Culling

Part II • Chapter X

Derrick yelped and jerked backwards, a red strip of irritated skin across his face. "God damn it Sang, what the fuck? Why would you do it like that? You are all bunch of crazy people, you deserve each other."

Luke and Gabriel burst out laughing. Everyone began to unhurriedly take places around the room, except for North. North, instead, had decided to loom threateningly behind me, as he radiated menace.

I turned on my heels and looked up at his stoic, unapologetic expression. He was so totally involved. "What did you do to poor Derrick?" I demanded.

North raised an eyebrow at me and crossed his arms. "He's suspicious. I don't like him."

"Your face is suspicious!" I retorted, even though I knew that made no sense.

I was just so, so angry! How dare North, Nathan, and god knows who else do this to Derrick. Kota had to have been in on it, he had known where North was, and Luke...

They were probably all in on it!

Those... those jerks!

I turned back around and began to pull on the ties that held Derrick's wrists behind him, but they were too tight for my fingers to unknot. "Untie him this instant!" I told North.

"Fuck no, I'm not untieing him." North answered defiantly. "He is staying here, with us, until he talks. We want answers, but there was no way in hell we would have missed your interview, so drastic measures had to be taken."

"Then you request a dinner date, or just ask nicely to have a chat!" I shot back and glared at North again. "You can't just tie people up and kidnap them because you feel like it! That's just... well, it's rude! That's what it is. Haven't you ever heard of manners?"

"Yeah! It's rude!" Derrick agreed.

"You, shut the fuck up, or you'll meet my fist again." North stepped forward and Nathan, who was sitting closest to the three of us on the coffee table, cracked his knuckles.

I got to my feet and turned to North fully, noticing that everyone else in the room, including Owen and Sean, seemed to find this entire thing highly amusing.

I just could not believe it.

"It was you who hit him?" I smacked my hand against North's arm, but he didn't even show the slightest reaction. "I cannot believe you hit him! Why would you do that? What did Derrick ever do to you?"

"The redhead helped too, he hit me twice." Derrick interjected. I glanced down at him and he jerked his head towards Nathan. Not noticing me that I was watching, Nathan made a throat slitting gesture with his hand as he glared at Derrick in return.

I gasped, horrified. "Nathan!" I chastised him.

Nathan's eyes shot up and met mine and he almost fell backwards in a panic - right unto an unsuspecting Victor's lap, but I ignored their tangled dilemma. Gabriel and Luke were full out in hysterics now, but they were the least of my concerns at the moment.

Silas stepped towards us from my right, he had been silent before now.

"So did your Gentle Giant!" Derrick quickly tattled as he saw that Silas was approaching. "He pushed me up against the wall - real hard like. It hurt."

Silas growled at Derrick and said something I didn't understand.

I gasped again, in outrage this time. "Silas! How... what... was that where you went when I went to the spa? I... I am just so mad - at all of you! But especially you three!"

"But aggele, don't be mad!" Silas appeared almost panicked, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt as he played with them nervously. "We only did it because we care. Come on aggele mou, relax. Let it go. I know your stomach hurts, it's been a long day, and it's that time of the month. Let's snuggle some more and the others will take care of this little problem."