Make sure to listen to the sexy-ass song to the right! It's called Bloodstream, by Stateless and it's my favorite song this week. :) Seriously, listen to it. It goes nicely with this chapter...;) But play it at a certain time in the chapter. I put a little note in the chapter, letting you know when to start the song.
_____________________________________________________________
Viva's POV
~~~~~~
"Keep in mind, most of them are probably out somewhere in the city looking for us, so the house won't even be full."
River said this as we walked quickly, headed towards his house, which by the way, I think is insanely stupid. We left the car a few streets away, so that whoever's in the house can't see it, and now we were just a street down from the house.
"Oh, great! Now we have only an eighty percent chance of getting killed instead of ninety!" I retort, sarcastic.
Clearly, I was distressed. That's a little unlike me, but hey. Last time I was in that house with anyone other than River I was getting beaten. For christ's sake, it's not just the house that's dangerous, it's the whole damn city. River's father's gang is endlessly full of members and they're all over the area looking for two people; US. And we could be out of here, safe and sound in a dingy hotel two towns over, but no. No, River's clothes are apparently the top priority.
"I told you already, we need to get there. I have a stash of weapons and money in the back of my closet that we can't leave behind." River said, for the fiftieth time.
"Whatever. You're going in the window first. Now hush, we're getting close to the house." I slowed down my walking, and River stepped in front of me. We were across the street from the house.
Since it was daylight, it was hard to tell whether the lights were on or not in the house, though it was more than likely people were home.
"Come on." River says quietly, taking my wrist and pulling us along. We quickly darted through the yard, until we were on one side of the house, where River's window was. I waited, while River reached up and slowly eased the window open. Turning back to me, he put a finger to his lips.
We both held our breath, listening. Faintly, from inside, I could hear what sounded like two voices. "My dad." River mouthed at me.
I nod, going into high alert mode. If we were going to do this without getting caught, I needed to be focused. Forgetting what I had said before, I took the lead, dropping my bag on the ground, soundlessly jumping up and climbing through the window. On the other side, inside River's room, I carefully stepped away from the window. The door was cracked open an inch. Behind me, River hoisted himself through. I couldn't help but watch his arms, the muscles flexing. River just seems to be nothing but insanely good looking, all the time. His jacket zipper clacked against the windowsill, making me jump. "Quiet!" I hiss at him. He puts his hands up, in a 'sorry' gesture.
I crept to the door, while River immediately went to his closet, slowly opening it and slowly pulling out a small box, to keep quiet. He had brought his backpack in with him, and he unzipped it.
"....He's killed many times before, with no problem. River is good at what he does." Bill, River's father, could be heard from the living room. I stayed still, at the door, listening.
"Well maybe it's because she's a woman." Another male, unfamiliar, answered him. They were talking about me and River.
"No, he's killed women before. I don't think he's questioned more than one, but he's definitely shot them down with no issue." Bill spoke again. I press my lips together. By questioning, they meant torturing. Yep, just like in the movies. They tie you down in a chair and beat you senseless until they get info they want out of you, then usually kill you after.
I glanced over at River. He wasn't listening to what his father was saying. He was too busy, concentrating on filling his bag. I turned back to the door.
Bill continued, sighing. "When it comes to my son, here's the thing. River has no concience when it comes to our business. He doesn't hold back or feel guilty with anything, including murder. Just like me." Bill paused to chuckle. The sound was sickening. Then he kept talking; "Except when it comes to one thing. See, he can kill an enemy. He can kill a stranger. But as soon as there's any emotional connection, any at all, he's useless. Like a switch is pulled. He won't do a thing to them, even if it risks his life."
I looked back at River. He was standing up from where he was crouched, and closing his closet door. He walked over to his dresser, across the room. I watched him, as he pulled open drawers, dropping clothes into his bag.
It's hard to picture him killing a person, or torturing one. But like Bill said, he has a heart. That's what saved me; River. We obviously have a connection of some sort, which started when he decided against killing me with my own knife in the alley. Now, that connection is only getting stronger.
(AN: Play the song, NOW!)
Feeling my eyes on him, River glanced over, meeting my eyes. "What's wrong?" He whispered. I just shook my head at him, signalling it was nothing. His expression didn't change though; it stayed concerned and, like always, intense. He shook his head back at me, making his way over until he was inches away. My heart was already beating fast because of where we were, and the proximity between me and River only made it beat faster. He brought his lips to my ear. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
I took a breath. "I'm just seeing how different you are from them." I kept my voice at a whisper, so the men in the other room wouldn't hear.
He looked at me in question, waiting.
"Look at you. You're saving me from your father when it puts you in so much danger." I shook my head again, looking at him in disbelief. It was almost like it was all hitting me at once, and I couldn't put it into words. Sure, he was getting away from a bad place, and maybe it was a long time coming anyway. But he's doing this just for me, right now. How many people would be willing to drop everything for someone they've only known several days? How many people have that much good in them?
Maybe I'm only saying this because I don't personally know a lot of people. But I've found the most incredible person I've met. It's the one I'd least expect. Nobody seems to see it, either. Everyone in the agency, including me, had looked at him and thought he was just another monster, another target.
Nobody does much for me. Even in the agency, it's everyone for themselves. We're told there, that if you have to choose to save either someone else or yourself, you always choose yourself.
It's overwhelming to think how much River's doing for me. It's unbelievable that there's more good in who I thought was the bad guy than there is in what I thought were the good ones.
I swallowed. He stared at me, eyes soft.
"Do you know how unbelievable it is that someone is doing this for me?" I whispered.
He breathed out, resting a hand against the wall behind me. My heart jumped when he lowered his head, stepping closer, so his body was pressing me against the wall. Lips almost touching, he stared at me, like he was holding back. A moment passed, silent. He brought a hand up and brushed it against my jaw, leaving a trail of tingles. Then he closed his eyes, sighing, and stepped back.
Snapping out of it, trying to push back the disappointed stab I felt, I sucked in some air, straightening. He picked up his backback, now full, and dropped it through the window, following after it. I waited, listening for voices. The two men were still chatting, in the other room. I followed after River, trying to control my breathing, and get my thoughts to work again.
Outside, River waited. I slipped over the edge of the windowsill, and River was quick to grab my waist and help me down. "Head back to the car." He murmured, not looking at me, and went to the window to close it.
I nodded, and quickly jogged across the lawn without him, slowing to a walk once I was on the road. I stared up at the sky. I had woken up at noon today, and by now the sun was starting to set. I shivered; I had changed out of River's clothes before we left my apartment, and into a red tank top under a black longsleeved shirt, and light jeans with some old converse. With the sun disappearing though, it was starting to get cooler outside, and my shirt was thin.
I reached the car, and got into the passenger seat, closing the door. I have to stop doing that, I thought. WE have to stop doing that! Especially while we were in that damn house. And we aren't romantic partners. For freaking sake, I can't get involved with a guy, let alone the one I'm travelling with now. We need to focus on staying alive, not on eachother. I ran a hand through my hair.
The driver's side door opened and River got in next to me, starting the car and slamming his door shut. Then he glanced over at me. "Ready to go?" He asked.
Right, just like nothing even happened. "Um. Yeah. Where's the backpack?"
"I put it in the trunk, with yours." He was still looking at me, frowning.
I checked my reflection in the mirror, shifting in my seat to get more comfortable. Then, on edge, I looked back at River, who hadn't moved. "What?" I snapped.
"Why do you have the mindset that nobody would want to do something for you?"
Caught off guard, I blinked at him blankly. "What do you mean?"
"Is that what you think of the world? Or is it what you think of yourself?" He asked, putting a hand on the wheel.
I couldn't think of anything to say. His eyes were bright, and his hair highlighted by the setting sun.
You know how sometimes you know something's coming, right before it happens?
My heart jumped, right before River cursed under his breath, leaning over. We both reached for eachother without thinking, without hesitating. He pulled me towards him by my waist, capturing my lips in a kiss that made my knees weak. The feeling I got was like the one you feel when you're at the top of a rollercoaster, dropping over the edge and down the hill. I tugged his hair in an atttempt to bring him closer, as close as possible. He ran his hand up my back, tangling his hands into my hair.
For a long moment, we forgot everything except for eachother, in our own world.
Slowly, he pulled back, just enough to look at me. His eyes were heated, and also stunned. He bent forward again, giving me one more quick, soft kiss. I think I felt him smile.
"Viva, your life is just as important to me as mine. So if saving yours puts mine at risk, it doesn't matter because I'd rather keep you safe by risking mine rather than end yours and save mine."
"But why?" I ask, voice hoarse. "Why does it matter so much to you when we hardly know each other?"
"It matters to me because you're a living person, and you deserve someone to care about you as much as anyone." He says, brushing my hair behind my ears. "So forget whatever is making you think otherwise."
"River." I started, then stopped.
He just smiled at me, putting the car into drive. "The next stop is an hour away. Put your seatbelt on."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope the wait wasn't too long! Vote, COMMENT, and Follow! <3
Ah, aren't they just the cutest? I want a River... and yes, this chapter is short, sorry. But I have a lot of stuff to do right now, and I PROMISE tomorrow I'll be working on the next chapter, so it'll be up either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
Oh, yeah, and the song is from The Vampire Diaries. They changed the original version of the song a bit, and for the better. If you don't watch the show already, get the hell onto netflix and watch it. Trust me.