Hope you guys would love this chapter, 

and that you have an awesome day!

*

Chapter 12 – Different

Emry

Emry turned in bed.

Damon didn't leave long ago, but now that she was alone, she could feel every muscle, every bone in her body, aching. She just felt so weak, and everything hurt.

It was such bad timing, especially with the kids coming back next week, but she didn't regret the mission. The White Forest was dangerous enough that a visit was worth good money. Eventually, her body would heal.

When she opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar girl looking at her, sitting on a chair by the desk. Emry blinked.

Long brown curls adorned that girl's face. She had brown eyes, her body petite. When she turned and met her eyes, she got it – that was Damon's... best friend.

"He called me to watch over you while he's getting you stuff," the girl said. "You probably saw me around. I'm Jenna."

"Hmm," Emry struggled to rise up. "Seriously?"

The girl – Jenna – looked amused. "Yes."

"That's so stupid and unnecessary."

"It's also thoughtful and caring."

"Yeah, whatever."

They sat there in silence. Eventually, Jenna returned to the notes that she was reading on the desk.

"Why did you agree to do this anyway? Don't you have better things to do than keeping an eye on some girl you don't even know?" Emry had no idea why she was so bothered by that.

Jenna turned to her again. "I do them now."

Something about her was special, Emry could feel it. It wasn't just the cleverness in her eyes. It was her aura. It had nobleness, logic. Cold expertise.

Emry felt like she didn't want to ever argue with her, but she couldn't help herself. "You're not supposed to be here."

Jenna turned to her again. "Do you want me to go?"

"No, I just stated that you're not supposed to be here."

She sighed. "And yet, here I am. Are we going somewhere with this?"

"You break rules for him?"

"He's my friend. That's what we do."

"I'm not surprised that he made you come here and watch me."

"I know, right?" The girl murmured, her eyes darting to her notes. "That bastard is so enthusiastic about any rule that he can break."

That made Emry laugh. It hurt.

A hint of a smile lightened Jenna's face. "How are you feeling?"

Emry took another deep breath. "I've been better."

"I figured."

Emry glanced at her. "You have a response to everything, don't you? No wonder you guys are friends."

That made Jenna smile again, and Emry wanted to smack herself for feeling proud of it. Then, Damon came in, carrying a tray with plates and mugs.

"Awesome, you're awake," he grinned at Emry.

"Yeah," Emry nodded and felt herself blush. He had helped her when she was weak, and now he was smiling as if it was taken for granted. She wasn't used to that, and didn't know how to respond to that. "I'm just so tired."

"I know," his amber eyes were tender. "I brought some food."

"What do you have there?" Jenna tried to peek at the tray.

His smile grew wider. "Just food from dinner, I got you and I some chicken." He winked.

"Sweet." She cheered.

"And for you," he put a plate before Emry on a pillow. "Just a little bit of everything."

Emry stared. She hadn't eaten all day, but she didn't want to now. "I –"

"Just a few bites." He insisted and took a seat next to Jenna. "How is she?"

"She is not the best sleeper, isn't she?"

"No," his brows frowned in apprehension, and he looked at Jenna for an explanation.

She shrugged. "She tossed and turned a lot, in pain."

Emry didn't know how to feel about those two smartasses talking about her in her own room.

Damon turned to her. "I should have grabbed pain killers from the infirmary when I left. I better go get them."

Why was the way he was looking at her so intolerable?

"That's enough," she put her fork down. "I can go get my painkillers. I don't need you guys, just go do whatever the hell you need to do and leave me alone."

Soon, they would hold her for these favors. They would make her pay for them, or they would mock her some other way.

Damon crossed his arms. "Emr –"

"Alright, Tiger," Jenna gestured at the door. "Go and get your painkillers." She shot Damon a look that silenced his protest.

Emry just couldn't believe how angry they made her.

She put the tray aside and threw the blanket away. She could feel how hot, how aching, every move made her, but she had to do it on her own. She couldn't rely on them. If there was one rule for her, it was that showing weakness was not an option, and nothing, ever, was for free. Especially not kindness.

She managed to sit, and then, slowly, managed to get up. She made a move – both of them watching – and then another one – and then Damon caught her before she collapsed.

"Damn it," she mumbled and tried to push him away, to no avail.

Jenna sighed. "Go, I'll stay here." She told Damon.

Damon nodded and then left.

"So this is how it goes? He does everything you tell him?" Emry snapped, cheeks tainted red with shame. She reached for the bed.

"Actually, it was his idea to get painkillers." Jenna returned to her notes.

"Whatever. Why did you agree to be here anyway?"

She continued to look at her notes. "You already asked and I answered, he's my friend."

"Yeah but it's a big favor for a friend."

"Okay then," she turned and looked directly at Emry, her eyes shining with amusement. "What are you getting at, Tiger?"

Emry felt her heart beat faster. Maybe it was the fever, but she just decided to ask. "Aren't you and Damon together?"

"I'm curious. Why would you think that? How did we behave to give you that impression?"

"I don't know," Emry turned to lie on her side. Her eyes met Jenna's. "You just seem really close."

It took a moment before Jenna chuckled. "We're just friends."

Why was it so hard to believe her?

Jenna sighed, and her eyes turned kinder, lost the amusement. "He's my best friend in the whole world and I'd do anything for him, but I'm not attracted to him."

How could someone not be attracted to him?

"You seem surprised." Jenna pointed out.

Suddenly, Emry felt ashamed. What was she thinking? She was being inappropriate. It must have been that poison, swirling her mind. "You're right, I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

"It isn't, but I sense that you're not fully comfortable."

"It doesn't matter how I feel."

"Do you want to feel better, though?"

"What?"

"There's more chance I'll be into you, than I'll be into him."

"What?" Emry blinked.

"I'm gay, you idiot."

Emry felt like the stupidest, lamest person in the world. "Oh."

Jenna examined her. "The chances are reducing, though. Don't get me wrong, you're a knockout, but you're also so stupid."

"Shut up, how on earth was I supposed to guess that you're gay?" Emry growled.

"It's not just that," Jenna shook her head. "You're being rude to people who try to help you. That thing with the painkillers, what was that about? If he volunteers to get them for you, let him. Idiot."

If Emry could move, that girl would be dead right now. "I don't need anybody. The minute you rely on people, you become weak."

"Hmm..." Jenna seemed to ponder that. "Do you know how Damon and I met?"

"How?"

"When we were just drafted, he was a slayer at the elite unit, and I was intelligence, so we never saw each other until that one night. A bunch of slayers – not from his group – they broke into our residence for fun and they read my diary, read that I was gay. When I went to the building, they were waiting there to pick on me. They started to hit me, tear my bag – until Damon passed by and beat all of them."

Emry's ears were ringing, and she could see his figure before her eyes. 'If I would have been in your former team, I wouldn't have let any of those nasty things that people did to you happen.'

"Ever since, he's never left my side. At first, it was because he was scared for me, you know how it is – no gay person is received nicely here."

Emry nodded. The army was brutal, there was no place for enlightenment.

"But then, we just bonded over our similarities. I'll always owe him for standing up for me when we were kids. I was a short, clumsy nerd, and he was already a popular slayer at the elite group, but none of it ever really mattered to him."

Emry looked at the ceiling, replying his kind gestures for her in her head. "Was he like that to many people?"

Jenna looked at her with a penetrating stare. "Yeah, he was. It's one of the reasons people like him so much."

"Huh."

She should have known. She should have known. It was so stupid, the feeling of disappointment, the feeling of bungling in her heart. He'd been like that to everybody. Jenna was right, she was a fucking idiot.

It was better that way. It was. Even if she were in any way special to him, they wouldn't do anything about it. This was a good thing.

"It's different when it's you, though." Jenna pondered, shattering her mind to pieces.

Emry turned to her sharply. "What?"

Then, Damon burst inside, holding a little transparent box of painkillers.

Emry wasn't sure if the ridiculous amount of relief that she felt was because of the painkillers or him.

But she also wished that he came inside just a few minutes later.

He sighed disappointedly when he saw the full plate next to her bed. "Come on."

"Just give me the damn pills." She tried to reach for them, but he backed it away. "These are pretty strong, the doc said you should be very careful with them."

"Fine."

"You have to eat first."

They had a staring battle for a moment, until Emry frowned angrily. She took the plate and started to dig into her food.

"Must everything be so hard with her?" Jenna raised a brow.

"You've got no idea," Damon sighed. "Only a week now and I'm already losing my mind."

"You two are so condescending," Emry mumbled into her plate. "You think you're so smart, don't you?"

"We are smart," said Jenna.

"And we are condescending," Damon elbowed her, and they both burst out laughing.

But Emry felt like she was losing them.

"She's passing out," she heard Jenna's voice, and then she heard Damon curse quietly. Then, she felt herself leaning against his abdomen, his arm went under her head to support her up.

He was checking how much she had eaten, she realized.

He helped her swallow her pills and put her to bed.

She closed her eyes, feeling herself drifting off, but she could still hear them talking.

"I'll wake up in a few hours to check on her, she's still burning," That was Damon's voice in the dark.

"Don't exhaust yourself too much."

"Don't worry."

"I told her how we met, by the way."

"You did?" She could hear relief in his voice.

She heard Jenna chuckle. "You're glad I told her I'm gay, aren't you?"

She could not make out what he answered back, asthe voices turned into silence.