A cup of coffee always serves right late in the night, and after two hours of exerting whatever was left of her mind from the morning on professor Charles's notes, it was exactly what Daisy needed to set her back on the path. She glanced at the clock in the main area as she crossed the room next to her's into the kitchen. One o'clock in the morning wasn't the perfect time to switch on the light bulbs in your brain, but considering the long lecture she'll have to endure from him tomorrow, Daisy thought it right to stay awake and do the tedious work rather than to give in to the temptation of that soft pillow and a white duvet that awaited her gentle embrace.
Bell rang just as she scooped a spoonful of coffee powder.
Who could be at this time of the night? she thought to herself.
But then it struck her; Mrs Brown, the sweet lady who resided in the apartment opposite to hers. It was usual for her to ring a bell at Daisy's without a single hesitation whenever she had anything to put in her cart of gossips and spice. And time wasn't really a factor of consideration for her when it came to the 'rotten flesh' living in the apartment opposite their building.
Placing the spoon in the cup, she walked to the door, inexpressibly thankful to be in the same clothes from the morning, hence looking somewhat presentable.
"Coming!" she sounded from the other side, unlocking the door open only to be left astounded at the sight before her. It wasn't Mrs Brown who stood in the doorway looking all too glorious and wicked under the dim white light; it was the one and only Allarick himself!
As the breath ceased to exist in her lungs, his lips parted to form words that shall haunt her for as long as the sun shines and the days last.
"You made me wait quite long."
Daisy was yet to unravel the layers of meaning that simple sentence carried. Was yet to find how these set of words transformed lives into nothing but shells of existence, and that there was more to what her naive brain comprehended that moment.
"Wh...what do you mean?"
"You are coming with me." His commanding voice vibrated in the silence around them, instantly throwing her off guard. He was different that night. Something about him was far from his normal self, and that very thing_whatever it was_oozed darkness and sinister intentions.
"No, I'm not!" She managed to sound determined but the slow steps she took backwards clearly gave away her calculated motive of closing the door on him.
"I don't remember asking you," he stated in a humourless tone just a fraction of a second before his hand extended to grip her elbow in a swift motion. Despite all the protests, it was as easy for him as walking to pull her to him and shut the door close behind them.
"Allarick, let go of me!" Daisy began yelling as he pulled her behind him down the flight of stairs, but all fell on deaf ears. Nothing affected him; neither her screams nor her vile threats or her futile attempts to free herself from the beast that she would no longer be able to see in the same light as before. All her screams reflected from the walls of his silence and reverberated in the suffocating aura around them.
"Where are you taking me, Allarick?" Daisy shouted in frenzy as her fingers kept on working to prey his hands off her arm which was now sore from his grip.
It was frightening enough for her to think of how one second she was making coffee for herself and thinking of lying in her bed, and the next, she was being pushed into a black Audi R8 and caged in with the child lock, as the man responsible for all slid in the seat next to her and roared the engine to life.
Bewildered, her body shifted to face him, her teary eyes demanding him to explain himself. Allarick had been mean to her since high school for reasons other than her being tagged as a nerd ( which she wasn't), but never for once did she expect him to treat her with such force. He had always been the one to take delight in her misery from afar. As if his sudden change in persona wasn't enough to keep her on the edge, he had to let the monster inside of him, out.
It wasn't long before the car halted to a stop next to a metallic gate that stood tall compared to the walls on either side. She could see the grass shimmer through the gap in the black metallic rods that formed the gate. From the dewdrops on the grass, her gaze made its way to the double story house that stood in its grace under the silver rays of the moon. One look at it and anyone could tell the architect had a unique, esthetic sense. It was a combo of black and off-white with glass making most of its walls, the largest one being at the top and protruding out a bit, ending in a small balcony. Before the dark, carefully carved door was a cobblestone path leading all the way to the main gate, green grass popping its head out of the small creeks. All in all, it wasn't a gigantic palace, but it was sure a sight to drool at!
Daisy didn't quite realize when the door to her side was pulled open and she was once again fisting her way out of his hold.
In a moment of haze and confusion, her brain couldn't come up with a possible excuse as to why this furious, young man would bring her to his home out of all the other places. Neither could it figure out if to resist his painful grip on her wrist or work her legs so she wouldn't stumble and get dragged for the rest of the way since her captor had no intention of showing mercy on her pathetic, fearful self.
A door opened and then it closed. Steps moved up the staircase of the mahogany interior of the house. Another door opened, and just like any hope of escaping, it shut closed, and she was pushed forward into the room.
In a fraction of a second, Daisy registered her surroundings. The black furniture stood out to the orange glow tuning in from the walk-in closet_or more like a space with sliding closets on either side, leading to a restroom.
Even before the clock could tick a second complete, she swirled around and dashed to the door. She never heard the lock click which provided her with a hope to entertain her mind and prevent her body from giving up.
The silver handle felt cold under her palms as she pulled on it. Her body shook with the jerks she applied on the door but the little demon didn't budge an inch.
A "please" escaped her lips, low enough so only she could hear it, or perhaps as she assumed. Strong hands rested on either side of her face, engulfing her in a heavy shadow, and bringing a stop to her struggle before it even begun.
"It won't open. " His voice was as calm as a loin about to jump at a sheep. "Needs my print," he completed. It was then that her gaze fell to the non-existent lock. There wasn't any!
What is this invention? she thought to herself.
She was yet to understand why his proximity drew all the heat from her body, yet to understand why she stood still like ice over a dead lake.
"We don't want trouble, do we?" he asked, his breath brushing her ear lobe.
There was something pole apart about Allarick as compared to the guys of his age. Daisy always thought him more mature. He had complete control over himself, unlike the guys at her university. It was as if he had mastered every bit of his emotional system and knew when and how to shield his certain sides and how to express the others. And for tonight, he had decided on putting on a serious show and covering the rage underneath it with a blanket as thin as the fancy silk elites of ancient Rome used to wear.
Rage. Daisy had not a bit of clue why he held on to it.
"No," she whispered back.
"Right."
With that, his form disappeared into the closet area. Finding another chance-free of him, Daisy began pulling on the handle as if it would miraculously open the door.
"Take a look at this."
"Her body jolted to the steadiness of his voice. One thing that she had learnt from all those movies and novels was never to do anything that would make your captor unsure and furious. Unsure if he should let you go alive after all you have to threaten him with, and furious for being rebellious over everything. It's always better to play the mind game and pave an easy, safe way out. But being stuck in a situation like that, years of planning seeped out of her body in a blink of an eye.
Daisy walked to the far end of the bed, eyeing the fancy-looking dark green dress in his hands. It was more like something one would wear to the clubs and parties, except it was a little below the knee and had a decent design overall. In the darkness, the silver on it sparked like a ray of sunlight hitting the shore. It was breathtakingly beautiful! But not something Daisy would wear in years!
"I thought since you were changing your style, becoming something more of a... " he paused, a smile danced on his lips as his eyes had the delight of witnessing her change of expressions from straight to a horrified one. " Wear it." He commanded.
Daisy knew it was more of a comeback for not listening to him. She knew her dressing wasn't much appreciated by him but the question remained 'why?' And besides, she liked to keep her shirts long and jeans hugging her shoes. She did come out of her baggy clothes yet never for once did she ever wear, or even thought of wearing, something that revealed her skin. It was something beyond the boundaries of her nature.
"I... don't wear such clothes," she voiced out her thoughts.
"I'm sorry but this was the shortest they had."
Her mouth fell agape on his twisted mockery. Her throat constricted, making it difficult for her to let the words out.
The audacity!
"I won't wear this Allarick-"
"I didn't ask you to take my name. " His gaze heated on her as the aura fell quiet and dark. Those melted silver orbs lingered on her face longer than a minute. His form seemed to take in the darkness from the surrounding and ooze it out with the one residing inside of him. " You have five minutes to wear it" he walked to the restroom, opening the door wide, " or else I'll have to do something on my own."
"I... won't! " Daisy protested, wanting nothing more than to hide herself under the covers lying unfolded on her bed, awaiting her touch.
" Four minutes and thirty-six seconds. "
"Allarick please-"
"You take my name again and I'll lose my control." He uttered ever so calmly as if he didn't just throw a red flag at her. "And you're left with four minutes."
Knowing there was no use of argument, Daisy walked to the restroom, the dress dangling in her arm. There has to be a way out of it. She couldn't let herself be stepped on. Fear for the unknown laced her features yet she didn't waste a tear ever since she landed her foot in the room. Her brain was more occupied dealing with the petty 'whys' rising from every corner of her brain than instructing the tear glands to produce tears.
If she had thought his house was a mere piece of art, boy, she hadn't seen this restroom! It wasn't as huge as you would expect to see in palaces of course, neither did it had a gold toilet and a bathtub of royal gems, but it was spacious, simple and glamorous. The white marble floor complemented the orange glow of mirror bulbs. A white curtain hid behind it a bathtub longer than Daisy had ever seen. It was a whole narrow room separated from the main washroom by a curtain. It was the perfect place to sit and relax after a tiresome day, with a cup of coffee and a worth watching view out of the white framed window. Daisy couldn't help but notice how out of character it was for ' the one that shall not be named' to have a flower pot sitting on the ledge of the window.
Pushing the curtains aside, Daisy sat on the edge of the bathtub, the pretty dress resting on her lap and heart hammering to a virtual countdown of another unprecedented disaster.
Just when she had thought it was a few minutes above five, the washroom door creaked open just a little, the door frame still blocking the view inside. It was like asking for an unspoken permission to enter.
"Just as I thought." Allarick gritted his teeth, the words rolling off in a smooth whisper coated with something more of an understandable irritation. "You know there is no way of drawing a sidetrack to this... this situation, don't you?" He began, his forced steps swallowing the distance between them before she could possibly form a sensible reaction, " yet you tempt me to do things we'll both regret." Just like before, his hands reached out to the dress faster than Daisy expected, ripping it off her lap. The most she did was flinch as if someone had pricked her skin with a bunch of needles." If you like it this way, I'll take the delight." He stated, cold, hands gripping the neckline of her sweater in a grip that would_if not much_ dissolve the fiber with the heat.
"N...No All-"
And so began a battle for not the victory but the pride. Having warned her twice not to take his name, her not getting the idea to back down threw him off the hill.
"I'll...I'll wear it!" Daisy let out, eyes wide and short of breath.
"The look in your eyes tell me otherwise." Allarick studied her face with an interest.
" I don't have another choice, do I? " Under the orange glow mixed with the darkest shade of black, Allarick couldn't help getting downright mesmerized by the beauty of those glassy eyes that looked as fragile as Daisy herself. "Though I... I don't get it why you want me to do it. " His eyes traced the drop of tear as it tracked its way down her face and on her fist clutched in his hold. "It's not that you're attracted to me or something."
A moment of silence passed before Allarick pressed the tip of his tongue on the back of his upper teeth as if wrecking his mind for something.
"That'll be the last thing I do before I lay in my coffin. Count yourself lucky for I'm giving you five more minutes to get ready. "
With that, his steps took him to the door. Daisy watched his retreating back with nothing but one thought swirling in her mind; What did she ever do to deserve this hate?