Pacifier

\\Isabelle//

"i need you to do something for me today Izzy. .." Van was sitting behind his desk, leaning back in his chair, eyes serious and fixed on me. He'd asked for me to be sent into his office and it was strange, standing there in front of him, one leg crossed behind the other, hands behind my back.

I felt self concious. I felt like i was in trouble but I wasnt.

"At school?"

"I need you to denounce Larrys sister..." he said watching me, almost expectantly, as if he knew he was going to make me frown. As if he knew his words were going to confuse me to no end.

"What like..." I chewed my cheek, "tell people shes not a bottleman?" i asked head cocked to one side, struggling to understand why he'd want me to do that. I knew i didn't want to do that.

"More than that Izzy i need you to tell people that she's dead to you..."

"What?" i gasped, "why would i..."

"Because shes a traitor, thats what youve got to tell people, tell anyone who asks you about her and tell em loud alright. Della Lau is nothing to the bottlemen, shes been selling lies about us... Tell them that if Billy Reid wants to kill her we're not gonna stop him, he'll be doing us a favour... "

As he spoke his eyes glazed over and by the end of his sentence i no longer recognised him. He was dark eyed and hardly human. Like some kind of stone version of himself with no feeling left in him at all.

I blinked back tears in my eyes, shaking my head slowly.

"But shes not... Della would..." i started and Van shook his head, raised his hand to shut me up.

"It has to be done Izzy, do you understand?" he asked but I couldn't nod my head or tell him what he wanted to hear because i didn't understand. I didnt understand at all.

"No..." i said not expecting him to get annoyed the way that he did. Not expecting him to clench his fists and his jaw and growl at me from the other side of the table.

"Isabelle if you don't do this..." he started only stopping when the door opened and my brother cut him off.

Van was cold and glaring at me and just when I'd felt a little relief, just when I thought Johnny was going to sweep in and rescue me, he placed both hands on my shoulders and sided with Van. Perhaps he was a little more gentle when he spoke but his words meant just the same.

"Come on Iz," he said, "Ill walk you... We'll talk about it on the way,"

"No..." said Van his chair scraping across the floor when he stood abruptly and sent me flinching a little frightened into Johnnys side.

"Van come on lad youre scaring her..." he said only really embarassing me. Only really riling Van more.

But he was right, something had scared me. Not Van himself but how quickly he could change. How only the morning before last he'd been hovering above me all teasing smirk, pulling me into his lap, gentle and teasing and relaxed and now, now he was a shadow, with shadowy eyes and a shady kind of mood hanging around him. He wasn't threatening me he was threatening everyone. His presence in the room was all the threat you needed. He wasn't trying, it just came naturally. That was what scared me.

"Shes got nothing to be afraid of," said Van.
But I was. I was out of my depth again.
I was reminded of everything Meghan had said, again.

"Really mate sit back down," my brother cut him off, surprised him when he raised his voice thought he didn't surprise me because Johnny would always stand up for me and he wouldn't let anyone else interfere unless he absolutely had to. "Van I'll take her."