Hybrid: The Prologue (Watty Awards 2012)

Chapter Eight, Clash

Chapter Eight, Clash

“Hello, Xena. My name is Mr. Zavion.” The old man said with an evil smile. He had such a strong voice, it almost made my weak stature shake. I feel so tired.

“Who . . . who the heck are you?” I asked, slowly stuttering. My voice trembled as Raze entirely collapsed on me. Sweat rolled down my cheeks as I felt Raze’s body heat get higher. Her heart is beating slower while mine is beating faster. Raze’s facial expression makes her look like she just saw a monster. I honestly don’t blame her. Nyx took a deep breath. He looked at Zavion, who looked sternly at him. Nyx gave the man an annoyed look.

“Xena . . .” Nyx looked up softly at me. My heartbeat is getting faster by the minute.

“This is the boss of PARADOX.” Nyx looked emotionally painfully at me. I’d never imagine loyally working for the man responsible into making you into a freak.

The old man beamed with pride. His guards didn’t change at all. I fought to say something to this man. Raze is falling on me. It’s hard to hold her up because she’s a bit taller than me, her being an adult and all. She looked at me as I slowly turn to her from Zavion. Eww. These rich people have the weirdest names. Raze is looking at me with her tired brown eyes. I notice a smudge of blood on her forehead. I try to wipe it off with my thumb, but it seems to hurt her. Just then, Zavion coughs.

“Hellooo? I’m still here. None of that weird sad stuff while I’m here, no matter how hard you’re trying to amuse me.” Zavion smiles sadistically at us. Nyx just pretends not to exist.

“Well I think you need your rest. You’re going to need it for a little ‘game’ we need to play later.”

I look hard at him. He just smiled at me. Then he moved on Nyx’s way. Nyx looked away madly as Zavion and his guards bumped him.

“Please assist her, so she can ‘rest’.” Zavion sadistically said as he walked out of my sight. I looked back at Nyx. He looks hurt. He’s breathing really deeply. He slowly takes his left hand and uses the key to open the door. He walks towards me and takes the half-conscious Raze and puts her on the bloody bed. Then he looks at me with his sad gold eyes. They don’t seem to sparkle like when he’s happy. Obviously, he’s not happy but . . .

“Why are you doing this? I’m still confused.” I sadly look at him. My heartbeat seems to get slower now. My hands clench as I feel the sweat drip down my cheeks.

He says nothing. He takes a dry cloth out of his jacket and wipes my sweat-covered face. He softly does it so nicely. I close my eyes as I can remember a distant memory of when my mother used to do this before . . .We got kidnapped. I open my eyes and take his hand when I think I’m dry enough. I hold it tightly. His face still doesn’t change.

“Why, Nyx?”

Nyx looks straight into my eyes.

“Do you really want to know?”

I nod slowly. Nyx takes a slower breath.

“I was never close to any family or friends but you, Byron and Avalon.”

“Its because you never liked that kind of attention . . . right?”

Nyx tilts his head and nods for no.

“They all thought I was too mischievous and crap. But every . . .” He stops. Then I look at his eyes. He’s full of pain. My heart feels tight. He manages to continue.

“Everybody needs attention . . .and love.” He turns away from me. I take my hands from his hand and take his face and turn it toward me. I smile slightly.

“That’s everything me, Avalon, and Byron’s been giving you.” I say as I stare hard into his eyes. “What’s the problem?”

He honestly stares into my eyes.

“I need the attention of at least one of my parents.”

I give him the confused face. His mother died when he and Avalon was born. And his father . . .it can’t be . . .

“Wait . . . is Zavion . . .your father?”

Nyx nods, painfully. I’m blown. Nyx has always been able to do the impossible since we were young. One time, I can barely remember, he held his breath under water for, like, five minutes. Then another time, I fell into a quick sand pit. I was sinking fast and he dove into the sand and pulled me out. But this . . . Nyx can never earn the love of anyone. Especially, that sadistic man. Nyx actually believes that he can get the love of his father, who turned us into ‘this’. He looks down. I can see tears stroll down his cheeks. My heart is too tight. I feel the tears try to break out but I hold them back. I hug him tightly. He grabs unto my back too. He whispers softly into my ear.

“To be honest, Avalon gets tired of me sometimes. But you . . . you never do . . .no matter how much I annoy and tease you.”

I smile completely and let my tears break out.

“You don’t need the love of that father who abandoned you. You have us.” I look at him. He smiles and wipes his face. “You never needed him before, you wont need him now.”

He presses his cheek against mine. My heart is beating fast again.

“You’re right about those things.” He puts his hand to my head. “But the first part.”

I stop smiling. I feel something wrong, he’s pulling me in so tightly, and it hurts. I push myself away from him. I can’t, he’s too strong.

“Listen, I like you a lot . . .” I push as hard as I can. Something’s wrong.

“Stop it . . .” He’s not listening. “Stop it, Nyx!” He doesn’t listen and keeps on going. He starts smiling.

“But I really do need my father’s love.” After saying that he bit my neck. I can feel the injected fluid flow through my body. I feel so sleepy. Yet complete. As Nyx leaves my neck, I can feel blood run down my back and chest. I look at Nyx. He’s so blurry. But I recognize tears.

“I’m sorry, Xena.” I close my eyes and let my body fall. He catches me carries me out the cell. Everything honestly happened too fast. All of this happened in three days. I hear the steel creaking sound of the cell door and footsteps. I can hear the weak sound of Raze’s moaning . . . but mostly, the sound of my breaking heart.