As I walked through that door, my heart lurched to a stop from what I was seeing. Noah, my precious brother, was kneeling on the ground. He was being held with great force on either shoulder by the two guys from yesterday. At the foot of the room, sat Striker with a stone-hard expression. The door slammed behind me with a bang, the sound echoing through the small space and alerting them of my presence.
They stopped what they were doing and shifted their heads in my direction. When the guy with flame-red hair laid eyes upon me, he tsked in annoyance. When Striker laid his eyes on me, they travelled from my face down to my feet in cold calculation. He had truly dark eyes, the color of wet bark, but it was the severity of his gaze that had me on alert.
I'd seen a similar gaze before. One that I would rather forget. It made me sick just thinking about it.
"Is this the girl?" He directed to flamy in a low voice. He nodded in confirmation.
"She's the girl, alright," he confirmed his hold on my brother's shoulder tightening. I watched as Noah's body lowered to avoid the pain, his face scrunching up in displeasure. It was then I also noticed the black, swollen skin that outlined his left eye. My eyes widen in panic and I tried to take a step towards him. He was desperate to reach me too, trying to squirm out of the hold they had on him. Only, every step I got closer, they would force him back.
"Noah."
"Not so fast," Striker warned and my footsteps faltered. It became clear that they had no intention of letting me reach him. I came to a halt and exhaled. I needed to change tactics, but in order to do that, I had to at least control my emotions first. It took me mere seconds to shove them down as it was like second nature to me now.
"What do you want?" I directed my question to Striker, as he was clearly the one calling the shots. "Why did you take my brother? And why aren't you letting me take him out of here?"
His face kept impassive, except for the dash of amusement that resided in his eyes. It only lasted a second before it faded and the cold took over again.
"What's your name?" He simply asked.
"What?"
"Your name," he repeated slowly, making sure to pronounce every word clearly. He must have read the confusion on my face because he added, "I don't hand out things for free. If you want something from me, you must first learn to give something back."
To say I was annoyed was an understatement. Firstly, he chose to ignore my questions altogether. And secondly, he felt like I owed him my name. He waited quietly among his chair at the front of the room.
This is how you change the situation I guess.
"My name is Verona," I gave up begrudgingly. At the sound of my name, another emotion flashed through his eyes. Surprise? Or Shock? I couldn't be sure. If there was one thing about this guy that I already learnt, is that if you want to find out what he's thinking, find it through the eyes. He wore them like artwork, sharing the parts of him when his face chose to be silent. "Now you give me something in return."
His chin had now come to rest on his hand, his elbow supporting him by leaning on the arm leg of the chair for support. "Well, if you must know, your brother here got involved in some business that he shouldn't."
"And what's that?"
"You would know, Honey," Flamy interjected, jamming a finger in my direction. "You were also there at the time."
"Does Presely ring a bell?" Blue said.
My brain immediently flashed to the raven-haired guy from yesterday. Before I knew it, I had cursed out loud. Striker's seemed unfazed by the sudden outburst. I did catch flamy and blue side-eye each other in surprise. "I told you not to jump in and help everyone, Noah. I knew he was bad news."
Noah sent me a glare. "I'm being held hostage on the ground here and you're yelling at me right now!"
"This is exactly why I say listen to me." I flail my arms in the air as I talk. "But, no! You still do it anyway."
"Let me remind you that this is not the time to be doing this." His eyes are wide as his chin points to the room where Striker sits on a chair. I'm suddenly back in the room littered with empty desk and chairs and not in the comfort of our home where we yelled all the time. I clamp my lips shut and pinch the bridge of my nose while scrunching my forehead. "So what exactly do you want him to do about it?"
Striker's gaze hardens. "Verona," he says, "you must be new here to not know that you don't mess with me or my business." He plants his feet of the chair and with slow steps approaches me. "Thanks to your brother who so kindly wanted to help someone in need," he continues while circling me, " he stopped my boys from enacting an attack on someone that rightfully deserved it." Eventually, he stops full circle in front of me and decides to lean down, not satisfied by our height difference. I had to raise my head if I wanted to meet his gaze. His breath practically fans my lips as I make out the last part. "So when you ask me what I want him to do about it." He pauses, before adding, "I need for him to stop making me angry. And if that is by getting beat up. Well," he shrugs his shoulders, "so be it."
His gaze shoots down to the newly clenched fist at my side. He watches it, his body taking on alertness in preparation for if I go through with the only thought clouding my mind currently. "So," I say between clenched teeth. "Has his black eye pleased you?"
"Oh, not in the slightest." His response garners snickers from the other two and I lift my fist in the air acting out the process of hitting them. They only laugh at me. My attention was solely on the boys behind him, that I failed to notice the finger that traces the edge of my jaw. Being touched when my guard is down sent my body into overdrive. Blood rushes to my brain, my hand lashing out and knocking his finger away from my face. My eyes are wide in shock and my breathing erratic. I immediately try to step away, but he catches on quickly and grabs around my waist, the palm of his hand holding me in place at the side of my hip.
I aim to pry his hand away from my hip with my own. Striker refuses to relinquish his hold and I find myself squirming helplessly in an effort to get loose and in a safe parameter again.
"Let her go, Striker." I hear my brother's voice faintly in the background. All I want is to get out of his hold and away from him.
"L-let go of me," I tell him in a shaky voice. I can feel black beginning to coat my vision and I really start to panic. As soon as I feel his hand fall from my hip, I push him back and scramble a few feet away. I feel his gaze on me as I breathe in and out while counting numbers in my head. I start to feel my breaths turn to normal and body loose tension.
"Interesting,' he whispers while considering something. I'm still close enough to catch the words. "I've suddenly found something that can please me enough to get you out of this situation." He makes sure to look over his shoulder when he directs the words to my brother.
"Well," Noah spits, "out with it." There is no softness in Noah's eyes when he looks at Striker, only hatred for what he had just put me through.
"It's easy, really," he replies. "All your sister has to do is spend time with me."
"What?" I croaked.
"I've been bored lately, and I like you. I'm in need of some affection; Electra isn't cutting it for me anymore." His eyes roam over me once, before his voice takes on a low octave. "So what do you say, Verona? Will you accompany me in place for your brother's mistake?"
"Like hell, she will!"
Noah's anger only appeared to intensify Striker's dominance. I go to open my mouth, but he beats me to it. His gaze locks with mine as he says, "now before you answer me, think carefully. If you reject me here today then your brother will walk away with a beating. You may escape today, but what comes the next day. Do you really want to risk it?"
"Don't listen to him, Verona." He fights against the hold of his captures with determination. "Don't you dare say yes to that." The energy depletes him and he begins to break out deep coughs, sweat beginning to bead his forehead. I knew he would be needing his medicine today.
"I could tell the principle."
Flamey and blue hair just laugh in the background. "The principle can't touch me," Striker retorts. I know the principle warned me about Striker but surely in this situation, he can do something. "My dad provides 90% of the funds to the school and without it, they wouldn't be able to teach with half their resources."
"I just need to keep you entertained right?
"That is the term."
"Fine," I tell him, voice cold. "I'll agree to it." He wears a smirk of victory on his lips and I just want to smack it off his face. "Now let me get my brother."
Striker steps to the side for me to pass. I tell myself this is the last chance to hit him in the face while he is unguarded and less aware, but stop myself from doing it. I make my way to my brother. "Release him," he commands when flamy and blue look towards him for instruction. They wear disgruntled expressions as they free Noah. I crouch down beside him on the ground and help him up to his feet. Taking one of his arms, I wrap it around my neck and act as a support. I refuse to look at Striker as we pass him, although, I am very aware of his presence. My hand encloses around the door frame when Striker decides to leave me with parting words.
"See you later, Verona."
I then push down on the handle and we rush out the room.