~I hope you guys like it! This chapter is sorta filler with some importance. Anyways, comment, vote, enjoy!~
Chapter 13
The remainder of my night went by in a blur. How can those two men be the same person? The visitor in my dreams spoke of the man who kidnapped me negatively... why would he say such things about himself? Why would he tell me how terrible the Master is, if he was in fact the Master himself? Nothing made sense anymore. Was this all just a game? A game to see how long it takes before my small brain explodes inside my skull?
I wouldn't say I was stupid, but I wasn't an accelerated learner either. After what happened to my little brother, I stopped doing my homework and listening in class. Actually, I typically skipped school altogether. The only reason I didn't drop out was for my mother's sake. She'd already been through so much in her life; I couldn't bear to put her through any more pain.
So, since I wasn't very smart, maybe I was missing something? Something hidden right beneath the surface that was not visible to me. Was there something I hadn't noticed, something right in front of my eyes?
It goes without saying, I spent my night tossing and turning. Well, to be more accurate, I was sitting up trying not to sleep just in case the Master attempted to visit my dreams. Morning came slowly, and I took my time getting ready. I almost had the urge to put on my beautiful ball gown again; maybe I could see Reuban's reaction one more time. I had to quickly dismiss that inappropriate thought from my head as I slipped on a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top and left my wet hair down. Surprisingly, considering the circumstances, I almost felt giddy.
I finally found an answer. That realization, while ignoring its implications, was exciting for me. It gave me hope that maybe I would one day find all the answers I was looking for. There was, of course, still the fact that I didn't know who this abductor was. Why did he choose me? Who was this Master anyways? How did he enter my dreams? Why did everyone shun away from the mysterious name, Suvorov, which I found on a door of all places? Finally, why was my mind so absorbed with the idea of vampires? What on earth could that have to do with the strange gray door I found?
All these questions had my mind spinning in a constant lap of circles; this only seemed to frustrate me and turn my good mood sour. I sighed in indignation as I walked from my room to Ron's kitchen. I was nearly there, keeping my head down the whole way, when I bumped into something hard and tall. I landed on my backside and let out a groan of pain.
"Are you alright?" Seth asked, reaching out a hand to help me up. A subtle blush crept up my neck, remembering the awkwardness with Seth. I noticed that he kept glancing to the kitchen stairs, his eyes a strange mix between brown and red.
"I'm fine, thanks. Um... Seth, is there a reason you're standing outside the stairs to the kitchen?" He glanced once again to the stairway and let out a frustrated sigh.
"I ordered something from the kitchen an hour ago, and it never came to my room." He sent me a pleading look, appearing desperate.
"Why don't you just go down and get it?" His face went to an even whiter shade of pale.
"I-I can't, but you can. Would you mind going down there and telling him to hurry it up?" I sighed in resignation and hastily ran down to the kitchen. I didn't want to make Seth wait any longer, he might convulse on the floor.
"Ron, order up!" I called out to him as I dashed into the kitchen. Silence followed my words, and it took me a few seconds to realize Ron wasn't there. The kitchen seemed barren and dark without Ron's warm inviting presence. Just as I was turning to head back up the steps, a shuffling noise caught my attention. It sounded like a body dropping to the floor.
That's when I noticed the small glow under the door to Ron's mysterious bedroom. A loud groan came from the room: a groan of pain. Fear crept up my body as I hesitantly took a step closer. My mind raced as a million possibilities came to mind, none of which made any sense.
"Ron?" I called out as I lightly tapped my fist against his door. Suddenly, all noise from the room stopped, and I heard more shuffling.
"Jaime?" His voice sounded hoarse and drained.
"Ron, a-are you alright?" The door slowly opened, and I caught sight of Ron's disheveled state. His messy brown hair seemed excessively worse than usual and his eyes were bloodshot. That's not what drew my attention; there was a large gash on the side of his head, causing a fair amount of blood to pool down his face and soak his white t-shirt.
"Jaime?" He whispered as his eyes rolled back into his brain and his large body careened forward. I instinctively jumped to grab his limp form. Unfortunately, Ron happened to be much bigger than me and catching him was a foolish idea. All at once, I found myself pinned under his unconscious body on the cold tile floor.
"Ron... Ron... please wake up." I shook his body again and again as unspeakable panic rose inside me. I rolled him over, freeing myself, and studied his face. Breath fanned out of his opened lips, and his heart continued to pump through his veins at a normal pace, meaning he wasn't dead at least.
I did the only thing I could think of, which was to clean and bandage him. It didn't take long to remove the blood from his face and neck with a soaked dishcloth, but that left the issue of his shirt. His clean white collar was stained bright red, making it a lost cause. I found bandages in a cabinet and quickly did what I could with his head wound, hoping it didn't need stitches.
I couldn't for the life of me think of a way Ron could have gotten that wound. Self-infliction? Had someone in the house hit him with a... pole? It didn't make sense. I hadn't forgotten that Seth was upstairs, more than likely going insane with panic, but there was no way I could leave Ron like this. How could I leave my only friend unconscious on the cold ground? It wouldn't be morally sound.
"J-Jaime..." Ron's voices snapped me from my thoughts as his eyes opened slowly.
"Ron, how are you?"
"Oh, you know, the usual. Just lying on the floor." I laughed more for his sake at his stupid attempt at being funny. He looked dizzy as he sat up.
"How did this happen?" He glanced down when I asked the question. It didn't seem as if he wanted to answer me.
"Would you be completely angry if I told you I couldn't tell you?" By the way he looked at me, I could tell he was worried about my emotions. It was obvious to everyone that I was beginning to go insane with all this mystery; Ron didn't want to cause me anymore trouble, but everyone has their secrets. I had many that I needed to hide from everyone.
"No, of course I won't be mad." I gave him a small smile.
"So, what do you want to eat today?" He rose up on slightly shaky feet.
"Actually, I came on Seth's behalf. He said he ordered something an hour or so ago..." Ron's eyes grew wide and he ran to the refrigerator. He swiftly pulled out a large container of liquid and poured it into a glass. I couldn't see the substance too well, but it looked dark red. He measured a certain amount, and then he handed the glass to me.
"Take it to Seth, and please hurry." I did my best to keep the liquid in the glass as I ran up the stairs, but it was a difficult task. When I reached the top of the stairs, Seth was there in an instant. I'd never seen him look so riled up before as he chugged the drink and smashed the glass against the wall. I flinched back in surprise, and we both glared at the pile of glass on the floor.
"Someone else will get that..." He muttered.
"Yeah..."
"So, Jaime, care to go for a walk?" I gave him a look of surprise and assessed his expression for any signs that he was joking. He was completely serious as he stood before me with a large foolish grin.
"I thought I wasn't allowed to go anywhere?" He looked surprised before realization dawned on his face.
"You hadn't heard? The Master deemed that it was fine for you to go anywhere you like, as long as you had one of us accompanying you." A grin spread across my face. Finally, a small shred of freedom. Something occurred to me at that moment, something I remembered Reuban saying.
"T-That day when Reuban broke me and you apart from each other, didn't he tell you to stay away from me?" The air around us became awkward as I mentioned what happened before, but it had to be done.
"The Master overrules Reuban easily." He gave me a reassuring smile as he held his arm out in a gentleman-like manner.
"So Seth, where exactly are we going?" I couldn't help but let the glee build up inside of my body. Finally, I would be able to explore without having to hide around every corner. I ignored the hunger gnawing at my stomach in favor of exploration.
"I was thinking we could take a stroll around the gardens?" I nodded my head vigorously at the thought. Now I would get to see the field up close, not just from my balcony.
"So... are Charlotte and Reuban really going out?" I whispered the question, feeling uneasy asking such a thing. The question had been nagging at me; what could Reuban see in her? Also, what could she see in him?
"Well, that depends on your definition of going out. If you mean, do they hold hands and stare into each other's eyes? Then no. Charlotte's family, however, would very much like for them to be an item. There is word around the castle too, that..."
"That what?" I asked, intensely intrigued.
"I've heard they enjoy... the more convenient parts of a relationship."
"So, are they... friends with benefits?"
"All the good with none of the attachments." Seth muttered under his breath, and I couldn't help but smirk.
"Charlotte fancys him more than a friend." I stated boldly. After the whole dinner preparation fiasco, that was one fact of which I was certain.
"Yes, but Reuban likes her as much as he does a toilet. It brings satisfaction, but afterwards... well it's just a toilet." I let out a snort of laughter, and Seth soon followed.
"Y-You really just s-snorted?" We continued to laugh as we made our way down the long staircase leading to the lobby. I was comfortable talking with Seth. He was so bubbly and heartwarming; I had a feeling we would get along really well.
That's when I noticed the small grey door. Why had Ron been so shocked when I mentioned that door? What was so important about such a small thing?
"Seth, what's that grey door over there for?" I pointed to the door, and his gaze followed my finger, landing on the insignificant ingress. I looked into his obviously confused eyes. He looked all around the room and then back at me. He seemed to assess me a moment before he spoke.
"What grey door?"