A Twist In My Story (Karsen)

It was almost curfew, and Karma was sitting in the way back of the empty library doing homework, for once in her life. Not much was getting done, however, as her eyes kept going to the window, where she could see a storm brewing. She was fighting the irrational fear that was brewing in her stomach along with the storm.

As the clouds made everything darker, she lit a lamp to try and distract herself, focusing on the simple task of lighting the old Kerosene thing. She took a deep breath, trying to fight it harder, closing the small glass window that contained the flame. Her eyes stayed on the flame for a second, a fuzzy memory coming to mind. A warmness on one of her hands.... but she'd probably been drunk at the time.

One flash of lightning and crash of thunder later, she was under the table, wishing she was anywhere else. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to be small. Maybe, if she was small, it wouldn't find her. Maybe, if she stayed under the table, it would go away. She closed her eyes and thought this over and over, whimpering every time thunder shook the windows.

He didn't know why but suddenly he found himself heading towards the library. The grounds were off limit thanks to the stupid storm and at this time of night the library was a good spot to get some peace. Or so thats what he said to explain why he was going there.

He entered the library and just began scanning the aisles for a decent book to read. What was it with all the good books needing signatures to read? He sighed planning to lay out on a table somewhere when he spotted someone hiding under his usual spot.

He moved closer and crouched down at the side of the table and smiled at the sight of Karma. "Boo." He said gently moving to sit beside her. "Who you hiding from?" He asked.

Karma nearly jumped out of her skin when he spoke, but she opened her eyes and looked at him. She recognized his voice anyway. She gave him an evil look and tried to sound normal. "Go away, Hothead. I'm not hiding from any..." But then thunder clapped, and she squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering again.

He raised an eyebrow at her and lent back on his arms. "Okay look me in the eyes and tell me you want me to leave. If you mean it i will, but if like i think, you're just putting on this hate thing you have for me then im gonna stay." He said turning his red eyes to look at her.

She opened her eyes once the thunder passed, and met his, biting her lip. She didn't want him to see her like this, but she didn't want to be alone. Not now. Not with the lightning looking for her again.

"I... I guess you can... stay." She said softly. She was caught in his red eyes for a few moments, before thunder crashed once more and she was a shivering mess again. Her eyes closed and she tried to become smaller. If she was smaller, the lightning wouldn't find her. If she stayed under the table, the storm would pass. She thought this over and over again, and without meaning to, ended up muttering it softly to herself.

He smiled. "Thought so." He said before turning to look out the window at the lightning struck. "Come here." He said crawling out from under the table and offering her his hand. "It's going to do no good hiding under a table." Slowly he backed up and lead her to a passage way just outside of the library.

"There no windows, just solid stone walls. Nothing can get you hear." He said leaning back against the wall, the cold stone felt good against his skin. It reminded him to keep cool.

Karma looked up as he crawled out from under the table, momentarily panicked that he was leaving her, until he offered her his hand. Slowly, she reached out and took it, her eyes on their hands. Her eyes met his as he slowly lead her out of the library, trying to stay focused on him instead of the lightning, which was doubtlessly about to come for her. Doubtlessly, it was going to smash through the windows and...

He told her that it couldn't get her, and she finally breathed. She leaned against the wall, sinking down to the floor, trying to catch her breath. Since when had she stopped breathing anyway? She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. It would seem that she still needed oxygen.

"Thank you." She said softly, her eyes on the ground. Now she was embarrassed, though every time the thunder crashed, she shivered. For sure it was the lightning's anger at not finding her. It would try harder next time, and then...

She squeezed her eyes shut. She was surrounded by walls now. She was safe now. Arsen said so. And... and... Arsen's word was enough.

He watched her, all the while keeping hold of her hand to make sure she knew he was there. Apparently it helped to know there was someone there when you were afraid. He couldn't comment on that because he'd not once had someone there when he was afraid.

"Right this will be our place." He said. "Whenever there is a storm come here and ill find you. I won't let it get you." Your the only one that really talks to me he added in his head. He hated being pitied and he definitely didn't need his own personal problems thrown into the mix too because he couldn't remember exactly what he'd sat the other night.

"What do you remember from the other night?" He asked wondering what she remembered.

Karma looked up at him, her eyes wide and trusting. "Every storm?" She asked, her voice small. "All of them?"

She looked back at the ground, her hand held firmly in his making her feel better. "I... I remember..." She remembered snippits. Her head on his shoulder, his hand in hers, his scars, his face as he 'slept', his arm around her, his words...

That is the only thing I am thankful for.

She blushed. "I don't remember much of anything, really." She said, looking away from him, her eyes focused down the corridor, trying to push the blush down. Dumb lightning, looking for her, making her mind all scrambled. She'd blame the lightning, even though her mind kept trying to remember that night. Kept reminding her of the way he held her face as he'd said that, his eyes as unguarded as she'd ever seen them...

But it had to be the lightning.

He nodded looked down at his ring as he spun it around his finger. "Yes if you want me to, then ill be here." He said looking back up at her. He wasn't used to feeling this way, so he didn't exactly know what he was doing.

He nodded, he didn't remember a lot and thats what worried him the most. Who knows what he did that night. "I don't remember a lot but i seem to remember you singing." He smiled. "Im sure it was you but the more i think about it the more it seems unlikely."

Karma smiled up at him, pulling him down to sit beside her. "That would mean a lot to me." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder and slipping her arm between his arm and his body, so that they were holding hands more comfortably. "I'm... glad you're here."

She hesitated before nodding, her eyes on the ground. "I sang you to sleep." She said softly.

He sat down beside her as she pulled on his arm. "Then i'll be there for as long as you shall need me. You'll know where i am if you want me anyway, its not like i can go far trapped in this stupid castle." He said resting his cheek on the top of her head.

He smiled. "That would have been great if i could sleep. From what i can remember though you have a good voice. I'd never have thought you were the type to sing." He smirked.

She sighed, relaxing into him. "I don't think I'll be in any position to look for you." She said, shivering and pulling him closer as thunder shook the castle. She whimpered softly as the far off sound of lightning hitting a tree echoed down the hallway.

"Really? I sing all the time..." She said, "Usually, I'm alone, though..." She began humming, the same tune she'd sang to him.

"Well you wouldn't need to. Even when im not there just light a candle or something and i'll be there in spirit. Sometimes i can even hear you if you call my name." He said, he'd often heard people talking about him when they were by their common room fire.


"You cold?" He asked moving his arm so he could drape it over her shoulder to keep her warm. That was one thing he was good at at least. Being the human water bottle.


"You're really good you know, but im glad im the only one to hear your voice." He smiled.

"Really?" Karma asked, curling up close to him. "So have you eavesdropped on anyone yet?"

"Maybe... maybe a little..." She said softly, confused by the comfort she took in him being there.

"Oh really...?" She teased. "And why's that?"

He smiled. "Now that would be telling." He smirked, he hadn't really been spying on anyone since he told them out right that he would be listening in. Damian had been his first, the young pathetic boy who was still crying over the death of his sister months after it happened.

He nodded and closed his eyes gently and slowly turning up the heat so he was at the right heat to keep her warm without actually being too hot. "Because that means i get to show you one gift no one else knows i can do." He smiled. "You ready? Just don't freak out okay? As long as we're touching your fine." He said wanting to make sure she was comfortable before doing anything.

Karma grinned right back. Telling indeed. As he heated up, she relaxed, smiling softly at the floor. He was so warm. It must be nice to never be cold.

"Me? Freak out? Never!" She said, a teasing lilt in her voice. Thunder rumbled, and her hold on him tightened a bit, but she still stayed relatively calm. "See? Do your worst." She grinned at him.

He laughed. "Okay but don't move." He said before closing his eyes. This took a lot more concentration since fire seemed more opposed to this. It liked to burn and destroy and this did neither.

Seconds later he sprung into flames which immediately engulfed Karma too. "Im holding back the pain and heat so don't do this whilst im not around. It would burn and hurt like hell." He said lifting his spare hand up to poke at one of the flames surrounding them.

"It helps me think and usually keeps me calm." He admitted.

Karma watched the fire as it sprung up around him, reaching out a hand to touch it. It felt.... playful. Happy. And she didn't understand what was so bad about it. It was as if its heat and destructive tendencies threw people off...

Karma had an epiphany.

She looked up at Arsen, a grin on her face. "I like fire." She said, her hand trying in vain to catch some. "When it's nice to me." Her hand stopped trying to catch the fire and instead opted to join her other hand, wrapping her arm around his waist. "That's some power, Hothead." She said with a smirk.

He smiled. "I should hope so, im like 70% made of the stuff." He said poking one of the flames himself, only when he did it the flames clung to his finger.

"It will always be nice when im around. It wouldn't dare go against one of my orders." He said thinking about it for a second. He had no idea why. It's not like he could do anything to it if it didn't. Except jump into water but he'd be hurting himself just as much.

He laughed. "Thanks. And its only going to get stronger." He said, that was what scared him the most. Who knew what he'd be able to do in time.

Karma grinned. "I said I liked Fire, I said nothing about you." She teased lightly. "Awfully sure of yourself, aren't you Hothead?" She reached out to touch the fire on his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Note to self, no burning down houses with me inside without Demonboy around..." She said softly, almost to herself. "Anymore." she amended with a small smile.

"Stronger? Like what, you'll be able to burn the castle down soon?" She made a mental note to keep close to him. "How strong, exactly?"

He smirked. "I am fire half fang. Im partly made of the stuff. Why do you think it likes me so much? And why only i seem to be able to take the pain it brings?" He asked raising an eyebrow. He laughed. "Im part demon, we are very vain creatures what did you expect?" He smirked. "No demon doesn't love himself. Which sounds kinda sad when you put it like that." He said in thought.

He laced his fingers through hers and just held her hand for a while. It felt good to be close to someone. He'd always ran in the opposite direction if someone so much as stepped close to him. He nodded. "Not if you want to survive. But if you go into a firery building with the intention of dying i will bring you back just to kill you myself." He said turning to look at her. "Im not letting anyone i care about die!"

He shrugged. "Maybe, i don't know. Im the first of my kind so no one quite knows whats going to happen or how long ill live for." He said looking at the wall opposite.

Karma smiled a little half smile, cocking her head to the side as she hummed in thought. "Vain, eh?" She said softly, thinking. "It isn't a crime to love yourself you know." She shrugged a shoulder. "Some would say you're a lovable person..." She rested her head on his shoulder and hummed softly.

She looked down at their intertwined fingers a heat rising in her gut that she wrote away to the fire surrounding them. She sighed, a small smile stealing across her features. She moved closer to him, smiling at his words in spite of herself. "I wouldn't do that anyway." She promised softly. "Wouldn't want you losing anyone important, would we?"

"Oh yeah. You're the first of your kind too." She realized. She frowned at him and took her arm from around him, opting instead to use it to gently take his face in her hand and make him look at her. "You'll live forever." She decided, her voice holding authority and absolute sureness. " I can't lose anyone else. You aren't allowed to die." She met his eyes squarely, lacking any doubt. She had brought them nose to nose, but she hadn't noticed yet, she was too busy daring him to contradict her with her eyes. "Ever."

"I know, but im pretty sure the ministry will be looking for me for other reasons even if it was." He smirked. "Its not often you find people our age that have kill more people than most adults." He said before laughing. "Loveable? I doubt that. People take one look at me and think Satan. Believe me the pitch folks were a huge clue."

"Good, it would be world war 3 if you left me here alone with these... human." He said his nose wrinkling in disgust. "I'd have nothing left to do but kill and that would get rid of my humanity all together which can't be good for anyone." He shrugged tightening his arms around her so she was closer to him.

He nodded. "Yeah it sucks, big time. Im half demon and Italian in a british school. Guess who stands out?" He said leaning back against the wall. He turned to look at her. "Im not going anywhere." He said placing a kiss on her lips. "No one gets rid of me that easily." He said reassuring them both.

Karma felt an irrational fury, her entire body tensing up as a low growl rose from deep within her chest. "The ministry better not even think about it." She growled. She let out an angry huff and snarled. "They'll just have to ignore your kills. You aren't human. The laws should be different." Her hold on him had tightened subconciously. He was hers! And no one was taking him away! She narrowed her eyes at the mention of pitchforks, already planning to hunt down each and every muggle and magical who had even thought to chase her boy. She could already imagine the delicious power that would come with drinking each of them dry...

"No starting World Wars." She ordered. "Not for me, and not even if you're sure you'll win." She took a deep breath and sighed. "If killing kills your humanity, then why do you do it?" She asked, curling up next to him, enjoying his warm proximity.

"Fitting in is for humans." She said with a dismissive shake of her head. "They spend too much time thinking of who will say what about them if they do things... just live, that's what I say."

She pulled him closer when he kissed her, her eyes fluttering shut before she opened them as he pulled away. "You have no idea how relieving that is." She sighed, pulling him in for another kiss. "To know you'll always be there." She mumbled against his lips.