Page 2 of A Love of Wrath and Rapture

Those men don’t like me for rejecting them, and their women don’t like me for catching the eyes of their men. It’s a lose-lose situation all around, but the only thing I can do is keep my head low and my mind focused on what’s good for the settlement.

Still, their words get to me sometimes.

I remember how one night, after a particularly busy day, I was heading home to my dwelling when Gareth tried to wrestle me to the ground. He said it was all a joke, but when I kneed him between the legs and elbowed him in the face, all kinds of slurs fell from his mouth.

And he swore that he would make me pay for that.

So far, nothing has come from that overt threat, but I’ve been keeping my eyes and ears out for anyone who sends me a dirty look. Or anyone who moves at me too quickly. Gareth has quite an influence around here, so he might send someone my way to do the dirty work for him.

Lazy bastard.

“Finally,” Renee says, kicking off the huge wooden stake fence that serves as the settlement’s first line of defense against any outside forces. “Too busy fixing your hair to remember we’ve got an expedition today?”

“I wasn’t fixing my hair, Renee,” I reply, my irritation evident. “I was talking to Hildegard.”

“Whatever.”

A small shed sits near the gate entrance, filled with any tools we might need in our departure from the settlement. Renee grabs two empty bags, one for her and one for me, and she also grabs a few hand tools to chip away at any snow and ice in our way.

Noticing her brusque movements, I raise a brow as I calmly gather my things and hitch the bag over my shoulder. She drops her hand shovel and curses under her breath, fumbling the tool a few times before tossing it into her bag.

I laugh. “What’s up with you today? You’re not usually this sour.”

“Shut up, Evangeline.”

“If there’s anything I can do to make you feel better, let me know. I don’t like working with pissed-off people this early in the morning.”

“Just shut up!” Renee snaps, glaring at me. Then she starts leading the way outside the gate. “You never know when to be quiet, do you?”

“...Sure, I do,” I say. “But I haven’t done anything to you today, so I’m confused by the bad treatment.”

“Yeah. You’re confused. Whenever you’re confronted with your shit behavior, you say you’re confused.”

Our feet trudge loudly through the snow. I lag a few steps behind Renee, who is carving us a path through the snow through sheer willpower. And through her anger towards me, for some reason.

“I’m very confused now,” I remark, offering a shrug. “Seriously. I haven’t done anything.”

Her nostrils flare.

“Except open your legs for Jacob, huh?”

My eyebrows furrow together. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid with me. Gareth told me the truth about what happened between you and Jacob a few nights ago. You knew that I liked him and you still went after him, you?—”

“Hold on,” I say, holding up a hand. “Did you hear this from Jacob himself? Or just Gareth? Because Gareth doesn’t like me very much, so I’m not surprised he’s been spreading these stupid rumors about me.”

Renee huffs loudly. I’m somewhat jealous of her short blonde hair. My black hair is long and gets in my face a lot. What really captivates me is her eyes, blue and cold and mean. I have blue eyes, too, but I don’t think they look quite like hers.

“But he said…” Renee grits her teeth. “Then where did you go after the bonfire a few nights ago? Gareth told me you went to Jacob’s dwelling!”

“I went home,” I correct, offering a grin. “You can even ask Hildegard. Or Jasmine. Or any other of my neighbors. I always go home at the end of the night because I don’t have any business elsewhere.”

Rolling her eyes, Renee keeps carving us a path through the snow while I follow behind. Instead of hurling back a few insults of my own, I laugh softly to myself. On accident, one of my laughs is a bit louder than the rest.

“What’s so funny?”

“The fact that you would believe Gareth over Jacob,” I reply, sniffing loudly. The wind makes my nose and ears hurt. “I’m not interested in Jacob. I’m not interested in anyone in this settlement, to be honest.”

---