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Chapter 3

I look over at the girl. There was something about her that captured my attention in a strange way. As much as I tried not to stare too much, I couldn’t help it. It was her eyes. She looked fierce, as if she was ready to pounce on anyone who dared to push her buttons. The dark circles under her eyes and the saggy unbalanced look told me she had been awake for a few days now, trying not to let her guard down.

Did she think they would kill her? I’m not surprised. I think Torin and I might meet the same fate as well. I shiver as I remember Alpha’s glowing eyes and eerie smile. What did he mean by 'us making things interesting'? Perhaps he hadn’t found a victim to kidnap in a long time and we just happened to come along and make his sorrowful day much better.

I almost laugh bitterly.

“I’m sorry I got you into this mess.” I admit.

“Should have at least done it properly, that’s what you should be apologetic for” He muttered angrily. I knew he didn’t mean it. He never means it. His mouth is foul but his soul is different.

Torin was the kind of guy that refused to take anything seriously. Failed? Let’s laugh about it. Lost your dog? Let’s laugh about it. You want to kill yourself? Let’s –

This time it was different. He was actually angry. Somewhere along the way, maybe I had started believing that Torin didn’t care about anything or anyone. Life was a joke to him. I was wrong. He just doesn’t show it. Though, this was probably the first time I had pissed him off in the entire duration of our friendship starting middle school.

I had tried to kill myself.

“What happened to you when that scarred dude showed up?” I asked, recalling how he had fallen on his knees. He shrugs.

“Dunno.”

“He was scared shitless that’s what happened.” There was a humorous scoff belonging to a low sharp voice- the owner, however, was a serene twig.

“I thought she was mute.” Torin interjected. I wonder if she actually hit a nerve. There is no way she could have done that unless what she said was at least partially true.

Well, I’m not going to pretend to be a beast here, that man, there was something about him. Something wasn’t right. He wasn’t normal.

The way he clawed open someone’s throat as if it meant nothing. As if a life meant nothing. Who wouldn’t be scared?

I was. It might not have been apparent, probably because I was too shocked to process what had just happened.

“I was mute when I thought you were actually something.” She had a condescending expression on her face.

 

I pursed my lips together. Something?

 

“What does that even mean?"

 

“You dumbasses opened the dimensional portal and entered our world, yet you are clueless as a dagger. I was expecting you to be powerful mystical beings or some voodoo crap.” She waved around her arms to exaggerate the ‘voodoo’ comment but soon winced and brought them back down. I caught a quick glimpse of her wound and it seemed like it was smaller than a few hours ago. The edges of the slashes were slowly getting approximated?

“Ignore her. She’s been here so long, she can’t tell her head from her ass.” Torin gave a scornful expression, as if he was concerned about her mental wellbeing. I might have to agree with him on this one.

I was hopeful. I actually thought we would get some answers from her but it seems like she needs more help than we do. I hope she can receive it someday.

“Real mature for someone who bowed down because he couldn’t handle an Alpha’s commanding presence.” She laughed dryly. I notice she referred to him as ‘an Alpha’ which leads me to believe that it’s not actually his name.

“Yes, for sure. His big dick energy made me lose my shit.” Every word of his dripped with sarcasm and he looked absolutely bored.                                                                                                                    I stifle a laugh because I barely have any energy left. I’d rather conserve it than waste it on one of Torin’s many questionable comments. It’s not the first and it wouldn’t be the last.

Suddenly, I feel like laughing heartily. If I was alone, I probably would have. Laughed to my heart’s content, clutched my stomach while my muscles shook, then eventually collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. What else was I supposed to do?

When one reaches rock bottom in life, you’d expect them to break down- cry their hearts out or be depressed for an eternity. While all of those things are perfectly normal and expected, it’s not necessarily accurate for everyone - sometimes you shut down and stop functioning.

Sometimes you feel like laughing because the only way this could happen was if it was some sort of sick joke.

To understand our situation better, you might need to take a look into the past.

Not so long ago, more like 48 hours.

After living for years and years, you tend to lose appreciation of time. You tend to forget the essence of which it stands for. A decision made in a split second, can ruin your entire life. A few hours. A day. 2 days. A few minutes.

That’s all it takes to lose everything.

 At the end, I had nothing. At least, that’s what I thought.

I backed up against the wall and rest my head against it. I allow myself to relax- strangely, my body allowed it, even after what had just happened.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The world was starting to feel less real now. The veil was covering my eyes, I was drifting off to sleep. I couldn’t even feel the rough hard cold floor full of pebbles and hay. I couldn’t hear Torin muttering some profanities.

Reality faded away, just as I wanted it to.

For it must, for me to tell you how it all happened.