The Dark of the Core

Surrounded

The car ride to Mizuya was a lively one. Devin’s brother whose name Skye found out to be Vince was practically the only one speaking. The thing that surprised Skye the most was that Faith was paying full attention to him. Not even Devin bothered to speak. After the conversation Skye had with Devin before the last class of the day, Faith had insisted Skye tell her exactly what was going on between the two. Skye had no clue as to what Faith was implying which led to Faith trying to ignore her to no avail. Within only a few minutes, Faith ran back to Skye asking for her forgiveness. That happened every time. Faith could never be mad at Skye for long.

Skye glanced sideways at her friend. She wanted Faith to be happy. Faith could do so much better than have a friend like Skye. For years, Skye had told Faith exactly that but Faith had always denied it. She told Skye once that she will never be able to find a better friend. Immediately Skye doubted it silently in her heart. Just as she turned her head to look back out the window, her eyes fell on Devin through the side mirror of the car. When she first met Vince, Skye was evidently surprised at how different he was compared to Devin. Vince was the older brother and seemed like a cheerful, optimistic guy. Devin on the other hand was the younger out of the two and liked to keep to himself. If Skye did not know Vince was older, she would have guessed that Devin was the older brother due to his character.

Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, Devin’s eyes locked onto hers. Immediately Skye felt light-headed just like before when their eyes met in the hallway. It felt as if she was being drawn in by an unknown force yet she did not bother to fight it. Never had she felt this way. It was exciting, foreign yet frightening at the same time.

“Skye?”

Hearing her own name brought Skye back to the present and she reluctantly turned to Faith. She then realized that she had been leaning forward towards Devin and quickly threw herself back against the seat. She gave a small smile to Faith who gave her an odd look before turning back to Vince. Skye carefully avoided looking at Devin for the remainder of the trip. They arrived at Mizuya at the exact time that Alex’s Koenigsegg appeared around the corner. Skye felt her heart stop and stomach drop when she saw the familiar blonde hair in the back seat staring at her. She was so preoccupied that she stumbled out of Vince’s car and straight into Devin’s arms. Faith was immediately behind her, helping her up. In that one short moment when she was in Devin’s arms, Skye felt all her troubles and worries wash away. For once in her life she felt…protected. It did not last long however when she caught sight of Alex and Heather exiting the car followed by Cayleb. His eyes flew straight to her and narrowed at the close proximity between Devin and her. Skye quickly took a step back trying to increase the distance from Devin but lost her footing. Faith and Devin both held her up supportively.

“Skye, are you alright?” Faith asked in concern. Skye turned to look up at her then to Devin. When she saw the concern and worry in their eyes, she almost broke down. Brushing off their hands, Skye bit down on her lip and nodded. She waited until Devin walked after Vince who had gone to Alex before taking Faith’s hand and following suit. She had also seen pure anger in Devin’s eyes which puzzled her greatly. Why would he be angry…?

When they were at the cashier paying for a room, Skye could feel Cayleb’s eyes on her. Unconsciously she took a step forward trying to hide behind the body in front of her. She was surprised to see it was Devin. Before she could open her mouth to speak, her body stiffened as an arm went around her shoulders casually.

“Please excuse me while I talk to my step-sister.”

Skye grasped Faith’s hand so tightly that Faith accidentally released her hand in pain allowing Cayleb the perfect opportunity to spirit Skye away. Faith stared after them, panic and anger rising up in her. She had promised herself to protect Skye at all costs yet she just gave her over to the devil himself. 

“This isn’t good…” Faith mumbled mostly to herself not noticing that Devin was beside her. She then quickly rushed after Skye.

They were the first to enter the room. Cayleb forced her to sit down on the seat. His hand then proceeded to venture underneath her school blouse. 

“Got yourself another f**k buddy, did you?” He whispered while licking Skye’s earlobe. Skye’s whole body was trembling in fear as she shook her head vigorously. 

“N-No, he-” She did not finish her sentence as his hand grabbed her breast painfully. She let out a small cry when suddenly Cayleb moved away from her just as the door to the room opened to reveal a frantic Faith. Skye took in a shaky breath and bit her lip hard to prevent the tears from falling. She quickly adjusted her navy-blue jumper and blouse properly before anyone noticed something odd. Faith purposely forced Cayleb to the other side of the long seat so she could sit down next to Skye. 

She softly placed her hand on top of Skye’s trembling ones and gave her an apologetic look. “I’m really sorry, Skye. I will never leave you alone for the rest of the night.” Faith said firmly with a smile that Skye did not return. That was a promise she knew, Faith could not keep.

Soon after, Devin walked into the room followed by his brother, Alex and Heather. Alex was frowning at her making Skye wonder what crime she had committed this time. Devin sat on the adjacent seat next to her with his brother beside him. His mood seemed to have dropped considerably ever since they entered the building. Skye did not realize she had been staring until she met with Devin’s eyes. She was surprised to see the anger from before had deepened and was now coupled with worry.

“Are you alright?” Skye asked softly as she hesitantly leaned forward slightly towards 

Devin. He did not reply for a few moments and merely continued staring at her before nodding his head curtly. “What about you?” 

Hearing the question surprised Skye especially the tone he used it with. It’s almost as if… Skye cut off that train of thought. He couldn’t possibly know. The only one she told was Faith and even Faith did not know all the details. She just thought that Cayleb was abusing Skye physically yet did not know it was more than that. “I-I’m fine.” Skye lied while avoiding Devin’s eyes. She could tell he did not believe her but refrained from questioning. She leant back in her seat as the singing and chatting started around her.

Devin recognized the man and woman Alex had brought along with him as soon as they exited the car. Though he did not know their names but he had seen their faces in Skye’s memories especially the guy. Later on, Alex introduced them as Cayleb and Heather. Both were step-siblings of Skye. Just looking at Cayleb brought back the images Devin had seen via Skye’s necklace and he felt sick again. He could tell the guy had some prejudice against him by the way he kept glaring at Devin.

Sometime during the night, Cayleb had disappeared and was not heard from again. Skye finally managed to breathe normally. She had no idea how tense she had been until she felt her body ache when she relaxed. Needing to use the ladies’ amenities, she turned to Faith beside her only to find her deep in conversation with Vince. Somehow Vince had left his place next to Devin and had ventured to the seat beside Faith. He had tried to engage Skye in conversation as much as possible but after her lack of reply, he practically gave up and turned to Faith. Deciding that she would be fine to go to the toilet by herself since Cayleb was not around, Skye exited the karaoke room quietly not noticing two pairs of eyes following her.

Skye had just finished washing her hands and was walking out of the toilet when she spotted him. Immediately she froze in her tracks and her heart stopped. The familiar feeling of fear rose rapidly within her. The corridor in which the toilets were located was deserted and dark compared to the rest of Mizuya. She was trapped. He was blocking the one escape she had. His piercing eyes fell on her as he moved towards her. Skye’s own feet started stepping backwards away from him but it was not long before she found herself up against a wall. Tears welled up in her eyes and she forced them back not wanting to cry in front of him. He placed his hands on either side of the wall beside her head.

“I’ve been waiting for you…”

The words frightened Skye especially since they came out of his mouth. She wanted more than anything to push him away and run but she felt weak to her knees. Cayleb smiled as if realizing this and leaned forward, his mouth attacking hers. Skye shut her eyes tightly feeling the bile rise up in her throat. As his mouth went to her neck, one hand slipped under her skirt while the other moved under her blouse. There was no hesitation on his part when his fingers entered her.

“I want to make you to scream my name.”

Cayleb whispered in her ear as his fingers picked up in speed. Skye gave a whimper of pain before her body fell numb. She had given up on struggling for no one could save her and she could not escape. Hate and anger rose in the pit of her stomach causing her fists to clench tightly. Her long nails caused dents into her palms. There was an overwhelming feeling inside her waiting to burst out. Even though she had no idea what it was but she knew it would be dangerous however, at the present moment Skye did not care. She wanted Cayleb to experience the same amount of pain he had inflicted on her.

“Excuse me? You’re blocking the way to the toilets.”

Suddenly a voice from behind them caused Cayleb to release Skye and turn around abruptly. It took all of her strength to keep from collapsing, the foreign feeling disappearing. Her eyes could barely make out the figure of Devin through the tears behind her glasses. She heard Cayleb cuss under his breath as he adjusted his shirt. He then walked towards Devin where he paused for a moment before walking past him around the corner. As soon as Cayleb disappeared Skye’s legs gave way and she slid down to the floor. Devin was immediately kneeling at her side with concern in his eyes. Without thinking, she threw herself into his arms. She felt his body tense slightly but soon his hands hesitantly went around her back. Skye could not explain the warmth and security she felt in his embrace. The tears flowed freely down her cheek accompanied by sobs. She had only broken down in front of Faith before and now she was close to breaking down to someone she hardly knew.

Devin rubbed his hands up and down Skye’s back soothingly yet gently. She was the one keeping him from running down that hall and beating the hell out of Cayleb. He could not help but notice just how small the girl felt in his arms. His eyes trailed down to her exposed thighs and caught sight of the numerous scars and bruises. Anger rose up within him causing a low growl to erupt from his chest.  He felt something sharp pierce his bottom lip and knew the monster was starting to get restless. He quickly pulled back from Skye a bit too roughly as she flinched. Devin felt guilt flow through him but pushed it aside by clenching his jaw tightly. She needed someone by her side now more than ever yet he had no choice. She was no longer safe with him now that his monster was overwhelming him, not to mention the fact he had not gone for a hunt in a while. He needed to escape from her for the time being.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.” Devin quickly said in a rough voice and retracted his arms from Skye. Just at that moment a strong scent hit his nostrils as two females walked around the corner. Immediately the familiar burning rose up in his throat and his eyes flew to them hungrily. It would be a quick kill. Of course, he would need to leave no witnesses. Devin then turned back towards Skye who was staring at him with tear-stained cheeks. That would mean I will have to kill her… The thought alone caused Devin to shudder inwardly and stand up abruptly. He held his breath and ignored Skye’s surprised expression before walking swiftly past the two girls and around the corner.

As soon as he exited Mizuya, he began running and the scenery around him became just a blur. As usual Devin made sure to keep himself out of sight. In a matter of minutes, he found himself in an unknown forest. His feet stopped allowing him to scan his surroundings. Suddenly a loud growl sounded from behind him. Devin turned and was face to face with a huge black bear. His lips curled into a smile as he moved into an attacking stance. Why was I not able to smell Skye’s scent…? This is already the second time… That was the last thought in his mind before he bounded forward for the kill while revealing his pointed white canines.

***

The house was entirely deserted and dark when Skye entered. After Devin’s abrupt departure earlier, Skye made her way home while texting Faith that she was not feeling well. The truth was that she did not want to face Cayleb or Alex or even Heather. Her footsteps were light on the cold marble floor as she walked upstairs. When she finally reached her room, she locked the door soundly behind her. Skye knew for a fact that she would regret it for Cayleb had warned her never to lock her door. She had done it once before in the past and he had ravished her so savagely that she was sore for an entire week.

Skye walked into her bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror after switching on the light. She removed her glasses and placed them down gently on the side of the basin. She then leaned forward to observe her crimson eyes. They seemed to have gotten darker which puzzled her slightly. A few moments later, Skye opened the mirror cabinet to reveal four shelves with different pill bottles and packets. Her hand reached up to take a blister pack which only had one pill left under the label of Thursday. She popped it out and swallowed it whole then tossed the empty packet into the nearby bin. As her fingers closed around a new box of tablets with the name LevlenED on the front, Skye’s eyes landed on another box. This box was on the bottom shelf underneath a few other boxes of tablets.

Immediately she felt guilt and pain settle in the pit of her stomach. The unforgettable incident happened four years ago when Cayleb first took her virginity. She had only ever taken one pill out of the three but it was enough to make her regret it straight after. No matter how much Skye hated Cayleb, she hated herself more. She should have taken precautions like what she was doing in the present. However, she was only thirteen and did not know the cruel nature of men. Unshed tears sprung up in her eyes as she clutched the box in her hand tighter, all the while her eyes lingered on the box on the shelf labelled mifepristone, the abortion pill.