Every night, when I closed my eyes, his image would be branded to the backs of my eyelids. That same smile, so gorgeous yet so deadly. Those deep blue eyes, like the treacherous oceans you find, the ones which sometimes have those desolate lighthous...
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(A/N: make sure to listen to the song! It's also on spotify and all other platforms if you like it.)
***
Lorelei walked through the hallway, her eyes fixed on the door at the end.
Sharp, shooting pain shot through her sprained ankle which still hadn't healed from a week ago, when Lazarus had shoved her so hard she'd fallen backwards, her ankle twisting in the process. She was being disobedient, apparently — although she knew that that day he'd been in a bad mood and wanted to show it on her. He was pleased with the outcome; Lorelei hadn't been able to keep the pain from showing on her face.
She wondered what her friends would think, looking at her bruises and cuts, and how much thinner she was — her cheekbones were hollowed out and dark circles decorated her under eyes like purple-grey abysses. After she had regained her 'health' (proceeding the second starvation from the pit), Lazarus started being careless again, only giving her inadequate meals when he remembered to. And even if he remembered, sometimes he'd just decide not to.
"Have fun while it lasts, darling."
Lorelei halted in front of the door, turning around to look at Lazarus. Behind his eyes, she saw, brewed a bitter concoction of cunning wickedness, and she could almost see him making torture schedules. Although the cold cruelty in those azure irises along with his deadly smile sent chills through Lorelei's body, she maintained a steady gaze. His blue eyes stared through her soul while her own stared through his lack of one.
Lorelei turned back and opened the door, taking one step inside. She barely had time to register what was in front of her when the door locked behind her.
***
Xander, Corina, Simon and Grace's heads shot up at the sound of the door opening. All of them except Grace had bruises on their wrists and ankles, Xander and Simon both having additionally procured matching bright bruises on their cheeks. They all sat on an orange sofa in the medium-sized, surprisingly (or rather, suspiciously) cosy living room.
Their eyes were fixed on the door as it opened, their hearts beating rapidly.
And then she walked in. Or, maybe limped would be a more fitting word. They couldn't believe their eyes.
They stood up as the door locked behind her. She stood stock still, her dark eyes wide from shock. She surveyed the living room for a few moments, before her eyes finally landed on her four best friends, whom she hadn't seen in a month.
"L-Lorelei?" Xander whispered. A look of confusion flitted across her eyes — she'd never told them her real name — but it disappeared quickly. She liked that he knew her real name.
"Xander..." Lorelei said, her hoarse voice cracking. The four of them observed the state of her with broken hearts. She was thin, her eyes almost empty. She had bruises across her arms, face and legs and several cuts, along with scars and scabs, decorated her body like tattoos. Her clothes, they noticed, were the only things that looked fairly new; she wore a red, floaty dress that came down to her purple-blue knees, hugging her now frail body.
