally filled the air once again. ''Because I'm human, I don't amount to anything.'' She said confidently, no drops of hesitation presenting its self in anything she'd just said.

''You don't know how wrong you are,'' Valdin paused, then captured her hands in his own, searching her eyes for the stars, he knew were hidden inside. ''I saved you because I believed fate has other plans for you. You might not be able to see it now, so allow me to carry that fate for the both of us, all right?'' He smiled a loving smile, Faith thought her heart had melted from all the heat surrounding them. ''For someone who's name is ''Faith'' you really don't have that much faith.'' A small bit of laughter escaped his lips, before he roated himself forward, his eyes following away from hers, and to a wall, covered in teardrops, and roaring sights of white, ocean, waves.

''You should go! Go away at once! You can't control yourself!

''Get out of here, before you do something you can't come back from!''

Valdin saw Faith swallow down something hard, then she nodded, struggling as if she was having trouble believing him. Believing in the truth behind his words. As if she was struggling with the scene of desire to believe in it herself. The sides of his head throbbed, painfully, as the shouts and screams of horribly loud, familiar voices came rushing towards him, Stabbing at him as if he was inside a tunnel, filled with nothing but horrible, and painful screams, from loved ones, he chose to forget. There was no room for mistakes, for mess ups. He'd managed to control his emotions, the raging evil inside him, for so long now, but the fear he'd somehow lose control again, never did seem to let up. Even with centries spent battling.

Two years spent on Earth, and the past continued to play games with him. Even now, fates design for him, didn't include a happy ending. HIs wondering, distracted, eyes caught a glimpse of Faith through all the darkness. She was staring at him, lips moving, but no sound could be heard. He shook his head, shaking the heavy, marble voices, as far down as he could, hoping they'd stayed drowned till he returned to his room. The room his sister, Venus had issued to have specialized crystals placed all over the place, in hopes she could rid him of the tatined, blood thirsty thoughts that lived deep inside him.

''Are you all right? You haven't said much since I asked you why you saved me, is there something you wish to talk about? Go ahead, i'm all ears! I promise to listen and not say a word till your finished!'' Faith assured him, her tone serious, her eyes presenting heavily.

* * *

* Centuries Ago*

''You can't call that - that thing ours! I won't be associated with it!'' The tan man shouted, light emerald eyes flashing with anger, nostrils flaring, fists clenched, with an expression modeled with fresh paint and fine marble, below the man's feet obscured by shadows, was a baby. The baby was wrapped up in dark blue, when touched the surface felt damp, and when near captured the scent of rainwater. The baby blanket was almost completely drenched in rainwater, as if someone had mistaken it for a flower in need of watering. And when the darkness let up for a couple seconds, in the corner of your vision, was a shiny object. One stained with aqua blue coloring.

A jewel.

''How dare you say such things! And about our son! You know what the cost was! How grave the price was! You knew! you knew and you said nothing! He's already born! What the hell do you think is supposed to happen, in this stage in time? Are you hoping somehow he will somehow, just magically disappear?!'' Shouted a woman. A woman who was sure to be the man's wife. In her arms was a second baby, this one was wrapped up in a thin, sickly, pink blanket. Her face had also been obscured, say for the woman, who's face dropped and eyes flooded with sadness every time she looked upon her small daughter. Though something was different about the two. The man and woman seemed to care more for their daughter, then the second. Then the baby in dark blue, surrounded by rainfall, and cold winds, as the storm grew heavy above their heads.

The man closed his eyes as heat flushed the stress from his, tan cheeks. Then for a second, he searched his wife's eyes. What came out of his mouth next, was enough to freeze the bones of anyone close by. ''We leave him.'' The man's voice was suddenly much lower, more shallow, as if they weren't just planning to abandon their child. As if they were two of the most caring, loving, and selfless creatures around. As if they didn't come from darkness. The woman having been born a demon, and the man having been born an immortal, unaware of the future they'd be creating. One in which the Arrows roamed the Earth.....

* * *

*Present*

''No secrets that will make me cry,'' Faith warned, her eyes still, though loving all the same. ''what ever you tell me, I promise to listen, and not to say a single thing until you've finished?! Alright?!'' Faith assured him, her tone serious, with a mix of peace. The beating hearts of the roses grown along the side of the building, able to be spotted from the edge of the window, throbbed with anxiety and tension, either they were just as impatient as Faith was, or they were trying to signal for something. Faith watched as Valdin shifted uncomfortably to the right, sliding two inches from facing her, as his jaw clenched under some horribly strong nervousness. ''I'm not who you think I am, Faith.'' ''Hey,'' Faith's voice came out quite and concerned as she touched one of her hands out to reach him, gently pressing against his cheek, as she started whispering now. ''Hey, you're shaking, what's the matter?'' She questioned, eyes drifting to her right, till her eyes returned to the sight of him. Her warm coloring of her eyes mixing into his. Valdin's eyes seemed to close, tightly, almost as if he was trying anything possible to avoid her staring into him, warming into him, as if he wished she stare at him in some other way, a way in which he felt to be hate. At that moment, there was nothing Valdin wished more, than for Faith to look at him with hate, anything but the lust and love he saw, every second his eyes swallowed her. He seemed to zone out for longer than he managed, as his body arched with repressed memories, full of disgust, as the sight of her right then, now filled him with pain, as the effect threatened to cripple his broken insides. ''The days we spent together, have been filled with nothing but so much love,'' he paused before continuing, licking his lips as he tried to push through the heart wrenching sentence. ''I will treasure them always, but I fear what is coming next, will force you to gaze at me in a darker light,'' he chocked, eyes shutting tightly as if they were full of sand instead of water. His mind re-organized its self in a matter of a few seconds, resulting in enough time to keep his mind from casting and condurying the field of flames he would bare witness too, though his tongue brought life back to his dry, cracked, lips, he roated himself so he was better facing her, slow at first, then the clock inside him, broke through skin and flesh, attracting boiling blood, till his heart was beating uncontrollably. Terrified, he muttered ''I-'' Only to be interrupted by a sudden wist of loud winds casting the cold chills to knock into him, capturing the air from inside his lungs, where his next words lay in pieces, along the floor, cast away along with his jaw.

'"Valdin wasn't born a full god. He's only half.''

''Okay? So, what's the other half?'' Faith breathed, eyes confused and plagued with betrayal towards Valdin's will to keep something so important, from her for as long as he had.

He wanted to shout, to scream, to plead with Faith those words weren't true, that they were all hearing something that wasn't truly there, but once he captured her eyes, realization caused his expression to darken, casting a dark shadow over his violet eyes in an attempt to rid of every drop of light from him. He wanted to disappear, to be casted away forever, never to have to take in Faith's painful expression again, for as long as his half god spirt shall allow. Strong and bitter waves of courage wavered through him, as with his full strength he tried to catch her eyes, but all his eyes seemed to allow, was a slight, angered glare towards the one responsible. That being his sister, and the god of love, herself, Venus, who stared blankly, pulling and pulling, tugging, and pusing, till she had him consumed in what could be considered as an invisible bubble. The two staring into one another, Valdin glaring at her with stern eyes, most powerful, for a moment, she knew she'd messed up. A screw up that might have just costed him everything. A beat of sweat worked its way from her forehead, down the side of her face, and continued down her perfectly, soft, round bronze cheeks. As his spirt burned holes against the surface of her entire body, he swore for just a moment, he could see something. Something he'd only seen once before, when they were only small. For a minuet, Valdin could swear he could see the little girl, she had once been, peaking out, looking at him with innocent, sparkling, brightly colored eyes. Wishing and whisking him into her arms, vowing to always protect her younger brother. The imagery of her, existed seconds more, as the last thing he forced his mind to catch, to remember, was a faint, fluffy - looking rose colored blanket, that had once been wrapped loosely around Venu's shoulders. As time returned for the three of them, Venus winched, pulling herself backward, then straightening as well as she could, forcing wellness to her face where it clearly didn't belong, as for the first time in thousands of years, she remembered what real pain felt like. And as her face grew in familiarity with the source of pain, chilly, freezing tears worked their way from her eyes, down her cheeks. She hadn't cried in years either, but almost appeared as if she was use to doing so, which caught Faith's attention, as she jumped from Valdin, who was seated in front of her, hands pressed together in his lap.

''What's the other half!?'' She asked, louder, her heart racing to the point of pain, as she felt sick enough to puke, sliding and roating in circles, as if she had gremlins dancing/prying inside her stomach. She waited for his reply in tense silence, her eyes haunting and darkening, which made anything but love, pull and tighten against her lips, replacing the soft innocence and beauty projected from her, when somebody looked in her direction, tears formed in her eyes at the heartbreaking sounds of complete silence, until her arms shot out towards him, capturing the ends of his shoulders in grasps of strength, till she shouted at him. ''Tell me!'' she barked. He returned her touch, softer, as familiarly of his warmth flashed through her, easing the pain she felt, for only a second, as his words threw towards her, like a uncontrollable hurricane.

''Arrow, the other half is Arrow.'' He finally confessed.

The light in her eyes were like dying embers. Soft and warm, but quickly depleting as if someone had blown on it. Eager to put out the warm, orange light. She turned away from the half blood boy, with the violet eyes, the love she felt for him, pulling at reality, twisting for time to rewind. ''Stop, He said, his breathing ragged and misunderstood. ''Please'' Something like a firework went off in the distance, bringing traveling strong winds, through the three of them, from the forced open balcony doors, forcing Valdin to tense, as his eyes widened. His mind racing, panicked as realization sat trapped in his throat, at Faith's disappearance.