addiction - draco malfoy

seventy

i was eventually allowed out of the car, probably a good fourty minute journey away. lily said we would put more time between us at night, but we weren't to drive during daylight so we were stopping here for the night. i was remained blindfolded as i walked from the car; helped, as much as i hated it now, by lily, cupping my elbow and leading me up the path. after her driver locked the door and tied me down in a chair, i was unblindfolded. it was some kind of log cabin. all the blinds were down, and i could tell immediately that lily's family owned this. the cabin was expansive looking, and it had the exact same cherry candleish smell as lily's house.

'heal me' lily immediately said, reaching her hand out for mine. i pulled away, shaking my head. 'you killed emma. you really think i'm going to help you?'.
'fine' lily sniffed 'then no meal privileges, no water privileges, no drugs, no nothing. after a few days, healing me will start to seem like a very appealing option'. she sat down on the sofa and began flicking through a magazine, seemingly unfazed. 'you wouldn't let me die' i said, although there was an edge of uncertainty in my voice 'not if you've went to all this trouble to get me'.
'wouldn't i?' she asked 'now that i know there's another spirit user at the school. i only chose you because you were convenient. i could so easily have baited the other one out and took them, with a bit of extra time and effort'. i froze, she meant peter, although i couldn't let on i knew who it was.

she turned to the driver, who was standing ominously behind me, almost bodyguard like with his arms crossed and his feet apart. 'i'll be okay with her alone. i'm not leaving the couch. you can have a break'.
he nodded, 'thank you miss o'neall' before walking through a door, presumably leading to a different part of the house. 'kitchen' lily said loudly, clearly having read my mind.

she stood up, walking towards me almost immediately. so much for not leaving the couch. she probably couldn't wait to torture me in private. 'elizabeth' she whispered softly, her face so close to mine that her hair was tickling my face. it reminded me of the movie night, just a few days before emma went missing.

no. don't think of that. none of it was real.

'i'm so sorry. but you have to heal me'.
'in your dreams' i scoffed, immediately earning a shush from her. 'shhhh, elizabeth. keep your voice down. he's probably listening at the door. i'm so sorry'. her lower lip wobbled, almost as if she was about to cry. 'i had to do this. i'm the last of my family line. it's important. i didn't know it would be you, but by the time i'd figured it out they'd figured it out too'.
'who's they' i whispered, glancing over at the door.
'them' she said, gesturing at the door 'there's more of them. they've been living around campus for weeks, hiding, helping orchestrate everything. my parents employed them. they were the ones who told me the spirit user was you, i tried to talk them out of it, i spent all my time trying to find the other spirit user so it wouldn't have to be you elizabeth, i swear i did'. she paused, a tear rolling down her cheek, and despite myself i almost wished i wasn't handcuffed so i could wipe it away.

stop it. empathy is your worst trait.

'they wanted to kill you. it would be easier. spirit blood is enough to heal me. i convinced them to do it this way, i promised them you would come around to healing me. they're going to kill you if you don't elizabeth'.
'how much time do i have?' i muttered, staring at the door. 'until they kill you? or until he comes back?'.
'both'.
she hesitated 'he'll come back in the room whenever i ask him too, i'm technically his superior, since my family employs him. but i get no say in what happened next. my family instructed him to make sure i get healed, one way or another. i'd say you have a few days at best. they're not very patient people though, they really won't feed you or anything until you give in. i told them and told them that you can't heal me without energy, even if you wanted to, but they don't care. in their eyes can't is the same as won't. they'll get what they want, one way or another'.
'so all that stuff in the car? how much of it were you behind?' i sighed.
'a lot of it' she admitted 'but i did take credit for more than i did. most of the ideas weren't mine. most of the manpower wasn't just me. i have to seem like i'm on their side though. it's your best chance at escape. he never would have left me alone with you now if he thought i was on your side'.

hope jumped inside of me 'you're going to help me escape?'.
'yeah' she bit her lip 'i don't know how. but i'll try'. i looked around properly for the first time, really taking in the room. all i had noticed at first was that it looked expensive, but it was more than that. every door looked industrially strong, every window so thick it was easily bullet proof. there was a rug on the floor, with a tiny bulge in the middle. trapdoor. 'do you keep guns down there?' i asked lily quietly, gulping. 'how do you know that's there? how do you know we keep guns down there?' she paled 'it's our safe room. it's supposed to be undetectable'.
'observant i guess. the guns part was kind of a guess. most secret rooms in lodges like this keep guns, usually for hunting'.

'if i escape, will they go after the other spirit user?' i asked after a minute. lily nodded 'yeah. apparently i'm too important to just let die. they need me'.
'then i'm not escaping' i said determinedly. she looked bewildered for a moment, so i spoke again 'i'm not healing you either. i don't want you to die, but you killed emma. i don't think i can ever forgive you for that'. she nodded tightly, walking back over to the couch. i was lying, obviously. i hated her, but i wouldn't let her die. my empathy was a blessing and a curse, lily had always told me that herself. i felt the weight of the rose ring on my finger. she had been my best friend once, i would still die in her place. i wouldn't admit that to her though, not until it came down to it. she at least deserved to sit here and feel weighted by the knowledge that she was going to die.

the door swung back open less than ten minutes later. 'i'm sorry miss o'neall. but i've had instructions from your father to get this done quickly' he turned to me 'you have to heal her'.
'i can't' i protested limply 'no really. i'm too weak from reviving emma. i can't'.
'can't? or won't?' he challenged.
'can't'.
'fine. i was instructed to kill you-'
'don't' lily said quickly 'please. don't kill her'.
'i need the blood' he said sternly.

'um' i spoke up 'if i'm going to die, do i at least get to choose how?'. the corner of lily's lip quirked, as if she might laugh despite everything. the man shook his head, sighing 'just be quiet. this doesn't involve you'.
'if i'm dying. it kind of does' i protested.
'oh shut UP' he snapped, storming towards me and grabbing the side of my face. i noticed he had a knife tucked into his belt, and i wondered with a lurch if it was the same one he had used to slit emma's throat, the image flashing through my head again. 'okay. yes sir. sorry sir. i've never really died before, i'm afraid i don't know the proper death etiquette. sir' i stammered. he eyed me out the corner of his eye. 'was that sarcasm?'.
'no sir. definitely not sarcasm. i'm just kind of nervous, you know, on account of the fact i'm about to die sir'. he rolled his eyes, dropping my face and turning back to lily.

'i need the blood' he repeated.
'so cut me' i said quickly 'take it like that. i can't heal her now. i would if i could. i don't have the energy. take enough blood to keep her going until i can'.
'but-'
'cut her' lily ordered, gesturing to me 'cut her. CUT HER. I AM IN CHARGE OF YOU. DO YOU HEAR ME? CUT HER ARM'. he turned, flushing red and immediately walking towards me. he paused, looking at me with almost regret as he pulled the knife out of his belt. i wondered if he actually wanted to do this, or if he had just been so desperate for a job he took anything he could get, if he'd agreed to this plan because he needed the money so badly. he might have a little girl and a pregnant wife at home, living hand to mouth on his paycheck.

stop it with the empathy elizabeth. if you were still high this would be so much easier. you don't give a fuck then.

i almost smiled despite myself, my own thoughts had a point. i sighed, holding out my arm. there was no point fighting it. i was glad emma wasn't here to see this, it would definitely send her into a relapse. if the whole dying experience wasn't traumatic enough.

he grimaced, slicing deeply into my forearm. i had been determined to keep a brave face, but i couldn't help gasping out in pain. it spurted immediately with blood, so he'd clearly hit a vein or artery or something. like it was procedure, which it probably was, he immediately pulled a vial out of his belt, calmly tilting my arm and collecting my blood. i felt woozy, although i wasn't sure if it was from the blood loss or from actually seeing the blood. for the third time in the past twenty four hours, a record for me, everything went black.