Bound By Starlight

CHAPTER 2:

(Karina's POV)

"Ughh, why does the sun have to be so goddamn bright?!"

Omg... Wait what?! The sun????? Oh my lord-

"Finally. I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up."

Who. The. Hell. Is. That.

I kept my back faced firmly against the side that I was currently facing, tensed up, ready to fight my way out of this no matter the outcome, only to be twisted around by a pair of strong arms and have my eyes meet his deep blue eyes, poring over me with a sense of nonchalance. He looked seemingly tired as he gave me a look of disgust that one would reserve for something stuck on their shoe. Rude. I let myself give the room I'm in a once-over, no matter how impolite it may be to be avoiding your host's gaze.

A bunch of books and dust lay around everywhere, the smell of food lingered in the air and it was pretty humid in here as well, which only contributed to the apartment's old vibes. The couch that I was previously dozing on might've been the only thing in sight that was well dusted and clean without any items on it. It certainly didn't seem that someone had been living here or took care of it for a while.

I could feel his intense gaze drilling into me, sending prickling goosebumps racing across my skin, without even a glance in his direction. The weight of his stare was suffocating, a palpable tension that coiled in the air around us.

I turned back towards him, facing the stranger with dark brown hair that looked soft enough to run my hands through- scratch that, the stranger that I knew absolutely nothing about yet for some reason still chose to save me from there.

There.

The fact that I don't even have the slightest clue or knowledge about where it is or anything about it sends chills to my bones even with the bright glare that came in through the window shining deep into my eyes, forcing me to squint and also warming my cold body.

I focused on the guy before me instead of those thoughts, choosing to study him just the way he was looking at me. His eyes were furrowed as if trying to figure me out, his body tensed up just as mine was as if he thought I might've hurt him. Good. My eyes landed on a little scar on his jaw that most likely wasn't ever going to go away.

Hopefully it didn't hurt.

But then again, why did I care?

I met his intense gaze again, both of us challenging the other to see who would back down first. Usually I'm the most competitive out there but then I realised that there was something I had to do before Death caught up to me again with his dark branches, covering up what truly needed to be done once more.

"Why did you bring me here?" I questioned, trying my hardest to keep a cool facade, hoping that my mask that hid me as neither cowardly nor defiant. All I was or needed to be was a simple young lady, trapped in a crazy prison that had people ordered to capture me for absolutely no reason at all.

How on Earth did he manage to get inside the ...thing in there in the first place? Actually stealing in and getting out with a goddamn torture prisoner... Well the chances were close to impossible. Unless they were there in the first place. But why would someone from the inside drag me out and into this, I glanced around, such an obviously personal room?

It was crazy to even think about it-

"You have no right to be asking questions when I'm the one that got you out of there." Rolling my eyes, I replied, "And how do I know that you won't kidnap me or traffick me away somewhere as a gift of gratitude you force me to give to you later on?"

"You don't." I scanned his face for any sign to showcase that he wasn't telling the truth but it seriously seemed like he wasn't fibbing. Wow.

I stared at him with a blank face without emotion as I wondered if he actually meant what he said when I noticed one of my feet was unknowingly tapping the ground.

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes, probably annoyed at something I couldn't get or understand at the moment. What gave him a right to be pissed off at who knows what when he literally just said that I should be worried that he might ship me off for some money. Or for free even. He seemed wild enough to do that for revenge for something I wasn't quite sure I did. "Calm down, if I really wanted to give you away, I would've done it when you were asleep. Which was a few long days by the way."

"Right... That makes me feel so much better."

"Yeah well doesn't it just make my day knowing that you're feeling better."

Another silence that has even his piercing eyes avert anywhere I was looking, forcing me to focus on our quiet breathing and the tick tocks of the clock. I felt the pressure to speak yet I felt that I might as well have fallen over my words if I did.

Goddamn it.

The intensity in his eyes that would usually make me pause, wasn't anywhere to be found. While he was looking away, I tried to search for a crack in his facade and came back with only one, clenched jaw which was a telltale sign that he clearly wanted with every inch of his soul to be anywhere but here.

Then why was he here? How'd he know where I was? What was he trying to get from bringing me here? Who even was he?

But I could already tell that none of those answers were ever going to be in my grasp unless I cooperated.

SIGH.

"Let me ask you again. Why'd you bring me here?"

Silence. Silence so loud it echoed the halls and sent chills down my spine. It was beginning to become a routine at this point.

"Answer it and it'll be the last question I'll ask."

He met my eyes again suspiciously and I'm very embarrassed to say that my heart beat a little faster. "Ugh. Fine, fine. You got me there. I'll ask questions but this is the only one you need to answer."

He gave me a smile that cashiers give you when they're taking your money but it slowly turned into a smirk. "What?" I demanded defiantly.

"Like what you see darling?"

"Not really. Now answer my question."

He took a deep breath. "I need your help on something and I think you're the only one that can help me."

"What's the thing that you need help on?" I was kind of suspicious over the fact- well over everything basically. It was all just so strange.

"None of your business. Only one question, remember?"

I rolled my eyes. This whole thing was pathetic.

I struggled to get out of the bed, needing to stretch my limbs after so long when I realised my hands were tied with itchy rope that scratched my skin red.

I probably didn't notice it due to the amount of pain I've now learnt to become accustomed to in these few weeks. Oh well. Nothing I wasn't used to.

I held them higher for him to see. "Care to explain this?"

"Not really. Get your butt out of the bed though. We're taking a roadtrip to Queensland."

"Well at least that won't take too long. We're only in Sydney right?"

"Wrong. We're in Melbourne. Guess that we have more time in the car together, yay..."