Blue-eyed girl

CHAPTER SIX: FORGETTING THE PAST

CHAPTER XIX OF THE FACELESS MEN

In a dark, enclosed hall, a young sleeping beauty lay still at the center of a black pentagram. Many black candles sat at each pointed end of the pentagram.

The candles were lighted and partially illuminated the room. Black smoke rose up to the ceiling from the blue steady flames.

And standing beside each candle, tall figures wearing long, black garment; they were all staring into the fire from their freakish smiling mask.

All corners of the hall echoed with loud chanting from the group of hooded figures who left no part of their bodies exposed. They each stood with their hands stretched towards the sleeping girl, chanting spells in southern Latin.

Another figure, dressed differently from the rest, inches towards the body, holding a long, pointy knife. The chanting suddenly stopped, and all their gazes fell upon the unmasked figure that had emerged among them.

The unmasked figure who seemed to be the leader of the gathering, stopped at the side of the sleeping girl. Raising his hands towards the ceiling, and looking up, he chanted.

“Noctem dies animo atque puriore in aequo animo vas implebo.”

The hooded figure held hands and locked fingers, surrounding them as they turned in circles, chanting out words in low, inaudible voices. The candle lights were disturbed by their constant circling motion.

The unmasked figure knelt beside the girl and stabbed the knife into her chest in a quick stroke of his arms.

Gasping, the sleeping girl awoken with sharp pain exploding through her chest, her wet black eyes widening as she stared long into the ceiling, and then, she collapsed back on the cold linoleum, lifeless.

Lifting his fingers to check for pulse, he confirmed that she is dead. Another figure came forward to take blood-stained knife from him, giving him a cold metallic mask.

With the mask in his hand, he turned to gaze upon the dead girl. Lifting the mask up above her face, he shut his eyes and looked towards the ceiling.

“Ausculta haec verba audit vocem meam. Invoco te latere. Te cupio loqui.” He howled, slowly placing the mask to cover her face. “Aq me venire corpora vocat te. Partitus cruce magno.”

An unholy energy circled the room. The flames from the candles fluttered –disturbed by an unseen wind.

The unmasked figure opened his eyes and returned his gaze to the body lying beside him –now heaving with life.

Slowly taking the mask off her, he revealed the face of a girl, no longer sleeping, or dead, but glancing up to the ceiling with blue eyes.

Her blue eyes shifted to the corner at the unmasked figure that knelt beside her.

A smile crossed his lips. “grata retro.”

Natasha lay still on the couch, staring impatiently at the fan rotating up on the ceiling. It has been about an hour since she had arrived.

She waited, hoping for the rain to stop anytime soon, but glancing through the window at the angry storm outside which showed no sign of stopping anytime soon left her grumbling in frustration.

Her attention slowly drifted to Kevin who lay on the couch few meters away, he was too focused on the novel he was reading to notice that every fiber of her being was aquiver.

“Can you turn off the fan? Please.” She grimaced, the cold making her arms shiver.

For a moment, Kevin hesitated. The book which he was reading begged him to continue. He was curious to know what happens next now the dark assassin had been resurrected in the body of an innocent girl.

Kevin monitored as Natasha shivered from the cold. He finally succumbed to his unwillingness to put away the book. Stifling a groan, he stood up and trudged towards the switch to turn off the fan.

Then he walked back, not to the couch where he laid, but to Natasha’s. He stood beside the couch, and looked over her as she shivered from the cold.

Their eyes locked on like magnets. Natasha quickly turned away, but he didn’t. He leaned forward, sitting on the little space she did not occupy on the couch. Raising an arm to wrap around her shoulder, he left it suspended in midair and turned to stare at her eyes. “Do you mind?”

Natasha shook her head, adjusting to the edge to create the space he will fit in. Kevin laid beside her, wrapping his arms around her as she rests on his shoulder.

He took a long sniff from her long, dark hair. It had a distinctive sweet smell of strawberry. Kevin noticed how long she stared silently into space, probably deep thought.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“Madelia –I’m worried about her. Who knows what is happening to her as we speak?”

“Don’t fret over it, I’m sure she will return.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so.”

Natasha turned to press her head on his chest, listening to his silent heartbeat, his every breath warmed her face and his body against hers protected her from the cold.

They lay in silence in each other’s arms, not uttering a word –both glancing up at the ceiling and unwilling to look at the other.

Natasha rolled over, staring into his eyes. “Are you doing this because you like me, or you are just trying to get into my pant again?”

“I felt terrible watching you shiver from the cold, so I had to help.”

“So, it’s neither of those two then –you just feel pity for me, that’s it.” She chuckled.

Her smile faltered seconds after they appeared. “You know I’ve been thinking.” She started off, “Ever since that day we had s*x and I woke to find you were gone, leaving behind a note,”

She let out a heavy sigh. “I’ve been thinking what your reasons were for leaving; maybe you didn’t find me attractive, or you just wanted to get in my pant. I refused to believe your bullshit story about T-Rex killing everyone that gets close to you. Do you know why?”

Kevin shock his head. That’s all he could do to keep himself from uttering anything stupid that would deprive him of this moment. He simply watched in silence as she continued.

“I thought it was an excuse to make me stay away. But after I got captured and was almost tortured to death, that is when I finally understood.”

A blot of silence.

“Our first kiss, the romance, the s*x, did any of that mean anything to you?” he asked.

She looked away and returned her gaze to the ceiling. “Are you mocking me, Kevin?”

“Tell me,” He licked his lips. “I am dying to know.”

“Yes,” She rolled her eyes. “I know I love you, but I can’t forgive you for leaving me that note.”

I know I love you, but I can’t forgive you for leaving me that note

Her last sentence piqued his interest.

Why? He bristled at this. Why would she say something so improbable? Does she think me a fool?

“You don’t have to say you love me. No one does anywhere.”

“I do.” she mumbled, turning to look at him.

Her words were calm and held no grudges and her face was neutral -lacking in emotion. For a long second, he stared into her refulgent eyes, searching for any trace of dishonesty, but found none. “Proof it.” He muttered, staring at the ceiling, without a glance at her.

A kiss he didn’t expect seized anymore words waiting to come off his lips, rendering him motionless. As quickly as she kissed him, she pulled away and lay back in his arm, looking away. “This may be the worst decision I have ever made. We can pretend that never happened.”

He rolled over her and pressed his lips against hers. As quickly as he kissed her, he pulled away and returning back to staring at the ceiling.

Natasha lay frozen in his arm, gazing at him from the side of her eyes. “What was that?”

“That’s me giving you your kiss back.”

Natasha chuckled, hitting him with the back of her elbow. “I could have just taken it back. You’re just making up an excuse to kiss me.” She rolled over, pressing her weight on him. “T-Rex is gone now, no reason for you to worry about me. Can you be mine?

“No,” he pushed her away and got on top. I want you to be mine.”

Her pupil flared. “Promise me, no more notes, and no more surprise this time.”

He stared at her trembling wet lips -she wants to taste him -he could tell. He smiled from the feeling of being the dominate one at the moment. “I promise.” He finally said.

Natasha didn’t believe him, but it didn’t matter -not now. She fought back the urge to kiss him but the bitter passion to taste his lips overwhelmed her. She hated to be the submissive one at the moment.

And when she could no longer help it, she swiftly surrendered to the sweet ecstasy of love and slowly raised her head to his until their lip met. Kevin let her kiss him.

She shut her eyes to the world as the pleasure ripped a moan through her aching lips. She felt the heat rushed through her as Kevin ran his hand down her bare back.

Natasha wasn’t sure when she had removed her dress, but she found herself lying half naked beneath Kevin’s crushing weight. Kevin bites down her neck, cupping her full breast with powerful hands and she threw her head back in pleasure.

As Madelia inched closer to the old woman, her expression was wonderstruck. A look of question was buzzing in her aching head. She almost stumbled and fall when the rope stretched to its limit. The rope restrained her from moving any further closer to her mother.

Madelia freaked out as she watched her mother whimpering and looking out through the small hole. Her face was badly bruised and her eyes were swollen.

“Mum,” she sobbed, confusion causing her body to shudder. “Please tell me what is going on. What are we doing here?”

The old lady slowly turned to look at Madelia with frail eyes, her face stained with patches of mud from the wall on which she leaned. “It’s your dad,” she weakly said, her voice sounding cold and almost lifeless.

Her brows rose. “Dad?” she mumbled, “I thought he is dead.”

“That is what I thought too, until he showed up at the house and kidn*pped me.”

Madelia stared wordlessly at her mom. “Dad kidn*pped you? That is not possible, he is dead. We attended his funeral, didn’t we?” Her voice trailed off as she started to doubt herself. “Or did we?”

The old woman sobbed, shaking her head. “It wasn’t your dad we buried at Adam Valley. It was someone else. Your dad is alive.”

It didn’t make any sense.

She was there. She saw the body. She remembered the revulsion she felt from are sight of his gruesomely bashed up face. Her nose crinkled as she turned to the surrounding darkness. A sudden question piqued her interest.

“Did dad ask the strange man on mask to kidnap me too?”

She nodded.

“What does Dad want with me? Why would he kidnap me?”

The room brightened and they turned towards the door and saw, standing at the entrance, Shady. He walked in, pulling out a sharp, pointy knife as he sauntered towards Madelia. With a single stroke of his arm, he cut her loose.

“Mom!” Madelia whimpered in fear as he grabbed her arm and dragged her out, his nails dug into her tender skin causing her to bleed.

Her mom quickly followed them to the door, but was restricted by the rope. “Where are you taking her? Where are you talking my daughter?” She cried.

Shady stopped at the entrance and turned to her. “Her father needs to speak to her.” A thud sounded after the door closed and they were gone.

Steven was taken out of his cell, chained on both arms and feet. Two prison guards flanked him, and another followed behind as they escorted him out to meet his visitor.

He observed an unfamiliar face waiting for him in the visiting room. Steven sat on the empty seat in front of his unfamiliar visitor, the chain on his arms rattled against the table.

“Who are you?” He started off.

His visitor took out an ID from his pocket and showed it to Steven. “My name is Theodor Osborne, and I’m the attorney investigating Mayor Henningsen’s murder.” He said, putting back the ID in his pocket.

“I never kill Mayor Collins. Hell, I was the officer that had found his body lying on the street.” Steven blurted out.

“I never said you killed him, I’m just after the man who did him in.” Theodor corrected him, calmly.

His forehead puckered. “What has that got to do with me?”

“The bullet found in Collin’s head during the autopsy matches the glock piston used to kill Mr. James parker. Obviously, you were framed for the mayor’s murder, I need to understand why?”

Theodor paused, interlocking his fingers and leaning forward. “That is why I’m going to stand in as your lawyer for this case. I need you to describe in details everything that happened in that room.”

After what felt like hours, the rain finally stopped. Natasha stood at the door, holding her bag, adjusting her skirt. “No one can know about us. I know this could ruin you.” She said.

Kevin’s brows drew together. “Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted, for everyone to know about us?”

“You don’t understand.” She stared at his dazzling wet eyes. “If my dad finds out I was with you, you’ll be in serious trouble. He warned me to stay away from you. Dad believes you are the reason behind everything that has happened to me these past few weeks. The r**e, the kidnap, the torture, dad blames them all on you.”

Kevin leaned forward to kiss her. “Maybe you should listen to your dad’s warning and stay away.

“Since when do I listen to my dad?” She chuckled, pecking his cheek and squeezing him in a tight hug. “I will see you later.

Kevin smiled, watching her leave until she entered a cab and disappeared down the road. As soon as his smiles appeared, it quickly vanished when he caught a gleam of a familiar figure leaning on a building, watching him from across the road.

He quickly turned and saw, standing with both arms crossed and a freakish smiling face, T-Rex. His heart skipped a beat. Quickly brushing his eyes with his fingers, he turned to verify what he had seen, but found nothing.

T-Rex was gone.

“Oh my God,”