I sit and wait uncomfortably on my bed. I try my best to understand what I just learned about. I'm a cyborg, which means I'm part robot, right? I'm not fully human.
To think of that. Me not being a human. My heart aches in my chest. I don't exactly know how to take this all in. How could I just accept these things? Salvation is my brother? Vincent kidnapped me and killed my Mother? I'm not human? And from what I've heard, I've been told this before. And they said that I'd tried to leave, I didn't want to stay.
Why would I?
Why would I stay here after finding all that out? And is there more? What more is being hidden? What more is there that I need to find out?
My attention is brought to the door when I hear it open. My heart pounds faster. I can't talk to him now. I don't want to. I saw how he snapped when I said I wanted to leave. I don't want to say anything wrong. How do I speak to him? Why have I forgotten how to talk to someone I've been around for four years? Wouldn't it be his fault? It's his fault I don't know him or myself, it's his fault that I'm upset and angry, and it'll be his fault when I snap back if he tells me I have to stay.
Vincent's dark brown hair shimmers when the light from my room hits it. I can see the purple highlights in it. I look down, not wanting to see his face. I can feel my body tense up even more than before. I'm scared. My breath is shaky and my heart feels like it will break if it pounds any harder.
"Alex. I'm sorry you had to learn about that this way," Vincent says calmly as he shuts the door behind him and he sits with me. "You're going to have to forgive me. I really didn't want to keep it from you."
I feel his fingers brush against my jaw, he means to grab my chin to have me look at him. But I pull my chin away and look to the other side.
I feel the warmth of his hand pull away. Then I feel his frustration. I believe I've always been able to feel Vincent's aura when he's in the same room. I don't even have to see him or be near him to know how his emotions are behaving. I can feel it.
"You're not allowed to leave." I hear him say coldly.
This time I look at him, I can't not look at him. I'm angry with him and there's no way that I'm going to stay here after what he did. He stands up. "And if you try then I'll force you to stay."
"Why?" I snap, "Why do you want me here? I'm of no use to you, I just stay here all day and night, either serving customers or hanging out in my room." I stand up with him. You forget how powerless you are until you're standing next to someone towering over you. It wouldn't be that noticeable if he wasn't giving off the aura he is now. I shouldn't have spoken out. I should have kept quiet this time.
Vincent frowns and takes a step towards me, I back up, running into the dresser next to the bed. I bend my back a bit to lean over it, giving myself the extra few inches I need, but he keeps advancing until I have no more room. I move onto the dresser, curling myself up on top of it against the wall.
I see a smile form on his lips. Is he amused? His aura hasn't changed, he's still mad. He's messing with me. "You've been of more help than you know. You just don't remember the times you have helped me. Would you like to remember? I can help you remember." He leans his face down to my ear, "But there's a reason you wanted to forget." He whispers.
I shudder, "I-I don't need the memories, I just want to leave," I say shyly.
Vincent's hand wraps harshly around my wrist and he gets into my face, "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE!" He shouts, making me close my eyes. He pulls me off the dresser. "I was hoping this time would be different. That when I told you your past you would forgive me and stay willingly. But seeing as that isn't happening, I'm going to have to take you down to the basement and take them away again." He says, walking out of the room and yanking me along with him.
I try pulling back, "I-I don't want to forget again!" I scream at him, trying my best to move back. He lets me go and I fall onto the ground, watching him look down at me.
"Then you stay. With me. You never leave this building and you do as you're told." He says, threateningly.
I stay quiet for a moment, contemplating my options. I could play along, make him think I'm wanting to stay and make a plan to get out at the same time. Or I could let him take away my memories again-which I really don't want. Or... I could stay. I could just stay with him. But with the way he's behaving, do I really want to?
"I-I'll stay..." I say hesitantly.
He squats in front of me and looks over my face. "Then you're going to have to follow my rules."
"Which are?" I ask quietly.
He stands up and signals me to follow. He's taking me down to the basement. "Rules. My rules are, One: You don't leave without my permission. I need to know where you are at all times. Two: If I do permit you to leave you will be accompanied by someone of my decision and you have to stay with them the entire time no matter of the circumstances. Three: You're going to learn a few new things about your body I haven't taught you before. And you're going to listen to my instructions and new rules as you learn. Four: I am no longer going to be living in the restaurant with you unless it's a special occasion. I'm going to be hiring a night guard. They're not to know that you or anyone else here exists. Five: You don't tell Peter about any of this. He has history too that he doesn't know about. Him, Ben, Franky and Cathy are all like you, all but Ben are not allowed to know about any of this. And Cathy's memory will be wiped of the event today, don't mention it to her."
He turns to me now, making me stop in my tracks to realize where in the room I originally woke up in. "And my last rule. The one you're going to have to follow. You're not allowed to fall in love with anyone else."
"Else..?" I ask.
"If they're not me then they're not allowed to be romanced. Do you understand?" Vincent says, frowning at me.
"Isn't that for me to decide?" I say defensively.
Vincent steps towards me again, "The person you were before I changed you no longer exists. The Alex you are now is the one I created. Alexandra Connerz was a girl who went missing and died when she was ten. I own over half of what's left of you. I am the one who rebuilt you. I am the one who made sure that you're alive. I'm in control over your memories and more. Do you understand? I won't tolerate any of your shenanigans."
I frown, "You're not in control of me."
I watch as an amused smile overcomes his features and a chuckle escapes his lips. "Oh, we'll see about that, Love."
"Why are we down here?" I ask, looking around the room. It's the exact same set up as the one I stay in upstairs.
"You're going to stay down here with the others for the next four days-"
"Why?" I interrupt.
"Patience, my dear," he scolds, crossing his arms. His stance looks like he's ready to chase after me if I try to run. "When I took you, I also took Cathy, Peter, Franky and Ben. According to authorities you're all dead. I'm having an inspection done of the building that is going to last that amount of time and I can't risk them finding you." He says.
"What about Sal and Andrew?" I ask, upset with the fact that I wasn't his only victim. It's not fair not only that it happened to me but that it happened to them as well.
"Salvation is a missing person and is known as a psychopathic murderer so he would go to jail if they found him, which in turn would put me in more trouble. Andrew is the same. So they'll be staying with you." Vincent explains. He looks me over for a moment, "Why don't you bathe and change then we can discuss this some more. I'd like you to look decent when the others come down."
"Why?" I ask, uneasy with his sudden attention to my appearance. But maybe he's always been like this. Yes I have memories of the past four years, but I know that some have gone missing. And he says that he took some other memories away, ones I asked him to take away. What could he have done that made me ask him to take away my memories?
"Because. For the past four years I've held back for your bother's sake. He thought that you should be free, after he helped me turn you into what you are. But, now that you've accepted to stay with me. I will no longer hold back my intentions to keep you and have you as mine. And as my cyborg and Love, I ask of you to stay looking appeasable so that you feel good." He says, smiling and leaning towards me.
I lean away a bit, "O-Okay I'll go clean up," I say. I don't want to press any further. I don't want to see or talk to him anymore than I absolutely have to. There's no way I'm just going to accept belonging to him though. Granted, he's right. If I am what he says I am, then I'm no longer a person and I can't tell him that he can't have me. But on the other hand, if he'd have left me alone then I would still be alive, and I'd still be a person. So he is a bad person. How will I manage to stay with him?
I know he just gave me rules he wants me to follow, but...
Rules are meant to be broken.