HAYDENHe raised Lolita’s arm to his face, inhaling deeply. The infected flesh struck a chord of excitement in his heart. He liked seeing her this way; helpless and needy of his touch. She moaned in her sleep, trying to detach her arm from his grip. She was in too much pain, enough for her to escape into her dreams.He hated it when she tried to run from her problems, seeking solace from her delusions. Did she not see him enough? Did she not see that he loved her? A pang of fury crossed his eyes. Did she wish her lover was there, waiting patiently for her so they could have meaningless talks about the future? He wanted to yank her away from those dreams, to bring her back to reality so she could see his face again.“What are you doing?” Tessa asked quietly behind him. “Did you just smell her?”He nodded, and then kissed her arm where he had drawn the tattoos. “They’re infected. Call the doctor.”“No.”He turned slightly to look at her. “No?”“You pay her too much attention. She’s goin
Brother’s War“We found him.”“Oh yeah?” Hayden inhaled his smoke deeply before turning to face Burly. “If you’re here, then where the fuck is he?”“We found Jarrod Dane, sir. You said we should find them, not bring them in.”Hayden inhaled another puff of smoke to calm himself before he erupted. “Are you always like this, just waiting around for more instructions or you’re just plain stupid?”Burly smiled, somewhat insulted. “I only do what I’m instructed, and you sir, simply asked that we find them dead or alive.”“Find them and bring them to me! What the fuck is wrong with you? For goodness sake.” Hayden rubbed his face in distress. “Just tell me where he is and I’ll meet him myself.”Burly raised a brow. “Are you sure that is wise?”“You could have simply brought him to me if you’re so concerned for my safety.”“There was some information that you withheld from us. Perhaps if you had mentioned it, I would know what you wanted me to do in that situation.”Hayden took a deep breath.
JARRODTessa woke up handcuffed to her bed. She stretched and tugged, calculating the pull and the level of grip on her wrists. It was pretty tight. She was eagle-spread on the bed, her legs and hands wide apart. She waited for the fear to settle in, for her heart to jump out of her chest in fright. It didn’t come. She knew who had done it. There was only one person she was vulnerable around to let this happen.Hayden.He was sitting on a long chair at the foot of her bed. The room was cast in dim red light, so she couldn’t exactly see his face. She was wearing a tailored trouser and a torn white shirt—completely out of character.“You’re awake,” he said.Tessa gulped, the fear now truly settling in at the tone of his voice. It was dangerously low and calm. He was always calm and collected, but this situation was different. Whenever he wanted to have sex with her—which rarely happened—he was extremely rough and excited. He liked to hit her, bite her, and throw her against the wall. He
Death Call The sounds above scared her. Sammy curled into herself, cold as ever. At least the man in the corner was gone and she didn’t have to hear his voice again. He whimpered all night long, even after Tessa left him alone. The next morning she came back into the room, chirpier than she usually was.“I’ll let him go now,” she’d said to Samantha. “Isn’t that right, my love?’ she tucked a finger under the man’s chin so he could look up at her. “You love me, don’t you?”He nodded urgently. Samantha’s heart squeezed at the sight. She knew that Tessa was going to do more horrible things to him, but at least she was considerate enough to not do it in her presence. While dozing off, she wondered what her friend had turned into. This wasn’t the person she knew. Perhaps she had rushed too fast into the friendship. She should have given it more time, studied her enough to prevent Lolita from befriending her too.The noise above started again. A whip slashing the air, a yelp and a particula
ReunionSamantha was again transferred to another unit. She’d been waiting, knowing that they would take her to see Lolly, even if it was the last thing she’d ever see. Jarrod knew the hold he had on her. He kept her locked down in the basement, making Tessa deliver small amounts of water in a cup.“You’re going to stink when you see her, Samantha. You’d like that, won’t you?” he’d said.He was treating it as though Lolita was her lover and she was just pining to see her before she was brutally murdered. The idea of being killed right after seeing her best friend was scary, but not as scary as what Lolita might be going through. She was mostly starved, but Samantha knew to use the water to wash up sometimes. If Tessa pitied her enough in Jarrod’s absence, she might even get a night shower and fall back into her stinky clothes so he won’t know. Another plus was that he was almost never around.She imagined him walking around like a free man, complaining about how he’s not seen his fian
Love and Chaos“I’m sorry,” Lolita started to say, grasping Samantha’s hands to her chest. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. What did he do to you? Oh, my god…”Samantha looked away from Jarrod to focus on the frail being in front of her. “No, no. You didn’t do anything. I wanted to come here myself. I tracked you and now…”“You tracked me?”“Yes. I first went to Hayden—”“Oh, Hayden.” Lolita glanced momentarily at Jarrod, tears streaming down her face. “He’s changed so much, Sammy. He’s been torturing me. He’s real.”“He’s not here.”“He’s by the corner, Samantha, look.” Lolita paused and licked her lips, hope coming into her eyes. “He’s not here? He’s an illusion? He didn’t hurt me? Have I been dreaming all these while?” Her eyes brightened even further. “Have you come to save me?”Jarrod laughed by the corner. He remained where he was, watching the scene before him. Samantha was struck with how mad her friend looked and sounded. She held Lolita’s hands tightly, willing both th
The Search BarHayden had never seen a parent less involved in a child’s life than Lolita’s parents. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, considering his own family practically abandoned him for being the black sheep—asides from other monumental disgrace he usually brought them. But Lolita was different. She was adorable and sweet. How would anyone not love her, not worry about her, not want to know where she was at all times? Samantha wasn’t even family and she was going crazy with worry. A good thing Hayden had been one of the last persons who saw Samantha; it just went out to prove his theory about Lolita being kidnapped and now Samantha was missing too.“She isn’t kidnapped,” Mrs. Adams said. “I assure you, our daughter is fine. We spoke on the phone the day before yesterday.”“Is that so?” Hayden stared at her, not believing a single word. “You spoke to her two days ago and she said she was fine? Are you sure she was the one you spoke to?”Mrs. Adams was clearly offended. “I th
The Heart of GoldTessa studied the rings in front of her, smiling widely. It was nice of Jarrod to ask her to pick the rings, to put them in her care. She thought he would surely pick Lolita; especially since he’s been acting so weirdly for the past three days, but he proved that he still cared for her.She had a little dance in her head. Lolita thought she was smart, pulling a stunt like that. She thought she would win his heart by choosing him over and over again, but it didn’t work. He wanted her; he wanted only her. Oh, what a comforting thought that was.Poor Samantha. Tessa would have been pleased to have her as a bridesmaid, but she won’t even be alive till then. With the way she was bled dry every day, it was only a matter of when she would eventually stop fighting death.Tessa exhaled sharply at that thought. Even though they had fought and weren’t exactly on good terms at the moment, Sammy was still her very good friend. Samantha had picked her up in a time of her life wher
The End and the Beginning Lolita sat at the porch of her house, waiting. It had just rained. She liked the dewy grass that sprouted from the ground. She started to touch them, but then drew back. She didn’t want to get her hands dirty. She had been turned into a neat freak by Hayden’s influence. She waited for him now, wondering if he would show up. It was Saturday. They had agreed to visit Samantha’s cemetery together. The last time she’d gone, she had been alone with Izan. All she thought about was him. She worried that her telling him off might have affected his relationship with Samantha. It was a silly excuse, and when he showed up two days later, he made it clear that he didn’t have to see Samantha every single day. A car parked in front of her house. It was him. Lolita refrained from jumping up and running to him like some little girl. He got down from the car and ran his fingers through his hair. It was a sensational habit of his, and he looked incredibly hot while doing it.
Bed of Thorns “I have been thinking about you,” Hayden answered quietly. “Every night, every day, every minute. All I think about is you.” Their eyes locked and held. Lolita bent her head a little forward, intrigued by the soft calm of his voice. “Tell me what you think about.” “Good thoughts. Bad thoughts. Terrible thoughts. All sorts of things about you.” He paused for a minute and reached for a glass of water. “Sometimes imaginations bleed into reality. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not real.” They were wrapped in each other’s world now, the food forgotten. Lolita was lost in his eyes and he was lost in hers. “It’s different for me,” she told him. “I know what’s real and what’s not. I dream.” “What do you dream about?” “At first, it was about Jarrod.” Her voice was surprisingly strong when she mentioned his name. “I tried seeing some doctors, but the dreams would not leave. It went on for six months.” “Yeah? So what did you do next?” “I started to dream about Samanth
Bound The doorbell rang. Lolita was in the bathtub. She blinked, realizing she’d been in the tub for over an hour. The water was cold now. She slowly stepped out of it and reached for a pink robe. Her bathroom was the only clean room in the whole house. It was where she sought her solace, where she slept the most. She went to the front door and opened it, her hand stiffly removing a strand of wet hair from her face. When her vision cleared, she immediately stiffened. Lolita was taken back to a year and several months ago, to the very first time she saw Hayden alone. He was standing at the door then with a small smile on his face, just as he was now. She’d been naked back then, from head to toe. He had pointed it out to her, his eyes laughing while she rushed inside to change. Lolita’s arms circled around her body. She wasn’t naked today. She was wearing a pink robe, so why did she feel intensely embarrassed—like she’d been teleported to the past and history was repeating itself? Sh
The Trials of Lost Love Hayden stood up slowly. They stared at each other for a moment, none of them taking a move. Lolita’s eyes quickly scanned the environment, discovering that Izan was not around. Her eyes went back to him. He looked leaner than before, but still built. He’d grown out his hair; they flowed past his neck and around his shoulders. His face was clean, neat. He looked like a god standing before her, taller than she’d last imagined. He still had that oppressive aura around him, the one that made her fall to her knees for him. Lolita looked at him and all she could see was just Hayden, lost in his own mind. He regarded her as she regarded him, but he still didn’t make a move towards her. She remembered the last time she saw him, in her hospital room. He looked mad back then, as though the earth would stumble over him if she didn’t let him touch her. Lolita didn’t know what to say. The air was calm and awkward at the same time. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, so low that she
Time Heals No Wounds Lolita swirled her coffee around with her spoon. She stared into the cup, lost in the swirls of the deep brown. It had no sugar, no milk, just plain coffee. She still hated coffee, but now it was different. Now she liked the burn and the bitter taste that traveled down her throat. She sipped it slowly, savoring its taste. It reminded of everything that had happened, everything she had lost. Her thoughts scared her the most. Sometimes she lay up in her bed, staring into her ceiling and wondering if Samantha was still out there. Her brother caught her many times lying outside on the dirt, looking up at the sky. “I was waiting for Samantha,” she would say if he asked. “But she won’t come. The skies are starless tonight.” Her family was scared for her, and understandably so. When they tried to take her to meet more psychiatrists and therapists, Lolita had to incessantly beg them that she was fine. They didn’t believe her, of course so she decided to pretend for a
Farewells and Backtracks “I’m sorry,” Hayden responded quietly. “Do you want me to leave? I can leave right now.” “Yes, please.” He stood up on a shaky foot. He walked to the door, then stopped. When he looked back at her, his eyes were shimmery with tears. She’d almost forgotten how beautiful he can be. How stunning and incredibly attractive, even though he looked broken. “It’s three in the morning,” he said to her. “I don’t think it’s safe for me to leave just yet.” “For me or for you?” He was shaken by her answer. Hayden leaned on the door and watched her instead, preferring the space between them instead of just out rightly leaving. Lolita sat up slowly on the bed, her eyes on him. “Is he here?” She asked. His forehead creased at that question. “Who?” “You know who.” Hayden looked down at his feet, but before then she saw shame and fear cross his face. Lolita’s heart spiked again, alerting the machine. She glanced at it in horror, wondering if it was going to alert the b
Dreams Lolita woke up again, this time more refreshing than the others. The oxygen mask was thankfully out of her mouth. Her arm was still stiff, but at least she’d had a nice change of clothes and bandage. Her leg was on a cast above her bed, but the nurse who’d shown up the previous night promised that she’d start physical therapy as soon as possible. Lolita didn’t mind. She really didn’t need her legs; she wanted to remain in this bed for as long as possible, staring at the unstained room. She liked the emptiness it denoted. She felt seen, even if it was by an inanimate object. Her family showed up more frequently than she would have liked. Her mother sometimes slept with her and held her hands. Lolita didn’t like it. It made her hand sweaty and twitchy. She would have loved to draw it away without waking her mother, who would in turn alarm the whole hospital. She just wanted to be left alone. Samantha never showed up. She began to seek her out in her dreams, but they were so
Flowerbeds and Lilies Lolita was reliving her nightmares over and over. It sometimes started out as a fantasy dream, where she was a fairy and she was flying high above the clouds. In the middle of admiring the beautiful nature below, she would then see a large black bird rushing towards her. At first it looked like a crow, but when it grew closer it grew into a larger, terrifying bird. It was ten times bigger than her. It would grab her off the air with its claws, cutting into her arm and abdomen. She would scream in pain and try to break free, only to discover that the claws had materialized into hands, and that it belonged to Hayden, who in turn changed into Jarrod. Every single time, she would try to break free and pull herself from the abyss of pain, but all she encountered was a dull emptiness. There was nothing to pull herself into, no rope to drag her back to the light. All she knew was emptiness; dark and dull. She had begun to grow accustomed to it. Perhaps she would even
Grief and Byes Hayden woke up with a gasp, as though he’d been drowning forever and something just tugged him out from the deep end of the ocean. For a second his vision was blurry and gray. The gleaming white of the room hit him like lightning, immediately hurting his eyes. He winced and closed them back immediately, trying to relax his tense muscles. “He’s awake,” he heard someone murmur in the room. It was Rocky. Hayden reached out a hand, his fingers twisting for comfort and assurance. He needed to know he was alive and not in that bleak, dark blue he’d been in since forever. A cool, large hand touched his, squeezing it assuredly. “It’s not in my job description to coddle you, sir.” Hayden opened his eyes. It was definitely Rocky. He was standing at the side of his bed with a young, charming nurse who was obviously flirting with him. Hayden was too tired to make jest of the situation. Rocky turned to the nurse with a smile, signaling her that it was okay for her to leave. Whe