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I went through a harder period, my writing got sloppy. This is what I came up with, finally. Enjoy it! <3

MINORS, DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS STORY.

Chapter III (previous chapter)

Wordcount:2,7k words

Warnings:vampire harassment, some spooky shit, blood, strong language.

BELLS

Her bare feet moved discreetly across the obsidian floors. Shivers embodied her, setting her on edge. Moonshine and candle lights accompanied her, following through the intimidating corridors. Bells couldn’t understand why she felt so lonely and spooked, trapped between those entangled walls. Maybe she didn’t actually hear it, maybe it was just her disturbed mind, weakened by the blood loss. The reminiscing thoughts clouded her judgement.

“Come with me.”

Fuck.

It scratched her ears again, but this time she was sure she heard it. She grabbed her t-shirt, trying to keep her heart in her chest. She could run back to her room, but at this point she no longer knew which way was the right way. All the lights were hugged by darkness and her head was close to spinning. All she could do was follow the melody, the thing that should have stayed in her dreams.

“Come with me.”

She didn’t know why, but her eyes looked instinctively at the freezing window on her right. She spotted something white, something light, down in the garden. It moved ghostly around the rose buds. They started blooming under the night sky. Was it something or was it someone? She couldn’t tell if one of her nightmares manifested into real life. It looked like something caught between life and death, floating towards an arching entrance. There was something right after the garden.

“To the sea.”

Giggles embraced her ears too. They started running around, small figures that were familiar to her.

No, no, no, no.

Everything should have stayed in her head, but memories started to flood the long hallway. Shooting stars clouding the dark sky. Spheres of light blinking. Something she didn’t mean to remember.

Why am I seeing this?

But now she had to revisit that memory.

There were 3 of them. They were small, yet mighty kids, no older than 5 years old. They didn’t have to worry about what was outside of the big, grey house. They ran through the hallway, chasing each other and laughing. No evil could hurt them, only the monsters of their imagination and invented games.

“Bells, Bells, I’m going to get you!”

“Not if I run faster than a car!”

“Waaaait for me!”

Except for one. Miss Lorraine.

“What is going on here?”

That’s when the other two suddenly stopped running. Bells looked back, rookie mistake. Her skirt was too long for her age, she stripped on it and fell on the floor. It slightly hurt the child, she looked up in pain. 

Miss Lorraine stood above her. She was taller than the highest mountain. Furrowed brows and lines hardening her face. Their eyes met for a moment. Bells’ reflected fear, Miss Lorraine’s reflected disappointment and anger .

“What is going on here?” She repeated.

The giggles stopped. No one laughed anymore. The other two just pointed their fingers at Bells. They wanted her to become the guilty one.

“You are aware of the rules.”

Nothing.

“And you broke them.”

Again, nothing.

“This is why I have to punish you, Arabella.”

She grabbed her arm furiously. It was too tight. She was hurting her.

“Come with me.”

No.

“Come with me.”

NO.

“Come with me.”

“NO!”

Bells opened her watery eyes. Her heart wanted to run laps, it felt caged inside her chest. She no longer felt the memory reflected in the hallway, because she was no longer there.

Shit.

She found herself surrounded by tall, hedge walls. The air tried to tickle her blue locks. Her shivers weren’t caused by her doubtful fear. It was the cold breeze’s fault, it marked the season of death. Her toes were stroked by chilly grass. Bells turned her head around, trying to figure out where the actual fuck she was. Her eyes found several stone benches circling a running fountain. Her ears couldn’t focus on the sound, her heart was still echoing in her head. The statue of a woman stood in the middle of the circle. If it weren’t for the marble, Bells would have thought the woman was actually breathing, smiling, blinking. She was beautiful, but she wasn’t alive. The sight of her soothed Bells’ breathing.

Somehow she wanted to relate to the statue, but she never felt beautiful and unfortunately, she was still alive, trapped in a mansion crawling with nightwalkers. Yet, she somehow got out. Bells looked around, it must have been the heart of the maze. This one was standing still, not beating crazily like hers. She was pretty sure Oliver told them about it when he gave them the mansion’s tour, but she could care less about his words. Now she wished she actually listened to him.

The melody started again.

“Come with me.”

And Bells was so fucking fed up.

“Come with me.”

She picked a random path, following the voice. She wanted all of it to be done and go back to sleep.

“To the sea.”

Bells found the way out. It was the path leading towards the woods. And she took it.

“Jump in!”

She did. Bells jumped over a rotten log, a few mushrooms and some moss crowding it. The moonlight guided her no more, but the scratching of her ears. Tall trees started distorting around her as she got closer to the source.

“Jump in!”

She couldn’t jump over the thorny bushes. She went through them, scratching her uncovered skin. Bare feet, unclothed legs, naked arms. Not even the logo of the t-shirt survived. Bells didn’t want to think about the metallic smell. She was close. Too fucking close. She bit her lip hard, trying to let no whimper out.

“Oh, Jack!”

She walked through mud, until her path ended. She felt cool cement under her feet. She knew there was another line to the song, she heard it in her dream. And that’s when she saw it, standing in the middle of the open road. Bells thought she dissociated, understanding no more the difference between essence and appearance. It stained the road in white, being so close, yet too far away from her. It was haunting and breathtaking.

“I’m waiting for you…”

The melody ended on a soft, feminine note. It was barely a whisper. Bells was mesmerised for a second, but the illusion soon ended as she grasped the situation she was in. The phantomic figure stood still, no other sound coming out of it. Bells wasn’t too sure, but the figure reminded her of a woman, a spectre, a siren. A white rabbit that led her towards a Nothingland. An empty road that went somewhere and nowhere.

So she broke the silence.

“Who… Who the hell are you?”

Nothing. Bells’ patience was running low. She looked straight at it. She hoped this was a dream again or the product of her rotten, bleached and dyed head.

“Hellooo? Can you hear me?”

Again, nothing.

Fuck, that’s it.

Blood started boiling inside of her. She couldn’t take it. “Show yourself, for Christ’s sake! I’m bleeding, I’m covered in scratches, I’m tired and dirty. Who the fuck are you?” 

Bells made two steps towards it, trying to cut the distance between them. The closer she was getting, the harder she could see it. Agitated hands were grasping for something in the air. “I followed you all the way to nowhere, half of it I wasn’t even conscious. What the fuck do you want from me?!”

 Something felt frozen.  “If you are like one of those assholes, go ahead!” 

The wind wanted to murmur, to moan, but Bells’ voice was covering it. “Have a drink and eat me up! I’ve got nothing to lose. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I’m done with your bullshit! GODDAMIT, ARE YOU LIKE THEM?!” She screamed with all the breath she had left. She had no other words, stillness settled.

The woman turned her head. She looked at her.

“I’m worse.”

And the stillness was gone.

Just like Bells. She sprinted in the opposite direction, her mind couldn’t grasp what she just saw. That memory was imprinted inside her head, but the sudden, strong lights blinding her vision were much worse than the woman’s appearance.

Woman, woman, woman…

Light, light, light…

Car, car, car… 

CRASH!

Bells stood there like a deer in the headlights. Her body froze, it felt clawed by a force of human nature. Fear. She was too disoriented to understand what happened right in front of her. A car horn didn’t stop screaming. Her vision was blurry; her arms shielded her body, until a pair of hands started shaking her.

“Oy, oy, oy! Can you hear me? Can you hear a fucking word I’m saying?!”

Bells’ vision was clearing up.

“Huh?”

“Huh? That’s all you have to say, you fucking Smurf?!”

His fingers pressed tighter into her shoulders. She got a better view of his face, it was the only thing her eyes could grasp. Narrow, dark chocolate eyes fixed her with a frown. A small mole was placed under his right eye. His nose bridge was perfectly straight, his lips were slightly pressed together. Long, blonde strands of bleached hair hugged his oval face. He looked like a being that left heaven, but not without a fight for the gold that shimmered all over him. Several golden piercings decorated his ears, he even had one in his nose. Chains dripped on his neck, protecting the colourful tattoos hidden by his golden shirt. He looked like a fallen angel. A stolen treasure. A fucking idiot, that chose to fly too close to the sun.

The scratching of her ears vanished. Bells knew who was standing right in front of her.

Kinzou.

He opened his lips, his tone was calmer than before. Calmer than usual. “The fuck happened to you? Why are you wandering around like this? I could’ve ran you over.” He looked into her eyes.

She couldn’t hold his gaze. She stared at the bright yellow car behind Kinzou, it crashed into a tree. Bells cleaned her throat, the words were slowly coming out. “I… I… I don’t… I don’t know… I walked around… S-somehow…”

Kinzou let go of her. “So, I crashed my car into a tree just because you were fucking walking around. Did I hear that shit right?” He looked behind at the smashed vehicle, moving his fingers to his temples. 

“Yeah…” Bells kept hugging herself.

His jaw clenched. “Is that so?” He licked his lips.

She blinked twice. Bells chose to not say a word.

He is too fucking calm.

And then it came out. His real behaviour. Bells didn’t have to blink a third time. Her back hit a hard tree, he pushed her into it like a feather.

“You are a fucking bitch.”

“W-what? L-Let me go!”

“I don’t think I will.. That was a pretty expensive car.” His fingers found her neck. “I hate it when people ruin my expensive, personal things. And you will pay for that.” Kinzou leaned in and whispered, grabbing her whole neck with his right hand. “Slowly, ‘cause I’m feeling fucking generous.”

Bells’ eyes widened. 

Shit, shit, shit!

“You shouldn’t waste your precious blood like this, all scratched up.” His left hand ghosted over one of her arms, spotting tiny cuts. He brought his coated fingers to his lips; he took a lick.

Bells grabbed his arm with both of her hands, trying to push him away. But it was like he was made of stone.

“Y-you fucking moron! Let me go! There are blood bags in the house, just let me go!” The corners of her eyes were watering.

“I prefer my blood right from the force.” He caressed her neck in a manner that could be mistaken for tenderness. The brushing of his fingers… The thirst in his eyes… Kinzou was most likely looking for her vein.

Something changed, his face. His eyes darkened, his irises went bloody red. Bells could see sharp fangs peeking out of his twisted smile, his tongue as well. She felt a wet stroke on her neck.

“Ow, fuck you!” Was all she could whimper before she felt the long puncture in her neck. So he bit. And it all started spinning around.

The spheres of light were gone, only flashes of wild colours possessed her as she closed her eyes in defeat. Bells’ night seemed to resemble what happened to her a couple of weeks ago. Those fluorescent images kept flourishing inside her head, whispering to her over and over again that no one will ever save her this time. Maybe a nightwalker sparred her then, but the greedy Kinzou was not going to. Not when there was so much at stake…

Money…

Blood…

Power…

Control…

Rays of pink begined wandering the ground, announcing the arrival of something new, something different. 

Kinzou pulled away from her neck in a second. 

“Shit.”

***

The estate laid still as the others were already sleeping during the beginning of a new day, but not these two brothers. Their voices echoed through the East Side of the X Mansion, Oliver’s laboratory, a place of sacred science and experiments that sometimes functioned as a nurse’s office. 

“I knew that to a certain extent you were not the brightest in this family, but I never thought you would reach such a level of stupidity.”

Kinzou kept his hands in his pockets, leaning against a stacked bookshelf. He was now wearing a white t-shirt, his hair pulled in a half-bun. “Me? Stupid? You wanna go for a round right here, nerd? I’m warning ya’, I might break some of your bottles.” His tone was a warning, but his eyes fell on Bells’ figure sleeping on the velvet couch. She was covered by a wool blanket, skin so pale he could see through it.

Oliver pulled out a syringe and bent over. He carefully injected her arm, ignoring his brother’s remark.

“Feeling remorse?” He asked.

“Never.” Kinzou replied.

A smile fell on his face. His round glasses reflected the light as he discarded that used syringe. He went back to her.

“Since when do you behave like Brutus?”

“Since you started bossing people around like Ginsei.”

“He left me in charge though, not you. That speaks more about you, than it speaks about me.” He pulled out his stethoscope. “But that answer seems reasonable,” Oliver murmured as he took a look at the sleeping girl’s heartbeat, “it makes you an even bigger idiot than you already were.”

“The fuck is that supossed to mean?!”

“Nothing.”

“Ow, you are lying.”

 Oliver rose to his feet. “More than nothing then,” he paced around his desk as he was satisfied with the examination, “I talked to Ginsei over the phone while you were changing from your bloody etire.”

Kinzou got quiet for a second. Curiosity shone in his eyes. “And what did he have to say?”

“That you are an idiot.”

The blonde rolled his eyes. “Besides that shit?”

“Well, you are to be punished.” Oliver put down his stethoscope. 

“Punished for what? Not running her over? The fuck are you even talking about?”

“His words, not mine.” He removed his gloves and started washing his hands.

Kinzou rolled his eyes, he straightened his back. He wasn’t interested in Oliver’s words anymore. He scratched the back of his neck.

“I know that you practically do not care, but she is fine. I gave her a shot and she is going to have a fine sleep.” Oliver wiped his hands with a towel. “She walked around without any of us noticing, so I told Akin to scan the area. We did not sense anyone nearby, that’s strange.” He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, a habit older than history itself.

“And?! How does that excuse what happened to my car?” Kinzou snarled. “Chain her to a chair or something! Put her in the dungeon! ‘Cause if I see her again on that road, I ain’t hitting the breaks!”

“First of all, it is the 21st century, we do not have one anymore. Second of all, you are barbaric, I hope you are aware of that, at least. You know they are allowed to leave as they please, right?”

“Pffft!” Kinzou walked towards the door, but the thought of his older brother stopped him. “Before I leave, tell me what Ginsei had to say.”

“Oh, he just stated that we should be more careful with what happens in his absence. Or something between the lines.”

“I see no fucking punishment in that.”

Oliver’s lips curved in a sardonic smile. “We demanded that Bells needs a guardian, someone to escort her. I gave him a suggestion…” Forest eyes shone under thick lenses. “You.”