White Rabbit

Chapter 53: Enemy Empathization

ESSENCE

I walk through the hallways late at night, well technically the early morning now, and I knock on Reece's door once I reach it. He opens it after a few moments and smiles at me warmly, opening the door further to let me in.

"Somebody missed me, I see," Reece chuckles as I walk over to his bed and flop down on it.

"Shut up," I snap and purse my lips, pouting slightly, but it turns to a smirk rather quickly because I know that he's right, "maybe I just wanted to visit you."

"Isn't that technically admitted that you missed me?" Reece muses as he walks over to me and sits down next to me.

"Yeah, yeah," I roll my eyes and rest my head on his shoulder, my hands residing in my lap, "whatever. You're lucky you're good looking."

"Ouch," Reece inhales sharply, pressing one of his hands to his heart, "I feel used."

I roll my eyes once again and Reece simply laughs before pulling me onto his lap and I squeak in the process as he wraps his arms around my waist.

"What's bothering you?" Reece asks as he rests his head in the crook of my neck, occasionally splaying kisses on my shoulder where my tank-top isn't covering.

"Cassidy," I sigh.

"Okay, and what about Cassidy?" Reece raises a brow.

"I just don't trust him. Something feels wrong about the entire situation. And the way that he knew Kazuki. Didn't that seem strange to you?" I ask.

"You know that I don't trust people, and I especially don't trust him," Reece says, "but we don't really have a choice to keep him here. He knows who we are, and if he agrees to work with us without screwing us over, then that's just an added bonus. The thing about Kazuki is suspicious though. And I don't trust Kazuki in the first place."

"I know," I bite my bottom lip, "it's just...I don't know..."

"It'll be fine, Essence," Reece reassures me, "and Katsuro and Juniper told me that Jace should be fine. Now all we have to do is see how Aeryn is and figure out what to do next."

"Yeah," I nod, "I hope everything will be okay in the end."

"Yeah," Reece breathes out, his arms squeezing tighter around me, "me too."

I begin to giggle as Reece places kisses up and down the side of my neck and leaves occasional bites. I shift around in his arms until I'm turned around and facing him, my lips curving up into a sly smile as he grins somewhat sheepishly. I press a quick kiss to his lips before he pulls me back in, chasing after my lips as his one hand rests on my back and the other plays with my hair.

"You're so cute," I beam once we pull apart and I place a kiss to his nose as he scrunches it up in mock annoyance.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep if you keep doing that," Reece says.

"Doing what?" I raise a brow.

"Doing me," Reece grins in a feral manner.

"Haha, you wish," I push at his chest before climbing off of him and moving to lie down on the bed.

"You know I do, Sweetheart," Reece smirks.

I blush slightly and hide my face in my arms as Reece moves to lie down next to me and he places his arm around my waist, pulling me into his chest, which rumbles with laughter as he chuckles at my embarrassed state.

"We really should get some sleep though," Reece says and I nod in agreement.

"Goodnight, Reece," I hum as I bury my face in his chest.

"Goodnight, Lovely," Reece says fondly and I smile as I begin to drift off to sleep.

***

Several hours later, I find myself waking up to hearing voices out in the hallway and feet padding along the floorboards. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion and manage to slip out of Reece's hold as he lies there on the bed, still sleeping. I make my way to the door, trying to be as quiet as I possibly can, before pressing my ear up against it. Once I'm sure that nobody is still directly outside, I open the door a crack and peek outside. I glance around before sneaking down the hallway and peeking around the corner to see Cassidy leaning against the wall in an emerald green t-shirt and medium-grey boxer-briefs, along with multiple silver earrings that run up along the sides of his ears, studs at the bottom and small hoops at the top and side.

"There, now you're dressed in clean clothes and you've gotten a shower," Labyrinth says as she stands partially out of my view, her arms crossed, "honestly, you're such a pain."

"Nobody said that you have to help me," Cassidy scoffs, his emerald green eyes flickering around in an agitated state as his blond hair seems unruly.

"No, but I want you to help us, so I figured that the least I could to is listen to some of your ridiculous demands," Labyrinth says impatiently.

"Ridiculous?" Cassidy snorts and crosses his arms against his chest, "right...look, I've got to go. You can't keep me here."

"Yes we can and no you don't," Labyrinth says, "what could possibly be so pressing that you need to leave?"

"I have to take care of some...things," Cassidy shifts around uncomfortably.

"There's no way I'm letting you go just so you can go take care of more assassin work. Your precious job duties can wait," Labyrinth snaps.

"No," Cassidy says firmly and shakes his head, "you don't get it. I need to leave."

"Or what?" Labyrinth tests.

As I'm anxiously waiting for Cassidy's reply, a hand touches my shoulder and I jolt in surprise, making me glance over my shoulder, but I sigh in relief whenever it's just Reece.

"What're you doing?" Reece whispers, his eyes flickering from me to Cassidy and Labyrinth.

"Spying, shhh," I press a finger to my lips and go back to watching Cassidy and Labyrinth while Reece joins me.

"You want to know why I need to leave so badly?" Cassidy narrows his eyes at Labyrinth and takes a few steps forwards, "fine. I need to leave because I have to take care of my five year old sister because there's nobody else left to. Our parents died right after she was born in a car accident and we moved in with my older brother, who had just moved out and got his own apartment and who took care of me and my two little sisters until he was murdered, which drove my thirteen year old sister to hang herself. And the only reason that I keep my shitty job in the first place is to protect her and take care of her and to provide for her. So, there. Are you happy now? That's why I need to leave."

Labyrinth blinks, seemingly taken aback as she stares at Cassidy with wide eyes and my breath hitches while Reece stares at the scene with raised eyebrows and slightly parted lips.

"I, um," Labyrinth clears his throat and it's the first time that I've seen her at a loss for words, "alright."

"Alright?" Cassidy raises his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Labyrinth nods, "I'll take you there. We can pick her up and bring her back here."

Cassidy's stoic exterior falters slightly as his emerald eyes show clear signs of relief and gratitude towards the blond standing in front of him.

"Thank you," Cassidy mutters as Labyrinth walks away, her blue eyes glancing back at him over her shoulder as she nods on her way out.

Reece and I glance at each other with equally stunned expressions before heading back to his room, leaving Cassidy there in the hallway by himself.

"That was..." I trail off.

"Interesting..." Reece finishes, his eyes flickering to meet mine as we stand in his room.

"Yeah," I breathe out before glancing up at the ceiling.

And suddenly I seemed to trust Cassidy a little bit more than I first had, whether it be from empathy or some other sense of understanding his pain on a certain degree.