The words "I wish I were" echoed countless times in my head. Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I gasped at my own foolishness.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God..." Panic gripped my heart.
Finally, I managed to rush my thoughts out in one jumbled sentence. "The demon, the girl, the thing, it was in my room, it's out there somewhere in my hotel room! Sei tried to kill me. I trusted him. Angel, no, a devil, a bastard, an asshole. I'm the idiot of the century."
Xavier reached out and held me close, somehow understanding the fragments of my words. "You think I wouldn't get rid of possible threats before reaching out to you? I made that mistake once, and it won't happen again."
I nodded, trying to steady myself. "You didn't kill Stacey, did you?" When he didn't respond immediately, I pushed him away. "Oh no, no, no. Gluttonia would be furious if she dies. He might come after me."
"I didn't kill her," Xavier replied. "Aren't you listening to what I'm saying? If Glade knows, she wouldn't remain docile in your hallway while you get dressed for my party. She would kill you before you even blinked."
"So, what you're trying to say is that she doesn't remember any of this that happened?"
"Yes! Yes! That whole incident never happened because right now, this present moment shouldn't be happening. Someone changed time to prevent you from dying, thereby altering everything," Xavier explained, his face grim.
"Isn't that a good thing? Why do you look so unhappy about it?"
He shook his head in disbelief. "Don't you understand? You are a smart woman; you should know!"
"KNOW WHAT EXACTLY!" I yelled, my frustration and annoyance boiling over at his seemingly nonchalant compliment. "One thing I know for sure is that I'm trapped in some unfathomable, unfortunate circumstance with God knows how many millions of creatures wanting to kill me. Now that I think of it, are you helping me out because I look just like your wife? Is that the only reason you've befriended me, to keep your eyes on me? I've known you since we were kids, but now I can't help but wonder if you were ever a kid yourself or some monstrous being that morphs appearances to deceive people? Are you a demon, or something I can't even comprehend? How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you're not the real antagonist here, playing some twisted game with my life?"
My voice quivered with anger and hurt as I laid bare the doubts that had been gnawing at me. Xavier's face contorted, a mixture of pain and frustration evident in his eyes.
Thick, angry silence stretched out between us for what felt like centuries. Xavier's breathless voice finally broke the tension, but the anger was palpable as he ran a shaky hand through his ruffled, beautiful hair. He seemed on the verge of saying something, but the intensity of his emotions left him speechless. Veins of frustration pulsed on his forehead, and his jaw twitched with anger.
"I'm gonna step outside for a minute and avoid punching a fucking hole through your wall," he managed to say before leaving more like jumping out the window. I watched him go without flinching or surprised at the fact that he just jumped that level of height. "Thank God he wasn't going to punch a fucking hole in my head," I thought to myself as I sank heavily onto my bed.
I dropped my head into my hands, replaying the hurtful words I had thrown at Xavier. I knew I had gone too far, but the rush of emotions had gotten the best of me. Though I felt no guilt for most of what I said because half of it were true anyways, but I couldn't ignore the sinking feeling of maybe having pushed away the only ally I had in this dangerous world.
The cold air from outside seeped in through the open window where Xavier had jumped out. Suddenly, a faint sound caught my attention, and I snapped my head up, expecting to see him. Instead, my blood ran cold as I laid eyes on the sinister figure before me.
"Hi there, ghost! Miss me?" He sneered sarcastically, giving me a vile and evil look.
"You bastard!" I yelled, my anger not fueling my courage at all. Instead fear won and I ran to the end of the room, far away from him. I scanned the room frantically, searching for anything that could serve as a weapon to make him bleed, to hurt him like he had hurt me, even a nick on his skin would give me pure immense joy.
Gluttonia seemed to relish in my fury. "Ah, yes, me, the bastard," he taunted. "I see you managed to turn away your only ally in anger. Now I have sweet you all to myself, to do as I please. Isn't that wonderful?"
Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I eyed the door, contemplating escape, but Gluttonia seemed to read my thoughts. "Nah ah ah, don't even think about it, dearest Alora. Running would only make my monster hunger for you more. I'm barely able to tame the beast right now."
He smirked, advancing slowly towards me, and his eyes held a disturbing mix of emotions that I couldn't quite comprehend. His gaze was strong and powerful, leaving me paralyzed with terror. The realization that I was now at the mercy of this malevolent entity sent shivers down my spine, and I knew that whatever lay ahead would be far worse than anything I had faced before.