Vi hadn't come back yet. Dammit, he could have just told me he didn't feel like helping me instead of running off. Now I had to cook an entire dinner by myself. That's fine, I didn't hate to cook. I just wish there was a faster way. Emily sat in a chair in the adjoining dining room, humming softly to herself as she set the table. I glanced over in her direction to examine her work. Something was missing from the display she had made.
"Ems? What about the glasses?" I asked, taking a moment to taste the glaze I had been carefully stirring on the stovetop. Today's dish was cottage-style ham, and therefore pretty salty. It would help to make it a little sweeter with a sugar maple topping. Besides, from what she heard from Vi, Josh was a fan of sweet things. Who would have guessed?
"On it!" Emily shouted, dragging a chair across the floor to reach the top shelf.
"Careful, we don't want anything broken, okay?"
Emily didn't answer. She was too busy standing on her tiptoes and attempting to reach the delicate wine glasses above.
Thats when it started. A loud thumping noise from upstairs that rattled the very shelves in the cupboard. Glasses toppled over and fell, crashing to the ground in deafening waves.
Upon instinct I dragged the young girl away from them, afterwards trying to catch as many falling glasses as I could, which was only about three of the five. We waited, Emily in my arms for what seemed like hours on end, until she stepped out of my embrace, signaling that she wanted her teddy bear. I allowed her to walk to the table where the old bear sat as I set the surviving dinnerware back on their shelves for the time being before reaching for the broom.
"...What in the hell was that?" I muttered to myself as I crouched down to sweep up the glass.
"Now that's what ah like ta see!"
Oh great. Of all people...
"And what would that be?" I muttered through my teeth. Why is it that every time he opens hus smug mouth, he manages to piss me off? It's truly a talent of his.
Just find your happy place just find it don't cause any trouble just ignore him and keep working...
"A woman workin' in th' kitchen of course! Where ya belong!" He yelled triumphantly.
What a jerkoff.
"Ah mean, th' pathetic wife role really suits ya, chickie!"
The wooden broom handle snapped in my hands. Huh...They really needed to make those things stronger. I stood and dropped the useless broom, hands clenched at my sides.
Screw my happy place, I just wanted to kick this guy's ass!
"You know," I started, crouching down to pick up the snapped handle. "Sometimes I think you enjoy pissing me off..."
I began to twirl the broom in my hands. "Is this some sort of sick game? How you get your kicks? huh?"
Washington backed off, eyes widening. He knew he had gone too far, and he also knew that he wouldn't be able to get out of bed when I was done with him. I smirked and stepped forward, causing him to make a mad dash in the opposite direction.
"Think I'm gonna let you get away!?" I screamed, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I chased after him, broken broom handle held high in the air.
"Come over here so I can kick your smug country ass!" I screamed. At that moment I used the handle as a javelin and tossed it Washington's way, at about the same time he was turning a corner.
The loud crashing sound in my ears was satisfying, to say the least. The handle caused a hole in the wall and it stuck there, preventing the coal haired jackass from running any further. I stepped closer and he instinctively backed up against the wood, screaming his lungs out.
---------------Josh's POV~--------------
In one swift movement my back connected with the linoleum floor. Hard. I took a moment to reach for the back of my head, relieved when I brought my hand back to see no blood. I then frowned at the violet eyed monster before me, his expression unreadable. Either this was another of his games, or he too was as confused as I was. I opened my mouth to question his actions, but only got a mouthful of tongue in return. My muffled confusion made him tense, but he didn't pull back that easily. I squirmed in his grip, pushing at his bare chest and kicking wildly, but he made no further retreat. So, stubbornly I turned my head away, giving him the best ice cold glare I could muster up, despite the heat rising in my face.
"Good to know I haven't broken you yet...But I will." He said with a smirk. I returned it with a scowl.
"Not if I break you first." I said, puffing up my chest at my newly found confidence.
A lazy chuckle escaped his throat and he leaned in for another kiss, this time raking his hands through my hair and at the back of my head, where the new bruise sat. A ringing pounded in my ears, and I barely heard the screams and threats of others outside the bathroom door.
-----Bip bop boop beep timeskip to dinnertime! ( Sorry, I don't write smut! )----
Dinner was mildly amusing, that was for sure. We had Amberlynn practically radiating adrenaline ( You could tell by the way she wouldn't sit still in her seat and how she kept talking about different ways to kill people ), A very confused looking Emily, a bandaged and beaten Washington who seemed to be having trouble lifting his fork, a patient who looked as if he had stood in the eye of a tornado what with his messed up hair and his exhausted posture, and then there was me, who probably looked like a train wreck right about now. I was sore all over, and to make it worse everyone probably saw by the looks on our faces what we had been up to.
I wanted to curl up and die right about now.
We ate in silence. And it wasn't comfortable either. Washington kept glancing in my direction. More specifically, he kept glancing at my neck. I mentally rolled my eyes and "unconciously" covered the bruise-like mark that had been there.
"Oi, Runt." The coal-haired man started, his voice hoarse and barely audible. Oh man, why couldn't Amber have taken his ability to speak, too?
"That a hickey?"
I glared in his direction, only to have a hand placed on my shoulder.
"He's not worth it. Just let it go, love." Vi purred, placing his head on top of the hand that now rested near the base of my neck. I chose to ignore him, strengthening my glare towards Washington until my rage boiled over. I wasn't able to stay there any longer.
I stood, my hands slamming the surface of the table, and startling at least three other people. Emily, Amber and Vi stared in shock.
"...I have to go...For a walk. Thank you for dinner." I muttered.
And once again, I was on my own.
I honestly didn't feel like walking, using the excuse that "I may be found and captured if I went anywhere alone". So, I went to the next best place to clear my head: I climbed onto the roof to watch the stars.
If Washington wasn't around, this would have never happened. Hell, I had a feeling that if it was just us four, we'd all get along.
Yes, that was it. Some of us had to dissapear...
What was I thinking? There was no way I could kill someone. I mean, I have already, but that was just to protect myself. Right? Right? Besides, what would I tell the others?
I sighed and lay down, pulling my hands from behind my head and examiming them. I was still having trouble taking everything in. It was still very bizzare to me, that I was once...
A frown interrupted my thoughts as a small jolt of pain shot up my left arm. I turned my attention to the inside of my elbow and tilted my head to the side in question. Was it a cut? How long had that been there?
It looked a lot like...A needle wound.
A trickle of crimson ran down my skin. I watched, mesmerized as the flowing blood ran down, pooling itself in the palm of my hand. A light smile played on my face.
"...It is what people value most...What they treasure..."
"Life." I whispered to myself. Blood meant life. I knew that now.
The crimson extented until it dripped through my fingers and onto the shingles with a plip sound. I frowned yet again. Was it normal to lose so much blood?
A warm trickle ran down my chin. I raised my right hand, but found it, too, had been dyed crimson.
The life pooled around me, accelerating my heartbeat. I gasped and backed away from the nightmarish liquid.
There was no way all this was...
A drop fell onto my head. I looked up, and soon enough the cloud bombarded me. I was being soaked in the life of others.
My heart beated in my throat. My eyes darted every which way as they were slowly blinded by so much red.
I let out a scream, my throat raw and barely audible over the hollers and whispers of the deceased around me. I clutched my ears, shaking my head violently back and forth, and then...
It stopped.
I slowly opened my eyes. Nothing. I examined my hands. Noty a single drop.
So what the hell was that? Was my mind trying to tell me something?
"Found you~"
A singsong voice sounded, making me jump. I tripped over my own feet as I backed up to the peak of the roof. A pale hand gripped the edge, and with my shaking hands I helped him up, breathing a sigh of relief when it wasn't Washngton.
"What's wrong?" Vi gave me a questioning look, gesturing to my hands. "You're shaking. Did something scare you?"
"No!" I said. Vi raised an eyebrow as my voice craked an octave. I cleared my throat and tried again.
"I'm fine." I lied.
"You're a horrible liar."
I froze in place, clearing my throat again. "...Maybe I am. What of it?"
"I brought you something."
He pressed something into my hand. It felt cold, and it was just small enough to fit in the center of my palm. I gave him a questioning look.
"Open your hand."
I did as I was told. There sat a silver key, engraved with tiny numbers. I realized it was a key from the asylum, and my first thought was to read what room it was for. But I was too focused on how new it looked.
"It was tarnished...So I took care of it for you. It's yours, after all."
I stared down at the key with a frown. As I expected, it read the same numbers. Zero zero eight six three two.
"You went through the trouble of taking it from the building?"
"I figured it would help you remember...And if not, it would help you realize."
"Realize?" I echoed.
"There was a reason you were locked up." He explained, taking my hand between his. He leaned forward. I resisted the urge to get him out of my personal space. He seemed to do that a lot, didn't he?
"No matter how much you try to blend in...You're still you. You and I...We're the same."
I looked away, pretending to notice something on the roof we were sitting on.
"I know that." I replied.
"Check the back."
Again, the questioning look.
"Just trust me."
He flipped the key over in my hands. There, messily engraved in various scratches were three numbers. A spark of nostalgia triggered in my mind as I ran my thumb over the code.
"...Four oh three..." I read the numbers aloud. "...This is your key."
"Wrong."
"No, I'm right."
I hadn't realized what I had said until Vi gave me a look of surprise and grabbed me by the shoulders, a desperate look in his eyes. I stared back, equally as surprised by his sudden action.
"You...You remember, right?" He shook me once. "Right!?"
I wasn't able to say anything. No, if I said that, I would be lying. Truthfully, I didn't know what to say. Vi looked so vulnerable at that moment...Like a scared child, begging for his mother. He looked...strange. Normally he was so fearless, so confident about every word he said. But now...He was the complete opposite. And all I could do was stare.
We sat in silence for what seemed like hours, taking in the shock of the moment. Finally, he dropped his hands, looking off to the side as if being slapped.
"I'm sorry..." I said slowly. "But I don't remember...At least not everything. I-I mean I can recall some memories but--"
"--Not good enough."
Vi looked me in the eyes, and I nearly jumped backwards at the sight. He was...Crying. If I didn't feel so horribly guilty right now I would have laughed.
"H-Hey! Uh, please don't cry!" I raked my mind for answers, mentally flailing my arms in my head. I really had no idea how to cheer up someone who was upset, and it was kinda frustrating.
Finally, I laced my fingers with his, and slowly moved in to touch foreheads with the coal-haired patient.
A small twinge of pain struck my head for a brief moment. I can't really explain what happened next. It was as if I wasn't in control. Like I was aware of what was going on, but my mouth seemed to move on it's own, like some sort of weird first-person view soap opera.
"Please stop crying. I'm here...I'm always here, okay? I'll never leave."
Vi unlaced his hands, wrapping his arms around me, his face buried in my neck. Once more in control, I raised an eyebrow, but eventually returned the hug.
"I can't take it anymore..." He muttered, his voice suddenly laced with exhaustion. "I've been waiting all these years...What can I do to make you remember?"
"Well, uh..." I chuckled nervously. "You can let go of me...You never know who's watching..."
Hesitantly he let go and returned to where he was sitting. By now, the moon shone full and bright in the sky. Both of us seemed really tired, partly because of what happened and partly because of well...earlier. I looked up at the stars, and for a moment it felt as though I was looking at them for the first time in my life. I wouldn't doubt it.
"Hey, Vi."
"Hm?"
I pointed up to a cluster of five stars. Four of them seemed to be attached to each other, but the fifth was dragging behind.
"That cluster reminds me of the others."
"Oh..." Vi pointed to the lone star, then to himself. "That one is me." He said with a small smile.
I shook my head. "Guess again. Who in our group has deemed himself useless so far?"
Vi paused for a moment. His smile grew wider.
"Those who are useless to the pack must be gotten rid of."
"Maybe." I said. "Maybe his absence will bring more peace to the pack."
"Shall we take away what he treasures most?"
I paused. "No, I don't think so."
"Does he anger you?"
"Well, yes but--"
"--Then I'll take care of him. I'll take his life."
"You can't!" I shouted, jumping forward. "Killing is wrong!"
"Who said I would do it by my own hand?" He smiled deviously.
"I'm going to start a war."