"Be the change that you wish to see in the world."
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Alexei Voronin
My ears immediately clicked and I took a step back, glancing sideways at the passageway. Lisa stood still at the other side of room, fear eating deep into her features. I beckoned her forward with a slight gesture of my arm. She stared at me reluctantly before shuffling towards where I stood now directly beside the door frame, my back to the wall.
I pulled out the gun from its holster before grabbing Lisa, motioning for her to be silent. Her big blue eyes widened as the footsteps that I heard from miles away became louder. From the pace and intensity of the steps, i could tell that this was a one person attack. We both waited with bated breath, with Lisa clutching tightly unto the back of my shirt.
She eyed the gun in my hands warily before shuffling closer to me, almost as if she wanted to enter my skin. I almost scoffed in reply, where did all that sass go?
The lights in the room went off immediately and a tendril of shock passed through Lisa and she pressed further into me. I tried not to think about how her shivering and exposed little body was pressed into mine, clutching tightly at the hem of my pants. I could feel her heartbeat thumping against my back as she pressed her entire chest into me.
She was distracting the fuck out of me, and at this rate we were both going to get killed. I tuned out her actions and focused on the footsteps. They were very close to the door. At the very moment that I noticed a ghost of a figure brush into the room, I immediately leapt out, grabbing the figure by the from the back before pointing the gun to the person's head.
"Breathe and you're dead" I gritted out, clicking the safety of the gun.
"Turn on the lights Lisa". I barked out, steering the person closer to the bed. She scurried behind me, plaming the wall frantically till she finally found it, with a simple click, the entire room and hallway lit up again.
It was woman.
She clutched tightly to my forearm that was cutting off her air supply, trying so hard to break free. The bowl she held in between her palms tumbled to the floor, the contents of it splattering everywhere.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Lisa yelled in annoyance, recognition plastered all over her face.
"Let her go" She said to me, placing her arm on my wrist. With a sigh, I pushed the female away. I returned my gun back to its holster.
"You wanted to kill me" The girl screeched,almost slipping the puddle of wetness she had created. Her eyes were wide with panic as she rubbed her throat furiously. "Wait till mother hears of this".
"What game were you trying to play in my room" Lisa asked, rolling her eyes at the girls temper tantrums.
Her eyed widened as if she had been caught and she fumbled for her words, "I... only wanted to play a harmless prank on you as it's been years since I've seen you and I missed my sister". Tears dropped from her eyes as she spoke.
"But I didn't know you hated me so much that you plotted to have me killed" She mumbled to herself in fear.
I observed the relationship between the two of them and tried to ascertain what level of danger to place the girl unto, I then decided to place her on level 4 for now.
"Mother" She yelled, informing us of another presence in the room. I moved to the side, allowing them to interact properly but the interaction I thought would happen wasn't what quite happened, instead it was the opposite.
The mother in question looked no older than 40 and was clad in a very flashy outfit. She screamed of power and authority but the way she looked at Lisa who paid no heed to her presence was alarming. She looked at her with affection.
A chilling type of affection. It was cold and determined.
"What happened to my baby" She yelled, pushing Lisa towards my side, she almost tripped on the water spreading across the room, I had to reach out to steady her, my arm wrapping around her waist.
I could feel Lisa tense against me, her back stiffening at the contact. I didn't let go immediately, not until I was sure she had her balance. Her family—if you could even call them that—was more concerned with theatrics than her actual well-being. The mother's gaze swept over the room, lingering briefly on me, then shifting to her daughter.
"Mother, it was an accident!" The girl Lisa had referred to as her sister continued with her wailing, clutching at her neck like I'd nearly strangled her to death. "He almost killed me! You need to get rid of him before he kills us all!"
I could barely suppress a sneer. This girl wasn't scared; she was playing a role, one I'd seen far too often. She was the type who thrived on manipulation, the type who'd cry sheep to get what she wanted. My gut twisted with mistrust, but I kept my mouth shut. This wasn't my family, not my game to play.
Lisa's mother, though, was a different kind of beast. She didn't flinch, didn't falter, not even when her daughter screamed bloody murder. Instead, her eyes zeroed in on Lisa, cold and calculating, as if Lisa were a puzzle she couldn't quite figure out.
"What kind of accident, darling?" Her voice dripped with fake sweetness, each word more venomous than the last.
Lisa shook slightly, still pressed against me, but I felt her muster the strength to speak. "It wasn't an accident," she said quietly. "She snuck into my room, in the dark, with God knows what intentions. Alexei stopped her. That's the only reason I'm still standing here."
Her mother's eyes narrowed, and for a split second, I saw a flash of something dangerous in them, something that put me on high alert. "Is that true, my dear?" she asked, turning her attention to the girl still writhing on the floor.
The girl's expression hardened. "I just wanted to surprise her! It was a joke, a stupid joke. But he—" She pointed at me with a trembling hand, voice breaking with faux fear, "he attacked me!"
I didn't react. If there was one thing I knew, it was to stay still in the face of accusation. Any hint of emotion, any show of anger or frustration, would give them power. And right now, I needed to be the one holding the cards.
The mother, however, seemed more interested in Lisa than the drama unfolding at her feet. She stepped closer, ignoring her daughter completely, until she was within arm's reach of Lisa.
"My poor, sweet girl," she crooned, though the sweetness in her voice felt like a knife to the throat. "You look so pale. Are you not well?"
Lisa stiffened again, but this time it wasn't from my touch—it was from her mother's. Her eyes were wide, wary, as the older woman raised a hand to her cheek.
"I'm fine," Lisa replied tersely, stepping away from her. Her tone was guarded, sharp, like she'd had to play this game before.
But her mother wasn't deterred. She stepped forward again, gently brushing Lisa's hair behind her ear, her eyes glinting with a strange mix of affection and something far more sinister. "You are hurt and exhausted, darling. You should rest. Katharina can take care of you—"
"No," Lisa said firmly, her voice rising just enough to break through the tension. "I don't need her help. I don't need anyone's help."
The room went silent, except for the faint sound of Katharina's exaggerated sobs. But her mother only smiled, a slow, unsettling curve of her lips. "Oh, my dear Lisa. Always so independent. But you should remember… even the strongest of us need to lean on others sometimes."
I couldn't take it anymore. My patience was running thin, and the longer I stood here watching this woman toy with Lisa, the harder it was to keep my hands from reaching for my gun again.
"That's enough," I interrupted, my voice steady but firm. "Lisa's been through a lot tonight. She needs space, not more people hovering over her."
The mother's eyes flickered toward me, her smile fading into a neutral mask. "Ah, yes… Alexei, is it?" She dragged her gaze down, assessing me like a hunter sizing up prey. "You seem very… protective of my daughter."
I met her gaze, unflinching. "It's my job."
"Mother, You knew about him" Katharina yelled in disbelief, earning a sharp glare from her mother. Her mouth instantly fell shut and she glared at the ground.
Her smile returned, colder than before. "Of course i do know. My dear and loving husband doesn't keep anything away from me." She gestured for Katharina to get up, and the girl hurriedly scrambled to her feet, glaring daggers at me as she did.
Before they left, Lisa's mother looked back one last time, her eyes locking onto mine. "Take care of her, Mr. Voronin. I'd hate for anything to happen to my dear, fragile Lisa." The threat in her voice was unmistakable.
As the door clicked shut behind them, I finally exhaled, releasing the tension that had been building in my chest. Lisa slumped against me, her exhaustion catching up to her all at once. I caught her before she fell, gently lowering her onto the bed.
"Are you okay?" I asked scanning her body for any sign of danger, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
She struggled to keep her eyes open , to reply me but within a matter of seconds she was out like a light bulb.