Astrielle

I swore I would never love someone like him, but then it happened. My name is Astrielle, I’m seventeen years old and I live in Texas. I go to Leaf Brooke Highschool, I live on my own, my parents gave me up for adoption when I was born, and after you turn sixteen the orphanage puts a down payment on an apartment and sends you off. My life follows the same routine every day: wake up, eat the same breakfast of jam on toast, shower, get dressed, go to school, and repeat. Today is Friday the 27th of June, my seventeenth birthday. I’m in year ten this year, I have my life set out pretty well, good friends, a nice job at a pizza place around the corner, a savings account with a couple thousand in it. Of course there’s no presents waiting for me, I feel like I would be more shocked if there were presents waiting for me, that would be strange. School is pretty easy, I have straight A’s, of course no one would worry if I didn’t, but it feels nice to see it on my report card. I’d like to think that my parents are proud of me from somewhere, either that or they’ve forgotten who I am completely.

I walked through the gates of school, luckily I only live two minutes away. I’m saving up for a car but haven’t bought one yet. Because it’s the middle of summer and it’s really hot, I’m just lucky I don’t have to wear a uniform like Westbrook’s down the road. Standing by the gate scrolling through TikTok’s is my best friend Ally,

“Hey what’s up loser!” I yelled at her ,

“Happy birthday idiot!” She yelled back, handing me a small gift bag,

“You shouldn’t have,” I said,

“Fine I’ll take it back then,” She joked,

“No, I’m keeping it,” I said, pulling it in and opening it carefully, inside was a figurine of me and her together, and a fresh fifty dollar bill,

“Thank you so much” I beamed, hugging her tight,

“You only turn seventeen once,” She remarked,

“Anyways, we have Mr Houston’s class first, he’s so boring,” She complained,

“I know, get a personality,” I joked. Mr Huston was our biology teacher, he was old and had the world’s least entertaining voice.

“Wow, seventeen years alone how sad,” Jerrica sneered,

“Shut up,” I hissed,

“What are you going to do about it, call your mommy, oh wait you don’t have one.” She whispered, leaning closer to me,

“Back off Jerrica,” I muttered, pushing her away,

“Oh, so you want to fight I see, you me on Monday, three fifty, behind the school, don’t be late.” She whispered,

“Fine, let’s fight then,” I sneered,

The bell rang out and we started to push past people in the busy hallways, eventually we made it to Mr Houston’s class, we braced ourselves for disassociation.

“Alright class, settle down, settle down!” Mr Huston yelled,

“Today,” He scribbled something on the board,

“We will be directing frogs,” Half the class looked excited, the other half disgusted, okay, maybe not half the class was excited, but me and Ally were. Mr Huston walked around and carefully placed a dead frog on everyone’s desk, lying next to each of the frogs was a scalpel and a pair of tweezers. He walked back to his desk and sat down, “Okay, can everyone grab their scalpels!” He announced,

“Astrielle Barns could you please make your way to the office, Astrielle Barns make your way to the office please, thank you.” The lady over the intercom announced. I grabbed my bag and started to pack my stuff,

“Again?” Ally whispered,

“I guess so,” I replied, in my town there’s an infamous hero called Subzero. No one’s ever seen her face, but everyone knows who she is. I know why you’re probably thinking, does she use ice? How is that supposed to keep the town safe? Well somehow for three years, she can control ice. If you’re wondering why I’m bringing her up, it’s because that happens to be the reason that I don’t get to dissect a frog today.

You probably picked this up already, but if you didn’t, I happen to be subzero. No one knows that I’m her, not even Ally, I told her that I just have a rare medical condition that requires constant check-ups. I’m just glad that no one has picked up that whenever I leave subzero is on the news. Not even the head mistress knows, the person that called me out of biology, she believes the same lie as everyone else. Since they know that I don’t have parents they get a call from 911, calling to remind me of my checkup, really it’s always the police calling when they can’t defend the city anymore. Surprisingly she hasn’t gotten suspicious yet, probably because she lives off coffee and three hours of sleep. Sadly, keeping my identity private means that I must get changed in the sewers, no it’s not like miraculous where no one notices the huge light flashing, in my town, people notice. Luckily there is one main cover that I go under, and that one I have managed to build a room in, the water can still pass through under the room, but it’s a lot less gross then when I first started. I jumped out of the sewers, sounds gross I know, and walked over to the police station, through a back exit they put in just for me to avoid the public eye. The chief of police was waiting there for me,

“Give it to me Jerry, where am I going this time?” I asked,

“Not too far, just down the road, but this is a new villain, we haven’t seen him before.” “Do you know anything about this new villain?” I questioned,

“Yes, his name is Tenebros, and we know he can make your fears appear as a hologram in front of you. But freeze his neck for a moment and apparently his powers will be temporarily disabled, at least, that’s what New York is telling us.” He replied,

“Sounds easy enough,” I said, walking out the door.

Once I made it to the street I saw multiple people rocking on the floor, terrified.

“Hey you!” I yelled, a dark mysterious figure turned around,

“Me?” He asked,

“Yes you, come over here and fight like a man, or are you too scared?” I said, faking a cry. Suddenly he extended a hand and something Smokey and black started to seep out of his skin. Before I could react a tiger started charging at me, I stood there unfazed as it ran through my body then turned into a pile of dust.

“That was your best attack?” I scoffed. Shooting an icicle towards his head, he dodged it effortlessly and suddenly everything turned black.

“I know what truly scares you,” His voice was calm and came from all directions.

“You can’t escape it, it’s okay to be forgotten, it’s bound to happen to all of us” he added, this time I saw him briefly.

“You think you’re the only one who can do more than people think?” I asked, an icy blue sword appearing in my hands,

“I did, I guess I stand corrected.” He chuckled. Suddenly the darkness faded away and the light reappeared,

“If you think you’re the only one who can fight, you’re wrong,” He muttered. A smokey black sword appeared in his hands,

“Do you really want to fight?” He asked,

“More than anything.” I lunged at him, he dodged my attack once more. He swung his sword and I rolled to the floor, I aimed for his knees, he tried to cut my face, I held up my sword to stop him.

“You think you can win?” He asked, throwing a punch straight to my jaw,

“Just give up!” He yelled,

“Never!” I screamed back, feeling the blood leak into my mouth. I shot an icicle to the back of his head, and pushed him over. I sent one punch straight to his face. His sword disappeared, he stepped back slowly,

“You did it,” He laughed,

“Good job, but this isn’t the last time that you’ll see me,” He said,

“I didn’t think it would be,” I replied triumphantly, he smirked, then walked off, somehow no one noticed him.

I got changed again and went to my English class. Ally was saving a seat for me, I walked over and sat down, wiping the blood off of my face, hoping no one would notice.

“How was it?” She asked,

“Painful,” I whispered, she giggled.

“Today we will be reading the twelfth night,” Ms. Thornbush announced. She walked around and placed a copy on each of our desks. I looked out the window to see someone wearing a suit, he turned around and it was the man I just fought. He smiled at me, he still had blood on his face from where I hit him, I looked away annoyed,

“Who’s that?” Ally asked,

“Why’s he smiling at you, does he like you?” She asked, nudging me with her elbow. “No!” I hissed, then he turned around and walked off, a gun at his side.

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them,” Ms Thornbush announced, then the bell rang again, was it already the end of the day? Turns out that it was, had I been fighting for that long? Maybe time slowed down for me in that darkness bubble,

“Hey Astrielle, Jordan’s throwing a party at his house tonight, there’s going to be drinks and loads of people are you coming?” She asked as we walked out of school. “Sure, it’s not like I have anything better to do,” I replied,

“Great, I’ll come and pick you up at six.”

“Sounds good,” I replied, walking back to my apartment.

Just as I reached to open the door handle someone called my phone, I pulled it out of my pocket,

“Unknown number,” I whispered to myself, I answered it and put the phone to my ear, “Astrielle right?” The person on the other end asked,

“Yes, how do you know my name?” I questioned,

“That’s not important, I’m Juliet, and I took a DNA test and you’re my sister,” She added,

“What?” I asked shocked,

“Your last name is Barnes right?” She asked,

“Yeah,” I replied,

“And you were put up for adoption at birth, weren’t you?” She questioned,

“Yeah, I was,” I added,

“Okay, then I’m one hundred percent sure that you’re my sister,” She concluded,

“Can you tell me some more about you?” I asked,

“No, I’m running out of time, just save my number and call some other time,” She added,

“Okay, bye,” I whispered, I put her number down in my phone as ‘Juliet my sister,’ and opened the door to my apartment, slipping my phone back into my pocket.

On my bed were three pictures of me in the darkness, on a piece of paper next to them were five words, ‘Great fighting today, from Tenebros.’ I ripped them up and threw them into the trash. I showered and put on a black dress, I let my hair down and put on a blue choker, just as I finished putting on a pair of red heels, my phone started ringing, Ally’s name flashed across the screen,

“Hello,” I started

“Hey I’m outside, come down,” Ally said

“Okay, I’ll be down in a minute,” I replied, leaving my phone on the bed. I started to walk out the door. After a ten minute drive we made it to Jordan’s house. Jordan was Ally’s boyfriend, he was rich, like rich rich, he had a bar in his house. We walked in and the party was raging, people were dancing, there were people taking shots in the corner and just overall chaos. Ally grabbed my hand and pulled me to a table in the corner, she grabbed two shots, one for me and one for her, she handed one to me,

“Ready go,” She said and we both drank them quickly, the liquor slid smoothly down my throat. But on the opposite side of the room I could see that man again, the person I fought, he was smirking at me again. I stared at him for a minute. Ally caught on and looked at him too,

“He definitely likes you.” She whispered to me,

“He does not.” I hissed back, I flipped him off, he chuckled then looked away. I went and danced with Ally and some of her other friends, after a little while she handed me a solo cup full of beer,

“He’s looking at you again he definitely likes you,” She stated, pointing to him,

“I’m telling you he definitely doesn’t,” I laughed back, he then waved his hand and gestured for us to come over,

“Us?” Ally asked, pointing to me and her, he nodded,

“Come on,” She said, pulling my hand,

“No we shouldn’t,” I pulled back,

“It’s good to meet new people sometimes,” She said, dragging me over,

“Hey, pretty girls!” He exclaimed, leaning against the counter behind him,

“What do you want?” I muttered angrily,

“Nothing, nothing,” He chuckled,

“What’s your friend’s name?” He asked Ally

“Her name is Astrielle,” She said happily.

“Beautiful name,” he added,

“Shut up,” I hissed,

“Why are you being so rude?” Ally asked,

“Yeah why are you being so rude?” He crossed his arms and chuckled

“Can you shut up!?” I yelled at him,

“If you let me buy you a drink,” He said condescendingly.

He didn’t let me say no, he grabbed a shot off of the counter and handed it to me, one of his friends handed one to Ally,

“Thanks,” Ally said cheerfully. She took her shot quickly,

“Come on do yours,” She said, tipping it down my throat,

“Would you girls like a ride home?” He asked,

“We’ve both had something to drink so yes please!” Ally replied happily, pulling me outside to his car, she opened the door and pushed me into the car.

“Where do you need to go?” He asked,

“572 Maple street please,” Ally exclaimed. His car was black and new looking, the windows were heavily tinted. I looked at him, actually looked at him, he had dark green eyes and brown wavy hair that fell over his face slightly, he had small freckles over his sun kissed face, he was wearing a white shirt with a neat black tie, black pants and shiny boots, and for some reason he had a smirk plastered to his face.

“We’re here,” He announced after a short drive, unlocking the doors to let her out. “Thanks for the ride!” Ally yelled, slamming the door.

“Move into the front, it’s comfier,” He said, patting the seat next to him. I opened the door and moved to the front seat.

“Why are you being so nice? Earlier today you tried to kill me, What’s up with that?” I asked loudly,

“I never tried to kill you,” He replied smugly,

“Yes you did, You threw a sword to my face!” I yelled,

“You punched me hard, it was bleeding for twenty minutes you know,” He replied, “Now where do you need to go?” He asked,

“175 Junior avenue,” I muttered,

“You did throw a sword at my face too, you know,” He added,

“You put me in that weird dark thing, like what even was that?!” I yelled, suddenly my vision started to go slightly blurry, I was probably just tired, so I ignored it.

“I didn’t put you there, I teleported you there, different things,” He said calmly,

“Still, earlier you threw a sword at my face, punched me in the mouth, and teleported me to that dark place and now you’re suddenly being nice to me. Why?” I asked, my hearing starting to become muffled.

“Okay well you took my powers for the next three days so thank you for that,” He hissed back,

“Well I’m sorry, but maybe it would be good for you.” I said angrily,

“If you think that’s going to stop me from causing chaos you’re wrong, I still run the strongest mafia chain here,”

“Why would you tell me that?” I asked,

“I work with the police, you idiot!” I yelled at him.

“That won’t be an-” I heard before my hearing gave out and everything went black.

When I woke up I was tied to a chair, duct tape over my mouth. I started thrashing in my seat, trying to break the ropes, wherever I was didn’t have any windows, the floor was concrete and so were all of the walls. The door creaked open and he walked in. He was holding a plate with toast and eggs on it, a small glass of water in his other hand. He placed them down on a small table next to me.

“I see you’re awake,” He whispered calmly, I thrashed in my seat, still trying to break free. He carefully tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, I kept thrashing, wriggling my hands trying to untie the ropes.

“Theres no point in struggling, the ropes aren’t going to come off, stop wasting your energy.” He said calmly.

“You know you’re so pretty when you struggle,” He muttered, lifting my chin.

“It’s a shame to see you so upset, should I untie you?” He asked softly, running his fingers softly over the ropes around my body. He carefully pulled the tape off of my mouth,

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it’s not working!” I screamed at him, “Oh trust me, it already has,” He stated,

“What the hell does that mean?!” I screamed, he lifted the food to my mouth

“Are you hungry?” He asked.

“Yes, but I won’t take any-” Before I could finish he put the toast into my mouth,

“If you’re hungry you should eat, especially when you’re hungover.” He said, lifting the water to my mouth, I took one sip.

“Could you at least tell me why you put me here?” I asked,

“That I can do, because I need you.” He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He lifted another piece of toast to my mouth, I turned my head to look the other way,

“Eat,” He commanded, turning my head back and placing the toast into my mouth. He lifted the glass of water back to my mouth, and I took another sip.

“Why can’t you just untie me?” I asked,

“Because you’ll try and leave, not that it would necessarily be difficult for me to get you back, but I don’t think you would enjoy it very much.”

“So considerate,” I muttered sarcastically.

“Can you tell me where I am at least?” I asked,

“My basement,” He said softly,

“Because that’s not weird at all,” he lifted another piece of toast to my mouth, ignoring what I just said.

“It could be worse,” He muttered,

“What do you mean worse, being tied to a chair by someone who just tried to kill you seems pretty bad to me!” I yelled,

“I mean worse because I’ve done a lot worse things to some other people, and I didn’t try to kill you. Also stop yelling,” He said,

“Make me!” I screamed,

“Stop,” He whispered,

“IDIOT!” I screamed again,

“I don’t want to have to do it, please don’t make me,” he muttered calmly “DUMBASS!” I yelled,

“I really don’t want to do it, please don’t make me do it to you, not you, please stop yelling.” He said, lifting another piece of toast to my mouth.

“Stop yelling, it’s going to be unpleasant for both of us.” He said, the anger in his voice rising.

“What are you even going to do?” I asked,

“It’s bad, I don’t want to do it, please stop yelling so you don’t have to find out,” he said again.

“YOU FOOLISH, IDIOTIC, DIM WITTED,-”

“Stop, yelling, I don’t want to have to do it, final warning.”

“BRAINLESS, DOPEY, HALF HEADED, MINDLESS, FOOL!” I screamed. Suddenly he put something in my mouth and tied it around the back of my head.

“I told you it was bad, I told you to stop, why didn’t you listen?!” He questioned,

“I didn’t want to do it, why did you make me do it, if you had stopped I wouldn’t have had to do it.” He said calmly. He packed up all of the food and water and walked out.

Twenty minutes later I had accepted that these ropes weren’t going to come off, I couldn’t take them off and he refused to. It’s really strange that he locked me in his basement, I mean it would be strange enough already if anyone got locked in a basement. I barely know this person, also he did try to kill me yesterday so that also doesn’t make any sense. The door creaked back open and he walked in again.

“Do you want to move somewhere comfier?” He asked, I nodded,

“I mean it’s comfier and more uncomfortable, there’s a bed and you can move a bit more, but your feet are chained to the floor, as well as your hands, it’s up to you. Do you want to go there?” He asked, I nodded again, anything was better than being tied to this chair. He walked up to me and untied the ropes on my legs, then he walked around the back of me, he hesitated, instead of untying those ones he walked away. “I’ll be right back,” He said, walking off and shutting the door behind him. A few minutes later he walked back in with two people by his side,

“Keep the ropes on but get her off the chair,” they pulled me off the chair, keeping the ropes intact. Each of them grabbed one of my shoulders, they followed behind the man, that’s when I realised I don’t even know his name. They walked me into a medium sized room,

“Chain her up,” He said, leaning against the doorway watching as the men sat me on the bed and started to chain me in, one worked on my feet, the other carefully untied my arms and put them into cuffs, he did them one at a time, I reached up and shot an icicle at the person who brought me here, he dodged it again, he started walking up to me. He gently held my chin, “Still trying to kill me darling?” He whispered, I pulled away,

“Finished with the chains sir,” One of the men said,

“Good, leave now,” they both walked out of the room quickly.

My hands were locked into iron gloves, my feet were locked into handcuffs, I crossed my legs and turned away from him.

“Come on it’s not that bad,” He said, I pointed at the thing in my mouth,

“I told you to stop yelling, I told you that you weren’t going to like it,” I crossed my arms and looked away.

“Do you want me to take it off?” He asked and I nodded quickly. He walked to the back of me and started to take it off

“Promise you won’t yell,” I nodded again. He took it off,

“Can you at least tell me your name?” I asked,

“Dorian Thorne.” He replied,

“And tell me again why I’m here.”

“Because I want you for myself, with what you do you can get hurt, I don’t want that.” “And what about the pictures, what were they about?”

“Technically that wasn’t me,” I raised an eyebrow at him,

“Technically it wasn’t me it was one of my men that put them there,” He said,

“That still counts as you!” I yelled,

“Stop yelling,” He said,

“Fine, but did you take the pictures?” I asked,

“Well yes I was the only other living person there.” He replied calmly.

“What do you mean living person?” I questioned,

“Did I say only living, I meant only person, haha” he chuckled nervously, grabbing the back of his neck and looking away.

“What do you mean by only other living person?” I asked him again,

“There may have been a few bodies in there with us,” He muttered.

“What the hell?! You twisted maniac!” I screamed,

“Stop yelling, neither of us enjoyed it, also it’s an easy place to hide them, no one else can get there so easy hiding place.” He explained,

“It’s still twisted, why did you bring that up so calmly, and to me? Did you forget that I work with the police?!” I screamed at him

“Stop!” He yelled again,

“And like I told you last night that won’t be an issue,”

“You didn’t say that last night,” I murmured, confused,

“I did why- oh, it’s because, n-nevermind.” He stuttered,

“No, it’s because what? What happened?” I asked firmly,

“No, it doesn’t matter,” He muttered

“Tell me what happened,” I demanded.

“It’s because you blacked out before I could finish!” He snapped

“How could that be, I didn’t even-” I paused, as I realised what happened. Dorian grabbed the back of his neck and looked away again.

“You sick twisted monster!” I screamed at him

“Stop screaming!” He yelled,

“I won’t stop screaming, you can’t just drug people because you like them! You’re a monster!” I yelled at him again

“Stop screaming! Anyways, it’s not that bad, I could’ve done a lot worse you know!?” He screamed back

“Anyways, why won’t that be an issue?” I asked angrily

“Because you’re not leaving!” He sneered,

“What does that mean?” I asked, scared,

“You are not leaving, ever, you can try, but I’ll get you back, always.” He stated.

“Can you at least tell me why I have these?” I asked, holding up the gloves on my hands.

“To stop you from doing what you attempted a few moments ago my darling.” He replied softly

“Stop calling me that, I’m not your darling.” I snarled

“I’m sorry I upset you my darling,” He whispered, holding my chin, I pulled my face back,

“If I promise not to, can you take them off,”

“Promise not to what my darling?” He whispered,

“Stop calling me that, and if I promise not to try and freeze you can you take the gloves off?” I asked,

“Only if you promise my darling,” He whispered, resting his hand on the side of my face. I pulled away,

“Stop calling me that!” I yelled,

“And yes, I promise.” I whispered.

“Fine,” he started to unlock the cuffs on my feet, then moved up to my hands,

“I’m trusting you,” He murmured, unlocking the gloves on my hands.

“Follow me,” He demanded, walking out of the room.

As we walked out of the room I tried once more to shoot him, he dodged again. He grabbed my wrist, and held it tight. He turned around slowly,

“I trusted you,” He whispered,

“You drugged me,” I hissed back,

“Fair,” He replied, not letting go of my wrist. He kept walking through his house, guns and knives were hung up on every wall.

“This is how you make all your money?” I asked, observing the weapons.

“Yes, it’s easy, and people don’t challenge you when they know you’re dangerous.” He replied

“No,” I added,

“What?” He asked, turning around to look at me

“It’s not easy, not for anyone but you,” I told him,

“I guess that’s true, but I’ve gotten good at it, you know, hiding things, forgetting people.” He said, turning back around,

“How long has it been?” I asked,

“Since I started, it has to have been at least eight years,” he stated,

“How many?” I asked him,

“How many lives?” He asked,

“Yes,” I confirmed,

“A lot, too many to count,” He said, like it was the most casual thing ever.

“Do you ever regret it?” I asked as he walked me into the room, sitting me on the bed and starting to put the chains on me, I wanted to fight back, but I knew that I wasn’t going to manage to escape him. He reacted a lot faster than I did,

“Regret what?” He asked,

“You know, the path you took, killing all those people, do you ever regret it?” I asked again.

“No, it pays good money,” He remarked,

“How much money are we talking about?” I asked,

“Why do you want to know my darling?” He asked me,

“Stop calling me that,” I demanded as he finished locking my hands in,

“And I’m just curious,” I added,

“Well it’s got to be at least one million a year.” He stated, I raised my eyebrow at him,

“What?” He asked,

“How did you say that so casually?” I asked,

“Because I guess it’s just become normal to me.” He added,

“How old are you?” I asked him,

“Why do you want to know my darling?” He asked, gently resting his hand on the side of my face, I batted it away,

“Stop calling me that, and I’m just curious,” I replied,

“Twenty two this year, how about you?” He asked,

“Wow, a twenty two year old hitting on a seventeen year old, professional,” I added sarcastically.

”Professional indeed my darling,” He remarked and walked out of the room.

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” I yelled after him,

“You wish,” He said, shutting the door. I tucked my hands behind my head and laid back on the bed, it was soft and warm. I thought about why he took me and told me all of these secrets, did he trust me more? Suddenly someone knocked on the door, “Can I come in?” Dorian’s voice called out.

“Do I have a choice?” I asked,

“No,” He called back, opening the door and walking into the room, holding a plate of pasta in his hands,

“Gourmet, for you,” He said, a smug smile tugging on the corner of his lips, he handed me the warm plate.

“Why?” I asked,

“Because I’m not a monster, can I get you something to drink?” He asked

“You definitely are, and some wine would be nice,” I replied,

“You’re underaged so no, anything else?” He asked again,

“You didn’t seem to care about that last night,” I muttered,

“What?” He asked

“Nothing, some juice I guess,” I replied,

“What kind?” He asked,

“Tropical would be nice,” I added,

“Right away my darling,” He said,

“Stop calling me that, I don’t love you back!” I yelled.

“You think I don’t know?” He asked me,

“You’ve tried to kill me twice in four hours,” He shut the door and walked away. I took a bite of the pasta, it was a cheesy spaghetti and meatballs, the sauce was perfect, and the pasta was perfectly cooked as well,

“Knock Knock!” Dorian yelled,

“Can I say no?” I asked

“No,” He said, barging in, a platter with a jar of cold juice on it, two glasses next to it. “How’s the pasta?” He asked,

“Good,” I replied,

“I’m glad,” He added,

“And I just want to say, earlier when you said ‘Because I’m not a monster’ I just want you to know that you definitely are.” I told him,

“I know, I am a monster, but not to you.” He said, pouring me a glass of juice and handing it to me,

“I don’t know what life you’re living in but you drugged me, tied me to a chair, gagged me, and now have me chained up in your basement.” I told him, taking a sip of the fresh juice,

“I know, but I haven’t hurt you have I?” He asked me,

“I guess not,” I said,

“That’s not what I usually do, if I didn’t like you I would’ve killed you already,” He stated,

“So kind Mr Dorian,” I sneered,

“If you don’t mind me asking, how tall are you?” I asked him,

“Why do you want to know my darling?” He asked,

“Stop it,” I gritted,

“But I’m just curious,” I stated,

“If you must know, I’m 6 ‘4, now, how tall are you?” He asked,

“5’6,” I replied, taking another bite of my pasta.

“Stand up will you, darling?” He asked,standing up slowly

“Stop calling me that! And no.” I stated.

“Please, just for a moment?” He asked again,

“Why?” I asked,

“I just want to check something,” He said,

“Fine,” I replied, standing up. He looked down at me,

“You’re so small, my darling,” he said, covering his smile

“I am not,” I muttered, sitting back down. I took another bite of my pasta, he smiled down at me, “What?” I asked, “You let me say it that time,” He whispered, covering his smile,

“Say what?” I asked,

“You let me say it, my darling,” He whispered, leaning in close. I pushed him back, “Stop calling me that!” I yelled again,

“I was so close,” He closed his eyes and smiled.

“I’m finished,” I said, pushing my plate and glass over to him,

“You don’t want to drink anymore?” He asked.

“I’m not coming back for the next three hours,”

“Wow you even have set times to visit your prisoners,” I sneered, grabbing the juice and pouring myself one more glass, I drank it quickly,

“Now I’m done,” I said. Pushing the glass back over to him,

“Great.” He said, grabbing the dishes and walking out the door.

“Do you want anything?” He called back, not looking back,

“Like what?” I asked him

“Anything, some cards, some paint, anything?” He asked me again,

“Something. Time consuming, like Lego, or a puzzle.” I replied

“Right away my darling,” He replied smugly,

“Stop it!” I screamed after him,

“You wish,” He responded, shutting the door. I laid back, trying to pass time, I stood up again, and walked as far as the chains would let me go, I made it close to the bottom of the steps leading up to the door, I leaned against the wall, facing the bed, I walked a circle around the bed, seeing how big the room technically is, I had about two feet of space around the bed, a moderate amount of space if you count that it’s a double bed. I walked back to the door and rested my head against the wall. The door creaked open slowly and I turned around,

“I got you something,” Dorian said, handing me two boxes of Lego,

“Thanks,” I said, walking over to the bed, and placing them down.

“Can I help you?” He asked me

“What?” I asked back, opening the first pack of Lego,

“Can I help you build it?” He asked sitting on the bed next to me,

“Fine,” I replied.

“Thank you,” he said. He pulled out the instruction manual,

“Okay you need two of these ones, and three of these ones,” He added, laying the manual on the bed.

“Okay, what do I do with them?” I asked him grabbing the pieces and placing them on the bed,

“Put the first one down, then layer them,” He said, grabbing my hands and moving them to place the legos down,

“I don’t need you to show me how to build Lego,” I said, pulling my hands away, and placing the bricks,

“My bad my darling,” He added,

“Stop, what do we do next?” I asked,

“Okay, we need three of these and two of them,” He said, showing me the pieces, “And?” I asked,

“Stack them the same that you did last time my darling,” He replied smugly,

“Why are you so obsessed with calling me that?” I asked, not looking up from the pieces,

“Calling you what my darling?” He chuckled,

“You know exactly what I mean,” I said through clenched teeth, he smirked,

“Because you’re cute when you’re mad, my darling,” he said, stroking my hair, I moved away,

“Shut up,” I demanded,

“You wish,” He replied,

“Can we just get back to building?” I asked angrily,

“Of course my darling,” He replied,

“What do we do next?” I asked him, he smiled at me and covered his face,

“What?” I asked,

“You let me say it,” He whispered,

“No I didn’t,” I replied,

“You didn’t tell me to stop, my darling,” He whispered, leaning closer,

“Stop it, I don’t like you!” I yelled, pushing him back.

“You keep acting like I don’t know that, you have to realise that that’s not going to stop me from trying,” He whispered,

“Why are you being so patient with me, yesterday you drugged me and tried to kill me, and now you’re being so nice to me what’s going on with that?!” I asked angrily, “I’ve already told you the answer to that, it’s because you’re mine,” He replied smugly, “Well why did you chain me up, maybe asking someone out is a better approach?” I asked,

“Maybe, but not for me, people are scared of me,” He responded,

“Well kidnapping people isn’t a way to make them less scared,” I sneered,

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, but for you I feel it’s easier,” He added, I rolled my eyes and kept building the Lego.

Dorian stood up and walked to the corner of the room, he leaned against the wall and pulled out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. I didn’t pay any attention to it and just kept building. He lit the cigarette and walked over to the bed,

“Smoking, seriously?” I asked him,

“What?” He questioned, blowing the smoke in the other direction,

“It’s disgusting,” I added,

“No it isn’t.” He replied, blowing another puff of smoke the other way,

“Why do you do it?” I asked, as I continued to build the Lego.

“It calms my nerves, helps when you do what I do,” He explained, blowing another puff of smoke the other way,

“It’s killing you,” I said, not looking up from the Lego,

“You’re acting like I don’t know all of this, that’s how it calms my nerves, slowly kills you, numbs your senses,” He explained.

“Want one?” He asked, opening the pack of cigarettes and holding the pack towards me,

“No,” I said firmly,

“Suit yourself,” He said, slipping the pack back into his pocket, he blew another puff of smoke the other way.

“What time is it?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the Lego.

“2:15,” He responded,

“Thanks,” I added,

“What do you want for dinner?” He asked, leaning against the wall and taking another puff of his cigarette,

“Why do you want to know?” I asked,

“Because I’m trying to be nice, what do you want?” He asked again,

“What do you have?” I questioned, still not lifting my eyes,

“All of it,” He said calmly, taking another puff of his cigarette,

“What do you mean all of it?” I asked looking up at him,

“I mean I have everything, what do you want?” He asked again,

“I don’t know,” I replied, looking back down at the Lego,

“Yes you do, what do you want my darling?” He asked again,

“Stop. Pizza would be nice,” I said again,

“And to drink?” He asked again,

“What do you have?” I asked,

“Everything,” He replied, blowing another puff of smoke to the other side of the room, “Maybe some Soda,” I stated,

“Which type?” He asked,

“Sprite I guess,” I added,

“Perfect my darling,” He said,

“Stop it!” I yelled,

“Never,” He said, blowing another puff of smoke into the room, then walking away.

After a while I finally finished building my Lego. It was a beautiful flower, with small bees surrounding it.

“Can I come in?” Dorian asked,

“Do I have the choice?” I asked,

“Yes,” He replied,

“Then no,” I called,

“Too bad,” He opened the door and came in holding a plate of pizza, two cans of Sprite sitting next to it.

“Where’d you get it?” I asked,

“Marco made it,” He said, handing me the pizza.

“Who’s Marco?” I asked, taking a bite of the pizza.

“My chef,” He said, leaning against the wall.

“What’s that?” I asked, looking at something red on his shirt,

“Nothing,” He said, covering it with his hand,

“What is it?” I asked again.

“Pizza sauce,” He said awkwardly, licking his thumb and trying to wipe away the stain,

“No it isn’t,” I said taking another bite,

“How do you know?” He asked,

“The way you said it, and Marco made the pizza,” I pointed out,

“Some of the sauce accidentally spilled on my shirt when Marco handed it to me,” He explained,

“What actually is it?” I asked again,

“Pizza sauce.” He said, the anger in his voice rising.

“It’s not,” I said, taking another bite. I looked down at his shoe to see the same red liquid that was on his shirt.

“And the pizza sauce managed to make its way onto your shoe as well?” I asked “What?” He questioned, looking down at his shoe.

“God damn, I just got those, bloods really hard to get off of leather,” He said,

“Did you say blood?” I asked, he covered his mouth,

“Did I say blood?” He asked,

“Yes,” I said,

“It may have happened when I was working,” He muttered,

“YOU TWISTED MANIAC!” I yelled,

“Stop yelling, and I’m not twisted my darling,” He whispered, pulling my chin up to look at him,

“You know you’re lucky I’m chained down right now,” I said,

“What would you do if you weren’t?” He asked, smirking.

“Tell the police!” I screamed,

“Let’s see if you do,” He replied,

“I’ll be right back,” He said, walking out of the room,

“Where are you going?!” I yelled after him,

“You’ll see my darling,” He called back

“I hate you!” I screamed after him.

“I know!” He called back.

After a few minutes he came back holding a pair of keys,

“Do you want to leave?” He asked, leaning against the door frame and swinging the keys on his finger.

“Yes.” I replied firmly,

“Alright, you can leave, but when I get you back,” He walked over and sat on the bed “You have to kiss me,” He whispered

“Never!” I yelled,

“Alright, you can leave. But I’ll get you back,” He whispered,

“No you won’t,” I hissed back. He started to unlock the cuffs,

“You have thirty minutes to run, then I’m coming.” He said he finished unlocking the chains and I sprinted out of the room, in the distance I heard

“Sir should we go,”

“Not yet,” He said firmly. I pushed open the doors and started sprinting down the road. I called over a taxi and jumped in,

“175 junior avenue please,” I said as calmly as I could. After a thirty minute drive we made it to my apartment, they were already coming. I ran up the stairs and locked the door behind me. I bolted to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife I owned. I grabbed the knife sharpener with it and went into the bathroom. I sharpened the knife and locked the door behind me. I lay in the bath, hoping that the shower curtain would hide me. I reached out of the shower and grabbed the digital clock that was sitting on the bathroom counter,

“5:52,” I whispered to myself. Laying there, I watched the minutes tick by slowly, every minute felt like an hour. I sat facing the outside of the shower, waiting for them to come. Then a knock, then two, then three, on the door of my apartment. I stayed as silent as I could, then a loud crash, the sound of one person’s footsteps, then another joined them, then more, until there were at least fifteen people walking around my apartment. Then someone tried the door to the bathroom, I held my breath

“The bathroom door is locked,” Someone called, then all of the footsteps walked over to the bathroom, one knock, two knocks. Then another crash wood flew everywhere, and I tried to be as silent as possible. Someone tried to open the shower curtain, I sliced their arm,

“Ah!” They pulled back,

“She’s in here,” He said angrily. Then another person reached in and grabbed my arm.

“Let go!” I screamed, I bit him hard,

“Ah! What the hell?!” He yelled. Suddenly someone covered my nose and mouth with a cloth,

“Stop!” I yelled, I tried to fight back, but then everything blacked out again.

When I woke up I was tied to the same chair, in the same room, exactly the same as last time. I knew the ropes weren’t going to come off, but I still thrashed and tried to escape. Then Dorian walked in, smirking, he walked up to me and squatted onto his heel.

“See my darling, easy.” He stated,

“Oh I love how I can say it when you can’t fight back,” He chuckled,

“Remember the deal?” He asked, I shook my head,

“Yes you do, don’t lie to me,” he remarked,

“You said you would,” He added, tucking his hands into his pockets, I shook my head again,

“Fine you didn’t, but that was the deal, I let you go, and you kiss me.” He said, holding my chin gently in his hand, I pulled away again, he tilted his head,

“You’re so cute when you’re mad,” He chuckled, standing back up.

“Shall I take off the tape?” He asked, picking at a corner of the tape over my mouth, I nodded again.

“Really, tell me why?” He laughed, I looked at him angrily,

“Fine, I’ll take it off,” He said, pulling it off,

“You could’ve at least come,” I said angrily,

“What do you mean?” He asked calmly,

“You could’ve at least come to get me, instead of letting your men do the dirty work,” I explained,

“I was there,” He chuckled,

“What happened then?” I asked,

“You were hiding behind the shower curtain, with a knife, freshly sharpened I see.” He laughed,

“How did you know that it was sharpened?” I asked,

“My darling, no one cuts through skin that easily,” He added,

“Stop calling me that.” I demanded,

“Besides, who do you think knocked you out?” He asked,

“And carried you back to my car, and tied you in carefully, can you feel that the ropes are looser than last time?” He asked,

“You didn’t do that,” I muttered, trying to wriggle out of the ropes,

“They’re still not going to come off,” He whispered flatly,

“You left a pretty deep cut on one of my men, he has to get stitches, it’s going to be pricey, what am I going to do about that?” He asked, tilting his head,

“Like money affects you,” I hissed,

“Come on, could I at least have something to compensate?” He asked,

“What for someone else’s pain? No way,” I said firmly.

“Just one kiss for the pain you put me through?” He asked, lifting up his sleeve to reveal the long gouge on his arm,

“It was you, I’m gla-” I started, before I could finish he pulled me in and kissed me. “Stop with the negativity my darling,” He whispered, leaning back and resting on the wall,

“YOU TWISTED BITCH!” I screamed,

“I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!” I added,

“I guess I’ll meet you there,” He called, walking away,

“Also what do you want for breakfast?” He asked,

“Nothing!” I yelled,

“Okay so then that’s two of my usuals,” He called back,

“I hate you!” I screamed after him,

“Like I don’t know it,” He replied, just before he walked off.

Twenty minutes later he walked back in with two plates of food, a jug of juice and two cups in his hands, he placed it down on a table next to me, he moved a chair to be across from me, and moved the table with it,

“What is it?”I asked,

“Truffle butter toast, with soft scrambled eggs, topped with alba truffles, and the drink is yuzu juice.” He explained,

“I don’t want food,” I said,

“Yes you do,” He replied, walking to the back of me,

“Can I trust you?” He asked

“Right now, probably not,” I replied,

“If I can’t, I have to feed you by hand.” He explained, leaning over my shoulder,

“So I’ll ask you once more, can I trust you?” He asked again,

“Fine,” I answered,

“Thank you,” He untied the ropes and walked back to the other side of the table. I took a bite of the bread,

“Not bad, but in the future, don’t tie me up,” I said,

“I can’t make any promises,” He said, taking a bite of his,

“Does this technically count as a date?” He asked,

“No,” I replied,

“Why not?” He asked, leaning back in his chair, I looked down at my feet, and around the room,

“Do I really need to answer that?” I asked,

“Yes, please enlighten me on why sitting alone, eating a meal together isn’t considered a date,” He added,

“Wow, I thought master killers would be smarter, anyways, the first reason is, I’m locked in your basement, the second reason is that I’m tied to a chair, and the third is that you kidnapped me, I didn’t choose to come here,” I explained,

“I have a few things to say about that, but killing isn’t hard, shoot a gun, hide the body, simple, one you’re not locked in my basement, the door doesn’t lock, two, if you’re so smart, your hands are free, you can untie your feet, and three, you wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t of chosen to leave.” He said, I reached down and started to untie my feet,

“Thanks for the idea,” I said, standing up,

“You still can’t leave, you’re not locked in my basement, but you’re locked in my house so feel free to walk around.” He explained,

“You’re not going to stop me?” I asked,

“Nope, I’m going to eat my food, it will cost me a couple thousand bucks.” He said taking another bite,

“Excuse me did you just say thousand?” I asked,

“Yep I did,” He stated, pouring himself a cup of juice,

“That’s mostly Marcos’ salary though right?” I asked

“Nope, he gets one hundred thousand at the end of the year, the ingredients for these two meals cost me a couple thousand.” He explained calmly,

“How?” I asked, walking back over to the table and sitting down, taking another bite, “Fifty for the juice, eggs and bread are about average, and then the truffle is about three thousand, so overall these two meals cost about $4,000,” He explained,

“Wow,” I said,

“Now it’s a date,” He said calmly taking another bite of his food,

“No it isn’t,” I said firmly,

“Yeah it is, you’re here on your own no one’s forcing you to be here.” He explained, “Well then I’m leaving,” I said,

“Suit yourself, I’ll come find you in a bit,” He said

I walked out of the room and around the corner, the same doors that I left through yesterday were shut, I tried them anyway, definitely locked. There was a large set of marble stairs, with a dark red carpet covering the middle, I walked up them and down a long empty hallway. Every few steps there was a small arrangement of flowers, between every arrangement of flowers there was a door. I decided to open one of them, inside was a large room with a large bed in the centre, the windows facing towards the back of the property, revealing a view of a beautiful forest. On one of the walls was an old looking wooden desk, along with a cupboard. I opened the door to the cupboard to see many suits, dress shirts, nice pants and coats, I grabbed a handful of them and threw them over the floor. I tossed some under the bed, some covering the window, and some over the desk. Then I walked out and shut the door hard, I walked further down the hall, there was a door that seemed taller than all of the other doors, I pushed it open slowly. Inside was a large library, books covered every wall, I walked to a section with a sign above it that read ‘ROMANCE’ I picked up a random book and looked at how high the shelf went,

“I can climb that,” I whispered to myself, I threw the book to the top of the shelf and started climbing, it was easier than I thought it would be. I lay on my stomach and opened the book,

“What the fuck?” I heard someone announce down the hallway, the door of a room slammed shut. I smirked, knowing that Dorian had seen the chaos. The door creaked open, he looked around, somehow he clearly knew where I was. He slowly looked up to the top of the room,

“How did you get up there?” He asked,

“I climbed,” I replied,

“I climbed,” He mocked,

“Yeah of course you did,” He muttered bitterly, starting to scale the shelf. He made it to the top and squatted in front of me.

“What are you reading?” He asked,

“It’s called Haunting Adeline, about this girl who falls in love with her stalker,” I replied,

“So like me and you?” He asked,

“No, because I’m nowhere near in love with you.” I said firmly.

“You should be,” He whispered,

“No, I definitely shouldn’t,” I added,

“Anyways, I saw what you did to my room,” He said,

“Oh that was your room whoops,” I said sarcastically,

“What are we going to do about that?” He asked, tilting his head,

“You mean what are you going to do about that,” I corrected him,

“You can be really annoying you know,” He said,

“I’m trying,” I replied.

He turned to face the edge of the bookshelf and jumped,

“Did you just jump?” I asked, looking down to where he landed

“So you do care about me my darling,” He said, brushing himself off and standing up, “Stop calling me that,” I demanded,

“Or what my darling?” He asked,

“Or I’ll throw my book onto your head,” I said,

“No you won’t my darling,” He replied,

“Last warning,” I threatened,

“You won’t do it my darling,” I threw the book down and it landed on his head,

“Ouch,” He said, rubbing his head,

“I told you I would,” I replied, dangling my legs over the edge of the shelf. He bent over to pick up my book,

“Want this back?” He asked,

“Yes,” I replied,

“Come and get it,” he said,

“How?” I asked,

“The same way I did,” He replied,

“I’ll hurt myself,” I said, concerned,

“Not if I catch you,” He smirked,

“In your dreams,” I hissed back,

“Okay fine, what if I put a couch, and some beanbags, then would you jump?” He asked.

“Sure,” I replied,

“Great,” He moved over a couch to under where I was sitting, then grabbed three beanbags from the corner and placed them on top.

“Should be good,” He said, patting them softly. I closed my eyes and leaned down, after I landed I slowly opened my eyes,

“You’re alive,” He said calmly, I stood up,

“Now give me my book,” I demanded, “

get off the couch first,” He replied, I jumped off and extended my arm to grab it “Come and get it,” He said, holding in front of his face, I reached up to grab it and he lifted it higher I barely touched the bottom,

“Give it,” I demanded,

“Just grab it,” He said, lowering it again, I reached up once more and he raised it again

“So close,” He whispered,

“I’ll kick you,” I said,

“No you won’t,” He laughed,

“Give me the book,” I said,

“Just come and grab it,” he whispered again. I reached for it one more time, he raised it again, I kicked him in the crotch hard. He handed me the book,

“I just want you to know that I’m not handing it because it hurts,” He chuckled,

“Then why did you?” I asked him,

“Because I like the satisfaction on your face when you win,” He whispered,

“What’s the worst you’ve ever felt?” I asked,

“Ever been shot?” He asked, pulling his shirt up slightly to show a small hole in his side,

“You know what,” I stated,

“What?” He asked,

“I just remembered that I have school tomorrow,” I said,

“And?” He asked,

“Do you want to go?” He questioned

“Yes,” I replied,

“Fine, tonight we’ll go by your place and get what you need.” He said,

“Would you look at that,” He said, showing me his watch,

“One thirty already, it’s time for lunch.” He said,

“What would you like?” He asked me

“Mozzarella sticks,” I replied,

“What are those?” He asked,

“What do you mean, what are those?” I asked him,

“I mean I haven’t heard of them before, what are they?” He asked again,

“Mozzarella, cut into cubes, dipped in batter, and deep fried.” I explained,

“Okay, I guess I’ll ask Marco.” He said, walking out of the room, I threw my book back up to the top of the shelf and climbed back up,

“Alright Marco said he can- Why are you up there again?” He asked,

“To get away from you.” I called down,

“This is my house, you can’t escape me,” He said climbing back up the shelf,

“You do realise that you have to jump down again right?” He asked,

“No I don’t,” I replied,

“Howcome?” He questioned,

“Because you’re going to bring it up to me.” I said,

“How do you know that?” He asked,

“So you’re not denying it?” I asked him,

“No,” He said calmly.

“So you will bring it up here?” I asked him,

“You’ll have to wait and see,” He said, jumping off the shelf again,

“You’re going to get hurt you know,” I stated, not looking up from my book,

“So you do worry about me my darling?” He asked,

“No, I’m hoping you get hurt,” I added

“Yeah yeah, I’m going to get you food.” He said, walking out of the room. I threw my book down and jumped down again, I picked it up and walked to the bookshelf above the door, I threw my book up and climbed up again.

“I have your food,” Dorian called

“Where are you?” He asked,

“Up here,” I replied,

“Why’d you move?” He asked, starting to climb the shelf again,

“To put you off,” I replied,

“Well thank you,” he replied sarcastically, handing me the plate, he didn’t actually climb up that time, he hung onto the edge.

“You’re not coming up?” I asked,

“Do you want me to?” He questioned,

“No, stay there,” I said firmly,

“As you wish my darling,” He replied,

“I already told you not to call me that.” I said, sitting up to eat my food,

“Are they what you wanted?” He asked as I took my first bite,

“Yep,” I said,

“Can I try one?” He asked,

“Why?” I questioned,

“I’ve never had one,” He stated, I pushed the plate towards him and he took one, “How have you never tried one?” I asked,

“Dunno,” He replied, placing it in his mouth,

“These are good,” He replied happily,

“That’s why I asked for them,” I said, taking another bite,

“Where’d you learn about them?” He asked,

“What do you mean where, everyone’s heard of them,” I said

“Well how come no one told me about them?” He asked,

“I don’t know,” I replied,

“You done?” He asked,

“Yep,” I said, grabbing one more hand full and pushing the plate over to him, he grabbed it and jumped down again,

“Soon enough you’re going to hurt yourself,” I said,

“You wish,” He replied, walking out of the room.

There was a window with a large ledge right above me, I stood up and climbed onto it, the sun felt warm and comfortable on my skin. He walked back into the room, and climbed the shelf again,

“Why do you keep moving?” He asked,

“I already told you I’m trying to avoid you,” I explained,

“Clearly that’s not working,” He said calmly,

“Sadly,” I added,

“Come on, you know that you secretly like me,” He said,

“I’ve never hated anything more in my life,” I replied,

“Where do you even live?” He asked,

“Why?” I questioned,

“Because if we’re going to pick up your stuff, I need to know where to go,” He explained,

“Sadly, you already know where I live,” I added,

“Okay fine, then where do you go to school?” He asked,

“You know the answer to that one as well,” I replied,

“Should we go now?” He asked

“Fine,” I said, putting down my book. I jumped off the windowsill and onto the shelf, Dorian jumped off the shelf again,

“You’re going to hurt yourself soon,” I said, climbing down the bookshelf.

“My darling I’ve done this hundreds and thousands of times, I’m never going to hurt myself.” He added, brushing himself off,

“Stop calling me that,” I said, jumping from half way, he opened the door and let me walk out first,

“No thank you, jeez, harsh.” He said,

“Did you really expect a thank you?” I asked,

“No,” He said, shutting the door behind him. We walked out to his car, one click, the car unlocked, he turned to open the door, and in that moment I tried to run, he grabbed my wrist before I could,

“You know you’re not leaving,” He said, he carefully guided me into the car and shut the door behind me. I put my seat belt on and looked out the window, the car started with a loud roar and he pulled out of the spot quickly.

“What do you need?” He asked,

“What?” I asked, glancing over to him.

“For school, what do you need?” He asked,

“Oh um, my pencil case, my bag, my books, and some clothes,” I said, counting the items off on my fingers.

“Do you want me to help you get them?” He asked,

“Sure, I’m going to need a lot,” I added, after twenty minutes we were there,

“That was faster than last time,” I stated,

“That’s because I have shortcuts, I drive a lot,” He said, jumping out of the car, I opened the door and walked out slowly.

He opened the door to my apartment building and let me walk in first. He walked behind me the whole way, and led me up to my apartment, the door was still broken down and wood covered the floor. He walked to the corner of the room and picked up my pencil case, bag and books, they were strangely untouched looking at the state of the rest of the room. I walked over to my cupboard and picked up a few outfits. He walked behind me and out of the apartment building, he opened the back door and placed my things in there carefully, I threw the clothes on top of them. He opened the passenger door and closed it behind me again. He walked to the drivers side and started the car up again. After another short drive we made it to his house, that’s when I realised how big it was. I stepped out of the car and looked at his house for a minute,

“What?” He asked, clearly noticing that my gaze was set on his house,

“Nothing,” I replied, looking away and walking to the back seat,

“No what is it,” he pushed,

“Your house is big,” I said, “Like really big,” I added,

“Yeah, I guess it is, I haven’t noticed, it’s become my normal,” He stated, looking at the house too,

“Should we get my stuff?” I asked, looking towards the back,

“No, some of my men will get it.” He said, walking into the house behind me,

“In the meantime do you want to find a room for you to sleep in?” He asked,

“Sure,” I replied, walking up the marble steps, I opened the door closest to the library. It was small but cozy, the light leaked through softly stained windows, and coated the room with a soft glow. A small bed sat in the corner of the room, a wooden desk next to it.

“I want this one,” I said, walking over to the bed and sitting down.

“Okay, I’ll have my men put your stuff in here.” He added, leaning against the doorway.

“What do you want for dinner?” He asked,

“Lasagne with some coke would be nice,” I replied, turning to look out the window,

“What time does your school start?” He asked,

“Drop me off at around seven thirty,” I replied,

“And when should I come to pick you up?” He asked again,

“I don’t know, like five past four,” I lied, my school ended at three fifty, maybe I could leave if he came later. Dorian left the room and closed the door behind him. I walked over to the window and sat in front of it. It faced the back of the property, and the view was beautiful. It looked out into a large forest, with trees that scratched the sky and animals that jumped freely. Suddenly something scuttered over a tree near the window, I observed the branches, trying to figure out what it was, then a small brown squirrel jumped onto the window frame. It placed its small paws onto the window and I touched my finger to its tiny hand. It looked up at me, and I smiled down at it.

The door creaked open, I turned around quickly, Dorian was standing there, smiling happily, I looked back at the squirrel.

“What are you doing?” Dorian asked, handing me a plate, and a small can of coke.

“I was just looking out the window, and then this squirrel appeared.” I said,

“It’s cute,” He added, squatting next to me.

“I love the little white diamond on its head.” I told him, taking a bite of the lasagne. “Do you need lunch for school?” He asked,

“Just like a snack, but they give us food for lunch.” I answered,

“What do you want for a snack?” He asked,

“A packet of chips and a piece of fruit would be good.” I replied,

“Easy,” he said, walking out of the room and shutting the door softly. The squirrel was still sitting on the window frame, looking up at me with its large adorable eyes. Then it scurried away and jumped back into the tree that it came from. The lasagne was so cheesy, it was hard to take a bite out of without bringing all of the cheese with it. Someone opened the door and quietly walked in, they opened the cupboard and put all of my things in. They walked out and shut the door behind them again. I cracked open the coke and took a small sip, the bubbles popped on my tongue giving it a sharp and tangy flavour. Then there was a knock on the door.

“What?” I called out, Dorian stepped in, a phone resting in his hand, a mix of emotions plastered onto his face.

“The police called, they need you for something.” He muttered, I shot up and started to walk out the door,

“I’ll take you there, they said they need you as soon as possible.” He said, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his car keys. He walked me out to his car and started it up again, with another loud roar. After a ten minute drive we made it to the police station,

“Good luck,” He said as I jumped out of the car,

“I won’t need it,” I replied, closing the door, I walked over to my go to changing spot and quickly slipped into my latex costume, it’s tight,but it’s easy to move in. I walked up to the police station, like last time, the chief of police was waiting for me.

“Sorry to call you back so quickly, but we really need your help.” He said, standing up and removing his hat.

“It’s no problem, who am I fighting this time?” I asked, “It’s him,” He replied, him, we didn’t know his name, not even he did, and that was the scariest part, no way of tracing him, he had no identity, but he could do it all, he could fight, control fire, control water, fly, anything you can think of he can do.

“Are you ready?” He asked solemnly,

“Yes,” I replied firmly.

I walked out of the building again, and prepared myself to fight, fight like I had never fought before, because this time, I knew he was stronger. He stood in the street, smirking, surrounded by a ring of fire, my jaw clenched, fists tightened, I had to try my hardest.

“We meet again,” He said smugly,

“Sadly,” I replied, a flame burst from his hand and landed too close to me. I moved out of the way, but his eyes tracked my every movement. I shot ice to his shoulder, he didn’t move in time, he temporarily tensed, then looked down at his shoulder, the smirk on his face wasn’t what you would want in a fight. He lunged at me, pushing me to the floor, I pushed him back, he backed off, the way that he cooperated was terrifying. A low humming filled my ears, too quiet to seem like a threat, but too loud to be ignored. Then things started levitating, rocks, lots of them, pebbles, stones, gravel, all of it lifted off the ground. His smile grew wider, I tried to do something to stop it but before I could they all came flying towards me, too fast to dodge. A rock the size of a watermelon rushed towards my stomach, before I could move it hit me hard, I fell to the floor, the rock pinned me down. Then he appeared in front of me. I tried to push the rock off of my body, but he stepped on it and pushed it down, preventing me from getting up. I shot at him once more, he dodged it and kicked me in the face hard, hard enough that blood started to pour quickly. I pushed his knee hard and he fell over, it gave me just enough time to finally push the rock away and get back onto my feet. He stood in front of me and I punched him hard, he clutched his side and kicked me back harder than I hit him. I stumbled backwards and a sword appeared in my hands, I lunged at him and sliced his arm, blood splattered onto the floor. He reached out, not far enough to touch me, but somehow his hand wrapped around my neck, except at the same time he wasn’t close enough. He lifted me higher and threw me into the nearest building, the wall cracked and blood started to run down my back. He walked over to me, his sword drawn and my whole body tensed, my breath hitched, he reached down and instead of using his sword he punched me hard, hard enough to knock me unconscious, I felt myself fall to the floor, then everything stopped.

I slowly blinked awake and pain shot through my body, fast, harsh. I squeezed my eyes shut and a small whimper left my lips, then someone grabbed my hand, it was Dorian, I pulled away and sat up. I looked around, harsh white lights shone down, illuminating everything under it, blue curtains surrounded where I was, blocking out the outside world, there was constant and loud beeping coming from two monitors on either side of me. A grey tray sat on a table next to the bed I was lying on, the smell of hand sanitizer filled the air, next to me was a tall metal pole with a bag filled with fluid hoisted on the top, I traced a small tube that lead out of the bag, it led into my arm, a small white bandage covering where the tube entered my skin.

“Where am I?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

“Hospital, he messed you up pretty badly.” Dorian explained,

“Why are you here?” I asked angrily,

“I brought you here, I was sitting in the station, I heard the crash and went to look at what it was, I saw you unconscious and brought you here as quick as I could.” He explained.

“What day is it?” I asked,

“Tuesday,” He replied,

“And the time?” I asked again,

“Twelve fifty two pm,” He said,

“I’m supposed to be at school, they’re going to be so mad!” I exclaimed,

“Relax, I already went by and told them that you won’t be coming most of the week,” He explained,

“No, I’m going back to school tomorrow, I’m fine.” I said firmly,

“No, you’re staying until at least Thursday,” He replied,

“Why, I feel fine,” I added,

“Well you’re not fine, you broke two ribs, dislocated your shoulder, broke your nose, and have really deep cuts all over your back, I don’t care if you feel fine, you’re not leaving until Thursday.” He explained,

“You can’t just keep me here!” I yelled, at that moment someone opened the curtain and walked into the area that I was lying in,

“Ms Barnes, we have to run some tests, as we think that you may have pneumonia,” The doctor said, not looking up from his clipboard.

“Why would I have pneumonia?” I asked,

“Well according to this man,” He gestured to Dorian, “You smashed into a building, we suspect that the bacteria from within the walls of the building may have entered your lungs as the dust would have flown into the air surrounding you.” He explained, “We can do the testing here as it is just a scan of your lungs, so we will bring back an x-ray in a few minutes and do the scan, does that sound alright?” He asked,

“Yes,” I mumbled. The doctor walked out of the room and started to talk to some people about gathering medicine or something.

“Why’d you grab my hand when I woke up?” I asked Dorian,

“Because you were clearly in pain,” He said,

“So why did you grab my hand?” I asked again,

“Because when you were unconscious you were doing that a lot, and every time I grabbed your hand you calmed down,” he explained. I sat there for a moment and processed what he had just said, before I could say anything else. The doctor walked back in, a small box on wheels next to him.

“Please lay down,” He said, I lay on my back and pushed my chest up a little, the pain of the cuts pressing straight onto the bed was too much to bare, the doctor gently pushed my shoulder down so I was laying flat, I squeezed my eyes again and gripped the edge of the bed hard. Dorian softly rested his hand on mine, and the pain seemed to ease off, not much, but enough to make the pain bearable. The doctor lifted the scanner to rest just above my chest, he pushed a button on the screen in front of him and the scanner flashed once, then twice, then thrice.

“Okay that’s done,” He said, moving the scanner from above the bed, I sat back up quickly and moved my hand away from Dorians,

“I’ll come back in soon and we’ll have to do a scan on your heart, it takes a little longer, but it’s a pretty similar process, and after that’s done I’ll come back in with the results.” He explained,

“Okay,” I replied,

“We might have someone else come in to do the heart scan though because we have a different specialist for that,” He added,

“Sounds good,” I said. The doctor walked out of the room and closed the curtain behind him.

“What’s this?” I asked Dorian, lifting up the arm with the tube in it,

“An IV, it’s got the nutrients you would get from food and water, but because you were unconscious they had to use a drip.” He explained,

“Why was your instinct to grab my hand as soon as you could tell I was hurting?” I asked him,

“I don’t know,” He said, “I guess I don’t like when you’re hurting,” I looked at him for a moment, “At least when I can do something about it,” He added,

“That’s strange considering what you of for a living,” I stated,

“Yeah, I guess it is,” He added, then a new doctor walked in, a similar looking machine next to her, but she looked kinder than the last one,

“Please lay down,” The doctor said, I raised my chest like last time, she pushed down my shoulder carefully, the pain was just as bad as last time, without thinking I extended my hand to Dorian, he wrapped his hand around mine, and the pain eased off a bit.

“Please raise your shirt,” She said. I raised my shirt a small amount. She placed small stickers over my chest, she pulled a few wires out from the machine and attached them to the stickers, she pulled my shirt back down again, “Please lower your shirt soI can place the rest of the wires.” I lowered the collar of my shirt and she placed more stickers on my chest. She pulled more wires from the machine and attached them as well. She pressed a few buttons on the screen in front of her and the machine started to buzz, then the doctor from earlier opened the curtain and walked back into the room,

“Sir, could we call you her guardian?” He asked Dorian, Dorian looked at me,

“I guess,” I replied,

“Could you please step out of the room for a moment?” The doctor asked, Dorian squeezed my hand once and walked out, I took a breath and tried to calm myself down, but the pain increased, spreading to my ribs, I pressed my lips together and grabbed the edge of the bed, everything I tried to stop the pain just made it worse, I shut my eyes tight and just tried to ignore it. Then the curtain slid open and Dorian grabbed my hand again, I let out a sigh of relief as the pain subsided. After ten minutes of the scan she finally finished and took off the wires. I sat up as soon as I could and crossed my legs, the doctor walked out of the room,

“We’ll have the results in about ten minutes, I’ll come back then,” She said,

“Okay,” I sighed, the doctor shut the curtain.

“Astrielle,” Dorian said concerned, I turned to face him, “The results came back and you have pneumonia, you’re going to have to be in here for at least another week.” He said, I sat there for a moment and processed what he had just said,

“Okay, will it get better?” I asked,

“Eventually, but if it doesn’t improve, they might have to put you on oxygen, they said the chances of that happening are high, very high,” he explained,

“Do they have medication?” I asked,

“Yes, but it has side effects, shaking, mood swings, and loss of appetite are some of the things that might happen.” He explained

“Can people come and visit?” I asked,

“Yes, between one and five, is there anyone you want to come?” He asked,

“My friend Ally, and my sister,”

“Do they know about what you do, will they know to come?” He asked,

“No, I’ll have to tell them, is there a phone I can use?” I asked,

“You can use mine,” He said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and handing it to me. “Thanks,” I typed Ally’s phone number into the messages app and told her when to come,

“What are you writing?” He asked, peering over my shoulder,

“It says ‘hey, my disease has gotten worse, I’m in hospital, please come visit today after school, tell the lady at the desk you’re looking for me, she’ll show you where to go, hope you can make it” I read to him, I clicked the send button and she started texting back almost straight away, ‘Oh no! I’ll come as soon as school finishes, I’ll bring snacks, hope you get better,’ I copied the message and sent it to Juliet, I don’t even know if she will or not, I hope she will, maybe she’ll come,

“Oh no,” I said,

“What?” He asked,

“Two things, one I have to act like I’m just sick and not in pain, and two, neither of them know that you’re here,” I explained,

“Why is that an issue?” He asked,

“Because that means I have to push through the pain, and you can’t be here, you’re the only thing that helped the pain.” I said,

“You could lie,” He suggested,

“This is my best friend, and my sister, they’ll definitely know,” I said, the worry in my voice rising,

“My friend and brother wouldn’t know if I was lying,” He pointed out,

“Well girls will notice okay, they observe things, what am I going to do?” I asked,

“You could just explain it to her, say that I’m here for emotional support,” He suggested,

“I guess we could try that,” I said, the machine to my right started beeping louder and faster than it did before, the number read 88, Dorian quickly pushed a button above my head, breathing was getting harder,

“Dorian, what’s going on?” I asked, before he could reply two doctors rushed into the room, “What’s-” One of the doctors started, he looked at the machine on my right and immediately rushed to my side and pulled out a canister from behind the bed, he opened a small bag and attached the tube inside to the canister, he quickly placed a mask over my face and wrapped it around my head. He pressed a button on the canister and it started to make a slow hissing noise, slowly breathing got easier and the number on the machine to my right started to raise. They all let out a small sigh of relief as the number climbed to 96

“What just happened?” I asked, looking around the room,

“Ms your oxygen just dropped dangerously low, if someone had waited another two minutes you may have gone unconscious.” He explained,

“Now please tell us what happened, we need this so we can put it on your file.” The other doctor added,

“I-” I started, suddenly I felt out of breath, talking became difficult, I tried to focus on breathing, I looked up at Dorian,

“She was just lying in bed, and suddenly it just dropped, no warning, it just happened,” He explained,

“What were you doing prior to this?” The doctor asked again.

“Texting my friend and telling her to come and visit.” I whispered so quietly I’m surprised they heard.

“Okay, we’ll get you some medication so we can prevent this,” The other doctor added, then they both walked out of the room.

“What time is it?” I asked Dorian quietly, he looked at his watch,

“It’s four-” Before he could finish Ally burst in.

“How are you feeling, what are all these tubes, who’s this?” She asked too fast for anyone to answer,

“I’m okay, the one in my arm is nutrients, the on on my face is oxygen, and he’s my support worker, he volunteered to be a guardian for people who don’t have one,” I explained, half lying half not,

“Oh okay, what’s your name?” She asked, turning to Dorian,

“Edward,” he muttered , Ally jumped onto the bed,

“Cool, also I brought snacks,” She said, tipping out the contents of her bag onto the bed.

“I brought cookies, chips, sandwiches, water, and some fruit.” She said happily, throwing each of the items into my lap.

“Thanks!” I exclaimed, picking up a packet of chips and tearing it open, I moved the mask down to my chin and took a big mouthful, I pulled the mask back up quickly. “Why didn’t you tell me you were here earlier?” She asked,

“She was unconscious,” Dorian butted in.

“Her oxygen dropped too low and she passed out,” He explained, of course that’s nowhere near to the truth, but it’s what we should let her believe.

“Did you see the news?” Ally asked,

“No, what news?” I questioned,

“Okay let me tell you, so basically you know subzero, so she was fighting this villain, what’s his name again?” She asked,

“What does he look like?” I asked,

“He’s tall and pale, and he can do anything, you know?” She explained

“Oh yeah that one, I don’t think he has a name,” I replied, trying to sound like I was searching for the answer,

“Okay lets just call him Jake, so she was fighting Jake, and you know how she always wins, and she’s like never lost, this time she lost!” She exclaimed,

“Really, what happened?” I asked, trying to seem intrigued,

“Someone got a video of the whole thing, I don’t have it with me but I’ll tell you what happened. So sub was fighting Jake and she hit him in the shoulder, and then he started smiling all creepy, then he jumped at her and pushed her to the ground, then she pushed him off and I was like yay, but then there was like this terrifying humming, like it was so loud and so quiet at the same time. Then all these rocks flew at her, and this really big one pinned her to the floor.” She explained,

“That must have been so stressful.” I added, trying to sound as surprised as I could, “Then he teleported in front of her, and she was trying to push the rock off and he stepped on it and pushed it down harder, and then she tried to shoot at him and he kicked her in the face really hard and blood started to pour out of her nose. But then she managed to push him off and get up, and everyone was like yay! And then she punched him and he was like holding his side, she must have hit him really hard, and then he kicked her and she almost fell over, but then like magic a sword appeared in her hand and she sliced his arm, and I was like yes! And then he somehow grabbed her without actually touching her, and then she got lifted into the air and then she went smash real hard into a building, he slammed her so hard that the wall broke and dust flew everywhere. And blood started to cover the hole in the wall, probably because of all the bricks smashing into her back, and then he walked over and punched her and she fell unconscious and dropped to the floor. Then this guy came and scooped her up and put her in his car, now that I think about it the guy kind of looked like you Edward.” She finished, slightly out of breath,

“That was a lot of detail,” I said,

“I know, but Edward, you really do look like the guy who picked her up.” She stated, “What a coincidence,” Dorian said awkwardly.

She started looking something up on her phone,

“What are you looking at?” I asked,

“Here,” She said, angling the phone towards Dorian, I peered over his shoulder and looked at the phone screen. I looked at the video, she had it set to when he lifted me

into the air. I rewatched the video as he threw me into the wall, I bit my cheek trying to seem as normal as possible, then I watched myself fall to the floor. Then clear as day Dorian walked out the door, he looked to where the crash was, his eyes seemed to change when he saw me, then he ran to pick me up, I watched him carry me to the car and speed off, then the tape ended.

“See, it looks just like Edward!” She exclaimed,

“You know what, my parents told me that I had a twin that they put up for adoption when he was born, that might have been him.” Dorian improvised, handing back Ally’s phone,

“Okay, but did you know that apparently sub is in this hospital, and she’s around the same area as you too! How cool would it be if you met her in real life!” She exclaimed “Yeah, so cool!” I exclaimed, trying to seem as excited as possible. Then the doctor opened the curtains,

“Excuse me, but visiting hours are almost over, if just a warning that in thirty minutes you have to leave.” He stated

“Okay, Bye Astrielle, I’ll come visit tomorrow alright,” She said, packing some of her stuff back into her bag.

“Okay, see you next time,” I said, giving her a small hug, she hugged me back tightly, I bit my lip and tried to pretend that the cuts on my back didn’t make me want to cry, she walked out of the room with one more

“By Astrielle!”

“Goodbye!” I called back.

Then another girl walked in,

“Hi, it’s me Juliet,” She said happily,

“Hi!” I exclaimed, sitting up and giving her a small hug,

“What happened?” She asked,

“I have a disease, and it got worse, so now I’m here,” I lied,

“Uh-hu, and your disease happened to break your nose?” She asked,

“No, I…fell, and then my disease got worse after that,” I explained,

“Mhmm, you’re a horrible liar, anyways how are you doing?” She asked,

“Alright, not great, but could be worse,” I replied,

“Who’s this?” She asked, pointing to Dorian,

“Edward, I’m a volunteer sort of guardian for people without one,” He said, reaching over to shake her hand,

“Hmm, okay, never heard of that before,” She said, shaking his hand.

“That’s funny, but tell me, do you know who our real parents are?” I asked

“No, I was adopted really young, but you should come and meet my adoptive parents sometime,”she answered,

“Where do you live?” I asked, “Maybe I could come and visit sometime,” I added, “Oh, a little while away, like thirty minutes, you should definitely come visit sometime, but where do you live?” She asked,

“A small apartment, not too far away, like ten minutes.” I answered,

“Wait, I want to talk to you in private, could you leave the room?” She asked Dorian, “Yeah sure, just call me when you want me to come back,” He answered, standing up and leaving the room.

“Who actually is that guy?” She whispered,

“His name is Dorian, he’s like my somewhat friend, I think he wants to be more though,” I mumbled,

“No, I don’t have a good feeling about him, tell him to stay away, if he doesn’t I’ll make him,” She hissed,

“Okay,” I said sceptically,

“Tell him,” She added firmly,

“What do you want me to tell him?” I asked,

“Tell him that he better stay away, right now,” She replied,

“I can try, he’s not going to listen though,” I pointed out,

“I don’t care, tell him to stay away,” She added,

“Fine, I will, I’m telling you he won’t listen though,” I stated,

“Edward!” She called out, he walked back into the room and shut the curtain behind him again,

“What were you talking about?” He asked, sitting back in the seat,

“Oh nothing, but I should be going now,” She answered,

“Okay, bye,” I said through gritted teeth, she pulled me into a tight hug,

“Tell him,” She hissed, I nodded my head,

“Bye!” She called out, walking out of the room.

“What did she say?” He asked,

“That’s none of your business,” I added,

“Please, I won’t tell anyone,”

“She told me that you should stay away, she doesn’t trust you, she says if you don’t stay away she’ll make you,” I explained

“Wow, big threats from someone I’ve never met,” He laughed.

“The video that Ally showed me, that really was you, wasn’t it,” I whispered to Dorian, “Yeah,” He muttered.

“Why?” I asked,

“What?” He muttered,

“Why did you do it?” I asked again

“I-I don’t know,” He stuttered,

“Thank you,” I whispered,

“For what?” He asked,

“For bringing me here, for taking care of me,” I added,

“You don’t have to thank me for that.” He laughed, “Yes I do, especially from someone like you,” I stated,

“What do you mean someone like me?” He asked,

“Someone who kills for a living, you are probably the most dangerous person I know, and yet, you saved me, you took care of me when I couldn’t defend myself, thank you.” I explained,

“I guess I am pretty dangerous, but with you, all of that anger and frustration and ruthlessness seems to fade away, it seems to all stop.” He stated, looking up to meet my eyes,

“You somehow bring the best out of me, I don’t know how, but thank you.” He said, “You have nothing to thank me for,” I laughed,

“I do, whatever sympathy I have left you manage to bring it to the surface. So thank you.” He replied firmly, the doctor slid the curtain open again, Dorian’s eyes moved to the floor,

“You have to have your medication, for the pneumonia, we have to administer it through an injection.” I stretched my arm out to the doctor. He inserted the needle into my arm, a small sharp pain pulsed in my arm. He removed the needle carefully, “I’ll come back every three hours to administer more medication.” He stated,

“Okay,” I said, rubbing my arm with my thumb. He placed the needle on a dish in his hand and left the room quietly,

“What time is it?” I asked Dorian,

“Six twenty,” He said, glancing down at his watch,

“Will they give me food?” I asked,

“Yes, but from what I’ve heard it’s not very good, I could get someone to bring you food if you want,” He replied,

“No, I’ll be fine.” I added,

“How are you feeling?” He asked,

“Sore, everywhere.” I replied, “Thought so, do you want me to ask for something for the pain?” He asked,

“No, I think I’ll be fine, but maybe I’ll need it later.” I replied,

“Do you want to watch something?” He asked, grabbing the remote from behind my bed,

“Sure,” I said, grabbing it from his hand. I switched the tv on and flipped through the channels, after a little while of scrolling I found a channel about training difficult dogs. I put the remote down on the side of the bed and leaned back, but I quickly sat back up again, the cuts hurt whenever I lay back, they probably wouldn’t have hurt as much if the fabric of the hospital gown that I was in wasn’t as rough and itchy. Sitting up for as long as I had wouldn’t have been that bad if I didn’t have three broken ribs, cuts on my back, and a dislocated shoulder that had just been popped back into the socket. Everything hurt, even my legs, probably because of all of the times that I got thrown to the floor. I sighed, partially because of the pain, partially because of how exhausted I was.

“What’s wrong?” He asked,

“Everything hurts, and I can’t get comfortable.” I explained. He pushed down the railings on the side of the bed,

“What are you doing?” I asked,

“Trying to help you get more comfortable,” He said, pushing his chair closer to my bed. He put his arm onto the bed,

“Lay down,” He said, I rested my neck on his arm, he wrapped his hand around my arm.

“Better?” He asked,

“A little,” I replied, resting my head on his shoulder. The tv played a show about a little French bulldog who had a biting problem.

“He’s so cute!” I exclaimed,

“Yeah, he is,” Dorian smiled, my eyes started to slowly shut, then someone walked in holding a tray of strange looking pasta, she placed it on the table next to me. I sat up and took a small bite, it was partially cold, the vegetables tasted like they were still half frozen.

“How is it?” Dorian asked,

“Horrible,” I replied.

I pushed the plate away and rested my head back on Dorian’s shoulder.

“Do you want something else?” He asked,

“No, I’m not that hungry,” I added. My eyes started to close slowly, the tv was still playing about that French bulldog. I closed my eyes and Dorian pushed my hair behind my ear and ran his fingers through my hair slowly, he pulled the rough knit blanket up to my chest. He kept running his fingers through my hair softly, after a little while I drifted off to sleep. A few hours later I started to wake up slowly to a small pain in my arm, Dorian looked down at me,

“Go back to sleep, it’s just the medication.” He whispered, and he started to run his fingers through my hair again. I closed my eyes again and started to fall back asleep, I rested my head back on his shoulder, I turned to face him. I slowly drifted back to sleep, my whole body still ached and hurt, but Dorian holding me eased the pain a bit. I woke up once more a few hours later, the doctor was injecting another needle into my arm. He looked down at me again,

“Last one for tonight,” He whispered, rubbing my arm with his hand.

“Okay,” I smiled up at him and closed my eyes once again. I turned in his arm over and over, trying to find a position that didn’t hurt my whole body.

“What’s wrong?” He murmured,

“It hurts,” I whispered,

“Do you want me to ask them for something?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I sighed,

“Okay, sit up, I’ll go and get something,” He said, pushing me up, a few moments later Dorian walked back in with a doctor by his side,

“One more injection,” The doctor said, walking over to me and pushing one more needle into my skin.

“The pain should ease off soon enough,” He said, walking back out of the room. Dorian walked back to the seat next to my bed, he put his arm back onto the bed, I lay back on his arm and rested my head against his shoulder. I closed my eyes again, he ran his fingers back through my hair,

“It’ll feel better soon,” He whispered,

“Mhmm,” I sighed, he wrapped his hand around my shoulder and rubbed it slowly. After a little while I finally drifted back to sleep, this time I slept until the morning, it was easier to sleep when people weren’t jabbing needles into my arm. After a long while I woke up again,one of Dorian’s arms was resting below my neck, his other arm was resting over my side, he was resting close, not close enough to press against me, but close enough for his warmth to stop the aching of my body.

“Dorian,” I muttered,

“Are you okay?” He asked, resting his head against mine.

“Yeah,” I muttered,

“Good,” he added.

“Why are you-” I started,

“You were in pain, I pulled you in and you stopped.” He explained,

“Go back to sleep, you woke up too many times, you’re not rested enough.” He whispered,

“I feel fine-” I started,

“You’re not getting up, until you get at least another hour of sleep.” He said firmly. “But I’m not tired,” I protested,

“The doctors said you need at least ten hours of sleep, you’ve only had seven, you need at least one more hour, go back to sleep.” He pushed.

I closed my eyes and I rested my head on his arm, the pain medication worked, but it had almost completely worn off, my body was aching and sore, I was bruised over my whole body, and my back, ribs and face hurt. I sighed,

“What’s wrong?” Dorian asked,

“Everything hurts,” I groaned.

“Do you want me to get more pain meds?” He asked,

“Yes,” I sighed, pulling myself up, Dorian quickly jumped off the bed and walked out of the area I was in. A few minutes later he walked back in with a doctor, another injection in his hand,

“This should last at least eight hours,” The doctor announced, pushing another needle into my arm. Dorian put his arm back on the bed and I lay down again, the pain was still there, but I knew it would go away soon. I shut my eyes and tried to fall back asleep, Dorian ran his fingers through my hair slowly. After a little while I finally fell back asleep, eventually I woke back up again, Dorian was awake and watching some tv quietly. He glanced down at me,

“See, you were tired,” He whispered, tucking my hair behind my ear,

“What time is it?” I asked him,

“Ten o’clock my darling,” he replied,

“Shut up,” I muttered, resting my head against his shoulder.

“It’s funny you know,” He chuckled,

“What’s funny?” I asked, turning to face him,

“It’s funny how you subconsciously like me,” he stated, stroking my hair softly.

“I don’t,” I replied,

“Yes you do,” he added,

“How so?” I asked, he looked down at me,

“You’ve been sleeping on me all night you do realise that,” he pointed out,

“No I haven’t,” I groaned,

“You’re doing it right now you know,” he laughed,

“That’s because it hurts and you’re the only thing that stops it,” I muttered,

“I know, I’m the only thing that stops it because you subconsciously want me, it doesn’t take a genius to know that.” He laughed,

“Shut up will you,” I groaned, leaning into his chest.

“Fine fine, I’ll shut up.” He chuckled, stroking the back of my head. I pushed myself into his chest,

“You know you’re at my mercy when you’re lying like this right?” He asked,

“I’m not an idiot, you’re not going to hurt me, I know that.” I muttered,

“You’re right, I won’t hurt you for now,” he replied,

“What do you mean for now, you took me to the hospital, if anything you’re going to protect me in the future.” I said,

“You’re right, I don’t have the heart,” He whispered,

“Yes you do, you just aren’t going to hurt me,” I replied,

“Fine I’m not going to hurt you, but you have to admit that you love me,” he muttered, “I don’t,” I groaned,

“If you didn’t you wouldn’t be lying on my chest like you are right now.” He chuckled, stroking my back softly.

“You’re being really annoying today aren’t you,” I muttered,

“I’m not trying to, I’m just annoyed,” He muttered, calmly, but I could hear some sort of anger in his voice,

“What do you mean annoyed?” I asked,

“Annoyed that you’re stuck in hospital,” He replied,

“You don’t need to be annoyed, nothing happened to you,” I replied,

“Yeah, I know, I’m annoyed for you, I’m annoyed that you have to be in pain, all you were doing was trying to help, and this is what happens.” He explained,

“I’m fine,” I said,

“We both know that you’re not,” He said.

“Are you hungry?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I replied,

“I’ll ask for a sandwich okay,” he said, getting out of the chair and walking out of the curtained area. A few minutes later he walked back in, holding a small packaged sandwich in his hands.

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing the sandwich from his hands. I ripped the top off the packaging, and took a big bite. It was a cheese and ham sandwich, it was cold, but not in a bad way like the pasta was. I ate the whole thing quickly, because I was so hungry, after all I hadn’t eaten anything since six o’clock last night. I lay back on Dorian’s arm and rested my head on his shoulder.

“How are you feeling?” He asked,

“Exhausted, achy, sore, not good.” I replied,

“Move over,” He said, standing up from the chair.

“Why?” I asked,

“Trying to help the pain, now move over.” He said again, I moved closer to the railings on the other side,

“I don’t get how this is going to help anything,” I said, Dorian didn’t say anything, he just got onto the bed and sat beside me, he put his arm over my shoulders and pulled me closer. I rested my head on his chest, he held me close to him, I shut my eyes, “Better?” He asked,

“A little,” I groaned,

“Do you see what I mean?” He asked,

“What do you mean?” I questioned,

“Do you see what I mean by you secretly love me.” He explained,

“I don’t,” I groaned,

“Then how come when your friend hugs you it does nothing, but when I hug you it stops hurting as much.” He elaborated,

“I don’t know,” I said,

“I’m not an idiot, I know that you like me.” He replied,

“I don’t like you okay,” I groaned,

“Then why are you laying on my chest so relaxed?” He asked,

“Because it helps, I already told you this.” I replied.

“Yeah yeah, if you want to live in delusion live in delusion.” He said,

“I’ll face the truth when I want to face the truth.” I replied,

“So you’re not denying the fact that you love me?” He asked,

“Maybe I’m denying it, maybe I’m not, you’ll have to see,” I replied,

“So you do like me?” He asked again,

“Maybe,” I answered,

“I like my chances,” He said,

“Can you just be quiet?” I groaned, falling into his chest.

“Okay, do you want to watch something?” He asked, grabbing the remote,

“Yeah,” I replied, grabbing the remote from his hand and putting on the same channel about training the dogs with issues, this time there was a golden retriever that got too excited when people came near it and hurt them.

“I really want a dog like that,” I stated,

“Oh yeah, would you be happy if you got one?” He asked,

“Extatic.” I replied, he grabbed his phone and looked something up,

“What are you looking at?” I asked him, he turned the screen away,

“Nothing,” he said, if I wasn’t as exhausted as I was I would have pushed, but I didn’t have the energy. He stroked the back of my head softly, I kept watching the show, the puppy was so happy and cuddly.

“I need him, he looks so happy.” I said happily,

“Yeah he is,” He said, not looking up from his phone.

“What are you doing?” I asked, peering into his screen, I saw a photo of a small puppy,

“Nothing,” He said, pushing a button and putting his phone down.

“Why was there a puppy on your screen?” I asked,

“There wasn’t.” He replied,

“Yes there was,” I added,

“I just wanted to get a better look at what they usually look like.” He said, if I wasn’t so exhausted I would have questioned it, but I didn’t have enough energy. I closed my eyes when someone opened the curtain, it was a doctor,

“I have your medication.” She said, holding an injection in her hand. I reached my arm out and she pushed the needle into my arm. I had gotten used to the small prick, it didn’t even feel like anything anymore. She walked out of the room, and didn’t say anything. It felt quiet, too quiet. Then she turned around to face me,

“We need to run a few more tests, just to check how everything is going. They’re the same ones that we did yesterday, okay, so we’ll come back and do those in a few minutes.” She said, my jaw clenched,

“Okay,” I said, trying to seem as normal as I could. Dorian pulled down the railings and jumped off the bed, he sat on the chair next to me. A few minutes later the same doctor walked in wheeling the same machine, I lay down on my back and the cuts stung when they touched the rough fabric. I clenched my fist hard, Dorian grabbed my hand, the pain eased off a little. The machine beeped once, then twice, then thrice. They moved the scanner from above the bed and I sat up again. She wheeled the machine out of the room,

“This is hell,” I complained, leaning my head back against the head of the bed.

“Oh yeah, how so?” He asked,

“I’m so tired and everything hurts, I just want to lie down, but it hurts when I do,” I groaned,

“They’ll be done with the testing in a minute, okay.” He replied reassuringly,

“Kill me now.” I complained,

“Oh come on, it’ll get better soon,” he said, tucking my hair behind my ear. Then the doctor walked back in,

“The test we just did was an x-ray to see if your ribs are healing well, and it showed that they aren’t, so we are going to have to bandage it so that they can be guided into the correct spot.” She explained,

“Okay,” I replied

“So if you could please stand up and we will take you to an isolation room and bandage you.” I pulled myself up and stepped off the bed, I followed the woman into a small room,

“Please lift your shirt,” She said, I lifted my shirt up and she grabbed some tough bandages,

“What are these cuts on your back?” She asked,

“Oh I just fell,” I replied

“They look a lot like what would happen if you fell onto a pile of bricks,” She pointed out,

“Yeah, I landed on some stairs,” I improvised,

“Okay,” She replied, she started wrapping the rough bandages tightly around my chest, they itched and felt hard around my skin. After a few minutes she finally finished the bandages.

“How do they feel?” She asked,

“Okay,” I replied, she walked me back to the room that I was in,

“They should feel a bit softer after a little while,” She said, then she left.

“How do they feel?” Dorian asked, I lay down on the bed,

“Horrible,” I replied,

“What’s wrong with them?” He asked,

“They’re so hard and itchy,” I added,

“That sucks,” He replied. His phone lit up, he grabbed it quickly,

“What’s that?” I asked, “Nothing,” He replied, he typed something on his phone. He quickly turned off his phone and put it face down on a table next to him. “What time is it?” I asked him,

“One thirty.” He replied,

“How are you feeling?” He asked,

“Achy, sore, itchy, bad.” I replied,

“Come here,” He said, patting the bed next to him,

“No,” I replied, resting my head against the head of the bed.

“You can be really stubborn and annoying, you know,” He added, he stood up from his chair and sat on the bed next to me,

“Mhm, I’m trying.” I replied, closing my eyes, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close again, I leaned my head into his chest.

“You’re still trying to act like you don’t want me aren’t you?” He asked,

“I’m not acting though,” I replied,

“Yes you are,” He added,

“Why do you say that?” I asked him,

“You do realise that you’re lying on my chest right now,” he replied,

“I know that, I’m not stupid, but I still don’t like you.” I groaned,

“Please explain to me how you still claim that you don’t like me, even though you’ve been lying on me since you woke up.” He said,

“I’ve already told you, I’m only doing it because it helps with the pain,” I replied, “You’re a really bad liar you know,” He stated,

“You wouldn’t know, I’m not lying.” I replied, I let my head fall into his chest.

“You’re leaning into my chest, you’re basically sleeping on me.” He whispered,

“Don’t act like you’re not enjoying it,” I muttered,

“I never said that,” He whispered, stroking the back of my head. I wrapped my arm around his waist,

“Why are you-” He started,

“Shut up I’m tired,” I interrupted,

“You shouldn’t be sleeping now,” He muttered,

“You can’t even pretend that you don’t want me to stay.” I groaned,

“No, no, I never said I wanted that.” He whispered softly,

“Good, now let me sleep, wake me up at three thirty, until then let me sleep,” I replied, “You know you could be sleeping normally, like on the bed.” He stated,

“I know that, but you and I both want me to sleep like this, you have to admit.” I replied,

“Okay, you’re right, I’ll let you sleep.” He said,

“Good, now be quiet.” I added. After that I fell asleep quickly. A while later I was woken up to Dorian tracing small circles on my arm.

“It’s three thirty,” He whispered, I turned away from him and closed my eyes again. “You need to wake up now,” He whispered,

“No I don’t,” I groaned,

“Okay, but I’m getting off the bed now,” He said, starting to move himself off the bed, I turned and grabbed his waist again.

“I’m still tired, you’re not getting up yet,” I complained,

“Your friend is going to be here soon, she won’t understand if you’re lying on top of me,” he stated,

“Fine, but you’re coming back after she’s gone, okay.” I said, letting go of him,

“Okay, whatever you say you little pest.” He replied,

“Oh shut up, you know you enjoyed it.” I said, sitting up and rubbing the back of my neck.

“Do you think she’ll notice the bandages?” I asked him,

“I think it’ll be fine.” He replied, before either of us could say anything else Ally burst through the curtain,

“Hey idiot, did you hear the news?” She asked,

“I haven’t been watching the news so probably not.” I replied,

“Okay, let me tell you, it’s not as exciting as yesterday, but apparently sub’s condition is getting worse!” She exclaimed,

“Oh, how so?” I asked her,

“Apparently, she broke three ribs and now they’re getting worse, so she has this almost like a cast, but apparently softer, so I guess it’s not that hard, but still, having a cast on your chest sounds like hell!” She exclaimed,

“I know, but at least it’s not an actual cast,” I replied,

“Yeah, but, apparently someone saw her with a guy, but not just with him, like they could just be friends, sleeping on top of him, I think that sub might not be single for much longer.” She announced,

“How were they sleeping though, because maybe if she was just resting her head they could have just been sitting together and she fell asleep,” I suggested, already knowing the truth,

“It was a doctor who saw them, and apparently, she had her arm wrapped around his waist, she was basically sleeping on top of him, her head was apparently resting on his chest, and he had his arm resting around her shoulders, and he had her pulled in like right into his side.” She explained, I tried to seem as normal as possible as I watched her describe exactly how we were just lying.

“And she wasn’t just lying there, she was fast asleep on his chest.” She added, “That’s crazy,” I replied, trying to seem as intrigued as possible.

“Tell me something about what’s happening at school, I’m so bored.” I said

“Okay so you know Mr Houston right?” She asked,

“Yeah, it’s hard not to know him.” I replied,

“So apparently Lily is dating him.” She finished

“Wait what?! Are you serious?!” I asked,

“I know, that was my reaction, but now Mr Houston has been fired, and Lily has been suspended.” She said,

“That’s crazy, did anything else happen?” I asked her,

“So Jordan broke up with me when I got home,”

“Oh I’m so sorry,” I said

“But it’s fine. So you know Sam?” She asked,

“The guy or the girl?” I questioned,

“The boy, so basically, you know how I’ve had the biggest crush on him forever?” She asked me,

“It’s kind of difficult for me to forget, you never stop talking about him.” I stated,

“Okay, so today we were at lunch, I was sitting with Danielle, and Sam walked up to me and randomly said ‘Hey Ally, I’ve had a crush on you since grade five, please will you go out with me?’ And I was like yes of course! So tomorrow night I’m going to his house for dinner!” She exclaimed,

“Oh my god, that’s so amazing! I’m so happy for you!” I exclaimed,

“I never hear you talk about any guys, do you like anyone?” She asked,

“Yeah, there’s this one guy, he doesn’t go to our school though.” I replied,

“You have to tell me his name!” She exclaimed,

“His name is Dorian.” I replied,

“How old is he?” She asked,

“Oh, older.” I replied, before she could ask anything else a doctor walked back in, “Visiting hours are over now, if you could please make your way to the exit.” She said calmly,

“Okay, I’ll leave now. I’m coming back tomorrow, and you better tell me more about him, okay.” She said firmly,

“Okay.” I said as she walked out of the room,

“Bye!” She called behind her,

“See you tomorrow.” I called out.

“Did you say what I thought you said?” Dorian asked,

“What do you mean?” I questioned,

“You said the guy you like is called Dorian.” He explained,

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” I replied,

“How many Dorians do you know?” He asked,

“Just you.” I replied.

“I knew that you wanted me,” He chuckled,

“If you want that to last you should come here,” I added,

“You’re a really needy little pest aren’t you.” He laughed, he got out of the chair and sat on the bed next to me.

“Shut up, you know you love it.” I replied. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer, I rested my head on his chest,

“Why do you love to lie like this?” He asked,

“It’s comfortable, and why do you care if I lie like this, you love it, probably more than I do.” I replied,

“I never said that I didn’t like it.” He added, I wrapped my arm around his waist and pulled myself into him.

“I find it so funny how earlier today you pretended that you didn’t

want me.” He chuckled,

“Shut up, unless you want me to take it back,” I replied,

“Fine, but now you can tell your friend why I’m here.” He suggested.

“Maybe, but I’m still tired, be quiet, I want to sleep.” I groaned,

“Why are you still tired? You’ve slept like twelve hours, how do you even need more sleep?” He asked,

“I don’t know, I’m just tired, let me sleep,” I replied,

“Fine, I’ll be quiet,” He whispered, I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly. I slept for at least twelve more hours before I woke up, but this time something was wrong.

After a long time I woke up again, I slowly blinked awake. There was a mask covering my mouth and nose, every time I took a breath a machine hissed loudly. I looked beside me, Dorian wasn’t lying where he was when I fell asleep, he was standing next to my bed, his head resting against the wall, his eyes shut tightly, a certain look of pain on his face, his hand wrapped tightly around mine.

“Dorian?” I whispered,

“Oh for fucks sake, I thought you were never going to wake up.” He whispered, pulling me into a hug,

“What happened?” I asked,

“Your oxygen dropped, you passed out, I thought you wouldn’t wake up.” He explained, pulling away, his eyes were red and puffy.

“Why do your eyes look like that?” I asked him,

“No reason.” He replied, wiping his eyes,

“Why do they look all red?” I asked him,

“I may have been crying when you were gone, but it’s nothing.” He replied

“Why do you keep mentioning me being gone?” I asked,

“Because you were, for two minutes, you were dead.” He said solemnly, I sat there for a minute.

“What time is it?” I questioned,

“Six pm,” he replied,

“And what day is it?” I asked,

“Friday, you’ve been out for two days.” He replied,

“Did we move?” I asked,

“Yeah, we moved up a floor, there are more doctors, they’ll check on you more often,” he replied,

“How often?” I questioned,

“Every thirty minutes,” He replied,

“Am I still allowed visitors?” I asked him,

“Yeah, but only once a week, still from five to one, but only for thirty minutes at a time.” He answered, I sighed,

“Are you okay?” He asked,

“Do I really need to answer that one?” I asked him.

“No, stupid question, my bad.” He sat down next to me. The curtain slid open and a doctor walked in,

“How are you feeling?” He asked, placing the stethoscope on my chest.

“Bad,” I replied,

“I thought so, is breathing hard, are you hurting anywhere?” He asked,

“Breathing is fine, but everything hurts, especially my chest,” I answered,

“Okay, what sort of pain is it in your chest, is it an ache, a sharp pain?” He questioned,

“Like an ache, my whole body is aching in a way,” I added,

“Okay, the body ache is probably from earlier, the chest is probably from the cpr,” he stated,

“When will I be able to leave?” I asked him.

“Two days, probably, max would be four.” He added,

“When will you be coming to check on me?” I questioned,

“Every thirty minutes, during the night every hour.” He replied,

“Okay, sounds good.” I added, the doctor walked out of the room.

“How are you feeling?” Dorian asked,

“Not good,” I replied,

“Can I do anything to help?” He asked,

“You can come here and sit with me.” I added, he got up and sat next to me on the bed,

“It’s kind of funny how you were acting like you hated me and now you keep asking for me to sit next to you,” he chuckled,

“Be quiet,” I said, leaning my head into his chest,

“You’re so cute,” He whispered,

“Shut up, just let me rest.” I groaned,

“Why do you like sleeping so much?” He asked,

“I don’t know, maybe it’s the medicine,” I replied,

“You know you could be sleeping on the bed, like a normal person,” He pointed out, “Yeah, but you want me to stay here, you big softy,” I added,

“I’m quite the opposite of a softy, but I do want you to stay here,” he whispered,

“Told you, so stop telling me that I can move,” I stated,

“I’m not telling you to move, I’m just saying that you could,” he added, stroking my back,

“Yeah, but I’m staying, so be quiet.” I groaned, wrapping my arm around his waist. “You’re an awfully needy little pest,” he muttered,

“Yep, today I guess I am,” I sighed, after a long while I fell asleep.

Hours later, I woke up, Dorian was still sitting next to me,

“Morning my darling,” He whispered,

“Shut up.” I groaned,

“It’s funny how you still hate that name,” He chuckled,

“I’m always going to hate that one,” I added.

“What would you prefer me to call you?” He questioned,

“I don’t know,” I replied,

“You’re a real pest you know,” he muttered,

“Mhmm,” I added,

“I’m going to call you that from now on,” Dorian whispered,

“What, a pest?” I questioned,

“Yep, from now on you’re a pest,” He replied,

“I hate you,” I muttered,

“Yeah but the thing is you actually don’t,” he chuckled,

“I hate that you know that now,” I replied, then the curtain slid open and the doctor walked in, I sat up and pulled away from Dorian, rubbing my eyes slowly.

“How are you feeling?” The doctor asked, pressing the stethoscope to my chest again,

“A bit better,” I replied,

“You sound a lot better, and you look a lot better too,” he added,

“When can I go home?” I questioned,

“Tomorrow, maybe the day after,” He stated,

“Okay, sounds good,” I added, slightly relieved,

“Would you like a sandwich, maybe something to drink?” He asked,

“A sandwich sounds good, and maybe some juice,” I replied,

“Okay, it’ll be here soon.” He added, walking out of the room, “What time is it?” I asked Dorian,

“Eleven thirty,” He answered,

“I haven’t seen you eat anything, have you been eating?” I asked,

“Yeah, when you’re asleep, you’ve been sleeping a lot.” He replied,

“Can I text Ally on your phone?” I asked him,

“Yeah, here,” He replied, handing me his phone,

“Thanks,” I added, typing her number in and texting her ‘hey, I’ll be in here for another day or two, you should come and visit today, but you can’t come tomorrow, the hospital says so, and you can only stay for thirty minutes, so please come,’ I texted, as soon as I finished texting she started texting back, ‘okay girl, can I come at one? I have more news that you probably haven’t seen.’ She replied, ‘yes! Come at one, and you need to tell me the news,’ I texted back,

“Done,” I said, handing his phone back,

“What did you say?” He asked, pocketing his phone,

“I just told her to come, and that she can’t come tomorrow if she comes today, she says she has more news, I probably already know it but still, she’s coming at one,” I answered,

“Nice,” He added, jumping off the bed,

“Why are you getting out of bed so quickly?” I asked,

“Because it’s twelve fifty, she’s going to be here in like ten minutes,” he replied, “Okay, I wonder what news she’s going to tell me, it’s probably about me,” I chuckled, “Most likely,” He added.

”I’m here!” Ally exclaimed, bursting through the curtains,

“Hey,” I replied,

“This mask again?” She asked, wrapping her finger around the tube of my mask, “Yeah, oxygen dropped again, this is just in case, but, I get to leave tomorrow,” I added, optimistically,

“That’s great!” She exclaimed,

“Tell me the news,” I urged,

“Oh yeah, so basically what happened was sub died!” She exclaimed, my heart temporarily dropped, hearing exactly what just happened to me,

“Really, that’s crazy!” I announced, trying to seem as surprised as possible,

“And, you know that guy that I was telling you about, the one who was with sub, I just compared the descriptions, but not only does it look like Edward, but also, the guy that had her in his car and also the one who was cuddling her in the hospital!” She exclaimed, every piece of news that she shared was just recapping the recent events in my life,

“What a coincidence,” I added,

“Okay, but, subs alright, she came back, which is such a relief, but she was unconscious for two days, and apparently, that entire time that she was out, that guy who brought her to the hospital was standing by her side, and the doctors say that he was crying almost the entire time,” She said

“Wow, you’re really involved in sub’s love life aren’t you?” I chuckled,

“Not entirely, but the doctors are saying that the guy that brought her there and was crying and whatever, hasn’t left her side the whole time she was there.” She pointed out,

“Wow, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was obsessed with her,” I replied, glancing at Dorian, his jaw was slightly clenched,

“I know right, but how’s your crush doing?” She asked,

“Oh yeah, um what do you want to know about him?” I questioned,

“Okay first has he asked you out?” She asked,

“Well, I guess you could call it that,” I replied,

“Alright so are you two like dating now?” She questioned,

“Well not exactly,” I added,

“Have you kissed?” She asked, in that certain tone she uses to tease me about the tiniest things, nudging me with her elbow,

“No, we haven’t,” I answered, pushing her arm away,

“Yes w-you have,” Dorian butted in, catching himself before saying that it was me and him,

“Why does he know?” She asked,

“Oh, I was really bored so I was telling him about my life,” I explained,

“And I’m not counting that one.” I hissed,

“You know what, I just put my finger on it, but Edward looks like that guy who was looking at you through the window, and smiling at you!” She announced,

“Oh, I didn’t pay much attention to what he looked like,” I improvised,

“Also you said something about I’m not counting that one, what was that about?” She asked,

“Oh nothing, but tell me about Sam, what’s going on with him?” I questioned,

“Oh yeah, he was so nice, and he made the best food, and he was just so sweet, and we’re going to see each other again next week,” She replied cheerfully,

“That’s awesome!” I exclaimed, then the doctor slid the curtain open again,

“Ten minutes left of visiting hours,” He said, pressing the stethoscope to my chest, “How are you feeling? “He asked,

“Better,” I replied,

“Great, we should have you out of here by this time tomorrow.” He added

“Finally,” I groaned, he walked out of the room and slid the curtain shut behind him. “Thank god, you’ve been in this hospital for ages!” She exclaimed,

“I know, it feels like ten years!” I announced, real excitement in my voice,

“Anyways, I best be going now, he’s going to come in and kick me out soon enough,” She added, grabbing her things and walking out of the room,

“Bye!” I called after her,

“Bye!” She yelled back.

“Why’d you interrupt like that?” I asked Dorian,

“Why didn’t you tell her?” He questioned,

“She wouldn’t understand, now why’d you interrupt?” I asked again,

“I forgot that I’m supposed to be Edward when she’s around,” he explained,

“But you really haven’t left the whole time, have you?” I asked him,

“No, I couldn’t bring myself to do it,” he answered,

“It’s so funny that you say that,” I chuckled,

“Mhmm, and why’s that?” He asked,

“You kind of tried to kill me a couple of times,” I pointed out,

“You’re still stuck on that,” He laughed,

“Yes, I am, do you seriously expect me to forget it?” I whispered,

“No, not forget it, just maybe forgive it,” He explained,

“No, it’s going to be a long time before I can forgive that,” I added,

“I’m not doubting that,” He laughed,

“What time is it?” I questioned,

“Why are you so obsessed with the time,” He asked, looking down at his watch,

“Two thirty,” He added,

“Thanks, and it’s because there’s no windows, I don’t even know if it’s day or night,” I replied,

“Fair enough, I guess I know because I’m on my phone when you’re asleep,” He pointed out,

“Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask about that, why are you on your phone so much?” I asked,

“Oh just some work stuff,” He replied, but somehow I could tell he was lying,

“It’s not actually work stuff is it?” I questioned,

“They’re just telling me what’s happening, after all I haven’t been able to work for the past week so I need to know,” He added, something about the way he said it, I knew he was still lying, he wasn’t going to tell me the answer anyways so I just gave up,

“Anyways, how are you feeling?” He asked, clearly trying to change the subject, “Better, still not great though,” I replied,

“Can I sit with you?” He asked,

“You already are,” I responded smugly,

“You know what I mean,” he added, visibly annoyed,

“Sure,” I said, moving over slightly,

“Thank you,” He sighed, sitting next to me,

“I can’t wait to get out of here,” I groaned, leaning my head on his shoulder,

“I know, tomorrow, the bed here is so uncomfortable,” He added,

“You’re telling me, I haven’t been able to leave it since I got here.” I announced, “Yeah, you’re right,” He chuckled, wrapping his arm around my shoulders,

“You know I’m actually really hungry,” I said,

“Me too,” He added,

“Can you ask them for something?” I questioned,

“Sure, does a sandwich sound good?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I replied, he got off the bed and walked out of the room, and as soon as he left a doctor walked in again,

“How are you feeling?” He asked, placing the stethoscope on my chest,

“Better,” I added,

“Good, you look great, and sound great, we might be able to get you out by tonight,” He said optimistically,

“Please get me out of here,” I groaned,

“I can go and get the papers right now, I’ll be back in one minute,” He said, walking out of the room, he slid the curtain shut behind him and walked off,

“I got you cheese,hope that’s okay,” Dorian announced, walking through the curtains, “Yes, I’m so hungry anything would be okay,” I laughed, ripping off the packaging and eating it quickly.

“What did the doctor say?” He asked, taking a bite a his,

“He said that I can leave today, he’s going to get the papers now,” I replied,

“Finally, it’s been long enough,” he complained,

“I know,” I added, taking another bite of mine, then the curtain slid back open and the doctor walked in again, holding a stack of papers.

“Here is the paper work, we need someone over eighteen to sign the bottom,” He explained, handing them to me,

“Okay,” I replied, starting to scribble the answers to the questions.

“Here,” I said, handing the paper and pen to Dorian, he scribbled something down at the bottom of the page then handed it to the doctor.

“Okay, you can pack up your stuff and leave when you want,” the doctor said. “Thanks,” I replied after getting out of bed.

I walked through the empty looking hospital, the harsh lights shone down, almost blinding me. Eventually we made it out to the parking lot, the sun leaked through small windows, I hadn’t seen the outside world in what felt like forever. Dorian walked me over to the car and opened the passenger door, I jumped inside and he shut it behind me. He jumped into the other side and started up the car with a loud roar. He switched on the radio and turned it up slightly. He pulled out of the dark parking lot and the sun was blinding, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for them to adjust. After a while’s drive we made it back to his house,

“How long did it take you to get here?” I asked,

“Twenty minutes,” He replied, getting out of the car and walking to open my door, “How long did it take when you were driving me to the hospital?” I questioned, stepping out of the car.

“Five minutes,” He replied, shutting the door behind me,

“Why did it take so much longer this time?” I asked,

“Because I wasn’t speeding,” He replied. We walked into his house and he walked me upstairs to my room,

“You still need to rest, you can still leave your room, but just take it easy okay,” He explained,

“Fine,” I added,

“Do you want me to bring you a book?” He asked,

“Sure, the one I was reading earlier, can you get me that one?” I questioned, sitting on the bed and ripping off the hospital bracelet,

“Of course my darling,” He replied smugly,

“Shut up,” I mumbled, he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. I turned to look out the window, there was someone standing on the street staring at me, I looked closer, it was Jerrica. My jaw clenched, she was definitely planning something,

“Too chicken to fight, tomorrow, you and me,” She screamed, I nodded. Dorian walked back in, holding my book,

“Did you hear someone yelling or am I just going crazy?” He questioned, handing me my book,

“You’re not crazy, it’s just this girl from my school.” I replied, flipping to the page where I left off,

“Is she annoying you?” He asked turning to look at Jerrica,

“A little bit,” I replied,

“I heard someone scream something about a fight, was that her?” He questioned, “Yeah, something about fighting with some girl in our class,” I lied,

“Do you want me to get her to leave?” He asked, not taking his eyes off of her,

“Yes, but just wait, give me your phone, leave the room, and I’ll show you what she’s saying.” I added,

“Okay,” He said, handing me his phone and walking out of the room, I pressed record and put the phone down on the bed.

“Who was that?” She screamed,

“No one,” I half yelled back,

“Is the orphan getting adopted?” She sneered, all of her friends laughed,

“Knock it off he’s just helping with some stuff,” I yelled,

“He’s really cute, I think I’ll shoot my shot.” She yelled,

“That won’t work,” I muttered,

“What’s his name?” She yelled, I turned around,

“Dorian,” I called behind me, he opened the door and walked in quickly,

“Yes, is she still annoying you?” He asked, looking over to her,

“Yeah kind of, but just wait, go and listen to this, and then you can get her to leave, but don’t hurt her,” I said, handing him the phone, he looked down at Jerrica angrily, she waved slowly and twirled her hair with her finger, she smiled up at him and he looked away and walked out of the room.

“Tell him to come down her, I want his number,” She yelled,

“Okay, two minutes and he’ll be down,” I replied, then Dorian walked back into the room, here, keep recording, I’m going to get her off my property,” He stated, handing me the phone and cracking his knuckles,

“Don’t hurt her,” I reminded him,

“I’ll try my best,” He laughed, walking out of the room.

“Is he coming yet?” She screamed,

“Yep,” I replied, she grabbed something from her bag and started to apply it to her lips,

“What’s that for?” I asked,

“For when I kiss him,” She replied, like it was so obvious. The front door closed and Dorian started to walk towards her. I hit the record button and opened the window. I wanted to hear everything,

“Hey, what’s your name?” She asked him, placing her hand on his chest,

“Dorian, why do you care?” He questioned, moving backwards so she couldn’t touch him.

“Come closer, let’s talk, what’s your number?” She asked, stepping closer to him and placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, let’s talk, why are you on my property?” He asked,

“Oh, this is your house, why don’t we make it our house.” She replied, twirling her hair and stepping closer,

“I already share it with one person, I don’t need any more guests.” He replied, pushing her off and moving back onto the grass.

“Wow, fiesty,” She added, taking another step closer,

“You have no idea,” he muttered, I laughed at that one.

“Let’s talk about that girl in the window.” She said, grabbing his tie,

“Let’s not.” He replied, glancing up at me,

“Oh are you embarrassed of her? I would be too.” She added, stepping closer and placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Leave.” He muttered,

“But we’re both enjoying this, you have to admit,” She whispered, he pulled back, but she didn’t move her hands,

“Let go of me,” He hissed,

“Why should I?” She asked, stepping closer again.

“I’m a dangerous person, don’t make me hurt you, I promised I wouldn’t.” He mumbled,

“The only thing dangerous about you is how cute you are,” She muttered, moving closer and tucking some of his hair behind his ear.

“Let go of me, it’s not going to end well for you, I promised her I wouldn’t hurt you.” He mumbled,

“Come on, just one kiss,” She whispered,

“Not going to happen,” He hissed,

“It is weather you like it or not,” She added, moving closer again, she moved her head closer to his, he pulled back again,

“Come on, just one kiss,” She whispered, leaning closer again, he smacked her across the face and pushed her to the floor, I had to hold in my laugh,

“Now leave,” He hissed, walking to the door and shutting it behind him. He opened the door to my room,

“Did you get that on camera?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I laughed, handing his phone to him. Jerrica was still sitting stunned on the pavement.

“Can you do something for me?” I asked him,

“Sure,” He replied, walking closer to me, I stood up and looked at him. I looked back at Jerrica, she was still staring at me.

“Kiss me,” I whispered,

“What?” He asked, visibly shocked,

“Kiss me, now or never,” I added. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, he softly pressed his lips against mine and wrapped his arms around my waist. He pulled away slowly, not letting go of me. I looked over at Jerrica, her jaw dropped, I smiled down at her smugly.

“I have to go and do something,” Dorian said, walking away slowly.

I walked out onto the balcony and looked at Jerrica, she stood up and walked one over to the balcony.

“What did you do to get him to do that?” She asked,

“I didn’t do anything, he’s obsessed with me, I didn’t like him until two days ago.” I stated,

“I’m going to kill you tomorrow.” She sneered,

“Why, because your crush likes me, aren’t you being so mature?” I laughed,

“You better watch your back tomorrow,” She hissed,

“I will,” I whispered, walking back into my room. Dorian walked back in,

“I have something for you, come with me,” He said, grabbing my hand and leading me out of the room,

“What happened?” He asked,

“She’s jealous,” I laughed,

“Why?” He asked

“Because you love me and not her,” I explained,

“Why would she think I like her, isn’t it clear enough that if you’re in my house then I like you and not her?” He asked, half joking,

“I don’t know, she’s kind of stupid,” I laughed,

“Obviously, close your eyes, I have a surprise,” He said,

“Okay,” I replied sceptically, closing my eyes.

“Here, sit down and put out your hands.” He said,

“Okay,” I added, holding out my hands.

“I’ll be right back, stay right here.” He whispered, what could he possibly be doing. “Okay, keep your eyes shut,” He muttered,

“Okay,” I stated, he placed something soft and warm in my arms,

“Open your eyes,” He said, I opened them slowly, there was a small golden retriever puppy sitting in my arms.

“Do you like him?” He asked,

“Yeah, he’s so cute, what’s his name?” I asked, bursting with excitement ,

“He doesn’t have one, you choose,” He said,

“I’m going to call him, Shaka,” I added, lifting him and looking at his small face, “Thank you so much!” I squealed,

“It’s really not that big of a deal,” he whispered, I held him tight, he let out a small bark. I stood up and walked upstairs with him, I placed him on the bed carefully. “Stay,” I whispered, he tilted his head to the side and stuck out his tongue. I walked over to the closet in the corner and grabbed a scarf hanging on a rack, I walked over to him and carefully tied it around his neck. I lifted him carefully and walked down the stairs to find Dorian. He was sitting on a couch,

“What are you-” He started,

“Super pup, super pup,” I exclaimed, lifting him into the air and spinning him slowly. “That’s so weird,” He laughed, Shaka tilted his head at him,

“He likes it,” I stated, lowering him and placing him on the floor, he ran out the door and sprinted into a random room.

“What do you want for dinner?” He asked,

“Just some pasta, maybe some juice, anything is better than the hospital food.” I groaned,

“Okay I’ll get Marco to start making it,” He said, standing up and walking out of the room,

“Why is there a dog eating the ham?!” Someone screamed,

“That’s Marco, we should go and get your dog,” He stated, running to the kitchen, I followed him and ran to pick up Shaka.

“Sorry, he ran away,” I mumbled, grabbing him and running with him up to my room. A few moments later Dorian walked in holding a plate and a cup of juice.

“Thanks,” I mumbled,

“Your welcome,” He said, sitting next to me, I grabbed a meatball from my plate and gave it to Shaka,

“Why did you give him that?” He asked,

“He’s hungry, and he likes meatballs.” I stated, he gobbled down the meatball quickly, “See he likes it,” I said,

“You know he’s going to get dinner right?” He asked,

“Yeah, but dog food isn’t as nice as meatballs,” I stated, taking a bite of my pasta. “How are you feeling?” He asked,

“Alright,” I replied, taking another bite.

“Do you want to go to school tomorrow?” He asked,

“Yes, I’m so tired of being inside.” I groaned.

“I’ll pick you up at four okay?” He explained,

“Yep, sounds good.” I replied, taking another bite of my pasta. Shaka ran over and crawled into my lap, I slowly stroked his head and he dozed off.

“Do you want dessert?” Dorian asked,

“Yeah sure, can I have an ice-cream sandwich?” I questioned,

“Okay, I’ll go get Marco to make it my darling,” He replied smugly,

“Shut up,” I muttered, taking another bite. I took another meatball and gave it to Shaka. After I finished my food Dorian walked in with an ice-cream sandwich on a plate.

“Here,” He said, handing me the plate.

“Thanks,” I added, taking a bite.

“I’ve got to go and do some work stuff, I’ll be back really late, don’t wait for me to come back.” He stated,

“Okay, see you tomorrow then,” I added.

“Yeah, do you need anything before I go?” He asked,

“What time is it?” I questioned,

“Seven thirty,” he added,

“Thanks,” I said,

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,” He mumbled,

“Bye,” I called, I took another bite of my ice-cream sandwich. After I finished I picked up Shaka and put him on the bed, I got onto the bed and tucked myself in, after a little while I finally drifted to sleep.

I woke up to Shaka lying on my stomach, I poked him awake and jumped off the bed, I grabbed a random pair of shorts and a t- shirt and threw on some shoes. I grabbed Shaka and walked out of the room, Dorian was sitting on the stairs,

“Hey,” I called down the stairs.

“Hi, are you ready to go?” He asked, standing up slowly.

“Just have to get my bag then yes.” I added,

“Already packed it for you.” He stated, handing me my bag.

“Okay, then we can go,” I said, grabbing my bag and putting Shaka down carefully. I walked out of the house and opened the door of the car. After a ten minute drive we made it to my school.

“Four o’clock okay?” He called after me,

“Yes I know,” I yelled back. Ally ran up to me,

“You’re finally back at school, it’s been so long!” She exclaimed,

“Yeah I know, I was so bored,” I groaned,

“We have math first today, ms jones is so fun!” She exclaimed,

“I know, and thank you, I forgot my schedule today,” I added,

“It’s fine, but you know how you saw Jerrica yesterday?” She asked,

“Yeah, but how do you know?” I questioned,

“Jerrica told almost everyone about it,” She stated,

“What did she say?” I asked,

“She said she was walking by your house, she asked if you were too scared to fight, and then some man walked in, and she asked who it was and you said that he was helping with some stuff, and then she said that she would shoot her shot. She said that she asked you to make him come down and then he did, and then she said that he just assaulted her.” She explained,

“That’s not what happened,” I stated,

“Then what did?” She asked,

“The first part is true, but he came down and she kept grabbing him and tried to kiss him, he told her to stop like five times and then she tried to kiss him one more time, and then he smacked her and pushed her to the floor, and then he walked up the stairs and kissed me.” I explained,

“Jerrica is such a liar.” She exclaimed.

“I know,” “Bring bring bring!” The bell rang out, I walked to my math class and sat down in the corner.

After a long day of school I was finally in my last period,

“You know what class, I think you all deserve to get off school early, you can all leave now, class dismissed!” Ms Green announced. Great, thirty minutes before Dorian gets here, thirty minutes of Jerrica.

“Hey bitch, behind the school, you and me, now,” Jerrica hissed,

“What’s going on?” Ally asked, walking up to me,

“Nothing, you should go home,” I muttered,

“I’m coming,” She said, following us behind the school. I tied my hair into a bun on the top of my head. The car park behind the school was big, and quiet, all of Jerrica’s friends were already standing around the car park. I squared up with Jerrica and looked her in the eyes. Before she could do anything I punched her hard in the jaw, she hit me hard in the gut, I sent a kick to her knees and she fell to the floor. I punched her hard in the face once more, one of her friends grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me off, I wrapped my leg around hers and pulled her to the floor. Two of her other friends grabbed each one of my shoulders, I tried kicking them but Jerrica stood up and started punching me hard, I kicked Jerrica hard in the stomach, she doubled over and fell to the floor. Hey boyfriend Max stepped in and kicked me hard,

“Is that all you got?” I screamed, he punched me in the face hard, I kicked him in the stomach and he hit me hard in the jaw.

“Astrielle?” Dorian called around the corner,

“Who’s that?” Max asked,

“No one,” I mumbled, he kicked me again.

“I would stop if I was you,” I muttered,

“Oh yeah, why’s that?” Max asked, punching me in the eye.

“Astrielle?” Dorian called again,

“Who is it?” Max asked again,

“It doesn’t matter,” I mumbled, he punched me in the face hard again,

“Fuck off!” I screamed, Max punched me again,

“Who the fuck are you?” Dorian asked,

“Why do you care?” Max asked, I looked around the corner, Dorian was standing a little way away.

“Because why are you hitting her?” He asked,

“Cause she was messing with my girlfriend, do you want to fight?” He asked, starting to walk towards him slowly, Dorian backed away.

“I don’t think you want to do that,” I mumbled,

“Shut the fuck up,” He yelled, walking over and hitting me again.

“Stop doing that.” Dorian called out,

“What are you going to do about it?” Max asked starting to walk over to him, Dorian pulled out a gun and aimed it at Max’s head,

“I said stop you idiot,” Dorian muttered, Max raised his hands in the air,

“Drop her,” Max whispered to Jerrica’s friends, they let go of my arms and I fell to the floor.

“Now tell me, who the fuck are you?” He asked,

“M-max,” He stuttered,

“And why did you do that?” He asked,

“Do what?” He questioned,

“Why did you hit her?” He asked,

“Because she hit my girlfriend,” He stated,

“Who’s your girlfriend?” He asked,

“Jerrica, over there,” He said, pointing to her.

“Jerrica, what happened?” He asked,

“We started fighting, and she hit me, I fell to the floor and then I told my friends to grab her, they did and then Max started hitting her.” She explained,

“Did this fight happen to be planned?” He asked,

“Yes, yesterday.” She said,

“Okay,” Dorian muttered, he walked over to me and helped me to my feet.

“Are you okay?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I groaned,

“Okay, you should go to the car,” He said, nodding his head in the direction of the car, “Okay, I’ll see you there,” I groaned.

“Are you okay?” Ally asked,

“Yeah, it hurts a little bit, but I’m fine,” I replied,

“I have a few questions, who’s that guy, why does he have a gun, why is he threatening to kill people, and why does he care if you’ve been beaten up?” She asked,

“He’s Dorian, I don’t think I should tell you why he has a gun, I don’t know why he’s threatening to kill people, and I don’t know why he cares if I’ve been beaten up,” I replied,

“So this is the Dorian you have a crush on,” She added, glancing back at him,

“Yep, well he kind of likes me an unhealthy amount,” I stated, leaning my back against the car. There was a loud scream from the car park behind the school,

“Did you hear that?” Ally asked,

“Yes, what was it?” I questioned,

“I don’t know, come with me, let’s go and find out,” She exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement,

“Fine,” I added, starting to walk over to behind the school. All of Jerrica’s friends were standing in a circle, watching something, or someone,

“What do you think is happening?” Ally asked,

“I don’t know, let’s go and find out,” I added, walking closer to the huddle of people. “Your boyfriend is insane!” Jerrica exclaimed,

“Oh yeah, what happened?” I asked, peering over the circle of people trying to get a better look, there was a crash and Max stood up, looking triumphant, then he fell back down again, hard, the whole circle was chanting,

“Fight, fight!” Over and over again,

“He put his gun down and then Max said something, I don’t know what it was but then they started fighting, like a full on brawl, he’s insane!” She screamed,

“Jeez, I can hear you, no need to yell,” I muttered,

“Shut up will you,” She sneered, pushing me backwards,

“Don’t touch me,” I muttered, pushing her back. One person turned around to look at what was happening. She tapped someone on the shoulder and they turned too. Jerrica punched me in the stomach hard, I hit her in the face,

“What the fuck,” She murmured, pushing me to the floor, I kicked her hard in her knees, she fell backwards, I punched her in the face again, someone grabbed me from behind, I pushed them off and hit her again, she smacked me hard and pushed me off. Someone grabbed my shoulders, I wrapped my leg around their knees and leant back, they fell to the floor hard. I stood back up and Jerrica pushed me down again, I started to stand up but one guy, probably Max’s friends pushed me back down. He pushed down my shoulders and called over one of his friends, they each grabbed one of my arms and stood me up. There were four or five people gathered around us now, but still the crowd around whoever was fighting was too big to see what was happening. Jerrica kicked me hard in the gut,

“Is that all you got piss weak!” I yelled, spitting at her.

“Give up!” Jerrica yelled, hitting me in the face,

“Fine, I give up,” I muttered,

“Good,” She said, moving back,

“Now make them let go of me,” I hissed,

“On one condition,” She stated,

“And what’s that?” I asked,

“I get your man,” She whispered,

“Why?” I asked,

“Because he’s good looking and tall, now do you agree or not?” She asked,

“Not,” I muttered,

“Fine, but you asked for this,” She mumbled,

“What?” I whispered

“Jared, Jordan, you know what to do,” She commanded, they thread their arms through mine and lifted me off the ground,

“Let go of me!” I yelled, they didn’t respond, but they walked into the school.

“Where are you taking me?!” I screamed,

“Where he can’t find you,” Jordan whispered, Jared opened the door to the janitor’s closet and grabbed a rope from inside. He started to tie my hands together, then my legs.

“Why are you doing this?!” I screamed,

“So Jerrica and that guy can live together forever,” Jared whispered, pushing me into the closet, they shut and locked the door from the outside.

I wriggled my hands and tried to untie the ropes, they had tied them really tight and the ropes started giving me a burn. Blood started leaking from my nose and pouring into my mouth. Suddenly there were footsteps, heavy, fast paced footsteps. They opened the door next to me then slammed it shut, then they tried the door to the closet. They unscrewed the lock and swung the door open, Dorian was standing there, blood leaking from his mouth, his eye already bruised.

“I told you to go to the car,” He muttered,

“Yeah but then someone started fighting and we didn’t know what happened,” I explained,

“You should’ve just stayed at the car,” He stated, starting to untie the ropes on my hands.

“Yeah, I know, but why are you covered in blood, who’s blood is it?” I asked,

“How do you know it’s not mine?” He questioned,

“It’s not, just tell me who it is,” I stated,

“That Max person,” He muttered,

“Why?” I asked,

“We got into a fight,” He stated,

“About what?” I questioned,

“He just said some stuff, and I told him to stop and then he pushed me and didn’t stop and then it just happened,” He explained,

“Fair enough,” I added, he untied the ropes on my legs.

“How did this happen?” He asked, I stood up and started walking to the car,

“Jerrica started screaming something about you being insane, and then started pushing me and then we got into a fight and then these two boys tied me up and put me in the closet,” I explained,

“Why’d they put you in the closet?” He asked,

“Because Jerrica wants you really badly, and when I told them to let go of me they said no and then they said that only if Jerrica could date you, and I said no and then they just put me there.” I mumbled, Dorian unlocked the door to the car, I opened the door and got in quickly.

“Hey!” Jerrica called out, walking towards the car.

“Ignore her,” Dorian whispered, she opened the door to the car and got in.

“I’m coming with you,” She stated, I clenched my jaw and tightened my fists. Dorian placed his hand on my leg,

“I have a plan, trust me,” He whispered, I nodded my head and tried to ignore her.

“So, what’s your number?” She asked, leaning forward and resting her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not going to tell you,” He hissed, batting her hand away.

“You know you could do so much better than her, give me your number, we would be so much better than you and her,” she sneered, glancing at me angrily.

“You have no idea how hard I tried for her, I don’t go for the girls that chase me.” He stated,

“What do you mean ‘no idea how hard I tried for her’ what does that even mean?” She asked,

“You don’t want to know, and honestly I don’t think you would enjoy it,” I chuckled, “Come on, it can’t be that bad, what happened?” She asked again,

“I chased her,” he stated,

“He chased me a lot,” I laughed,

“What did he do?” She asked again,

“Okay, I’ll tell you, only if you promise not to tell anyone,” I added,

“Deal,” she muttered

“He kind of held me hostage for a while,” I explained,

“Okay,” She said,

“What does that mean?” Dorian asked,

“I’ll do it,” She added,

“What do you mean you’ll do it?” I questioned,

“You’re saying that if I let him hold me hostage, I get to date him.” She explained, Dorian lifted his sleeve and reached his hand into the back seat,

“What’s that?” Jerrica asked, running her finger over the cut on his arm,

“It’s not all fun and games,” He stated, reaching his arm back into the front.

“What does that mean?” Jerrica asked.

“Will you hurt me?” He asked,

“What hit you? No, I won’t,” she replied,

“Will you fight back?” He asked

“No,” She added,

“Will you trash my house and throw stuff at me?” He asked,

“No, why would I do that?” She questioned,

“Look my darling, she has better manners than you,” he laughed,

“Stop calling me that,” I muttered,

“What do you mean I’m better mannered than her?” She asked,

“Nothing, one more question though, will you almost kill me then cut me with a knife?” He questioned,

“No, who in their right mind would do that?” She asked,

“Me,” I laughed, leaning back in my chair.

“Here’s some stuff that you have to do for him to like you, try and kill him, let him drug you, let him lock you in his basement, try to kill him two more times, let him let you out of his basement then hunt you down again, then you have to cut him with a knife, then let him take you back to his house, throw a book at his head, and I think that’s all that I did.” I explained,

“Jesus Christ, how did you fall for her?” She asked,

“Oh no, she did that after I was well in love with her,” he stated,

“And you still defend her?” She asked,

“Somehow,” I muttered,

“If that’s what I have to do then sure,” She stated,

“Oh yeah, and you have to be okay with what he does for a living,” I added,

“Don’t tell her,” He hissed,

“Why not, are you embarrassed?” I teased,

“No,” He mumbled,

“What’s so bad about it?” She asked,

“He’s kind of the most dangerous person in the country.” I stated,

“What does he do?” She asked,

“Kill people, but it does pay a lot of money,” I stated

“I said not to tell her,” He hissed,

“Oh shush, don’t be such a baby.” I scoffed,

“I’m not a baby, I’m literally the opposite,” He stated,

“Yeah, but you’re a simp,” I muttered, he pulled up to his house,

“Oh so we’re back at your house?” Jerrica asked,

“Yeah,” he added, he jumped out of the car and walked to open my door,

“See, simp,” I laughed, stepping out of the car,

“How is opening the door for a lady being a simp, isn’t that just having manners?” He asked,

“Because, you’re not opening the door for her are you?” I questioned,

“She wished I would,” He scoffed, she swung open the door and started walking towards us,

“Why didn’t you open the door for me?” She asked,

“Because he’s a simp for me,” I laughed,

“Shut up,” he muttered, he opened the door to his house, standing by the door were two of Dorian’s men, they lifted their guns to point at Jerrica, she raised her hands. “What is happening?” She asked,

“Protocol for everyone except for me,” Dorian explained,

“How come she gets to walk in with no guns?” She asked, pointing at me,

“Because I brought her in,” he explained, Shaka ran up to me and I grabbed him carefully.

“She can come in,” Dorian muttered, the men lowered their guns and Jerrica walked in.

“That dog is so cute, I really want one like that,” She exclaimed, walking over and trying to grab Shaka, I pulled back,

“I’m sure you do,” Dorian mumbled,

“What’s its name?” She asked

“Shaka,” I replied,

“Come, I’ll clean you up,” He whispered, grabbing my arm,

“I’m fine though,” I stated, he walked me over to a mirror, I looked at myself,

“Your fine?” He asked,

“Maybe I do need to be cleaned up,” I muttered,

“Yeah, come with me,” he added, pulling me into a room in the corner.

“Do you not care about me?” Jerrica asked,

“I’ve never cared about anything less,” He muttered, he sat me on the bed and grabbed a box from the corner, I put Shaka down, he jumped back onto the bed and sat in front of me.

“You know that’s my line right?” I asked him,

“Yeah, I didn’t hear the end of that hatred for about a week.” He grabbed a bandage from the box and a small bottle.

“What’s that?” I asked,

“Rubbing alcohol, and some bandages, I’m disinfecting your cuts,” He explained,

“Is it going to hurt?” I asked,

“Just sting a little.” He stated, he opened the bottle and poured some of the liquid onto the cotton ball. He carefully wiped the blood off my face, he looked at the cut on my lips and under my eye.

“It’s going to sting a little okay,” He explained,

“Just do it,” I muttered, he pushed it onto my cut, I clenched my fists, it stung like hell, “Are you okay?” Jerrica asked,

“Yeah, not the worst I’ve ever felt,” I laughed,

“Oh yeah, what’s the worst?” She asked,

“Did you see the things that happened to Subzero, something similar happened to me,” I explained,

“How about you?” She asked, looking at Dorian, he kept wiping the cuts on my face, ignoring what she just said.

“Being shot,” I added,

“No,” He scoffed,

“You told me it was being shot,” I muttered,

“Where’d you get shot?” She asked, I lifted his shirt slightly with my foot, revealing the tiny hole in his side,

“You poor baby!” She exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders,he pushed her off,

“Not the worst,” He muttered,

“Then what is?” I asked,

“That time in the hospital, when that thing happened,” He explained,

“Simp,” I whispered, “What?” He asked, holding my chin, looking me in the eyes and pulling the bandage away from my face.

“Nothing,” I added,

“That’s what I thought,” He said, wiping more of the cuts on my face.

“You know he’s not usually this angry,” I stated, turning to look at Jerrica,

“Eyes on me,” He whispered, grabbing my chin and turning my face towards him. “Why are you being so angry?” I asked him,

“I’m not,” He replied, putting down the bandages,

“Finally,” I groaned, starting to stand up

“I’m not done,” he stated, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me back down. He grabbed a tube of something from the bag,

“Does she get more attention?” Jerrica sighed,

“Yeah, do you have a problem with that?” He asked,

“Yeah, I do, why don’t I get that attention?” She asked,

“Because I don’t care about you,” he replied, he squeezed some cream out of the tube and carefully wiped it on my face,

“What are you doing?” I asked,

“Putting on bruise cream, it helps it heal faster.” He explained,

“So you’re trying to change the subject,” She mumbled,

“Why do you care?” He asked, he put the tube back into the bag and put it back into a cupboard.

“You realise she practically abused you, why do you keep giving her attention, be with me, I would be a much better fit, after all, you’re so beautiful, and she’s so,” she paused, “Ugly.” She stated,

“You have one more chance before I kick you out, now why do you care if I give her more attention than you?” He asked,

“I would be trying to stay if I was you, this place is great,” I muttered,

“No it’s not,” He added, turning to look at me,

“It’s amazing you make me whatever food I want, fresh cooked may I add,” I explained,

“I don’t do that,” He scoffed,

“Marco would tell you differently,” I muttered,

“Well yeah, for you but, it doesn’t matter.” He mumbled, turning back to face Jerrica, “Wow you really are a simp,” she teased, obviously she thought she could get away with it,

“Leave,” He commanded, pointing to the door,

“I don’t think I will, based on what she’s saying it sounds pretty great.” She added, sitting on the bed next to me and crossing her arms.

“Okay, you can stay, but we aren’t,” He stated, grabbing my hand and walking me out the door. He shut the door hard and locked it,

“Is she locked in there?” I asked,

“Yep, until she’s ready to leave my house.” He added,

“If she doesn’t leave, are you going to feed her?” I asked,

“Yeah, just really bad food,” He replied,

“You’re evil,” I sighed,

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me she doesn’t deserve it,” he muttered,

“She does but that’s not the point,” I added, she started banging on the door,

“Let me out!” She screamed,

“Are you going to actually leave?” He asked,

“Yes!” She yelled,

“Fine,” He unlocked the door and opened it slowly.

“Leave for good,” He muttered, pointing to the front door, and she slowly walked out.

“That girl is crazy,” Dorian scoffed,

“Yeah, she’s not usually that crazy, usually she’s more mean, she’s crazy for you,” I explained,

“What’s it going to take for her to realise that I hate her?” He asked,

“She’s probably never going to stop trying, you know that right?” I questioned,

“Yeah, it’s fine I can get rid of her,” He stated,

“You’re not allowed to hurt her,” I reminded him,

“Yeah, I can emotionally torment people as well,” He laughed,

“You’re so evil you know that right?” I asked,

“I know, you know it’s not that bad though,” He added,

“Yeah, I guess it could be worse,” I stated,

“See, I’m not that bad. Also you’re not going to school tomorrow,” He pointed out, “What, yes I am,” I replied,

“No you’re not,” He said,

“I am, if you’re not taking me than I’m walking,” I stated,

“You’re not walking, and you’re staying here,” he responded,

“Why can’t I walk, you can’t stop me,” I said,

“First of all, your school is thirty minutes away, and that’s when I use shortcuts, it would probably take an hour to walk there, and I can stop you, I just won’t let you leave,” He explained,

“Why don’t you want me to go, what do you think is going to happen?” I asked,

“It’s not that I don’t want you to go, it’s just that I can’t take you, and I don’t trust my driver, he’s a bit sketchy,” He replied,

“You know I can fight right?” I asked,

“Earlier you couldn’t fight very well,” He pointed out,

“There was three people against me, I think most people would struggle to win that fight,” I added,

“I wouldn’t,” He stated,

“You’re six foot four, and a Mafia boss may I add, you would win most fights,” I pointed out,

“Fair enough,” he added,

“Now, I’m going to school tomorrow, is he going to drive me?” I asked

“No, I will, but I’m going to get there twenty minutes early, you have to go straight to the car,” He agreed,

“Thank you,” I groaned,

“Now what do you want for dinner?” He asked,

“I don’t know, whatever you’re having,” I replied,

“Okay,” he added. I ran back into the room and scooped Shaka off the bed,

“I’m going upstairs!” I called out,

“Okay, I’ll bring your food up when it’s done!” Dorian yelled, I bolted up the stairs and down the hall, I ran into the library and shut the door quietly. I grabbed three pillows off the couch and stacked them into a tiny shelter. I placed Shaka inside carefully, “Royal Shaka and his tiny castle,” I whispered. I grabbed the book that I was reading earlier and climbed to the top of the shelf again. I leaned against the wall and opened the book, someone opened the door down the hall,

“Where did you-” Dorian started, he opened the door to the library, “How did I know?” He chuckled, holding on plate in his hand, he started to climb the shelf,

“I guess you know me well,” I added,

“Where’s your dog?” He asked, squatting in front of me,

“In his castle,” I replied, gesturing to the fort I built him,

“Okay, here,” he laughed, handing me the plate.

“What is it?” I asked, putting down my book.

“A breakfast burrito,” He replied,

“For dinner?” I asked, taking a bite of the food,

“You asked for what I’m having, didn’t you?” He questioned,

“True,” I added,

“Do you like it?” He asked,

“Yeah, it’s pretty good,” I added, taking another bite,

“Good, do you want dessert?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I added,

“Okay, what do you want?” He questioned,

“I don’t know, whatever you’re having,” I replied,

“Okay, like copying a lot?” He joked,

“Oh shut up,” I muttered, he leaned over the edge and jumped off,

“You’re going to get hurt you know,” I called down,

“I can finally say that this time you do care about me, don’t you,” he yelled up, “Maybe I do, you got a problem with that?” I asked,

“No, you’re finally playing at my game,” He laughed, walking out of the room. As soon as I finished, Dorian walked in, this time holding two plates,

“I see this time you didn’t move,” He stated,

“I was eating, you expect me to jump down and climb the shelf again holding the plate?” I scoffed,

“That’s what I do,” He added, balancing one plate on his arm, the other still in his hand.

“As you said, you’ve done this hundreds and thousands of times, so you’ve got more practice than me,” I explained, he handed me a plate and sat next to me,

“I did say that, didn’t I,” He laughed.

“What is it?” I asked,

“Crem brule’, you’ve never had it?” He asked,

“No, the orphanage wouldn’t give us that, and I’ve never bought it for myself,” I explained,

“Wow, I would’ve expected you to have had it at least once, it’s melted sugar on the top, you have to break it with the spoon,” He added,

“That’s kind of weird, why wouldn’t you just put sugar on top?” I asked,

“I don’t know, I don’t make the rules, just try it, it’s good,” He replied, I smashed the spoon through the sugar and took a bite,

“Do you like it?” He asked, taking a bite of his,

“Yeah, how come no one told me about this?” I asked,

“How come no one told me about mozzarella sticks?” He questioned,

“Fair enough,” I added, taking another bite,

“Can I finally say that the book you’re reading is like what’s happening with you and me?” He asked, a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth,

“I guess,” I replied,

“Finally,” he groaned, resting his head against the wall.

“What do you mean finally?” I questioned, taking another bite of my dessert,

“You’re finally admitting that you like me,” He explained,

“Didn’t I say that like last week?” I asked,

“Yeah, but you were, strange, when you admitted that,” He stated, taking another bite of his,

“What do you mean strange?” I asked,

“You were sleeping like eighteen hours a day, something was definitely wrong,” He explained,

“So why did it mean so much when I said it now?” I questioned,

“Because you’re normal now, I know you’re telling me the truth,” He added,

“You’re so down bad,” I scoffed,

“No I’m not, I’m not begging for a girlfriend,” He pointed out.

“Okay fine, but you’re still a simp,” I added,

“You’re really annoying you know that right?” He asked,

“Mhmm, it’s on purpose,” I replied,

“How on earth do I like you?” He muttered,

“That’s a really good question, I guess we’ll never know,” I added, he sighed,

“You’re unbearable I just want you to know that,” He mumbled,

“Yeah yeah, you know you love it,” I whispered,

“Why though, my life would be so much easier if I didn’t,” He complained,

“Maybe, you put this on yourself though, I just want you to know that,” I added,

“Yeah, I know,” He laughed,

“So you better stop complaining,” I muttered,

“Alright, alright, fair enough,” He admitted,

“Good, now what time is it?” I asked,

“Seven thirty,” He added,

“Okay, thanks,” I muttered, his phone started ringing,

“Who, one minute,” he mumbled, jumping off the shelf,

“Stop jumping,” I called,

“Can’t sorry,” He called back, I shook my head slowly. I know that one of these days he’s going to get hurt. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. I finished my dessert and picked up my book again.

“Okay bye, thank you,” He added, walking back into the room.

“Who was it?” I asked,

“They need you again, they said he’s back,” He answered, I clenched my jaw, “What’s wrong?” He asked,climbing back up the shelf,

“He was the one who put me in the hospital,” I added, his jaw clenched,

“I’m coming with you,” He stated,

“Wh-what, you can’t,” I muttered,

“Yeah I can, I’ll just help slightly, just from the side lines, no one will even notice me.” He explained,

“Fine, but you have to stay on the side, and try not to be seen,” I added,

“I promise,” He whispered.

He jumped off the shelf again,

“Stop jumping, you are going to get hurt.” I called down, starting to climb down,

“But it’s so easy to jump down, climbing takes so long,” He added, I jumped from halfway,

“It takes like five seconds,” I pointed out, brushing myself off,

“Nope, I’m still going to jump, I prefer it,” He stated. We walked out of the house and made it to the car, after a ten minute drive we made it to the police station, I ran to change, and walked into the police station,

“Are you ready, last time you got hurt pretty bad,” The chief of police pointed out,

“I know, but I’m ready this time,” I stated,

“Okay, well we got you some help, meet Solaris,” He said, Juliet stepped out to shake my hand,

“Hello,” I greeted her, shaking her hand,

“Hi,” She added,

“Are you ready?” I asked,

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” She answered, opening the door and walking out,

“What do you do?” I asked her,

“Fire, you?” She questioned,

“Ice,” I answered. He was standing there in the middle of the street again.

“I see this time you brought backup, I messed you up pretty bad last time didn’t I, I saw it on the news,” He scoffed, I looked to the side, Dorian was sitting on a bench, staring at him.

“Shut up,” Juliet commanded,

“You don’t seem ready to fight, do you really want to do this?” He asked,

“I’m ready, we’re waiting for you,” I answered, he lunged at Juliet, she shot at him and he clutched his side, a hole burnt into the side of his clothes, a raw red spot where the clothes burnt away. He lunged at me and I shot at him, before I could do anything he disappeared, I looked over to Dorian, he was gone with him.

“Where did he go?” Juliet asked,

“I don’t know,” I answered. He popped back out in front of us, blood soaked his shirt, cuts covered his face, he looked slightly traumatised.

“What did you do?” He hissed,

“Nothing,” I answered. I glanced over at Dorian, he was smirking from the side. I lunged at him and shot at his mouth, Juliet shot once again at his leg, he fell to the floor, I walked over to him,

“Give up,” I hissed, he shook his head and shot a large rock to my chest, it knocked me to the floor and pinned me down, it hurt my chest my there was nothing I could do, I tried to push the rock off but it was too heavy, Dorian extended his arm and a black substance pinned him to the floor, Juliet ran over to him,

“Give up,” She hissed, he extended his arm, a bright light flashed and he disappeared. Dorian ran over and pushed the rock off my chest,

“Thanks,” I whispered,

“Don’t mention it,” He muttered, running back to the side. Juliet ran back over to me, “Oh, you managed to get it off,” She exclaimed helping me up,

“Yeah, it wasn’t that heavy.” I added, brushing myself off. A news reporter started walking up to us, a camera man holding a large camera following close behind her, “Oh great,” I sighed

“My favourite part,” she added sarcastically.

“Hello ladies, I’d like to talk to you about the fight you just had,” She stated,

“I’d love to,” I added through gritted teeth.

“Okay, is the camera rolling?” She asked the camera man, he nodded and gave a thumbs up.

“Hello, right now I am with subzero and Solaris, so who did you just fight with?” She asked, holding the microphone out to Juliet,

“So the funny thing about this person is that he doesn’t have a name,” She answered, “Wow, so what do you call him?” She asked holding the microphone out to me,

“Well I feel that most people just call him ‘him’ but after all I don’t get to talk to him and ask what he would prefer to be called so I just call him ‘him’,” I answered,

“Okay, and we have a video showing him pinning you down with a rock, how heavy was that, was it easy to get off?” She asked, holding the microphone out to me,

“Well it was actually another person who lifted the rock off,” I answered,

“Oh, could you ask for them to come over, maybe we could interview them?” She questioned,

“Um, sure, I can go and get him,” I added, running over to Dorian,

“Did we just hear him?” She asked the camera, “Does subzero have a secret lover?” She questioned, Juliet shot a look at me, but quickly looked back at the camera and answered another question. I stood in front of him,

“Dorian, they want to talk to you,” I said, slightly out of breath,

“Why?” He asked, standing up,

“I don’t know, just come,” I answered, pulling him over to the camera,

“Don’t use your real name,” I whispered,

“Okay,” He added sceptically.

“Hello, can I ask what your name is?” The interviewer asked,

“I’m Tenebros,” He answered, there was a few groups of girls, watching something on their phones, as soon as Dorian came on camera they all started squealing, I glanced at them confused, Jerrica was watching in one of the groups, a slight smirk on her face.

“I think I’ve seen you fighting before, have you?” She asked,

“Uh, yeah, I’ve fought here a couple times here, the most recent was with A-Subzero,” He caught himself before saying my actual name. Juliet pulled me to the side,

“I told you to stay away from him,” She hissed,

“I tried, I told you he wouldn’t listen,” I added,

“Okay, just don’t let me catch his hands near you,” she whispered,

“Fine, we have to get back to the interview,” I added, running back to the camera.

“I see your quite the heartthrob, I think there’s some girls out there that definitely want you,” She said, half joking, half not,

“Yeah, I think there might be,” He laughed, winking at the camera, the girls standing nearby all squealed,

“Enough of that though, now let’s get back on topic, did you help Subzero?” She asked,

“Well sort of, I mean I helped her get the rock off her,” He answered,

“Such a gentle man,” a girl in the corner exclaimed,

“Have you helped the team today any more than that?” She asked again,

“Well, if you could notice for a moment that person disappeared, and came back a bit different, that was me.” He replied,

“Wow, was that for a reason, or just because you wanted to help?” She questioned, “Well-” He started,

“Lie,” I whispered into his ear,

“I just saw that they might have needed some help so I stepped in,” he improvised. “Now, a question for the ladies, are you single?” She asked,

“Um,n-” he started, I stepped on his foot hard, he lifted his foot behind him and held his ankle,

“Yes,” He said through clenched teeth, hopping on the other foot.

“I see you’re holding your foot, what’s that about?” She asked, the camera man lowered the camera to reveal him grabbing his foot, he quickly put his foot back onto the floor,

“Nothing, just I do that sometimes when I’m under pressure,” He answered, the camera man raised the camera again.

“Would all of you ever do a fan meet and greet?” She asked,

“Um, sure, I’d be willing to,” I answered,

“When would that be?” She asked,

“As soon as possible, maybe tomorrow,” Juliet answered,

“Now Tenebros, I have one more question for the ladies, would you be at the meet and greet?” She asked,

“Of course, I’m sure the ladies want to see me in real life,” He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

“Where would you have the meet and greet?” She asked, holding the microphone out to Juliet,

“Town hall, maybe four thirty, tomorrow, don’t miss it.” Juliet exclaimed,

“Now, we best be going, it was great to meet all of you, I guess we’ll see you tomorrow, goodbye for now,” She added, the camera man turned off the camera, “Thanks for the interview,” She said, shaking each of our hands,

“Bye, see you tomorrow,” I added, walking away.

“What was that for?” Dorian asked,

“What was what for?” I questioned,

“Why’d you step on my foot, that hurt you know,” he added,

“Yeah, but you were about to say that you aren’t single,” I replied,

“Because I’m not,” He said sceptically,

“I know that, but if you said you were she would have asked who you are dating,” I explained,

“And then I would say that I was dating y-” he started,

“Shut up, she doesn’t want me dating you, and it’s better to just let them believe that you’re single,” I explained,

“Why would I let them think that I’m single when I’m not?” He asked,

“Because, how are we going to explain that the villain is dating the hero? Isn’t that a bit strange?” I questioned,

“I guess, but all the girls will definitely be flirting with me, you heard them didn’t you, even the news reporter said that there was people who wanted me,” He explained, “I’m not jealous, I’m fine, I know that you only like me,” I added,

“Okay, I’m fine if you’re okay with that,” He added, he walked up to the car and unlocked it, opening my door,

“Hey!”Juliet yelled,

“Me?” Dorian asked, pointing at himself,

“Yes you,” she added, walking over to the car,

“What’s wrong?” He asked,

“Why is she getting in our car?” She questioned angrily,

“Because I’m taking her home,” He added slowly.

“She can come with me,” She stated, Dorian wrapped his arm around around my shoulder,

“You don’t know where she lives though,” He pointed out,

“I thought I told you not to touch her,” She hissed,

“You never said that,” He muttered,

“Get your hands off her before I make sure you can never put your hands on her again,” She said, pulling out a knife,

“Juliet,” I started,

“Don’t Juliet me,” she hissed,

“If you want to fight we can go and fight alone,” Dorian added,

“Dorian don’t,” I said,

“She wants to fight,” he stated,

“He’s right, I do want to fight,” she agreed,

“No, you don’t want to fight alone, it’s terrifying,” I warned,

“Is it really that bad?” He asked,

“Well you can’t see anything so yeah, when you’re fighting it’s pretty bad.” I explained,

“I want to fight,” She stated,

“Both of you stop it,” I warned, Dorian stepped back,

“Fine, I’ll stop, I won’t touch her, we don’t have to fight,” He admitted,

“I’m making up for what you just did,” She said, lunging at him with the knife, she cut his arm then they both disappeared, Dorian’s keys fell to the floor, I picked them up and sat in the car,

“You two are unbearable,” I whispered to myself, shutting the door and leaning into my seat. Twenty minutes later they finally reappeared, both covered in blood and bruised. I locked the doors of the car, Dorian tried to open the door. He knocked on the window,

“Let me in,” He commanded,

“Make up first,” I called out,

“Fine,” He said, turning to face her and extending his hand to shake hers,

“Truce?” He asked,

“Fine,” She added, shaking his hand, I unlocked the car and Dorian got in.

“What happened?” I asked,

“We fought,” He answered, reaching for the keys, I moved them away,

“What actually happened?” I asked again,

“We fought, I just told you, now give me the keys” He said, reaching for the keys again, I moved them once more,

“Who won?” I asked, he sighed,

“Her,” I handed him the keys,

“You let her win didn’t you?” I asked, he started up the car,

“Yeah,” He replied,

“Why?” I asked,

“Because it was taking too long, it’s late and I wanted to get back to you, also she was really persistent, she really hates me,” He stated, driving away.

“Are we seriously going to do a meet and greet tomorrow?” I asked,

“We promised, so I guess we have to.” He explained,

“I guess,” I added, after a short drive we made it back to the house, “I’m going to sleep right now,” I stated, running up the stairs and into my room, I buried myself under the covers and closed my eyes, a few minutes later Dorian walked into the room,

“What are you doing?” I asked, looking at him,

“Your dog peed on my bed, so I’m sleeping in your bed tonight,” He explained,

“You can’t just decide that,” I stated,

“Can’t I?” He asked smugly, lying on the other side of me,

“You should sleep on the floor,” I whispered,

“Too bad, I’m not,” He muttered,

“Fine, then I’ll sleep on the floor,” I added, sitting up slowly,

“No you’re not,” he commanded, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me into him.

“I want to sleep on the floor,” I stated, grabbing the sheets and trying to pull myself off the bed,

“You’re in my house, you’re not allowed to sleep on the floor if I can help it,” He explained, pulling me closer, I elbowed him in the stomach, he grabbed his side and I jumped onto the floor,

“I’m sleeping on the floor,” I stated,

“Okay, fine, but I’m sleeping there with you,” he said, pulling the sheets down and lying next to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling the blanket up to my shoulders.

“I hate you,” I groaned,

“I don’t care,” He muttered,

“You’re so annoying,” I mumbled,

“Shut up and sleep, you’ve got school tomorrow, and a meet and greet after,” He stated, after a short while I fell asleep, after about an hour I woke up to Dorian placing me on the bed,

“What are you doing?” I asked, half asleep,

“Sleeping on the floor isn’t good for you, but go back to sleep.” He whispered, laying on the bed next to me and wrapping his arm around my waist.

“I hate you,” I groaned,

“Go to sleep,” He muttered, pulling me into him. I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly.

I woke up Dorian was sitting on the side of the bed scrolling his phone,

“Dorian,” I mumbled,

“Yeah,” he answered, not looking up from his phone,

“What time is it?” I questioned,

“Six thirty, he replied, still not looking up from his screen,

“What are you looking at?” I asked, sitting up,

“This,” He added, handing me his phone, there was a photo of Jerrica kissing Dorian, in the exact outfit he was wearing last night, the photo had a time stamp too,

“9:42,” I whispered,

“I was lying next to you, it’s not true,” He muttered,

“I believe you,” I added, the caption read, ‘Going on a date with Tenebros, luckiest girl in the world’

“It’s an actor or something, look, he has a tattoo on his neck, I don’t,” He said, pointing to a small star on ‘His’ neck.

“She clearly doesn’t have very good attention to detail, look the guys eyes are brown, not green,” I pointed out,

“For her being so obsessed with me I would have at least expected her to know what colour my eyes are,” He laughed,

“That is a pretty cool tattoo though,” I added,

“Cooler than mine?” He asked,

“You have tattoos?” I questioned,

“I didn’t tell you, I have like five,” he stated subtly, surprised.

“Where are they?” I asked,

“On my back,” he added, taking his phone back.

“Can I see them?” I questioned,

“Sure,” He replied, pulling up the back of his shirt, there were five diamonds connected with a small line leading down his spine,

“Why’d you get them?” I asked, tracing the line down his back.

“Just for fun, I got them when I was like seventeen,” he answered,

“They’re cool,” I added,

“Thank you,” He replied,

“You should go and get ready for school,” He stated, pulling his shirt back down. “Alright,” I added, walking over to the cupboard and grabbing a pair of shorts and a t- shirt. I walked into the bathroom and threw on the clothes.

“I’m ready,” I announced,

“Do you want to go now?” He asked,

“Sure,” I added, walking out of the room. “God dammit,” I sighed,

“What’s wrong?” He asked, grabbing a shirt from his room and throwing it on. “Practically everyone knows her account, I’m gonna be bullied by almost her entire friend group, maybe even other people who aren’t in her friend group.” I explained,

“I mean I could tell them that it’s fake, and tell them that I’m dating you,” He suggested,

“No, more people will believe her, they’re not going to believe me,” I answered, scooping my bag off the floor and hoisting it over my shoulder,

“You know people tend to listen to you when they have a gun pointing at their heads.” He added, grabbing a gun from his pocket and holding it out to me.

“I’m not doing that you psycho,” I hissed, pushing the gun back over to him,

“Suit yourself,” He replied, putting the gun back into his pocket. I pushed open the door and walked over to the car. He unlocked it and opened my door, he jumped in the other side and started it up, after a short while my school was around the corner, “Are you sure you don’t want it?” He asked, holding the gun out to me again,

“Yes I’m sure, and you know what else I’m sure of, the fact that you’re a psycho,” I added,

“Jeez, I’m just trying to offer some help,” He muttered, putting the gun back in his pocket.

“Yeah, help me get expelled,” I said firmly.

“Okay, have a good day,” He stated,

“I’ll try,” I called back, jumping out of the car, Jerrica was standing at the gate with her friends, I looked back at where Dorian’s car was, he hadn’t left yet, Jerrica was going to be so annoying about this.

“Hey Jerrica, isn’t that the boy you went out with last night?” One of her friends asked,

“Yeah it is, why do you ask?” Jerrica questioned,

“Because she just got out of his car,” She added, pointing towards me, Jerrica started walking over,

“Why did you get out of my boyfriend’s car?” She asked,

“I have a question for you, if he’s your boyfriend how many tattoos does he have?” I questioned,

“One, he has a star on his neck,” she answered,

“Okay, when did he get it?” I asked,

“Last year.” She replied,

“Okay, let’s go and ask him,” I added, walking towards his car,

“What?” She asked,

“Let’s go ask him,” I repeated, opening the door quickly. “Hey bitch,” I started,

“Why are you calling my boyfriend bitch?” She asked,

“Shut up,” I hissed

“You’re calling me bitch now?” He asked,

“Yeah, you got a problem with that?” I questioned,

“No, what do you need, did you change your mind?” He asked, reaching into his pocket,

“No, that’s still illegal, I just wanted to ask, how many tattoos do you have?” I questioned,

“Didn’t I tell you that this morning?” He asked,

“Yeah, can you just tell me again though?” I questioned,

“I already told you he has one,” Jerrica stated,

“I have five, on my back,” He answered,

“Can I see them one more time?” I asked,

“What do you mean ‘one more time’?” Jerrica asked,

“Shut up,” I hissed,

“Fine,” He groaned, lifting the back of his shirt revealing the diamonds leading down his spine.

“Why didn’t you tell me about those ones?” She asked, Dorian lowered his shirt again, and turned back around,

“What do you mean, why would I tell you?” He asked,

“Because we’re dating, anyways, show them your neck tattoo,” She commanded, he showed his whole neck,

“What neck tattoo?” He asked,

“I think I know, it’s the one that the boyfriend she hired has,” I pointed out,

“What do you mean hired, he was with me all night,” She added, trying to seem confident.

“Oh yeah, the one that she posted a picture with when I was at home, with you,” he stated,

“Yeah, I remember you showing me that, when I woke up with you,” I added, Jerrica friends all turned to look at her,

“See if you check my instagram you can see that the exact same time that you posted that I posted a picture of me lying right next to her, you can check right now,” He stated, showing them his phone. Jerrica ran off clearly embarrassed, her friends stood there for a moment, I leaned in and kissed Dorian,

“Thanks,” I whispered, running off to line up for my first class.

Ally was standing at the front of the line, scrolling through her phone.

“Hey,” I called out, running up to join her.

“Hey, did you see that Subzero, Solaris and Tenebros are doing a meet and greet at four o clock, pretty much the whole school is coming, are you going to be there?” She asked,

“Um, probably not, maybe, but I probably won’t, I’ve got some stuff to do after school,” I answered,

“Damn, it would have been so nice for you to come, I’ll record some of it so you can still see it,” She stated,

“Thank you, that would be amazing,” I added. Jerrica ran up to me, crying hysterically,

“How could you do that to me, especially in front of the whole school, you’re a monster!” She screamed, smacking me across the face, she ran off before I could say anything else.

“What on earth was that about?” Ally asked,

“Nothing, she’s just being Jerrica,” I answered, “Bring,bring,bring!” The bell rang out, and we walked into the classroom together. I took a seat at the back of the room, and pulled out my book and pencil case,

“Astrielle Barnes could you please make your way to Ms Rahman’s room, Astrielle Barnes, please make your way to Ms Rahman’s room, thank you!” The head mistress announced over the intercom. I stood up and walked down the hall towards Ms Rahman’s room, what could this be about, had I done something wrong? I made it to her room and walked in slowly. Sitting at the desk next to Ms Rahman was Jerrica, “Astrielle, please take a seat,” Ms Rahman stated, gesturing to a seat on the other side of the table, “Do you have any idea why you’re here?” Ms Rahman asked,

“No, not really,” I replied,

“Yes you do, it happened this morning,” Jerrica sobbed

“Oh that,” I added, the realisation dawning on me,

“Yes, Jerrica said that you went up to her boyfriend, insulted him, then proceeded to get in his car, kiss him, embarrass her in front of all her friends, is that true?” She asked,

“No,” I answered,

“Yes it is!” Jerrica screamed,

“Jerrica, can you please call him so we can ask him?” Ms Rahman asked,

“Okay,” She sobbed, grabbing her phone out of her bag and dialing a random number, she put it on speaker.

“Hello, is this Paul?” An old woman’s voice called out, I had to bite my cheek to stop myself from laughing, Jerrica quickly hung up. “Do you know his number?” Ms Rahman asked,

“Yeah, I’ll call him,” I answered, pulling my phone out of my pocket and typing in his number. I put it on speaker as well, he picked up on the second ring,

“Hey, why are you calling me, aren’t you in class right now, is something wrong?” He asked, one gunshot rang out,

“One second,” I added, I turned him off speaker,

“I’m with one of my teachers, can you step aside for a minute?” I asked

“I can’t, I’m at work, I can try to get them to stop one second,” he paused, “Okay, it should be quieter now, put it back on speaker,” He explained,

“Okay, be normal,” I whispered, “Okay, here you can talk to him.” I added, putting him back on speaker,

“Hello, I’d like to talk about what happened this morning,” Ms Rahman stated,

“Okay, what questions do you have?” He asked,

“Please state what you were doing last night,” Ms Rahman said,

“I was at my house,” He added,

“Okay, this morning did you drop Astrielle Barnes off at school?” She asked,

“Yeah,” He answered,

“Okay were you with Jerrica Nobles last night?” She questioned,

“No,” He replied,

“Do you have five tattoos on your back?” She asked,

“Yes, why do you know that?” He asked,

“That doesn’t matter,” I hissed,

“One last question, did you kiss Astrielle Barnes this morning?” She asked,

“Yeah, why does that matter?” He asked, a gun shot rang out again, “Shit,” He whispered, “I have to go,” He added, hanging up the phone,

“Okay, my final verdict is that you are both suspended for three days, because of the fight you had yesterday.” She announced,

“Are you serious?” I sighed

“Both of you should leave as soon as possible, Jerrica we called your parents, Astrielle, call someone to pick you up,” She added, I walked out of the room quickly, and grabbed my bag from my classroom and walked out to the front of the school.

I pulled out my phone, should I call him, or should I just walk? I texted Dorian, ‘I got suspended, I have to go home now,’ I sent it to him, he read it almost immediately, but didn’t respond. I put my phone back in my pocket and started walking home. A few minutes later my phone started ringing, I pulled it out of my pocket,

“Dorian?” I whispered, answering the call,

“I’m at your school, where the fuck are you?” He asked, clearly concerned,

“What do you mean?” I questioned,

“You said you were suspended, I’m at your school, why the fuck aren’t you here?” He asked, “I’m walking home, you said you were working, I didn’t want to bother you,” I replied,

“Why the fuck would you think that?” He asked,

“The call ended with a gunshot and then you said shit I have to go, why the fuck wouldn’t I think that?” I asked,

“For fucks sake, stay where you are, I’m coming to pick you up,” he added, “No, I’m walking home, you don’t have to pick me up,” I muttered,

“Stay where you are, I’m coming to pick you up whether you like it or not,” He added, the engine of his car roared,

“How fast are you going?” I asked, still walking back to the house,

“One hundred and fifty, I’m going to go faster if you don’t stop moving, stay where you are.” He answered,

“If you don’t slow down I’m going to jump into the middle of the road,” I threatened,

“I swear to god if you do that I’m going to fucking kill you before the cars can,” He hissed, his engine roared louder,

“Slow the fuck down or I’ll do it,” I hissed,

“Stay still or I’m going to go faster,” He threatened,

“How fast are you going?” I asked,

“Two hundred, stay the fuck still before I speed up,” he added,

“I’m going to jump into the road you have three seconds to slow the fuck down before I jump, I’m next to the highway, I just want you to know that,” I muttered,

“I swear to god I’ll kill you even if you survive,” He hissed,

“Three,” I started,

“For fucks sake, if you even try to jump into the road I’m going to kill this entire city,” He hissed,

“Two, slow the fuck down,” I muttered, stepping closer to the road, the cars roared past,

“You’re actually on the side of the road?” He asked, the concern in his voice rising, “Yeah, slow the fuck down,” I added,

“I swear to god, take one more step I’m going to kill you,” He hissed, the worry in his voice rising,

“Slow down bitch, you have one more chance or I’ll do it,” I threatened,

“Please, I’ll slow down, just please don’t do it,” he added, his voice breaking,

“How fast are you going?” I asked, moving another step closer to the road,

“Please, I’m slowing down as much as I can without crashing the car, please get away from the road,” He begged,

“How fast are you going?” I asked again,

“One seventy five, I’m trying to slow down as much as I can, I’m going to get into a car crash if I try to slow down any faster,” He answered, a car swerved off the road and ran over my foot, I fell back,

“Ah fuck,” I hissed, clutching my foot,

“What happened, are you okay?” He asked, his engine roared louder,

“Slow the fuck down I’m right next to the road, I’ll jump if you speed up anymore,” I groaned, blood pooled around my foot, “Shit,” I hissed,

“What happened, tell me or I’ll speed up,” He threatened,

“Nothing happened, slow down,” I groaned, pushing myself against a tree on the other side of the side walk,

“Please tell me, I know that something’s wrong, please, you’re making me really nervous,” He asked,

“One second I’m putting you on speaker,” I added,

“What do you need to do?” he asked,

“Shut up,” I hissed,

“Holy shit that’s a lot of cars, what highway are you on?” He asked,

“I don’t know, don’t you have my location?” I asked,

“I’m coming, have you finally stopped?” He questioned,

“Yes, come quickly,” I groaned,

“What happened?” He asked,

“Shut up, just come here.” I demanded, I pulled my sweater off from around my waist and tied it right above my ankle.

“For fucks sake that hurts,” I groaned, leaning my head back on the tree,

“What do you mean that hurts? What the fuck happened?” He asked, his engine roared again,

“Why the fuck are you speeding up again, I’m going to jump into the road if you don’t slow down,” I hissed,

“Please tell me what happened before I kill myself,” He muttered.

“If you speed up after I tell you I’m going to jump into the road, do you promise not to speed up?” I asked,

“You’re freaking me out, what happened?” He questioned,

“Promise me you won’t speed up,” I added,

“I promise, just please tell me, you’re making me scared,” he agreed,

“Someone may have run over my foot,” I added,

“What the fuck how are you so calm?!” He screamed, his engine roared again,

“I swear to god slow down or I’m going to jump into the road,” I threatened,

“I’m one minute out, keep talking to me,” He added, his engine roared louder,

“Slow down, I’m going to jump into the road,” I threatened, pulling myself up and limping towards the road,

“Why are you moving closer to the road, please don’t do it, I can’t slow down, please don’t go closer,” He begged his voice breaking, his tires screeched to a halt,

“I’m coming right now, stay where you are,” He added,

“I feel light headed,” I whispered,

“For fucks sake, hold on, please, I’m coming right now,” He added,

“Hurry, please,” I whispered,

“I can see you, I’m right behind you just, stay with me,” he exclaimed, my knees buckled in on themselves, before I hit the floor Dorian caught me

“I’m taking you to the hospital,” He whispered, scooping me up and running to his car. He put me in the passenger’s side and buckled me in, he ran to his side and jumped in, he started the car up before he even shut the door or put his own seatbelt on. The car drove out of the car spot quickly, too quickly.

“Stop speeding idiot,” I groaned,

“No, I don’t care if I’m speeding, I need to get you to the hospital.” He added,

“It’s not even that bad, I’ll be fine, slow down before you get both of us hurt,” I muttered,

“I’m not going to crash the car, you have no idea how many times I’ve done this,” He added, someone called Dorian’s phone, it rang out through the speakers in the car, “What the fuck, unknown number?” He whispered, answering the call, “This better be urgent,” He hissed

“It is, why did you embarrass me in front of everyone, you have to come and pick me up so they believe me,” Jerrica added,

“How the fuck did you get my number?” He asked,

“I looked at it when Astrielle was calling you,” She answered,

“Why would I do that if we’re not dating?” He asked,

“Because you have to admit you want me,” She replied,

“I’m with the person I actually love, piss off and delete my number,” he hissed, hanging up.

We pulled into the hospital parking lot and he jumped out of the car and opened my door. He helped me out of the car and wrapped my arm over his shoulder, he helped me into the waiting room, and walked over to the front door desk,

“We need her to be seen as soon as possible,” he stated,

“Okay, we can bring her in now, what’s wrong with her?” She asked,

“Her foot got ran over by a car,” He explained,

“Okay, we’re going to take her in for an x-ray, and while she’s in there you can fill out the paper work,” She explained,

“Okay,” He added,

“Follow me and we can get her an x-ray right now.” She stated, we followed her into a small room, a large scanner sat above a small bed. I lay down and Dorian left the room, a nurse walked in and showed me how to position my foot,

“Jeez, that’s a bad one,” she stated, moving my foot carefully. “Okay, we’re going to do three scans, so get comfy,” She laughed, she walked behind a wall and pressed a button, the machine lit up and made one beep. She walked back over and moved my foot to the side, without a word she pressed the button again and the machine made one more beep, she did it once more. “Okay miss,we’re finished, let me walk you out to the waiting area,” She said, helping me off the bed and walking me over to a set of seats along the corridor. A few seconds later Dorian walked over and sat next to me, “Did she say how long until we get the results?” Dorian asked,

“No, she just walked me out here.” I replied,

“Okay, I would have thought that they would have told you,” he added, A couple minutes later a doctor walked over,

“Please follow me,” He said, walking over to a room down the hall, Dorian helped me up and walked me over to the room,

“You can pick a colour out of blue, purple, green, red, and pink,” He stated,

“For what?” I asked,

“A cast, your foot is clearly badly broken, we’ll leave a cast on for six weeks.” He explained,

“Okay,” I replied,

“Now which colour?” He asked,

“Blue I guess,” I replied, he wrapped my foot in some sort of cotton, then pulled out some plastered gauze, wet it slightly then wrapped it over the cotton. After a minute he finished wrapping it tightly around my foot,

“Okay, we’re all done, you’re good to leave now, we’ll give you some crutches, and send you on your way,” He stated,

“Okay,” I added,

“Now, do you know how tall you are?” He asked,

“Five six,” I replied,

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” He stated. Walking out of the room.

“How does it feel?” Dorian asked,

“Weird,” I added,

“I bet it does,” He laughed, the doctor walked back into the room,

“Here, use these until you feel comfortable to walk without them,” He said, handing me the crutches,

“Thanks,” I replied, taking them from his hand and standing up slowly. I placed them under my arms, Dorian opened the door in front of me,

“Thank you,” Dorian added, shutting the door softly behind him.

I limped my way out of the hospital, Dorian opened the door to the car and shut it softly behind me, I stacked them by my side, Dorian jumped in the other side.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, starting up the car,

“Better,” I added,

“Are you ready for the meet and greet?” He asked,

“I guess I have to be,” I laughed,

“Are you going to be okay doing it?” He questioned,

“It’s mostly just sitting down, I’ll be fine,” I replied, he drove out of the car spot and drove us back to the house quickly. He pulled up outside of the house, he jumped out of his car and opened the door for me, he extended his hand and helped me out of the car. I grabbed the crutches and placed them under my arms,

“Are you going to get changed?” He asked,

“I think so, just so people don’t recognise me,” I replied,

“Fair point,” He added, opening the door to the house. Shaka ran up to me and jumped on my legs, I smiled down at him, he ran up the stairs and around the corner, “What time is it?” I asked,

“Shit, three forty five, go get ready,” He said, rushing me up the stairs. I turned into my room and grabbed a pair of jeans and a baggy basketball jersey. I threw them on quickly and tied my hair into a low pony tail, I grabbed a pair of trainers from the cupboard and slipped them on. I walked out of the room and down the hall, “Dorian,” I called out,

“You ready?” He asked, walking out of the room, adjusting his watch.

“Yeah, you wanna leave?” I questioned,

“Yes, we gotta be there in ten minutes,” He added, running down the stairs,

“Slow down,” I called down the stairs. I hopped down the stairs slowly and walked out the door, I jumped into the car and he started the car up quickly,

“Five minutes,” He sighed,

“What time is it?” I asked,

“Four ten,” He added,

“It starts at four thirty.” I added,

“Still, it doesn’t matter, we have to be there in five minutes.” He added,

“Wow you’re really strict,” I joked,

“Shut up, it’s better to be early than late,” he added,

“I guess so,” I sighed, he pulled out of the car spot and we made it to the town hall in ten minutes. He jumped out of his side and opened my door,

“You know Juliet is going to hate the fact that you’re with me right,” I stated, pulling myself out of the car.

“I know, that’s not going to stop me though,” He laughed, I turned to look at the entrance to the town hall,

“Shit,” I whispered,

“What’s wrong?” He asked, turning to look at the queue of people,

“How are we supposed to get in?” I asked,

“I think there’s a back entrance,” He stated, pulling me towards the back of the building,

“How do you know?” I asked,

“I robbed this place once a little while ago,” He replied,

“You should really stop bringing that stuff up so casually.” I stated,

“They’re going to hear you, be quiet,” He whispered.

He opened the door quietly and shut it softly behind us.

“There you are!” Juliet exclaimed, running over and hugging me, “What happened?” She asked, looking down at my cast.

“Oh um, just an accident on the road,” I muttered.

“It was him wasn’t it,” She hissed, looking at Dorian,

“Why would you think it was me?” He asked,

“I don’t trust you,” She whispered,

“It wasn’t me,” He added,

“Come on, we have ten minutes before they all come in,” She announced, pulling me over to a chair. Dorian walked over to the chair next to me, he put his arm over my shoulder, Juliet shot him an icy look, he moved his hand away and put them on the table.

“Are you guys ready?” The Chief of police asked, handing us each a paper with a photo of our faces on them.

“I guess we have to be,” I laughed, lining the papers up neatly. I grabbed a pen from a small container on the table.

“Okay, they’re coming in now, just signal if you need some back up,” He added, walking off to the side. Hundreds of people swarmed into the room,

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting this many people.” I whispered to Juliet,

“People really love you,” She pointed out. The first person walked up to me, wearing a plain white shirt,

“Please can you sign my shirt?”she asked,

“Sure,” I added happily, they spun around and I scribbled my name on her back. Someone walked over to Dorian,

“Can I have your number?” She asked,

“I’m so-” he started, I stepped on his foot hard, he inhaled sharply, grabbing his leg, “Sure,” He smiled, scribbling it on a piece of paper and handing it to her. He wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it and slid it over to me, I unfolded it and read it under the table, ‘Do that one more time and I’m going to kill you’ another person walked up to me, I scribbled my signature on a piece of paper and handed it to them with a polite smile. ‘Stop being so clueless, your single okay’ I folded it and gave it to him. He read it under his breath, sighed and rolled his eyes, his smile fading away for a split second. Another person walked up to me,

“Hey, can I get your number?” He asked, Dorian grabbed the edge of my chair and pulled me slightly closer to him, I stepped on his foot again, he clenched his jaw and sighed.

“Sure, I’d love to,” I answered, scribbling my number on a piece of paper. Dorian’s eyes tracked him as he walked away. I scribbled on a piece of paper ‘Your single idiot, act like it, don’t be jealous of that guy, you shouldn’t care, your single’ I folded it and placed it in his lap, he sighed, before he even read the letter. I looked up and signed another piece of paper, handing it to one of the people in the line. Dorian slid me a piece of paper, ‘Believe me, I’m trying to act single, and if you step on my foot again I’m going to kill you’ I rolled my eyes, Juliet slid me a piece of paper, I opened it sceptically, ‘Your supposed to be signing things, stop chatting with him,’ Dorian peered over my shoulder and read the note, I rolled my eyes, and signed another piece of paper and handed it to the person at the front of the line.

Another person walked up to Dorian,

“Can I have your number?” She asked, his jaw clenched, but he didn’t let his smile fade,

“Sure,” he smiled, scribbling it on a piece of paper, handing it to her. Another person walked up to me,

“Can you sign my arm?” They asked, extending their arm to me,

“Okay,” I added sceptically. I wrote my signature on their arm,

“Thanks, I want to get it tattooed.” They explained,

“Right,” I added, they walked away before I could say another word. A man walked up to me,

“Hey, you’re really pretty, can I have your number?” He asked, Dorian’s jaw clenched, he stared at them, his smile fading slightly, clearly not even noticing what he was doing, I kicked the back of his leg, he looked back at the line of people in front of him, a fake smile reappearing on his face.

“Of course,” I added, scribbling it on a piece of paper and sliding it to him. He walked away happily, Dorian watched him walk, his smile not leaving his face, but a flare of anger in his eyes.

“Stop,” I hissed, kicking the back of his leg,

“Fuck,” He muttered, rubbing his leg.

“I wasn’t even doing anything,” He added quietly,

“Yes you did, you’re really bad at being single,” I hissed,

“Probably because I’m n-” he started, I stepped on his foot again,

“Ah, stop doing that,” He hissed, grabbing his leg,

“Stop being an idiot,” I added,

“I’m trying, it would be easier if you stopped doing that,” he whispered,

“What are you talking about?” Someone in a group of girls asked,

“We weren’t talking,” I laughed,

“Tenezero, the best ship,” another girl added,

“What, we’re not dating, ew, he’s not even my type,” I stated, Dorian looked at me, “What, I thou-” he started, I stepped on his foot again.

“Stop doing that,” He said through clenched teeth.

“What do you mean stop doing that?” One of the girls asked,

“She keeps st-” He started, I kicked the back of his leg,

“I’m going to kill you if you do that one more time,” He threatened,

“Anyways, we’re not going to get involved in whatever is going on between you two, can we get your number?” One of them asked Dorian,

“I- um,” he paused,

“Yeah, give them your number,” I added happily,

“I’d be happy to, sorry, I lost my train of thought,” he mumbled, scribbling his number on a piece of paper and handing it to one of them. They walked away happily,

“It’s really not that hard, you’re single.” I stated, writing my signature on a piece of paper and handing it to someone.

“I’m trying, believe me I am, it’s really hard for me to do that though,” he added,

“If someone asks for your number, give it to them, pretend that I don’t exist,” I said,

“I can try, you promise you won’t care?” He asked,

“I’m telling you to do it, do it,” I replied,

“Okay, I’ll do it,” He added,

“Good, also stop looking so jealous when I give them my number,” I stated,

“I don’t look jealous,” He scoffed,

“Just don’t look when I give them my number,” I added,

“Okay, it should be easy enough.” He stated.

Another person walked up to me, holding a twenty dollar bill, he slid it across the table,

“Can I have your number?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I added, taking the money and slipping it into my pocket. Dorian looked the other way, he shot one look at the guy, then rolled his eyes. I scribbled my number down on a piece of paper and gave it to him. The guy walked away quickly,

“Better?” Dorian asked,

“Yes, you didn’t look as jealous that time,” I answered,

“What do you mean as jealous?” He questioned,

“The one look you shot him, that looked jealous,” I added,

“Wow, harsh,” He muttered,

“Yep, I guess I am,” I whispered.

“I can’t stand you,” He murmured,

“I know,” I laughed.

“Good afternoon everyone there is ten minutes left of the meet and greet, just a warning that in ten minutes the meet and greet will be over.” The chief of police announced, people swarmed up to the front of the line. I grabbed the pen and started signing papers, people grabbed papers from my hands faster than I could finish writing my name,

“Can I have your number?” One person asked, I scribbled it on a piece of paper and shoved it at them, after a little while there were only about twenty people left in the room, I started standing up to leave, then Jerrica and her friends ran in.

“Hi baby!” She exclaimed running up to Dorian,

“Jesus Christ,” Dorian sighed leaning back in his seat,

“Wait, he’s taken?” Someone asked from across the room,

“No, I don’t know who she is!” Dorian announced,

“Yes you do, it’s me,” she added,

“Oh yeah, the weirdo who asked me to kidnap her,” he stated, everyone looked at her,

“What the hell?” Someone screamed,

“That’s so weird,” Another announced,

“I um I,” she stammered, her face turning red with embarrassment

“It’s um, I, it was,” She tried to say, she ran out of the room, her friend group running out behind her.

“Alright everyone the meet and greet is over, could everyone please make their way out, thank you for coming today,” the Chief of police announced, everyone started filing out of the room quickly.

“Finally, that was so annoying,” Dorian complained,

“I know, I’m so tired,” I laughed,

“I gave my number to like fifty people,” he groaned,

“Seriously?” I asked,

“Yes, I’m going to get a million calls from random people,” he stated, grabbing the edge of my seat and pulling me closer, he placed his arm over my shoulders.

“I told you not to touch her,” Juliet stated,

“Jeez, loosen up,” Dorian added,

“Can you guys stop fighting?” I asked,

“Gladly,” Dorian said,

“No way, not until he lets go of you,” she added,

“It’s not that big of a deal,” I stated,

“I don’t care, get away from her,” Juliet muttered,

“Jeez, you’re no fun,” Dorian stated, moving back. The air felt heavier, Juliet glared at Dorian angrily,

“Anyways, what’s the time?” I asked, trying to break the tension, there was a slight pause,

“Um six thirty,” Dorian answered,

“I have a meeting at seven, I have to go, see you later,” Juliet stated, grabbing her bag and running out the door,

“She really hates me doesn’t she?” Dorian laughed,

“Yeah, I wonder why that is,” I added, walking out of the room and towards the car. “Do you want to go out somewhere for dinner?” Dorian asked, opening the door on my side,

“I’m too tired,” I replied, getting in the car and shutting the door behind me.

“Do you want to get takeaway from somewhere?” He questioned, getting into the driver’s side,

“From where?” I asked,

“Wherever you want, there’s this really good pizza place about twenty minutes away,” he added, starting up the car and driving out of the car spot,

“Sure, pizza sounds good, do you go there often?” I questioned,

“Yeah, probably a little too often,” he answered,

“What do you mean too often?” I asked,

“All the workers know exactly what I eat every time,” He laughed,

“Oh yeah, is that because you go there too often, or is it because they’re scared of you?” I questioned,

“Maybe a bit of both, I’m pretty sure it’s because I go there too often, but there was this one time that this thing happened, but I’m sure they don’t remember that,” he stated,

“What happened?” I asked, intrigued,

“There was this small thing with the manager, I’m sure they don’t remember though,” he added,

“What did you do?” I questioned,

“How do you know it was me?” He asked,

“I know it definitely wasn’t the manager,” I laughed,

“We got into a little argument and I may have pulled a gun on him, I’m sure he doesn’t even remember though,” He stated,

“You’re a sociopath or something, I’m sure of it,” I laughed, “Oh you changed it to sociopath, but no, that’s where you’re wrong, I’m a psychopath, not a sociopath,” he added,

“What?” I asked,

“You called me a sociopath, but you’re wrong with that one, I’m a psychopath, there’s a difference,” He stated,

“Oh, what’s the difference?” I asked,

“Are you making me explain it? Jeez, um, sociopaths are more unstable, impulsive and chaotic, also more emotionally reactive, and psychopaths have barely any empathy or remorse, and most of the time seem more normal and sort of charming, which is why I gave my number to so many people today.” He explained,

“You memorized all of that?” I asked,

“Well, I just remember it from when my psychologist told me, he basically said that exactly,” He stated,

“That’s a weird thing to remember word for word,” I said, “I know, I don’t know why I remember that, it’s so random, sometimes I wish I didn’t remember it,” he added, “Why’d you bring it up so casually?” I asked,

“Like I told you, it’s just normal to me, anyways, do you want to go to the pizza place or not?” He questioned,

“Sure, pizza sounds good,” I added. Dorian turned off the road and pulled us into a car park.

A sign on top of the building read, ‘Gio’s pizza,’ there were small yellow lights on the interior, lighting up the space around the restaurant. Dorian jumped over the roof of the car and opened the door.

“Did you just jump over the car?” I asked, standing up and getting out of the car, “Yeah, why do you ask?” He answered,

“You know that’s not normal right?” I questioned,

“Yeah, well, I’m not normal, I’m surprised it’s taken you this long to realise,” he laughed, Dorian swung open the door to the restaurant, a person in a white suit visibly tensed, a man probably the same age as Dorian, dressed in a white button down shirt and a pair of black pants ran up to him,

“Dorian, long time no see, where have you been?” He exclaimed, high fiving him and patting him on the back,

“A long time as in one week, yeah, such a long time,” He laughed, pulling away from him,

“Where have you been though, I thought something was wrong,” He added,

“I’ve just been busy with some stuff, work and some stuff in my personal life.” He replied,

“Some stuff or someone?” The guy whispered, glancing back at me,

“I don’t know, maybe a bit of both,” He laughed, glancing back at me, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, hi, I’m Cas,” The man stated, reaching his hand out to shake mine,

“Astrielle,” I added, shaking his hand.

“How did you manage to pull her?” He whispered to Dorian, pulling his hand back, “Um, I had to do some stuff,” he added,

“Dorian, you didn’t,” He muttered,

“It’s not like I hurt her or anything,” he protested,

“Mhmm, so that wasn’t you?” He asked, looking at the cast on my foot,

“I’ve known you since forever, you know I wasn’t raised in a barn, I wouldn’t hurt a woman,” He added,

“Yeah, so you weren’t involved were you?” He asked,

“I mean I was involved, but I didn’t deliberately hurt her, it was sort of both of our faults,” He replied,

“What happened?” He questioned, peering around Dorian and looking at me,

“We got into a fight, and well um it kind of just happened,” I added, he raised an eyebrow,

“What happened, please tell me,” he stated, pushing past Dorian, “I want to tease him about it,” he whispered,

“Well, we got into a fight and then he started speeding up, and then I said if he didn’t slow down I would jump into the road,” I stated,

“And you did it?” He asked,

“No, I’m not a psycho,” I added,

“He is, literally,” He whispered, gesturing to Dorian.

“I know, but, I walked closer to the road because he kept speeding up, and then this guy swerved off the road and ran over my foot,” I stated, Dorian pushed Cas away slightly with his arm,

“I just want you to know that I tried to stop her from doing it, but she didn’t listen,” He protested,

“Did he actually?” He whispered,

“Yeah, kind of,” I added,

“What do you mean kind of?” Dorian asked, pushing Cas to the side,

“You’re also kind of the reason that it happened,” I stated,

“Do you really think that?” He asked, a glint of sadness appearing in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” I questioned,

“Do you really think that it’s my fault, please, please tell me you don’t,” he explained, “Why does it matter to you?” I asked,

“It doesn’t, just please tell me that you don’t think I would try and hurt you,” He answered,

“I don’t, I’m just stating the fact that it’s both of our faults,” I added,

“Okay, thank you,” He whispered. I could hear the relief in his voice, he moved off to the side, leaning against the wall next to the door, brushing his hair back with his fingers.

“What was that about?” Cas asked me,

“Just Dorian being a simp,” I replied,

“Dorians a simp?” He questioned, looking at him,

“For me, yes, he’s the biggest simp, you didn’t know that,” I laughed,

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” He asked,

“Because he never talks to anyone,” I answered,

“Thank you for telling me, he’s never going to hear the end of that one,” He added, “You’re talking about the thing again, aren’t you?” Dorian asked, a small amount of annoyance growing in his voice.

“You never told me you were a simp for this one, how important is she?” Cas asked, nudging Dorian with his elbow.

“Stop telling people about that,” Dorian hissed,

“But I like seeing you angry, it’s funny, remember when you did that to me,” I added, Dorian rolled his eyes,

“How important is she?” Cas asked again, Dorian didn’t reply,

“Are you scared to admit it?” Cas questioned,

“No,” Dorian mumbled,

“How important is she then?” Cas asked, a smirk appearing on his lips, Dorian didn’t reply once more,

“Come on, how important is she?” Cas questioned,

“Why do you care?” Dorian asked, he glanced at me, his eyes fixing onto mine, a terrifying look appearing in his eyes,

“How important is she?” Cas questioned, the anger in his voice rising, Dorian didn’t answer, he looked down at the floor,

“Tell me, why aren’t you answering?” Cas asked, his voice angry but calm,

“Do you want to know?” Dorian questioned,

“Just tell me, how important is she?” Cas asked,

“You know what,” Dorian started, grabbing Cas by the collar, and moving to push Cas up against the wall,

“She’s pretty fucking important, and if you ruin this for me,” He added, looking down at the floor and laughing quietly, he looked back up, something else flaring in his eyes, an evil smirk appearing on his lips,

“I swear on my life, I will kill you and everyone you love, so you better watch yourself,” he hissed, Cas raised his hands,

“Jeez man, I was just asking, I’m not going to ruin it for you, I’m not an idiot,” He added, Dorian dropped him, that same anger lingering for a minute longer,

“Anyway, what do you want to order?” Cas asked, trying to change the subject, he walked behind a counter to the till.

“What do you want?” Dorian asked, turning to face me,

“I don’t know, what do you usually get?” I questioned,

“Usually, I get a meatlovers pizza, the ones from here are amazing,” he answered, “I’m fine to get that,” I added,

“Okay, I’ll ask for two, what size do you want though?” He asked,

“I guess I’ll just take a small,” I replied. He walked up to Cas,

“Is she getting a separate one?” Cas asked,

“Yeah, she wants a small,” He replied,

“Okay, um $35.50,” Cas stated,

“Okay, oh, shit, I left my wallet in the car, one second,” He muttered, walking out the door, I walked closer to the counter,

“Did that scare you?” I asked,

“When he did that thing, um not really, he does it a lot,” He answered,

“How much by a lot?” I questioned,

“When I’m being really annoying, I don’t blame him though, it’s my fault for pissing him off, honestly if I could do that I would if I was friends with myself,” He replied, “You and Dorian, both of you are weird,” I muttered,

“It’s not weird, I’m just not scared when he does that, but that time, he didn’t look like he was joking, there was something in his eyes, that, that was a genuine threat,” He stated,

“He’s insane,” I laughed,

“Literally, but trust me on this one, you mean a lot to him, I can’t usually tell that, but this time, he’s not joking,” He explained, Dorian walked back up to the counter, “Here,” He added, handing his credit card to Cas,

“Okay, it’ll be done in ten minutes,” Cas stated,

“Do you want to wait in the car?” Dorian asked,

“Yeah,” I added, walking out the door and over to the car.

I jumped in the car and shut the door behind me, Dorian jumped over the car again, and jumped into the drivers side.

“Why do you keep jumping over the car?” I asked him,

“It doesn’t matter, what were you talking to him about?” He questioned,

“What?” I asked,

“You heard me, what were you talking about?” He questioned,

“Uh you,” I added,

“Mhmm, what about me?” He asked leaning in slightly,

“Well, I asked if he was scared when you did that thing,” I stated,

“What thing?” He asked, “When you pinned him to the wall and threatened his life,” I added, slightly shocked that he forgot,

“Oh, that, anyways what happened?” He asked again,

“Basically he said he wasn’t scared when that happened, and then he said that that time you looked genuinely terrifying, and then he said that you, um-you,” I paused,

“I what, what happened?” He asked, tilting his head slightly,

“He said that what you said was a genuine threat, and that-” before I could finish Dorian interrupted,

“That you mean a lot to me, yeah, you do, and it was a genuine threat, it isn’t usually, but that time, it was,”

“How do you know about the last part?” I asked,

“I heard you talking to him,” He answered,

“One more thing, that guy in the white suit, was that the manager?” I questioned, “Yeah, why?” He asked,

“He definitely hasn’t forgotten,” I added,

“Really, I was starting to think we were good again, maybe I should go and talk to him,” He suggested, leaning out the door slightly,

“No, don’t do that,” I added, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back into the car,

“Why not?” He asked,

“Because he just watched what you did to Cas, he’s probably more scared of you then he was before.” I explained,

“You really think that?” He asked,

“Yes, but actually, it depends on what you tell him, what would you say to him?” I questioned,

“Maybe just ask him how he’s going, um, and just ask if he forgives me,” He answered,

“He’s going to say that he does,” I added,

“Oh, so should I go and do it?” He asked,

“No,” I answered,

“Why not?” He questioned,

“Because he’s going to say yes because he’s scared of you, he probably thinks you’re going to kill him if he says that he doesn’t forgive you,” I explained,

“Why would he think that I’m going to kill him?” He asked,

“Are you stupid?” I questioned,

“Not that I know of, why do you ask?” He asked,

“Because you’re not putting together what I’m telling you, you pulled a gun on him, and then just legitimately threatened his employees life, he’s not going to trust you, he’s going to say yes, because he’s terrified of you,” I explained,

“I’m going to go and talk to him,” He added, stepping out of the car door, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back in,

“Don’t do that, just trust me,” I whispered,

“I really want to make it up to him, what if I just pull him out the back and talk to him, and just have a calm conversation,” He suggested,

“Please don’t do that, the only thing I’ll let you do is go up to him, and apologise, if he says anything, listen, and then reply normally,” I explained,

“Okay, I can do that, listen and reply, I do that a lot, I’m going to go and talk to him,” He added, stepping out of the car.

He disappeared into the restaurant, I leaned back in my seat. Cas walked out of the door, holding two boxes of pizza. I rolled down the window and he pushed the boxes into my hands,

“Do you know what Dorian’s doing?” he asked,

“He’s attempting to apologise to the manager,” I answered,

“It’s not working,” He added,

“What do you mean?” I questioned,

“They’re fighting,” He stated,

“He just walked in, how’s that even possible?” I asked,

“I don’t know, I’m going back inside, if something happened I’ll tell you,” He stated, “Okay, thanks,” I added, Cas ran back in the door and behind the counter, not even a minute later he ran back over to the car,

“They went out the back, you should come and sort him out,” He stated,

“Okay, thanks for telling me,” I stepped out of the car and walked through the restaurant,

“He’s back here,” Cas added, opening the door at the back of the restaurant, he walked out behind me, I stepped around a corner,

“Jesus Christ,” I whispered, the manager was pinned to the floor and Dorian was landing punches to his face,

“How does that even happen, they were just talking,” Cas added,

“What are you doing?” I asked, just loud enough for them to hear. Dorian turned around and looked me in the eyes. In that split second the manager sat up and pushed Dorian to the floor, he started landing countless punches to his face. Dorian reached his hands up and grabbed the manager around his neck. The manager kept landing punches on Dorian’s face, Dorian threw him to the floor by the neck, Police sirens started approaching from a distance, neither of them noticed, they both kept landing punches on each other.

“You guys can hear the sirens right?” I asked, both of them stopped,

“What?” The manager questioned,

“There’s police coming, I suggest both of you stop unless you want to get in serious trouble,” I stated, Dorian stepped away from the manager and helped him up, two police officers ran around the corner.

“We got a report that there was a fight going on back here,” One of them announced, “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there was no fight,” Dorian added,

“Yeah, must have been someone else,” The manager added,

“Then why do both of you look so out of breath?” Another officer asked,

“We were going for a run,” Dorian lied,

“Where did they say the fight was?” The manager asked,

“One thirty four Jerry road,” the first officer said,

“Oh this so one thirty four jarry road, wrong place,” Dorian added,

“Oh, sorry for bothering you,” the second officer apologised, walking around the corner.

“You guys are idiots,” I hissed,

“He started it,” Dorian added, pointing at the manager,

“Yeah, I’m sure he did,” I stated sarcastically,

“Actually, that time I did ask him if he wanted to fight,” the manager added,

“See, I wasn’t lying,” Dorian muttered, walking up to me slowly,

“For once it wasn’t your fault,” I laughed, Dorian pulled me into him by the waist,

“It’s not always my fault,” He whispered, leaning his head into my neck,

“Yeah, but most of the time it is,” I added,

“That doesn’t matter,” he muttered,

“Why do you soften up around her?” The manager asked, Cas gestured for him to shut up, the manager raised his hands slightly.

“You’re being awfully clingy today,” I laughed,

“I’m tired,” he muttered,

“I would be too if I just got into a fight, you need to stop doing that,” I added,

“Mhmm,” he nodded,

“You need to go home,” I laughed,

“Yeah, we should go,” he muttered, starting to walk around the corner,

“Did our pizzas get here yet?” He asked,

“Yeah, they’re in the car,” I added,

“Good, I’m hungry,” He muttered,

“Why do you keep getting into fights?” I asked, Dorian opened my door and jumped over the roof again, I hopped in and shut the door behind me.

“Stop jumping over the car,” I added,

“No,” He groaned,

“Why did you get into a fight with him?” I asked again,

“Because I started apologising and then he said something random, and I told him to stop and he didn’t and then I don’t know it kind of just happened,” He explained, “Wow, you’re great at explaining stuff,” I added sarcastically,

“I’m just tired,” He mumbled, pulling out of the car spot, blood started dripping from his nose, a small bruise on his forehead started filling with blood as well,

“You’re bleeding,” I stated,

“No I’m not,” He added calmly,

“Yes you are,” I pushed,

“From where?” He asked,

“Your face,” I answered,

“Yeah, I got that, where on my face?” He questioned,

“Your nose, and your forehead,” I answered,

“I didn’t notice, it’s fine though, I’ll be alright,” He added,

“Yeah, but I’m still going to clean you up when we get back to the house,” I stated,

“I don’t need it,” He groaned,

“I don’t care, I’m still doing it,” I added,

“I’m not going to let you,” He muttered pulling up to the house,

“What are you going to do to stop me?” I asked,

“I’m just not going to let you,” he answered,

“Mhmm, you’re not going to stop me, I’m doing it whether you like it or not,” I added, “But I’m hungry,” he muttered, opening his door and jumping over the car again and opening my door.

“So, I’ll do it while you eat,” I added, stepping out of the car,

“You’re really persistent, aren’t you,” He groaned, grabbing the pizzas from the back seat and shutting the door behind me,

“Yeah, I’m doing it,” I added, he started walking upstairs,

“I’m going to my room,” He stated,

“Okay, enjoy your silence,” I called up the stairs, I walked to a cupboard in the corner of the living room and grabbed a box labeled, “First aid,” I walked up the stairs with it and entered Dorian’s room.

“I’m not letting you do it, I’m fine,” He groaned,

“Shut up,” I added, kneeling behind him, I pulled out a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol, I tipped some of the alcohol onto the cotton ball and moved it closer to his face.

“Leave me be, I’m fine,” He groaned, lowering his head so I couldn’t reach him.

“Stop being such a big baby,” I added, pulling his head back so I could reach the cuts. I pushed the cotton ball to the cut on his forehead,

“That stings you know?” He groaned,

“Shut up,” I whispered,

“I’m trying to eat,” He muttered, lowering his head again,

“Stop being so stubborn,” I added, tangling my fingers in his hair and pulling his head back. He stared at me,

“What are you looking at?” I asked,

“You,” He answered,

“Why?” I questioned,

“Because you’re pretty,” He added,

“I thought I was annoying,” I stated,

“You are, but I might as well look at something I enjoy if you have to do this to me,” He muttered, I put the cotton ball down,

“Finally,” he groaned, lowering his head and taking another bite of his pizza. I grabbed a different cotton ball and put some more alcohol on it. I pulled his head back again,

“Are you serious?” He groaned,

“Shut up,” I added, wiping the blood away from under his nose,

“Why can’t I just eat my food?” He asked,

“Because you’re hurt,” I answered,

“So, I’m hurt most of the time,” he added,

“I don’t care, it’ll take five minutes,” I muttered,

“You’re annoying,” He groaned,

“I don’t care,” I whispered, putting down the cotton ball, he tried lowering his head again, I pulled his face back up again.

“What are you doing?” He asked,

“One more thing, then I’m done,” I added, grabbing a bandaid and placing it over the cut on his forehead.

“There, now I’m done,” I said, letting go of his hair.

I crawled to the other side of the bed and opened my box of pizza,

“Thanks,” He muttered,

“What?” I asked,

“Thanks for doing that,” he added,

“Isn’t that just something that most people would do when someone’s hurt?” I questioned,

“I don’t know, but I usually have to do that myself, so thanks” he replied,

“It’s nothing,” I added, taking a bite of my pizza, Dorian paused for a moment,

“Why are you so nice to me?” He asked,

“Do you want me to stop?” I questioned,

“No, I just want to know why,” He added,

“I don’t know, I guess I’m just a nice person, why do you ask?” I asked,

“Because most people aren’t nice to me,” He replied,

“Do you have a theory of why that is?” I questioned,

“Well, it’s not like I’m expecting random people to be nice, it’s just that my friends wouldn’t do something like that, and my parents barely did anything like that, I’ve just been the one to do it most of my life,” He answered,

“Do you want to know why I think no one thinks they need to help you?” I asked, “Yes,” he added,

“I think it’s because they don’t think you need help because you don’t react, people tend to think that they only need to help you if you react to stuff, like pain, they don’t think you need help because you don’t look like you’re in pain,” I stated,

“That’s sort of stupid, like if someone got a tiny graze and started crying, do you think they would react?” He questioned,

“Yeah,” I answered,

“Okay, but then if I cut myself with a knife and didn’t cry, they wouldn’t think I need help?” He asked,

“Yeah, probably,” I answered,

“That’s so weird, so would that explain when you cut me and then I asked for something for compensation you said no,” He added smugly,

“Okay, first you did say that it was one of your men that got hurt, and also, I hated you, I would have said no even if you were in visible pain,” I stated,

“Come on, I didn’t even ask for that much,” He protested,

“And when I said I was glad it was you, you kissed me anyways,” I added,

“Come on, you couldn’t do anything about it, and I think it was a fair trade, blood for a kiss, you drew the long stick.” He stated,

“You know I still don’t forgive you for that,” I pointed out,

“What would I have to do for you to forgive that?” He asked,

“I don’t know,” I answered,

“Come on, I know you can’t forgive me for the other stuff, so what would I have to do for you to forgive that?” He questioned, a smile tugging on the edge of his lips, “Leave me alone for a whole week,” I answered smugly, his smile faded away, “Please, not that,” he muttered,

“You asked me what you would have to do for me to forgive that, that’s what I chose,” I added,

“Fine, but as soon as the week is over I’m not leaving you alone,” he agreed,

“Deal,” I stated, extending my hand to shake his, he sighed,

“Deal,” He added reluctantly, shaking my hand, I picked up my pizza box and started to leave the bed, Dorian grabbed my wrist,

“Where are you going?” He asked,

“You said you would leave me alone for the week,” I answered,

“Not starting tonight,” he whined,

“Yes starting tonight,” I laughed,

“No, starting tomorrow,” he added, pulling me back onto the bed and pulling me into him,

“Let me go,” I mumbled, placing my hands on his chest and trying to push him off, “No, stay here just for tonight, the week starts tomorrow,” He groaned, pushing his head into my neck.

“No, it starts tonight, let me go to my room,” I whispered,

“Please, just for tonight,” he begged,

“No, let me go back to my room,” I laughed, trying to push away from him, he pulled me into him more,

“Please, let me enjoy the last hours if I don’t get to talk to you for a week,” he added, “No, let me go back to my room, when the week is over you have my full attention,” I stated, he sighed,

“Fine, you have exactly one week,” he mumbled, letting me go slowly and checking his watch, I stepped off the bed and walked out the door. I walked slowly around the corner and into my room, Shaka ran in behind me just before I could shut the door.

I jumped onto my bed and opened the pizza box again, Shaka jumped into my lap and tilted his head. I grabbed a piece of sausage from the pizza and placed it in front of him. He gobbled it up quickly, and I took another bite of my pizza. I don’t blame Dorian for going to that restaurant everyday, it’s really good. After a short while I finished my pizza, I checked the clock next to my bed,

“9:46,” I whispered to myself, I lay down in the bed, I should get to sleep now, after all I have school in the morning, but then I remembered, I got suspended, so I got out of bed and crept over to the library. I swung open the door, grabbed the book that I was reading and climbed to the top of the shelf. Dorian walked over to the library and reached to open the door, he looked up, his eyes locked onto mine before he walked back to his room. I opened the book to the page I left on, then someone walked into the library, I looked down at them

“Miss, Mr Thorne is wondering why you are still awake,” He stated, Mr Thorne? I thought to myself, Dorian, why did they call him Mr Thorne?

“Tell Dorian that he knows he has to leave me alone for the next week,” I added, “Okay,” He replied sceptically, I watched him walk back to Dorian’s room.

“Fuck,” Dorian exclaimed, then there was a loud crash, a smirk tugged on the corner of my lips. I kept reading my book late into the night, after a long while I finally finished the book. Throughout the night different people kept walking up to the door of the library then turning away and walking to Dorian’s room. I walked out of the library and back into my room, I picked up the alarm clock on my nightstand and walked back into the library. I grabbed a different book and climbed back to the top of the shelf. I looked at the time on the clock,

“Two forty three,” I muttered, I climbed back down the shelf and back into my room, I scooped up my pillows and blanket and carried them over to the library. Just as I threw them up to the top of the shelf another person walked in,

“May I ask what you’re doing?” He asked,

“Did Dorian ask you to ask that?” I questioned,

“He asked me to check on you, I want to know what you’re doing,” He added,

“I don’t have school for the rest of the week, there’s nothing to do so I’m making myself a cubby to sit in,” I explained,

“Okay,” He stated, clearly amused by my response. I climbed back up the shelf and pulled my blanket and pillows to the corner, I pushed the pillows into the corner and placed the blanket on the floor carefully, I climbed back down the shelf and grabbed three more books from the shelf and climbed back up to the top of the shelf. The same man who asked about what I was doing walked back in,

“At eight am could you please make your way back to your room, there is an issue we have to address,” He stated,

“Okay,” I added, opening a new book and covering myself in the blanket. I read one more of the books before the same man walked into the room,

“If you could please leave we will bring you back when we’re finished with the issue,” He stated, I grabbed my books and pillows and climbed down the shelf again. I grabbed two more books from the shelf before leaving the room and walking back into my room. Dorian walked past me and into the library.

I read another book before another man came in,

“You can make your way back to the library when you are ready,” He stated, shutting the door behind him, I picked up the books and started walking back to the library, Dorian walked past again, a towel resting on his shoulders, he looked slightly out of breath. I glanced back at him before walking into the library again. I threw my books back up to the top of the shelf. I climbed up again and started making my way to the corner. There was a small cube made out of wood in the corner, and a curtain covered the entrance. I pushed the curtain out of the way and stepped inside, there were small fairy lights lining the walls, multiple pillows covered the back wall, three soft blankets sat on the floor, there was a piece of paper taped to the wall, I pulled it off the wall, ‘If I can’t talk to you, at least let me do something nice for you -Dorian’ I reached my hand out the curtain and placed the paper on the top of the box. I lay in the corner of the box and opened another book. After a little while someone climbed to the top of the bookshelf, they slid a plate next to the entrance and jumped down, Dorian that psycho, I reached out and grabbed the plate, there was a small note next to the food, ‘thank me later -Dorian’ there were two pieces of toast with some scrambled eggs on top, a cup of icy water sat next to the plate.

“Thanks,” I called down the shelf. He didn’t respond, I mean that is what I asked for, after I ate my breakfast I picked my book back up. I read halfway through my book my eyes started to close, I probably shouldn’t have stayed up all night. I kept reading my book until I fell asleep. When I woke up Dorian was squatting in front of the entrance, the curtain pulled to the side.

“I have a question,” He stated,

“You have thirty seconds,” I muttered,

“Is there anything I can do so that I don’t have to leave you alone?” He asked,

“I’ll think about it, but now you can leave,” I answered,

“I brought you lunch,” He stated, sliding a bowl over to me,

“Thanks,” I added, he jumped off the edge of the shelf, and walked out the door. I grabbed the bowl, there was some pasta sitting neatly inside, I took a bite, it was a delicious pesto pasta, I ate all of it quickly, and glanced at the clock in the corner, 2:21 pm. That was a good question, peace and quiet, or get Dorian to do anything I want. I mean I probably couldn’t get him to do anything I want, but I can get him to do almost anything. I picked up the book again and read through the rest of it before Dorian came back in,

“I brought you food,” He stated, handing me a plate with some lasagne on it. “Thanks,” I muttered, taking it from his hands,

“I’m going to work, I’ll be back tomorrow,” He added,

“Okay,” I mumbled, taking a bite of the lasagne, Dorian jumped off the shelf again. After a short while someone ran into the library,

“Miss, I think you should come and see this,” they exclaimed,

“Okay, I’m coming,” I called down, climbing down the shelf. The man walked out of the library and led me into a room with a large tv on the wall. He switched the tv on, the news played loudly.

“Texan man arrested this afternoon for aggravated assault,” The news reporter announced, a mugshot of Dorian, bloodied and bruised, showed on the screen. “Dorian that psycho,” I muttered.

“We have a plan to get him out, but we have to wait for this Monday,” He stated, “Okay, that should be easy, do you need my help for the plan?” I asked,

“Yes, for the final two stages we need your help,” He answered,

“Okay, that’s easy enough,” I added, walking back to the library.

My phone started ringing, I picked it up, Juliet’s name flashed across the screen. I picked it up

“You better not try to break him out,” She hissed,

“I’m not going to,” I lied,

“You better not, if you do I’m going to get him back in jail,” she added, hanging up before I could say anything else,

The next four days passed similarly, until I had school on Monday. I woke up at 6:00, I got up and threw on some shorts and a t- shirt. I grabbed my bag and walked out the door, I started walking to my school, after a twenty minute walk I made it to my school. Jerrica stood at the gates, laughing with her friends,

“Did your boyfriend forget about you?” She asked sarcastically,

“Shut up,” I hissed. Ally ran up to me before I could say anything else, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the door of our first class.

“Did you see the guy?” She asked,

“What guy?” I questioned,

“That guy who got arrested for aggravated assault, he’s getting charged with more stuff because he assaulted a police officer,” She explained,

“That fucking psycho,” I whispered,

“What?” She asked,

“I said he must be a psycho,” I added,

“And he said that he doesn’t care if he got arrested, because his girl is coming for him,” She stated,

“Arrogant bitch,” I whispered under my breath,

“Did you say arrogant bitch?” She asked,

“No, you must have misheard me,” I answered,

“Anyways, as soon as I get home I’m turning the news on, I need to know what happens,” She stated happily,

“Yeah, me too,” I added,

“Do you want to come to my house this afternoon?” She asked,

“What day is it?” I questioned,

“Monday, why?” She asked,

“Sorry, but I have something to do,” I answered,

“Something or someone?” She questioned,

“A bit of both,” I added with a slight laugh,

“Oh, what’s his name?” She asked,

“You don’t need to know,” I answered smugly,

“You better send me a photo when you’re with him,” She stated,

“Okay, fine, I will,” I laughed, “Bring, bring, bring,” The bell rang out interrupting our conversation. We walked into the classroom and took a seat in the back. Ten minutes into first period the principals voice rang out over the intercom,

“Astrielle Barnes, please grab your things and make your way to the front desk, Astrielle Barnes make your way to the front desk thank you,” I started packing up my stuff,

“Right now, why did they even let me go to school,” I whispered, walking out of the room. At the front desk were three of Dorian’s men,

“Right now?” I asked them,

“They’re all working on a crime scene, now is the best time,” One of them stated, I walked over to the car and sat in the back seat,

“Did you guys set up the crime scene?” I asked,

“Yeah, it’s fake though, but it’ll take them a while to figure that out,” another answered, starting up the car and starting to drive to the police station.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked,

“Two of us are going to distract the police, you have to say that you want to go and visit him, and then we’ll break him out when the cops leave,” He replied, “Okay,” I added.

They pulled into the parking lot of the prison, I stepped out of the car and started walking towards the entrance,

“Are you ready?” One of them asked,

“Yeah, my job seems easy enough,” I added, walking into the prison, I walked up to the front desk,

“Hello, how can I help you?” An officer asked,

“Is it possible for me to visit Dorian Thorne?” I questioned,

“Yeah, that’s doable, one question, what’s your relationship with Mr Thorne?” She asked,

“A friend,” I lied,

“Okay, follow this way,” She added, walking out from behind the desk and down a small hallway. I followed close behind her, until we made it to a small cell, Dorian was sitting in a ball in the corner, his hand cuffed behind his back.

“Okay, I’ll let you have your space, you have one hour,” She stated, walking away. Dorian raised his head slightly, a mix of sadness and boredom was plastered to his face,

“Astrielle?” He added, a small smile appearing on his face, he stood up and ran to the bars,

“You came,” He exclaimed happily, leaning against the bars,

“You’re lucky,” I muttered,

“Why did you come?” He asked,

“I don’t know, but how did you end up here?” I asked,

“This guy started fighting me and then someone called the cops and then somehow I got arrested and not him,” He explained,

“Anyways lets get to the point, I’m here to get you out,” I whispered,

“How are you going to do that?” He asked,

“It doesn’t matter, why haven’t you broken yourself out?” I questioned,

“Well if they hadn’t cuffed me I would have been out by now,” He added, I walked over to the lock and started freezing it, then I stopped,

“You know you deserve to be locked up,” I stated,

“I know, but you’re not going to let me stay locked up,” He whispered smugly,

“Fine, but I’m not letting you out like this, get into the corner,” I added,

“Okay,” He muttered sceptically, moving to the corner of the cell. I shot an icicle at the window, it turned to ice quickly,

“What do I do now?” He asked,

“Shoulder it you idiot,” I hissed.

“Jeez,” he muttered, slamming into the bars with his shoulder. He jumped on a bench sitting under the window, and pushed himself out of the window. I ran down the hall and out the door.

“Thanks!” I called behind me. Dorian was slumped against the wall, I ran over and grabbed his arm,

“Hurry up,” I hissed, pulling him to the car. I opened the door and forced him into the car, I jumped in behind him and shut the door,

“Get down,” I whispered, pushing his head down, one of his men jumped into the front and pulled out of the car spot quickly. Dorian was being quiet, too quiet,

“What’s wrong?” I asked,

“Nothing,” He replied, glancing out the window,

“Something’s wrong,” I added,

“There’s nothing wrong,” He whispered, leaning his head on my shoulder,

“I’m just tired,” He muttered,

“How much have you slept?” I asked,

“Like four hours the whole time I’ve been there,” he stated,

“Well no wonder you’re tired, why haven’t you been sleeping?” I questioned,

“I’ve been thinking about stuff,” He replied,

“Oh, what stuff?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair,

“Just stuff, mostly how you were doing,” He answered,

“How did you think I was doing?” I questioned,

“I don’t know, maybe you were disappointed, I’m not sure, I was just stressed about you,” He answered,

“I’m fine, you know I’ve been home the whole time,” I added,

“Yeah, I was just worried, I mean I barely even got to say goodbye to you,” He muttered, the person driving pulled up to the house, I stepped out of the door and walked over to open Dorians.

I opened the door to the house,

“You need to go and get some sleep,” I stated, walking him up to his room,

“I know, can you help me get the cuffs off?” He asked,

“Yeah, give me a second I’ll go get something to pick the locks,” I added, walking out of the room. I walked into my room and found a bobby pin. I creeped back into Dorian’s room, he was lying on the bed, already asleep. I walked up to him and unlocked the cuffs on his hand, I placed the handcuffs on his bedside table. “Astrielle,” he murmured, grabbing my arm.

“You need to go to sleep,” I stated,

“Stay,” He muttered, pulling me closer.

“I have to go and do something,” I laughed,

“Just for a few minutes,” He added,

“Okay,” I muttered, sitting on the bed next to him. He turned to face me and pulled me into him,

“Dorian you need to sleep,” I whispered,

“But I need you more,” He groaned,

“Sleep, or I’m going to leave” I added,

“No, don’t leave, I’ll sleep,” He muttered, pulling me closer.

“You have five minutes, then I’m leaving you need to sleep,” I muttered,

“Fine, five minutes,” He added, when five minutes had passed Dorian was asleep, I carefully moved his arm and slipped out the door, I pulled out my phone and texted Ally, ‘Hey, we’re not going to actually meet, I can come to your house this afternoon’ she replied quickly, ‘Yes, come now if you want, my mum picked me up early,’ a smile lit up my face, ‘I’m coming now,’ I texted, I wrote a note on a piece of paper, ‘I’m going to my friends house, I’ll text you when I know when I’ll be back,’ I placed it on his nightstand and walked out of his room again. I walked out the door and started walking to Ally’s house, after a short walk I made it to her house, I knocked on the door and she answered almost instantly.

“Hey, come in,” She exclaimed, running up the stairs, I followed her quickly,

“Do you want to check on what’s happening with that guy?” She asked, grabbing the tv remote,

“Sure,” I added,

“Breaking news, Texan man escaped prison, if you see this man please report it to 911,” The news reporter announced,

“Oh my god, that’s so cool,” Ally exclaimed,

“What do you mean cool, isn’t it a bad thing that a prisoner escaped?” I asked,

“I mean, if he came knocking on my door I wouldn’t tell the police,” She added, “That’s not good, you shouldn’t do that,” I stated,

“I don’t care, I would let him in, he’s cute,” She said,

“You know he’s definitely a psycho or something, you shouldn’t let him in,” I added. My phone started ringing in my pocket,

“One second,” I whispered, picking up my phone, it was Dorian,

“Where are you?” He asked,

“At my friend’s house,” I answered,

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He questioned,

“I left a note on your nightstand,” I replied,

“You did?” He asked, he picked up a piece of paper,

“Oh, you did, my bad,” He added,

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” He questioned,

“Because you need to sleep,” I answered,

“Okay, text me when you’re coming back and I can pick you up,” He stated,

“Yeah, okay I will, go back to sleep,” I added,

“Fine, bye,” He muttered,

“Bye,” I said, hanging up the phone,

“Who was that?” Ally asked

“My friend,” I lied,

“Oh yeah, does this friend have a name?” She asked, I thought for a moment, should I tell her or not,

“Um Dorian,” I answered,

“The Dorian that showed up at our school?” She questioned,

“Maybe,” I replied,

“Anyway, do you want to watch a movie?” She asked,

“Sure, what movie do you want to watch?” I questioned,

“Maybe Rapunzel,” she answered,

“Sounds good,” I added, she switched on the movie.

Twenty minutes in there was a knock on the door,

“I’ll go get it,” Ally exclaimed, running out the door and down the stairs, a minute later Ally ran back in the door,

“You’re never going to believe it,” She stated she stepped out and pulled someone into the room, Dorian stepped in behind her. He walked over and sat on the bed next to me,

“What are you doing here?” I asked,

“What do you mean, do you know him?” She asked,

“Yes,”

“No,” We said at the same time,

“Come on she’s not going to tell anyone,” he added,

“Tell anyone what?” She asked,

“That we are-” he started,

“Enemies,” I butted in, Dorian looked at me,

“With the guy that got imprisoned because of aggravated assault?” She asked,

“Yeah, he beat up my,” I paused, “Boyfriend,” I added slowly,

“I thought I was-” he started,

“Shut up,” I hissed,

“Stop interrupting each other, okay, you, what’s your name?” She asked, pointing to Dorian,

“Dorian,” he answered,

“Isn’t he the guy you like?” She asked,

“No, it’s a different Dorian,” I answered slowly,

“Are you being serious?” Dorian asked,

“Yes,” I added, shaking my head, Dorian tilted his head.

“Okay, we’re going to sort this out, you, what am I not going to tell anyone?” She asked Dorian,

“That we are dating,” He answered, I let my head fall into my hands.

“You’re dating him?” She asked,

“Yes,” I replied,

“Now I have a question for you, you said I beat up your boyfriend, what the fuck was that about?” He asked,

“I was trying to pretend that I hated you, you’re so clueless.” I answered,

“I sure hope you were acting, you scared me,” he hissed, grabbing me and pulling me into him,

“You guys are so cute,” she whispered,

“Shut up,” I added, placing my hands on his chest and trying to push myself away from him.

“I agreed to one week, you’re not leaving,” he muttered, pulling me closer,

“It’s Monday, the week hasn’t ended yet,” I groaned, pushing him off again, he let go of me and I crawled to the other side of the bed,

“Why won’t you let him near you?” She asked,

“Because she’s mean,” He groaned, crossing his arms,

“Because he agreed to one week where he left me alone, and the week ends tomorrow.” I added, someone called my phone, I pulled it out of my pocket, Juliet’s name flashed across the screen, my heart skipped a beat, I answered it slowly,

”You’re a psycho, you actually did it!” She screamed,

“I didn’t he… just showed up,” I added, trying to seem normal,

“I’ve got your location, I’m coming right now, I’m going to kill that bitch!” She screamed, before I could say anything else she hung up.

“Shit,” I muttered,

“What happened?” Dorian asked,

“It’s Juliet, you better hide, hide, hide somewhere, she’s going to kill you,” I hissed, ushering him off the bed.

“Where do I hide, where can I go?” He asked, standing up from the bed,

“Home, home, go back home now,” I added, he grabbed his keys out of his pocket and ran out the door,

“Where’s he going?” Ally asked,

“Back to his house,” I answered,

“Why?” She questioned,

“Because my sisters going to kill him when she finds him,” I replied,

“You have a sister?” She asked, visibly shocked,

“I didn’t tell you?” I questioned,

“No, why does she care if he’s out of prison?” she asked,

“Because she hates him,” I answered,

“Is he going to be okay?” She questioned,

“Oh yeah, he’s going to be fine, he just doesn’t want to fight her, he could win almost every fight, he just doesn’t want to be held responsible if she gets hurt,” I explained. A few minutes went by and myy phone started ringing,

“It’s Dorian,” I whispered,

“Answer it.” She urged, I picked up the phone,

“She’s outside the house,” He stated,

“She’s what?” I asked,

“She’s outside, what do I do?” He questioned,

“I don’t know hide, your house is huge, find a random room and hide somewhere,” I added,

“Okay, I’ll go to the attic, please try and talk her out of it,” he pleaded,

“I’ll try, now hide and be quiet,” I whispered, he hung up quickly, I called Juliet,

“What?” She asked angrily,

“Where are you?” I questioned,

“At your house, I’m going to kill that man,” she hissed,

“But he’s not there, he’s here with me,” I improvised,

“No he’s not,” She whispered,

“Yes he is, he’s hiding from you here, I’m ratting him out for you, come here, this is your only chance,” I added,

“Astrielle I swear to god if you’re lying to me I’m going to kill you,” She hissed,

“I’m telling the truth,” I added,

“I’m coming right now, if you’re lying to me both of you are dead,” She threatened,

“I’m not lying, come here,” I muttered, she hung up quickly,

”What was that about?” Ally asked,

“She’s coming here, I need to hide somewhere,” I answered,

“Leave your phone under my bed, there’s a forest near my house, I’ll take you there and you can hide,” she added, grabbing my hand, I slipped my phone under my bed and ran out the door.

After a short drive we made it to a forest, she showed me a small bush,

“Hide here, I’ll cover for you,” She whispered, backing away,

“Thank you,” I added, she ran off, I crouched in the bush and tried to cover myself. After ten minutes I thought that Juliet would have done something, either found Dorian or given up, so I stood up and walked slowly towards the exit of the forest. Suddenly Juliet came running around the corner, holding a gun pointed at me,

“You lied to me,” She hissed,

“I didn’t,” I muttered,

“I’m going to kill you,” She added, raising the gun to my head,

“Juliet, you-you can’t do that I didn’t lie to you,” I stuttered.

“Where is he?” She asked,

“I don’t know,” I answered,

“Don’t fucking lie to me,” She muttered,

“I don’t know he was here and then he ran out the door I don’t know where he went,” I added, backing away she walked closer to me,

“Where did he go?” She asked,

“I don’t know,” I lied, she walked up to me and pushed me against the tree, she pressed the gun to my temple.

“Tell me where he is before I blow your head off,” She hissed,

“He went to my apartment,” I added,

“So you fucking lied to me,” She whispered, cocking the gun,

“Please, I promise that he was here, he told me where he was going and ran, I think he’s at my apartment,” I stammered, she walked off and started leaving, then turned around,

“You’re coming with me,” she hissed, grabbing my arm and pulling me to her car. She threw me into the backseat,

“Wheres your apartment?” She asked,

“175 junior road,” I answered. She sped up and drove to my apartment, she threw open the door and pulled me out of the car and walked up to the building, pulling me behind her. We made it to my apartment, the door was still broken down,

“Where is he?” She asked,

“I don’t know,” I answered,

“Find him,” She hissed, pushing me into the room.

“He’s not here,” I admitted,

“What?” She questioned,

“He’s not here,” I repeated, she walked up to me,

“Why not?” She whispered,

“I don’t know where he is, I lied okay,” I added, she hit me in the head with the back of her gun, I blacked out before anything else happened.

When I woke up I was tied to a chair in a room, a piece of duct tape over my mouth, there were small circle patterns on the floor, I wriggled my hands and tried to escape. Juliet walked into the room, holding my phone, she used my face to open it and pulled up Dorian’s contact, she started recording a video,

“Hi Dorian, look who I have here,” She stated, turning the camera to face me,

“If you want her back you better come here, say hello Astrielle,” She added, I shook my head, and tried to say that he shouldn’t come, Juliet turned to me and landed one punch to my nose,

“Come before it’s too late,” she whispered, ending the video and sending it to him. A few seconds later he called my phone,

“Look who’s calling, let’s talk to him,” she muttered, answering the phone, she had the phone faced towards her,

“Where is she?” He asked,

“Aw, you really care about her,” she whispered,

“Where is she?” He hissed, she turned the phone to face me,

“I’m coming, stay still, I’ll be there in two minutes,” He added, I shook my head and tried to gesture for him not to come, Juliet hung up quickly.

“I guess we should wait,” She whispered, pulling a gun out of her pocket. A few minutes later Dorian came bursting through the door, he raised a gun at her head, Juliet walked behind me and aimed the gun at my head,

“Back off,” She stated, Dorian readjusted the grip on his gun.

“So, how are you going?” She asked, tracing her finger around my neck, Dorian didn’t answer, Juliet cocked the gun,

“I asked how you were doing,” she added,

“I-I’m alright,” He replied,

“That’s good, now, I see you escaped, how did you do that?” She questioned,

“Someone bailed me out,” he lied, I kept wriggling my hands trying to undo the ropes, slowly they were becoming looser.

“Don’t lie to me,” She muttered,

“My men broke me out,” He stated,

“You have one more chance, how did you get out?” She asked, pressing the gun into my head, the ropes slipped off my wrists, I didn’t let them fall to the floor

“She got me out,” He muttered,

“So you did do it, I thought I told you what would happen if you did that,” she stated

“Don’t hurt her,” he whispered,

“Okay that’s easy, but one of us is going to prison for a long time, now will it be you, and you can go back to jail and we won’t have an issue, or, will you walk free and I go to prison for murder, either way, this relationship will be broken up, now, what do you care about more, her life, or your freedom?” She asked, Dorian looked at me and lowered his gun, I shook my head,

“Drop the gun,” she whispered, and he let it fall to the floor.

“Now grab the cuffs from the corner,” she stated, gesturing to a table in the corner. He walked to the corner and picked them up,

“Come here,” She demanded, he walked over to her, she grabbed the cuffs from his hands,

“You know what I’m going to do,” She muttered,

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, turning around and placing his hands behind his back, she cuffed them quickly,

“Go sit in the chair,” She commanded, pointing to a chair in the corner of the room.

“Move the gun,” he said firmly,

“Why should I?” She asked,

“That was the deal, my freedom for her life, you can’t have both,” he replied, sitting in the chair.

“Why did you leave the prison?” She questioned,

“I don’t know,” He replied,

“I need to get something, if you try anything her head gets blown off,” She stated, starting to leave the room. As soon as she walked out I moved my hands and untied the ropes on my feet,

“You can leave?” He asked, I ripped the tape off my mouth,

“Yeah,” I replied, standing up and running over to grab the gun that Dorian dropped. I walked back to the chair, slipped the gun into my pocket, I was sitting in and pretended nothing happened,

“If she asks nothing happened,” I whispered, putting the duct tape back over my mouth. Juliet walked back into the room,

“Did you move?” She asked Dorian,

“No,” he answered,

“Did he move?” She asked me, I shook my head,

“God dammit I can’t trust either of you,” she whispered,

“What did you need to get?” Dorian asked,

“The thing I’m holding,” she stated looking down at her hands,

”I didn’t get it, I’m tying both of you down,” She added, grabbing a rope from the corner of the room,

“Get off the chair,” she demanded, Dorian stood up from the chair, Juliet pulled his chair behind mine,

“Sit,” she added, Dorian sat on the chair,

“With your hands behind the chair,” she stated, Dorian stood up and put his arms over the back of the chair and sat back down, Juliet tied his legs to the chair. She walked around to me, with the same rope and tied my legs in,

“Did you take them off?” She asked,

“They fell off,” Dorian answered, she tied my arms around the back of the chair, and left the room again. I grabbed Dorian’s hand and guided it into my pocket,

“What?” He asked, I pushed the gun into his hand,

“Oh,” he added, taking the gun and slipping it into his pocket, he grabbed my hand softly.

Juliet walked back into the room, holding a knife, we both turned our heads to look at her,

“Aw, perfectly in sync, you two are soulmates,” she whispered,

“Yeah, more the reason you should let us go,” he added,

“Not going to happen,” she muttered, walking over to me, she ripped the tape off my mouth,

“Give me the gun,” she stated,

“I don’t have it,” I added,

“So does he have the gun?” She asked,

“I don’t know,” I replied, she walked over to Dorian, and held out the knife,

“Do you know how to use it?” She questioned,

“Yeah,” He answered,

“Okay, I’m untying you,” she added, squatting down and untying the ropes around his legs, and undoing the cuffs on his wrists, he slipped his hand away from mine,

“Stand up,” she demanded, he stood slowly, she held the knife out to him,

“Take it,” she whispered, he grabbed it softly, she moved him behind me, grabbed his hand and pushed the knife to my neck.

“I need a video of this, smile,” she laughed, pulling out her phone and pressing record,

“Please, let her go,” Juliet fake sobbed, she pulled a gun out of her waistband and pointed it at my head, ‘play along’ she mouthed,

“Shut up or she dies,” Dorian hissed, pushing the knife deeper into my neck, I leaned my head back slightly, he grabbed my hand carefully.

“Spare her please, take me instead,” she begged,

“If you say another word I’ll kill both of you,” he hissed, ‘do it’ Juliet hissed, the knife shook against my neck, Juliet cocked the gun, he squeezed my hand once,

“I’m sorry,” Dorian whispered, he sliced me below my neck, I screamed as the knife pierced my skin, Dorian pressed his hand to the cut, Juliet stopped recording. Dorian ran in front of me,

“No, why did I do that, I’m so sorry,” he apologised, Juliet handed him a roll of bandages, he wrapped them over the cut quickly.

“Can you guess who this video is going to?” She asked,

“The police,” Dorian answered,

“How did you guess, now can you guess who’s going back to jail for a long time?” She questioned, Dorian didn’t answer,

“Here I’ll tell you, it’s you,” she added,

“I know, I’ve already accepted that,” he whispered,

“Why don’t we see what the news has to say about that,” she muttered, switching on the tv in the corner,

“Breaking news, Astrielle Barnes is being held hostage at this adress, we are sending police right now,” she announced,

“Perfect, let’s just wait, you’re going to stay right behind her and wait for the police.” She stated, walking to the corner and sitting herself in the chair.

A few minutes later three police officers burst through the door,

“Put your hands up!” One of the officers screamed, Dorian raised his hands and let the knife clatter to the floor, he turned around and placed his hands behind his back, the police looked utterly shocked, one of them walked over and cuffed him.

“It wasn’t him,” I added,

“No, don’t do it,” Dorian whispered,

“Why are you defending him, he tried to kill you,” Juliet stated, gesturing for me to shut up,

“Show me the video,” I commanded, an officer walked over and untied me, he handed me his phone, I opened the video and turned the volume up,

“Can you hear the gun cock?” I asked, the officer held the phone up to his ear,

“Yes,” he replied,

“And can you see the knife shaking?” I questioned,

“Yes,” he nodded,

“And can you hear him whispering ‘I’m sorry’?” I asked, Dorian looked back at me, he shook his head,

“He does,” the officer answered, the realisation dawning on his face,

“And right before the video ends he presses his hand to the cut, if he didn’t care about me he wouldn’t have done that,” I added, the officer walked over to Dorian and took off the handcuffs. Dorian walked over to me and undid the ropes on my legs.

“Thank you,” he whispered, pulling me into him and burrying his head into my neck,

“So who did it?” Another officer asked,

“Her,” I answered, pointing to Juliet, an officer walked over and cuffed her,

“Aren’t you the guy who escaped from prison?” An officer asked,

“Yeah,” he answered, not raising his head,

“We’ve been looking for you,” another one stated,

“I know,” he added,

“You know you have to go back to jail right?” The first one asked,

“Yes,” he replied, an officer walked up behind him and cuffed him, Dorian stood up and smiled softly,

“Are you okay?” One of the officers asked,

“Yeah,” I answered,

“Thank god,” Dorian sighed, an officer led him out of the room slowly, another officer walked in holding a first aid box,

“Can I see the cut?” One of the officers asked, walking towards me, I pulled the bandage away from the cut, he observed it.

“That’s not as deep as the cuts from hostage situations usually are,” he stated,taking the first aid kit from the other officer,

“Yeah, that’s because he doesn’t want to hurt me,” I added,

“Oh, why’s that?” He asked, opening the first aid box and pulling out a cotton ball,

“Because he loves me,” I answered, he wiped the blood from the cut,

“Then why did he do it?” He questioned,

“She was pointing a gun at both of us, we both would have died, he had to,” I replied.

“You know he’s going to be locked up for about a year,” he stated,

“Yeah, I know, he knows it too, what do you think the bail for that would be?” I asked,

“About twenty thousand dollars, I would just wait for him to get out if I was you,” he answered, he finished cleaning the cut and stood up,

“Can you get home from here or do you need a ride?” He asked,

“No, I can walk from here I think,” I replied, standing up from the chair and walking out of the room.

I walked out the front door and started walking back to the house, after a ten minute walk I made it, I knocked on the door and someone answered it quickly,

“Hi,” I muttered, pushing my way into the house, he grabbed my arm,

“Where is Mr Thorne?” He asked,

“Being booked,” I answered,

“What?” He questioned,

“He’s in prison, again, he’s got the money to bail himself out, if we take twenty thousand out of his account we can bail him out,” I explained, pushing my way past him and walking upstairs, I made it to my room and my phone started ringing. It was Ally,

“Are you okay?” She asked,

“Yeah, the cut wasn’t that bad,” I replied,

“I thought he loved you, why did he cut you?” He questioned,

“Juliet was holding a gun to my head, he had to or she probably would have killed both of us,” I answered,

“Can I come over?” She asked,

“Yeah, let me just ask,” I added,

“Ask who?” She questioned,

“His staff, I want to know if they’re okay with it,” I replied, walking out of the room and finding someone,

“Would it be okay if my friend came over?” I asked him,

“Yes of course you don’t have to ask,” he answered,

“Thanks,” I added walking back into my room,

“You can come over, just be warned they might point guns to your he’s when you come in,” I stated,

“Okay, that’s kind of weird, but I’ll be there in five minutes,” she added, hanging up. After a few minutes there was a knock on the door, I started making my way down the stairs, Ally was standing there, two men were pointing guns at her,

“She’s with me,” I called down the stairs, they moved to the side and Ally walked up the stairs,

“Why do they listen to you?” She asked,

“Because they’re scared of Dorian,” I stated,

“So why do they listen to you?” She questioned,

“Because Dorian would kill them if they didn’t,” I explained,

“Anyways you have to tell me what happened, because clearly the news didn’t explain it very well,” she urged, I led her into my room, I sat down on the bed next to her,

“So what happened was Juliet came after me and I told her that Dorian was hiding in my apartment and when he wasn’t she knocked me out or something and when I woke up I was sitting in a room tied to a chair. Juliet walked in and recorded a video saying that he had to come, basically Dorian came and she said either he was going back to jail or I was going to die. I don’t really remember exactly what happened, but she made him act like he was holding me hostage, and he did it because she was pointing a gun at us, anyways the police came and arrested both of them but we’re going to bail him out soon,” I explained,

“Wow, and you’re just living in his house?” She asked,

“He kind of destroyed my apartment so yeah, I’m living in his house now,” I answered.

“Is he forcing you to stay here?” She questioned,

“No, I’m sure if I asked he would fix my apartment and I could live there, but he gets me whatever food I want and he drives me to school so it’s easier to do this,” I replied,

“You’re living the good life, and he does that for free?” She asked,

“The only thing that he wants is just, my attention,” I answered,

“Is he really clingy?” She questioned,

“Clingy and sort of possessive,” I added,

“What do you mean possessive?” She asked,

“He’s just slightly insane, so he’s kind of scared that I’m going to get hurt, I think, ask him, he’ll tell you,” I replied,

“How clingy is he?” She questioned,

“Very clingy, couldn’t you tell, when we were at your house he was being so clingy,” I laughed,

“Can you show me around?” She asked,

“Sure,” I answered, standing up and starting to walk out the door, I walked down the hall to the library,

“This is the library,” I stated, opening the door to the library, she looked around the and walked back out, I walked down the hall and showed her Dorian’s room,

“This is his room,” I added, opening the door,

“What do you want to see next?” I asked,

“Maybe down stairs,” she answered,

“Um, brace yourself,” I added, walking down the stairs,

“Brave myself for what?” She questioned,

“There is some weird things on the walls,” I replied, turning around the corner, Ally paused at the guns and knives on the wall,

“That’s weird,” She stated,

“I told you to brace yourself,” I added,

“Does he collect that stuff for fun?” She asked,

“If I tell you the answer will you promise not to tell anyone?” I questioned,

“Yeah, I won’t tell anyone,” she replied,

“He does some dangerous stuff for work and those are just some things that he uses,” I explained vaguely,

“Don’t tell me he’s a part of the,” she paused, “Mafia,” she whispered,

“I don’t know man, probably, also you don’t need to whisper those things here, they’re not going to do anything, they’re not allowed to,” I added,

“Okay, how are you so comfortable with them?” She asked,

“Oh, I’m not, I’m just not scared of them, if they do anything to me they will die, so there’s really nothing to be scared of,” I replied,

“Yeah but they all like know how to use weapons and are bigger than you so I think they could hurt you pretty easily, and what’s his name isn’t here right now so the chances of them hurting you are pretty high,” she stated,

“Okay but when he gets back he would kill them if they tried anything, see, possessive,” I explained,

“Yeah, I’m starting to see the possessive side,” she muttered,

“Do you want to go back to my room?” I questioned,

“Yes, downstairs is kind of intimidating,” she laughed,

“I know,” I added, turning to walk back up the stairs,

“How are you not scared of this stuff?” She asked,

“Because Dorian’s worst nightmare is me getting hurt, I nearly killed him like three times and he hasn’t laid a finger on me,” I answered,

“Damn girl, where did you find this man?” She questioned, walking to my room,

“Well I didn’t really find him, he sort of found me,” I replied,

“Okay, I don’t know what that means, but I’m not going to ask,” she stated,

“Good, because I really don’t want to tell you,” I laughed, opening the door to my room and walking in.

“When did you get here?” I questioned, checking the time on my phone,

“Like four thirty,” she answered,

“Okay, do you want to stay the night?” I asked,

“Yes, is that okay with everyone else?” She questioned,

“Yeah, they said I didn’t need to ask, but why do you want for dinner?” I asked,

“What do you have?” She questioned,

“I’m pretty sure that it’s everything,” I answered,

“What do you mean, everything?” She asked,

“I mean that Marco can make you anything you want,” I replied,

“Oh, okay, can I have a pizza?” She questioned,

“Yeah,” I stated, before either of us could say anything else one of Dorians men walked into the room,

“Miss Astrielle, is your friend staying for dinner?” he asked,

“Yes, if that’s okay,” I added,

“That’s perfectly fine, but what would you two like for dinner?” He questioned,

“A pizza each please,” I replied,

“Certainly,” he stated, backing out of the room,

“Why does he listen to you?” She asked,

“I already told you it’s because Dorians in prison and they’re scared of him, Dorian usually listens to me, but since he’s not here so they have to do that,” I explained,

“Wow, you really are living the best life,” she added,

“I know, it’s only because Dorian is addicted to me,” I laughed,

“I wish I had a man that was addicted to me,” she stated, lying down on my bed,

“I mean who doesn’t want a man like that?” I asked,

“Fair point,” she laughed,

“Do you want to watch something?” I asked, grabbing my laptop from my nightstand,

“Sure, do you not have a tv?” She asked,

“No we have like seven, but I’m not bothered to leave my room,” I answered,

“Oh, what do you want to watch?” She asked,

“Maybe sleeping beauty,” I suggested,

“Yeah, sure,” she agreed, a few minutes into the movie the same man walked in holding two plates,

“Thank you,” I added, taking the plates from his hands, I handed one to Ally, the man walked out of the room and shut the door softly,

“How are you not scared of him?” She asked,

“What do you mean, he’s not scary,” I answered,

“Yes he definitely is, he’s like six feet tall, tattooed, and he’s just overall just terrifying,” she explained,

“Yeah well Dorian’s six four, tattooed and overall more terrifying, but I’m still not scared of him, I’ve said this like seven times they aren’t going to hurt either of us,” I added.

We finished eating our pizzas and someone called me down the stairs,

“One second, I’m going to go and see what they’re talking about,” I added, pausing the movie and walking out the door,

“Ms Astrielle, tomorrow afternoon we’re bailing Mr Thorne out, we would like you to come, if you don’t have anything on,” one of them stated,

“Okay, I can come, what time?” I asked,

“Probably right after you finish school,” He answered,

“Alright, sounds easy enough,” I added, turning around and walking back up the stairs. I walked back into my room and sat down on the bed,

“What was that about?” She asked,

“We’re bailing him out tomorrow,” I answered, unpausing the movie.

“Oh okay,” she added, after we finished the movie it was about ten o’clock,

“We should probably go to bed now,” I stated, shutting my laptop and placing it down on my nightstand,

“Yeah, where can I sleep?” She asked,

“You can sleep in here, or one of the other rooms, there’s like ten of them,” I answered,

“Okay, are there any rooms I can’t go into?” She asked,

“You know what I’ll just show you a room,” I added, standing up and walking out of the room, Ally followed close behind me, I showed her to a room across from mine,

“You can sleep here,” I stated, opening the door to the room,

“Thanks, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” she added, jumping onto the bed, I walked out of the room and back into mine. I threw the blanket over myself and after a little while I fell asleep.

I woke up and checked the time on my nightstand, seven o’clock, I jumped off my bed and ran into the room that Ally was sleeping in,

“Ally, Ally, we’re going to be late,” I stated, shaking her awake,

“What time is it?” She asked,

“Seven o’clock,” I answered,

“That’s fine we still have like thirty minutes until school starts,” she groaned, rolling over,

“It takes like thirty minutes to walk to school from here, get up,” I added, pulling her off the bed. I ran into my room and threw on some shorts and a t-shirt, I ran into Ally’s room.

“What am I going to wear?” She asked, I ran into my room and grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I threw them at her face,

“Thanks,” she added, throwing them on quickly, I ran down the stairs and slipped on some shoes. Ally ran down after me and threw on her shoes,

“We’re going to be late,” I hissed, running out the door. After a long sprint to school we made you with five minutes to spare,

“See, we needed to leave then,” I gasped,

“I see it now,” She panted,

“Do you do this every day?” She asked,

“No, he usually drives me, I didn’t want to bother his staff,” I answered.

It was halfway through the day and I was in P.E., we were doing a unit that we never usually do, archery, I walked to the field , before my smith could tell us what to do , “Could Astrielle Barnes please pack up and make your way to the front desk, Astrielled Barnes please make your way to the front desk, thank you,” the principal announced over the intercom, I grabbed my bag from my classroom and started walking towards the front desk, one of Dorian’s men was standing there waiting for me.

“We’re doing it now?” I asked,

“Yeah, they said that this was the best time for us to do it,” He answered, I walked over to his car and sat in the back seat. He grabbed something from the front seat and handed it to me, it was a metal briefcase,

“What’s this?” I asked, flipping open the briefcase,

“The money for his bail,” He answered,

“Oh, okay,” I added, shutting the briefcase. After a short drive we made it to the prison, I stepped out of the car and started walking to the entrance, the man followed behind me, holding the briefcase. We walked up to the front desk, surprisingly there was no one else in the waiting room,

“Hi, is it possible to bail out Dorian Thorne?” He asked,

“Of course, the bail for him is $15,000,” she stated, as he slid the briefcase over the counter.

“Okay I can go and get him now,” she added, stepping out from behind the counter. After a few minutes Dorian walked into the waiting room,

“You bailed me out?” He asked,

“No,” I replied, starting to walk out the door,

“What does that mean?” He questioned, following close behind me,

“You paid your own bail, it was your money,” I explained,

“I knew it was too good to be true,” he laughed,

“You should be thanking me, this is the second time that I’ve been called out of school for this,” I stated, opening the door to the car and stepping in,

“You didn’t have to come, you know that right?” He asked, jumping in behind me,

“I know that, but you would be really upset if I didn’t come,” I answered,

“You know what, sometimes I wish that wasn’t true,” he stated, pulling me closer to him,

“Unfortunately for you, you are strangely addicted to me,” I whispered,

“You’re so annoying,” he scoffed, after a few minutes we pulled up outside the house.

I jumped out of the car and walked to the door, I swung it open and walked up to my room, I lay down on my bed, a few seconds later Dorian kicked open the door and sat down next to me,

“The week is over,” he whispered, pulling me closer to him,

“You know I can still say that I don’t want you to do that,” I stated, pushing myself away slightly,

“You can try to say that, it’s not going to stop me though,” he added, pulling me into him again,

“What if I get up and just walk away?” I asked,

“What do you mean, like hide somewhere?” He questioned,

“No, maybe just run away from you, just around the house,” I answered,

“I’ll just catch you,” he whispered,

“I don’t think you would catch me, if I kept running, I don’t think you would be able to get me back to you,” I stated,

“You wanna bet?” He asked,

“Maybe I do,” I added,

“What’s my prize when I win?” He asked,

“My full attention, and that’s if you win,” I replied,

“What do you want for your prize?” He questioned,

“Money,” I stated,

“Mhmm, how much,” he asked,

“One thousand dollars, when you don’t catch me, you have to give me one thousand dollars,” I stated,

“Okay, you have thirty seconds, then I’m chasing after you,” he added, letting go of me, I jumped off the bed and ran out the door, I sprinted down the hall and ran down the stairs. Then I heard footsteps behind me, fast heavy, I sped up and kept running around the house, I sprinted behind the couch and slumped to the floor, his footsteps slowed then stopped, I stood up, Dorian was leaning over the couch, his hands resting on the arm of the couch.

“I’m going to catch you, you should give up,” he stated, a smug smile appearing on his face.

“I’m not giving up, you have to catch me, I’m not letting you have a free victory,” I panted,

“Clearly you’re already exhausted, I could keep doing this for hours,” he muttered,

“Yeah well, I want that one thousand dollars, I’m going to keep running until you catch me,” I stated,

“Fine, because I love you, you have ten seconds to run, thank me later,” he muttered, I started running up the stairs and hid behind one of the flower attachments, trying to catch my breath. Dorian ran past me and into the library, I slipped out from behind the flower arrangement and sprinted back down the stairs, I ran to a couch in the corner and slid under it. Dorian ran by,

“Where did you go?” He asked, I held my breath, he sprinted down the hall and shut the door behind him, I jumped out from under the couch. Someone wrapped their arms around my waist,

“Let go of me,” I yelled, trying to pry their arms away from me,

“I told you I was going to catch you,” Dorian whispered, lifting me off the ground,

“Put me down,” I screamed, trying to hit him, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“Answer me,” I exclaimed,

“Your promise was your full attention,” He stated,

“How did you catch me?” I asked, kicking him,

“Stop doing that,” He hissed, walking up the stairs,

“Put me down,” I muttered,

“You’re going to run, so no,” he added,

“I thought you could catch me,” I whispered,

“I can,” He stated, walking into my room and laying down on the bed,

“So why are you not letting me run?” I asked,

“Because you are exhausted, I can tell by the way your breathing,” he added, I started breathing slower, and shallower,

“You’re not breathing right, stop doing that,” He whispered, pulling me into him.

“I’m not breathing weird,” I whispered,

“Yes you are, stop it, it’s not good to do that,” he stated, I swallowed hard and my breathing sped up,

“Are you scared?” He asked,

“Of what?” I questioned,

“The way that I’m making you lie, do I scare you?” He laughed,

“Well you scare most people,” I added,

“Yeah, I know that, but I really don’t want you to be one of them,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my head,

“I never said I was scared of you,” I muttered,

“Good,” He added,

“Exept for when that thing happened yesterday,” I whispered,

“Okay but if I didn’t do that she probably would’ve killed you,” He added,

“Yeah but still,” I muttered,

“Can I see it?” He asked, sitting up slowly, I pulled the bandage away from the cut.

“Move your head back,” he commanded,

“No,” I whispered,

“You’re being really stubborn today,” he muttered, tipping my chin back.

“Shit that’s bad, I thought you said you were fine,” he stated,

“Because it isn’t that bad,” I added, sticking the bandage over the cut and lowering my head.

“I didn’t say that I was done,” he whispered, tipping my head back again and peeling the bandage away,

“Stop,” I muttered, lowering my chin again, he tipped my head back and held it there,

“You’re really annoying,” I stated,

“Shit it’s so bad, I’m so sorry,” he apologised, pulling me into him. I pressed the bandage back over my cut, I tried pushing him away but he didn’t move.

“Let me go,” I groaned,

“Do you forgive me?” He asked,

“No,” I answered,

“Well you’re not leaving until you say that you forgive me,” he added. I can’t stand this man.

“You can’t just decide that I have to stay here,” I stated,

“Can’t I?” He asked,

“Just stop it, let me go,” I muttered,

“Not until you forgive me,” he whispered, his breath hot against my ear,

“That’s not happening,” I added,

“Then I guess we’ll be here for a while, won’t we?” He questioned,

“I’m just going to force you off of me if you won’t let me go,” I stated,

“That’s not going to work,” He muttered,

“And why’s that?” I asked,

“Because I’m stronger than you,” he replied,

“I doubt that,” I added,

“Okay, then try and get me off of you,” He whispered. I pressed my hands to his chest and pushed him hard, he wrapped his arms around me tighter,

“Let me go,” I groaned, pulling my arms out of his. I grabbed the sheets and tried to pull myself away,

“Why are you so strong?” I asked, slightly out of breath.

“I told you that you weren’t going to be able to get me off of you,” He laughed, I grabbed the head of the bed and tried to pull myself away as hard as I could. I slipped my arm over the gap behind the bed and tried to pull myself away, I stopped struggling for a moment to catch my breath, Dorian moved closer to me, pulling my arms out of the gap between the bed and the wall.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I whispered,

“Just forgive me, and I’ll let you go,” He stated,

“Not happening,” I added,

“Then I guess I’ll stop going easy on you,” he muttered,

“You’ve been going easy on me?” I asked,

“Yeah, have you been trying your best?” He questioned,

“No,” I lied,

“Okay, get me off of you if you aren’t trying your hardest,” He stated, I pushed my hands to his chest and tried to push him as hard as I could, I rested for a moment with my hands still on his chest, he pulled me closer, trapping my arms between the two of us,

“Now you’re a stuck,” He laughed,

“No I’m not,” I replied,

“Okay, but that’s what you said the past two times and you’re still stuck here,” he stated, I pressed my knee to his torso and tried to force him away from me, I managed to clear about thirty centimetres of space between us, he didn’t pull me closer I was finally about to get him away from me.

“See, now you’re stuck,” He laughed,

“No I’m not, this is the closest that I’ve been to getting away from you,” I stated,

“That’s because I’m putting almost no effort into keeping you close to me,” he added,

“Okay, put effort into keeping me close to you, if you aren’t putting any effort into it,” I challenged,

“You don’t want me to do that,” he chuckled,

“I don’t think that you can try to keep me any closer, I don’t think you’re actually that strong,” I added.

Dorian pulled me closer,

“Are you trying your hardest?” I scoffed,

“Not nearly,” He replied,

“Try your hardest then,” I challenged,

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he stated,

“I’m not going to get hurt, if I do I’ll tell you,” I added,

“Fine, but just know that you asked for this,” He whispered, pulling me closer quickly, forcing some of the air out of my lungs,

“Is this your hardest?” I asked quietly,

“No,” he replied, if this wasn’t then what was?

“I’ve told you about five times, just try your hardest, I don’t think you’re that strong,” I whispered,

“I’m not doing that,” He argued, loosening his grip slightly, I took a second to catch my breath,

“Why are you breathing like that?” He asked, moving his head back to observe my face,

“I’m not breathing like anything, I’m just breathing normally,” I whispered,

“Fuck what did I do,” he muttered, pulling back,

“You didn’t do anything, I’m fine,” I stated quietly, leaning back on the headboard.

“No, I did something, why did I listen to you, I knew I was going to get you hurt,” He mumbled,

“I’m fine,” I added, finally catching my breath.

“Are you sure?” He asked,

“Yeah, now I want you to try as hard as you can, I don’t think you’re actually that strong,” I challenged,

“That’s not happening,” He added, leaning onto the headboard next to me,

“Fine, then try and catch me,” I whispered, jumping off the bed and sprinting out the door, the door slammed shut and Dorian’s footsteps started chasing after me. I ran down the stairs and around the corner, I sprinted to the dining room and stood behind the table, Dorian ran in front of me and rested his hands on the opposite side of the table,

“You think you can escape me?” He asked,

“You think you can catch me?” I challenged,

“I know I can” He added,

“Come and get me then, I’m right here,” I stated, he sprinted around the corner of the table, I jumped over the table and kept sprinting away from him. I ran to the back door and swung it open, I sprinted into the distance and ducked behind a tree, catching my breath. There was a rustling in the trees above me, I looked up and Dorian jumped down in front of me, I sprinted away from him,

“Psycho!” I yelled behind me, a smile on my face. I ran back into the house and shut the door behind me, I ran up the stairs and slipped into Dorian’s room, and slid into his closet I shut the door behind me softly. I slid down the wall and sat down in the corner of the cupboard.

The door to my room opened and shut softly, then the door to Dorian’s room opened, I held my breath, then the door shut softly, I opened the door to the cupboard and slipped out, someone wrapped their arms around my waist and pulled me into the corner,

“Gotcha,” he whispered in my ear.

“I hate you,” I muttered,

“And I caught you,” he added, I turned in his arms,

“You know, you’re so annoying,” I stated, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his, he wrapped his arms around my waist. I pulled away slowly,

“So annoying,” He whispered to himself, resting his head on the window,

“Yeah,” I laughed, moving beside him.

“Anyways, what do you want for dinner?” He asked,

“Whatever you’re having,” I replied,

“Easy enough,” He stated, starting to walk out of the room,

“Also I’m taking some stuff from your room,” I called behind him,

“Okay, just don’t break anything,” He yelled back, I opened his cupboard and grabbed a basketball jersey and a pair of his shorts, I walked into my room and threw them on, Dorian walked back into my room a few minutes later holding two plates of food, he stopped,

“What are you wearing?” He asked, handing me a plate,

“Clothes,” I replied,

“Who’s clothes?” He questioned,

“Mine,” I answered slowly,

“So that basketball jersey is yours?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I added,

“So who’s name does it say on the back?” He questioned,

“Does it have a name on the back?” I asked, turning my head back slightly, trying to see the name,

“You didn’t notice?” He questioned,

“I mean, of course it has a name on the back,” I stated,

“Okay, what does it say?” He asked.

“Look if you don’t want me to wear your clothes I can change,” I added, putting down my plate and starting to stand up, he grabbed my wrist,

“I don’t mind, you don’t have to change,” he said, pulling me back onto the bed,

“Thanks,” I whispered, picking up my plate and taking a bite of my food,

“Can I ask why you’re wearing my clothes though?” He questioned,

“I don’t know,” I replied,

“Yes you do, there has to be a reason that you’re wearing my clothes, or you would just be wearing your own,” he added,

“They’re comfy,” I stated,

“Is that it?” He asked,

“Why do you want to know?” I questioned,

“Because if you’re only wearing them because they’re comfy then I can go and buy you some clothes like that, so is there any other reason that you’re wearing them?” He questioned,

“They smell nice,” I whispered,

“They don’t even smell like anything,” He stated,

“Yes they do,” I argued,

“Okay what do they smell like then?” He asked,

“It smells like you,” I answered,

“And that’s a good thing?” He questioned,

“I don’t know,” I added,

“If it’s a reason that you’re wearing it then it must be a good thing,” he muttered,

“Yes, it’s a good thing,” I whispered,

“And why is that?” He asked,

“It makes me feel safe,” I admitted,

“So I make you feel safe?” He questioned smugly,

“Why do you want to know my darling?” I asked, a smug smile tugging on my lips

“You know that’s my line right?” He questioned, a small amount of anger and annoyance growing in his voice

“I know,” I replied,

“So do I make you feel safe?” He asked,

“Maybe,” I whispered,

“I knew it, so you want more of my clothes?” He questioned,

“Sure,” I mumbled,

“Give me one minute,” He added, walking out of the room, a few minutes later Dorian threw a pile of clothes on my bed,

“Are these your clothes?” I asked,

“They were, but now they’re yours,” he stated, sitting on the bed next to me,

“Why?” I questioned,

“Because you’re mine,” he answered,

“You can’t decide that,” I protested,

“Yes I can,” He stated,

“Fine, but why do I need your clothes?” I asked,

“Two reasons, one, you said that you liked them, and two, I’m making sure that everyone knows that you’re mine,” he explained,

“Psycho behaviour,” I whispered,

“Yeah, psycho behaviour,” he added.

“Tell me when you need more clothes,” he stated,

“I don’t think I’m going to need anymore, you gave me like half of your wardrobe,” I laughed,

“You know what, now you have to wear only my clothes,” he said,

“Why?” I asked,

“So everyone knows that you’re mine,” he answered,

“I’m not wearing only your clothes,” I protested,

“Fine but you have to wear at least one item of my clothing everyday,” He muttered,

“Fine,” I agreed,

“Good,” he added,

“What time is it?” I asked, he glanced at his watch,

“Nine o’clock,” He answered,

“I’m going to sleep,” I stated,

“But it’s not even that late,” he added,

“Yeah well last night I went to bed late and woke up late so I had to run to school, that’s not happening again, so I’m going to sleep now,” I explained,

“No one drove you?” He asked,

“No, I didn’t ask,” I replied,

“You’re not supposed to ask, they’re supposed to just take you,” He stated,

“It’s not that big of a deal, I was fine,” I added,

“I know that you were fine, but they’re supposed to take you to school when I’m not there,” he muttered,

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing,” I pointed out,

“Fine, I’ll let you sleep,” He said, stepping off the bed, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the bed, and rested my head on his shoulder,

“I thought you wanted me to let you sleep,” He stated, his voice full of confusion,

“Yeah I do, I want you to let me sleep, sleep on you,” I explained, resting my arm over his stomach,

“You trust me,” He muttered,

“What?” I asked,

“You trust me, enough to sleep like this,” He explained,

“Yeah,” I whispered, closing my eyes, after a short while I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up and Dorian was sitting on the edge of my bed,

“What time is it?” I asked him,

“Seven o’clock,” he answered, turning to face me,

“I’m going to get ready,” I stated, sitting up and stepping off the bed,

“I’ll give you some privacy,” he added, stepping out of the room, I walked over to my cupboard and grabbed a dress from the corner, I slipped it on and walked out into the hallway, before I could do anything Dorian pushed me to the wall,

“What are you wearing?” He asked,

“A dress,” I replied slowly,

“Go change,” He stated, pointing to my room,

“Why?” I questioned,

“You’re not wearing what I told you to, go and get changed,” he whispered,

“Fine,” I groaned, walking back into my room, I grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I slipped them on quickly, I walked back into the hallway,

“Better?” I asked, extending my arms and turning around slowly,

“Yes, you ready for school?” He asked,

“Yeah,” I added, walking down the hallway, and scooping my bag off the floor. I walked out the front door and towards the car, I opened the door and slipped inside, Dorian jumped in the drivers side,

“Why do you want me to wear your clothes?” I asked,

“Because I’m trying to make sure that everyone knows that you’re mine,” he answered,

“You’re really weird, I just want you to know that,” I stated,

“It’s not weird, I’m just making sure no one tries to take what’s mine,” he added,

“Psycho behaviour,” I whispered,

“Yeah, your psychos psycho behaviour,” he muttered, pulling up to my school, I jumped out the car and walked over to Ally,

“Who’s clothes are those?” She asked,

“No ones,” I replied,

“Who’s clothes are those, I won’t tell anyone,” she urged,

“Dorian’s,” I whispered,

“Oh so you’re official now,” she stated,

“We’ve been official for ages,” I added,

“Anyways, there’s this new girl joining our class,” she announced,

“Oh, what’s her name?” I asked

“Edith, and Ms Jones asked us to show her around,” she stated, grabbing my hand and pulling me into Ms Jones’ room.

“Hello girls, you should all introduce yourselves,” Ms Jones urged,

“Hi I’m Astrielle,” I said, extending my hand to shake hers,

“Edith,” she added, shaking my hand

“Ally,” Ally stated, pushing me to the side and extending her hand to shake hers, Edith shook her hand back,

“Let’s show you around, maybe we could start with the cafeteria,” Ally suggested, walking out of the room and leading her towards the cafeteria.

My phone started ringing, I slipped it out of my pocket, Dorian’s name flashed across the screen,

“One second,” I muttered, stepping out of the room,

“Hey don’t make any plans for this afternoon I want to spend some time with you,” he stated,

“Don’t I spend time with you every day?” I asked,

“Shut up, I’ve got something planned, so don’t make any plans,” he added,

“Okay I won’t, bye,” I muttered,

“See you later,” he whispered, hanging up the phone, I slipped it back into my pocket and walked back into the cafeteria.

“How about we show you the football field,” I suggested,

“Yeah sure,” Edith replied, I walked out of the cafeteria and towards the football field. As soon as I stepped onto the field the bell rang out,

“I can show you around after school if you’d like,” Ally stated. I walked to my first class and took a seat in the back corner. My last period was math, I really didn’t want to go,

“Astrielle Barnes, could you please make your way to the front desk with your bag, Astrielle Barnes make your way to the front desk, thank you,” The principal announced, definitely the best time for me to be called out of school early. I walked to the front desk and Dorian was standing there, smiling subtly.

“Hi,” He whispered,

“Third time this week,” I muttered, walking to the car,

“It’s not that big of a deal, also I checked your schedule, you’ve got math right now, I’m doing you a favour,” he stated, getting into the drivers side, I hopped into the passenger side,

“Where did you get access to my schedule?” I asked,

“I hacked the school computer system,” he answered,

“That’s weird,” I mumbled,

“It’s not weird, you should be thanking me that I didn’t pull you out of P.E. like last time,” he pointed out, starting up the car,

“Okay one, you didn’t pull me out of school last time, some of your men did, and how did you know I was in P.E.?” I asked,

“It doesn’t matter,” He answered,

“How did you know that I was in P.E.?” I questioned,

“I’ve been looking at your schedule for a little while,” He mumbled,

“What do you mean a while?” I asked,

“I’ve just looked at your schedule,” he stated,

“I lost my own schedule,” I added,

“I already told you I hacked the school computers,” He replied,

“Whatever,” I mumbled, Dorian pulled up outside a field with a small building in front of it.

“Where are we?” I asked, Dorian stepped out of the drivers side and walked over to my door,

“Archery training facility, I’m making it up to you,” he stated, opening my door and extending his hand for me, I grabbed his hand and he pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arm around my waist,

“You’re unbearable,” I whispered, turning my head away, trying to hide the fact that I was slightly flustered,

“And you love it,” he added,

“Shut up,” I mumbled, pushing him away. The worst part was he wasn’t lying, a smirk stuck to his face. I walked up to the front desk, Dorian followed close behind me.

“Hi, reservation under Thorne,” He stated, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close to him.

“Okay over there are the bows, and here are the arrows,” the man added, reaching below the desk and sliding two quivers over the table, I grabbed one of them and slipped the strap over my shoulder, moving myself away from Dorian’s arm. I walked in the direction that the man pointed, I grabbed a bow from the wall and tossed it over my shoulder, I started walking towards a door that led out to a mostly empty field, Dorian ran up behind me and placed his arm over my shoulder,

“Do you know how to use a bow?” He asked,

“Sure of,” I answered, walking up to a small booth, Dorian approached the one next to me, I held the bow in my hands and placed an arrow into it. I shot the arrow and it fell just short of hitting the target, Dorian shot after me and hit the target easily, I sighed and grabbed another arrow. I shot it again and it flew just past the target, I lowered my bow slightly, Dorian glanced at me, I raised my bow again and placed another arrow in it, Dorian stepped behind me and grabbed my hands,

“You’re doing it wrong,” He stated, not mocking, just observing, he raised my hands and pulled my arm back, he pushed my elbow up slightly,

“Now you should hit the target,” he added. I let the arrow go and it flew through the air and landed on the target.

“See you were just doing it wrong,” he whispered, peering over my shoulder and looking at my face,

“Thanks,” I muttered, grabbing another arrow and loading it into the bow, I moved my arms to the way that Dorian positioned them I let the arrow go and it hit the target once more,

“That’s my girl,” He muttered, resting his hand on my shoulder. I laughed softly, he walked back to the booth next to me. He shot an arrow and it landed perfectly in the centre of the target.

“How are you so good at this?” I asked, turning to face him,

“Why wouldn’t I be so good at it, you know what I do for work,” He answered,

“Fair enough,” I added, grabbing another arrow and placing it in the bow, I shot again and it landed close to Dorians,

“What do I get if I get an arrow through the one you just shot?” He questioned, loading an arrow into his bow,

“My attention,” I answered slowly,

“Deal,” he added quickly, shooting an arrow at the target, it pierced through the one I just shot, splitting my arrow in half, he turned to me and smirked,

“How did you do that?” I asked, utterly shocked,

“I’m good at shooting, but I bet you that you won’t be able to get an arrow right through the one that I just shot,” he added,

“How much are you willing to bet?” I questioned, loading an arrow into my bow,

“Ten thousand,” he stated,

“Are you serious?” I asked, lowering my bow slightly, he nodded silently, I raised my bow again and aimed it at his arrow, I took a deep breath and shot, I looked over at Dorian, not watching the arrow, his jaw visibly dropped.

“What?” I questioned, Dorian just pointed to the target, I looked over, my arrow had perfectly split his in half,

“Here,” Dorian whispered, pressing a wad of cash into my palm and closing my fingers around it,

“What?” I asked,

“Your ten thousand as promised,” He replied,

“I didn’t think you would actually give it to me,” I stated, looking down at the cash in my hand,

“What can I say, I’m a man of my word, also you still have to give me your attention, from yesterday,” he added,

“Then why did you want to bet if you already know that you’re getting my attention?” I questioned,

“Didn’t think you would actually do it,” He replied,

“Okay one more question, why do you carry this much cash?” I asked,

“Just in case my card declines,” He answered,

“And how often does that happen?” I questioned,

“Well never, but it’s just in case, you never know,” He added, I flipped through the cash and counted all of the money,

“Nine thousand eight hundred, nine thousand nine hundred, ten thousand,” I whispered,

“It’s all there, I wouldn’t lie to you,” he muttered,

“Really, how about that time when you said the thing on your shirt was pizza sauce?” I asked smugly,

“Okay, that was an exception, did you want me to tell you the truth?” He questioned,

“Well you did,” I replied,

“See, I would never lie to you,” he added.

After we each shot a few more arrows our session had finished. I walked over to a small desk in the corner and handed the attendant my bow, Dorian walked up behind me and handed over his bow,

“Did you enjoy yourself?” He asked, wrapping his arm around my waist,

“Yes,” I laughed, starting to walk towards the car,

“Was this good enough to make up for pulling you out of archery at school?” He questioned,

“Better,” I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder,

“I’m glad, are you happy with your money?” He asked,

“You gave me ten thousand dollars, who wouldn’t be happy,” I added,

“It’s not even that much money,” He whispered,

“It’s more than most people my age make in half a year,” I stated, walking up to the car and reaching to open my door, Dorian pulled my hand away and opened my door,

“What was that about?” I questioned,

“I didn’t even do anything,” he added, shutting the door behind me and walking over to his side,

“I tried to open my door and you pulled my hand away and opened it for me,” I stated,

“Yeah,” He nodded,

“Why?” I asked,

“I opened the door for you because-I, why did I do that?” He asked himself,

“See, strange,” I added,

“Oh I remember, it’s because I’m obsessed with you in an unhealthy way,” he whispered, leaning slightly closer,

“It’s seriously unhealthy, the way that I affect you,” I muttered, tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear,

“Stop, you’re distracting,” he added, leaning back in his seat,

“I didn’t even do anything,” I laughed,

“You know exactly what you did,” he stated, starting up the car and driving out of the car spot,

“What did I do, tuck your hair behind your ear so I could see your face,” I whispered,

“Mhmm,” he mumbled,

“So I’m not allowed to touch you anymore?” I asked,

“Well you- I-” he stammered,

“Are you scared of talking to me?” I scoffed,

“No,” he chuckled, I rested my hand on his arm,

“Stop it,” He groaned,

“Stop touching you?” I asked,

“You’re distracting me,” he added,

“Too bad, my hand is staying right here,” I muttered,

“I’m going to crash the car if you don’t move your hand, you’re distracting me,” he gritted,

“I shouldn’t be, do you want to tell me why I’m distracting you?” I asked, brushing his hair to the side, he flinched,

“No, stop it,” he mumbled,

“My hands aren’t moving until you tell me why I’m distracting you,” I added, he brushed my hand away softly,

“You’re pathetic,” I whispered, turning away from him.

“What are you doing?” He questioned,

“Trying not to distract you,” I replied, he sighed,

“How many weaknesses would you say that you have?” I asked,

“I’d say none,” He replied,

“How about me?” I questioned,

“You’re not a weakness,” he answered,

“Oh yeah,” I scoffed, resting my hand on the back of his neck,

“Stop,” He groaned, pushing his head back, trying to get rid of my hand,

“I thought I wasn’t a weakness,” I added, moving my hand to his chest,

“You’re not,” he whispered, looking down at my hand,

“Okay well I’m definitely a distraction,” I laughed, brushing his chest with my thumb, he grabbed my hand and moved it to my lap,

“Pathetic,” I sighed, turning to face the window, he rested his hand on my shoulder, I grabbed it and moved it back to the steering wheel,

“What was that about?” He asked,

“I don’t want you to touch me,” I replied, at this point I was being very petty, Dorian sighed, his grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turned white,

“Please,” he whispered, resting his hand on my leg,

“No,” I added, pushing his hand away, he pulled up outside of the house, Dorian jumped out of the drivers side and ran over to my door, he opened my door and extended his hand to help me out of the car, reluctantly I grabbed his hand, he pulled me into him, I tried to push him away but he lifted me off the floor,

“Put me down!” I screamed, thrashing in his arms,

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered,

“I told you not to touch me!” I yelled,

“You’re screaming in my ear,” He muttered, kicking open the door to the house and walking in, some of Dorian’s men stared at him with a look of absolute shock on their faces,

“They’re all staring at us!” I exclaimed,

“I’ll gouge their eyes out so they can never look at us again,” He stated, all of his men lowered their gaze to the floor,

“Put me down,” I commanded,

“Not happening,” he added, walking into his room,

“You can’t just carry me around,” I pointed out,

“But the thing is I can, and you can’t stop me,” he muttered, lying on the bed and pulling me into him,

“Let me go,” I demanded, placing my hands on his chest and pushing him away, he pulled me closer and trapped my arms between the two of us,

“I thought you didn’t like me touching you,” I stated, freeing my arms slowly,

“Not when I’m driving,” he added,

“And why’s that?” I asked, tracing small circles on his neck,

“Because I can’t function when you’re touching me,” he replied, I rested my head on his shoulder,

“So I am a weakness?” I questioned,

“My biggest weakness,” he answered,

“How many weaknesses do you have?” I asked,

“Just you, I’m giving you too much power,” he replied,

“And someone gave you too much strength,” I added,

“I’m not even that strong,” He scoffed,

“If you’re not even that strong than I must be one of the weakest people out there,” I stated,

“You know what I bet you could get me off of you if we both tried our hardest,” he challenged,

“I can try but you’ll probably win,” I added,

“Okay try,” He whispered, I pushed his shoulders as hard as I could, he didn’t move, I placed my hands around his neck as a joke,

“That’s not how you do it,” He muttered, moving my hands up slightly,

“And push them against something, like a wall,” He added, resting his back flat against the bed, I sat up and pressed my hands to his neck softly,

“That’s how you do it, that will kill someone,” He whispered,

“It’s weird that you know that, also I win,” I stated, resting my back against the headboard.

“You tricked me,” He hissed,

“I was joking,” I whispered,

“Do you want to watch a movie?” He asked,

“Sure,” I added, Dorian sat on the headboard next to me, he turned on the tv in the corner,

“What movie do you want to watch?” He asked,

“I don’t know you pick,” I replied,

“Okay,” he added picking out ‘the conjuring’

“Is this movie good?” I asked,

“You’ve never watched it?” He questioned,

“No, what type of movie is it?” I asked,

“An action movie,” he replied slowly, I moved slightly to the other side of the bed, a short while into the movie there was a really scary scene, I flinched,

“Are you okay?” He asked, reaching over slightly,

“I’m fine,” I added, pushing his hand away, a little while later there was another scary scene, scarier than the last, I pushed myself into Dorian’s side,

“There we go,” he laughed,

“What do you mean, did you play a scary movie so that I would hug you?” I asked,

“Yes,” he replied,

“I hate you,” I muttered, he paused the movie,

“I just wanted you to do it without me forcing you to,” he whispered, stroking the back of my head,

“You’re pathetic,” I added, leaning onto his chest, then my phone started ringing, I pulled it out of my pocket, Ally’s name flashed across the screen. I answered it quickly, Edith was sitting next to Ally,

“Hi,” I started,

“Hey,” they said in unison,

“Guess what just happened,” Edith stated,

“What?” I asked,

“Jameson asked me out!” She squealed,

“Like the quarterback Jameson?” I asked,

“Yes!” She confirmed,

“I’m so happy for you,” I added,

“And Sam asked me to be his girlfriend,” Ally stated,

“Oh my gosh that’s amazing,” I exclaimed,

“How about you, are you dating anyone?” Ally asked,

“If you aren’t I can set you up with my brother,” Edith added, Dorian slithered his arms around my waist, I pushed them down.

“Who was that?” Edith asked,

“Her boyfriend,” Dorian replied, his voice was deep compared to ours,

“Show his face!” Ally pushed, I raised the phone and Dorian smiled at the camera,

“What’s his name?” Edith asked,

“Dorian,” He replied,

“Wait where are you lying?” Ally asked, Dorian grabbed the phone and lifted it above my head,

“On his chest?” Edith questioned, Dorian smirked

“Give me the phone,” I demanded, reaching for the phone,

“No,” he muttered, raising it slightly,

“Fine,” I added, getting up slowly, Dorian grabbed my waist and pulled me back onto him and handed me the phone,

“Anywyas, why did you get pulled out of school early?” Edith asked,

“Because I pulled her out,” Dorian answered,

“Also I got ten thousand dollars,” I stated, pulling the wad of cash out of my pocket,

“Wait for real?” Ally asked, moving towards the camera slightly,

“Yeah,” I replied,

“How did you get it?” Edith questioned

“Because I shot an arrow through someone else’s,” I answered,

“Anyways, what are you doing right now?” Ally asked,

“Nothing, I mean I was watching a movie, but he’s got horrible taste in movies so I turned it off,” I explained,

“What movie were you watching?” Edith questioned,

“The conjuring,” I responded,

“That’s not a bad movie,” Ally stated,

“Yeah, but he didn’t tell me it was a horror movie,” I added,

“Why didn’t he tell you?” Edith asked,

“Because I wanted her to hug me,” Dorian butted in,

“Why couldn’t you just ask?” Ally questioned,

“Because she sort of hates me, just a little,” He replied,

“Why do you hate him?” Edith asked,

“Because he’s too clingy,” I replied,

“I am not,” He whispered,

“You definitely are,” I muttered,

“What do you mean too clingy?” Ally questioned,

“He makes me lie like this,” I replied, raising the camera slightly,

“Shut up,” Dorian hissed,

“Is there any other reason that you hate him?” Edith asked,

“He knows too much about how to hurt people,” I replied,

“What do you mean too much?” Edith questioned,

“I strangled him as a joke and he said that I was doing it wrong and told me how to do it properly,” I explained,

“Because you were doing it wrong,” Dorian stated,

“It was a joke,” I hissed,

“Whatever,” he whispered, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Anyways, do you want to come over?” Ally asked,

“Sure,” I replied,

“One second, ignore me, I have to take a phone call,” Dorian said getting up from the bed,

“What do you think the call is about?” Edith questioned,

“Probably just work,” I answered,

“Oh what does he do for work?” Ally asked,

“I’m not one hundred percent sure,” I lied,

“Demi darli il rapporto adesso, ho bisogno dei suoi documenti adesso, quanto tempo e’ passato dall’ultima volta che ha pagato, vedi, devi darmi i documenti adesso, okay,” Dorian yelled from outside,

“What was that about?” Edith questioned,

“Absolutely no idea, also what language was that?” I asked,

“I’m pretty sure it was Italian,” Ally answered, Dorian walked back into the room and lay down next to me,

“Anyways, should I come to your house?” I questioned,

“Sure, but ask him what that was about first,” Ally replied,

“What were you talking about?” I asked Dorian,

“Just some work stuff,” He answered, grabbing me and pulling me into him,

“What language were you speaking?” Ally asked loudly,

“Italian,” He replied,

“You can speak Italian?” I asked,

“Mhmm,” he replied,

“Also I’m going to Ally’s house,” I stated,

“Come now,” Edith added,

“Okay, do you want me to drive you?” Dorian asked sitting up slowly,

“Yeah,” I replied,

“Okay, she’s coming now,” Dorian announced, hanging up my phone, I slipped it into my pocket and got up from the bed,

“Are you okay?” I asked Dorian,

“Yeah, just some people aren’t listening,” He replied, walking out of my room, I walked with him and out to the car, I reached for the handle and Dorian moved my hand away and opened the door for me,

“You did it again,” I stated, getting into the car, Dorian jumped into the drivers side,

“Did what again?” He asked,

“I tried to open my door and you moved my hand and opened it for me,” I explained, Dorian started up the car,

“Yeah, I did,” He added,

“Why?” I questioned,

“I already told you that it’s because I’m unhealthily obsessed with you,” he added,

“Still never going to get over that fact,” I laughed, after a short drive he pulled up to Ally’s house,

“Okay bye,” I said, jumping out of the car,

“Text me when you want me to come and pick you up,” He stated,

“Okay,” I added, walking up to Ally’s door, I knocked once and Edith opened the door,

“Hi” she exclaimed,

“Hello,” I added, walking up the stairs with her and into Ally’s room.

“Okay I know I just got here but I need you guys to tell me if something is weird,” I started,

“What’s wrong?” Ally asked,

“So he keeps doing this thing when I try to open the car door he moves my hand away and opens it for me, is that weird or is it just me?” I asked,

“Okay so that’s kind of weird, but kind of him being a gentleman,” Edith stated,

“I know,” I laughed,

“Also how old is he if he can drive?” Ally asked,

“I don’t know, I think he’s around twenty,” I replied,

“So he’s a lot older, I didn’t know you liked older guys,” Edith stated,

“Shut up, anyways, tell me about what happened with your guys,” I added,

“So what happened was there was this guy, Ally what’s his name again?” Edith asked,

“Jordan,” She whispered,

“I hate Jordan,” I muttered,

“Now he hates us, so what happened was he cornered me and told me that I have to be his girlfriend, and he was being really mean, and then Jameson pinned him to the wall and told him to back off, and then Jameson asked me out, it was sort of weird, and all went too fast,” She explained,

“Wow, how about you Ally, what happened to you?” I questioned,

“So I was leaving school with Edith and then Sam ran up to me and asked me to be his girlfriend, it was all so sudden, but of course I said yes,” She explained,

“That’s amazing!” I exclaimed,

“Okay but how did you meet your boyfriend?” Edith asked,

“I don’t really remember,” I lied, it was easier than telling them the truth.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” Ally asked,

“Sure,” Edith and I reply in unison, Ally turned on the tv and picked a random movie, after a short while the movie finished, I checked the time on my phone, six thirty two pm,

“I think I’m going to leave now,” I stated, getting up from Ally’s bed,

“Okay, see you tomorrow,” Ally added. I walked out of the room and away from the house. I called Dorian just so he wouldn’t worry about where I was,

“Hey I’m walking home,” I stated,

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come and pick you up?” He asked,

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’ll be back in about ten minutes,” I replied,

“While I’m talking to you, what do you want for dinner?” He questioned,

“Whatever you’re having,” I answered,

“Easy, bye,” He muttered,

“Bye,” I added, hanging up.

After a five minute walk someone pulled up next to me and stepped out of their car, it was Jordan,

“Hey Astrielle,” he announced, walking next to me,

“What do you want?” I asked,

“Just to talk,” He replied,

“About what?” I questioned,

“You’re really pretty you know,” He stated,

“Thanks,” I replied, he reached for my hand, I pulled away, he put his arm over my shoulder, I pushed it off,

“I’m not going to hurt you,” He muttered,

“I know, I just don’t want you to touch me,” I added,

“Too bad,” He whispered, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me into him. Dorian’s house was about twenty feet away, I pulled his arm away from me and sped up slightly, I turned to face Dorian’s door.

“Who’s house is that?” He asked,

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered, walking up to his door, I swung it open and stepped inside, Jordan followed behind me but some of Dorian’s men stopped him,

“Astrielle?” Dorian called down the stairs,

“I’m back,” I added, he came sprinting down the stairs,

“Finally,” He groaned, pulling me into him, I hugged him back,

“Who’s that?” He asked, looking back at Jordan,

“Random guy from my school, he’s been following me for a bit,” I stated, Dorian walked over to him,

“Is there a problem?” Dorian asked,

“No sorry for bothering you,” Jordan replied, walking away,

“Why was he following you?” Dorian questioned,

“No idea,” I replied,

“Okay, dinners nearly ready,” He added,

“Alright, I’m going up to my room,” I stated, walking up to my room, after a few minutes Dorian walked up to my room,

“Here,” he muttered, handing me a plate,

“Thanks,” I spoke, taking a bite of my food,

“I have to go and do something, I’ll come back in a little while,” He stated, walking out of the room,

“Okay,” I added, after a short while I finished my food and pulled my laptop off of the nightstand and picked a random show.

A few minutes later Dorian walked back into my room, he sat down next to me and pulled me over to him,

“What are you watching?” He asked, resting his head on top of mine,

“Random show,” I replied,

“Nice,” He muttered, pressing a kiss to my forehead, after a little while I drifted to sleep. When I woke up Dorian was drawing small circles on my arm,

“Good morning love,” he whispered,

“That’s a new one,” I mumbled, turning to face him,

“Yeah, you need to get ready for school, it’s seven o’clock,” He stated, stepping out of the room,

“Okay,” I murmured, stepping off the bed and grabbing a shirt and a pair of jeans, I slipped them on and walked into the hallway,

“Give me your wrist,” He commanded, I held my arm out to him, he wrapped a watch around my wrist,

“What’s this?” I asked, looking at the watch,

“An Apple Watch,” He replied,

“Thanks,” I added,

“It’s nothing,” He stated, walking down the hall, I followed after him and walked over to the car, I didn’t even reach for the door handle that time, Dorian walked over and opened my door,

“See, it’s not that hard, I’ll open the door for you, stop trying to open your own door,” he stated,

“Okay,” I said slowly, stepping into the car,

“Cosa ho fatto per meritarti?” He whispered to himself,

“What?” I asked,

“It doesn’t matter,” He added, I rolled my eyes. After a short drive he pulled up outside my school, I stepped out of the car and walked towards my locker.

“Hey,” Jordan whispered, pushing me up against the locker,

“Leave me alone,” I hissed, moving out of his way,

“Kiss me,” He commanded,

“No,” I replied,

“Clumsy idiot,” He muttered, pushing me into the corner of the locker, I ignored him and rubbed my arm softly, it started slowly turning red,

“Fuck,” I whispered to myself, I ignored Jordan for the rest of the day. At the end of the day Jordan walked over to me again,

“Clumsy idiot.” He hissed, he extended his foot, I didn’t trip so he walked up behind me and pushed me to the floor, I landed on my nose and it hurt like hell. I stood up and pressed my hand to my nose, blood started falling in small droplets, I wiped the blood away and walked out of the building towards the front of the school, Dorian’s car was already there, I walked towards the car and hopped in,

“Are you okay?” Dorian asked, clearly noticing the fact that I was holding my nose,

“Yeah,” I whispered, pulling my hand away, he watched my hand then grabbed it softly, he turned it over and back,

“Is that blood?” He questioned,

“I-um, no,” I stuttered, wiping my nose with my sleeve,

“Yes it is, what happened?” He asked,

“I fell,” I lied,

“Are you okay?” He questioned, holding my chin and moving my hand away,

“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just a little blood,” I laughed, looking out the window. The next day I walked into school and towards my locker.

Jordan walked up to me again,

“Kiss me,” He whispered,

“That’s not happening,” I added, he punched me in the arm,

“Do it,” He commanded,

“No,” I hissed, he kicked me in the stomach, I started walking away and he pulled me back,

“Just once,” He muttered,

“I’m leaving,” I stated, walking past again, he pushed me back and pulled a knife out of his pocket.

“Kiss me,” He whispered,

“It’s not happening,” I mumbled, he cut my arm once,

“Let me go,” I hissed,

“One kiss,” He muttered,

“No,” I spoke, he grabbed my hand and sliced a line on my palm,

“Let me go,” I gritted,

“Give me a kiss,” He whispered, leaning in slightly,

“Not happening,” I muttered, he sliced a line into my wrist, I pushed past him and a single tear slipped down my cheek, I wiped it away and walked into the bathroom. I grabbed a tissue and wiped the blood away. A sick feeling brewed in my stomach, I threw the bloody tissues in the bin and walked out of the bathroom, I walked to the lost and found and grabbed a random hoodie to cover the cuts. Ally walked up to me,

“Hey!” She exclaimed, grabbing my arm, I clenched my jaw as she grabbed the spot where he had punched me.

“Hi,” I whispered,

“Are you okay?” She asked,

“Yeah,” I added, plastering a fake smile on my face, I went through the rest of the day trying not to let anyone notice the pain. At the end of the day I walked up to Dorian’s car and got in quickly,

“Who’s hoodie are you wearing?” He asked,

“I don’t know, I just got cold and grabbed a random one from lost and found,” I explained. After a short drive we made it back to the house, I ran up the stairs and grabbed a random hoodie from my room and slipped it on.

Dorian walked into my room and sat next to me, I leaned into his chest and tried to calm down, I was still shocked from what had happened this morning.

“Are you okay?” He asked, running his fingers through my hair softly,

“Yeah,” I whispered, forcing a small smile,

“Are you sure?” He questioned,

“Yeah just tired,” I laughed,

“Why are you wearing a hoodie, it’s pretty hot right now,” He stated, I didn’t want to tell him the truth,

“I don’t know I’m just a little cold,” I added,

“I think you might be getting sick,” he pointed out,

“I feel fine, I’m just cold for some reason,” I muttered,

“Okay, do you want anything?” He asked,

“Maybe some candy,” I replied,

“I’ll go and get you some,” He stated, smiling at me softly,

“Thanks,” I added. He walked out of the room slowly. A little while later Dorian walked back in with two paper bags, he placed them on the bed.

“What’s this?” I asked, sitting up and looking at the bags,

“Candy,” He replied,

“All of it?” I questioned,

“Yeah,” He replied smiling,

“Why’d you buy so much?” I asked,

“You didn’t tell me which candy you wanted so I bought all of the ones that they had,” He answered, I dug through one of the bags and grabbed a bag of sour patch kids.

“What do you want for dinner?” He questioned,

“I’m not actually that hungry, thanks anyways,” I replied, which wasn’t a lie, I still had a sick feeling in my stomach.

“Okay, do you want me to stay here?” He asked softly,

“It’s okay you don’t have to stay,” I answered,

“Okay,” He whispered, walking out of the room. I didn’t even notice when I fell asleep,when I woke up I checked the clock, six forty nine am, I stepped off the bed and grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie, I slipped them on and walked into the hallway. Dorian was standing there, smiling softly, I smiled back and walked to the car slowly,

“Are you okay?” Dorian asked, grabbing my hand,

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I added, smiling at him, I slipped into the car and Dorian jumped in the other side, after a short drive we made it to my school,

“Have a good day,” Dorian said,

“I will,” I whispered, stepping out of the car.

I walked to my locker and grabbed my things quickly, I shut the door of the locker and Jordan was standing there, he pushed me to the wall,

“The answer is no, just do something,” I whispered, he punched me in the gut,

“Kiss me,” He hissed,

“No,” I added, he grabbed a knife and pulled up my sleeve, he made several cuts on my wrist,

“Are you done?” I asked, he grabbed my other arm and made a few slices into my other wrist,

“Bye,” I whispered, walking away and pulling my sleeves back down, the blood soaked through the sleeves leaving wet patches on my arms. I tucked my hands into my pockets and tried to hide my wrists. After the day had finished I started walking to the front of the school, Jordan walked up to me,

“What do you want?” I asked,

“Give me your hand,” He demanded, grabbing my hand and cutting a line over my palm. I bit my cheek and tried not to cry. The pain was almost unbearable, but I walked out to the front of the school and got into Dorian’s car.

“How was school?” He asked,

“Fine,” I replied, a single tear rolled down my cheek, I brushed it away before Dorian could notice, I hid my hands in my pockets and looked out the window, I dug my nails into my palms trying to stop myself from bursting into tears. My eyes burnt as tears built up, I clenched my jaw, a little while later he pulled up outside of the house, I jumped out of the car and walked straight upstairs into my room. Shaka was sitting on the bed, I jumped on next to him and buried my face in the pillow, the tears started falling before I could stop them, the pain was unbearable, my breath was unsteady and my whole body was shaking.

“Astrielle,” Dorian called out, I tried to reply but my body wouldn’t let me,

“Astrielle,” He repeated, his voice became closer, the door to my room opened softly,

“Hey, what’s wrong, what happened?” He asked, sitting on the edge of my bed and pulling me up, I moved back slightly,

“Please answer, what happened, please,” he whispered, I sat up and he pulled me into him,

“No, what happened, please tell me,” he muttered,

“It hurts,” I sobbed,

“What hurts?” He asked, moving back slightly,

“He keeps asking me to kiss him, when I say no he cuts me,” I explained,

“Show me,” He commanded, I lifted the sleeves of my hoodie,

“No, please tell me your lying,” He muttered, I swallowed hard and the tears started rolling again, he pulled me into him and I cried into his shoulder,

“It’s going to be okay, I promise, don’t worry,” He stated, running his fingers through my hair,

“It hurts so bad,” I whispered,

“I know, please tell me he didn’t do anything else,” he added, I pulled back and took off my hoodie, he observed the bruises on my body,

“That nose bleed, was that him?” He questioned, I nodded slightly,

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked,

“I didn’t think you would care,” I replied,

“No why would you think that, I’m so sorry I didn’t notice,” he muttered, pulling me into him,

“It hurts so much, please make it stop,” I whispered,

“I know, give me one second, I’ll go and get some stuff, try to calm down,” he muttered, pulling away. I leaned back against the headboard and tried to calm myself down. A few minutes later he walked back into the room,

“Give me your hands,” he muttered, I extended my arms and he grabbed some bandages and wrapped them around my wrists, I opened my hands and he wrapped some more bandages around the cuts on my palms, my hands were shaking and my breathing was still unsteady, he grabbed my hands softly, I took a deep breath and calmed down.

“What’s his name?” He asked,

“What,” I whispered,

“The guy who did this to you, what’s his name?” He repeated,

“Jordan,” I added,

“Jordan, uccideró quel ragazzo,” he muttered,

“Why did he do it?” He questioned,

“I don’t know, we aren’t friends, but we don’t really have anything against each other. After that thing happened on Tuesday he started coming up to me and asking me to kiss him every day, I said no and on the first day he shoved me into the locker and pushed me to the floor. Then yesterday he asked again and I said no then he hit me, and when I tried to leave he pulled out a knife, he cut my arm and my wrist and my hand, and then today he did it again, he cut my wrists and my hand, I don’t know why he did it.” I explained,

“He can’t just make you kiss him,” He stated,

“That’s what you did,” I laughed and sobbed,

“Okay but I didn’t hurt you when you said no,” He added,

“Fair enough,” I whispered.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked,

“I didn’t know what you would do about it, I can clean myself up, but I didn’t think you would do anything,” I replied, he pulled me into him and rested his head on mine,

“Tell me when things like that happen, don’t just keep that stuff to yourself, look how bad it got,” He whispered,

“Okay,” I muttered, someone started calling my phone, I pulled it out of my pocket, Ally’s name flashed across the screen,

“Who is it?” He asked,

“Ally,” I answered,

“You should answer it,” He added, leaning back, I slipped back and onto the headboard,

“Hi,” Ally spoke,

“Hello,” I added,

“What’s up with your hands?” She asked,

“Nothing, I was just sparring,” I lied,

“Okay, what are you doing?” She questioned,

“I’m studying,” I lied,

“Oh okay, I was going to ask if you wanted to come over but I guess not,” She added,

“Dammit, bye I guess,” I muttered,

“Bye,” She spoke, I hung up and slipped my phone back into my pocket,

“Why’d you lie to her?” He asked,

“I don’t want to, everything hurts and I’m not bothered,” I replied,

“I feel so bad for you,” he whispered,

“I’m fine,” I mumbled,

“I need to go and do something, I’ll be back soon,” He stated,

“Okay,” I added, as he walked out of the room.

After a few hours I decided to text Dorian, ‘goodnight’ I sent it to him and he didn’t read it. I closed my eyes and buried myself under the sheets. After a little while I drifted off to sleep, when I woke up Dorian was nowhere to be found, he was probably just really busy with work. I grabbed a hoodie and some jeans and slipped them on quickly, I walked out of the room and grabbed my bag, I slipped out the door and started walking to school. Ally ran up to me as I walked through the entrance,

“Hey, did you walk to school today?” She asked,

“Yeah, Dorian left last night and didn’t come back,” I replied,

“That’s so weird,” Ally added, the bell rang out over the intercom and we started walking to our first class, after the day ended I walked out to the front of the school, Dorian’s car wasn’t out the front, I started walking back to the house, when I got there Dorian’s men welcomed me into the house,

“Where’s Dorian?” I asked,

“We can’t tell you,” one of them answered,

“So you know where he is?” I questioned, he nodded,

“Is he okay?” I asked,

“Probably,” One of them replied,

“Okay,” I added, walking up the stairs, I lay down on my bed, summer holidays start tomorrow. Three months of freedom, after a little while I decided to text Ally. ‘Hey, do you want to come over?’ I texted, ‘Yeah, do they care if I come?’ She replied, ‘No, come now’ I added, putting my phone back into my pocket, a few minutes later Ally texted me again. ‘I’m outside, can you come and get me,’ I read it and jumped off the bed, I ran down the stairs and opened the front door,

“Hey,” She exclaimed,

“Hi,” I added, hugging her,

“I’m still scared of those guys,” She whispered,

“They aren’t going to hurt you,” I scoffed,

“I don’t trust you,” she stated,

“What would I have to do for you to believe me?” I asked,

“Make them admit that they won’t hurt us,” She replied,

“Okay,” I added, walking towards one of them,

“What do you mean?” She questioned, I didn’t respond and stopped in front of one of them,

“Hey are you going to hurt either of us?” I asked,

“No miss Astrielle,” He answered,

“Why do they call you Miss Astrielle?” She whispered,

“Why do you call me Miss Astrielle?” I questioned,

“It’s respectful,” He replied,

“Okay thanks,” I added, pulling Ally up the stairs,

“You really aren’t scared of them?” She asked,

“Nope, I think they’re more scared of me,” I laughed,

“Why’s that?” She questioned,

“Because Dorian will kill them if they do anything, and they’re all scared of Dorian,” I answered,

“Okay, why is Dorian going to kill them?” She asked,

“No idea, I can text and ask though,” I added, pulling out my phone,

“Why can’t you just talk to him?” She questioned,

“He’s working somewhere, that’s all anyone will tell me,” I stated.

“What are you texting him?” She questioned, peering over my shoulder and looking at my screen,

“Just asking him why he’s so overprotective,” I replied, sending a short message that read simply, ‘Why are you so overprotective?’ It was a simple message but it got the message through,

“What’s that on your wrist?” She asked, grabbing the watch on my hand,

“Dorian just gave me a watch for some reason,” I replied,

“You know he’s probably tracking you with that right?” She questioned,

“I don’t think he’s doing anything bad, he’s probably just looking at where I am,” I added,

“Yeah that’s him tracking you,” She pointed out,

“I don’t really care, he can track me if he wants to,” I stated,

“Why don’t you care about that?” She asked,

“I live in his house, he has my location turned on, he drives me almost everywhere, he’s probably watching me every day,” I replied, counting the numbers off on my fingers,

“How do you know that he’s watching you?” She questioned, I pointed at a camera in the corner of the room,

“And you’re okay with that?” She asked,

“It’s his house, if he wants to put cameras in every room he can put cameras in every room, but I think it’s only my room,” I answered, my phone buzzed in my pocket, I pulled it out,

“Who is it?” She questioned,

“Dorian,” I replied,

“What did he say?” She asked,

“He said that it’s not only my room that has cameras, so yes he’s watching me,” I stated, slipping my phone back into my pocket, I waved at the camera in the corner.

“I don’t get how you’re okay with the camera,” She added,

“I mean it’s not my house, it’s his, I have no control over where he puts cameras. I mean I guess I could move rooms, he would probably just get another camera and put it in whichever room I moved to,” I answered, my phone buzzed again,

“Is it Dorian?” She asked,

“Yeah,” I replied, slipping the phone back into my pocket, my phone buzzed again, Dorian said ‘Tell her what I just texted’ I sighed,

“What?” She questioned,

“Dorian said, it is his house, and he would move the cameras if I moved rooms, I knew he was lying when he said there was cameras in every room,” I added angrily,

“That’s kind of funny,” she laughed, I flipped off the camera in the corner,

“Can you see why I hate him?” I asked,

“Yeah, I still think that’s really funny though,” She replied.

“Should we text him something?” I asked,

“Yes,” She replied, the amusement in her eyes rising,

“Dorian stop listening for a second,” I commanded, looking at the camera, ‘Done’ he texted,

“Okay he’s not listening, I think,” I added,

“You need to say something like, little did you know I have cameras on you,” She stated,

“Oh I know he has cameras on him somewhere for security, I just need to hack them,” I muttered, pulling my laptop off of the nightstand,

“You can hack things?” She asked,

“Basic things, but I know he has an account on one of my devices for some reason,” I stated, my phone buzzed again in my pocket. It was Dorian, ‘Can I listen in again?’ He asked, ‘No!!!’ I replied, texting it back quickly and slipping my phone back into my pocket.

“Which account do you think it is?” She asked, I slid through the few accounts on my laptop until I found one that was titled, ‘Administrator’

“It’s definitely this one,” I stated, turning the screen towards Ally,

“How do you know that?” She questioned,

“He’s discreet like that,” I answered, my phone buzzed again, ‘Apparently if you go onto those accounts you will get hacked’ he texted, ‘I’m not an idiot Dorian’ I added, sending it quickly and slipping my phone back into my pocket. I clicked on the account and paused,

“What do you think the password is?” She asked,

“Probably something to do with me,” I answered, typing my name in, it unlocked quickly, ‘How did you guess that?!?!?!’ Dorian texted, ‘Because I know that you’re a simp’ I replied,

“What type of camera is the one recording us?” She asked, I walked over to it and looked at the print on top of it,

“Wyze,” I replied,

“Oh I know what the icon for that app is,” She stated, clicking on a random app on the computer screen,

“Dammit, it needs a password,” She hissed, I took the computer from her and typed in my name again, it unlocked, I rolled my eyes,

“He’s so simple,” I muttered, I opened a tab labeled camera one,

“Oh look there he is,” I stated, turning the screen to face her,

“That was way easier than I thought it would be,” She laughed, I turned the screen back to face me and took a screen shot, I sent it to Dorian, ‘Gotcha’ I texted.

“Hey,” Dorian’s voice called out, I flinched, my heart skipped a beat,

“He has a speaker?” Ally asked,

“I didn’t even know that, I barely knew he could listen to me,” I added,

“Did I scare you?” He asked sulkily,

“Yes, you did,” I replied,

“Oh, I’m sorry my love,” he added,

“Okay wait, while I have you, when will you be back?” I questioned,

“I’m not sure, a week at max,” He answered,

“Where are you?” I asked,

“I’m not telling you,” He replied,

“Why won’t anyone tell me?” I groaned, falling back on the bed,

“Because it’s none of your business,” he answered,

“Then how come I have to tell you where I’m going?” I questioned,

“Because I’m taking care of you, you’re my responsibility,” He stated,

“I could just go back to my apartment, you know that right?” I asked, there was a bang and steel covers rolled down the windows, the door locked from the outside,

“No you can’t,” he added,

“You can lock her room?” Ally questioned,

“Yes,” He replied,

“When did you put that in?” I asked,

“I got some men to do it when you were in hospital,” He stated,

“When would you need that?” I questioned,

“Two reasons, one, if you ever try to leave without telling me, and two, if there’s ever an intruder, it’s just for security,” He explained,

“Can you unlock my room?” I asked,

“From where I am, no,” He answered,

“So how am I supposed to get out?” I questioned angrily,

“One of my men will unlock the room, soon enough,” He replied,

“How soon is soon enough?” I asked,

“About two hours,” He stated,

“But I’m hungry,” I protested,

“You have food in your room, you know that right?” He questioned,

“No, I didn’t know that, where is it?” I asked, standing up from my bed,

“The desk in the corner, third drawer on the left,” He answered, I walked over to the desk and threw open the drawer, there was multiple packets of chips, fruit, yoghurt and cereal,

“How long has this been here?” I asked, grabbing a packet of chips from the drawer,

“Since I put the lock on your room,” he answered, I walked back over to the bed and sat next to Ally,

“Do you have anything sweet?” She asked,

“I have two bags of candy,” I replied, grabbing one of the bags and throwing it on the bed,

“Why do you have these?” She questioned, digging through the bag,

“I asked Dorian for some candy and he got me two bags for some reason,” I stated,

“Okay you didn’t say which candy you wanted so I got all of it,” He added,

“That’s still weird, you’re still really weird,” I muttered,

“What did you say?” He asked, knowing exactly what I just said,

“Nothing, I didn’t say anything,” I stated, smiling softly,

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” He added,

“Psycho,” I whispered,

“What, because I take care of you?” He questioned,

“What you do is way more than taking care of me,” I pointed out.

“Do you want to watch a show?” I asked,

“Yes,” She answered,

“Maybe we could watch stranger things,” I suggested,

“I love that show,” she added, I turned on the show and leaned back on the headboard,

“What are you watching?” Dorian asked,

“You heard and saw what I just put on,” I replied,

“You’re so annoying,” He groaned,

“And you’re such a psycho, who puts cameras and a lockdown button in someone’s room?” I added,

“Can you guys stop bickering, I’m trying to watch the show,” Ally whispered,

“Sorry,” I added, looking at the screen, we watched a few episodes before someone unlocked the door,

“Did he lock your room?” He asked,

“Yes, because I threatened to go back to my apartment,” I answered,

“The apartment with the broken down door?” He questioned,

“Yeah,” I replied,

“Why would you do that?” He asked,

“Because no one told me that he has cameras and a speaker in my room, and he can lock down my room, it would have been nice to know that,” I stated,

“One of us would have told you, but Mr Thorne specifically said not to tell you that,” he added,

“What else aren’t you telling me?” I questioned,

“I would love to tell you, but Mr Thorne told us that he would do some stuff if we told you,” he replied,

“Okay, well thanks for unlocking the door,” I stated,

“It’s no problem,” He added, walking back out of the room.

“Dorian, what aren’t you telling me?” I asked the camera in the corner,

“Nothing,” He added,

“That’s what you said but now I know that you have a lock down feature on my room, and you can talk to me, so what are you hiding?” I asked again, he didn’t respond, I switched to the tab with the cameras on him, he had left the room,

“I hate that man,” I groaned, switching back onto the show,

“I wish I had a man like him,” Ally sighed,

“See, she thinks I’m amazing,” Dorian stated,

“Oh so now you want to talk!” I yelled,

“But seriously, I feel like most people would wish that they were dating him,” Ally added,

“Okay, it sounds like it’s all fun and games until you realise that I had to get him out of prison twice, he offered for me to take a gun to school about five times in one morning, he has a lock down feature on my room, and he has security cameras on me, not so great anymore is it?” I asked,

“I still think I’m pretty great,” Dorian said,

“That’s because your ego is seven times too big!” I yelled,

“It is not,” He added,

“It is, and you’re ten times stronger than any normal human being should be,” I stated,

“Why do you say that?” Ally questioned,

“But I’m not even that strong,” Dorian protested,

“He just is too strong,” I added,

“I don’t think he’s actually that strong,” Ally whispered,

“I don’t know how I can prove it to you, how about Dorian, how much can you lift?” I asked,

“Like the max that I can lift?” He questioned,

“Yes,” I confirmed,

“Probably about eight hundred pounds,” He stated,

“See too strong,” I added,

“Oh yeah, that is a bit too strong,” Ally muttered,

“Both of you shut up,” Dorian hissed,

“Not happening, if you don’t want to listen to us just turn off the mic,” I pointed out, I checked the time on my phone, seven thirty,

“Do you want to spend the night?” I asked Ally,

“Is that okay with him?” She questioned,

“Yes,” I replied,

“What if it isn’t?” Dorian asked,

“Shut the fuck up,” I added,

“You can’t say that to me,” He muttered,

“What are you going to do, you aren’t even here,” I pointed out,

“Fine, she can stay the night,” He groaned,

“You act like I was asking you, I wasn’t, I was telling you,” I added,

“I hate you,” He stated,

“You’re a horrible liar,” I muttered.

“So where should I sleep?” Ally asked,

“Dorians room,” I joked,

“What? No, she can’t sleep in my room.” Dorian protested,

“Jeez, I was only joking, but I’m sleeping in your room,” I added,

“Why?” He questioned, I didn’t reply,

“So you can either sleep in here, or you can sleep in a different room,” I stated,

“Which do you prefer?” She asked,

“I don’t really mind, if you want to sleep here I can sleep in Dorian’s room,” I replied,

“You aren’t allowed to sleep in my room,” Dorian added,

“Yes I am,” I said,

“I can sleep in a different room,” Ally said,

“Are you sure?” I asked,

“Yeah, I don’t mind,” she answered,

“Okay, maybe the same one as last time,” I suggested,

“She stayed the night before?” Dorian asked,

“Yes, and you aren’t going to do anything about it,” I replied,

“I can sleep in the same one as last time,” She added,

“Do you have anything to sleep in?” I asked,

“No, but I can get my mum to drop something off,” she replied,

“You can borrow something of mine,” I stated,

“Are you sure?” She questioned,

“Yeah,” I replied, walking over to my cupboard and grabbing a random set of pajamas for her to borrow,

“Here,” I added, handing her the set of pj’s,

“Thanks,” She added, walking out of the room,

“Also I’m sleeping in your room tonight,” I stated, looking at the camera,

“Why?” He asked,

“Because your bed is nicer than mine,” I replied,

“How come?” He questioned,

“It’s comfier, and the sheets are nicer quality,” I answered,

“They aren’t,” He stated,

“Your sheets are made of silk and mine our cotton, yours are nicer quality,” I added,

“I can get them to give you nicer sheets if you want,” He offered,

“No, I’m just sleeping in your room tonight, you can’t change my mind,” I muttered,

“Fine, also I’m going back to work now, so when you try to contact me I’m not going to answer,” He pointed out,

“You’re saying when as if I’m definitely going to contact you,” I stated, ally walked back into my room.

“Are you hungry?” I asked her,

“A little,” She replied,

“I can order some food if you want,” I suggested,

“Okay,” Ally added,

“Dorian, I’m buying food with your account,” I stated, he didn’t reply, of course he didn’t he was at work,

“I guess he’s okay with it,” I whispered,

“We should get Burger King,” She stated,

“Sure,” I added, opening the app, I ordered a whopper with fries and a milkshake each, I placed the order and closed my laptop.

“Why doesn’t he care if you’re using his credit card?” She asked,

“Because he’s working, he doesn’t know that I’m using it,” I replied, my phone started ringing, I pulled it out of my pocket, Dorian’s name flashed across the screen, I answered it slowly,

“Why are you using my card?” He asked angrily,

“Because we’re hungry,” I replied,

“Why do you think I hired Marco?” He questioned,

“Marco can’t make us Burger King,” I added,

“You could have at least told me,” He hissed,

“You said that if I contacted you you weren’t going to answer,” I whispered, hanging up and putting the phone back in my pocket,

“What’s up with him?” She asked,

“He’s annoyed that I’m using his card,” I replied,

“Did you apologise?” She questioned,

“No,” I scoffed,

“You should,” She added,

“Why?” I asked,

“Because you used his card without telling him, or asking him,” she explained,

“He doesn’t care,” I stated,

“He sounded pretty angry over the phone,” she spoke, she seemed very concerned,

“I can text him and ask if he cares,” I added, pulling out my phone, ‘Do you care that I used your card?’ I sent it to him quickly,

“It was like thirty dollars, it’s basically nothing,” I said,

“Are you sure he won’t care?” She asked,

“He might care, but I don’t, he can be mad if he wants, what’s he going to do?” I asked,

“Kick you out,” She suggested,

“Ally, I said that I was going to go back to my apartment and he locked my entire room, do you really think he’s going to kick me out?” I questioned,

“Fair point,” She added,

“I should probably tell them that I have food coming,” I stated, standing up from my bed,

“Why?” She asked,

“Because if Dorian isn’t walking you in they will point a gun to your head,” I answered, stepping out of the room, I approached a random person,

“Hey, I have some food coming, could you maybe not terrify the delivery guy?” I asked,

“Yes, I will tell the guards,” he replied, walking away. I walked back into my room and sat down on the bed next to Ally.

My phone chimed, I pulled it out of my pocket,

“What the fuck,” I whispered,

“What’s wrong?” She asked,

“Dorian just sent me five hundred dollars,” I replied, turning the screen to face her,

“Why do you think he did that?” Ally questioned,

“So I don’t spend his money, that’s not going to stop me,” I answered,

“You are so annoying, why does he let you stay here?” She laughed,

“I honestly have no idea,” I added,

“Didn’t he already give you ten thousand?” She asked,

“Yeah, but he gave it in cash,” I replied,

“Okay,” She chuckled, a few seconds later one of Dorian’s men walked in with a bag of food in his hand,

“Thanks,” I exclaimed, taking the food from his hand, he nodded and walked out of the room,

“Give me my food, I’m starving,” Ally groaned snatching the bag from my hand, she dug through it and grabbed her food, she threw the bag back at me,

“Thanks for being so gentle,” I scoffed, grabbing my food,

“Did they forget our drinks?” I asked, the same guy walked back in with our drinks,

“Sorry,” He whispered, handing them to me,

“It’s no problem,” I added, handing one of them to Ally, the man walked back out and shut the door behind him,

“He seemed nervous,” Ally pointed out,

“I didn’t notice,” I stated, taking a sip of my drink. We finished eating and I checked the time again, eight thirty,

“Are you sure that you don’t want to sleep in my room?” I asked,

“I mean if you don’t mind,” She added,

“It’s no problem, you should sleep in here,” I stated, standing up from my bed,

“If you need anything just come and get me, I’ll be down the hall,” I spoke, walking out of the room and into Dorian’s.

I slipped under the sheets and shut my eyes, after a few minutes I drifted off to sleep. I woke up and someone had their arm over me, I pushed their arm and tried to get them off, they pulled me closer,

“Calm down it’s just me, you’re sleeping in my bed,” Dorian groaned, resting his head on my shoulder,

“What time is it?” I asked,

“Too early, go back to sleep,” he whispered,

“How early?” I questioned,

“Five thirty,” he replied,

“I’m going to get some water,” I stated, pulling myself up,

“Here,” he muttered, reaching over to his nightstand and handing me a bottle of water. I took one sip and put it down,

“When did you get back?” I asked, he pulled me down and wrapped his arms around my waist,

“Half an hour ago, I’m tired, let me sleep,” He muttered,

“I can leave if you’re tired,” I whispered,

“You aren’t going anywhere,” He stated. I lay awake until Dorian woke up, I really wasn’t tired, but he seemed genuinely exhausted so I decided to let him sleep. When he woke up it was seven ten, I stood up quickly,

“Where are you going?” He asked, sleep coated his voice,

“I’m going to wake up Ally, I have to go to school,” I stated, he sighed,

“I’ll take you, go get ready,” he added, I walked out of the room and ran over to Ally.

“Ally, we have to get to school,” I stated, shaking her awake,

“What time is it?” She asked,

“Seven ten, get up,” I added,

“Shit.” She whispered, jumping out of her bed, she grabbed her clothes from last night and threw them on, I grabbed a random outfit from my closet and slipped it on. I walked out into the hallway and Ally was slipping her shoes on already,

“Do we have to run to school?” She asked,

“No, Dorians driving us,” I replied, grabbing my shoes and putting them on quickly, Dorian walked into the hallway, rubbing his eyes softly,

“When you get back you need to go back to sleep,” I stated,

“I know,” He added, I pulled Ally outside to the car and jumped into the car, Dorian walked towards the car slowly and stepped into the drivers side,

“Are you okay to drive, you seem pretty tired,” I pointed out,

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” He replied, starting up the car and pulling out of the car spot, after a short drive he pulled up outside of the school,

“Bye,” I called out, stepping out of the car,

“Goodbye,” he added. I shut the door softly and walked up to the gates of school.

Jordan walked up to me slowly,

“Hey,” he whispered with a smug smile,

“Fuck off Jordan,” I hissed,

“Not happening,” He added, wrapping his arm around my waist, I pulled away from him and landed one punch straight to his nose, he fell back clutching his nose.

“What was that for?” He asked,

“Because I hate you,” I replied,

“The principal will know about this,” He threatened,

“You sound like a nerd right now,” I stated,

“I’m telling the principal,” he added,

“I don’t care,” I added, walking away from him,

“Why did you do that?” Ally asked,

“Because I hate him,” I replied,

“I hate him too, but that’s no reason to punch him,” She spoke, I pulled away some of the bandages on my wrists,

“What’s that?” She asked,

“Cuts from him,” I replied,

“Okay, punching him was acceptable,” she added,

“I know,” I laughed, pulling the bandages back down, someone texted my phone, I pulled it out of my pocket, Dorian, ‘If I don’t come and pick you up it’s probably because I’m sleeping, please call me if I don’t show up’ I read it quickly and slipped my phone back into my pocket.

“Who was that?” Ally asked,

“Dorian, he said that if he doesn’t show up it’s probably because he’s asleep,” I replied,

“Astrielle Barnes please make your way to the principals office, Astrielle Barnes, thank you,” The principal announced over the intercom,

“I have a feeling that I know what this is going to be about,” I whispered, walking over to the principals office, I took a seat beside the principal.

“Astrielle, did you punch Jordan?” She asked,

“Yes,” I replied calmly,

“See, she’s not even denying it!” Jordan yelled,

“But I did it because he walked up to me and put his arm around my waist,” I stated,

“That’s not that big of a deal,” Jordan scoffed,

“Why was that an issue?” The principal questioned,

“Because the past few times that he’s done that he has been asking me to do something and when I refused he cut me,” I answered,

“You don’t have any proof of that,” Jordan muttered,

“Astrielle, do you have any proof of that?” She asked, I lifted the bandages on my wrists,

“Those weren’t me,” Jordan lied,

“If you look at the cameras next to locker fifty three you can see him doing it,” I added, Jordan swallowed hard,

“Jordan, you wait here, I’m going to check the cameras, Astrielle, you can leave school now, Jordan stay here,” She stated I stood up and walked out of the room and towards the front of the school, technically summer holidays started now, I would go out somewhere but I was really tired for some reason. I walked towards the house, after a long walk I made it to the house, I knocked on the door and someone opened the door, they raised their guns slightly then lowered them quickly,

“Why are you back so soon?” One of them asked,

“I got suspended for punching someone in the face, it doesn’t really matter though, early summer holidays,” I replied walking up the stairs.

“Ma ti pago per sapere quanto paga la gente devi sapere queste cose è solo una persona, scopri quanto tempo è passato dall’ultima Volta che ha pagato, perché so che ha almeno un mancato pagamento.” Dorian said as I walked passed his room, the door was halfway open, he was on a zoom call or something on his laptop, he had headphones on so I didn’t bother to speak to him, he pulled off his headphones,

“Astrielle,” He called out, I stopped and peered around the door, he gestured for me to come over to him, I walked over to him slowly, he grabbed me and pulled me onto the bed next to him,

“Can you stay here?” He asked,

“Sure,” I replied, resting my head on his chest. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and grabbed my headphones from the other, I put in my headphones and started watching some random videos on TikTok. I was watching a video about this guy’s workout routine, he was saying something about how you need to eat a certain diet for the workout to work, Dorian skipped the video not looking away from his laptop, I rolled my eyes and watched the next video. I laughed quietly at a video of a cat wearing a pirate outfit, Dorian rested his hand on my shoulder, I took it as a silent sign to be quiet. A few minutes later I was watching a get ready with me of a guy making food and working out, for some reason he didn’t have his shirt on, I was invested in the recipe he was making so I paid no attention to it. Dorian grabbed my phone and placed it on the other side of him. I reached over him to grab it and he moved it further away, I reached over him further and nearly got it when he pushed me down and placed his laptop on my back. A smug smile stuck to his face as a soft chuckle left his lips, I rolled my eyes and grabbed my phone again. I reopened TikTok and kept watching some random videos. He ran his fingers through my hair slowly with his spare hand. A video of this guy talking about an easy meal to make showed up, Dorian glanced down at my screen then looked back up at his laptop, the guy was putting the food in the oven,

“While you wait watch me do my workout,” he stated, pulling his shirt off and throwing it to the side, Dorian grabbed my hair and pushed my head down,

“Ouch,” I hissed, biting his leg,

“Astrielle,” He groaned,

“Dorian,” I mocked, looking back up at my phone, he kept his hand stuck in my hair, I pulled it out and he placed his hand on the back of my neck. About ten minutes later I found a video of Dorian, normal, but it was posted from an account labeled, ‘Thorne edits’ it was Dorian talking to some guy, he said something in Italian and punched the guy in the face. I tugged on Dorian’s sleeve, he looked down at my screen and pushed my phone down. I opened a game and started playing it, a few minutes went by and I kept losing, I slammed my phone down on the bed and sighed. I started sitting up and Dorian pushed me back down.

“No,” he whispered,

“Yes,” I replied, pulling myself away from him. I stood up from the bed and started walking away, Dorian grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to the bed, he held me next to him tight. I elbowed him hard in the stomach, he pulled me closer to him again.

“Let me go,” I whispered,

“That’s. Not. Happening,” he muttered.

“I’m leaving,” I stated, pulling myself away from him,

“No you aren’t,” He added, pulling me down, wrapping his arm around me and putting his hand into his pocket. He handed me my phone again, I started watching some more TikTok’s, I came across a video that said,

“Ladies, test how loyal your boyfriend is, ask him for his phone, go through every single app, if he hesitates he’s probably cheating,” the girl said, sounded kind of crazy but it sounded like something fun to do,

“Dorian, can I have your phone?” I asked him, he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to me, not looking away from his screen,

“What’s the password?” I questioned,

“Your birthday,” He whispered,

“How do you- never mind,” I mumbled unlocking his phone, I started looked through some random apps, I decided to click on his messages, Tony(work), Anthony(work), Gerald(work), most of his contacts were just people from work, and then his family, it was kind of weird how he had everyone labeled as where they were from, but I guess that’s just how he works. I checked on his instagram, following his family and Cas, I checked his Snapchat, his family and Cas,

“Is it all just your family and Cas?” I asked, handing him his phone,

“Yeah,” He replied,

“Why?” I questioned,

“I’m working, shut up,” he whispered, for some reason those words hurt, they shouldn’t have, but they did, I kept watching some random videos, Dorian traced small lazy circles on my arm, I pushed it away, he glanced down at me, a look of confusion on his face. I kept watching some more videos about theory’s, I was watching one about this apple theory. Apparently if you put an apple in an air tight box and let it rot the idea is that after about ten thousand years the apple would reappear, something to do with the atoms not being able to escape, I was listening more to the song in the background. Dorian closed his computer and took my phone away, putting it on the other side of him, he pulled my headphones away from my ears.

“What was that about?” He asked, I didn’t reply, I was still annoyed because of what he said,

“Why aren’t you talking to me?” He questioned, I didn’t say anything,

“Please say something,” He whispered,

“I’m mad at you,” I stated,

“Why, what did I do?” He asked,

“I don’t know,” I replied,

“Was it when I told you to be quiet?” He questioned, I didn’t react,

“It was wasn’t it, I didn’t mean it,” he added,

“I don’t care,” I groaned,

“I was on a zoom call, it was with my most important employee, it was really important,” he added, I pulled away and started to leave, he pulled me back down,

“You aren’t leaving until you forgive me,” he stated,

“Let me leave,” I demanded, pulling away again, he grabbed me and pulled me flush against him,

“No,” he added firmly,

“You can’t just keep me here,” I protested,

“You said that last time but the thing is I can keep you here, and you can’t do anything,” he spoke,

“Let me go Dorian,” I stated, he momentarily tensed at what I said,

“Just tell me you forgive me and I’ll let you go,” he whispered in my ear.

“I don’t,” I added,

“Even if you don’t mean it, I just want to hear you say it,” he muttered,

“I forgive you,” I groaned,

“Thank you,” he sighed,

“Now let me go back to my room,” I commanded,

“No,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me onto him,

“You said I could leave when I forgave you,” I stated,

“Yeah, but I take it back, you’re staying here,” he added,

“Why?” I asked angrily,

“Because your presence calms me, my work is stressing me out,” he replied,

“I want to leave, your basically holding me hostage,” I whispered,

“Yeah and I literally did as well, what’s your point?” He questioned,

“It’s illegal,” I stated,

“My whole life is kind of illegal, I still don’t get your point,” he added,

“That’s not how you should live your life,” I spoke,

“Yeah, but my life is so much fun, I love running from the police, you should try it,” he suggested,

“You’re joking, right?” I asked,

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not, I guess you’ll never know,” he answered.

“I hate you so much,” I stated,

“I don’t care,” he whispered,

“Let me go, you’re being really mean,” I muttered,

“I’m not being mean, I just want you to stay here,” He added,

“You could have asked,” I pointed out,

“I did ask, I just don’t want to let you leave,” murmured,

“You asked me about an hour ago, let me go,” I bit back,

“That’s not happening,” He whispered,

“But I’m hungry,” I protested,

“Okay what do you want to eat?” He asked,

“I don’t know,” I replied,

“If you think your leaving you have another thing coming, so I can get someone to bring you food, but you aren’t leaving,” he stated, I sighed and didn’t say anything,

“I have another meeting soon, so if you need anything ask for it now,” He added,

“I need to leave,” I pointed out,

“Fine, but I’m working for the next two hours,” he spoke,

“Fine by me,” I replied, walking out of the room and towards my bed. I wasn’t actually hungry, I just wanted to leave, it’s really strange the relationship that I have with Dorian, it makes no sense. I pulled out my phone and kept watching some random videos. There was a video of someone making a cake. It seemed really fun and easy, so I saved it and thought that maybe I could make it later, maybe at Ally’s house. I kept watching some random videos until Ally called me,

“Hey, what are you doing?” She asked,

“Nothing much, just lying in bed,” I replied,

“With who?” She questioned,

“No one, I’m on my own,” I answered,

“Oh, where’s Dorian?” She asked,

“He’s working in his room, he’s on a call or something,” I stated,

“Do you want to come over?” She questioned,

“Yeah, should I come now?” I asked,

“Yes, come right now,” she replied,

“Okay, I’ll be there in like ten minutes,” I stated,

“Alright, see you soon,” She added,

“Bye,” I exclaimed, hanging up and getting off my bed, I walked down the hall and past Dorian’s room.

“Where are you going?” He asked,

“My friends house,” I replied,

“No you aren’t,” He added,

“Yes I am,” I stated, walking down the stairs and out the front door, someone grabbed my wrist, I spun around, Dorian was standing over me,

“Dorian, I’m going to my friends house,” I muttered, walking away slowly, he didn’t let go of me and pulled me back,

“You aren’t going,” He spoke,

“Why not, I already told her I was coming,” I protested,

“You aren’t going because I don’t want you to,” He stated, pulling me back to the door,

“You can’t just keep me here, I’m going to her house now,” I pulled away from him and kept walking from him, my phone chimed in my pocket, I pulled it out and read the message,

“Who is it?” Dorian asked, crossing his arms,

“Ally, she’s asking if we would be willing to go to her house for a double date sort of thing,” I replied,

“Yes,” He added,

“What do you mean, yes?” I questioned,

“I mean I’m willing to do it, when do they want us to come?” He asked,

“I don’t know, I’ll ask,” I answered, ‘What time should we come?’ I texted, she read it almost instantly, ‘Maybe five’ She replied,

“She said five,” I stated,

“Okay, easy enough,” He added, grabbing me by the waist and hoisting me over his shoulder,

“What are you doing?” I asked angrily,

“Taking you back inside,” He replied, kicking open the door and walking inside,

“I could just walk,” I pointed out, pushing back from him, he didn’t react,

“I know that, I just prefer to take you back inside like this,” he stated, walking up the stairs,

“How do you do that so easily?” I asked,

“I don’t know, you aren’t that heavy,” He answered,

“Weren’t you working?” I questioned,

“I was, but working is boring, I prefer hanging out with you,” He replied, lying down on his bed and holding me close to him,

“How often do you work?” I asked,

“Too often, every day, and then into the night until about twelve am,” He answered,

“Why do you work so much?” I questioned,

“Because all of my employees barely know how to do their jobs and they need me to tell them how to do pretty much everything,” He replied,

“You could just hire some better people,” I stated, pushing away from him slightly,

“Well it’s hard to find people who want to work in my field,” he added, pulling my back to him,

“What time is it?” I asked,

“Four thirty,” He replied,

“Okay we should probably leave in about twenty minutes,” I spoke,

“Where are we going again?” He questioned,

“Ally’s house,” I replied,

“Okay,” He muttered,

“Why?” I asked,

“I just wanted to know if I should change or not,” He answered. I rested my head on his shoulder. I hate him, but for some reason he loves me. I really don’t understand.

“You’re getting changed anyway,” I stated,

“Why?” He questioned,

“Because what you’re wearing isn’t casual enough.” I replied, he was wearing a button down shirt and dress pants,

“What do you want me to wear?” He asked,

“Something more casual,” I answered,

“Okay, clearly what I usually wear is a lot less casual than you want, so can you pick something?” He questioned,

“You’re like a big baby, I’m going to tell everyone,” I groaned, standing up from the bed,

“You can try, but no one’s going to believe you,” He added,

“Any one who’s seen how you act around me would say differently,” I muttered, throwing open the doors to his closet,

“You’re going to break my house,” He complained,

“Maybe that’s the point,” I mumbled, grabbing a random shirt and throwing it on the bed.

“That’s a lot of nerve for someone living and eating here for free,” He chuckled, grabbing the shirt and holding it in front of him.

“It’s not really like I have a choice, last time I even mentioned going back to my apartment you locked down the entire house,” I stated,

“Yeah, and I would do it again,” He muttered, I grabbed a pair of shorts and threw them at his face.

“What was that for?” He asked, throwing the shorts to the side,

“You’re annoying,” I answered,

“What did I even do to you?” he questioned,

“You know exactly what you did to me,” I stated, settling back onto his bed.

“You’re making it seem worse than it is,” he scoffed,

“Am I though?” I asked,

“Definitely,” he replied,

“I don’t think you would like it if that happened to you,” I muttered,

“Depends, who’s doing it?” he questioned,

“Me,” I answered,

“Oh, that sounds pretty nice, well, actually, would you treat me how I treated you?” He asked,

“Sure,” I replied,

“Heaven,” he muttered,

“Fucking psycho,” I mumbled under my breath,

“You know it’s kind of funny how comfortable you are in my house,” he laughed, standing up from the bed,

“Yeah well, I’ve kind of given up, I know you aren’t going to let me leave so might as well make myself at home.” I sighed,

“I guess so, but you can’t deny that you love it here, it’s not like I’m treating you badly or anything, you can’t be complaining” He added smugly, pulling off his shirt and throwing it on the floor,

“I don’t love it here, you love me being here so you’re trying to get me to stay, sorry, let me correct myself, forcing me to stay,” I stated,

“You’re making it seem like I’m treating you horribly, you get whatever you want whenever you want, your own room, a dog, oh, and a whole library to yourself.” He scoffed, counting off the list on his fingers.

“On the condition that I have to stay here everyday,” I muttered,

“It’s not everyday, I’m not keeping you hostage,” he laughed, I raised an eyebrow,

“May I remind you that you have a lockdown button on my room?” I questioned,

“Yeah, I do, but I’ve only used it a few times,” He replied,

“What the fuck do you mean a few times?” I asked,

“A few as in two or three, pass me the shirt,” he commanded, pointing to the shirt on the bed,

“When are the other times that you’ve done it?” I questioned, throwing the shirt at him, he caught it with one hand before it hit his face,

“Well, I think I’ve done it five times, it’s mostly just when I’m not here overnight, and then that one time I was showing it to you.” He explained, pulling the shirt over his head,

“There has to be a way to stop it from working right?” I asked,

“Let me think… no, definitely not, it’s not physically possible to stop it from working.” He answered firmly, pulling off his pants and tossing them to the side,

“There has to be a way to stop it from happening,” I insisted,

“No. Shorts,” he added, pointing to the shorts beside me,

“Get them yourself,” I muttered,

“Just pass them to me,” He groaned, I picked them up and threw them towards his face, he grabbed it just before it hit him,

“Thanks for that,” he muttered,

“I hate you,” I mumbled,

“Why? Is it because I can catch things?” He questioned, pulling on the shorts,

“Yes, how are you reflexes so fast?” I asked,

“Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’m constantly getting shot at,” He suggested,

“And you’re saying you’ve dodged bullets before?” I questioned,

“I mean, not the bullets, but I’ve dodged right before they pulled the trigger,” he answered,

“So you haven’t dodged a bullet,” I added,

“I have once, well barely, it scraped my shoulder but I mostly dodged it,” he stated,

“Where was the gun aimed?” I questioned,

“Well, I think they were aiming for my heart, but you know I’m not sure,” he answered

“Do you have a scar?” I asked,

“Yeah, it’s just looks like a rip,” he replied,

“Can I see it?” I questioned,

“Why?” He asked,

“I don’t know, it’s kind of cool,” I answered,

“I don’t think my scars are cool, I think they’re weird,” he stated,

“No, they’re cool, it’s like a reminder that you survived something,” I added,

“That’s a different way to think about them,” he spoke,

“Yeah, now can I see the one on your shoulder?” I questioned,

“Fine, come here,” He commanded, I crawled over to him, he pulled down the collar of his shirt, there was a a wide discoloured rip in his shoulder, I looked at it for a few seconds,

“Okay, we’re done here,” he added, pulling up his collar,

“Hey, I wasn’t done looking,” I stated, he started walking away, I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back onto the bed, pushing him down on his back.

“Why do you even want to look at it?” He asked,

“It’s cool,” I replied,

“It’s ugly,” he corrected,

“No it’s not, makes you look tough,” I added, pulling his collar back down and running my finger over the scar, he moved his head to the opposite side,

“I don’t get what you like about them, what’s so cool about an unhealed cut?” he questioned,

“I don’t know, they’re just fun to look at,” I answered,

“Okay, that’s enough, you can look at them later,” He muttered, standing up and walking towards the door,

“Them?” I asked,

“I’ve got like twenty of them,” he replied,

“That’s a lot,” I stated, standing up and walking behind him,

“Well actually, now I have twenty one including the one that you gave me,” he laughed,

“I still don’t feel bad about that,” I muttered,

“Evil, you’re evil,” he whispered, grabbing my hand and pulling me after him,

“Can I remind you of the cut that I now have on my neck?” I questioned,

“Please don’t, I still feel really bad about that,” he answered,

“You know you could have killed me, right?” I asked, a smirk playing at my lips,

“Yes I know that, I went just deep enough for you to shed blood, but not deep enough to actually cause any damage,” He replied,

“So you did your research?” I questioned,

“Well, briefly, I know how hard you have to press to actually hurt someone, and I also know how deep you have to cut to kill someone, you couldn’t tell how hard I was trying not to hurt you.” He answered,

“That’s kind of weird,” I stated,

“That kind of saved your life,” he clarified, pulling me down the stairs behind him,

“I think I could cut you deep enough to kill you,” I added,

“You mean not to kill me?” He asked,

“I know what I said,” I replied,

“Why do you hate me so much?” He questioned, pulling open the doors,

“Take a guess,” I challenged,

“Okay, but can’t you forgive me or something?” He asked, walking over to the car,

“For what you did, no,” I answered, opening the passenger door,

“Shut the door,” he muttered, pushing the door closed,

“Why?” I mumbled under my breath,

“And let me open it,” He finished, opening the door again,

“That was stupid,” I stated, stepping into the car,

“That was chivalry,” He corrected, shutting the door behind me.

He jumped over the car and slid into the drivers side, I stared at him,

“What?” He asked, settling into the seat and shutting the door,

“You know what, why do you keep doing that?” I questioned, he started up the car with a loud roar,

“Chivalry,” he answered, lurching away from the sidewalk,

“Why do you keep saying that?” I asked,

“It’s the easiest explanation, the reason I open the door for you is chivalry,” he stated,

“Okay but how does chivalry apply to what you do?” I questioned,

“Stop asking so many questions,” He commanded,

“Boring bitch,” I muttered, turning my body to face the window,

“Don’t start with that,” he scoffed, turning me back to face the road,

“I didn’t even do anything,” I mumbled,

“You’re trying to avoid me,” he stated,

“I’m in the same car as you,” I groaned,

“Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean,” He added,

“Oh, I have a question. Why do you park the car on the street, do you not have a garage?” I asked,

“I have a garage, it’s where I keep my nice cars, this is my everyday car,” he replied,

“How many cars do you have?” I questioned,

“I haven’t counted,” he answered,

“Can I see them when we get home?” I asked,

“Well, sure, but I’m not driving any of them,” he stated,

“Why not?” I questioned,

“Two reasons, one, I’ve lost-or misplaced most of the keys, and two, the ones that I do know where the keys are are really expensive,” he answered,

“Okay fine,” I spoke, slightly disappointed, he glanced over at me,

“If you want, I can take you for a ride on my motorbike,” he added,

“Okay, that sounds fun,” I smiled,

“Maybe,” he whispered so quietly I could barely hear it,

“What?” I asked,

“Nothing,” he replied, after a few more minutes of driving we finally pulled up outside Ally’s house. I stepped out of the passengers side and walked to the side walk, Dorian was squatting in front of the drivers side, his hands braced on the door,

“What happened?” I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder,

“Look, I think someone scratched my car,” He stated, pulling me down next to him, there was a silver sliver about ten centimeters long. I ran my finger over it,

“Yeah, you should stop parking it outside,” I added, standing up,

“Probably,” he muttered, following after me,

“I’m telling you there’s definitely room for that car in your garage,” I stated,

“I’m telling you there’s definitely not,” he spoke,

“Okay well, I’m just going to have to see later, there’s definitely room,” I muttered,

“You wanna bet?” He asked,

“Yeah, my full attention,” I replied,

“Thousand dollars,” he added,

“Deal,” I whispered.

I knocked on the door of her house,

“Okay you have to be nice,” I stated,

“I’m always nice,” he lied,

“Just, at least smile at him,” I added,

“Wait, what do you mean by him?” He asked, just as he finished Ally swung the door open,

“Hi!” She exclaimed,

“Hey!” I beamed, hugging her tightly,

“Is he okay? He looks mad,” she whispered in my ear,

“He’s fine, I think,” I muttered, pulling back slowly, I glanced back at Dorian, his expression was cold and a mix of anger and disappointment, I elbowed him in the chest,

“Ouch! What was that for?” He asked, rubbing his side,

“Smile idiot,” I whispered, he groaned, a slight smile curving his lips,

“Better?” He questioned,

“Better,” I confirmed,

“Come, let’s go to my room,” Ally smiled, turning on her heel and walking to the stairs. I started following after her, Dorian sighed, following behind me. Ally opened the door to her room, Sam was lying on her bed, scrolling through TikTok’s,

“Sam, get up,” she hissed, he threw his phone down jumping up from the bed,

“I don’t believe we’ve met, Sam,” He introduced, extending his hand to shake Dorians,

“Dorian,” he muttered, shaking his hand,

“Ally, it’s good to see you!” Sam beamed, pulling away and pulling me into an embrace,

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” I smiled, hugging him back,

“So, what do you guys want to do?” Sam asked, pulling away,

“I have a few ideas, maybe we could do some competitions or something,” Ally suggested, Dorian slithered his arm around my waist, pulling me towards him.

“I have a cake recipe we could make, that might be fun,” I added,

“Yes,” Sam chimed in,

“What did you say about that bet?” Dorian whispered,

“About the cars?” I asked,

“Yeah,” He confirmed,

“I said that I think you can fit that car in the garage,” I stated,

“Okay, I need to make a phone call,” He added, backing away slowly, he opened the door and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.I walked over to Ally’s bed and sat down.

“I have a question,” Sam stated,

“Fire away,” I challenged,

“Dorian, is he always like that?” He questioned,

“Like what?” I asked,

“He looked, how do I put it? Angry,” He replied,

“No,” I started,

“So it’s around me? I’m the problem?” He questioned,

“No, usually he’s worse,” I answered,

“Is that true?” He asked Ally,

“Oh yeah, he can be so much worse,” She replied,

“Give me an example,” He challenged,

“For starters he has a lockdown button on her room,” Ally spoke,

“What, how’s that even possible? That’s like psycho behaviour. Are you okay? Does he treat you badly? Does he like to abuse you or something?” He asked,

“Shut up, if you have questions about me you could have just asked,” Dorian chimed in,

“Shit,” Sam whispered,

“One, hundreds and thousands of dollars. Two, I am a psycho. Three, yes she’s okay. Four, no I don’t treat her badly. And five, no I don’t abuse her. What’s wrong with you?” He asked, stalking towards the bed and sitting down next to me.

“That’s a lot of nerve,” I whispered,

“What’s a lot of nerve?” Dorian asked,

“Saying you don’t abuse me,” I replied,

“I don’t, if anything your abusing me,” he stated,

“Yeah, yeah, you’re just lying because you know that you deserve to be in prison,” I muttered,

“Okay, shut up, you’re freaking them out, I swear that I’m not abusing her,” he laughed,

“Yeah ask Marco that,” I challenged,

“He’s going to agree with me,” he stated,

“Wait, who’s Marco?” Ally asked,

“I think I’ve told you, he’s Dorian’s cook,” I replied,

“Oh yeah, you mentioned him that one time we used his credit card to buy Burger King,” She stated,

“Also, he’s going to agree with me,” I added,

“What? But he’s Dorian’s cook, shouldn’t he agree with him?” Sam asked,

“See you would think that, but I bet he’ll agree with me,” I answered,

“Call him and find out,” Ally challenged,

“Right, bet,” I added, pulling out my phone,

“Wait, how did you get his number?” Dorian asked,

“How did I get most of their numbers? Dumb question, for emergencies,” I stated, scrolling through my contacts and finding Marco, I clicked on it and put it on speaker,

“Wait let me talk to him,” Dorian commanded, reaching for my phone, I groaned, sliding it into his palm.

“Stai bene? Devo chiamare qualcuno? C’è qualcosa che non va?” Marco asked quickly,

“Calma, calma, sono solo io, sta bene. Devo solo chiederti una cosa.” Dorian laughed,

“Oh, okay, cosa c’è che non va?” He questioned,

“Quindi, Astrielle sta dicendo che io maltratto lei è vero? Per favore, di’ che non è così, sta un po’ spaventando alcune persone.” Dorian explained,

“Lei é li von te?” Marco asked,

“Sí,” Dorian answered slowly,

“Allora sí,” he stated,

“Cosa diavolo intendi con, ‘allora sí’?” Dorian asked angrily, a smile curved at the edge of my lips,

“Non sto cercando di iniziare nulla, sto solo facendo quello che mi hai detto do fare quando è tornata a casa.” Marco added,

“In questo momento non mi interessa cosa ti ho detto quando è tornata a casa, in questo momento ho bisogno che tu dica la verità, i suoi amici pensano che io stia abusando di lei.” Dorian hissed, massaging his temples,

“Beh, lasciami pensare,” Marco mumbled,

“Marco,” he added,

“Bene, no, non lo fai,” he admitted,

“In Englese,” he specified,

“Ugh, no he doesn’t,” Marco groaned,

“Grazie,” Dorian whispered, hanging up and handing me back my phone,

“So he agreed with me?” I asked,

“Well, yes, but no,” He replied,

“What does that mean?” Ally questioned,

“He agreed because I told him that he should always agree to you, but honestly, his response was no,” he explained,

“God damn it,” I mumbled,

“What do you mean, were you hoping the answer was yes?” He laughed,

“I mean yeah,” I answered,

“Why?” Sam asked,

“Because he would have given me money to stop telling people take,” I replied,

“That’s not true,” Dorian scoffed, I raised an eyebrow,

“Fine, that’s true,” He gritted,

“This is like peek comedy,” Sam chuckled,

“Yeah whatever,” Dorian mumbled, pulling me against him, Sam whispered something in Ally’s ear, she giggled, pulling out her phone and typing something. My phone chimed, I pulled it out of my pocket, Ally texted me, ‘Sam wants to know if he is safe to ask a question around Dorian’ I laughed softly,

“He’s not going to do anything,” I stated,

“Who’s not going to do anything?” Dorian asked,

“Shut up, stop being so nosey,” I commanded,

“Okay, I have a question. Dorian, are you always so angry?” Sam asked,

“I’m not even angry,” Dorian protested,

“Yes, he’s always angry,” I stated,

“Okay, and what you’re wearing is kind of fancy, is there a reason for that?” He questioned,

“That was the most casual thing I could find in his cupboard.” I replied,

“Okay, I have a question for you Astrielle. So is he always this clingy or is this a today thing?” Ally asked,

“Usually, no he’s worse,” I answered,

“I’m not,” He whispered, resting his head on top of mine,

“Look at this, needy weirdo,” I muttered, gesturing to Dorian,

“I’m not needy,” He groaned,

“I personally think he’s very needy,” Sam added, Dorian’s gaze locked onto him,

“He looks like he’s going to hit me,” Sam whispered,

“He’s not,” I stated,

“I am,” He mumbled, Sam looked at him with a mix of fear and confusion,

“Try anything and I’m going back to my place,” I hissed,

“Is that a threat?” Ally questioned,

“Yes, you should know that,” I replied,

“I’m sure he’ll be fine if you go home,” Sam laughed,

“You see how this man is sitting? He will not be fine if I leave,” I spoke,

“You know we could just ask him, right?” Ally asked,

“Not fine, not if she leaves,” he answered,

“That’s kind of weird, no?” Sam questioned,

“Yeah, I don’t know, this is normal for him.” I stated,

“What do you guys want to do?” Ally asked,

“Oh, now that you mention it I saved this cake recipe earlier, maybe we could make that.” I suggested, Dorian groaned,

“What’s wrong?” Sam questioned,

“I suck at baking,” He groaned,

“Oh shut up, now, do you guys want to bake a cake or not?” I asked,

“Definitely,” Ally replied happily, jumping up from the bed, Sam started following after her, I stood up quickly, starting to walk after Ally,

“Get up,” I commanded,

“Ugh, fine,” He mumbled, standing up and following after me. I jogged down the stairs and into the kitchen,

“Okay what do we need for the cake?” Ally questioned, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, finding the video quickly.

“Two cups flour, three eggs, teaspoon of vanilla, cup of sugar, one teaspoon of baking soda, one and half cup milk, half a cup of melted butter, and then there’s also a recipe for icing, but we don’t need that,” I answered,

“Okay, easy enough,” Sam added, walking to the pantry, Ally padded to the fridge grabbing some things from inside. Dorian rolled up his sleeves,

“Why are you doing that?” I asked,

“If I’m going to bake a cake I’m at least going to try,” He explained, I looked at the scar on his forearm from where I had cut him, I laughed softly,

“Your still laughing about that, it’s not that funny,” he scoffed,

“I think it’s hilarious,” I laughed. Ally and Sam walked back into the kitchen, both holding a collection of jars and containers. They set them down on the counter,

“What if Dorian and Astrielle make one cake, and me and Ally make another, then we can see who’s better at baking.” Sam suggested,

“Sure,” I agreed,

“Okay, I’m just warning you, I’m horrible at baking, so ours will probably be worse than yours.” Dorian warned,

“Okay,” Ally laughed, Dorian rested his hands on the counter, leaning back slightly.

“What’s that on your arm?” Sam asked,

“Um, a scar,” He stated, glancing down at the line on his arm,

“What did you do?” Ally questioned,

“A fight, guy pulled a knife,” He lied,

“Okay, why’d you get in a fight with him” Sam whispered to himself,

“In my defence she kind of just had the knife and cut me, so it wasn’t really a fight but, you know, kind of started a fight.” He explained, Ally grabbed my arm and pulled me around the corner,

“Is that really what happened?” She asked quietly, I smiled,

“Not entirely,” I answered,

“So what happened?” She questioned,

“Well she did cut him, but he started the fight,” I explained,

“I did not, it was her choice,” Dorian called around the corner,

“Most people would make that choice,” I shot back,

“She knew what was going to happen, I didn’t make her do that,” he stated,

“Whatever,” I groaned, padding back around the corner.

“You guys fight so much, it’s hilarious,” Sam laughed,

“He always starts it,” I stated, pointing at Dorian,

“What?” He asked, his brows knitting together,

“You heard me,” I replied, he scoffed,

“I do not,” He stated,

“I beg to differ,” I added, Ally laughed,

“Are we making this cake or not?” Sam questioned,

“Yes,” I replied, walking to a small cabinet and grabbing a glass bowl, Ally walked over and grabbed one as well. I set the bowl on the counter and grabbed the flour, tipping it into the bowl.

“Dorian, can you add the eggs?” I asked, grabbing a stick of butter and walking towards the microwave.

“Fine,” He groaned, I took a scoop of butter and put it into the bowl, placing it in the microwave,

“How many eggs was it?” He questioned,

“Three,” I answered,

“Okay thanks,” He added,

“You did what?” Ally asked,

“Okay, I accidentally put one cup of baking Soda,” Sam answered, I had to bite my cheek to stop myself from laughing,

“How did you do that?” Dorian laughed,

“I… forgot the measurement,” He replied slowly.