I blinked my heavy eyelids open as they weighed down on me like blocks of cement, senses rather dull at current moments. I felt the pressure on my legs and wrists lift, tiny pinpricks of relief mixed with pain on my inner wrists as well. My sight returned to find myself looking to the right dully at a metal table with what seemed to be blood spilling from IVs hooked up on either side, now dangling limp on the floor with the liquid dripping to the floor, leather restraints torn. My shoulders were being violently shaken by someone, causing me to turn my head with a painful force, temples pulsing as I stared up to meet the Crimson eyes laced with anger and worry gazing down at me. His mouth moved as if he were speaking, or shouting, but I heard nothing. Only saw his fangs.
"Yuu!"
Mika's voice abruptly rang in my senses, louder than I could bear. It left a ringing sound. He froze, noticing I flinched violently. "Hi, Mika." I mumbled.
"Oh thank god they didn't break you." He breathed in relief, shoulders slumping as he released pent up tension. I was still confused as hell, wondering what he meant.
"Holy hell you have some gay thoughts." A feminine voice echoed in my mind, although I could tell it was a man speaking. Which was confusing.
"What the shit?" I said aloud, Mika looking at me in confusion. I shook my head, noticing he couldn't hear him.
"Sorry, haven't talked to someone properly in ages. My name is Asuramaru, and from today on, Yuuichiro, you are a demon. Whether you like it or not."
I much preferred to have the option to choose, but I guess my fate screwed me over this time.
"So, what happened?" I asked Mika. He furrowed his brows in thought, before shaking his head. "Copycat busied you while Marionnettiste drugged you with chloroform, is all I could tell. I think the ringleader found out you were talking to me and instead of punishing me, Copycat took the burden herself. Then it seems like Marionnettiste and Poupée dragged you here, beneath the streets of Boston, where a coup d'essai of sorts took place."
"French. Wonderful. The one language I can't understand."
Shut up, voice in my head.
"As much as I would love to, I'm going to have to decline your offer."
"Mika, speak English to me." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. His cheeks tinted pink, before he shook his head rapidly. "Coup d'essai means experiment in French. I underwent the same as you, blood transfusion of a supernatural being. That is how I ended up the Lusus Naturae, the freak of nature in our acts. Vampire transfusion." He said, tapping one of his sharp fangs with an index finger. Then he put a hand in my hoodie pocket, pulling out a piece of folded paper. I had no idea when or how that got there, or even how Mika was able to tell it was there. He ripped it with a hand, setting me on my feet. "Follow me. I have to take you to our quarters." He said with a wave over his shoulder.
We emerged from a basement door in a warehouse filled with chemicals after walking down a long hallways with other locked doors, the sunlight painful to my eyes. The streets of Boston felt like a warm bed after being in the snow to me, although Mika seemed wary of the surroundings. I had to help him with directions a couple of times while also trying to get us away. When I blatantly brought it up he tensed with fear, angrily telling me not to carry out with that plan. I eventually gave up and followed him obediently, the voice in my head saying that I did a great job at pissing off Mika. God, I wanted him to shut up. But he didn't. Probably never will, honestly.
After thirty (painful) minutes of walking I found out there was a rather large unmarked truck parked around the corner of the performance building, which I honestly never noticed. It was more like an RV in width than a transportation truck, and had a bulge in the roof and bottom. Mika led me to it, climbed onto the steps, and pulled open the lock, allowing door to swing open.
Once again, more of an RV than truck. Inside were two bunk beds and a twin bed, a bathroom in a corner, empty wall covered by white broadcloth, and a vanity. All bolted to the floor apart from the cloth covering the wall.In one of the bunks was Poupée, a leg dangling over the ledge. Imitateur was at the vanity. "Where is he?" Mika asked impatiently, almost angered. Poupée pointed a toe in our direction lazily, both of us turning to see a man I personally should have recognized earlier as the one who took Mika from me long ago.
He approached us smoothly, as if he had known our presences were there. His grey hair was tied low again, Crimson eyes lacking the vibrancy Mika had, but it was there, nonetheless.
"Ooh, I love this lust for revenge you have right now. Go ahead and kill him, I won't judge."
I did not want the burden of death upon my hands, though.
So, instead, I hopped off of the truck, slapping Marionnettiste across the face. I should have known the bastard was the man who took Mika that day.
Instead of flinching like most people would have, he blankly took the hit. "That's understandable." He nodded. Mika pushed me behind him, kicking Marionnettiste in the stomach, sending him crashing into the wall.
"That is also understandable, but uncalled for. That really hurt, Mika." He whined, pulling himself up from the ground.
"Why did you follow his orders, Ferid." Mika hissed through clenched teeth, grabbing his collar. The man-Ferid- remained calm and collected the entire time, giving a small smile.
"He threatened to kill her." He said simply, Mika releasing a sigh, grip loosening on the cloth. He gave up on intimidating him.
"Well, may as well introduce you to everyone." He exasperatedly sighed.
"As you know, this is Ferid." Mika said, and he gave a wave. "Imitateur is named Colette," She winked from the vanity, "and Poupée is Lola." She climbed from the bunk, tan skin now noticeable, brown hair in a ponytail, she held out her right hand, allowing me to notice something of her. The doll joints we previously thought were made of makeup were real. Her knees, elbows, wrist, and finger joints were replaced with doll joints.
"Nice to meet you, Yuu! Hey, that rhymes!" She said brightly. I shook her hand gently, as if she would break. Quite possible, the more I thought on it.
"Mika, honey, is my brush over there?" Colette asked.
"Uh.. No." He said, glancing to the bottom bunk.
"Damn. Lola, do you have one?"
"Yup!"
"If you said you're trapped, why is it so easy to leave?" I asked, the question bugging at me. "The ringleader has cameras on the doors, and I believe people in the black market that bring us back forcefully." Mika said.
"He knows more than us because he's the only one who's attempted escape." Colette explained.
"Then why the hell is Ferid able to leave? this is some biased bullshit, I tell you." Asuramaru declared.
I turned to see him dust off his clothing and walk into the street, a bounce still in his step.
"We think the ringleader's afraid of him. Let's him do what he wants, when he wants," Lola explained "Which is strange because personally, I'm afraid of Mika." She giggled.
"On that topic, he left an initiation letter for Yuuichiro." Colette said.
She then cleared her throat, blinking a couple of times.
" 'Yuuichiro Amane. If you are listening to this, it means Mikaela managed to destroy a few of our equipment in his rampage of retrieving you. You are now one of us. Come up with your own act, Poupée will help if needed, Imitateur how you present yourself.' " she said in a voice close to the ringleader's, adding her own commentary. "It's completely my fault you're in this mess, so I'm going to continue getting all of the fame and leave the hard work to the others!" She chirped, imitating the way he spoke in the performance I saw as she tossed the paper, now a crumpled ball, nose scrunching in disgust. I couldn't help another few questions I had building up.
"First, what do I do about clothing. Second," I paused briefly, glancing quickly to the lights dangling from the ceiling.
"Who has my backpack?"
Mika pulled it from under Colette and Lola's bunk. "How did I know you would have grabbed it." He said, the blonde at the vanity shrugging. "We don't know about the clothing situation, but I think you're my size." Mika said, tossing it to me. I almost got knocked to the floor due to the fact my laptop was inside. And, how strong this bastard was. "Sorry." He apologized, going into the bathroom.
"Mom?" I asked, turning from the others.
"Oh thank god you're not dead." She breathed. "When are you coming home?"
"I'm...I'm not."
"What? Why? Did something happen?"
I shook my head despite knowledge that she couldn't see me.
"I'm going to stay with Mika for a while. Maybe a long time. I don't know anymore. Not sure of anything at this point. But I need you to know that I'm fine. Okay?" I said, clutching my cellphone tightly. She went silent for a long while, painfully worrying me.
"Okay. I'm going to miss you, though. A lot." She said quietly. I didn't mean for her to end up all alone for who knows how long. All because I wanted to help my friend. I really hoped she would be alright. But, considering how long she's lasted having to support me alongside herself, I believed she would be fine.
"I know. So will I."
"I love you, Yuu."
"Love you too, mom.
Talk to you later."