𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎 𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐂𝐄; rigel wilde

x. 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐬

Violent and cruel.

That's how he was described.

He manipulated when he wanted to bewitch, and was terrible on the flipside.

Rigel would show me the blood on his hands, the scratches on his face, the hardness in his eyes when he was hurting someone. He snarled me to stay away, while his perverse, dangerous smile seemed to dare me to do the opposite.

He was not a prince. He was a demon. Maybe all demons looked a little enchanting, sensitive and prince-like, or else no one would fall for it.

I had to accept this. There was no hope, not for him.

I should just give up, take my mind off it.

I knew that, so why did I insisted on trying?

"We're ready," Norman called out. The day of departure had come too soon, and as I placed their luggage at the bottom of the stairs, I felt my heart squeezing itself.

I met Anna's gaze and realised that it was because I wouldn't see her again until the other day.

I knew I was overly attached, but seeing them leaving gave me a strange sense of abandonment that made me feel like a little girl again.

"Will you be all right?" Anna worried. The idea of leaving us concerned her, especially in this delicate stage of the adoption process. I knew she didn't think it was a good time to leave, but I had reassured her that we'd see each other again in the morning and that we'd still be here when she got back.

"We'll call you when we land." She rearranged her scarf and I nodded, trying to smile. Rigel was standing just a short distance behind me.

"Remember to feed Klaus," Norman reminded us and, despite everything, I lit up. I looked uneasily down at the cat, who glared at me before showing us his butt and strutting away.

Anna squeezed Rigel's shoulder and looked at me. She smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"See you tomorrow, honey," she said tenderly.

I stood there close to the stairs as they headed towards the door, and waved goodbye as they left.

The sound of the door locking echoed through the silent house.

Soon, I heard footsteps behind me. I only just had time to notice Rigel slipping upstairs. He had left without even deigning to spare me a glance.

I stared at where he had been for a moment, before turning around. I looked at the front door and let out a small sigh.

They'd be back soon.

I waited in the hall, as if they could reappear at any moment. I found myself sitting cross-legged on the floor, with no idea how I'd got there. I tapped my fingers along a groove in the wooden floor, and wondered where Klaus had got to.

As I got upstairs, I wondered when Anna and Norman would get to the airport. I was lost in my thoughts when something caught my attention. I turned around and looked down the hallway.

Rigel was standing still with his back turned to me and his head bowed slightly forward. I stopped when I saw how tensely he was leaning against the wall.

What was he doing?

My lips parted, uncertain of our closeness.

"Rigel?"

I thought I could see the tendons in his wrist ever so slightly bulge, but he did not move.

I peered around, trying to see his face. The old floorboards creaked under my feet as I slowly tiptoed towards him. When I was close enough, I thought I could see him squeezing his eyes shut tight.

"Rigel," I called again, cautiously. "What's happening? Tell me how to help."

"Everything is fine," he snarled back, without turning around. I almost flinched when I heard him spitting through his teeth like that.

I stopped, but not so much because of his hostile tone. No, I stopped because his lie was so disarming that it stopped me in my tracks.

I stretched a hand out towards him. "Rigel, let me-"

As soon as my fingers brushed against his arm, he flinched away. Rigel suddenly turned, retreating away from me, his eyes fixed on mine.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he hissed threateningly. "Are you so needy that only your boyfriend cannot satisfy you? You need me too, huh?" his eyes wondered through my body. "Get the hell out of here."

I stepped back and watched him with anguished eyes. I felt more wounded inside than I cared to admit, but I knew what he was doing, because it was what he had always done.