CHAPTER 12

Dario's POV

It's funny how the light thinks it's got the upperhand here. It thinks it's this and that. Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it doesn't realize how fucking wrong it is. Let me let you in on something, yeah? I'll tell you this. Listen cause I do not play on repeat. No matter how fast light travels, it always finds the darkness there first and my buddy here is ever so patient, waiting so the motherfucker could suck it up and remember that in order to shine so fucking bright, the darkness must be present. It can't do without it. That's it. It just as simple as that.

Normal people have no idea how powerful the darkness is. I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. I lift my eyes and all is born again but I prefer to keep them closed most of the time. Now, don't ask me why. Your comprehension isn't guaranteed. You still want to know? Damn, you sure you didn't forget curiosity killed the cat? Fine, I'll tell you. Let's hope you'd grasp. I have found so much beauty in the dark as I have found a lot of horrors in the light. It isn't my fault you thought I was normal. That's on you.

Now, here I am, consuming the absolute darkness. In front of the wall mounted mirror, my reflection does not bounce back at me. I do not see myself nor who I am. I'm not subjected to being forced to witness what I've become. You know why? Simple. There's no light here. There's no illumination hurling back at me all that I am. But I feel it though. I feel it everywhere. Scattered around, littered all over. My muscles feel as though they have been flash-burned with acid from the inside - just sufficient to make them move like the living cells have been replaced by aging rubber bands, thick and twisted. It inches. It burns. I feel hot. Sixteen years and I wish I could say I had gotten used to it.

I guess this is what you get for being in the dark so long that when the light comes on next, you just recognize it less and less than you did prior.

I winced and snapped my eyes shut. Exiting the bathroom, I just didn't need anyone telling me who the culprit was.

               "Man, isn't it too cold in here? Feels like thirteen fucking degrees." He complained, perching his damn ass on my bed, legs propped up on the sheets with Nike shoes on. Hands on the controller, he shot it straight at the air-conditioner blasting from the wall.

               "First of all, take your damn legs off my bed if it's still so important to you. Secondly, if you're so used to the heat, the door is right there but shut it on your way out. Thirdly, how the fuck do you still have a swipe card to my room?"

I'd take each and every one I found him with but he keeps on getting more.

                "Got another. What? I can't come buddy up with my main man anymore?" His phone in his hands, his fingers fumbled with the screen. I grabbed a hood straight from my closet and began sheathing.

               "My privacy is being trampled upon."

                "Ain't you...." He turned, our eyes locked, I waited for it. "Hey, what's that?"

Covering up, confusion induced, "What?"

He grimaced, "On your body."

               "Tatts?" I jerked my head at him. "What's up?"

               "I ain't talking about that. You..."

               "Keegan, I'm so fucked. What do you want?"

He stared long at me, accessing before letting go. Perching back on the bed, I trudged back toward my laptop. If I told you I could penetrate deep into your entire life and control all the shit you do through my fingers and the internet, would you believe me?

No shit. You won't?

Think again.

                "About yesterday. Look. I'm..."

                "Moving on."

He chuckled. I slitted my eyes in his direction, knowing so damn well he was testing me. That word. That word alone. He knew better than to spit it out at me.

He slumped, hands tucked under his head, eyes shooting up at the high ceiling. "So we cool?"

                 "What do you think? Do you think I would allow you into my room? On my bed? With my Nike on if we ain't?" I set to work, stabbing the pads, manipulating the system. 

               "Man, when was the last time you had them on?"

               "They are mine and I alone decide when I put them on."

               "Well, you can forget them. Thanks though. They fit just fine." He smiled, getting comfortable in my room. I screwed my eyes shut, inhaling deeply. Another pair of sneakers lost to his manipulative ass. If it had been someone else entirely, I'd snap and he knew it. The fucker is using my kindness to his own advantage.

                "Your door's always closed shut. What you hiding, man? Dead bodies?" He chortled. I could feel his eyes on me right there so I twirled to face him.

Eyes slitted, "No, I'm hiding yours."

He gasped, "No shit. Man, I'm still right in your face. How's that? Guess you couldn't succeed in taking me out."

                 "About now, I've stabbed you eight times in my head. The nineth time would you your last. No shit."

                 "Then you go back bawling to mum and tell her how sorry you are, you miss me and you regret it."

                 "No way." I turned back to my computer. "Then, I wouldn't have to worry about my Nikes anymore. Sure, they would then be complete and wouldn't be missing every damn time I close my eyes. Oh happy day."

His deep laughter ran long in my ears. Followed by the comfortable sound of silence. It stretched on. I pulled at the ends, deepening its elasticity. I drank in the silence through every pore, soothed by its meditative quality. To hear, one must always shut the hell up. But as it usually turns out, someone always had drink it away.

              "Her name is Genesis." He blurted out. "Genny." Brows tugged, I wondered where he was going with this.

Then, I heard him breathe deeply. I could imagine his hands scrubbing his face. I waited patiently on his next choice of words but what he spat next? I just did not have it envisioned.

               "I like her, man." I stilled. "Fuck, I like her a lot."

I was completely caught off guard and that rarely happened.

Keegan was a one night stand kind of man. Fucks with no strings attached and makes it so damn clear to 'em whores before going down. I totally get that, it's less complicated that way. It's been years. Years and years since our friendship took off and all through, he never for a second brought a girl into his picture. And now?

What the fuck was I hearing?

He laughed, "She's...she's this beautiful, gorgeous being you know. She's got this innocent eyes..this alluring orbs. Like the ones you get lost in and I guess I did."

             "Woah."

             "And do you know what's so fucking crazy in all of this?" He leaned on the balls of his elbows to look up at me. I cocked an eyebrow. "I just met her. Just last week."

             "Pussy is so good?"

He laughed, falling back on the sheets. "Haven't even hit it."

             "You don't say."

             "She makes me feel a mixture of "damn, she turns me on without even trying" and "My God, this girl is gonna kill me."

              "Man, you're fucked. End of story."

              "I invited her to the party. Said she couldn't come."

              "Well, I hope she doesn't. No shit."

              "But you will."

              "Party with a bunch of freshmen? Nah, thanks. I'll pass."

He laughed, "First of all, if it wasn't in honour of 'em new kids, you wouldn't even be down for it in the first place."

               "It's a good thing you're starting to know me."

               "I've always known you, man. Though I'll admit. There are still some shit we still need to discuss about but we getting there."

Eyes narrowed at him, he chuckled. "But really though, I'm asking. Be there." He rose, trotting towards the door. "Pray for me man, I think your bro is falling in love."

                "I'd like to see the day."

I could hear his laughter resonating down the hall and fading as he furthered into the distance. I leaned back into the leather, scrubbing my palms over my face, breathing deeply.

Rolling my head over my shoulders, I ripped the hood and jacket off me and slumped heavily on the sheets, absorbing the ache, dealing with it alone, just as I have always done.



               First off, the noise. The damn noise. In general, I don't mind music as long as it ain't bursting my drums. If your music is so loud that I can clearly feel the entire bass line of your song while I'm inside my house, it's gonna cause me to have a problem with your noise. Now you tell me, why do you have to play your damn music so loud you have to scream to talk just to be heard? The thing is fucking senseless, irritating and right now, a migraine is knocking.

I caught my foot on the last stair, surveying the crowd, lips thinning. The number of people dancing like lost idiots right at the centre of my living room was astounding. How the hell do Keegan take all this because I sure don't. Left to me, they'd be scampering their asses out of my house without a look back.

I pulled my hood up and strolled toward an empty couch and collapsed, knowing the rest of the gang would be join me in the next minute.

And just like I predicted, a nudge on my right shoulder threw my eyes open. I saw who it was and immediately shut it right back. My mood just got knocked down from a fucking fifty to a lame zero.

What the fuck was she doing here? And on my right arm?

How did she even find me?

               "C'mon." She began to whine. "I said I was sorry. Please. Baby, I miss you." Her voice alone shot bile up my throat, twisting my stomach into painful knots. I froze, willing her to move away without speaking, hoping she'd get the message.

God bless the day I met Ian. Who would have thought that someday, I'd find him useful?

              "What's up man?

I nodded, eyes closed. "Cool."

              "You're still yet to lend me the drive. Mine's full."

              "Tomorrow." I paused. "And I don't wanna see any porn shit when you hand it back. Got it?"

He whistled, chuckling, "Can't bet on that. I've got to perfect my skills in bed."

She prodded me again and this time, I shot her a look that caused her moving away to the end of the couch. Every dick's hole.

An hour into the party, I was already carrying the weight of the entire world on my shoulders. I got that visual distortion in my field of vision that felt like you have been staring at a light bulb for too long and when you look away, nothing changes. You still have that after image in front of your eyes. Do you know what I mean? No, you don't. No one does either so I won't fault you for that.

My skin burned. It felt like It was on fire. It itched. I felt as though I had run a marathon when in reality, I've been on my ass for an hour. It's like being stung by a bush of particularly pernicious nettles, combined with the malaise of hay fever, every fucking day.

I winced the moment Keegan's voice filled the space. Loud and clear, his voice contributed to the headache thumping so damn hard in my head. I tried to drown him out but the more I attempted, the more it pained.

The loud music played by the obnoxious people was the worst. What would happen if I just did so little as pumell the disk jockey to the ground, kick him so hard on his ass till he passed out? Would the whole world pause even for a second? No way. They'd move on. No shit.

I was already contemplating on it when Erika's sorry excuse of an interrogation veered into a full-blown altercation. The noise centred around me now was staring me right in the face. She really should lay it out to Keegan on her damn feelings for him instead of this shit. It's becoming so irritating and flat ass galling and the fucker ain't have a goddamn clue.

I know what you're thinking so stop right there. I do not suffer from misophonia or hyperkussis. I just hate noisy environments in general. It particularly drives me mad.

You haven't dug it out yet?

Whoa!

Fine, I'm an introvert and I recharge myself by being alone, being absent from everything. Absent from people and absent from everything else but me. In other words, silence. Only in silence, I hear myself.

I personally get off on nothingness. I love silence the same way I do with unadulterated darkness, like how I love the colour black. Some shallow minded fuckers are stuck with this unbelievable mindset that darkness signifies negativity. I know, right? They got no idea. They got no clue light is an adulterant whereas darkness is permanent. It's always there. And so is silence.

The silence I seek was in my room. Waiting for my presence. Fuck Keegan. If he wants to talk, he's got the card to the lock.

I pushed back and stood, taking the narrow space en route to the long flight of stairs and out of the bullshit going on down here. The sooner it's back to being just me, the better. I leave - my footfalls as silent as the streets.

The more distance I eat between my space and living room, the faster the music faded. I worked my legs quicker, hands tucked into the pockets, head high, the world shrinking away.

Remember the time I told you I notice every damn thing? I wasn't bullshitting.

Light and slow as if she was trying to be quieter, to sneak up on me perhaps. She was trying to be discreet but I notice everything. And by everything, I mean everything. I don't speak on it but I'm quick on observations. People think that when you don't care to watch them on every single lie that prolly, you ain't paying attention. That's a mistake. I don't play detective or set traps or shits like that. Time reveals all. You won't just see it coming. Scratch that, you won't see me coming.

Or let's just say, she didn't see me coming.

The moment she stepped in, I got off the wall and shut the door. It banged, emitting fear off her. That was the plan. Pushing her up the wall, I took her mouth in mine and kissed her hard and open mouthed.

Briefly our teeth crashed. I snaked my tongue into her mouth, shoving her harder against the door so hard it rattled against her back as she fought in a vein attempt in shoving me away but her strength was no match for mine.

Her small fists pounded fleetingly on my shoulders. Left with no other option, I pinned her tiny hands above her head, locking them with a hand while the other dropped down to roam her body, mouth devouring hers.

I gave her the chance to jerk, shove me, enjoying the lame fight she was putting on, wriggling under the strength of my kiss. I caught her bottom lip in my teeth. Nibbling, licking, sucking on it as my hand found its way under her skirt, caressing up the inside of her thighs.

The kiss wasn't gentle. I opened her lips with my tongue, invading her angrily, giving it to her hot, hard and wet.

How the fuck did she actually think she could sneak up on me?

And into my room? This is what I do not like with people.

But then she did something that stunned me, dazed me, plunged me into an unbelievable surprise. She began to match my movements. With lips and tongue and teeth, she refused to allow me the upper hand in this. Stroke for stroke, where I went, she followed. I captured her sighs with my mouth; her strength, her groans, her whimpers. After several intense moments of unrelenting battle, my lips gentled, caressing hers as my tongue stroked along the soft, sensitive skin of her lower lip, ending the kiss infinitely more gently than it had begun.

Then, a slight twinge of pain erupted inside my mouth causing me to jerk my head. I winced. She bit my tongue. Blood crimson instantly swarmed my mouth.

Using the given opportunity, she shoved me away, her eyes blazing with fire, angrily pursing her red swollen lips. "You're sick. You're so very sick. How dare you touch me?"

I grinned, absolutely pleased at my accomplishments, "Says the whore who willingly followed me into my room for a fuck. I know you wanted it. Let's hop into bed so I could fuck and shove you away into the long as fuck queue of used up bitches I do not want. I'll warn you though, there's no guarantee you would walk again."

She snarled. "How." Shoving me back. "Dare." Again. "You?" And again. "How dare you speak that way to me? How many times do I have to ring it into your stupid head that I'm not a whore? How many times? Tell me."

I snarled back, "You never heard actions speak louder than words? Bitch, with the way you're dressed tonight and your uninvited presence in my room, I could so rightfully classify you as one of those tramps who so willingly suck my dick and ride my cock all night long never to be seen or heard ever again when the sun pops back up."

At an instant, her hand connected with my cheek. The slap was as loud as a clap. I must have underestimated her strength because it stung.

Slowly, I turned. Mad as a monkey with a migraine, red in the face. I ran my hand through my midnight hair three times in quick successions, deeply exasperated, shooting a glare straight at her, one that could have frozen the Pacific. 

I watched her tremble. I saw her shudder. Good. Because, she would be doing more than quiver.

I swallowed that anger when it was just a fire-seed and forgot to drink something cool and so it grew in my belly until it came out as hot as any dragon has ever flamed...on the bitch in front of me.

Charging at her, I crashing her body with mine. She gasped, fisting her hands on my chest, trying to get away but no, she asked for this.

              "What are trying to do? Leave me alone. Let go off me."

I groped her hands, locking them in mine. "Let go off me." She screamed.

Everytime she opened her mouth, I got angrier. Is it possible if she just shut the fuck up, I'd let her go?

No fucking way.

I slammed her on my bed and hovered over her. Eyes glaring hard at her face, crawling in between her legs as a burning rage hissed through my body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. It was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping off me like ferocious waves.

Just like before, I pinned her hands above her head but this time, I employed the use of both hands. She jerked, her hip meeting mine, squirming beneath me.

               "Let me go." I glared into her angry eyes, contemplating on my next choice of actions. If only she was a guy, she'd feel the consequences of my wrath.

I growled, "Do you know what you've just done?"

                "No, I don't. Oh yeah, I remember. I slapped you. How I would love to just do that again. The satisfaction." She spat. A cruel sneer formed on her face, eyes baring straight into mine.

I could feel a vein pulsing in my forehead. "And how do you intend achieving that? From right under me?"

She jerked again. "Let me go now or..."

I cut her right there. "Or what, huh? Or what? What the fuck are you gonna do? Scream?"

              "Yes, I'll scream. I'll scream bloody murder right now. Let. Me. Go."

              "Bitch, you're so damn free to scream all you want but the only thing you'd be doing is making your chords bleed cause right here, the walls don't have ears."

I could almost feel the fear coursing through her at an instant. She blinked, stuttering, "What-what do you mean?"

               "Damn, I knew you were dumb but I just didn't realize you were dumb as fuck. The walls are fucking soundproof. No one's gonna hear you. Scream twat. Scream all you fucking want. Let's see if someone's gonna come crashing my door down to rescue you from me cause no one's coming. No one's gonna save you this time. You dare hit me again? Goddamn! Who the fuck do you think you are?"

For good measures, I began to lean into her, trailing my lips along the side of her neck, her strawberry flavoured scent invading my nostrils. She squirmed the moment I pressed my cock into her channel, crushing her junction with mine. It was deliberate. I needed to feed on her fear.

She shuddered, whimpering, voice cracking. "I'm s-sorry. Please. L-let me go. I-m so sorry."

That word. That fucking word again.

               "I'm not a fucking genie. I do not make wishes come true."

               "S-stop please. Don't d-do this, please. I'm begging you."

I stalled. "What? Do what?"

               "R-rape me. I-I haven't done this b-before. I-I don't..." The sobs were stifled at first as she attempted to hide her fear but then overcame by the wave of her emotions, she surrendered, breaking down entirely, all of her defences washing away in those salty tears.

I froze. Stilled. Paused. Brows crashed. Surprised to the core.

She was still a virgin?

Wait...what the actual fuck?

Did she think I was actually gonna?

Perfect. This turned out better than I expected.

At the struck of lightning. I shot up, disentangling my body with hers. Her shoulders still heaved, her body still wracked.

Now, who's the tough one here?

She's got the mouth but the guts? Nah.

                "Get out." I yelled. I rarely repeated my words but I knew in a second, I would be doing just that. I screwed my eyes till they closed, drawing in air from my immediate surroundings into my lungs. The air blasting from the split unit mounted on the wall wasn't just enough. I stalled, giving her time to vanish from my sight.

               "Get out." I screamed again.

One more breathe escaping her lips and she began crawling out of my bed. Sniffling, her unbidden tears staining my bed.

Fuck, I would have to change the sheets tonight.

Then, I exploded, losing my shit. "I said get out." Charging directly at her. "Get out. Get the hell out this instant. Just disappear. Get out now."

If she was terrified at my outburst, she never let it show but I could feel it. I could feel her fear. I could feel the horror surging with full force through her veins. And fuck, how I relished in it.

Chest to chest, eyes locked, breath mingling, she dared to speak, "You're cruel. You're so cruel to me."

I grinned sardonically. "No shit. You know why that is? Fuck, I forgot you were still dumb but don't bother stressing your dumb brain cause I'll spell it out for you. I. Don't. Like. You. I don't like your face at the slightest bit. Now you know."

Her eyes twitched, "The feeling is so very mutual." She paused. "And I don't need you to like me. The ones who do are enough."

               "Cool then. Glad we could establish that." I glanced at the door and back at her, eyebrow arched in waiting.

Her eyes squinted, daggers shooting straight at me. I dodged the pin-point knives before they could dig in. "I only followed you to apologize for yesterday but clearly, you don't deserve my apologies."

              "Get out."

Seething, "Gladly."

Her foot clipped hard and fast against the floor and next came the loud banging of the door as soon as it met its hinges.

I scrubbed my palms over my face, breathing deeply before taking a swift swing to the wall.

What the fuck?

My phone beeped. I reached around my rear, digging it out. Tapping at the screen, a video popped up. Interest piqued on noticing the identities of the two guests starring in the video, my jaw ticked, eyes twitched, fists clenched. I was fucking enraged.

Let me ask y'all a question, yeah? And I fucking need a straight up answer.

For real though. Do you motherfuckers get off on pissing me off?

Like seriously. No shit.