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Chapter Twelve [Sensitive Content]

Say no.

Lie.

Do anything.

Just don't go.

"Actually," I said, dragging out the word to stall time for another lie. He raised an eyebrow at me, as if unamused by the use of the word in our context. "My.. mom is sick, so I have to go take care of her today."

"You didn't mention that earlier at lunch," Dexter replied, and I sensed the hostile tone slowly creeping into his voice.

He's not happy about that.

"Yeah," I agreed, cautiously stepping away from him at his unreasonable hostility, "but she called me just a few minutes ago to tell me." Oh god, am I sweaty? I hope I don't look like an idiot. "So, I kinda have to go help her. I'm really sorry."

Before I could run off, Dexter grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards him. I kept my balance, trying to pull away from him unnoticed. Let go of me. A smile cracked on his face as he returned to his nice guy act. "I'm sure the Queen of the Blood Assassin line will be fine with a mere cold."

"I told her I'd be there for her," I said through a clenched jaw, trying my best to stay level. "Can you let go of me now? She's my mother."

Dexter's eyes glowed a hideous yellow, making me hold my breath. What the hell is he doing? Swirls appeared in his eyes, and I couldn't turn away from staring at them. I tried to shut my eyes, but they wouldn't budge. Second attribute identified. I pushed Dexter away harshly, making him fall to the concrete ground.

Hypnosis.

Sensitive content is up ahead for the rest of the chapter. Please do not read if you are not comfortable with reading details of sexual assault.

My mind flashed immediately, and I felt my green eye pulsing, an orange glow flickering against the concrete ground. Seeing Dexter stand onto his feet, I began booking it down the street, no destination in mind. Mom and Papa aren't home. I can't go there. The police station? Too far; I won't make it in time. I used my time attribute a lot today, so it's still regenerating power. My heart felt like collapsing as I remembered what my mother told me about Hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a powerful attribute. There are different tiers for people who have that attribute. The first tier is the standard, where the hypnotist can control the actions of a body. Second is controlling the mind of the body and manipulating thoughts, so that's a hazard. The third is the most criminal and dangerous of them all: being able to control someone's attributes.

My chest was heaving up and down when I heard the heavy footsteps behind me. Dexter was expecting a chase. He expected something like this to happen. What's he going to do to me? I suddenly felt a hand tug on the hood of my jacket from behind me, almost choking me in the process at the rough tug. I was slammed against the brick wall of a dirty alleyway, a blue sphere surrounding me entirely. Immediately, I looked up at Dexter, who was pinning me against the wall inside the bubble he created.

With the forcefield, there's no escape. I need to take him down.

My eyes widened when hands ran up the inside of my shirt. I jerked in my position, trying to scream something at him, but as my body glowed yellow, I realized that I had been too late to snap out of the trance from earlier. He could control my actions just by the slightest bit. I struggled to fight against him as his eyes and hands roamed my body, climbing up my shirt like I was nothing. The two of us could hear the small snap of my bra as he unhooked it quickly, a satisfied smile on his face.

I want to slap it off.

"Get away from me..!" I exclaimed in a hoarse voice.

My hands grabbed his arms, pushing them away from underneath my shirt. A sword appeared out of my left arm, slicing through my jacket into the outside world. It hung across Dexter's neck, threatening to kill him if he moved, but he only smiled slyly at me. The weapon suddenly disappeared in a red flash, and I felt my jacket being ripped off of me by him.

Tier 3 of Hypnosis.

Attribute control.

"Be a good little girl and don't tell anyone, alright~..?" Dexter suggested in a teasing tone. My eyes widened, and I tried to peel away from him, away from his hands as his mouth leeched onto my neck. "I promise I won't hurt you, doll~."

Get away from me.

I don't want you.

I couldn't move as a dim yellow glow surrounded me, making me feel like his mannequin. A toy. I tried multiple times to scream at Dexter, but he ignored me. His hands touched places they shouldn't have. His lips kissed places they shouldn't have. His eyes looked in places they shouldn't have. Most of all, the fact that he thought I had given him consent was disgusting. It was bluntly and disgracefully disgusting. My attributes were locked by his, and I hated it. My whole life was spent being locked up, and this wasn't any different. Tears poured from my eyes as I looked up at the grey sky, watching the clouds roll along freely.

I was being taunted by the sky.

Maybe it had been an hour or so, and I was left mute and paralyzed by the Hypnosis. My shirt was taken from me, resting on the dirt and grime of the concrete. I was left exposed in front of someone who shouldn't have seen this. Unfortunately, because I couldn't control myself, I was sitting on the floor against the wall with my legs out in front of me, Dexter standing on his knees atop them. Like I had given him permission. My heart pounded loudly when Dexter's fingers unzipped my skinny jeans, pulling them off of my legs. Even blinded by my tears, I could see him smile at me, thought it wasn't lighthearted at all.

"You're a wonderful toy."

That statement he said— that was the breaking point. My breaking point? No. Mine had long gone by.

It was their breaking point.

My left arm began glowing brightly all of a sudden, and even though Dexter thought nothing of it, his hands still exploring my undressed body like a map, I recognized the red color. I knew who it belonged to. My other arm was the same, except the color wasn't red; it was orange. Please.. help me, you two. My head was throbbing as a blur of orange kicked Dexter away from me. The glow around me disappeared, along with the blue forcefield. A red light surrounded me, and my clothes had been quickly put back on me, though it looked messy and rushed.

I didn't care at that time about demolishing Dexter's face. The only thing I could think about was getting away from him. Running from the person who stripped me of my clothes for his own entertainment. Running from someone who I thought was my friend.

How disgusting.

I knew my parents were home by now, probably carefree, not knowing what just happened. Oblivious to the person who searched their daughter's body like it was a private island. And I didn't want to explain to them. I didn't want to relive that moment again, nor ever remember it. The two figures beside me helped me trudge home as my frame kept lurching from side to side, dizzy and panicking. I could hear her voice being rushed and her words explicit, threatening to kill Dexter. The other, even though he was usually chatty, remained silent after hearing my harasser's last statement.

I owed my life to these two.

To Julia and Leo...