Lord of Cages - Vessel

Chapter 5 - In the Wolf's Cave

Chapter Five

In the Wolf's Cave

"Come, Naya, they're here!" Kayla excitedly announced, quickly walking across the room to grab the hand of a pretty nervous Keeper, who had seen her escape plan completely foiled.

"Erm... Wait, I..."

"Don't be nervous," the human girl said with a wink, as she dragged Naya out of the room.

On the living room, like she had assumed, were three young people, all staring at her with interest and curiosity. Immediately, her eyes went to the familiar face of her savior – Adam. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest, eyeing her with a serious, perhaps suspicious, expression. His bright green eyes once again called for her and she noticed, for the first time, that his hair was pitch black and charmingly messy. His skin was clear, contrasting beautifully with his dark hair and the early beginnings of a carelessly unshaved beard. He had broad shoulders and a lean body, athletic but not too muscular.

His hypnotic eyes were mercilessly fixed on her, making her uncomfortable, with the feeling that he could see right through her, like he could actually see her feelings and hear her thoughts. She felt studied and judged but, at the same time, allured. It was unsettling.

Feeling what would soon turn into an embarrassing blush coming, she turned her attention to the guy sitting on the sofa. It had to be Matt and his attitude couldn't be more different. Matt was relaxed, sprayed on the sofa in what had to be an extremely comfortable position, looking cheerful and carefree. He was smiling warmly at her, a sentiment that reached his dark eyes. Like Adam, his hair was black, but shorter, and his skin was clearer than Naya's, yet darker than Adam's. He also appeared to be taller than the latter, more muscular and physically stronger, yet his attitude couldn't be softer. His smile actually melted some of her fears away as she felt an aura of friendliness and kindness emanating from him, just like she felt from Kayla. Matt made her feel welcome.

Sitting next to him, in a much tenser and straighter position, was the young woman she assumed was Nicole. While her expression wasn't nearly as serious as Adam's, it was also far from the softer Matt – she simply appeared to be mildly interested. She appeared to be taller than Naya, her body was definitely stronger and looked much more athletic and defined. Her skin was covered by black tattoos, her ears covered in piercings, her hair extremely straight and also raven black, reaching her shoulders. The most striking feature about Nicole were her eyes though – they were big, hooded, dark and had a powerful glint to them, a mix of peace and danger, which Naya found to be beautiful and haunting. Nicole looked tough yet serene, deadly yet elegant.

Finally, after noticing that Naya was returning her stare, Nicole smiled, which had a profound effect on her – she felt more confident after that small, accepting gesture.

"So, guys, this is Naya," Kayla began, facing everyone with a huge, confident smile. "Naya, these are Nicole, Matthew and Adam, who you already kind of sort of know."

Naya awkwardly waved her hand and displayed a nervous grin, muttering a very timid, "Hi."

"And is there something we can do for Naya?" Adam asked, although the way he looked at her and Kayla revealed that he already had a good idea of what was coming.

"Yes! Actually, there is!" Kayla replied, excited. "You see, Naya is lost and all alone and lost her memory, just like me! And so, I thought the best way to reciprocate how lucky I was when I was in her position, was to return the same gift to her."

"And that means..."

"Isn't it obvious? I thought maybe Naya could stay here with us. We could help her find her way," Kayla explained. What followed was silence and Naya desperately wished for a hole to jump into as three pairs of eyes studied her quietly. She felt so uncomfortable and awkward, standing next to Kayla, changing her weight from one foot to the other, nervously playing with her hair and avoiding everyone's eyes. In a way, she wished they would say no to Kayla's proposal, so that she had a perfectly valid reason to run away from their gaze and the threat they posed to her. On the other hand, she was weirdly afraid of their rejection and she craved for their approval.