Families Don't Kill Each Other

Iris screamed her lungs out when she saw the man, staring at her in the mirror. She stopped screaming when she realized that the man in the mirror just stared at her and was not doing or saying anything.

The alcohol in her system suddenly cleared up and she sobered up. She snapped her head and confirmed her hunch. The man was indeed standing behind her, unmoving.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She asked, looking at the bathroom door and saw the sign at the door, telling her that she was inside the right bathroom. This man was the one who was mistaken because he was inside the women's toilet.

"I was making sure that you're fine."

Iris furrowed her eyebrows with the reasoning of the man. She noticed that his eyes were gray with a streak of green in his irises which was very strange coloring.

"Why would you care if I'm fine or not?"

"What do you think of me? We danced and I like you. Of course, I'd care."

Iris's jaw dropped in shock. She was too stunned to utter any form of words at all. She knew that she was dancing with someone on the dance floor. She was having a good time but she didn't expect the man to follow her in the women's bathroom, acting as if there was nothing wrong with his action.

She was drunk but her mind was still clear enough to understand what was right and wrong. However, this man seemed to be having a hard time understanding the concept of right and wrong. Another man came to mind with this man's haughtiness.

"This is the women's bathroom," she said, stating the obvious for the man appeared to be clueless of proper etiquette.

"I know. I'm not blind," he replied as though she was stupid for even thinking of what she just said.

"Then why—" She stopped what she was going to say. There was no way that this man would understand what she would say. And she was sure not because of not understanding, just that he just does whatever the hell he wants, just like Calixto.

"Are you related with Love and Calixto?" She asked if he would say yes, it would explain his strange action.

The man chuckled. "For a mere mortal, you aren't that dumb. And for that matter, I'd say that I like you and I want you to be mine."

"Calixto is strange. And so is Love, but you're the strangest of the lot. How are you related to them?" Her voice was laced with amusement. She did not expect to meet more of Calixto's relatives.

He scoffed as though being compared to the two were such a disgrace.

"Those youngsters were not someone I'd like to associate myself with. There existence should have not happened if our father was not too lenient and very vocal with his favoritism."

'Youngsters?' Iris didn't open her mouth with her questions. She scanned the man in front of her and he looked like the same age as her. And yet, he called Calixto and Love youngster. This man must be older than Calixto and Love, she thought to herself as she continued to stare at the man with fascination.

She was more fascinated meeting him than meeting Calixto's father.

"Where did Love find you?"

Iris swallowed a lump on her throat and found herself answering his question.

"Calixto found me," she heard herself saying, despite a small voice screaming at the back of her mind, telling her not to say anything to him.

"And what is your name?"

"Iris," she uttered under her breath as she stepped backwards. She jolted a little when her back hit the sink

"Iris…"

He said his name by rolling the sound of it in his tongue as if he was tasting her name.

"Just like your ancestors. You are named after a flower," he said with a scoff. "No wonder Calixto was hiding you." He shook his head in disbelief. "How could he Calixto find you the moment he awaken is a question that I would not find an answer…" He said, shaking his head.

Iris bit the inside of her cheeks because she had a feeling that she would blurted out everything she knew to this man if she could not stop herself.

"Iris, I apologize for scaring you. I enjoy our time at the dance floor and I'd like to spend more time with you in the future," he said, stepping forward.

Iris darted her eyes from left to right, trying to find a way to escape but there was none. Her back was on the sink and the man was forwarding and her throat was dry from all the screaming that she had done a while ago.

"My name is Talon and I want you to leave Calixto and come with me."

Iris swallowed her own saliva and felt the corner of her eyes watered in fear. She knew that she would cry any minute now.

"Are you insane, Uncle Talon?"

Iris grabbed the edge of the sink with her hand, stopping her knees from sliding on the cold floor. She never felt so relieved and glad to hear Love's voice.

"Marietta," he said, her name like it left a bitter taste in his mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh? You mean, I should not be here because you sent a man to stop me? You think it could stop me?" She spat at Talon.

Iris stepped sideways to Love's side. She felt the sudden change in the atmosphere even though she did not understand what they were talking about and why they were both glaring at each other with murderous intent in their eyes.

"You are such an annoying little girl. I hate how my sister brought you into the family."

"You don't have much of a choice, Uncle Talon. It is what it is."

Talon scoffed. "Not if I could kill you."

Iris dashed to Love's side and gripped her elbow when she heard what Talon said.

"How about I kill you instead?"

"Don't!" she shouted. "Families don't kill each other."

Love and Talon stared at her as if they just saw her for the first time and laughed.