Dedicated to Levi_Aly, an active reader of this series and a fellow Filipina. Hope all of you guys like it.
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SEVENTEEN – Belief
There and then, you realized that you were dreaming. Levi never came to your rescue. You were still in the captive hands of Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt. Erwin was still nowhere to be found and you don’t know what time it was. You didn’t know how long you passed out and that you couldn’t see anything.
You could hear footprints from the ground, though. There were hushed footsteps, and heavy ones. You could hear someone thump, and fall into the ground. What’s weird was that you could feel four pairs of footsteps, and not three. Someone else was there.
You froze on the spot when you could hear Annie shout in anger, calling out to Reiner and Bertholdt. Her voice was in a mixture of enjoyment, and panic. You tried if you could open your eyes, and yet there were. Did they do something to you that made you blind? Did they scoop your eyeballs out while you were unconscious? You screamed, and that you felt something in front of your mouth. Fuck this.
Now, you felt her scream in agony, cursing at the person who delivered such pain. She didn’t say who that person was, but you were thankful to that person who paralyzed Annie and the two. Now, if that person would only find you and set you free.
The setting became silent for more than a minute, but it seemed like an eternity passed when you heard footsteps. The sound became louder, signaling that he was coming closer. Thoughts immediately came into mind, letting you assume who that person might be? Was it Erwin, or someone else? Was it some random dark horse? Would he do something bad, or would he save you? Either way, you were still nervous.
Then, you felt him stop, and felt a presence in front of you. You heard the floor creak and felt the person take a whiff of your hair, sending shivers down your spine. Hands then made its way to your shoulders, lifting you up. You tried to not fight it – you were obviously at a physical disadvantage and that your nerves would shut up, unable for you to make the best way to get out alive whoever that person is.
You then felt hands go into the back of your neck. After a while, you felt the cloth that was blocking your mouth released. It was then you had the chance of speaking, not even thinking about it.
“Who are you?” you asked, trying to sound strong, even though your voice and your body were shivering.
There was a complete silence between the both of you. You frantically waited for his answer before you would say something else. As you were about to open your mouth, the person responded to you.
“Relax, princess. I’m here to set you free,” the voice said. You felt total relief as you fully knew who that person was. He then proceeded to undo something that was on the back of your head, revealing cloth that was hindering your vision.
You saw his features – jet black hair, and cold grey eyes. He looked at you stoically as a rush of emotions spread throughout your whole body. You were about to cry, but he used his fingers to wipe the tears that was forming on your eyes.
“Was I too late, princess?” he asked teasingly.
“Fuck. You will never be late,” you replied and tackled-hugged him, making him fall into the floor. You were making a complete mess – the floor was full of debris and that you were messing his shirt because you were crying on his chest, greasy tears staining it. You felt him pat your head, and you knew that everything was alright. You stayed in your position for a short while until his nose lightly bumped your forehead, telling you to let go.
“How’d you know… I was here?” you asked, still wiping the tears off your face.
“I was on my way to meet Erwin on the police station when I overheard you calling him, saying that you were kidnapped by Annie. Knowing the bitch too well, I came into the old neighborhood where we used to be retards and use it as HQ,” he replied.
“And how about Annie and the two guys?”
“Don’t worry; I’ve taken care of them. I knew Annie too well and her fighting techniques; and I knew that she would be teaching those two the same thing. Wrong move, though…”
“What… did you do to them?”
“I simply knocked them unconscious, and that I paralyzed them. I didn’t kill them or anything if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“And Mr. Smith?”
“I contacted freaky eyebrows. He’s on his way with the police.”
You hugged him tighter, feeling guilty for everything you’ve done against him. You really don’t deserve him, but he accepts you anyway.
“Look Levi, I’m sorry for pushing you away like that. We really thought you were the killer,” you said.
“Am I suppose to shit about that? I could understand why you did that, [name]. Anyone would do the same with what you did,” he said, caressing a strand of your [h/l] hair.
“So… are we cool?” you asked, eyeing him with your [e/c] hues.
“Are you suggesting me that I had shit against you?”
“Nothing. It’s just… I wanted to make myself clear,” you stated. You were confident. You wanted to compensate for everything. At least, you would let yourself feel that you were worthy of him.
“Is that it then, [last name]?”
“Are we cool?” you asked, emphasizing every word that you said.
“You know I’ll never stay mad at you,” and that he hugged you again. You felt a stone inside your heart fall and crash into a million pieces. There were still a lot of those in your way into getting back with him fully, but you knew this was the first step. This time, you wanted to do everything for his sake.
You breathed in his scent, and you felt bliss. He took your chin and lifted your face up, making you kiss him. It wasn’t as rowdy as the last few times he did kiss you, but passion filled your heart, and that you felt you were forgiven, fully.
You kissed him back gently, and he noticed. He then responded to your acknowledgement, moving his lips with such skill that you couldn’t help but twitch a few times. You nearly forgot that he was better than you with this kind of shit. Before you knew it, you were gasping for air.
“So… shall we go?” he asked you in between breaths.
“To where?”
“Out of here. The police will be here soon.”
“But, shouldn’t we meet up with Mr. Smith first?”
“No. I already told Erwin that I’m taking you with me. Besides, I can’t trust anyone with you anymore, not even eyebrows,” he responded sternly.
“Where are we going then?” you asked once more, fixing your [h/c] hair.
“My house,” and then he carried you bridal style out of this nuthouse place.
As both of you exited the room, you saw Annie unconscious. It seemed that she was pinned down, and that her eyes were wide open. It seemed that her eyeballs moved to your direction, which freaked you out. She was conscious. She could catch up with the both of you anytime soon.
“Levi…” you nervously said as both of you exited through the front door. As expected, not a single soul was seen.
“What?”
“Annie’s conscious again.” You then looked back to check. Fortunately, she was not there.
“You’re fuckin’ paranoid, [name]. Focus on staying light so I can run faster,” he snapped.
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After a few meters away from the abandoned place where you were kidnapped, Levi stopped in front of a street light. He let you down gently, and walked towards a black sportscar.
“Whoah…” you whistled. “Planning to steal this car, Levi?”
“No, you dumbass. This is my car,” he said, and unlocked the door to the passenger’s seat.
“You never told me you had a car so snazzy…”
“Shut your mouthhole and get your ass in there. Who knows when they’ll wake up again,” he hastily said, practically pushing you inside his car. As you were seated and the door was closed, he went into the driver’s seat and immediately inserted the ignition key. The engine started to come to life, not making a lot of noise.
As the car started moving, you could hear the sirens from the police car coming in near the neighborhood. Levi made it a way that you two exited on the other side of town. As the sound got louder, Levi pressed on the gas, making a faster escape from the crime scene.
“Don’t worry, [name]. Erwin will get those three bastards,” Levi said reassuringly.
“Shouldn’t we go there… y’know, just in case they want to know something?” you said, the volume of your voice getting softer as you reached the end of your statement.
“Do you want to go back to juvy and be treated like a mindless retard?” he asked, with a bit of annoyance in his voice.
“Nope.”
“Then shut up and let me drive in peace…” And then you kept your mouth shut, looking out the window as you zoomed right into the end of the neighborhood.
---
You noticed that the buildings were starting to disappear, and that trees came into the scenery. The lights were almost gone, meaning you two were reaching at the end of town. And it was at the other side of town. You started hearing small animals hiding in the forest. You looked at the man beside you, who was highly concentrated on driving at high speeds.
“Levi, where are we?” you asked.
“At the other side of town,” he responded. “We’re almost there; don’t worry.”
“You live… all the way here?”
“You might as well know that I don’t do well with social interaction and all those bullshit.”
“I see,” you replied. “But damn, you live here? It must be a bitch to go to and from school.”
He only snickered. You then noticed that he was driving much more slowly now. Up ahead, you could see lights. The trees were starting to clear, and that you finally saw a building. It must be his house.
But apparently, he lives in a mansion.
His car then stopped at a huge gate, mesmerizing you. He eyed on the person on the guard house that was beside the gate. After a while, the gates opened, and he drove in. He then drove up to the front, circling a fountain that was in front of the mansion.
You were about to reach for the doorknob, when Levi grasped your other hand. You eyed him, only for him to get out of the car, and go all the way into your side, opening the door for you. You slowly went out of the car, slightly shocked. He then closed the doors.
“So, what do you think?” he asked.
“What do I think…” you murmured. “WHAT DO I FUCKING THINK?! Levi, you live in a fucking mansion; you have a fancy fucking car, but I never knew about any of this?” you said, practically shouting at him.
You then looked up the huge building – this marvelous piece of architecture had around 4-5 floors, painted white on the outside with black and golden accents. The roof was painted crimson red. It had a ton of windows, and that the whole place was surrounded by soft golden light. The lawn was even better – the bushes were trimmed in different abstract forms, and that the grass was really well-kept. The fences were Gothic style, painted black, and that there were lamps on top of every post, making the scene brighter. The double doors that were in front of you were really huge, but not as huge as the gates that you saw earlier. It was made from high-quality mahogany wood.
“Just… wow.” It was the only thing that you could say.
“Don’t just stand there. Get your butt inside,” he said, and took your arm.
“Wait!” you screamed, making him stop on his tracks. You then went closer to him, and kissed him on the forehead. “Thanks for opening that car door for me, and for saving me…”
A small smile was plastered on his face, and it was one of the longest times that you saw him smile. He didn’t retract like most of the time. He then took ahold of some strands of your [h/c] hair and caressed it. “Thanks,” he said in his gentlest voice. “Now, let’s stop being melodramatic and get in here.”
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As if the outside wasn’t good enough, the interior of the mansion was even better. The grand staircase greeted them, its handles polished to a shine. The stairs were draped with a red carpet with golden trimmings that goes from the top of the staircase to the main entrance. The floors were painted light beige and that the floor was made of marble. Paintings hung the walls of people in elegant dresses, mostly of female characters.
“What now?” you stated, still staring at the paintings one by one, admiring the dresses worn by the figures in paintings.
“I need a fucking bath,” he responded. “You do, too. You’re filthy.”
You looked down into your clothes. It was covered in a bit of dirt and debris, and that you were smeared in your own blood. You also saw the bruises in your arms and legs.
You then saw Levi walk away, which left you standing like an idiot in the foyer of his mansion. Minutes later, he came back with a white box with a red cross on it. He ushered you to sit on one of the sofas in the room. He placed the box on top of the coffee table and opened it, revealing a set of bandages, liquids, medicines and whatnot. He took your hand and tended to your wounds.
He started placing alcohol on cotton, saying, “Look, I don’t have Betadine bullshit or whatever, so I want you to man up and suck it up, got it?”
You simply nodded, knowing that going against him right now would be pointless. You stretched your arm while he dabbed the cotton unto your wound. The moment it touched your skin, you yelped a bit, and covered your mouth the second after. He chuckled, and continues to clean your wound while you tried not to show any sign of pain.
After a while, he took a gauze and bandage out and covered your wound. He started cursing because of you being filthy and all, while he focused on tending to your injuries. He complained on how your mouth tasted like blood. You laughed anyway; he did care.
After tending to both of your arms, he proceeded to take care of your face and legs, doing the same procedure. You remained to stay quiet, because any form of talk, or even a single whimper, would echo around the walls of the mansion, which was totally embarrassing.
“Where else did she kick you?” he asked, patching up the bruise that you had on your leg.
“Nowhere else. I’m fine,” you said. Of course, you lied. She kicked you on the stomach, repeatedly. You didn’t want to know what happened to your torso after; not even in front of Levi.
He looked at you in the eye while you tried to hold your stare against his. After a while, he took a deep breath and continued to tend on the minor injuries, like the scratches and such. He actually believes you, wow.
Levi is finally finished on tending all your wounds. He started packing up, telling to you, “I want you to get clean. Just make yourself clean. Your room for now is on the second floor, right wing, at the farthest room. The room has been prepared and that there are clothes there that might fit your size. I’ll get clean to and make preparations.”
You simply nodded. He started walking as you eyed on the staircase; going up its steps, while holding onto the handrails. You were halfway up the stairs when something caused you to look back. Levi was still standing there, a few steps away from his original position. Both of you shared an eye contact before he decided to break the silence.
“I knew you’d come to your senses. You’d come back to me soon enough,” he said in his most serious voice.
You tilted your head to the side, thinking about what he just said.
“Remember… you need me,” he said once more.
You smiled at him, forming up a coherent sentence that could be the best response for what he said. “I guess I do.”
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Authoress' Note: So I told myself that this would be the last chapter, but then I decided to cut it into two. This part has been sitting on my PC for almost two weeks now and since I'm kinda busy (prelim examinations are tomorrow, I still haven't paid, lel aaaand Student Council sh*t) I'll just post what I did. I apologize for the long wait but I still try my best to make a chapter worth waiting and reading for.
Thanks to all the support. It's almost reached 12K reads and omg, I am dying because of the reads and the votes and the wonderful comments all of you people give to me... It's like, "who needs a date for Valentines, I have beatiful readers here..." and nya-I have to stop now.
Bye, and once more, thanks so much for the support.