Our Dark Hearts & Their Twisted Minds

Chapter 6

King Aspen

I observed with a curious expression as Kijani slumped to the ground. Suddenly a flicker of fear went through me. I reached forward and placed two fingers on his neck, breathing a sigh of relief. His pulse was there, it wasn't enough to kill him. It had been nearly thirty minutes since he ate the plant, and it was clear it had started to affect him.

Kijani seemed to be trembling and his eyes were closed. Touching his forehead, I realised he was dangerously cold. Despite that, he was breathing heavily as though overheating.

"Kijani?" I called to him, "Can you hear me?"

"Mmph" Kijani jerked his head away from my touch. I suspected Kijani could not in fact understand, at least not rationally.

"Can you open your eyes?" I tried.

To my complete surprise, Kijani managed to obey. His pupils were so dilated it nearly covered his whole iris. His eyes flicked up to me. I couldn't even begin to describe the look of pure horror that crossed Kijani's face. I didn't know what Kijani saw, but it caused the hybrid to launch himself backwards and hit his head against the wall with a brutal thud.

"Are you okay?" I smiled gently, stepping closer, "What do you see?"

I figured Kijani was seeing a hallucination. Of what, I had no idea, but I was determined to find out. I reached forward, gently cupping Kijani's chin. Kijani's eyes widened, his ears going flat against his head.

"No..." Kijani murmured, "Please. Not again."

"Not again, what?" I frowned. Now I was just confused.

"Ivan, it's over" Kijani whispered, "Please, just leave me be."

"Ivan?" My eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Isn't he the person you were talking about earlier?"

"Ivan..." Kijani whimpered, "Please don't rape me again... it hurts so much."

I had a feeling of such shock and guilt running through me at that moment that I released Kijani and stumbled backwards. Suddenly this wasn't so fun anymore. This Ivan person... had raped Kijani? I felt a strong sense of fury pass through me. Kijani did not deserve that. Suddenly I understood why he didn't trust others and was resistant to touch. It all made so much sense.

I turned his attention back to Kijani. Kijani sat curled in a ball, his whole-body trembling. I suddenly wished I'd never had the idea to do this. I'd wanted to have fun, not force Kijani to relive his trauma. I realised Kijani was now whispering about something else, "Please father, don't hurt her..." he was crying, "Stop! She didn't do anything!"

"Kijani, listen to me" I knelt in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "It's not real. You're okay."

"Just leave me alone..." Kijani pleaded, "I haven't done anything, I promise!" His normally icy blue eyes were blurred by hot tears falling from them. It was like a storm had disturbed their usually calm depths.

"Oh Kijani" I pulled him into a hug, "I'm so sorry I did this. I thought it would be fun."

I had to try and reverse the datura effects as quickly as I could. I couldn't bear to see Kijani like this, it felt like an invasion of privacy. Slipping away from Kijani's arms, I stood up. I had to make Kijani vomit. I remembered I had some yarrow growing by my window. Rushing over, I dug my hand into the soil. Feeling for a root, I snapped it off. Retrieving it, I made my way back to Kijani.

"Eat this" I instructed, holding the root out.

But Kijani didn't respond. I realised he'd gone completely delirious, muttering to himself. Thinking fast, I gripped the root tight. I placed a finger on Kijani's lip, gently easing his mouth open. Without much thought, I shoved the root in. Kijani jumped in surprise, but his mouth clamped shut and he began to chew. I sighed with relief as he swallowed it. It would be okay.