+++++
Chapter Five
I jolted awake, my arms flailing around my sweaty body as a gasp escaped my lips. I clutched onto my sheets, my knuckles turning a white as I fought to control my breathing.
Have you ever been sleeping, and then your stomach suddenly drops and you feel as if you're falling?
From the time it happens, and till you realize that nothing actually happened, you are being suffocated in a state of helplessness.
Tangling my hands into my hair, I pulled my knees to my chest, trying to find a way to successfully calm down. I glanced at my alarm clock, noticing that it was only six in the morning. My eyes trailed around my room and at my pair of shoes that were at the end of my bed.
The memories from the night before flooded into my mind, and my stomach twisted into millions of tiny knots. Images of Sebastian King flashed through my mind, and I shook my head violently, trying to forget about everything that had occurred.
The fact that three men were killed, and that I had to witness the deaths of two of them, made me sick.
But then again, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was filled with when I remembered the way he protected me, how he took three lives for me, not to mention the way he tucked me in to bed.
Evelyn Claire, you better stop with this nonsense this minute, I told myself. You're looking much too into this! Sebastian is a ruthless, awful person, who is nothing but a monster.
What was the feeling that I was having so much trouble forgetting, you may ask? It was one that I rarely felt, and although it was simply just a spark of it, it bothered me to no end.
Compassion.
It was the smallest amount of compassion that was putting me on edge, worrying me to no end.
I never felt that way.
The sound of movement from downstairs made me come to the realization of what was happening today. In less than an hour, my brother and all that I've ever know will be leaving me-
Leaving me in the care of the most dangerous gang in London.
Exhaling in annoyance, I pulled myself out of bed; throwing on whatever outfit I had left behind. I ran my hand through my tangled hair, and began carrying my suitcase downstairs.
"I heard you kicked serious ass." My head snapped to the right, and I found a smile forming on my face when I saw Nate leaning against the wall. The living room was now barren, and I couldn't help but feel slightly saddened by the sight. Memories from when Danny and I first moved in filled my mind. I was only thirteen when I first moved into my new house, a year after my parent's death.
"That I did," I told Nate, setting my suitcase at the end of the stairs. We both stood in silence, taking in the emptiness of the house.
"You know," Nate began, "we might be able to move back someday." There was hope tainting his voice, it showed in his eyes too.
"I know," I finally said, "Sebastian told me."
A small smile lit up Nate's face at the sound of Sebastian's name, confusing me to no end.
"Why are you smiling like that?" I snapped, crossing my arms angrily.
He laughed and smiled even more. "Oh so Sebastian and you now have little talks together?" He raised his brow up, insinuating the worst.
"You massive wanker," I hissed out, hitting his arm. "I think you should really shut up right now."
Nate just continued to smile and gaze off in thought. I turned away when I felt a light blush rise to my cheeks, but whether it was due to my annoyance with Nate or something else, I do not know.
"I just find it to be so adorable, the way he carried you inside last night." Nate said, poking me in the arm. Irritated, I swatted him away and sent him a lethal look.
Holding up his hands in surrender, despite the laughter that boomed from his mouth, Nate backed away from me.
"Oh come on! It was absolutely the most darling thing I've ever seen." Scowling at Nate, I turned around just as our front door opened. In walked Danny and Will, both of whom were looking extremely annoyed at each other. When they finally saw me, an apologetic expression crossed Will's face.
"Evie, I'm so sorry-"
"Will!" I shrieked, covering my ears in mock horror. "Don't you dare apologize for last night."
Danny looked between Will and I, displeased by my reaction.
"He has every right to be sorry!" Danny snapped. "You were his responsibility and he failed."
"Leave the dramatics to me, Danny." I said, ignoring his uptight attitude. "I dared Will into a small drinking contest with me, so don't blame him. I should have realized that it was a bad idea, seeing as how Will is such a lightweight."
Nate joined in with my laughter, and the corners of Danny's mouth jerked upwards, while Will gave me a glare.
"I'm glad all the training really paid off though," Danny said, "And that Sebastian was able to be there for you." I mentally cringed at the thought of the smile that was very likely spreading across Nate's face like wildfire.
"I beg your pardon, but I am sure that I could have handled the situation just as well without Sebastian." I jutted out my chin stubbornly, while the boys just shook their heads at me, knowing better than to protest.
"Right," Danny said, exagerting the 'i'. "We're already packed now, and all of our things are in the cars." His blue eyes darted to mine, and I dismissed the guilt that they held. This was all for the best.
Keep telling yourself that, Evie. Maybe one day you'll actually believe it.
"Are you leaving already?" I asked, concealing my nervous expression with one of casualty.
Danny looked nervous, glancing at his watch then back to Will and Nate. "Well, er- we were thinking about leaving as soon as possible, and since we're already ready to go-"
"Then go! Don't let me hold you guys back." I said, acting as if it were no big deal. They all exchanged glances before looking back at me with uncertainty.
"Are you sure?" Will asked cautiously, watching me as if I was a ticking time bomb.
"Positive." I said, nodding my head firmly. "Sebastian will be here soon anyways."
Our goodbyes were short, but full of promises that this wouldn't be the end. My brother seemed the most reluctant to go, which was understandable, in a sense. We had always at a tacit relationship, and even though he would never truly know me like he had always wanted to, he knew me better than anyone.
As they piled into their separate cars, each filled with the insides of a place I once thought of as my home, I did what I did best.
A fake smile formed on my face, and I watched as relieved expressions crossed their faces.
This smile was one I had perfected long ago, and used almost all the time. Sometimes I even believed myself.
I believed that I was actually happy.
But then the cold, harsh slap of reality came down on me, and would crush the false happiness that I had so badly wanted to be real.
When their cars finally disappeared in the distance, I let the smile slide off my face, and felt my body become numb.
Shortly after walking back into the house, I went into the bathroom, and simply stared at myself in the mirror. My unnaturally pale skin looked as if it had never seen the sun, and my eyes were masked with confidence and defiance.
They say that a person's eyes are actually windows to their souls.
You must be soulless then, I thought to myself. Because when you strip my eyes of the masks they wear, you get absolutely nothing.
Maybe you're a sociopath. Have you ever actually cared or loved someone before, or could it simply be you just mimicking what a normal person would feel?
I frowned and shut my eyes tightly, attempting to shut up the monster inside of me.
You know that isn't true. You know what it feels like to love someone, to care about someone, I fought back, not clutching onto the sink for support.
You also know what if feels like to be hopeless, to have no control over anything, to be we-
"And never again will I feel that way." I spoke aloud, cutting off my inner thoughts. After all of that, one would naturally assume that I am crazy, and you know what?
Maybe I am.
The sound of someone knocking on the door pulled me away from my thoughts, and I stepped out of the bathroom, breaking eye contact with the girl in the mirror.
I was just about to open the door, when a thought popped into my head.
What if this wasn't Sebastian?
I gritted my teeth and mentally damned my brother to hell for leaving me without a gun, and physically no way to see who was on the other side of the door. For a split second there, I felt as if I were in one of those horror movies, where the actress slowly pulls open the door, and only has enough time to let out a blood curdling scream before the axe takes her head clean off.
The knocking started up once again, this time followed by a few muffled voices. I bit my lip and took a step away. If there were multiple people outside right now, I would have to have some kind of weapon for defense. Looking around, I realized that I had been left with nothing, except for the suitcase that the foot of the stairs.
As quietly as I could, I tip toed across the room, and just as I was about to reach out for it, the door quite literally, burst open.
A shocked scream flew out of my mouth, and I stumbled into my suitcase, knocking it over in the process.
"Cut the dramatics, babe." With wide eyes, I saw that it was Sebastian standing where the door once was, with Callum and Mason flanked at his sides.
"What the hell?" I cried out, motioning from him to the door. "You didn't have to break down my bloody door!"
Sebastian scowled and stepping into the house, followed by his sidekicks. "Well Evelyn, I would have had to break down your bloody door, if you had opened it in the first place."
I tightly crossed my arms over my chest, fury seeping through my very being. "You could have been a murderer for all I knew. I was simply just taking precaution."
Sebastian scoffed as he neared me, his body towering over mine. I held my ground, refusing to back away in submission.
"Love, I am a murderer." My body shivered at his words, but I managed to keep a straight expression on my face.
"Can we just go now?" I asked, annoyance lacing my words.
"As you wish."
With that, Sebastian grabbed my large suitcase, and effortlessly carried it out of the house. Looking around one final time, I followed him out the door, noticing how Mason and Callum walked behind me.
It was like they thought that I was going to try to make a break for it.
A smirk danced across my lips as I walked up to their large, black car. The windows were tinted so much, so that you could hardly see into the car. It looked like it was designed to drive through a war zone, which made me roll my eyes.
Of course Sebastian King would have a car like this.
"I want you to sit in the front," Sebastian told me after placing my suitcase in the trunk. "That way, if you try anything stupid, I can be the first one to shoot you."
My lips parted in horror, before I composed myself and sneered at him.
"Whatever you say, King." I spat out his last name with so much hatred and venom, making him glare and me and clench his fists in anger. Not wanting to push him any further, I darted into the car without another word. I heard them talking outside of the car, and for a split second, I was tempted to honk the horn and hurry them up.
But I knew better, shockingly. It would only make Sebastian go mad and end up hurting me, and quite frankly, I wasn't in the mood.
I remained quiet as they entered the car, pretending to be oblivious to their blatant stares.
Sebastian broke the silence, "Listen Evie, the location of my house, the gang headquarters, and is unknown to all, except for those in the gang." My eyes zeroed in on the black clothe in his hands, and I easily pieced together where he was going with this.
"But I am in the gang." I protested. "I thought the whole point of you taking me, was so that I would join your gang."
His eyes studied my face before he spoke. "You're not in the gang just yet, Evie. You first need to prove yourself to us, and although we've seen that you are an pretty decent fighter, we have not seen you bait someone."
"So what are you saying?" I asked with gritted teeth, struggling to hold on to the waterfall of obscenities that I wanted to drown Sebastian in.
"It means that you're going to be blindfolded." Sebastian said, his eyes once again studying my face, as if he were looking for something.
I clenched my hands together and glared at him. "You're telling me that I have to sit here like a blind rag doll while we drive to your lair?"
Callum let out a snort at my word choice, and Mason too seemed very much amused.
I'm glad my life is now the source of their entertainment.
"We have rope and duct tap in the back," Sebastian threatened. "Don't tempt me into using them."
I glared at him in response; not bothering to push away his hands as he skillfully blindfolded me, tying it loosely but securely.
"Consider this an act of kindness, Miss Summers." The second I felt his warm breath fan over my face, I pulled away, my face twisting in disgust.
With my seat belt safely secured around me, I leaned my head back into the seat and angled my body so that I could comfortably cradle my legs into my arms. Not being able to see anything was bothering me to no end, but I knew there wasn't anything that I could do about it.
The car ride was not silent at all. In fact, it was far from it. Sebastian, Callum, and Mason talked endlessly about something that didn't interest me one bit, so I just sat there in darkness, wondering about my brother, and how they must be doing. It occurred to me then, that I hadn't even asked Danny where he was going, nor did he ever bother to mention it.
Clearing my throat, I decided to finally speak up. "Sebastian?" The boys immediately stopped talked, and there was a pause before I received a response.
"Yeah?"
I felt so idiotic, talking to him with a blindfold on. "Where is my brother and 'London's Eyes' re-locating?"
It was amazing, really, how they had been talking non-stop, and then the second I decide to say something, I am met with silence.
It had gotten to the point of where I was debating on just forgetting the question, or demanding an answer. After realizing that I had been much too nice today, I decided to choose the latter.
"Have you gone mute?" My voice was snarky and sarcasm oozed out of my words, but by now, I just didn't care anymore.
"Watch it," Sebastian growled out, obviously irritated by my comment.
"Oh, so you can speak! Well that is a pleasant surprise!"
The car jolted to a rough stop, and I felt my chin being grabbed by a large hand. I was forced to turn to face Sebastian, and he yanked the blindfold down so he could glare into my eyes.
"That information is secret and must remain that way. I am not going to tell you and I refuse to endure anymore of your sarcastic comments, so I suggest that you shut the fuck up, and leave me alone." He swiftly pulled the blindfold back up, and released my chin from his iron-like grip.
My hand twitched in my lap, wanting to reach up and soothe the pain in my chin, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hurt.
Sebastian King has already done more than enough damage.
The bruise on my neck was still dark and prominent, and required layers upon layers of makeup in order to hide it.
"It's for the best, Evie." His words could have easily gone be unnoticed, but I managed to hear them quite well from where I sat.
After what seemed to be hours later, the car came to a halt, and the boys stopped talking. I felt a hand brush against my cheek, and the blindfold was removed from my eyes. I blinked repeatedly, before my eyes focused on the bright light that surrounded me.
I looked around, and made the sickening conclusion that we were in the middle of nowhere, with very few, in not none, chances of escape. My eyes rested on the mansion that was visible through Sebastian's window.
I remained in the car while everyone shuffled out. Mason and Callum took my suitcase, and Sebastian watched me closely, waiting for some kind of reaction.
"Welcome to your new home."
I slowly made my way up to the freakishly large door, stopping at least three feet away. Sebastian almost looked amused as he walked by me, punching in the code before opening in wide enough for me to walk through.
Just as I was about to cross the threshold into hell itself, Sebastian stopped me. His hand gripped my waist, and he smirked before he spoke.
"There is a code on every entrance and exit in this house, and every room in here can be locked on the outside." His words could have been interpreted as useless facts, but I sensed the underlying threat.
"You're in an area you don't know." He stated, leaning closer. "I saw the way you were looking around, Evelyn."
I held a calm expression on my face as he dipped down his head so that we were eye level.
"Don't try anything, Evie. I promise you, you will regret it." And with that said, he let me enter my personal prison cell.
The insides of the house were spotless. Everything was organized and very different from what I had expected, but at the same time, I really didn't know what to expect. Callum showed me to my room, which just so happened to be across from Satan's.
My room was dull, and all white. In fact, it looked like a room from a psych ward.
How fitting.
My suitcase had been placed on my bed, and I busied myself by unpacking. I could no longer think about the situation I was in, or how I was ever going to get out of it.
Come on, I'm Evelyn Summers. To think that I would actually allow my life to be in the hands of someone as unstable as Sebastian King was utterly ridiculous. I had done this for my gang, but that didn't mean that I would stay here forever and allow myself to get tormented by this monstrosity of a being.
"Evie, you're needed downstairs." I had been sitting on my bed unmoving, when Mason popped his head into my room and informed me this. I walked with him downstairs, my eyes remaining on the ground the entire time. Once we entered what seemed to be the dining room, Mason motioned for me to sit on the empty side of the table, while he joined Sebastian and Callum on the other side.
I rolled my eyes at this set up, a gesture that did not slip by Sebastian. He glowered at me from across the table, and I was suddenly glad that there was something separating us and more likely protecting me.
"As you know, you aren't part of Kings right now." Sebastian spoke, his deep voice radiating leadership and demanding attention. "We have so many things about you, but whether or not they are true- well, that's for you to prove to us."
Prove... Something about that word made me snap.
"Prove myself? You want me to prove myself?" I asked, an edge evident in my tone. "I don't need to prove myself to you all!"
Sebastian looked furious with me, while the other two also looked angered.
"You forced me to come here, against my will, just because of things you've heard. I don't need to prove myself to any of you." I snarled out at them.
The sound of Sebastian's clenched hands slamming against the wooden table made me jump and my heart to thunder within my chest, but I maintained my cold exterior.
"Evelyn Claire Summers you will do as I say, and never again talk back to me or any of the boys. Do you understand?" His voice was shaking as a result to all of the anger that was on the verge of being let loose. I studied him and stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"And what if they're wrong? Huh? What if all that you've ever heard about me was one complete lie?" My voice was soft yet firm.
Sebastian's eyes darkened into almost a black color.
"Then I wlll kill you."
We held eye contact, neither one of us refusing to break away.
"What's your plan then?" I asked, still glaring at him.
A cruel smirk appeared on his lips, and he stood up, walking around the table to me. I tensed up as he neared, and deep down I was afraid of what he might do to me.
It was funny how only this morning, I was surprised over thinking that I felt the smallest smidge of compassion towards him.
And now?
I wanted to punch him in the face, and damage his nearly perfect features.
"We are going to take you out, my sweet Evie, and you are going to show us how you work." His voice was low, and his breathed tickled my ear. His arms were supporting his body as he leaned in, waiting for my response.
"When?" My voice was strong and held confidence.
His hand, for the second time that day, guided my face towards his. He no longer looked enraged with me, but calmer now, which I thought to be a drastic change in behavior.
"Tonight."
+++++