Nefarious

C156 - Leclair's advice

I seemed to have surprised Xylan with my impulse question. His attention was definitely caught in an instant, making him forget all about Jace for the moment. "Hm, that's a rather bold question to ask. It is indeed strange how two individuals who share nothing but hate for each other can stand mere inches apart like this, isn't it?" he scoffed softly. When one has a great desire to kill the other one, then yes, hell yes. I had my answer ready, yet once I opened my mouth, I was faced with a stuttering voice that managed to do nothing but mess up my sentence completely. He viewed me to be fearful and detestable, I knew that already. The way my voice struggled to keep steady made me come across as weak, and that's precisely what a person like him craves.

My failed endeavour at answering had left room for him to talk again instead. "Must be worst for you though as you're the weak one here. A sharp item pressed against your neck a bit too harshly will break through the only protection you have, your skin," he said as though it was completely normal to speak that way. "If I were to do exactly that right now though, would that actually happen?" he asked, though I was confused as to whether he wanted an actual answer or not. "Are you still as fragile and vulnerable as before?" he further asked, looking down at me with his icy cold look. I parted my lips, but quickly found myself surrounded by silence again. Was he all of a sudden suspecting me of being a vampire? Or was he merely implying that I had become stronger or something after my stay here?

Thankfully, someone interrupted our unpleasant encounter swiftly. The sound of the door opening shocked me, but I was quick to calm down once I realised it was Alex who'd barged in. "Don't say anything," Alex said, sounding remarkably angry. "I see communication stirs up some strong emotions in you, Alex. Honestly, we were just talking, there's no need to let yourself get angered," Xylan scoffed. Alex cast a glance at me, knowing all too well that Xylan always has motives behind his actions. "I don't care, go talk with someone else, Xylan." Another scoff was heard from Xylan before he answered: "Alright, I'm certain I got the answer I was looking for anyway." He just confirmed that he was out for something, though he didn't specify what. Judging by the look he gave me though, I figured the question regarded my vulnerability. He'd caught onto what was going on, suspecting me of being something more than human, though not a pure vampire. Alex was evidently confused by this and frowned slightly, but didn't let Xylan see so.

I'd expected Alex to question Xylan's response, but he didn't. "Forget about what just happened. Xylan has no intentions of helping anyone but himself, so don't take for granted that whatever he said is true. You'll have to look long to find a better manipulator than him," Alex sighed, his hand resting on the door handle. "How come you're suddenly so energised? Earlier today you were panting against your door, speculating on whether or not you would survive in this castle," I pointed out. His eyebrows puckered into an evident frown, showing great confusion towards my swift change of subject. I couldn't talk about Xylan and what he was suspecting as I could risk the secret slipping out. Jace had told me to keep the transformation as a secret, and therefore, I'd decided not to divulge it.

"Uh, I rested for a while after you left," Alex said eventually. He'd spent a suspiciously long time thinking of an answer, which automatically made me think he was lying. "Resting didn't strengthen you at my place. In fact, after sleeping you almost seemed even more tired," I argued. Biting the inside of his bottom lip, he looked down at me with no apparent emotion. "Jace and I are testing something. It's not important, er, I-"he began, cutting himself short. "Whatever it is, it seems to work," I said hopefully. "Right," he nodded, not further elaborating on the matter.I went to Xavier's room after my talk with Alex as Alex had to head back up to his parents to discuss something confidential. To be frank, I expected to be met by one mess of a room, but Xavier's room had been renewed completely. It was both neat and visually pleasing. The colours and interior gave a feeling of a cosy home, the type of home I dreamed of when I was younger. Sure, the rooms on the third floor were nice and all, but personally, I preferred Xavier's.Walls made of deep mahogany coloured wood, healthy plants and flowers that gave of refreshing scents, a made-up bed and countless books. "You look surprised," Xavier pointed out suddenly. "Your room, it's nice," I answered briefly, realising quickly that I'd used the wrong adjective to describe his room. "Well, since this used to be Jace's room and I know he enjoys dark colours, I decided it was time to switch things up. I've had a lot of spare time and some acquaintances that were willing to help." "But why didn't he just change his own room upstairs then?" I frowned. "Jace doesn't prioritise his enjoyments, you know that. Here and there he'll tell you what he wants, but you won't see him go through with any of it unless it's practical or necessary," Xavier said, his gaze moving over the shiny commode beside me. "Right, that sounds like him. Anyhow, can I ask you something?"I questioned, preparing to ask him regardless of his response. He nodded once, moving his focus back to me entirely. "What impression did you want to make the first time you met me? I mean, I interpreted your cold touch to be a warning of some kind." "I wanted you to remember me," he said vaguely. I asked him why he wanted such, but he kept quiet.