*Warning: Trigger warning of R**p* that may be upsetting for some readers.*
Emerelda turned to find a boy standing with a pleased smile. No, not a boy. He had a small figure, although his face looked older. His skin was pale as snow. He had sharp cheekbones, with a structured jaw. His eyes were the color of the silver full moon, with thick long black lashes. They held mischief, amusement, and almost a little childish. His hair, an unusual color, was the same bright white color of his shirt. It fell to his eyes, long till the end of his earlobe. He only wore a long men shirt the reached to his bare skinny knees, his body thin underneath, the sleeves almost covering his pale fingers.
The boy, he was beautiful. Beautiful couldn't even describe him. He was striking, stunning, with sharp angels. He was made with careful hands, a little too fragile. He was a diamond within, yet vulnerable on the outside.
She suddenly felt the need to protect him. Cradle him in her arms and protect him from the dangers and evil of this world.
"How splendid, I'm finally free." He smirks.
Emerelda blinks from her stance and nods, "Uh, yes. The future boy."
The boy smiled wide, "Of course," he stepped forward and bowed dramatically, his hand out stretched, "Your highness." He had the same accent as Emmett.
She stumbles backwards surprised, "How-"
He straightness and looked behind her, "And the man of the hour, Emmett Jackson. I've been waiting for you two. I must say, it took a good while, and I grew quite bored." He turns from Emmett and looked at Mr. Chester and his broken chair in the corner, "Oh! Is he dead?"
Emerelda looks at Emmett who looked too shock to even think. They both watched how the boy strides with light steps, almost floating, towards Mr. Chester. He had his hands crossed behind his back bending down at Mr. Chester.
"Oh, he's alive, how pity."
Emerelda opened her mouth. However Emmett beat her to it, "Such a disappointment." He said.
He looked back and made a face, "I was hoping the men who treated me worse than a slave would finally arrive in hell." He looked back, and with his bare feet he kicked the head of Mr. Chester's bleeding head, "Bloody bastard" he spits.
"Oh my…" Emerelda whispers, her hand on her mouth.
"Who are you?" Emmett asked.
The boy turned back around, head high. He was grinning, his cracked lips dry, "You know who I am Emmett."
Emerelda looked at Emmett who was glaring at the boy, "I don't have the slightest clue on what you just had said."
"Lies!" The boy snaps, he had a soft voice, smooth like velvet, "I know exactly what you are doing, Emmett, and I assure you, Emerelda is going to demand questions."
Emerelda frowns, "Who are you?" she repeated Emmett's question.
He tilts his head, "I am Vivian Throne. I am the only one who is gifted with the sight of the future. And I want to help you find the Midnight Assassin."
No one said a word. They both stared shocked and surprised. Emerelda was trying to grasp on what he had just said, and who he was. It seemed almost…impossible.
Vivian raised his eyebrows, "Well?"
Emmett said: "No,"
At the same time, Emerelda said: "Yes,"
Vivian laughs, "How amusing." He purred.
Emerelda quickly turned her head at Emmett, "No? What do you mean no? Emmett, he is our biggest advantage."
Emmett, still glaring at Vivian, clenched his jaw, "He won't do us any good. We are better off without him."
"That is quite rude." Vivian said.
Emerelda raised her arms, "I have no idea on what past you both share, but I assure you, he would help us for the future."
"Puns, I surely love them in a good argument." Vivian comments.
Emmett slowly turns to her, "And for what Emerelda? Don't you think this is a little off? He can't be trusted."
"My, Emmett, are you still upset?"
Emmett turned back to him, "Why don't you please shut up for the love of god? You're giving me a headache."
"Emmett, stop acting childish," Emerelda glared, "He's coming with us, and that's final."
Emmett turned his glare at her, "I know what's best for this agreement, I know what's best for us, and I know he won't be helpful. He just wants a place to stay, and by the time you turn around he'll be gone. He doesn't want to help us. He wants to use us for his own purposes."
Vivian sighed, "I truly want to help, and besides I only did that once. I had too, or else things wouldn't go the way it's supposed to."
"Like the fact you left without telling me the worst thing of my future and not bothering to help!?" Emmett yelled.
Vivian rolled his eyes, unbothered by the sudden outburst. Unlike Emerelda, she jumped, staring worriedly at Emmett who looked ready to choke Vivian.
"The butler is on his way," was all Vivian said, crossing his arms looking away.
Emerelda did hear the footsteps that seemed to get closer. She went over and locked the door, "We must leave." She announced quietly.
Emmett crossed his arms, "The whole plan is ruined."
"Yes," Emerelda agreed, "Nonetheless, we need to leave. All of us."
Vivian beams, Emmett glared daggers at her.
"We are not taking this boy." Emmett snarled.
Vivian gasped dramatically, "I am not a boy! I'm sixteen, only a few years younger than you."
That made Emerelda wondered how old Emmett really is. He looked young, but old right at the same time As if he was stuck in the past and future. Ageless, he had an ageless face.
"I'm sure you can find your way out of here yourself." He said to Vivian.
Vivian glared at him, "If that was the case, I wouldn't be standing here waiting for you to use your gift and get us out of here."
The doorknob of the study started rattling, "Sir?" the butler outside the room called.
Emmett raised his eyebrows at Emerelda who was giving him a look to stop acting stubborn. Vivian stood staring at his nails waiting. Emmett nods to the door mouthing, "Let us leave without him."
Emerelda stomped her foot down quietly, "No!" she mouths back.
Vivian yawned.
"Sir, are you alright? I'll be coming in to check on you." The butler called.
Emerelda stared angrily at Emmett, "We are all going!" she mouths.
They all heard the click of the key. Emerelda turned to stop the door from opening; though by the time she blinked she felt arms around her torso lifting her up. She opened her eyes to a blurry scene. The color of the world around her flew fast making it almost dizzy to look at. She felt a gentle wind in her ear, her hair flying, the back of her neck cold. She couldn't even lift up her head, as the pressure of the speed made it felt like it was pushing down at her. She closed her eyes once more, feeling the body under her barely moving, their chest rising up and down in a steady speed.
Finally it was over. She felt her feet touching the ground, and she wobbled opening her eyes, feeling sick. Emmett was letting go of her and Vivian. He carried them both on each hand just as a mother would to her two kids.
Emerelda held onto the carriage they came with. It rested far away from the manor, in the corner of the street. The horses shifted on their feet, silent as if they knew they were meant to be quiet. She controlled her breathing, trying hard not to throw up.
"That was exciting!" Vivian said cheerily next to her.
Emerelda made a sound that sounded almost her gagging, "That…was not exciting." She disagreed weakly.
"You shouldn't have opened your eyes." Emmett grumbled.
"Perhaps… a warning next time?" she said through breathes.
"No."
She looked up and glowered at him, he narrowed his eyes at her.
"May we go now? I'm getting tired standing around." Vivian said walking to the carriage door. He stopped staring at the initials of the carriage door:
EC
"The carriage owned by the Earl in England." Vivian said.
Emmett quickly gave him a hard look, and Vivian smirked back at him. Emerelda frowned. When Emmett took her to the carriage sitting alone in an empty road, she had asked where he had got it, and he replied, "A man can borrow almost anything with a charming face as mine." She now suspects that might not have been true, especially the way he had stroked the two black stallions before riding. Yet again, there was not telling if he would provide her with any details if she ever asked.
Emmett cursed under his breath and walked over to the carriage door swinging it open, "Get in." he told no one in particular.
Vivian stuck out a hand. Emmett looked down at it, then back at his face disgusted, yet something passed through his eyes. He cursed under his breath again taking his hand and helping Vivian up into the carriage. Emerelda approached to the door and Emmett turned his back on her helping himself to the driver seat.
Emerelda decided to hold in her anger and helped herself into the carriage. Vivian sat on the leather seat, leaning his head on the window. Despite the show of his talking, at this moment where Emerelda could see him closer, he looked sickly. His face gave it all away, his skin was a little too pale, his eyes sunken and his cheeks were hollow.
She slammed the door and not a minute wasted the carriage started off on the pebbled road. She leaned her head back on the seat sighing. It was quiet, the night soft. She watched trees moving as they got farther away from Mr. Chester's property.
"I've waited to leave that awful room for almost a year now." Murmured Vivian with his eyes closed.
Emerelda felt sorry for him, she wanted to reach out and stroke his hair away from his eyes and cooed him to sleep. Instead she said, "I'm glad you're out of it."
"I'm sure you are," he said softly, "You have good intentions. You want me along to help you and…take care of me. You look at me as if I'm weak."
Emerelda shifted on her seat, "Well…I care for almost everyone."
"No," he opened his silver eyes, "You most likely have read what was to become of me and that scared you."
She thought back on the letter she read. It was if the letter was her key on finding out about Vivian. It was what gave away his identity.
"Mr. Chester thought giving you away to the Judas group would have him a rightful place in it. He was wrong of course," she remembered the paragraph that shook her, "They didn't need traitors, they only wanted you, and only needed you." Vivian's calm expression told her that he already knew.
"Mr. Chester was a man of his words, and yet he was still cunning and malevolence. When he found out about me, he thought I would change his life forever." He chuckled, though it had no trace of humor in it, "Until he realized he stole a different type of boy, a boy who wouldn't give in, and was much smarter than he was."
"'A child prodigy'" she repeats the words from the letter.
He sighed lifting his head from the window, "So I am. Mr. Chester however didn't find it funny. For weeks and weeks I refused on telling him his future or anything else that involved with him. And for weeks and weeks he tortured me in return."
Emerelda place a hand on her mouth astonished, "Vivian…" she whispered. What else was there to say? She was sorry for such thing? It wasn't good enough.
Vivian looked out the window, his reflection solemn, "He was creative with it. Using a belt, his hand, a rope…sometimes a cigar." He placed a small skeleton hand on the window, "He used me for his enjoyment some other days."
Emerelda swallowed down what felt like a rock.
Vivian dropped his hand and looked at her, "Don't cry, I'm sorry that was triggering." Emerelda felt the tears running down her face and she wiped them away. He smiled sadly, "You haven't had it easy yourself have you? Leaving the castle felt something but a fresh air hasn't it?"
She nods, "Relieving."
"Hmm," he tilts his head, "Now don't feel bad for me, it only makes me annoyed. I only told you this because I felt…lonely for a long time. I knew you were coming and you would one day listen to my problems, though… I also knew it would take a long time before you come."
Emerelda took his weak hands in hers, "I promise despite what Emmett says, you would never be left alone."
Vivian looked down at the hands, "A kind offer. And offer I knew you'd make, even without using my gift."
She leaned back slowly sliding her hands away, and Vivian crossed his bare legs on the seat, "Tell me." She said.
His big eyes widen, "Whatever it is."
"How does it work? Your gift that is,"
He smiled, "Ah, well it's not easy you see. It-" he stopped, his eyes far away.
"Vivian?" She questioned alarmed.
He blinks and opened the small window, "Emmett, we might have a problem!" he yells out.