Solivagant

~2.4 - Diego~

I watched, disappointed as Karla pulled away. My heart fell into my stomach, my appetite gone. Damnit. She couldn't have hesitated one more second? I had been just about to eliminate the space between us. My disappointment turned to confusion when I saw her scramble shakily to her feet. She was already a decently pale person—at least compared to me—but her skin had turned ten shades whiter in the space of three seconds. And her eyes—God, those grey eyes—had grown wide in terror. I stood slowly, watching her worriedly as she spun in frantic circles. "Karla?"

She ignored me. It was almost as if she was looking for something. "I-I have to get out of here." She breathed.

I reached out for her and she froze, staring at me uncertainly. "It's okay Kitten." I reassured her. Maybe she's really claustrophobic? I took a step around the food; I had almost forgotten it was still lying there on the tree roots. I made a mental note to take care of it after this was all over.

Karla smacked my hand away, backing up. "Don't touch me j-just... just let me out of here. She was panting, continuing to glance around in panic. "Let me out of here Diego!

Her voice was high and screechy with hysteria. She didn't sing a beautiful melody anymore. She was just a normal human being having some sort of crazy breakdown. I winced just thinking about my own meltdowns. "Alright Karla." I kept my voice low, trying to soothe her. "I'll show you how to get back out, but you need to calm down a little."

"Calm down?" Her eyes flashed open. "Calm down?" She brought her hands up to her face, sliding them along her cheeks towards the back of her skull. "You don't understand. I-" Her voice caught in her throat. She cried out in frustration, gripping her hair by the roots and tugging hard.

I rushed forward fearfully, placing my hands firmly over hers. "Karla." She stiffened. I bit my lip, concentrating. I was trying to sound authoritative, but less...harsh. "You have to calm down."

We stood there for a moment—my hands over hers while her whole body shook with tension. Slowly, she took a deep breath. Her fingers uncurled from around her hair and I pulled my hands away cautiously. Karla looked up at me, her eyes cloudy as if she had just woken up. "I'm okay now." She whispered. "How do I get out of here?"

Carefully, I reached for her hand. When my fingers intertwined with hers, she squeezed my hand gently. I smiled softly at her before leading her towards the gap between the trees and the wall of the school. I pushed myself through the small space with Karla following close behind. She seemed a little less anxious. Logic said she was probably claustrophobic, and being close to the open air calmed her down. Instinct made me worry that something more was going on.

We stepped out from between the two structures and Karla breathed a sigh of relief. By the time my head had stopped spinning from her strange meltdown, she was already sprinting back around the building to one of the school's entrances. Exasperated, I rushed after her. "Karla wait." My hand closed around her wrist a few feet from the doors. She jerked to a stop, trying to pull away from me. "You okay Kitten?"

She nodded quickly, turning toward me. "I'm fine. I-I just..." She sighed. "I just want to go inside now."

I slowly let go of her wrist and she pulled away quickly. She ran inside the building as soon as I had just barely let go of her. I sighed, looking at the concrete path under my feet. What was that all about? Begrudgingly, I followed her inside at a slower pace.

Phyre was standing right beside the doors to greet me, but not in the way I expected. "What the hell Diego?" His hazel eyes were flashing with fury behind his purple contact lenses. He shoved me back against the door, making me stumble outside once more. "What the fuck did you do?"

I glared at him, confused. I stood up to my full height, towering over him. "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't do shit."

"Karla came rushing inside." Phyre growled. "She looked upset and was holding her head." He was shaking with tension, panting softly. He was probably trying not to hit me; he knew I would win a fight against him with both arms tied behind my back. "She was with you."

The pieces weren't fitting together in my mind. "What the hell are you talking about? Of course she was with me, we-" My words caught in my throat, my blood running cold. He thinks I... I grit my teeth, my heart burning with fury at what he was implying. "Y-You think I hit her?"

He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well if the pieces fit."

Rage filled my head, turning everything red. "You think I was horrible enough to hit her?" I balled my hands up, slamming my left fist into the side of his head. The force of the blow threw him on the ground. He looked up at me from the sidewalk, surprised. "I may be violent and get into fights." I growled. "But I fight to help others. I don't hit people for no reason." I turned away quickly, trying to calm myself down before I beat the shit out of the arrogant bitch. "I would never hurt her."