Warning: there might be a grammar/spelling mistake. Please call me out if you ever see one.
***
There was a pause in the air, a wisp of tension that seemed impossible to break.
I stared at Allen.
He stared back.
A protector of hybrids, he says? How dumb did he think I am that I would fall for that? He was a man shrouded in mystery. A previous Protector of the late Allen who he had exchanged identity with for the sake of... something I hadn't asked before.
Allen was also somehow the leader of the guards in this very mansion. How he came to be as such was unbeknownst to me, as well as the reason why he was protecting this place.
And at the same time... he is a protector of hybrids?
His identity didn't add up. Who is he? If he indeed 'finds and protects hybrids', then how had he not found me before? And, if there are other hybrids like me, where were they? Was this mansion a safe haven for them? Why do they need protection anyway?
Questions upon questions ran around in my mind, causing a bit of a migraine to appear. Outwardly however, my expression was still blank. I did not want to let him see how that information caused a turmoil in my head.
The air was still thick, but I did not want to be the one to break it. I swallowed, tensing my body as I swallowed my questions before I could voice them out.
Allen sighed in front of me. The deep sigh echoed in the hall, causing the brown-haired young woman to cast a worried glance at him. So far, that had been the only movement caused by the girl after what he had said. That would probably mean that he was in on the lie and knew beforehand.
"I find and protect hybrids", Allen repeated as if he thought I hadn't heard him.
"And."
He blinked, confusion on his face. He probably thought I'd have a different reaction, like I'd cower before him and thank him. I didn't even need protection.
He blinked again, "And we bring them here, to this mansion, to protect them."
"And where are they?"
His confusion returned, "What do you mean?"
I stepped forward until I was a breath away from him. His eyes dropped to look at something before he stared at my eyes. "I've been inside this mansion twice, so why haven't I noticed or bumped into them?"
"That's because you never got a chance to wander deeper into the mansion."
A voice said behind me, causing me to slightly stiffen. I had been so distracted by Allen and my thoughts that I hadn't noticed someone had approached us.
I twisted my body to glance at the male. He looked a year older than twenty, with brown shoulder length hair, and a slight stubble on his chin. Despite his gruff look, he was tall and lanky with only a hint of muscle. His grey eyes met mine and he stared at me with intensity.
"Brother." The young woman approached his brother and stood beside him.
The man glanced at the female before his gaze returned to mine. "The only other living hybrid other than yourself is Lilac."
Lilac. The name sounded familiar.
My eyes glanced at Allen before I finally placed her name. He had mentioned her before when I had captured him.
I turned my body around, making sure not to completely turn my back on Allen, to look at the female. She didn't look like a hybrid, more of a highschool student, but a few years older looking than the girl I had taken from the basement of the Society.
"And what does she have the genes of."
The man's gaze wandered over the hall, as if nervous that someone might overhear us. There was a moment of hesitation. "Let us talk somewhere private."
He walked forward, passing me and Allen, before rounding a corner, not even glancing back to see if I would follow. Lilac bounded after, giving me a bright smile as she passed, a big difference to her brother's impasive personality.
I stayed still for a moment, weighing if I should follow and have my questions answered, or find the nearest window to climb through and escape. Before I could decide on either, a hand clasped on my shoulder. Instinctively, I grabbed the hand, turned around, and twisted it. There was a grunt of surprise as Allen knelt before me, his arm twisted in an uncomfortable angle.
"Don't", I said before letting go.
There was a flicker of hurt before he eased it into an easy expression. He stood up and shrugged at me, but made no move to walk away.
Allen was shrouded in mystery, with so many identities and responsibilities that I didn't know how to react or respond to them. This made me uncomfortable and uncertain of him. Other than my discomfort around him, I somehow felt... safe, which alarmed me. There had not been a time when I felt safe. Even around Sam, who I trusted the most, have I not been able to simply stop myself from expecting a fight. But to feel safe around Allen...
I quickly turned around to follow the lanky man and his sister, wanting to put as much distance between Allen and myself. Of course, my wish had not been granted because he followed close behind me, as if making sure I wouldn't escape. He was thankfully quiet however as we walked.
Trying as much as possible to ignore his presence, I focused on my senses. My hearing was slowly returning, and as I slowly tuned it up, I was able to hear two pairs of footsteps: one steady, and the other uneven. But as I tried to tune it more, I was met with a painful screech, a sound similar to a broken television. An uncomfortable wince was the only sign of my pain as I quickly tuned it down to a comfortable pitch. Seems that the effects of the poison had not yet disappeared.
My body felt light, however, the heaviness now gone as I followed the footsteps of Lilac and his brother. Allen and I entered hall after hall, each filled with expensive looking furniture and a few guards. The guards stared after me with hard eyes as my lips twitched into a dark smirk. They looked like they would attack me but with one look from Allen, they backed down.
Finally stopping in front of a large double door, Allen stepped forward and placed a hand on its surface for a few seconds. A whirring and then a click sounded from within before the double doors swung automatically.
Beyond the doors was a library. Rows and rows of books filled each shelves in the room. A large window took half the wall in front of me, allowing light to enter the room. An unlit fireplace was at the left side of the room, with pillars on each side that reached the ceiling. Above it, was a painting of a gruesome battle between two sides, but my eyes skimmed past it before I could look further. A couch and a few armchairs formed a horseshoe shape before the fireplace as Lilac and his brother waited patiently by it.
Allen walked forward, as I slowly followed after him, the door swinging to a close behind me.
I didn't let that bother me, even as I have no weapon to fend myself if ever this conversation turned into a battle.
As soon as I was near the couch, the man stood, leaving his sister seated. Allen placed himself beside a pillar, a place where he could easily see us all. And to monitor me, I realized as his eyes lingered on my figure.
"Sit." The man motioned to the airchair but I made no move to do as he said.
He only shrugged before turning his gaze to the fireplace, his hands clasped together behind him. His posture seemed well practiced.
"My name is Lois Jones. I am the head of this household."
I stared at him, unsurprised since his manners made him seem as such. As I thought about it, I remembered having chucked a stick at a tall, seemingly lanky man that made him fall into the pool.
"When I had been four years old, our father accidentally associated himself with a dangerous company. To save his life, my mother had followed the wishes of the company and allowed herself to be injected with the blood of an owl."
He paused. "At that time, she did not know that she was pregnant with Lilac."
"After giving birth, the company had come to visit my mother. They had been disappointed that she did not have the abilities of an owl so they killed her."
His tone was cold but steady, as if he was used to telling this story, but was still unable to release his anger. "After a few years, my sister began to show signs of... inhuman strength and abilities. At that, my father knew what happened. That the blood injected to my mother had unknowingly transferred to her. So my father locked her in this very house, to protect her from the company that sought the power she had."
Lilac dropped her head slightly.
Genes of an owl. My eyes drifted to her slumped form, as if she was reminiscing.
"After a few years", Lois continued, "my father died, leaving me to protect her. That was when I met An- Allen."
My eyes snapped at him when I heard the falter. Lois didn't seem like the type of man who commits mistakes, so that falter must have meant something.
At the corner of my eye, I noticed the twitch in Allen's eye. Other than that, he remained immobile.
"He then... offered to protect my sister, and in turn...", Lois drifted off.
I noticed Allen stiffen.
Lois shook his head before turning to face me. He gave me an look, as if expecting me to say something.
Fine. "You failed to mention why I needed to stay here."
"It's for your safety!", Allen suddenly said.
"The Pho-", he suddenly shook his head, "Just, there are just some bad people looking for hybrids." He said slowly, carefully.
"And."
"And you need to stay here so that I can protect you!", he glanced at Lilac before quickly adding, "you both."
I slightly raised an eyebrow at him. "Me? Do I look like I need protecting?"
"Yes. With the stunt you just pulled that almost killed you yesterday!"
My gaze was unwavering as I stared at him. "I am still alive."
"Because I was there!"
"I am going."
The tension was thick once more. Allen and I had our gazes locked together in a challenging manner. Lois and Lilac remained silent as they stared at us.
"I am going", I repeated.
I needed to find Sam. I didn't trust Allen with anything, especially with the task of finding Sam, regardless of the fact I felt safe in his presence.
"The girl needs protection. I only need my weapons."
Allen's jaw clenched in restrained anger. "No."
"Then tell me who you truly are, and I'll reconsider." I pushed back the urge to smirk at him. Let's see if he'll play the game.
Allen immediately faltered, his jaw slackening in defeat. There was silence as we, including Lois and Lilac, looked at him, to see if he would agree.
Seconds turned into minutes and I was getting agitated and bored. I needed to do something. I needed to kill someone.
With that happy thought, I turned around and walked to the door. There are plenty of other weapons I could find and use, and if there were none, I still had my bare hands and my sharp teeth. They could keep my weapons.
There was a choked sound and a female voice whispering a, 'what the hell are you waiting for?', before he stopped me.
"Fine. I'll...", Allen's voiced sounded forced, "I'll tell you."
I stopped.
Remaining where I was, not even turning around to face him, I waited for his explanation. Lilac stood up and walked to the door, followed by Lois who looked at me with respect in his eyes at having made Allen agree.
The door clicked behind them but I remained still, forcing my senses on high alert just in case he did something indifferent. I may feel safe around him, but I needed to focus on something other than the fast beating of Allen's heart.
There was silence before he slowly let out a deep breath. "I was formerly a member of the Society, a Silent One just like you... until my father died."
His breathing was uneven as he forced himself to continue. At his pain, I felt something clench in my chest. The feeling was so foreign that I almost touched my chest to feel it, but I restrained myself. It was probably the aftereffects of the poison.
"He was a... leader in the Society, until he was murdered in cold blood. Before he died, however, he told me about the experiments and that I needed to find any living hybrid left."
Finally, I turned around to face him. The pained, defeated expression on his face caused something in my chest to clench again. Damn poison.
"His words were, 'A, find them. Find them before he does. Before he uses them and destroys others'. After that, I escaped the company, making sure to erase any traces I had left. I imagine only the superiors know who I am."
A forced chuckle. "I then found Aiden, the man you killed that looked like me, and we formed a contract: that he would act as me, while I protected him and at the same time made sure to sabotage any attempts for another experiment."
There was silence after that.
I allowed him to think, to collect himself before saying something. The silence also allowed me to think on what he said.
He seemed genuine enough when he told his story, regardless of the feeling that something felt missing in it. But, I allowed him the benefit of doubt.
However, I did not want him to protect me and to facilitate my every damn move. I did not need to ask his permission like he was my master. If he wanted to protect me and died from my blades or that of others, it would be his own damn fault.
"Fine." I said, breaking the silence in the room.
Startled at the sudden noise, Allen flinched and looked at me as if he'd forgotten I was here. The edge of my lips twitched in amusement.
"Fine?" Confusion replaced his surprised expression.
"Yes", I gritted out. It was effort enough to stay here and let him 'protect' me, but to repeat myself about this is fueling my anger. "I will stay."
Slowly, the confusion on his face turned into a bright smile. Ecstatic, he almost jumped up from the couch, as I can see from his tensed muscles. I felt like I was going to regret ever agreeing with this.
"Awesome!", after uttering that, his expression suddenly changed from an ecstatic kid to an indifferent man who had no care in the world, "I mean, yeah. Cool. Whatever."
My anger diminished at that as my lips twitched again.
There was silence in the room once again before it was broken by Allen.
"So... you still want me to find Sam for you?"
At my blank gaze, he nodded to himself, "Of course! Why did you think otherwise, A?"
I turned around to hide a small amused smile.