1 ONE: L i f e S t y L e

THREE YEARS LATER

Time: 3:35 p.m

Location: America, Avenue street, complex building, B-6.

'Vulnerable and defenseless.'

Her first thought as she entered the empty apartment. Her green eyes stared dangerously at the quiet devil over the couch. He was fast asleep.

The adrenaline rushed in her veins and her hand itched to grab the knife hidden in her body.

It was a rare opportunity.

Silently, she moved towards him. Her small steps were quick and silent.

'Control your breathing.'

'Less movement.'

'Disintegrate your presence.'

Everything he taught her on how to survive was also everything she needed to kill him and more.

A deep surge of hatred filled her dark emerald eyes as she clenched the knife tightly. Raising it high, she aimed for his heart without hesitation.

Thack!

The knife immediately paused mid-air and a pair of cold dark eyes languidly gazed at her. She felt pale. His cold fingertips slowly wrapped around her wrist. She stayed still, oh so very still.

All it took was one wrong move and she knew he'd break her hand without blinking an eye.

"Fuck." She uttered before the strong man pulled her in the couch roughly and overturned their position.

'Motherfucker I'll kill you.'

She glared at the man hatefully but she didn't struggle. She knew what he was capable of. He always made sure she'd never forget. Brutal. Traumatizing. Horror.

The devil was now on top of her.

He was shirtless, unintentionally exposing his bronze colored skin. She had seen it too many times but it was impossible to ignore the myriad of glaring scars that marred its otherwise smooth surface - pale, circular splotches that resembled cigarette burns and long, narrow lines criss-crossed across his chest and down to his abdomen.

They were old scars; pale, but not too noticeable, but even so, they looked malevolent and sinister.

It seemed that the devil hadn't always been the powerful mysterious man that no one touched and everyone served.

Sometimes Vresca would wonder what kinds of experiences had left the man with such profound scars. But, she never pitied him. He didn't deserve it.

Sharp masculine features stared at her.

Slowly, his strong hands wrapped around her smooth white neck, gently yet with every second slowly choking her to death.

"Stop..." She gritted her teeth, painfully struggling to breath. Her face was turning white. Her lungs felt like exploding whenever she gasped. She was suffering. He made her suffer.

A few more seconds, as if he could sense her limit, he finally let go of her.

Vresca immediately exhaled rapidly, coughing pitifully.

'Psycho.' Her green dark eyes looked at him quietly.

She didn't avoid his icy stare. She already lost her chance so there was no reason to tempt the man to hurt her anymore.

Solemnly, the devil gazed at the bruise he left on her fragile neck. He didn't say a word. He simply stroked the bluish mark gently with his cold fingertips. It was so delicate, so soft, and petite. He knew he could easily snap her neck like a twig if he only added a bit more strength.

The girl's face showed disgust. She immediately slapped his hand away.

In response to her action, the devil smiled faintly.

"Fuck you." She spat.

In an instant, he grabbed her wrists together.

"Don't. Not today..." The man said, his voice sharp, the major headache felt like a thousands of needles poking his skull from the inside. There were different hundreds of voices whispering incessantly, again and again.

"Behave." He was was clearly in a bad mood.

The expressionless devil was a deaf assassin but he could read her lips skillfully. Her sweet 'fuck you' didn't help much either to aid the whispers.

Vresca slightly trembled and nodded slowly.

"Ah!" She winced in pain when his grip only tightened. She could feel her bones rattling.

"Dishonest." He warned.

"I...I'm sorry, I understand..." She answered obediently. She was very quick to adapt.

Submission. She had to lower herself to survive.

'Right now, I'll dance in your tunes, but sooner or later, this little puppet will be the one to kill you.' She thought viciously with a calm look.

The cold assassin saw the flicker of defiance in her eyes that she tried to hide quickly and inwardly felt satisfaction.

'Avoid showing the enemy any emotional fluctuations that they could use to their advantage. If you must, then fake it to your leverage and use it to manipulate.'

Her learning capability and endless greed for knowledge could be described as genius. His teachings weren't left in vain.

Slowly, he let go of her and roughly shoved her off of the couch.

'Stubborn girl.'

Vresca groaned in pain.

"Leave." The cold man threatened.

She felt humiliated but then she got up and saw the knife that fell on the floor.

[ Try again... Stab him... Do it... Escape now... Do it... ]

The little girl inside her was crying again.

She hated it.

She hated it so much.

She could never learn her lesson. She wished the little girl would just shut the fuck up.

[ Try, try, try... Do it now...!]

She grabbed the knife but just as before she could raise her hand, the man stepped on her hand crushing her fingers.

"Ah!" She whimpered.

'It hurts like a bitch...'

The devil looked down at the persistent girl. She was a fighter but he controlled the fight in her.

Indifferently, he gestured for her to pull her hand away.

Her eyes squinted at his command.

'He's stepping on my hand with all his weight and he tells me to pull it out? Sadistic maniac!'

"Aaah!" She shouted when he stepped harder.

"Weakling." He provoked her.

Enraged, Vresca bit his leg violently that her white teeth sunk against his pants.

"Small rabbit."

Vresca growled darkly. She knew he was baiting her, goading her to be reckless so he could shove it back straight on her face.

'Sick bastard!'

Suddenly he grabbed her by the hair and violently pushed her on the floor. Her body slammed on the ground. She yelped, felt pain and slowly moved away from him.

He was observing her and she was too.

He then approached her but as soon as he was on her range, she threw a punch and jabbed his face.

The punch connected but she wasn't satisfied. She knew it didn't hurt him as much as she wished it to be.

The man scratched his cheek with his digit.

"Weak. The momentum was cut short." He commented. "Again." He gestured with his finger.

Vresca felt mortified and fixed her posture and her fist flew in the air, rushing quick towards the man's jaw but he easily blocked it.

"Aaagh!"

In a blink of an eye, he dominated the fight and almost twisted her arm, making her fall down on her knees.

"Stop! I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry... Please let me go...let me go..." She pleaded, immediately throwing away her pride. She couldn't live another year with another broken arm. Not again.

Ding Dong!

The doorbell in the apartment echoed. Vresca instantly looked at the door with vigilance.

The devil also ceased his movements. His hearing maybe impaired but his ability to sense the presence of another person was unearthly.

He already detected the person beforehand and right now, he could feel it, he could sense someone standing at their front door.

But there was no killing intent. This wasn't someone he'd have to dispose of, atleast not yet.

Vresca took the chance to break free from his grip. She gritted her teeth and tried to stand up when the man looked at her direction icily.

Be. Very. Quiet. His eyes warned her.

She paused and nodded cautiously.

/Go wash up/ He instructed, his hand silently signing her.

Hand signs...it was another way of communicating with a deaf ruthless killer.

Vresca rubbed her aching arm, glanced at him and walked away, hiding her vengeful gaze.

*****

The man turned away and wore a white shirt and picked up the knife before he approached the door with non-existent footsteps. He opened the door with caution and calmly assessed the situation. A knife was hidden behind his back.

"Good morning Mr. Hunter!" A bubbly greeting.

In a mere second, the man completely memorized the short woman's profile. Brown hair and brown eyes. Petite frame about 50-53kgs. 5'4 ft. And above average features.

"So pleased to meet you, I am Keisha Denver. Vresca's homeroom teacher. I'm so sorry for the sudden intrusion but I was hoping to talk to you about Vresca's sudden decision to drop out. She left no phone contact at all. Thankfully there was an address form."

"Alrend Hunter, the pleasure is mine." The devil introduced himself after her lips pressed together and finally closed.

The single 27 years old teacher was a little flustered, noticing the way he glances at her lips.

She was self-conscious but then she remembered how Vresca described her parent before.

'My father is deaf but he can do lip-reading. He's hard-working and looks average.'

Keisha gulped. Her student was too humble! The word 'average' didn't fit the tall, robust and mature man in any angle at all. He was atleast 6'1 ft with dark hair and black obsidian eyes.

'He's gorgeous but is he really Vresca's father? This is the first time I'm meeting her parent. He looks younger than I expected too. Thirty two years old is it? Wait, does that mean he already had his first woman when he was just 15..!?'

Keisha's cheeks flushed at her own realization.

Meanwhile, Alrend was observing the female teacher. He scanned her body quickly and assessed her posture. No weapons and no combat prowess. She was clean.

"Please, come in." He opened the door to welcome her, offering her a kind smile.

Keisha was quite smitten by his attractive persona. She smiled back and entered the devil's home.

Alrend smiled gently, hiding the knife behind his back.