Sneaking through the Night (Part 1)

“HMHHPPFFT!!!”

A hand muffled my scream.

I thrashed my arms in bewilderment, struggling to get up and get away from my attacker but it caught the wrist of my right hand and pinned me violently against my bed. I kept on screaming under the mysterious person’s rough hands. I shut my eyes tightly out of fear. The images of the demons that appeared in my nightmares are still fresh in my mind, twisting my thoughts into a panic. Then, behind my eyes, purple streaks of lightning came to my vision, sparkling inside my head until I felt it manifesting on my skin, around my arms.

“Sh*t! Hey! IT’S ME!”

I-I think I have heard that familiar hissing and grunting voice before. Is that Xeno? 

Aghast and confused, I opened my eyes to his cold, golden liquid eyes his, illuminating agony as the purple streaks of lightning from my hand kept on electrocuting him. I quickly removed my hand from his arm to stop my power from churning him to a crisp. His face is so close to me that I felt so conscious about my looks. Why do I suddenly get worried if there’s something on my face? And why is he on top of me? 

But what mesmerized me all of a sudden was the alluring manly scent that filled my nose and it made me close my eyes as his warmth radiated through the thin cloth of my nightgown. His body pressed against mine which gave strange sensations all over my skin and my heart started to ram into my chest. His gorgeous liquid-golden eyes stared into me as if he was drinking my soul but I was awakened by the reality that he is not supposed to be in my room at this kind of hour.

I moved his hand away from my mouth, feeling aggravated. “What are you doing?!”

Xeno released my wrist from his grip and sat on the edge of my bed, still writhing in pain and grunting. “Do you really have to do that?!” he mumbled. “I’m just here trying to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?” I sat and moved a little farther away from him, leaning my back against the headboard of the bed and bending both my knees onto my chest, looking very small but dangerous. “And yes, I’ll do that over and over again if you’ll continue being a creep!”

He raised one of his brows at me; his cold, arrogant stare came back to his face. “I don’t enjoy it if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Now that Xeno’s being this weird, I am starting to get wary about his next move. He averted his eyes from me though, but I could feel something was bothering him.

Every time our eyes meet, there is always this curiosity in him, questioning my presence in this place. I don’t have any idea why he’s always been so rude to me and it’s so alarming for me now that he suddenly sneaks into my room just to tell me something very confusing.

“You should have told me about it before, but not sneak here in the middle of the night. You freaking scared me!” I hissed at him, a little annoyed. Why is he being so strange all the time? I look at him with guilt for the burns I made on his arm when he checks on them. “Did I hurt you so bad? I’m sorry…”

“No, it's fine. It’s nothing. Come.” He said, demanding me to follow him. To brush off my worries, he flexed his injured arm for me to see under the dim light of my lamp, the injury I had caused him. I thought he was trying to make me feel guilty about it at first but to my surprise, the tissues of his skin started recuperating, creating new layers until the burn totally healed as if nothing had happened to it. I was speechless but my heartbeat went fast, frightened for the second time when he grabbed my arm again, pulling me out of the bed.

“W-wait. Where are you taking me?” I ask, a little nervous. I find Xeno very unpredictable as days pass that I’m staying here in this Mansion. My mind is telling me it’s dangerous to go with him but my heart is thrilled to know what kind of place he is going to take me.

I’ve been in this room the whole time since Phillius brought me here, having no idea what will happen to me next. Maybe sneaking out with him in the middle of the night may give me some opportunity to see the whole city and every wonderful thing around it.

Although I already have small ideas about it, there is this annoying feeling— an urgent need to see and learn more, concerning how I could be able to fit into this place, this year, and their culture. I have to look convincing without being too obvious that I am ignorant of their ways of living. There should be something that could trigger back the memories I have lost so I have to gather more information, just in case.

But my extra cautiousness about Xeno’s strange behavior made me think twice about it.

Squinting at him, I curled myself more and embraced my knees tightly against my chest. I crinkle my nose and said in a tough voice, “No.”

His brows furrowed and the golden color of the pupil of his eyes glinted in the darkness once again. But this time, in a condescending way. “You really want to get yourself in trouble being this stubborn, hm?”

“I’m not sure if I can trust you.”

“You have no choice. Besides, I am doing you a great favor. You want to get out of this place, right? So why do you have to be so stubborn now?” He raised one of his brows at me.

“Because I don’t know what you want from me.” I hissed at him. Why is he being so pushy?

He rolled his eyes, a sign that he was getting more impatient now. “Don’t assume that I like you ok? I just need to confirm something! So get up and wear something thicker than your nightgown.”

I looked down at my body and gasped, realizing that the clothing looks almost transparent on my skin. Does that mean he saw my body while I was sleeping? , so I wallow as he looked down at his hands resting on his thighs, fidgeting. I even wonder if he is blushing right now.

“Fine,” I conceded but I still gave him a disdainful look, knowing that his eyes must have feasted already on me before he woke me up. “Please, I need to change clothes. Can you meet me outside?”

“Make it quick.”

I wrinkled my nose at him to show how rude he was. Thankfully, he stood up and went outside the room.

Looking at my huge wardrobe, I have no idea what kind of clothing to wear so I just grabbed a small red dress and a sleek, black jacket from the wardrobe. I also snatched a pair of black boots and slipped them to the length of my knees.

It only took me fifteen minutes so I quickly ran to the door and opened it to see Xeno.

The moment he saw me, I thought he was petrified at first, staring at me from head to foot. But then he cleared his throat and I wondered why he suddenly looked nervous.

“Let’s go.”