If the Shoe Fits (Prinxiety Cinderella AU - Roman x Virgil)

Chapter 12

4/4/19 at 8:19 am: Oh my god, I'm going to lose it! There's this guy that sits next to me in a class and he always has an apple. Why? Why does he always need to have to eat an apple like an asshole? I'm going to lose it and kill him.

"Well?" Roman asked after the moment of silence that had passed.

"I'll explain on the way. If I'm right, we should hurry."

Roman got in the driver's side with Thomas next to him. He began driving, trusting the other teen to give him directions.

"So, how much do you know about his home life?"

Roman glanced at Thomas then returned his eyes to te road. "He lives with his uncle and cousins."

"Left up here."

"I know they don't treat him very well and he mentioned... briefly what happened to his parents."

Thomas nodded. "Alright. That's more than I thought, to be honest." He put his head in his hands, clearly seething with rage. "Last week, his uncle, Jackson, hit him—hard."

Roman wasn't sure how to react. He knew Anx was going through some stuff but this? "Had it happened before?" he asked, his voice weak and shaky.

"No, I don't... I don't think so, but if he... Turn right here."

Roman did.

"He's not the kind to ask for help, so I just suggest that we expect the worst." He pointed to a house. "That one."

Roman nodded and pulled into the driveway. He didn't get out. "What should I expect in there?"

Thomas stared at the door. "He's probably in the basement; that's where his room is. The twins will try and stop you from getting to him, no doubt. Jackson's... unpredictable; it's hard to tell when he's going to care or not. If you can avoid him, do." Now, he turned to look at Roman. "Don't be surprised when you go into the basement, okay? He won't be himself and he's probably not who you're expecting."

"I don't know who I'm expecting," Roman admitted. "Whoever he is, I don't know how I could be disappointed." He sighed. "Let's go." He got out of the car and walked up the front steps. He knocked on the door loudly, channeling whatever willpower he had.

The door opened and...

"Hayden?"  Roman stared at the person he's spent his first two weeks back home with.

Hayden smiled, his blond hair flopping to the side as he tilted his head.  "Hey, Roman.  What are you doing here?"  He glanced over, meeting Thomas's eyes.  His expression visibly dropped to a glare.  He looked back at Roman again.  "What's going?"  He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, clearly expecting an answer.

Now, Roman was more than just angry—he was furious.  "Thomas," he ordered, his voice low, intimidating, and evil, "basement—now."  He shoved Hayden into the house, allowing Thomas to slip past.  Roman turned him around and pinned him against the wall.

"The basement?  What the hell do you want with that freak?"

He was going kill Hayden if he didn't shut up; he was certainly angry and scared enough.  "Don't-"

"Roman!" Thomas yelled from somewhere in the house.  "The door's locked!"

"Key," he growled.  "Now."

"I have it," a shameful, meek, strangely similar voice uttered.  Roman turned to see Jayden with his head down, staring at a silver key.  "He took it too far."  His eyes darted up, full of fear.  "Hayden, you took it too far!  You shoved him down the stairs!  We don't know if he's okay!"

Thomas appeared behind him, touching his shoulder gently.  "The key, please."

Roman stopped paying attention.  "You.  Did.  What?"

"Roman, not now," Thomas said gently, though his breaths were short and fast.

Roman nodded, loosening his grip on Hayden. "I'll deal with you later." He walked with Thomas toward a door at the end of a hallway, where the other teen unlocked it.

The basement was lit dimly. The walls were unfinished and the floor below the stairs was concrete. Roman could just barely make out a spot of blood, becoming overwhelmed with dread, but Anx was nowhere to be found.

Roman stepped down the creaky steps slowly. "Anx?" he called. He reached the bottom of the stairs. He turned to his right, seeing a bed and a figure on it, his back to the two. "Anx!"