Capture

Chapter 12: Kinship

I kid you not, I started writing this during my Chem lecture. 

Chapter 12: Kinship

My mind was muddled from the whole being-in-pain to not-so-much. One thing was sure, I had never been so wronged when I was only surrounded by humans. I needed out. What was it that Argi had said to me? That I was alone. Where was Dad? Emilee? Either way I was alone and on my own.

Escape sounded great in theory. In the movies, the main hero would gather supplies and allies. Maybe they would get a guard to help or have a friend on the outside. Then, they would make this grand plan that would almost not work, but was just crazy enough that it would. But those characters weren't played by an below average human girl that hadn't seen the sun in at least two years. 

The door of the room rested open as the Naturals left it, the beast was gone with them. I was barley an afterthought for them as I lay motionless in my bed, even as I regained my upper body. I wasn't seen as a threat, I was underestimated.

I did have my screw. As for allies, I thought of Rebekah and Robin and the short haired girls, I wasn't positive. We were separated and I wasn't sure when I would be placed back with the rest of the human, if at all. And then, what could we do, but sit where we were heavily watched at all time. But I did have a vampire currently in my room.

Manu was standing against the wall with a far off look on his face. Oddly, I felt safer with him than the Naturals. And he was nice to me. He saved me from the pain of being between vampire and human without anything to push me towards a transition or death. 

Did I scream a lot? I feel like I did but I was lost inside of my own body. No Naturals ever came. I peered my head down the hallway and looked out in both directions. Nothing was coming like a girl wasn't just screaming for her life. 

Was my mind playing tricks on me or were the Naturals a lot less  than they tried to appear to be? Or was it me? I don't recall ever seeing a Natural scramble until I had vampire blood in my system. It was like everything I did was blocked from them.

"Hey?" I called out to the vampire hesitantly. He did save my human life but he had also help start this. I wasn't particularly sure where we stood with each other. 

"Um, hello?" I tried again. "Manu?"

That got his attention. His head snapped up, eyes locking with mine. Whoa, I had never seen such intense eyes on a human.

"Yes?" He whispered out after a moment of staring. 

I wasn't really functioning until his eyes rested above my head. I didn't get the whole Natural eye rule until down. A shiver of primal fear went down my back. 

"Could you, um, help me to get out of here?" I edged around the subject.

"You may leave through the doorway," He seemed confused. Damn him for making this hard. 

"No, could you help me leave, leave the Naturals." I was talking treason, I winced. If he refused me and told, I could end up much worse than a science experiment. Human jerky, human chew toy. 

"Hm," was how he responded. His eyes closed and he became immobile. 

"I could ask it as a favor" I hedged.

"You are running on favors at this moment." He responded, eyes still closed.

"This one is pretty simple. Just get me out and I'll figure out everything else. Leave me at the boundary line, I'll work my way to the human colonies, or I'll figure out how to find my dad and sister-"I rambled and paced. In truth, I wanted so much more but trying to piece the human world together was much more than I was capable. 

"That idea will not pan out as you believe," He sighed, not moving but his lids did flutter. "They will find you and drag you back, it matters not if you make it through the war front or into the human populace on the other side."

"Wha-why?" Was I really going to have a verbal fight with a vampire over my escape.

"Have you not seen the fur they laid next to you? Has my blood blinded you so?" Manu's eyes opened and shifted in my direction.

"I'm not completely sure what you are getting at." I halted my pacing mid-step. 

"That beast, the Moon Beast, tore apart the building, searching for something." I felt like he was trying to get at something. A piece of my fought against this knowledge he was trying to lead me to. 

"How, how would you know? You stay in your dark room!" I accused. 

Manu began advancing in my direction. I considered sprinting down the hall, leaving the false safety of the room to get away from what he was insinuating. He knew this and stalked me with slanted eyes. "I hear many things, like a beastman demanding for something that should exist but was destroyed. Something they may have taken from you?" 

I felt my scalp with a shaking hand. My hair. It used to be so much longer but the Naturals had cut it after my capture. They put it on file, so a potential mate could sniff around the humans without disturbing any routines. A beast went on a rampage on my first day here, Rebekah explained this to me. How could I be so thick? 

"There is a...beast wanting m-me?" I stepped back against the wall, needing the support. I was still but the world was moving with my heart, racing. I briefly thought I was having an anxiety attack. I hadn't had one since we went underground, even here.

"My coven has never been to thrilled with human-Moon beast pairings, too imbalanced. The creature can never be truly satiated with human connection. Much pain and blood is involved, a terrible ordeal." Manu grumbled. He was much closer to me now.

"Then, I need out." I grabbed at Manu crossed arms. We both flinched at the action but I held on. "Help me, please. Please don't have saved my life to condemn me to another worse fate."

"I have reversed the damaged done by myself, I will remove my body now."

He attempted to move towards the hallway. I was losing him. Anxiety turned to panic. Panic I hadn't felt since I ran from my own mother. 

"I have seen what will happen, please don't leave me here!" I cried, clinging to his tall form, even as it discomforted me and him.

His face was strained. I was hoping it was his interest in protecting me that was winning out against any of the order he was to follow. He swung around and placed me an arms length away. A seriousness had taken over him. 

"The Moon Beasts are on their way here. I and my coven mustn't be linked to this," His intense eyes burned into mine. They were so unnaturally dark. "But, I feel responsible for you. I-"

Manu was lost for words and began to look panicked as the seconds paced. He was probably able to here the Naturals approaching our location. His eyes drifted back over my head as he had done earlier, but this time wasn't to release me from his gaze. I turned my head. Over my shoulder I could see a vent.

"That won't work," I whispered, a hot flush was growing over my skin, starting with my kneecaps. 

He moved fast from next to me to the other side of the room, with the light grey metal in his large hands. He was back to me and then I was a crossed the room as well. Much too fast to comprehend.

"Hurry," I attempted to argue but stopped as he glared at me. "You will fit. Follow North and go as far as you can then turn East. I will meet back with you. I cannot follow or I will be suspected."

Manu gave a light smile. "I will play the role of the nice little vampire." He laced his fingers together to give me a boost and then pushed me the rest of the way into the vent. Surprisingly, I did fit. With a soft clang, I knew that the grate was back in place. I couldn't turn my head to see if he had left.

"Hurry," He whispered like the wind.

I began to inch down the dark dusty tunnel. I hand enough room to army crawl but couldn't turn around it I wanted to. Into the dust, over the cool metal, I continued on even as I heard the chaos behind me. I kept moving. I want sure I had any other option.