0.2-Xander Knight

As soon as he got to his room, he collapsed on his bed, sleep overtaking him. The peace lasted upto a few minutes until his brother came waking him up.

"What?" Xander groaned.

"Mom and dad want to talk to you." Liam said, "About school?"

He laid on the bed for a solid minute, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. "Fine."

He followed Liam out, grabbing a notebook and a pencil from his desk. They found their parents talking in the living room. The conversation ceased the moment Xander stepped in.

Trying to ignore his parents'looks of concern, Xander sat on the couch, leaning back on the armrest while he propped up his legs on the couch. He began scribbling down in his notebook without a word.

"Xander." His mom called tentatively, strands of her long caramel coloured hair escaping from behind her ear. Xander always thought his mom was the most beautiful woman in the world, especially with the warmth she used to have in her eyes. Her beautiful eyes, which Xander had inherited, used to be full of love and adoration for him. Her warm voice would sooth his nightmares when he was a kid.

But now, those eyes were just filled with concern, like any wrong word or thing would hurt him. And her voice... it's the one haunting his dreams.

He slightly inclined his head, to show them that he was listening.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to-"

"No."

"But son-"

Xander looked up from his book, his grip on the pencil hard as if he was trying to channel out his feelings through it so that he wouldn't end up saying something bad. "Anywhere is fine as long as it's not that particular institution."

"You can go to London." Liam suggested, ignoring the warning looks their parents cast at him. "I'm sure Uncle will be thrilled to have you there. Away from us?" Liam joked, hoping to lighten up the mood.

Xander briefly glanced at him, his eyes showing his bemusement. "As much I would love to go there, believe me I really do." He cast a glance at his mom to find her stiffening. "I can't take care of all of my responsibilities from there."

"Is that the only reason?" His mom asked, hope flickering in her eyes. Xander looked at her, his eyes a cold wall of an emotionless mask. "What other reason do I have?"

He could see the hurt flash across her face, the way her eyes lowered in an attempt to hide it and the small sigh that left her lips. "Are we not a reason for you?"

"No." I want to get away from you people as far as possible. I don't even want to look at your faces. I can't. I don't have the strength.

"Xander." His dad's voice was a little stiff. Xander always admired the love his parents had. One couldn't see eachother hurt. Funny how they often said the same thing about Xander and Liam but ended up hurting Xander the most.

He remained silent, resuming his writing.

Liam gave their parents a pleading look. "It's just one year." He mouthed, "He won't stay here even if you beg him to after that."

Xander pretended to ignore the concerned glances shared by his parents. Finally his mom nodded.

"Well if you insist." Ethan Knight sighed, "I do know a good institution-"

"That settles it then." Xander stood up, placing the book on the coffee table. "This has a rough list of the people who died yesterday and the ones who probably survived. I'm going to finish up my work so please don't bother me."

Liam looked at the book and then at Xander with wide eyes. "What the?! Xander! Wait up!" He called out to his retreating back.

"Last night?!" Amelia creased her brows in worry. "He left home last night?! Ethan how could you let this happen?! What if he got hurt again?! I'm going to check on him-"

Liam stopped her. "Mom please...leave him be. He's in a really bad mood. You going to him...will make everything worse." He winced, the harsh reality of those words sinking in their hearts.

"I'll go after him." Liam said before Amelia could speak, already rushing upstairs. "Please..." He turned back, his expression serious. "Stay away from him...if you don't want to get hurt by his words."

Liam did not find Xander in his room. Cursing, he rushed to his closet. In one of the corners, right below the hanging clothes was a secret compartment the size of a shoe box. It was unlocked.

Liam groaned out loud. He had to get to his brother before he could get himself hurt again.

________________

"Just like you predicted, those people escaped. Some of them weren't even there."

Some papers were tossed on the table, the people sitting on the sides exchanging uneasy glances. Along with those papers were some photographs that sent chills down the spine of the person who spoke.

Caleb Finch immediately kneeled on the ground, sweat trickling down his face. The person standing before him had his back turned to him, his posture relaxed yet there was an air of tension in the room. The two black ribbons tying his mask trailed down his back, a few inches below his shoulder blades.

He stood with his hands in his pocket, his hidden eyes a furious fire of blue.

"T-there must've been a mistake." Caleb said, trying to keep his voice from trembling. "I didn't do anything. Please I swear."

A low chuckle erupted from the masked person's throat. His voice was like the distant thunder you could hear from miles away. Not deadly to you but probably life threatening to the person it was directed at.

In an instant, a knife pierced Caleb's shoulder, dangerously close to his neck. The masked person walked towards him with the grace of a predator. Slow yet dangerous.

He grabbed Caleb by his hair roughly, his red and white mask a foreboding of the blood that would be spilled. "They didn't teach you a thing it seems...Caleb Jonathan Amanar."

The name Amanar had everyone in the room shocked and barely able to move. It was as if they were afraid even a single breath could provoke the already mad heir.

"Y-you." The words died in Caleb's mouth as the knife was roughly removed from his shoulder and he was grabbed by his throat.

"Everyone should fucking engrave this in your brains." The masked heir spoke, his voice as emotionless as his mask. "This is what happens to those who commit fucking treason."

The knife was thrown at Caleb's face.

"Slit your fucking throat."

Everyone watched in horror as Caleb picked up the knife, blood seeping down his face from where the knife had cut. Then he suddenly swept the knife in an arch towards the heir.

He screamed in pain as the heir grabbed his arm and twisted it until it broke. Then he proceeded to cut it entirely.

"You had one chance." The heir's voice dripped with mockery as he played with the bloody knife. "Now you'll know why they call me the Blood heir."

Caleb's head was repeatedly banged on the wall until a sickening crack could be heard. Then the heir threw him on the ground, throwing the knife at his neck.

Crimson blood flowed from his neck like a river, engulfing the cracks and the holes on the ground. His lifeless eyes stared back at a distance.

Casually wiping his hands with a towel, he sat down in his place at the head of the table. Like he just hadn't killed someone in cold blood, he leaned back lazily. "Now, tell me. Are things running smoothly?"

Though it was a simple question, the negative answer could might as well lead to someone else loosing their life.

But they had to speak the truth.

Despite that, the day went on smoothly without anyone else getting killed. When everyone had left, the heir untied the knots of his mask.

"You can come out you know." He said, removing the mask.

The person hiding in the shadows grinned. "So 'Blood Heir', what are the next plans?"

He rolled his sapphire blue eyes, a smirk overtaking his lips. "Don't act like you don't know."

The person just chuckled. "The way you handled everything today and last night...it was risky. Too risky."

"Don't start." He raised his finger with a shake of his head.

"You have other people to care about you too you know?" The person leaned against the window behind the desk. "You have me...and an angry teenager who's determined to follow your footsteps. Along with an old man, and a man who's just as stubborn as you and also-

"I get it. I get it." The heir chuckled.

The person jutted his chin up a little, a silent challenge in his dark grey eyes. "And don't you dare forget it...Xander Knight."