Chapter Seven

Two days. I have stayed in the bedroom for two entire days. I haven't eaten a thing. I barely had the energy to be angry anymore.

I admit, I was bored.

I paced the room, back and forth for what was probably hours. The water I would drink came from the sink in the connected bathroom. Neither Inanis nor his mother came up to get me out, I think the both of them would be completely fine if I starved to death.

At this point, I believe I'd be fine with it as well.

Still, I had no source of entertainment. No television, no books, no cellphone. I had nothing but the walls to stare at, and my memories to feel.

It was driving me mad.

I didn't want to talk to Inanis, and I certainly didn't want to talk to his mother, but I was so desperate for human conversation, that I almost attempted to make small talk with the man guarding the outside of my door. Almost.

I admit, the only thing that kept me from opening my bedroom door was because I was too scared to do so. I didn't want to meet Inanis's mother without Inanis by my side, but I also didn't want Inanis by my side at all. Everything is so complicated.

I just wanted the both of them to stay as far away from me as possible, and that still wouldn't be enough.

I felt safe in this little bedroom of mine. I knew Inanis could come in anytime he wanted, but that didn't matter. This was my territory, at least until the wedding.

I've had a lot of time to think about the wedding, and to think about Inanis, who clearly doesn't give a rat's ass about me, or what happens to me. So long as I'm not dead, I could be beaten and bloody, hell, he'd probably find it amusing.

Marrying him didn't seem so bad, the more I thought about it. He clearly wants nothing to do with me, and I don't want anything to do with him. Once he and I start living together, avoiding him will be my profession. A lifetime of hiding didn't seem as bad as a lifetime of being close to him.

And who's to say he won't get bored of me after week one anyway? He'd probably kill me and make it look like an accident. Or he'd own up to it proudly.

Most likely the latter.

Thing is, marrying him wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was playing the role as The Bone Cutter's wife. I'll be taking on the title as The Bone Harvester. My job is to stand on the stage while Inanis slaughters his victim, then once the deed is done, he will break off a rib of the unfortunate soul who no longer lived, and hand to it me. I'll raise the rib to the cameras, then America will applaud, and my will to live would decrease even more.

It was all for symbolism. It was how The Bone Cutter came to be, in fact. He was always supposed to have a wife at his side, to resemble the normalcy of husband and wife, the typical American love story, all while taking revenge on the cheats in the system.

It's disgusting.

Of course, the entire world had been wondering when it was that Inanis would find a wife to give The Bone Harvester title to, maybe he just chose me because I was the only woman who stood up to the game -and that's what it all is, just one big bloody game.

I huffed, flailing my legs in the air as I laid on the large bed. The creamy white ceiling was becoming to annoy me for being so plain. I wanted color, I wanted texture, I wanted to get out of this damn room.

At this point I was practically bleeding boredom. I could feel it run through my veins and all I wanted to do was scream, and run, and see the face of a human being that wasn't trying to kill or marry me.

I'm going mental.

Closing my eyes, I laid in one position for hours, my body ached from being still, and yet, I was so bored didn't even bother to listen to my joints complaining.

Eventually, I fell into a deep sleep.

I dreamt of Inanis. I dreamt of my father. I dreamt Inanis and my father on stage, but they were both on their knees, facing the crowd. My father had the look of a pleading man, sorry he ever got himself in such a wicked situation. Inanis, on the other hand looked angry, the rage on his face was chilling, if it weren't just an expression, I'd swear it'd have the power to shake the earth. I stepped out on the stage, holding the cleaver Inanis loved so dearly. I whisked it into my left hand, then back to my right like it were a mere toy. My father started to cry, which even in a dream, I could feel my heart clench. My father never cried. Inanis turned his head back towards me, his eyes narrowing as he took me in. The crowd was cheering, I could barely hear anything but their screams.

"God of bone." Inanis spoke, each word he spat out like burning fire, "No, you are god of nothing."

I reached over, feeling my heart race a million miles an hour. What was I doing? I didn't want to do this. Even Inanis, I didn't want to kill him.

"Then, husband, allow me to show you what it's like to be nothing." I was speaking the words, but I also wasn't. It wasn't me, I had no control. My father was begging me to stop, something he'd never do. Not ever.

I rose the cleaver, I took aim right at Inanis' perfect face. I tried to stop myself, but it was too late. My arm swung down and I could hear the splatter of red, red, red-

"Wake up, rat."

I woke with a jolt. Pain erupted on my arm as I took note of my surroundings. The floor. I was lying on the floor.

I peered up at Inanis, who was standing above me with his arms crossed. I realized I must have fallen off the bed without waking up. The nightmare felt so real. . .

I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my arm. I noted how Inanis' foot was right next to where the pain was, I frowned, rubbing the place on my arm that hurt, I asked, "Did you kick me?"

"Be grateful, I could have stomped."

"Gee, thanks."

Pulling myself off the ground, my whole body still slightly trembled from my dream. It felt way too real, and seeing Inanis standing in my bedroom, for the first time, I was almost relieved to see him.

Almost.

Inanis bent over slightly and sniffed my hair. "You smell like a swine, also you've lost weight, which is unfortunate."

I took a step back, already kicking myself for ever thinking social contact was better than being away from him. "Do you not know how to be nice at all?" I snapped at him in defense, "You're such an asshole."

The corners of his mouth twitched as if he was holding back a grin, "It's rather bothersome that you say that, as I had just come up here-" He put his hand on his chest, "out of the kindness of my heart, might I add, to invite you on a walk with me."

I snorted, "Why would I ever want to go on a walk with you?" I began rubbing my arm, even now it still throbbed from him kicking me.

He didn't look affected by my response, "You need sunlight, also did I mention you smell?"

I threw a pillow at him, but he easily dodged it. "Let's not make this difficult, I would hate to have to hurt you." He didn't look like he'd hate it.

"I'm not scared of you." I lied.

He seemed to ponder that, "Well, I could always bring mother up here-"

"Fine." I gritted, "I'll go."

He clapped his hands together, "Good, let's go."

I stared at him incredulously, "Now?"

He rolled his eyes, swinging the bedroom door open, "No, preferably ten minutes ago."

I clenched my fists, really, really, fighting the urge to punch him. "I'm not dressed."

"Well then it's a good thing I find you unattractive dressed or not."

I huffed, running a hand through my tangled hair, I slipped on some shoes, which even doing that made Inanis look annoyed.

I have been slowly trying to understand Inanis. I've had so much time to myself to just think, that I thought about everything. I thought about Inanis, and his quirks that he kept hidden even from the cameras. I have observed things about him that even the world doesn't know.

He doesn't like to be kept waiting, and more than that, he seemed to have a difficult time sitting still, or keeping his focus on one thing for more than a few moments.

Basically, Inanis was like a kid, a murderous, asshole of a kid.

When we made it outside, Inanis headed towards a path that was located behind the house, into a forest of greenery. When I first arrived at the house I had noticed the trees in the back, but I had no idea there was a whole path connected to them. There was an abundance of trees in different sorts, and rocks, and bushes, and squirrels, and bees and I found myself whisked back to Oregon, back to the hills and trails that immediately helped me feel calmer. I didn't care that I was walking next to the Bone Cutter, or that I was going to marry him. I didn't care about anything right now.

It reminded me of when I was a child, when I would run the trails and kick my feet up in the creeks, splashing my friends as we all played with each other and laughed, losing all knowledge of the time of day it was. We didn't care about anything back then, and now I wondered if I could ever get back to that feeling of liberty.

"Now you are an odd one." Inanis spoke, breaking me from my thoughts, forcing me back to my unfortunate reality.

I turned to him, my voice flat, "What?"

"Normally you'd be asking me a thousand questions, calling me names, threatening me. Instead, I find myself disappointed."

"So, you want me to threaten you?"

"Preferably."

I scoffed, returning me gaze to the scenery, "And you call me the odd one?"

Inanis ignored me and walked ahead. I didn't fail to notice the two guards trailing us far behind. Of course, If I tried to run they'd inevitably catch me.

I caught up to him, "Why are we out here?" I asked him, not missing the hint of a smirk on his face that I had finally asked.

He placed his arm around my shoulders, and I couldn't help but relish in how he smelled of sandalwood and peppermint. Despite what a retched person he is, the way he smelled like he had just bathed in moonlight and sunshine, and stardust, like the earth was his artform. Every time I was near him he smelled of something different,

It is the strangest thing, how I seem to appreciate everything abundantly more in the midst of a bit of greenery and earth. No matter where I am, Oregon origins will always be a part of me.

Even as my senses begged me not too, I attempted to shrug his arm off my shoulders. He may smell nice, but he was still the creature in my nightmares.

I still hated him.

"Let's play a game." He said, gripping his arm around me tighter, refusing to let me have my way.

I narrowed my eyes, "You brought me out here to play a game?"

"The house was boring, don't you agree?"

"I'd prefer the boredom than spend a moment with you." It was a slight truth, I would never admit it, but I was grateful to be brought out here after two days of being cooped up like an animal. The only way to make this better, would be for Inanis to fall into a creek, and drown.

"Yes, yes, except I don't care what you prefer." He waved his hand, "Let's play with fire." He pulled out a pack of matches from his pocket, and I gasped.

"Are you crazy? You can't light a fire out here, the dry air will-"

"Cause a burning catastrophe? I agree."

I tried to take the matches from him, but him being nearly a foot taller than myself, all he had to do was raise his arm high enough to where I couldn't reach.

"Inanis this is crazy!" I shouted, watching as he took a match out of the box, and lit it. Again, I tried to reach for the match, but I couldn't. It was impossible.

"Do you want to know the rules of the game?"

"I want you to put the match out before you burn down the half the state!"

There was a devilish grin on his face, as he ignored me once more, "The game is simple, I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and you have to answer truthfully. For every answer you give me that is a lie," He gave me a pointed look, "And I will know if you're lying," His voice had lowered as if to threaten me, "I will light a match, and burn something."

"This is dangerous, not to mention illegal."

"Then you better put your morals on the spotlight, because liars get burned here."

I crossed my arms, "And if I refuse to play?"

He just shrugged, "Then I'll light this entire box," He gave a slight laugh, "Really, I just want to burn something."

I swallowed hard. I knew he wasn't bluffing, because bluffing is not something the Bone Cutter does. He will burn this entire forest just to prove a point to me, and I wouldn't doubt him burning me alive with it.

I thought of all the people and animals this could affect and nodded. "Fine, I'll play your stupid game."

The fire from the match he held reflected in his eyes. They burned with a light so bright, and yet it suited the look of amusement on his face, "Good, let's start."