Bloodguilty // FIVE HARGREEVES

3. the Haunting

"That was most . . ." Herb trails off, seeing Klaus displeased expression. Klaus' lips form a thin line and his eyes stay on the ground in front of him as he walks, not falling on anything else.

"Terrifying," he mumbles quietly, but after Elisa her speech, no one came even close to the three, so both Elisa and Herb hear Klaus' comment. "And so not Elisa."

"I was going to say clever." Herb shrugs, smiling kindly as he looks at Elisa who's eyes are right upon Klaus, her friend who is very unhappy with her decision.

"It had to be done, Klaus," Elisa tells him with a loud sigh. "You saw the look in everyone's eyes. You saw how Cha Cha immediately challenged me. If I didn't scare them enough, they'd have taken me down on the spot. They'd take my spot."

"But this isn't you, Elisa." Klaus shakes his head slowly, squeezing his eyes shut as he lets Herb pass him. Now, he's walking next to Elisa, and she slows her pace keep it that way. "I know this isn't you, and you're going to make yourself so unhappy. I know how hard it is to play a role. In the start it's easy, but what if the mask keeps sticking? What if you can't ever be free of it again? You'll be forced to live as someone that isn't you. And I don't want that for you."

Before answering, Elisa looks up, noticing that Herb has left the two, giving them privacy. She's glad for him doing so. This is a talk that needs to happen between the two friends, and even though has become a friend of Elisa too, this wasn't the place for him to be right now.

"For now, I've got to keep this terrible mask on." Elisa lays her hand on Klaus shoulder while he still avoids any eye contact with her. "But I promise you, Klaus, I'll rip it off before it's too late. But please, remember that this isn't me. I'm nothing like this. Remember that."

Now, a thin smile lights up Klaus' sad face. A twinkle appears in his eyes, making Elisa squeeze his shoulder softly. "Of course I know that." He looks at her for the first time after the speech. "But I don't want you to lose yourself in this role. It won't give you the life you deserve."

"That won't happen," she reassures him together with another squeeze. "I only have to find someone willing to take my position and who wouldn't use the power to destroy and kill."

"You'll find someone soon enough." Klaus his smile widens a little. "And then . . . Then you can grow old safely, without assassins always ready to rip out your throat."

"I'd like that." Elisa chuckles. "I'd like that very much."

"Let's give you a foretaste." Klaus twirls around. "My siblings are expecting you for dinner tonight."

-

That night, when all is quiet, Elisa tries to ease her breathing as she lays in Five's arms. They're wrapped around her in a protective way. Elisa adores the way he wishes to protect her, even in his sleep. But from some things he simply can't protect her. No one can.

Every time the night falls, Elisa is ready to be taken captive again. She's ready to be confronted to the handler again. Every night. And it's not only the handler; sometimes it's her parents, too. Even though she has made peace with them, talked to them, their hateful faces are there every night, haunting her.

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference from reality and this never-ending nightmare. Still, with Five's arms around her, Elisa allows herself to hope the handler won't return tonight. But she will. She always does. There's no escaping it.

But before the darkness takes her whole, Elisa gets shaken out of her sleepy state by her phone its beeping. And even though that call takes away her chance to get some rest, she's glad no one will haunt her tonight.