What Meets The Eye

5

TW CHAPTER

I was sitting in a chair, looking away in shame as Pike and Keyleth worked on my arms. Pike healed them for the most part and Keyleth wrapped them, careful to not hurt me or re-open them. Scanlan and Grog were over in a corner whispering to each other, glancing to me occasionally. I winced as Pike rested her hand on one of the deeper cuts, and she pulled back. "Sorry! Vax, you should've..." she stopped and sighed. "Vax you should have told someone. It's fine now because your getting medical attention, but what if Vex hadn't asked to see your arms? How far would you have gone? What if..." Pike trailed off, tears in her eyes. But everyone knew what she was going to say. I knew what she was going to say. I wanted to reassure her I would never go so far as to end my own life completely, but the problem was, I couldn't. I couldn't make that promise because deep down I knew that that wasn't a promise I could keep. Everyone was staring at her, and then I felt slender arms wrap around me. Time slowed and the world seemed to flicker around me. I was suddenly back in the room in the castle, Sylas holding me to close to his own body for me to be comfortable. His enchantment on my mind refused to let me move. As I desperately fought to escape his spell and get away, my mind was overwhelmed and changed by my anxiety. My thoughts rapidly changed from 'I need to get away' to 'He's going to rape me, and there's nothing I can do about it' in three seconds flat. He muttered something I didn't hear before leaning forward next to my face. "But you look delicious," panic flashed in my stomach, but before I could struggle, sharp teeth like daggers sank into my neck. I yelled out in pain, throwing myself forward onto the floor. I looked up holding my neck. As he approached me, I forced myself up and leaped out the window, into the water below.

I snapped out of my trance, into the real, current world. The arms around me had tightened, and my eyes flashed before I pulled my arm from Pike, grabbing my dagger and slashing at the right arm. All that was circling through my head was 'Sylas, vampire, protect, kill'  the arms pulled back as soon as I lunged with my dagger, so I only grazed their wrist. I stood up swiftly turning behind me and pressed my dagger firmly to the attacker's throat. I heard yells and screams behind me, and I finally focused on the person pinned beneath me. As I met their eyes and took in their features, my blood ran cold. Horror overwhelmed all other emotions.

The person I had attacked stared up at me with wide, green, terrified eyes. Ginger hair fell over her shoulders. "Keyleth?"