The Terrors In The Night

Chapter Three

All the rooms were towards the back and on the second floor. Mine was on the second floor and had a balcony, which I was happy about. They also all had numbers on them, probably to help people find others in the Mansion and mine was 145.
"Thanks," I told Conner.
"It's my job," he shrugged, turning to leave.
"What does your name mean?" I asked. I thought either he didn't change his name, or there was some reason he chose it.
"Who haven't you asked that question to tonight?" he questioned and I shrugged. There were many people, like that guy I danced with. "It means 'Wise'. Plain and simple," he answered, then left. I put my bag down on the bed and turned to the balcony. I ran to the doors and flung them open, letting in the darkness and night. It was so peaceful, just me and the darkness. There wasn't even a moon tonight. I took in a deep breath and let it out, leaning on the railing. I couldn't believe where the events of today had led me. This morning when I woke up, I was a misfit and a weirdo who liked the darkness and the idea of killing. Now, I was Malise, someone who was part of a group, someone who belonged somewhere, with people who were like me and understood me. I smiled and closed my eyes, taking in another deep breath. There was a knock on my door, so I turned around and went back into my room, not bothering with closing the balcony doors. I opened the door and it was the guy I danced with. I almost stopped breathing again, but was able to remind myself quickly that I should act normal.
"Hi," I said, trying to be natural.
"Hey. Can I come in?" he asked and I moved out of the way so he could get in.
"I didn't catch your name before," I stated.
"Probably because we were having too much fun dancing, then before I could tell you, you walked off and disappeared into the crowd," he replied and I smiled, blushing.
"Yeah, probably," I muttered.
"I'm Oswell," he introduced. "And before you ask, it means "Divinely Powerful," he added and I smiled.
"I get the feeling you didn't choose that name then. Either that or you're really self-absorbed," I remarked and he chuckled.
"You're right, I didn't. Kali, one of the older girls in group, chose it for me. I had no clue what I wanted my new name to be, but I knew I wanted one. So she stepped in and whispered the name to me and its meaning. I was skeptical at first, but it was the only name I had, so I went with it. Everyone liked it though and so did I, eventually," he revealed.
"What is this group called exactly?" I questioned, wanting to know what I had joined.
"It's called The Dark," he answered, crossing his arms and leaning on the wall in front of the door.
"Makes sense," I commented.
"How old are you?" he asked, looking me up and down.
"I'm 16," I stated, putting my hands on my hips. He stood up properly, uncrossed his arms and walked up to me. When he was back there, I could control myself, but now that he was not even a meter from me, I could feel my heart beating faster and my breath coming quicker. He leaned in and looked me right in the eyes, with his mesmerizing blue eyes.
"Good. I'm 17," he whispered, then immediately left the room. He knew what he did to me and was playing with it. That made me want to grab a knife and slit his throat. But another part of me thought of how we danced and what could happen if I made him like me. I quickly made my way back onto the balcony and took some deep calming breaths. I let all my thoughts overpower me and looked at every option. I finally came to the conclusion that I wouldn't let him control me like this. The old me, Maisie, would've let it happen and just imagined killing him later. But the new me, Malise, would not be controlled like that. I got changed and went to bed with the resolve that he would no longer have control of me.

The next morning, I woke up and the sun was shining through the open doors of the balcony. I grumbled and got up, walking over and closing them. I looked around my room and couldn't help but notice how bare my room looked. The walls were white, there was my bed, a wardrobe and a mirror. But that was it and I wanted that to change. I changed into a loose black t shirt, jeans and runners. I tied my hair up in a messy ponytail, grabbed my phone and money as I left the room. I made my way down to the kitchen, hoping to find Caellum, Pietro, Avyanna, Conner, or anyone who could help me find a driver. As I was walking down the stairs, I wasn't concentrating on my surroundings and bumped into someone.
"Watch where you're going, Malise," they said and I stopped. It was him, Oswell. I turned and saw that his blond hair was wet and messy, meaning he'd had a shower. He didn't look like someone who was drawn to darkness, he looked like a model. I then shook my head and ran after him, knowing he would probably know a driver.
"Oswell, wait," I called and he stopped, turning around.
"Yes?" he questioned.
"I need a driver. Do you know any?" I asked.
"I know where Caellum's room is, if that's what you mean," he answered and it confused me.
"I just need a driver. I don't care if it's Caellum or another," I stated. Did he think something was going on between Caellum and me?
"I think he'd prefer he drove you," he shrugged, then continued walking. I stood there for a second, then ran after him. He stopped at door 120 and knocked on it. It was flung open and Caellum was standing there, but not wearing a shirt. He saw me and his eyes went wide, then he slammed the door.
"Okay then," I muttered. The door opened again and Caellum was now wearing a shirt.
"Hey Malise. Oswell," he greeted, nodding to Oswell. I could feel some tension between them, so I got to the point quickly.
"I need a driver," I told Caellum and he smiled at me.
"Sure," he agreed and grabbed his keys off his bedside table.
"Thanks," I said to Oswell.
"My pleasure," he replied and left, making sure his hand touched my back. I made sure not to show any reaction, but inside my heart sped up. I looked back to Caellum, but he was glaring at Oswell.
"Don't get too deep in with him. He's trouble," he warned, telling me what I already knew. We made our way to the Garage and jumped in a blue car. I'm not good with brands, so all I know is it's a blue car. He started the car and slowly drove out of the Garage.
"To the shops. I need to buy something," I instructed and he nodded.
"You'll also have to stay mostly hidden until everything dies down about your disappearance," he told me and I looked at him. "Your parents will probably file a missing person's report and the police will be on the lookout for you. It takes about a month until they let it go, because something else comes up," he explained. I thought it highly unlikely Amy would miss me, more like throw a party in celebration. I looked back to the road and saw the sign for the mall up ahead. He turned into the parking lot and I jumped out, but so did he.
"I thought you stayed with the car?" I questioned.
"You're new. I have to teach you what to do and what to say," he answered. We headed in and I instantly saw a shop selling lots of leather items. I made my way quickly over to it and picked up at black leather jacket. It wasn't in my size, but I knew they probably would. I moved over to the display of them and found my size. Putting it on over my top, it fit like a glove and I loved it.
This one," I muttered to myself.
"Eager, aren't you?" Caellum commented and I smiled at him. There were a few people in the shop and I was the center of attention.
"I thought that mop of fire looked familiar," a voice joked and I turned around to find Avyanna standing behind me.
"Do you work here?" I asked and she nodded.
"But I think, if you want to be in public, you're going to have to get a hat and some sunglasses. Your appearance is too obvious," she stated and I nodded in agreement. She disappeared, probably into a back room and came back with a fedora and classy sunglasses. She handed them to me and I rolled up my hair and put the fedora over it, sliding on the glasses. I then looked in the mirror and knew that nobody would recognize me like this. I smiled and turned back to Caellum and Avyanna.
"This is good," I said and they both nodded.
"Anything else?" Avyanna asked. I looked around and saw a pair of knuckle length gloves.
"Those as well," I added and she nodded.
"You're going to look like a badass in all these," Avyanna told me and I smiled.
"I know," I agreed. I took off the leather jacket and handed it to her, so she could add up all the prices. I knew it was probably going to cost me a lot, so I sighed and made my way over to the register, where Avyanna was waiting.
"That comes to $37.81," she told me and I looked at her in shock.
"There's no way it costs that little," I stated.
"It's a Dark discount," she replied, winking. I smiled and handed over the money required. She handed back the jacket and gloves, while I was still wearing my hat and sunglasses.
"See you later," I told her and she nodded, smiling, then moved on to the next customer. I walked out of the shop and looked around.
"Police alert," Caellum warned me and I turned to look. There were two male police officers, showing people pictures, probably of me. I looked around again, trying to find a place to hide and saw a knife shop.
"You go to the car, in case I need a quick getaway. I just need one more thing," I said and he looked at me.
"You sure?" he questioned.
"Positive," I stated. He sighed, nodded and walked out of the shopping center. I made my way quickly over to the knife shop and looked at the display.
"Anything in particular you're looking for?" an older woman asked.
"I'm looking for . . . something for my dad. It's his birthday and he loves cooking," I lied and she nodded. I saw a knife that looked perfect for what I needed it for. I walked over to it and inspected it. It was a slicer and looked like it could inflict a lot of pain.
"This one is good for meat carving and general use," the woman explained.
"I'll take it," I replied, grabbing it down. We moved over to the register and she added it up. I gave her the 20 dollars needed and was taking the knife, now in packaging, when I saw the police officers nearing the store. I silently swore, thanked the woman and hurried out of the store. I kept my head down, hoping no one had told them I'd bought this stuff.
"Miss, can you stop for a second?" one of the officers asked and I cursed under my breath, as I turned to face them.
"How can I help you?" I questioned, trying to act like I knew nothing.
"We're just looking for a girl. It's said she bought a hat and glasses similar to yours just a few minutes ago. So we just need you to remove your hat and glasses, just so we can check it's not you," the other requested.
"I don't feel comfortable doing that," I argued.
"Miss, we just need you to take off your hat and sunglasses. It shouldn't be an issue, unless you're hiding something," the first one commanded, trying not to sound too enforcing. I started to back away and they followed.
"I don't want to," I told them.
"Just take off the hat and sunglasses," he demanded. The other one lunged at me and I moved out of the way but right into the other one. He quickly grabbed my hat and sunglasses and ripped them off, before I could stumble away. They both stared at me, shocked by my appearance, so I used this to my advantage. I quickly grabbed my stuff from them, turned and ran out of the shopping center. I ran across the car park, where thankfully no cars were moving around and towards Caellum's car. He opened the door quickly and I jumped in, slamming the door as he sped out of the car park. I looked back to see that the police officers were just getting to their car.
"A wig and some contacts would probably be a better purchase," I stated and he laughed.
"I can't believe you got caught," he laughed. I could hear police sirens in the distance.
"Well, when you have my looks, it's easy to be recognized. Plus, they were being really demanding and someone had told them I'd bought the hat and glasses," I argued. We seemed to catch every green light and whenever a speed camera was ahead, Caellum slowed, then quickly sped up once we passed.
"That makes more sense," he sighed, his laughter finally dying. We quickly drove into the Garage and he turned off the car. We both sighed in relief at not being caught, then looked at each and started laughing.
"You should have seen their faces when they saw me. They were shell shocked," I exclaimed.
"And the fact they thought they could catch us," he added and we laughed more. I got out of the car and made my way inside the Mansion. I went to the kitchen and looked in the fridge for something to eat.
"Nikos will be back with better food soon, if you can wait five minutes," a voice told me and I sighed, slamming the fridge close. I turned to face Oswell, who had a smirk on his face.
"Thanks," I replied, crossing my arms.
"You were gone a while," he commented.
"I had a run in with the police. Got away easily though," I stated, then turned to go to my room. The further I was from him, the less he could affect me.
"You going out tonight?" he asked and I turned around to face him.
"No, why?" I questioned.
"Neither am I. Maybe we can," he started.
"Don't care," I interrupted and made my way up the stairs. I heard him following me, so when I got into my room, I locked the door and put my shopping bag in my closet. There was a knock on the door, but I ignored it and got out my phone and some earphones. The door handle rattled and I smiled to myself, putting my earphones in and selecting shuffle. "A - Team" by Ed Sheeran came on and I lay on my bed, closing my eyes. I let the music take over and imaged pictures for the lyrics in my head. They were sad in a way, but beautiful at the same time.