Elixir of life

[Spectra Lin]

As soon as the girl slipped away, it was like a costume was doffed and the real skin beneath was exposed. Marcus used people. He admitted as much. Spectra found no shame in it. Good for him to grapple for handholds and clench tight to the wall he climbed. For indeed it was a mountain he scaled. Likewise, Spectra would not hesitate to let him carry her to the summit. She had no desire to rule the world or play queens like life was some ghastly game of endless thrones. She would be included, though. Marcus' hint flickered shadows across her sculptural face. Not invited except as someone's date and not on her own value. As property. For all she attained in the world, shackles still bound her wrists incarcerating her to the life she refused to be destined to live.

These stories that he alluded to, though, did not chase away the shadows nor did they inspire them to dance in jubilation. "I am not a sadistic monster, Marcos." Her words clipped a dangerous warning. For all the beauty on the exterior, maybe poison flushed beneath the surface, but not by her own choosing. "I heard rumors. In fact, I am glad to have avoided the danger completely. I am told a woman was a victim."

She searched the inner lining of Marcus' costumes for hints of truth. He dropped crumbs and carrots, and for now, Spectra was willing to chase after so long as she got a satisfactory bite once in a while. "If she wasn't a woman, what would you call her?"