A deadly disease is cured just by death itself, but one that doesn't kill you and just twists your entire being into an inhumane creature, can't simply be cured by a fast death. You can slow its process, hide its symptoms and pretend you're not even ill, but you cannot hold on. Little by little, your entire being collapses, you start losing your mind, bury yourself in insecurities and, when the time comes, you'll sell your soul and body to the devil; searching for salvation from the wrong entity.
She opened her eyes and found herself comfortably tucked in bed. There was this strange ringing in her ear that won't go away no matter how hard she tried to brush it off. She reached out for the glass of water on the nightstand but, how strange, the glass wasn't there; maybe she forgot to bring it upstairs last time. Still sleepy, she tried to slowly drag herself out of bed to get some water. She got to the door and slowly twisted the doorknob, but to her surprise, the door was locked. She looked around, only to find a strange medical kit and an emptied syringe. Her heart rate was accelerating and she desperately tried to stay calm; as soon as she reached for the doorknob a second time, the door opened on its own. In a brief moment, their eyes met and as he was trying to make his way in, she recalled what happened last time, suddenly causing her to slam the door shut then lean against it. On the other side, he crouched down in pain while covering his face; the impact must have injured him.
-Who are you, and what are you doing in my house? questioned the girl in fear.
-Your house? This isn't your house, it's mine; the stranger stated as he was trying to stop his nosebleed.
- Nonsense, I don't believe it. I've been here for months, yet you decide to show up out of nowhere; she contradicted.
-You've been here for months? How dare you! he began to raise his voice but stopped and allowed a moment of stillness.
As the silence embraced the room, the only thing you could hear were Zora's irregular heartbeats and his blood dripping on the floor. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes then he decided to break the silence:
-Listen, I don't care how and why you've been living in here. I'll let you stay for as long as you'd like under one simple condition; if you'll stop being so darn violent with me. Your forceful yet understandable reaction broke my nose, I need some stuff from my medical kit to stop the bleeding; I left it beside your bed. Please, be a good birdie and let me in; he said using a sweet and persuasive tone.
-You wish I'd do something so foolish; she scoffed, trying to sound more aggressive, just to intimidate the stranger behind the door.
-Are you going to sit there for the rest of the day? You'll feel hungry sooner or later. If you need anything just call for me; he spoke while getting up from the floor, having a frustrated look on his face. He then proceeded to lock the door and head to the bathroom, to wash off the blood.
-I'd rather die starving than open the door for you; she yelled with a shaking voice while burying her face between her arms.
-Sure, sure... I'll go get you some water; the young man sarcastically agreed while smudging more blood off his face, he wasn't fooled by her acting.
After washing off the blood he looked up in the mirror and thought to himself: " There's no way she's the same person that was bravely claiming to prey on me last night. Something's going on with her for sure, I just can't pinpoint it yet. Think, Raines, think... the way she's acting right now is the complete opposite of what I saw when I first met her. Yesterday she was more bright, she was confident, honest, strong willed and tenacious in nature; today she's just dark, she's a frightened, small being that begs for survival at every turn, full of doubt and resentment. The only things that remained the same are her unpredictability and ferocious strength. Such a beautifully dangerous being became nothing more than a caged lamb in a matter of hours, how intriguing. Wait, how will I get her to trust me? "All those emerging thoughts and no answer; this dilemma turned into a huge question mark, especially when this so called "Raines" seemed to admire Zora's destructive side. In the mean time, Zora was restlessly pacing in circles, planning an escape her confinement or at least attempting to do so.
-He went downstairs to bring me some water an hour ago and there's no sign of him coming back anytime sooner. What if he never comes back? What if I'm gonna be stuck here forever? This is how I'll meet my end; she deliberately concluded as she stopped her repetitive movements and plopped on the bed.
Surprisingly, he actually came back and gently unlocked the door, placed down a tray with food and some water then made a few steps back. He seemed calmer than before, like this whole situation was normal. As soon as she heard the key being inserted into the keyhole she abruptly lifted her head then cautiously walked towards the door. She peeked through the keyhole and saw him sitting down , facing her door.
-You can open the door by yourself; you don't have to feel threatened by the thought of me barging into your room. I brought you some "late breakfast" as well as some water; he spoke with a soft, controlled tone while leaning against hid bedroom entrance.
-What's the catch? I bet you came back prepared to persuade me into believing your sugarcoated lies; she suspected whilst cracking the door slightly open to assure her a better view.
-If you mean finally making amends with you then you guessed it right. I apologize for making you feel like I want to cause you harm; I know we haven't met under the greatest circumstances but I swear I just want us to get along; he pleaded while constantly trying to make eye contact.
-Thanks, but no thanks. I had enough of your deceiving acts of kindness; she snapped while frowning upon her enemy.
-And I have to thank a certain birdie for ruining my beautiful face, he complained while pointing towards his nose then glanced in a sassy way at the culprit.
- And I have to thank you for acting like a sentinel; you literally barged into my home, late at night while I was sleeping then proceeded to lock me up in here. I wonder why you'd do that? She asked while trying to justify her behavior.
- Maybe because you acted like a psychopath; he reasoned and averted her gaze.
-Oh, so now I'm a horrible person too? How about you look in the mirror first or are you perhaps scared that you'll see the creep residing inside your mind; she suggested while opening the door a little more.
- Says the birdie hiding behind a fragile door; he contradicted while engaging into full eye contact once more.
- Me? Scared? What a silly conclusion you reached. And quit calling me "birdie", it gives me the creeps, she added with a repulsed tone.
-Very well then, if you're not scared then open the door and face me, he smiled while maintaining visual contact.
-You've got some nerve to challenge me like that; she grinned as her vibe switched to a vile one.
-Welcome back. I must admit, I'm a great fan of your work. Your last performance left me perplexed; he confessed while getting up.
-What do you want from us? Spit it out or I'll unalive you in the most gruesome way possible; she gnarled as she fully opened the door.
-I just want to talk, to the both of you. Your complexity simply amazes me and I'd like to know more about you; he pleaded as he fixed his glasses.
-I'm already losing my patience. Quit your blabbing and tell me the real reason you called me out; she stated as she stepped out of the room.
- I want to make a deal with you; he smiled.
-A deal you say. You think I'm that clueless, I know you'll turn your back on us as soon as you get the chance. I've dealt with the likes of you before, I won't fall for your schemes; refused Dawn as she took one more step forward.
-At least allow me to explain the contents of our deal. Would it kill you to hear me out; questioned Raines as he moved farther away from her.
-No, but blabbing more than 10 minutes might kill you; she responded with a big smile on her face.
-As much as I'd like to see that happen, I still want to live for another 5 years; he reasoned giving off a creepy vibe as well.
- If you're trying to mimic my vibe then you're failing miserably. You need to let yourself be engulfed by hatred and be willing to kill the one in front of you; she stated as she tilted her head slightly to the left.
-Alright, you got me. The true reason I'm so obsessed with getting you two to stay here is because I want to learn and understand you better. I want to be more like you; he reasoned while trying to emphasize with her.
-Touching, but I'd still slice your throat and cremate you afterwards; she confessed.
- If you agree, I get to complete my study about people like you; in return you two can peacefully live your life here and perhaps, I can help you get along with your half. Isn't that a great deal; he asked upon reaching out to her once more.
-A great deal indeed, however, me and her are getting along just fine. We don't need your charity, nor your pity. We can simply find another place to live in; she stated unapologetically.
-But you have nowhere else to go, they are on the hunt; smiled Raines once again as he pulled out his phone and showed her news and reports about her case.
She was speechless, she truly thought her work had no flaws; the steady pillars she built crumbled to bits, now her plans were in ruins. She stepped back and pursed her lips in frustration then said:
- That still doesn't change the fact that we don't want your help; she stated, still in denial.
This is the moment he's been waiting for since the beginning of the conversation. He stood his ground and continued emphasizing with his muse:
-I know you care for her a lot but she hates you, Dawn, you messed up her life. I can help you fix it; added Raines while shoving his phone back into his pocket.
- How do you know that? She hasn't told you thing about me; she contradicted him as she reached out for the fork that was neatly laid on the food tray.
-She doesn't need to say it out loud. I can see it from a mile away that she tries to restrain you, to hide you from the world. It's so, so unfair. Haven't you noticed any of that; he questioned while staring at the fork.
-She's just trying to protect the both of us. She'd never do this to me; she said with a defensive tone, hardening her grip around the silver fork.
-If she cares about you so much why doesn't she allow you to emerge at all? She's restraining your freedom, your way of being and acts like this is how things should be. Why is she trying to steal your spotlight? Answer me; he demanded in frustration.
- That's because...she's just so... I don't know; she simply froze while trying to find the reason why Zora does as such.
His words created an eerie silence, increasing the tension between them. As much as she hated it, he was telling the truth; Zora never let her shine as bright as she can, she always dimmed her light in hopes of keeping all the power to herself. The moment of realization had a big impact on her; she quietly looked down and pondered for quite some time then sighed:
- I'm in as long as you get her permission too. She's a little unreasonable if you ask me; she spoke while grabbing his hand fiercely.
-I won't disappoint you; he assured her while looking into her eyes.
- I haven't ever thought I'd end up in this kind of situation. Do you have any idea how you'll get her to agree? I hate to admit it but my curiosity is piqued; she reasoned.
- Patience, my birdie, everything will fall into place. You can back down now, I need a moment alone with her; he demanded.
- Suit yourself; she mumbled as she went back to her dormant state.
Zora came back to her senses within seconds, she finally resurfaced thanks to Dawn who willingly stepped aside and allowed her to regain the control. She was so surprised by this occurrence that she just paralyzed, blankly staring towards Raines. After a short while she blinked twice and asked:
-How did you do it? How, how, how?!?!
-What do you mean? Will you please calm down; he begged as if all of that was normal.
-How did you get her to act so docile? Why hasn't she killed you yet? She was so adamant to torture you. Tell me; she demanded desperately while grabbing his arms.
- We just talked for a bit then she said that I'm so boring that I'm not worth torturing. I would've preferred having her smash my bones to fine powder rather than my ego; he complained in disappointment.
- Impossible, she's never been so harmless and cooperative. There must be something else; she bluntly concluded, still maintaining her grip.
-Hasn't it occurred to you that you might be part of the reason why she refuses to cooperate? Maybe you're the uncooperative one; replied Raines as he pushed her away gently.
- Why are you defending that monster?! You don't know what she's capable of; fumed Zora as she backed away with distrust in her eyes.
- I've already seen a glimpse of her. I know what she can do and I'm telling you, she's not a monster. She simply lacks the same thing you do: trust; he reasoned calmly.
- You're just like her... Stay away from me; she continued to let herself be blinded by the rage as she proceeded to go back to her room and slam the door shut.
-Listen, I'm not going to hurt anyone; I just want to get along with the both of you.
-As if I'd believe you. All you did until this very moment says otherwise; she contradicted while starting to feel light headed.