Luke walked the few short blocks from the car to his house in a daze.
He now realized he wasn't as afraid of the Archduke as he thought he was. Their most recent interaction had reminded him of why they had gotten so close in the first place. Luke had been treated like he was someone important and not like someone's dirty laundry, shoved in a room and hidden from the world, which consequently made him come to the conclusion that he still had feelings for Nicholas.
This only complicated his situation even more because now the person he liked was being pushed into doing something dangerous, and while Luke was confident that the Archduke could take care of himself, he still wasn't so sure where he stood when compared to the Emperor who was rumored to be the most powerful Vampire in the world.
Then there was what that Greer guy had said. His information aligned with the things that the knight, Maximillia, had said about the Emperor. Both claimed that the man was a complete psychopath.
Earlier he saw a bit of that rumored stubbornness in the Archduke as he waved off his assassination attempts like they were only a minor nuisance. Luke knew it was possible for him to be caught off guard though, otherwise the carriage accident would never have happened. One of these days those assassins may get lucky again and then Nicholas would be out of his life forever.
Then again, who's to say that the Emperor wouldn't just kill Nicholas outright if the man ever challenged him head on?
Between that issue and the fact that his life was still on the line, Luke couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed by his situation.
With such thoughts whirling around in his head, the human was less than stealthy as he climbed the trellis up to his window where he was surprised to find his Master waiting for him.
Frederick's sharp face glared back at his ward.
"Can you imagine what it was like for me to find your room empty when I went to check on you?" He asked in a dangerously low tone.
Dread filled the human as his Master approached him.
"I wondered how it was you were getting out, then I checked the yard and noticed that the petunias were trampled under the trellis. It seems this has happened more than twice?"
The human shrunk under the man's gaze. Meekly, Luke nodded.
"Have I not made it clear that I only keep you here for your own protection? Yet you sneak out and do whatever you want like you're not a walking meal! Who knows what sort of ruffian's attention you've attracted while looking like that! You clearly do not appreciate the protection I provide!"
"I'm sorry." Luke murmured.
"Sorry is clearly not enough! You disobeyed me for the last time!" Frederick exploded, grabbing Luke by the collar and dragging him to the bathroom. As the human was tossed inside, something hit his shoulder and he realized it was a pair of scissors.
"Until you cut it all off, this will be your new home!" His Master declared, then slammed the door shut.
Luke immediately shot to his feet and found that the door was locked.
A spike of fear had him rattling the knob, desperately hoping he was wrong, but then realization finally hit and he stopped his foolish attempts. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the scissors and conceded.
He picked up the scissors and slowly brought them up to his hair. Since Vampires held no reflection, there was no mirror to check his progress as he began to hack away at the hairstyle he had worked so hard to perfect.
He cut as much as he could off and watched the clumps fall to the floor. When he was done, he set the scissors down and buried his head in his knees as he tried to calm himself. It took a few hours for his Master to return. When he did, the man poked his head inside and appeared pleased with the result.
After a few sound slaps to the back of his head, Luke was sent back to his room.
By dusk the next night, Frederick had the trellis under his window removed. Without it, Luke would have to jump down nearly twenty feet to sneak out.
Frustrated that his only escape had been taken away, Luke banged on his bedroom door, then returned to his mattress where he was left trying to remind himself that Frederick was just worried about him. This was normal. Luke was the one who had been breaking the rules, and honestly, he was in a lot of trouble, but not for being a human.
He's just worried. That's all.
Everything will be fine.
A few hours later his Master unlocked the door and provided a tray of food for the day. Luke didn't so much as twitch when the Vampire set it on his night stand.
"I'm doing this for your own good." He stated to the human before locking the door behind him again.
Not having an appetite, Luke reached under his mattress and began reading the book that he had gotten from Nicholas, hoping to take his mind off the thoughts he was having.
Oddly enough, he realized he was angry with his Master. He'd never been angry over the Vampire's treatment of him though. Just saddened or upset, because as a human, this was the only way he could survive.
Everything his Master did was for his own good.
He was still reminding himself of this one night when he spotted Archibald waiting in his usual spot outside. In a form of rebellion, he had opened his windows so he could at least get a glimpse of the outside world.
He knew he couldn't go down to meet him. His Master was home, and the man had started to check on him twice a day. There was no way he'd be able to visit Nicholas anytime soon.
Taking one last wistful glance outside, he spotted another familiar figure. This one wasn't such a relief to see as she stood across the street with a glare. Then in a blink, she was gone.
His fear sparked once more, replacing his anger and reminding him that his life was currently in danger. If he didn't find a way to visit Nicholas soon, that woman would kill him in his own home.
He already knew that their house was being watched, but seeing her again reminded him that death was just outside his home, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He noticed that Archibald seemed to stop by every day to look for him, and every day the servant would park closer and closer to the house. Soon enough his Master would notice the strange Mini in the neighborhood, so Luke had to do something to let Archibald know to stop coming so close. He figured Maximillia wouldn't make a move so long as he was with the servant.
Out of desperation, he decided to take the risk and climbed out onto the roof. Then he circled around till he found a part of the house that was near the small hill in their yard. The neighbors also had a wooden fence that he could use to climb back up, so he carefully lowered himself down and dropped the remaining four feet. Pain shot up his legs and he waited for it to subside before scurrying between the bushes.
Since Archibald was parked closer than usual, it only took a few seconds for Luke to reach him.
"I can't visit!" Luke gasped, bending over to catch his breath.
The servant looked alarmed by the human's sudden appearance. "Sir Luke, what happened to your hair?"
"It's not important. Look, my Master and I are having a bit of a fight and I'm not supposed to leave the house anymore. I'll get in trouble if he finds out I'm even talking to you."
"What? Why?"
That had the human pause as he hurried to explain the strange situation. "My Master is extremely protective of me. He just doesn't want me to get hurt, so I have to stay inside for a while."
"How long?"
Luke shrugged uncertainly.
Archibald seemed to ponder the situation before asking in a cautious voice. "Are you safe?"
That question had so many mixed answers that Luke didn't know how to properly explain things. That confusion apparently showed as Archibald became sympathetic.
"Are you certain you wouldn't like to come with me?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Luke assured him. "My Master gets like this sometimes. I just have to wait it out."
The servant frowned, but nodded. "Alright. Master Nicholas has insisted I continue to come until we receive a reply from you, so I will be here if ever you decide you need help."
"That's not-"
"It's fine. I'd rather make sure you were okay than leave you be. And if I don't do this much, I'm certain my Master would come personally to check on you himself."
"I guess that wouldn't be good." Luke admitted. "Thank you. Anyways, I have to get back before I get myself into more trouble."
"I understand. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you need help."
"Alright." Luke turned and darted back towards the house. He wasn't entirely sure if he could trust the servant yet. Archibald seemed kind enough, but there was a chance that he may also be friends with Maximillia. For all he knew, this 'nice guy' act was a ploy to get him to go back to the mansion and try convincing Nicholas to commit treason again.
Luke checked the living room window before attempting to climb the fence. He had to make sure his Master was amply distracted. Luckily the man seemed engrossed in the local newspaper as usual. Just before stepping away though, the title of an article jumped out at him.
Located on the front page of tonight's paper were the words, "Human Sighted!"
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