Stay

Spite

Thana wandered through the halls of the Tatherly Mansion after training by herself for a while. With 10 years of practice, her endurance was unmatched among the others. Though she lacked in strength, her agility more than compensated for it; it's what helped her establish dominance amongst her peers.

"Hey, wait for me!" cried out an all too familiar voice. She didn't dare turn back, thinking that if she didn't see him, he wouldn't see her. "Why the cold shoulder?" the boy joked after playfully punching her arm.

"Number 9-," Thana snarled.

"Felix," he revealed. She creased her brows, her eyes assessing Number 9, utterly bewildered. "And now you're staring," the boy pointed out with a smirk. A grimace replaced her once curious face and she pried her eyes from his smug grin, walking briskly onward to her haven.

He continued to follow her like a lost puppy, which was understandable as she once needed time to learn the layout as well. They continued to walk in silence, the plush carpet muffling their footsteps. To her surprise, the boy actually was capable of not speaking for 5 minutes, which she was eternally grateful for.

Thana halted in front of her door to see Nine patiently waiting for her to enter her room as if expecting to follow her inside. She tried to ignore his presence, but failed miserably when he didn't even make an effort of opening his own door.

"Nine, why are you persistent in trying to make my life in this manor absolutely miserable? Is it some sort of life mission to get yourself killed?" she spat, her topaz eyes ablaze like torches. Felix's pale blue orbs twinkled with mischief.

"Well, at least you've come up with a shorter name for me."

Thana narrowed her eyes at him once more before anchoring her focus on the door and pushing it open.

"Why are you still following me," she growled after hearing lazy footsteps shuffle behind her.

I should just end him here and now.

"Well, I'm curious," he shrugged. Her attention immediately on his astute eyes. She scoffed before pinching the bridge of her nose and clamping her eyes shut. Curious

May the gods above save this pompous, bastardly creature.

"Curious," the girl spat, not attempting to hide the malice in that one word, "curious about what exactly." Felix's smile was immediately wiped from his face and was replaced with sympathetic eyes. There was a short pause as he debated bringing the subject up at all, but nodded to himself. He needed to know...

"Who is Ava?"

Her eyes widened at the name that slipped from his tongue. Erin, her best friend, was the only one who knew that name, and it was only because Thana regrettably gave her thoughts free rein. "What do you know about her," she rasped, her voice trembling ever so slightly. Felix couldn't tell either from anger or sadness, nor did he want to find out. He studied her, gauged her reactions.

Her attention was focused on the tiled floor, but she felt Felix's burn holes through her. Her fingers twitched, yearning to feel the satisfaction of a blade to his throat for uttering such a precious name. She balled up her fists, willing herself not to do anything she'd regret and finally decided to meet his gaze, his eyes unfairly kind. She hated that he was able to put a crack in her impenetrable walls.

He inched closer and closer until he stood a breath away, neither able to break the other's intense stare. She was held hostage by those captivating eyes, but nobody has held her down before. Why was he so different?

Damn this boy who reminds me of her.

Everything about him screamed Ava. The mischievous glint in his eyes matched hers. The alice eyes that he reflected was Ava's. The brown, curly locks looked as if they could have been stolen from her. His perfectly tanned skin resembling her shade, but was just a tad darker.