I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded, "Yes."
"Can I ask what happened?" he whispered.
I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again.
He lifted one hand to brush my cheek, tilting my head up to face him. "You don't have to," he comforted.
I took a deep breath. "Ever since grade school, I have been bullied by Vincent and his goons. He's the only son of the current leader of their vampire clan so he was spoiled and respected by many of the students, even when we were just six-years-old. When I started school, we had to introduce ourselves and share what shifter we were. Of course, I automatically replied saying I was a unicorn shifter, not knowing then that people wouldn’t believe me, and everyone laughed. Even the teacher chuckled and asked me to be serious," I explained.
Theo frowned; anger flickered in his ruby eyes, but he nodded, encouraging me to continue.
"From that day on, I was bullied. Students would pull me into the washroom and beat me up. They would put mud and sand in my hair and the list of name calling...it never ended. I didn't want to tell Magnor because I didn't want to be a burden to him. He was working on a bunch of assignments and he wasn't in Versa often to come and check on me at my family home," I admitted.
"No one lived with you?" Theo questioned.
I gave him a sympathetic smile. "Mom was in another dimension and Father was summoned as a gatekeeper. The adults of the village reassured my father that they would take care of me during his absence, but they only wanted the money he offered. Once they got their share, they went back to their families and left me," I revealed, shrugging. I grinned before shaking my head.
"It was pretty depressing. Every day I got bullied by everyone at school. When I walked home, the villagers laughed and called me names and when I got home, there was no one there. I was all alone to make my own meals and treat the wounds I got at school."
"But what if you got sick?" Theo asked.
"I tended to myself. I think there was only one time that I got so sick, that when Magnor came home and found me lying there alone and weak, he rushed me to a nearby medical center. He did ask me about the villagers who were supposed to take care of me, I just made up some lies so they wouldn't get in trouble and I wouldn’t make things harder for Magnor," I admitted.
"Celestia. That's not fair," Theo declared.
I could hear the anger in his low voice. "Life's not fair, Theo. It is what it is. The last straw was when I was nine and Vincent and his goons brought me into a bathroom and beat the shit out of me. Vincent always had anger issues and whenever he didn't meet his father's expectations, he used me as a punching bag. When they were done, I could barely walk. They purposely locked the door and hung up an ‘Out of Order’ sign so no one would find me. I was finally able to get out, but I'd had enough. It was raining and I took my sweet time walking home that night. Even with the rain, the villagers still peeked out their windows just to insult me," I whispered, blinking back tears. I took a second to compose myself, remembering their harsh whispers.
“‘Oh, look who it is. Ms. Rainbow! Why don’t you cough up some glitter?’Or they would go on about how mentally insane I was to think I was a unicorn shifter. My mom didn't leave for work, but to abandon me and my father drowned himself in his gatekeeper job because he didn't want to deal with me. It was like the world hated my very existence and that day I finally believed it. I didn't bother going home. There was no one there to say, ‘Welcome home, Dear, how was school?’ I couldn't tend to all the wounds I had and my first aid supplies were all gone by that point. I didn't see the point of living anymore."
We sat in silence; a tear escaped my glossy eyes, landing on Theo's hand that held mine. He let go and lifted his hands, brushing away the fresh set of tears flowing from my eyes.
"Was that the day you wanted to commit suicide?" he inquired.
I nodded. "That was when Magnor found me. I knew he'd deny my request for him to train me. He always did. At that point, I figured it would be the same because everyone else hated me, he probably did too. Why would he take someone like me? I was weak. I couldn't fight off Vincent or anyone. If he discarded me...no one else would be there to convince me that life was worth living," I admitted.
"I'm glad he took you in," Theo whispered.
I lifted my head and saw his sad eyes. "Why?"
"We wouldn't have met you if you died," he replied.
"But, life would go on. You guys would have had someone else on your team. You barely even know me. I don't know a lot about any of you," I countered.
"I've known the twins the longest. I've met Hunter and Finn on a few occasions, and Orion was someone we all friended recently," Theo explained.
"We’ve...all dealt with similar issues, especially with bullying. I can't compare our experiences with yours and I'm sorry you had to experience all of that alone. If I'd been there...that would have never happened," Theo vowed. He took a deep breath before he went on.
"I've had my share of Vincent's bullying tactics. I...won't say much, but if it weren’t against the law to kill a shifter...I would have done so already," he revealed.
I gawked at him.What could Vincent have done to make Theo want to kill him?
He noticed my gaze. "What if you were something that you once loved and embraced, but thanks to one selfish person wanting to test out a theory, they were able to taint and destroy what you used to be?" he asked.
"Like...if I was a unicorn and someone changed me into a frog?" I considered.
He grinned, nodding. "Yup. How would you feel?" he questioned.
"I'd kill them," I said dryly.