48 How to Live with Monsters (Step One: Don't.)

Saye, Saye, wake up, wake up.

I nudged her face to both sides, trying to ooze some life out of her. But I watched as her lips started to lose color and turn pale. No, no, no. I groped for her wrist and cradled it, checking for pulse. 

I closed my eyes and tried to feel one. Nothing. 

"No!" I bent down and placed my face on her stomach and shook my head, "Don't die like this, Saye. I still have to take out my revenge on you, you messed up idiot." 

Hands held my shoulders and pulled me away from her. I looked up and saw Kai and the others who had come to check on her. Rage filled inside me as I scanned their bashful faces.

"Who among you is responsible for this?" 

None of them spoke and exchanged gazes. Kai squeezed my shoulders, "We all are, Ashe." I shook away from his grasp and pointed to the lifeless Saye on the floor, "Bring her back." 

"What?" Ethan coughed. I didn't look up. "I said, bring her back." 

"We can't…" 

I huffed and turned around and walked away from them in heavy steps. I almost expected Kai to follow me but I was alone. I called the guards and told them what had happened, trying not to cry.

Everything happened fast after that. The ambulance was called. For the first time ever, people we didn't know filled the place with stretchers and medical equipment. I watched as the paramedics treated the wounds on the boys too. 

Before the ambulance door was about to close, I held it open, "Can I come too?" 

The paramedic looked between me and the boys, "I think your brother would want you to stay here."

"Huh?" I dropped my hands, "You know Darren?"

He nodded, giving out one more medical blanket for the boys, "I'm your cousin. Connor Xie. You wouldn't know me because I had been in China until last year." 

I nodded and stepped back, "Please take care of her well."

He closed the door and the vehicle rolled away, taking my hopes to see the outer world with it. I breathed in, then out, then realized I was actually really suffocated. I held my throat and let out a silent scream. 

I wanted to get out of this estate. All this was too much for me, I needed some fresh air. I glanced at the gates and saw that it was crowded with guards. Darren hadn't spared a single dollar in hiring them. 

Kai came to stand next to me and looked at the gates too. 

"I'm sorry for what happened."

"Why did you guys fight?" I sighed and turned to look at him. He didn't meet my eyes. 

"Let's just say it's the old rage that built up inside us. We always kept it aside so that we could defeat monsters each day. But now that we are here, when there are no monsters to fight with, we started noticing each other more and remembered our old rage."

I clenched my fists together, "You guys need treatment."

Kai's tone went dark, "Give it to us then. Your company put us in situation anyway. In compensation for that, we're only asking two things."

I raised an eyebrow, "And that is?"

"Reunite us with our families and a stable job to live by." 

I rubbed the middle of my forehead and looked around for Adrien. He was the only person who won't ask things like this now. Every time I heard the boys ask about family, real life and all that I felt guilty for something someone else did. In this case, my dad. 

"I need some sleep," I finally said and turned around. His hands curled around my wrist and held me still.

"Back in the room, were you really thinking of me?"

I narrowed my eyes and bit the insides of my cheek. I should say yes. I should make him believe. Saye had helped me put all of this pieces in place to sabotage the six. I shouldn't do anything to break that at this stage. 

I looked up at the stars and counted the days that had passed simply. There were only 10 days left. I pried my hands out of his grip and walked away, I couldn't deal with any of these lies for now. 

Back in my room, I shut the door close and put all three locks before touching my forehead on the door. My ears felt hot and I touched my forehead. It felt…warm. Was I having a fever?

I slipped my jacket off and threw it on the chair before untying my hair from its loose knot. I gasped when I found out that the hair didn't fall on my shoulders, instead it stayed on my head, still in a ponytail despite me removing the band that held it together. 

I turned around in surprise and saw Adrien holding my hair together. 

"What are you doing here?" I whispered at him and looked outside, "How did you come in?" 

He smiled sadly, "I had been here for quite a while."

Then I remembered how I didn't see him in the fight and even when the ambulances came. He had stayed out of all the mess. 

"I thought you weren't talking to me anymore."

He held my hair tighter, "I'm not. But just for tonight, I'm choosing to break it."

I frowned and tried to take his fingers off from my hair but he resisted. "What's so special about tonight?"

"I need to show you something."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not interested. I just want to sleep. Please leave me alone." 

Then again I glared at him, "Let my hair go."

"Please," his voice was thin now, like a single harsh step could shatter it like summer lake ice. He looked at my hair and grabbed the band to tie it back again, "I like you with your hair tied," he mumbled to himself.

I stood still and let him tie my hair before he reached for another, thicker jacket from the cupboard and handed it to me. I huffed and refused to accept it. 

"I'll suck your blood if you don't come with me now," he threatened lightly. It was clear he wasn't serious about it. Strangely, I expected him to be…

I shook my head and removed the jacket before getting into bed, "I don't care. I want to sleep." I pulled the blankets up to my forehead and hid under it, silently wishing for him to go away. But he didn't, I still felt his presence in the room. 

"Go away," I mumbled under the blankets.

Silence. 

"Huh?" I mumbled to myself, "He left that fast? And here I was thinking he was as stubborn as me," I smiled and snuggled deeper into the blankets.

I screamed as I felt the cold grab me as my blanket was ripped away from me. I hugged myself from the cold and shuddered, glaring at Adrien who was sitting on the bed in front of me now. 

"Please come when I'm asking you nicely."

I reached forward to grab my blanket but he threw it away and it fell on the floor slowly, piling up into a happy bundle. 

"Let me be rude to you for a while," I said instead and turned the other way, deciding to try to sleep without blankets. 

"Noooo," he groaned and I felt the bed bounce a little as he fell to lay down next to me. I sighed and turned to flip sides on the bed so that I could look at him. 

"Where do you want to take me?"

He rested his hand on one palm of his and looked down on me, "So you're coming? It's only 6:00. We'll be back before midnight."

My jaw dropped in shock, "Wait. You want to go outside? As in outside outside? Outside the estate, past the gate into the city? You mean sneak out?" I repeated in disbelief. 

He nodded innocently and I took in a breath of silence. I needed this. I wanted to go outside, to escape from this monstrosity and regain some sanity. I frowned at the hopeful boy and instead, I said, "You're on probation. You can't go. Wait for 10 more days." 

"Now," I added, "Are you leaving or should I find another place to sleep?" 

When he didn't say anything, I sat up on the bed and prepared to leave. I screamed as he wrapped his arms around my torso and pulled me back down. I felt my chest collide with his and our faces almost met. 

I panted in surprise and looked at the boy under me. His green eyes were covered by the shadow I made on his face. As surprised as I was, I gritted my teeth, "What do you think you're doing, you jerk?"

He held me tighter around my waist and in a strong grip, he flipped me so that now I was on the bed and him on top of me. He bent down, "I'm going to suck your blood."

My hands flew to my neck and I covered it, "No!"

He laughed and lifted his hand to move my hands away. "I told you I would…either this or that. You choose, darling."

"Darling?" I asked incredulously. I almost thought that he was crazy, but then I saw his eyes. It wasn't that lovely color anymore. It was dark, almost falling into black.

The color of lust…that's when I understood. The sense of blood made him like this, uncontrollable and unpredictable. The longer it prolonged, the higher chance he would take out that lust on me. Shivering a bit, I gave in to his attempts and he moved my hands away from my neck.

The skin on the sides of my throat tingled as his soft breaths fell on it like the feathers of a royal peacock. I shut my eyes close as his lips caressed my neck and I felt it.

I felt his sharp, cold canine teeth graze my skin. It felt like a needle. I clutched the bed sheet tight in fear. 

"It won't hurt. I'll be gentle," he promised and bit into my skin and moaned with the pleasure of taste. I felt his tongue run along my neck. I gasped a bit as his body pressed harder onto me. He noticed that and slightly went back up, "Sorry," he mumbled and bit my neck again.

There was no pain, like he had said. Only that intense tingling sensation. He licked my neck again and I bit my lip harder, to a point it cracked open and drops of blood escaped. 

He paused and looked back up at me, at my lips. 

His breaths shallowed, wanting to lick my lips too, the lust increasing every second. But he hesitated despite his drive and looked at me for consent. 

"H-have you ever been kissed before?" he asked, leaning closer to my lips. I felt his heartbeat quicken against my chest. I cringed internally at that question and shook my head. "I never spent any time with anyone except Fiona, let alone male classmates." 

"Don't you want to be kissed?" he asked, softening up. That sad smile had returned to his face. 

I hesitated, "I…I don't know. But I do wonder from time to time what it would feel like."

He frowned, "Do you want to find out?"

I met his eyes and felt a slight spark. My hands lifted and I wiped my neck to find blood on my fingers. I let out a slow gasp and my eyes rolled up into my head, my consciousness dropping.

Did I tell you I was scared of blood? 

...........

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