❝ TOUCH HIM AND ILL KILL YOU ❞
—
"You can leave," His lips formed a straight line, but Vada could see the clear smile he tried to diminish.
"Look, Stephanie Meyer isn't a bad writer," She crossed her arms, cocking an eyebrow, "You're just one of those guys who says that because–" She paused.
"Because, why?" He smirked, a playful tease hinting at his lips.
"Because, I don't know – you're jealous or something."
He threw his head back, howling with laughter. She placed her fingers to her lips, scowling.
"I'm jealous?" He said through fits of laughter, "That's the best response you could utter up?"
His accent was clear, so distinctive that it made Vada's lips curve upwards, enjoyment dancing in her eyes.
"I don't know – Robert Pattinson's pretty hot." She shrugged. She tried to act annoyed, but with her arms crossed and her weight shifted on one leg, she couldn't help but let a small smirk crack through.
"That doesn't make her a good writer, Vada," He tilted his head, "Even Stephen King said she sucked."
"Stephen King was always too judgmental, anyways," She pursed her lips, "Who's he to judge? He's not the best writer out there."
It hurt her to say, physically – she loved Stephen King. He was one of her favorite authors. In fact, her favourite novel was written by him – She just wanted to get a rise out of him. She enjoyed watching him get bothered, serious.
His smile faltered, lips forming a straight line, "Excuse me?"
"I mean, has he ever written a love story with a hot vampire who sparkles? I don't think so," She laughed.
He shook his head and laughed, taking a pillow from his bed and whipping it at her head. She dodged it and it hit the wall behind her, falling to the ground with a thud.
"You tried," She smirked, "Now give me all your books. Let's see what you have."
She licked her lips and strolled over to his bookcase, an almost exact replica of what was in her room – just less dusty.
"Boring, boring," She slid her fingers across his collection, picking up bits of dust along the way. She caught a glimpse his annoyed reaction through the mirror, causing her to smirk.
Her smile faded when she came across Lolita. She held the book in her hands.
"You have Lolita too?" She spun around, holding up the novel.
"Yeah, it's one of my favorites. Vladimir Nabokov is amazing,"
"And disturbed," She rolled her eyes and placed the book back on the shelf. Her eyes scanned over the rest of the them, nodding her head approvingly.
"Not bad, how much can I take?"
"Whatever you want, I've read them all."
She smiled contently and grabbed her bag, shoving all the books she found to be interesting inside.
"You can take whatever you want of mine too," She smiled, "I've read them all – just return them whenever."
He nodded and began to pickout the ones that caught his eye. It was silent for quite a while as they both went through each other's piles. Glancing at the mirror once more, she caught him grabbing Twilight, and shoving it in his bag quickly.
"Well, you must not think it's so bad after all." She smirked, arms crossed.
He glanced up, surprised, before rolling his eyes, "I'll give it a try. For you."
She paused, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, "Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night."
She found out his name was Vincent. She liked that name.
She turned back to the bookcase, and shoved the last novel inside.
"Goddamn, I'm hungry," Her stomach growled as she clutched it.
"Me too," He frowned, laying on his bed, gazing up at the ceiling. She smiled at him, but he wasn't watching.
"Are there any vending machines around?"
"Yes, Vada, we'll go and buy food from a vending machine with all the money we have," He scowled.
"Don't need to be an ass about it," She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Is the caf open yet?"
"Nope, it opens at eight."
She glanced up at the clock. It was three in the morning.
"If I don't eat now, I'll die," She said solemnly, tilting her head backwards.
He propped his head on the wall and smirked, "Actually, a human can survive 30-40 days without food."
"Fuck off," She laughed, but her smile faded quickly, "Seriously, I need food. Do they lock up the caf?"
He furrowed his eyebrows and crawled off the bed, "You're not breaking into the caf, you psycho."
"But I'm hungry–"
"No, I won't let you. Negan will kill you."
"Negan loves me. He wouldn't hurt me," She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, "Please please come with me?"
"No. I don't know about you, but I value my life," He pulled back.
She rolled her eyes and tilted her head towards Vincent, looking smug.
"Fine, I'll go all by myself, then," She strolled towards the door, taking her time with each step she took. She could see him scowling at her through the mirror.
"Vada–" He clenched his jaw.
"Yes?" She spun around.
"I hate you." He threw a sweatshirt over his head and she smirked.
They crept through the damp halls together. It was awfully quiet, each step felt as if it shook the whole floor. It was then that Vada thought, maybe, it wasn't such a good idea.
"Bad fucking idea, Vada, bad idea," He hissed in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, whatever, shut up already," She snapped, as they approached the cafeteria doors, "We're here."
She opened the doors, praying they weren't locked. They weren't. They crept inside together, shutting the doors behind them quietly.
They walked passed the rows of tables towards the kitchen. When they entered, a cool chill sent goosebumps down Vada's spine. She shivered and crossed her arms.
"Wearing a tank top wasn't my smartest of ideas," She clenched her jaw. She walked over to the fridge and opened it.
What she saw made the hairs on her arms stand up. She ripped it out of the cold air, her stomach growling with absolute hunger.
"Oh shit, is that chocolate cake?" Vincent's eyes popped open wide as he hurried over to the girl. They opened up the box and were immediately met by a beautiful waft of chocolate.
"Bad fucking idea, Vada, bad idea." She mocked, taking a large bite out of the cake with a fork the found in the drawer below her. She moaned at the divine taste. She hadn't tasted something so heavenly in years.
"Shut up and give me a fork," He scowled.
"I don't even care if I die after this," She handed him a fork, "I've officially lived."
"You're so dramatic," He shook his head and took a bite out of the cake, "You're right, though, this cake is amazing."
He scarfed it down like an animal in the wild, causing Vada to cringe. She didn't blame him, though, if she wasn't so embarrassed, she would have done the same thing. They laughed together as they sat on the counter, scarfing down the cake. It was hard not to eat the whole thing. They didn't want anybody to know that they were there, so they only took a little bit of it each, and then continued to raid the cupboards for whatever else they could find.
"Twinkies!" She cried out, when they came across a box of the delicious pastry hidden away in the back of a cupboard, "They're four years expired but I'll take it."
"Disgusting," He laughed, showing off his dimples.
She glared at him jokingly. Noticing a bowl of flour on the table, she took a bit between her fingers and threw it at his chest, causing him to stumble backward and hit the handle of a frying pan. It fell to the ground with a loud crash. They both froze in place, holding their breath, hearts beating a million times per minute. She clenched her jaw and scowled.
"You goddamn idiot," She whisper yelled.
"That was not my fault. You threw it at me!"
"I didn't think you were going to wake up the whole floor!"
He rolled his eyes, "I bet nobody even heard it-"
"What the hell is going on in there?" They heard a booming voice call from the cafeteria and steps coming towards the kitchen. They froze in place once again, eyes shooting around, looking for any place to hide. However, they didn't have much time before a man came stumbling in, his face red and hair mussed.
His angry expression faded and was quickly replaced by amusement. He licked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head to the side. Vada and Vincent stood still, not knowing what to do or say. She wiped her hands on her pants, palms sweaty, but happened to wipe flour all over her black leggings, making her frown. She wanted to cry, but she was too nervous. She wanted to be back in bed, reading Don Quixote, thinking about her mother, but she was there in a place she wasn't supposed to be, getting herself in trouble, like she always did.
–
Negan's slender hands snaked around the small girl's waist, slowly, pulling her close to him, their chests pressed together, merged into one. He ran a hand down the side of her cotton dress, the one that he had supplied her with generously, and tugged at the bottom of it. As his eyes traveled down her slim figure, noticing how the dress defined all the right curves, he thought of Vada, and how she would look in the small, black, figure hugging dress.
It had been nearly a week since he'd met her. After the triumphant night of watching the trembling bloodied ground lined up in front of him, horror-stricken faces, his mind wouldn't leave one girl in particular. How she talked back, showed no fear, gave him shit that nobody else would, and he didn't even mind. She even lied to him through her two front teeth and he let it slide. Twice. If it had been anybody else, he would have grabbed Lucille and smashed their head in, or better yet, done it to family, let it sink in, and then kill them after. But when she spoke with such hostility and bravery, it sent a burning feeling throughout his chest; something that he longed for. So he brought her back to the Sanctuary in exchange for keeping her friend alive.
Her gallant demeanor and quick wit wasn't the only thing that sent chills down his spine, but also the way she looked, kneeling, dirtied in front of him. He thought about the way she presented herself the morning he'd met her, clean, tidied up. Not covered in dirt and blood, just like she had been when he smashed in her friend's face right beside her, trickles of crimson blood splattered across her cheek. He remembered how she broke, terrified, but when she spoke to him, it all went away.
"You got a little something there, doll," He took his thumb and rubbed it slowly across her jaw, where some blood had splattered carelessly, only to smear it further, "Oops."
He smiled wickedly. Vada kneeled straight, giving the same look that Abraham had moments before his demise. She begged silently for him to kill her, put her out of her misery, but in the back of her mind, she knew he wouldn't; much to her distaste, he had taken a liking to her.
Negan loved the way she stood up to him, cursed him out. He loved the way her lips moved, and even the sheer thought of it made the hairs on his arms stand as one of his many wives rubbed a frail hand over his defined back. He licked his lips and breathed heavily on her shoulder. He shut his eyes and pictured Vada there, rubbing her hand over his back, her chest pressed tightly against his.
Before he could move his lips to hers, and tug at the back of her zipper, there was a knock at the door, rudely interrupting their heated session. He growled, jaw clenched as he wondered who the hell was knocking on his door at such an hour, interrupting him at such a time. He tilted his head to look at his wife, sending an apologetic glance, but he wasn't sorry for her. He was sorry for himself.
He let go of her and stomped towards the door, his heavy boots making a menacing noise with each step he took. He hoped whoever was outside could hear it, and be frightened, and maybe leave him alone next time.
He opened the large doors, a scowl on his face, only to meet the eyes of one of his many loyal workers. Then his eyes flickered towards who he held by the collars of their shirts: Vada, and another boy, who looked to be about her age. For a moment he was pleased to see her. His eyes traveled up and down her body, which earned him a deserved scowl. The other boy, who had flopping, stringy and greased hair, held a frightened look. In fact, frightened was an understatement: he appeared as if he had just seen his whole family be murdered cold blood, and Negan thought, maybe they would be soon, for disrupting him at such an hour.
"Well, what the fuck do we have here?" His head twitched backward, amusement dancing in his eyes. But, he wasn't amused. He was angry, and everybody knew it.
"These two broke into the kitchen, raided the cupboards and ate the food," Negan's worker, George, stated, "I would handle it myself, but I thought you might want to take care of this one."
Negan spun on his feet and pinched the bridge of his nose. He then pointed towards the blonde haired beauty that stood silently in the corner, fiddling with the bottoms of her dress.
"Amber, get the fuck out," He wiped his eyes and let out an audible sigh, staring at the blank wall in front of him. The girl hobbled out, clearly distressed. He then turned back around, "George, I'll take it from here."
George gave a sly nod of the head and sauntered back down the hall.
Negan stood silently for a minute, arms crossed, staring the two kids down. Vada stared right back at him, her jaw clenched and teeth grinding, unwilling to show the true fear she held. Vincent looked anywhere but at the leader, his eyes flickering around the room, to the bed, paintings on the walls, and then at Vada.
"And who the fuck are you?" Negan tilted his head, a playful smirk hinting at his lips as he walked slowly towards the frightened boy who stood almost half hidden behind the doorway.
"Vincent– Vincent Hart, sir," He trembled over his words, still failing to meet his eyes. Instead, he stared at his chest, and then his chin, but was much too afraid to actually look him in the eye, afraid of giving him the wrong idea somehow.
"Hm," Negan stroked his graying beard and laughed, "What an unfortunate fucking name. Get the hell in here, would you? And close the door."
Vincent swallowed the lump in his throat and came into the room, closing the heavy door behind him. He scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously.
"You think this is funny?" Negan tilted his head.
"N-no, I don't, sir," Vincent straightened up, finally meeting the man's eyes.
Negan laughed at his frightened reaction. He then turned to Vada, who held no expression, only stared down at her nails, patiently waiting from him to acknowledge her.
"You just love breaking rules, don't you princess?" He grinned, his head twitching. He poked his tongue out from beneath his teeth and stared her down, "That shit doesn't fly here, Vada, no it does not. Your daddy may have let you run off and do whatever the fuck you pleased in that shit town of yours, but it's different here. When I tell you to do something, you do it. Got it?"
She looked up from her nails and gave a sarcastic grin, "Got it."
He tilted his head up with laughter at her irritated response. He loved seeing her, jaw clenched, weight shifted on one foot.
"You see, you say that, but you seem to like to lie to me," He sucked air from between his teeth, and sighed, before picking up Lucille and shoving her in front of the girl's face, "Lucille is hungry for blood – and let me tell you, sweetheart, she has lots of options."
He swung the bat and pointed it at the stringy haired, frightened boy, making him flinch and coward backward, almost knocking over the lamp that sat behind him. Vada breathed heavily out of her nose. Negan knew how to hit her soft spot, alright. He could threaten her all he wanted, kill her if that's what it came to, but when he threatened to lay a hand on anybody she loved, that's when she got heated.
"Touch him and I'll kill you," She took a step towards him, but he didn't take a step back, and they were close, much to her disliking. She held an unsmiling, stern expression, but he wasn't scared, not one bit. He loved it when she talked back to him – It only made him want her even more.
"Well look at that," He threw his hands up and laughed, "What, are you two fucking or something? You've been here two days, sweetheart. Didn't know you were that freaky–"
"Fuck you," She spat.
Negan grinned and approached her, almost having her pinned to the wall, but there was a small gap. She stared up at him, undaunted. Nothing was said before he tilted his head slightly and glanced at Vincent.
"You can leave," He squinted his eyes and paused, "The fuck is your name?"
"Vincent, sir."
"Vincent, get the hell out of my room, now."
The boy glanced at Vada, a concerned look. She gave a slight nod the head as approval, sending him scurrying out the room in a hurry. Negan looked back down at the girl and smiled, before breaking their close proximity and walking over to the mini kitchen he had set up. He grabbed a glass of water and took a sip, a hand leaning on the counter, holding his weight.
"Get some rest, doll, and in the morning we're gonna have quite the chat."
He slammed his glass down on the marble counter and marched out of the room, locking the door behind him. Vada's eyes widened and she hurried toward the large double doors, trying to twist the knob, but it wouldn't budge. She was locked in the leader's room with no way out. Turning around, she took a view of the whole room, and it was quite beautiful, black and white themed. There were couches and a large bed, which looked unbelievably tempting to her. So, she walked over, and pulled the covers over her head, glad to finally be able to get some sleep. Before she knew it, she drifted off into a comfortable slumber, in the comfiest mattress she had ever slept in.