"You really confuse me."
I glared to Solonine who walked beside me through the level. He had his hands in his pockets and walked with a slight hunch forwards as he stared at me with a small smile.
I glanced up at it and kept my eyes down to the ground.
It hadn't been a smile earlier. It had split into a monster and screamed clarity straight through me. Of course, I couldn't run when I wanted to because it was impossible.
What the fuck was up with that anyway?
And when I was able to move, he followed me in triumph.
I just wanted to clear my head but the thing clouding it was right there, grinning like a dickhead.
"You liked it" he muttered to me "admit it."
"No" I snapped back "you did that splitting thing again!"
"You mean... this?" he smirked and made the line down the middle of his face appear that I cried out at and turned my eyes from.
He made it dissappear quickly, like it never existed in the first place.
He was proud of having everyone fooled. His pride was evident in his confident stride and the way others reacted to him when he crossed thier paths. He owned the place, and he thought he owned me too.
It was clear he usually got what he wanted. What kind of position did he hold in this place to be awarded such things?
"Birdy" he mumbled with a nudge in my side and a point of his finger "eyes up."
"So you can trick me again?" I snapped "no way!"
I kept walking until I felt his hand snatch up the back of my shirt and yank me back.
"Ah, I see you have a new pet to track" a woman sniggered before I lifted my eyes to see it was the same one who had placed this band thing on me.
"If you don't mind, he's my Captive" she bit at Solonine who sneered "and that means he follows what I say, not you."
Solonine rolled his eyes at her and folded his arms. This only made her smile at his sourness.
"Stooping to my level; my my" she tuttted as she pulled me over to her side "am I missing something?"
"Nothing" he huffed and turned from us "I was just making sure he wasn't going to run."
The woman turned me around when I tried to see where Solonine was going. She made it her task to keep my attention on her when she passed me a box.
"I got you a new one, since the other one got thrown into the fire. Wasn't easy either."
I opened the box to see a silver hearing-aid sat inside it. It was tarnished at the base and was missing batteries, but it made a smile spread across my face when I picked it out and inspected the earbud for wear that was evident elsewhere.
"You'll need these" she smiled and passed me a sleeve of batteries I eagerly popped out one from.
I tugged on my lobe so I could place the bud in my ear canal properly. It was tight but a good fit, amplifying all the sounds immediently when the battery kicked to life.
It was the nicest thing anyone had done for me. A hearing-aid like this would easily cost me three grand minimum, but somehow she had snagged me one and gifted it just because.
But... was it just because she could?
"What's the catch?" I asked.
"None" she waved a hand at how absurd she thought I was being "I like to treat my Captives with a little respect. That way they don't come back to stab you while you are sleeping."
She sniggered at the statement but whatever part of it that was meant to be funny completely flew past me.
"Does this mean I'm not going anywhere?" I pondered on her statement earlier "you called me a Captive."
She looked to me and sighed. She kept quiet until she opened up a door and ushered me inside, closing it behind her.
"It just means I own you" she explained when I climbed the stairs upwards "A Captor, which is me, takes care of the people they Band, which is you. You are my Captive and how well you survive here depends on me."
"Band?" I mumbled while looking down at the thing on my wrist still flashing away "is there really no way to get these things off?"
The woman slid past me and flashed me a smile before pulling out the table and patting the surface to get me to sit beside her.
"Unless you cut it off, you can't remove it. It's designed to be that way so the big bads can keep thier eyes on us."
She pointed to the roof and I followed her finger only to make her laugh.
"Not literally" she muttered to my embarrassed realization.
"The red-eyed couple told me the exact same thing" I huffed back, holding my head in one hand while the other swirled along the smooth surface absentmindedly.
"Oxalis and Verge?" she replied in surprise "you should stay away from those two if you want to keep your head."
"I figured" I chuckled back "the dude got so pissy at me for even looking at her after she pulled that pregnancy test out."
The woman's eyes widened and she placed a hand on mine to tap it.
"You need to be careful of who you speak to about things you see" she warned, lowering her voice as if she was suddenly afraid of being heard "it can get you and them into a lot of trouble."
I pulled my hand away and rubbed it, trying to read her shifty gaze checking the empty stairs.
"It's just you..."
"And next time it could be someone else" she hardened her gaze on me "never trust anyone in here. Only trust yourself. If you think you see something like two people together or something that even hints they are together, you hide it."
"Why?"
The woman took a long sip of the water.
"Emotions make a person weak. We are taught that here from the day we are Banded. If you have someone you care about, you never, ever show it. They'll use it against you. I can tell you are already getting too close to Solonine."
It was my turn to drink as I glared over the cup at her.
"We have nothing going on."
"So, you haven't had sex with him since coming here then?" she pried, watching me closely when I dropped my eyes down.
"It wasn't intentional" I mumbled "I didn't expect him to be there."
"And yet he was" she sighed at me "of course."
I could hear the dissapointment in it. It made me feel like I was a small child again being scolded by my mother.
"He's a good tracker, but he will keep doing just that. He's the type of demon you don't want to form any sort of bond with. He likes taking what he can't have, and will fight tooth and nail for it."
"It doesn't sound that bad" I murmured bitterly at her condensending tone, to make her slam a hand down in annoyance.
"Demons are everywhere out there, Bird Brain!" she scowled "they hide in human skins and mimic us perfectly! Most of the time you won't even know you are talking to one until you realise its too late! They are skilled hunters and trackers; knowing exactly where you are through scent, blood, or sex. You don't want to be playing such a dangerous game with something like him now that he's tracking you as his own plaything."
I could tell this woman cared about my wellbeing about how defensive and fired up she was getting just at the mention of the very thing she had used to capture me with. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ChZRDQqEE
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She was realising her mistake at doing that, and trying to make the situation better by controlling it before it spiraled out of her grasp.
I didn't want anything to do with Solonine; that part was true. But the man had a knack of turning up whenever he wanted to check in on me. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUxSEl7Emv
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He was keeping his catch close and studying my patterns so I couldn't escape him. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02IAlztOMg
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As for the sex... that was a mistake. A moment of pleasure in seclusion made me reach out for whatever could keep that high going, which just happened to be him.
I did love it that time. There was no denying that, as much as i wanted to. He liked to keep me where he was in control and feeling how much he wanted to hide me away for himself. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0lpDraunz
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I was still marked with the gouges from his teeth that had pierced my neck. He avoided those when he pressed my face to the sheets, shuddering and clicking through the air in his horrific natural form.
During the whole thing, he kept his attention split between me and his surroundings, like he was expecting someone to come bursting through to save me again.
He had fucked me against my will the time before; perhaps he was anticipating the forced separation again?
He was a curious thing though. I had never danced with danger like this before.
Did I like it?
"You deserve better than being baited" the woman shook her head at me "there are plenty of others out there who won't take advantage of you like he does. Plus, we need to get him focused on someone else who can deal with his nature and keep his full attention on them. It's not going to be you."
"Thank God" I breathed in relief.
I guess I knew exactly what my commonsense wanted, rather than what my dick thought what was best.
"You need to focus on getting your name before you go chasing relationships though" her playful tone returned to make me smile "everyone bought here needs to compete what they call a first Mission to earn a name on the Band. That will be what you are known as from then on. With a name, you'll be safe. You are still classified as an outsider until then, and are free to do whatever they want with until you become one of us. Soul Stealers have a thing against murdering other Soul Stealers."
One of them. I had to commend her optimism. I wasn't planning to hang around for long enough to become a Soul Stealer.
But I had to keep her hopes up and suspicions low.
I would play along. For now. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRqnZutC9u
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Then I would get that car and get the hell out of here for the second time.
"How about you?" I tilted my head to the woman who got up to place her cup in the sink "what is your name?"
She chuckled at my question and held up her Banded arm for me.
"Trypano."
"What does that mean?" I stared at it "I get that Scalpel's is a medical tool, and Eagle's is a bird, but what the hell is yours?"
She laughed again and sat up on the sink so she could face me.
"It's a blood parasite" she revealed to my disgusted face "you want an unsettling name in here. It deters people from messing with you. I know a Jequirity, which is a poisonous plant, and a Scaphism, which is a torture method. But I also know a Melaleuca, which is a paper-bark tree, and Sorrel, which is an edible leaf."
"Quite a difference" I grinned to her and looked down at my blank Band "you reckon I'll get a bad one? Or would that be good here?"
Trypano laughed at my confusion with me.
"You want a bad one" she reassured me when our laughter died down.
Trypano was great to talk to. She was down to earth and wasn't brash with her own opinions. Despite our initial meeting, she had a kind heart; evident from the bedroom she eagerly opened the door to so she could show me the bags of clothing sitting there for me.
"I figured you looked about a size sixteen" she shrugged when I pulled out a brown pair of longs that were acid washed and decoratively torn "beats wearing dead man clothes."
"Beats anything" I breathed eagerly and went to change until she cleared her throat and pointed to the bathroom that I took my haul to.
She had even dedicated a corner of the sink for beauty care. There was Lavender bath salts nestled with lime cream and seasalt bath bombs.
It was more than I had ever bothered to care for myself with in my twenty-eight years of life. It all looked so lavish too; definately above my pay-grade.
"You can afford all this?" I picked up the salts to take it to the bath I filled "You don't take me as someone who is wealthy."
"And you don't take me as someone who is disagreeing to it" she smirked back slyly as she closed the door to give me privacy.
It was nice to be shrouded in warmth once more but not feel so grungy afterwards. It was actually clean. My skin didn't feel tacky or slimy from sliding back into borrowed clothes that had been going stale in that dark cupboard for God knows how long.
I was being looked after here; at least by Trypano. She was doing all this for me without expecting anything in return.
I was still waiting for that to change when she offered to walk me through the Base to gain a better understanding of it all. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpx2AcZ8q1r
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I just took it as another opportunity to map more exits along the way.
"There are certain things you need to look for when you go off on your own in here" she spoke when we left my new room, her hand slapping her name onto it for me since I still didn't have one "that was just one of them."
"Claim what is yours?" I looked back at the paper and saw her nod.
"Another one is to know your place" she added when we split to let several Stealers pass "obviously there will be favourites in the chain. We are not one of them. You keep your head low and don't challenge that. They don't care who they have to cut through to stay up in the light. Don't be one of them by acting like a fool."
Dont mess with the hierarchy. Got it.
"If you do have to talk to someone, check thier eyes and behaviour" Trypano continued "you can usually tell what is hiding behind the face by checking the warning signs first."
"Like Oxy?" I piped up with a smile at how observant I had been.
She praised me and I felt it swell up inside me like a damn kid seeking approval.
It felt good to have some sort of recognition where it was deserved.
"Anything to do with blood is a no go" she wagged her finger at me, pointing it to the doors scattered along the levels with dried circles smeared in blood on them "avoid blood at all costs."
There were three of them. Each one had a vast distance between them so that they didn't intersect in any way.
"Oxalis and Verge are down there" she pointed to the door on the bottom level "the demons are Ruin and Hunt. They are brooding, so they live outside thier hosts."
"Seperate demons?"
Why did it surprise me? It was obvious neither of them were human to begin with. I just wasn't expecting thier demons to be housed out of thier bodies and with them too.
And brooding. There was more of them behind that door. No wonder Oxalis got so defensive when he thought I was a threat. He had a lot more to protect than just his future as a father with Verge.
"Agnosia and Zolin live up there" she pointed to the doors beside each other both marked with blood. It was the only ones that spread out to more space than what was normally allocated "never enter either of those rooms. Zolin will kill you without hesitation."
From what I had heard about the pair, I couldn't tell between Agnosia or Zolin of who was the human and who was the demon. They both sounded as vicious as each other.
"Last is Mahonia and Azalea. They live along the top too" Trypano pointed to the single door "they are just as aggressive as the last two and shouldn't be taken lightly."
"Are they a pair then?" I questioned in curiosity.
"It's obvious Azalea wants to be paired with Zolin. She makes it too clear when she tries to get his attention. Blood Demons are one of the only species that can crossbreed with any other successfully. They are also one of the only ones that need two males to impregnate a female. Ruin does his job, but Zolin won't touch her."
I looked back at the closed door and felt something prick at my heart.
That sounded like such a lonely life. Chasing something that you knew was going to lead to a dead-end and a lifetime of misery. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0Wl1Khf42
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It didn't seem fair that she should miss out on what she wanted because someone was too blind or ignorant to care.
Seemed like a lot of people had thier own darkness they were struggling with behind closed doors here.
"To make it easier, they keep us separated" Trypano forced my attention on the concrete wall in the middle of the Base "humans on this side and the demons on the other. At least that should give you a little bit more comfort."
"A little" I grimaced, knowing there was nothing stopping them from simply walking past the concrete wall looming over the railing running behind it.
"Should we go and see who decides how comfortably you live here?" she grinned to try and make light of the heavy topic "most of them live over there."
She pointed ahead and I felt that discomfort nestle in my throat again.
"I'll be right beside you" she leant over to whisper next to my ear, pushing me gently "brave face, OK?"
Brave face. I could do that.
I scowled at the wall and stepped forward even though everything inside me was trembling and hammering all possibilities of what I would face once I crossed that invisible boundary.
I was shitting myself. Everything was so loud and digging straight through my brain when I paused in the shade of the wall and glared at the ground on the other side.
"It's not booby-trapped" Trypano slapped my shoulder as she stepped out "see?"
"I mean, why give him hope like that?" I heard someone comment from behind the wall that the railing wrapped around.
Trypano laughed at it then motioned for me to join her.
I rushed to her side before even setting my eyes on whoever was lurking in the corner.
He looked normal. His light brown skin had no unusual markings or signs of splits in it. Even the fingers gripped around a yellow folder he snapped shut were normal.
His hair was a little odd though. It was dark red with streaks of blue sprayed through it; peeking at the back of his head before sweeping above his golden eyes.
Golden. That wasn't normal either.
And whatever was poking from the back of his head wasn't something humans had either. It was so obscured by hair that I couldn't tell for certain what they were.
And then he smiled, causing my blood to freeze down my rigid spine.
His teeth were all sharpened into points. Even his tongue was a dark purplish colour, pointed at the end.
No, he wasn't human at all.
"Take a guess what he is" Trypano smiled to me when she saw my frozen stare still focused on his mouth.
"Kinda rude, Trips" he chuckled back to her "I'm not some thing you can bring the kids to for a show and tell."
This guy was a clown. His laid-back character made my nerves start to settle.
"Your face doesn't split too, does it?"
He let out a loud laugh and shook his head.
"I like this one" he jerked a thumb at me then snatched up my Band to look at it "Fresh Meat too" his eyes flicked upwards to mine.
I pulled my hand away quickly before his sharp teeth could do anything to it.
The way he looked at me was as of he was... hungry.
Did he eat people too like Solonine did?
"I'm Tooth" he held out his hand to me that I was too afraid to take, watching him shake his own hand in defeat and sarcasm "I'm not one of the bad ones."
"I haven't decided that for myself yet."
"Decide away!" he threw his hands up and wound around Trypano so he could place an arm around her shoulders and walk with her "where are we going?"
"You are going to whatever Mission you have to do" she picked his hand off "I am showing my Captive who to suck up to later."
"Pierce?" Tooth raised an eyebrow.
"Pierce" Trypano nodded.
"And Blood Eagle, and Orvious, and Talow, and Scalpel, and Sceptre, and..."
"And?" I groaned out "you're still going?"
"There's just a few" Trypano nudged me forward "thanks, Tooth."
"Thank me over dinner tonight!" he called out as loud as he dared, waving when Trypano quickened her pace in a fluster.
She liked him? He was funny, but there had to be better people out there than him, surely.
"There is one of the ones now" she whispered when we looped around the Base and came to the end of the demon side.
Rather than ending at a wall like the human one did, it had a gaping hole that led up a ramp wide enough for several vehicles. There was an open-backed truck creeping down it now.
Another exit. A more obvious one too, unfortunately.
The person Trypano wanted me to focus on however was the one standing on the top level, overseeing the truck's unloading of its occupants.
The man didn't look well. His pale skin was sickly and his silver eyes that watched the truck closely had dark bags beneath them.
He looked tired more than anything; overworked perhaps?
He leant on the railing and didn't even seem to notice us approach until we were right beside him.
"Sir" Trypano began carefully "sorry to catch you when you were busy."
"What is it?" he replied without even looking at her. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzf8OkXjrr
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He didn't sound irritated or even cheerful. It was hard to get a good read on this man.
"The Fresh Meat needs his first Mission, Sir" she pushed me forward so I was right beside him "I was wondering if you have one so he can earn his name?"
The man's eyes slid sideways to study me before he straightened up, making me feel small under his height.
This man couldn't be the boss of this place. As small as he made me feel, I wasn't intimidated by someone who looks like they were struggling to stay awake. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHi5nxG4ut
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He had to be someone who assisted the boss in his decisions. Trypano was only calling him 'Sir' to show him respect.
"I should have one for him" he eyed Trypano before leaving the railing.
She flashed me a smile when we followed him to the office door that sat on the other side of a short platform.
I peered inside, searching for the leader behind the large desk planted before a large screen peppered with blinking dots and information down the right side of it.
Above the screen were three mounted heads of beasts I had never seen before. The two outer ones had luxurious white fur and glistening rainbow eyes that made them look like they were still alive. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56NVpbRWMI
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The middle one looked more like a human with black and brown fur glued to it's disfigured appearance. Even it's blue eyes were unimpressive and boring.
I didn't know if it was a joke or not to have it surrounded by beasts that were obviously more glorious and fearsome than that one.
The man smiled and swept his arm to the table while Trypano hung back.
"Let's get you sorted out, shall we?" the man smirked at me "take a seat at my desk underneath my unimpressive trophies."
A chair appeared out of thin air and I gulped down my confidence when I realized I was facing the leader after all.
And he could read my mind.
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