Elira made her way up the stairs from the basement; she was sticky and her throat hurt, like it always did after her human visitors. Elira wasn't sure which she preferred, the humans or the demons; neither were very fun. She made her way to her room and took a scalding shower, trying to wash away what the men had done to her, but it didn't work. It never worked. She had been dirtied; nothing could change that.
She stepped out of the shower and caught her reflection in the cloudy mirror. She usually avoided looking at herself, she couldn't actually remember the last time she saw what she looked like. Elira wiped the steam away and looked into the eyes of a stranger; she didn't recognize herself. Her overall appearance hadn't changed, but her skin was even paler than usual. Her features looked sunken, bones protruding a little too much. Her white hair was overgrown, falling into her face. The biggest difference was her eyes; what once had been bright and full of life now looked dull and dead, as if all the life had been sucked out of them.
Elira turned and left the room, not wanting to look at the stranger in the mirror any longer. She got dressed and headed to the kitchen to get something for dinner. Cook smiled when she walked in. "What's cookin' good lookin'?" she asked him, trying to sound peppy.
"Whatever you want" he said with a raised eyebrow. "You alright?" he asked, not believing her forced tone. Elira plopped onto a stool and sighed.
"I just got back from the basement" she said. Cook frowned and shifted uncomfortably. Elira usually didn't talk about her visitors, it upset Cook, and she didn't want to ruin his usually good mood. He was her light, the only one she had in her currently dark life. Elira told him about everything one night during a breakdown. Something inside of her snapped and she cried and told him what exactly happened when she went down to the basement. He had helped her through it, but they never talked about it again. Elira had shut off her emotions after that night, feeling anything was too much. The only time she allowed herself to feel anything was with Cook, because his smile was contagious and she needed his joy to get her through each day.
"I know" he said. "But there's more, isn't there?" Cook searched her face, he always could tell when something was wrong.
"I looked in the mirror for the first time in a while" Elira confessed.
"Why is that a bad thing?" Cook asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"I don't look like me." Cook stayed quiet, which was rare, he always had something to say. Elira occupied herself with tracing shapes on the counter, unsure of what else to say.
"I understand" he finally said. Elira looked up at Cook, it was her turn to be surprised. "After I was cut" he touched the scar on his face as he spoke. "It took a long time to get used to seeing myself with the scar. It was hard to accept my new face; I didn't feel like myself anymore. I struggled for a long time before I finally found myself again. I'm sure you will too. You're strong, you'll be okay. I know you will." Cook looked directly into Elira's eyes as he spoke the last few lines, and she felt her stomach flutter. Her hand reached out and unconsciously touched the thick scar. He covered her hand with his own and leaned in, not breaking eye contact. Their lips met and Elira closed her eyes. Cook's free hand cupped Elira's face, his thumb rubbing her cheek. The kiss was gentle, Cook's lips soft against her own. They parted and took a moment to catch their breath before Cook gave her a crooked grin, making him look like a teenage boy who had just gotten away with something. "I've wanted to do that for a while" he admitted.
"Me too" Elira replied. She felt her cheeks grow warm but she smiled. Cook made her feel good, like she was bathed in light. "I should probably head back to my room." Cook pouted but nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sure you're tired." He bent and gave Elira a peck on the lips. "See you in the morning" he said with a grin.
"Good night" Elira said with a smile before exiting the kitchen. Cat was standing outside and their eyes locked.
"Good night, Angel" Cat said. Elira forced a smile, praying Cat hadn't seen her and Cook. Her face flushed from embarrassment at the thought.
"Good night" Elira said, then quickly made her way to her room. She thought about Cook and their kiss as she laid in bed, feeling happier than she had in a long time. She dreamt about their life together outside of the mansion that night, and slept peacefully.
Elira awoke the next morning to a knock at her door. "Coming" she called. She stretched and slid out of bed, making her way to her door. Cat was waiting on the other side.
"Master wishes to see you" she said.
"Alright, I'll get ready then go see him."
"He is waiting for you downstairs" Cat said before walking away. Elira closed the door and got dressed. She made her way to the basement, wondering what he could want. Elira never had visitors two days in a row, but she had no idea what else he could want.
Clancy was waiting at the top of the stairs. "You needed me, Sir?"
"Yes, come with me" Clancy said with a smile. He took her arm and led her downstairs. "It has come to my attention that you have been fraternizing with another employee." Did he mean Cook? How could he have known; did he see them? They got to the bottom of the stairs and he led her into a room she'd never been in before. It was similar to her usual torture chamber, but this one was larger and had chains hanging on the walls, and hanging by some of those chains was Cook. He was unconscious but otherwise looked unharmed.
"What are you going to do to him?" Elira asked. Her chest tightened as a mixture of emotions swirled in her stomach; anger and fear being the most prominent.
"I wouldn't worry about him" Clancy said. Five men walked into the room from a side door Elira hadn't seen. They grabbed Elira and chained her to the wall opposite Cook. "This is your punishment for stealing from me. I own you, everything you do is up to me." The men each pulled out a knife and walked across the room to Cook.
"Wakey wakey" one man said as he patted Cooks face, who groaned and opened his eyes, which locked on Elira.
"What's going on?" Cook asked, looking around the room in confusion. He yelped in pain as one of the men grabbed his hair and pulled.
"Cook! Don't hurt him, please!" Elira begged.
"You should have thought about that before. This is your fault" Clancy said, a sick smile on his face. Elira watched in horror as the men began cutting Cook. She tried to look away, to get away from the horror, but Clancy threatened to make it worse if she didn't watch. Cook ground his teeth and attempted to keep in his screams, trying to spare Elira, but he lost the battle. Tears streamed from her eyes as Elira heard his painful screams. Eventually, Clancy ordered the men to stop. Cook had stopped moving, but Elira could see his chest rise and fall in the dim light, so she knew he was still alive. "Do what you wish with her, just remember my rules" Clancy said before exiting the basement, the heavy metal door closing behind him.
The men made their way over to Elira and she prepared herself for the pain, she could handle this; she had been doing it for weeks now. She'd take this over watching them torture Cook any day. She closed her eyes and retreated into her head, ignoring the pain as the men began slicing her with the same knives they had used on Cook. Elira absently heard one of the men say something, then she was unchained. She opened her eyes and sat up, only to be shoved back onto the ground. One of the men stepped on her lower back, pinning her to the floor.
"Tell me, will it hurt if we cut these?" the man asked and Elira felt something sharp against her bound wings. They were going to cut her wings. Elira began to panic; her wings were highly sensitive, and her only change at escape. She could not allow them to get damaged. Elira started struggling to get away, which only made the man press his foot harder into her back and chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes" the man said and Elira could hear him smirk. "Go ahead, cut 'em."
One of the men crouched beside Elira and she felt a sharp pain down the length of her wing. She let out a scream and thrashed, but the man on her back pushed her further into the cold floor. She had to do something, and fast. Elira focused on her wings, she knew the man had to have sliced the material binding them when he cut her. She could move them some, but not enough, she was going to have to let them cut her again. She ground her teeth and braced herself for the pain. She endured two more cuts before her powerful wings unfurled, throwing the men away from her in the process. They went limp as their heads collided with the cement floor. Elira quickly stood, the adrenaline coursing through her dulling the pain she knew she'd feel later. She found the man who had unchained her and quickly dug through his pocket, praying the same key would work on Cook's restraints. She found it and ran to Cook, speaking to him as she worked at his chains, which thankfully opened.
Elira caught Cook as he fell forward, no longer being supported by his restraints. "Cook, you need to wake up" Elira pleaded. The men were starting to recover and her chance of escape fading away.
"What happened?" Cook's voice was weak, but he was awake.
"No time for questions, we have to go. Can you walk?"
"I think so." Elira helped Cook to his feet, supporting him as best she could as they wretched open the heavy door, which Clancy had forgotten to lock. Elira closed it behind them and locked it from the outside. They made their way up the basement stairs, but Cook stopped her when she moved towards the front door. "We can't go through the doors. They are wired with our collars so we'd get electrocuted the second we cross the threshold."
"Then how do we get out? The windows don't open and are too small to fit through anyway." Elira started to panic, she had been so close to freedom. This was her only chance, she had to figure something out.
"The windows in Clancy's office are big enough to fit through, they just have to be broken."
"What if Clancy is in there?"
"I have an idea, but it would give us a very small margin of time to work with."
"What is it?"
"The alarm. It's usually used to signal an issue with a prisoner. Clancy will come see what's going on, but that means he will probably go to the basement and let out those men, then come looking for us. We will have to hide until he goes downstairs." It was a good plan, but one that left no room for mistakes. They would have to move fast, but Cook was in bad shape.
"Alright, you go hide and I'll meet you there after I set off the alarm." Cook tried to argue, but Elira cut him off. "I'll be fine, I promise." Elira knew she was hurt pretty badly, but she could move better than Cook right now, so she needed to be the one to set off the alarm.
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you in the kitchen. If you aren't there in five minutes, I'm coming to get you."
"Alright, now go." Elira watched Cook limp into the kitchen before making her way back down the basement steps. The alarm was right outside the basement door, she'd have to pull it and get out of there fast. She took a deep breath to calm herself; her hands were shaking and her muscles were tight, ready to sprint as soon as the alarm started. She took one more steadying breath before pulling the handle, then turned and bolted up the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Good, you made it." Cook met her by the door and they listened, waiting for Clancy to come into view. He waddled angrily into the room, huffing and out of breath. As expected, he made his way downstairs to shut off the alarm. The minute he was out of view, Elira helped Cook limp out of the kitchen and down the hall to Clancy's office. The doors were usually locked when Clancy wasn't inside, but he had left them open in his haste. Elira sat Cook in Clancy's chair while she looked for something to break the large, arched window with.
"Angel." The sudden voice startled Elira, and she spun around to face the door, her heart slamming against her chest. Cat stood just inside the room, watching Elira.
"Cat, you nearly gave me a heart attack" Elira said, mimicking the words Cook often said to the feline woman. "We are getting out of here" Elira said, moving towards the woman. "Come with us" Elira said, extending her hand out to her. Cat pulled her hand back and, with a speed Elira had never seen from the girl, plunged a knife into the angel's hand. Elira yelled and stepped back, clutching her injured hand. She looked at Cat with wide, unbelieving eyes. "Why?"
"You belong to Master. I will not allow you to leave." Cat moved towards Elira, who backed up until she hit Clancy's desk. Cook had gotten up and stumbled over to them, but Cat kicked him in the chest, sending him toppling back into a bookshelf. Elira pulled the knife out of her hand and brandished it in front of her.
"Stay away from me" she warned. Cat stepped closer and pounced on Elira, causing her to fall back onto the desk. Cat landed on top of Elira, but her body went limp. Elira stood slowly and Cat's body slid to the floor, the knife Elira had been holding now protruding from her chest. Elira covered her mouth, feeling as though she was going to be sick. Cook had recovered and wrapped his arms around her.
"It isn't your fault" he said, stroking her hair. "I don't want to rush you, but you need to get going."
"No, we need to get going." Elira looked around the room- ignoring Cat' lifeless body, she'd deal with that trauma later- before her eyes landed on a bust of Clancy. "There, that will work. Help me break the window?" Cook nodded and they hoisted the bust off it's stand and through the window, which shattered and rained glass around them. Cook kicked out a few jagged pieces, widening the opening. "Alright, now let's go!" Elira grabbed Cook's hand and pulled, but he didn't budge. "What are you doing? We need to go!"
"No" Cook said.
"What do you mean no? We've come this far!"
"I mean I can't come with you, Elira. I'm badly hurt; I'll only slow you down. You have to go alone."
"No! I am not leaving you hear! They'll kill you!" Tears brimmed Elira's eyes as she pleaded with Cook. She couldn't leave him here to die.
"They will catch us if I go with you. I won't compromise your freedom." Elira shook her head, unable to speak. Tears streamed down her face and Cook pulled her into his arms, holding her close as she sobbed into his chest.
"I can't leave you hear" she choked. Cook tilted her chin up and smiled at her.
"You have to" he said. He leaned down and planted his lips on hears. The kiss was salty from her tears, but tender; a good-bye. They pulled apart and Cook rested his forehead on hers. "I love you, Elira." The sound of her real name brought more tears to Elira's eyes; he was the only person she'd told it to, but he'd never used it until now.
"How touching." A voice snapped both their attentions to the door, where Clancy stood looking irate. His angry look turned smug as he held up a remote. "Angel, come here now. Unless you want a little shock." Elira's gaze was fixed on the remote, Clancy's thumb hovering over the button; she knew it wouldn't be a little shock, he probably had it on the highest setting. Elira was too focused on the remote and her thundering heartbeat to notice Cook move, until he was on top of Clancy, knocking the man to the floor.
"Go!" Cook yelled over his shoulder as he pinned Clancy to the floor. Elira was frozen, her feet wouldn't move. Clancy was able to knock Cook off of him, who stumbled back to Elira. "You need to go, now!" When Elira still didn't move, Cook turned and cupped her face. He kissed her again, desperately this time, then shoved her out the window. Pieces of glass cut her as she toppled out the window and onto the cool grass outside. Shards stuck into her skin as she stood, just in time to see Clancy ram a knife into Cook's back.
"No!" Elira shrieked as she watched Cook drop to his knees.
"Go" he mouthed, before collapsing to the floor. Elira backed away as tears poured down her face. Clancy smirked at her through the broken window.
"This is all your fault, you stupid girl. If you hadn't disobeyed then he'd still be alive. So would Cat." Clancy looked at the dead girl with mock sympathy. "She was a good slave, unlike you. Now, come back inside and maybe I'll go easy on you." When she didn't move, Clancy frowned. "So be it" he said, then waddled across the room to the remote that sat on the floor. Elira knew the minute he got the remote she'd be done for. She turned and bolted in the opposite direction, spreading her wing and launching herself into the sky. She could hear Clancy yell, but she didn't dare look back. She hoped she could get far enough away that the remote wouldn't work; luckily, she was a fast flyer.
She flew for what seemed like hours before the adrenaline started to wear off and she began feeling just how much pain she was in. She was covered in cuts, both from the men and the window. There were shards of glass stuck in her legs, and her wings ached. She started to feel tired, almost unable to keep her eyes open. She fought against it for a while, but her body stopped listening to her. Elira's wings gave out and she plummeted from the sky, hitting tree branches on her way down. She hit the ground hard, and everything went black.