9 Part 8

[Past-Lucien]

"You've been avoiding me for a long time now, Lara," Lucien said quietly. Lara's head jerked towards her right. Lucien stood leaning against the wall in front of her room. He was looking at the floor, his dark hair falling on his face and covering his expression from her.

"You are not supposed to be here!" she hissed. "It's three a.m. in the morning and boys are not allowed inside the girl's dorms at night, don't you know that?"

"I thought I taught you a lesson when I got Parkinson expelled but that didn't do it, huh?" he said softly. Her voice was lost. She saw in his hand gleamed a silver knife, reflecting back the moonlight.

She had heard about the expulsion and she didn't even get to talk to him before he left. She had no idea why that happened out of the blue but the teachers seemed to avoid the subject of Steven Parkinson altogether. He was the only friend she had and losing him was more painful than she could have ever imagined. She had also been avoiding Lucien so that left her with no one to talk to. She felt both angry and scared at the same time when she realized it was all Lucien's doing to hurt her for avoiding him.

"Why were you avoiding me?" he turned his face to her and her blood ran cold. The moon outside was casting beautiful shadows but Lucien's shadow seemed threatening. His eyes appeared translucent in the moonlight and Lara's breath hitched at his beauty.

Only if he wasn't holding a knife.

"I… I am sorry, Lucien," she looked away. Suddenly she started regretting her choice of clothing. All she had covering her body was a long Tee and shorts which left most of her skin bare and cold. Lara had only gotten up to get some fresh air but after seeing him standing in the corridor in front of her room she realized it wasn't that safe an idea. "How did you come here anyway?"

"That doesn't matter now, does it?" he smiled, displaying a set of white perfect teeth. He picked up the knife he was holding and licked the sharp edge of it.

Lucien studied her face as tears formed in her eyes. "I drugged everyone in this dorm today. You can scream your lungs out but nobody will hear you."

"How?" she whispered, shocked. "That can't be true. You're lying."

"Nah baby," he reached forward and grabbed the back of her head. She looked up at him, her lips trembling. She has never felt more scared in her life. "You didn't attend the evening barbecue now, did you?"

Lara was in the library preparing for their upcoming exam when she had bumped into Rodrigo. She had spent the evening talking to him and they were probably the only ones not attending the barbecue party even when teachers told them to.

She suddenly realized Rodrigo was actually there to prevent her from attending the barbecue and who else could ask him to do this except for his dear friend Lucien?

"I was the one who served the drinks. Drugging them was the easiest part." He pulled up her hand and slashed across the soft skin at her wrist. He missed the nerve by a few centimeters and Lara realized it was done on purpose. She shouted as the pain registered in her mind and body. "Stop! Stop this, Lucien!"

He threw his head back and laughed. "Aw Lara, you really thought you could just go and scream and get me in trouble? Once they are asleep they won't wake up for the next eleven hours. I've made sure every one of them drank my specially made drink. The teachers are drowning in sleep and so are the guards. Nobody will come to help you."

"Let me go!" she wrenched her bleeding hand away but Lucien grabbed her waist and she could only struggle against his strength.

"You know something about me nobody else does, what is it?" Lucien stared at her. She felt herself crying. Her heart was beating so fast against her chest. All she had ever wanted to do was know more about him but she wished she didn't.

Curiosity killed the cat.

"I am sorry Lucien. I won't tell anyone what I saw. In fact, I didn't. I didn't tell anyone what I know," she whispered. "Let me go, please Lucien. I beg you."

"What do you know?"

"I know about the animals hung in the woods and about your siblings and about…" she took a deep breath. Lying won't help her in this situation. "I know about Ben. You killed him, didn't you?"

The silence after that question seemed to stretch on forever. She was starting to wonder if she had even said it out loud was when he let her go. "I did, yes. What do you think about the animals in the woods?"

"It… was unnerving to see," she said truthfully. "I don't want to have to do anything with you anymore. Just leave me alone."

"What makes you think I will leave you alone after you've discovered my secret hobby?" he smirked. "I wouldn't have left you alone even if you hadn't found out that shit."

"What do you mean?"

"You're mine. And you will forever be mine. If I can't have you, nobody can. Do you understand me?" he traced the cold blade against her cheek. "Now, will you be mine, Lara?"

"I would rather be dead."

"Run." He whispered into her ears and she realized he was giving her a chance to escape. She didn't waste another minute and bolted out the corridor as fast as she could. Her legs were aching, she never got much exercise. She run out of the building and noticed he was right. The guards were indeed sleeping on duty- something they never do. Sadly none of them even had some sort of weapon on her she could take. She didn't waste time trying to wake them up because she knew it was of no use. She had nowhere to go but the dark forest in front of her.

She could get lost in it easily. But even he could get lost. It was a risk but she had no other option. Everyone was dead asleep. Nobody would hear her scream, nobody would come to help her.

Their school was situated on top of a hill, isolated from all sides. There was no way she would ever make it down to the main road. The cars were all locked up in the garage and getting their keys would take her hours. She needed to act fast.

"I can see you, Lara!" She looked back and saw him staring down at her small frame in the middle of the backyard from the top of the building.

When did he go up to the rooftop?

She had a head start. She decided if she hurried she could make it. She ran towards the forest without looking back.

"I will count to three and then come for you, does that sound fair, Lara?" he shouted in the silence of the night. "Three!"

She ran faster into the dark forest. Her body paralyzed as she tried not to hyperventilate in the dark.

"Two!"

She sat down on the floor knowing she won't be able to run anymore. Her body had stopped working. Her fear had paralyzed her.

She didn't hear the last countdown but heard the soft twigs and dry leaves crunching beneath someone's foot. The last thing she heard before going unconscious was his maniacal laughter.