Faceless Instincts

The Turning Point

The air between Nikolai and myself was murky. I cursed myself over and over again for giving in like that and I believed he felt the same way too.

Nikolai's friends a.k.a my guardian angels were sitting in the living room while they talked.

"There were no signs of forced entry or struggles." One of them said and I took he was the one who had gone to Tanner's place, "although I took the stuff you asked me to bring over." He reached for his bag, "here's his laptops and other things " he placed two laptops on the table and some flash drives along with a tablet and a phone."

"Why did you ask for these?" I asked and every eye turned towards me. Nikolai was unrecognisable in front of these people. His entire body was on alert and he gave nothing away from his face. He sat up straight in a chair and coldly glanced at me. I didn't know how to behave or even exist alongside this version of Nikolai.

"I'll have it checked and see if we can find anything." He said leaning forward.

"You are going to go through his things?" I blurted out.

His jaw clenched and I immediately backed off, "if that may save him, then yes." He told me flatly.

I nodded and crossed my hands. Leo was snuggled next to my feet and sighed. Cops weren't talking in front of me and I knew they did it, so I turned around and l walked out of the room without a word. With Leo trying to catch up I went up the stairs. I was about to slam the door when a small bark stopped me, I looked down and he took his chance to rush inside. I smiled and closed the door gently.

I took out my laptop and opened the hidden folder that I had made for Dorian subconsciously. Details-he had given nothing away and it was annoying. What I didn't understand was that how I didn't have any older files dedicated to him. If I had known him if I had treated him then why wasn't there any records?

My mind wandered back to the time when I had seen Dorian and it felt like distant history, it was impossible to believe it happened not even a month ago. Suddenly I started wishing how easy it would all get if he would have been here but then, would any of it happen if he would have been here?

I stared at the screen and then back to my notebook. I recalled how I thought Dorian was looking behind me all the time. How he had those marks on his neck.

My face scrunched as I tried connecting the dots. Mr Ashford used house walls to make people come and go out of the house, while Dorian said he hears voices. So, Dorian hallucinating could easily be ruled out, but then again, he heard voices here in his father's house as well. I scrolled down and saw a point where he said he saw people and then how I'll see them too. I wondered he was talking about actual people and not something that his brain made up. What if he was going to tell me about everything that has been going on. What if someone stopped him from doing so?

I was flipping the pen when I heard footsteps on the stairs and soon the door opened. Nikolai appeared at the doorway dressed in his uniform and I stood up.

"I am leaving for the precinct." He said and gestured for Leo to come up to him. Leo jumped down the bed and went bounding towards him.

"Okay," I said plainly, grabbing the chair behind me awkwardly.

Being alone in a room was starting to feel thick and musky. I didn't know how to understand my spectrum of emotion while I reckoned the whirlwind of feelings rushing inside him.

He stepped forward and my breath caught, "Kiara," he came even closer, "look what happened earlier, I know none of us meant that." My grip on the chair tightened as he said it, for some bizarre reason his words pained.