The Project

He Is One Of Us

-Arista's POV-

I have always struggled not to stammer when other human beings (especially guys) are in close proximity. People being close to my face has made me uncomfortable for as far back as I can remember because of an exorbitant amount of reasons. Damn, you never know if your breath stinks, if you have something in your teeth, on your face, or on the other end of the spectrum, what if their breath stinks? Will your eyes start to water and will it embaress them? Or will they smell great and not you? The list of reasons why this is uncomfortable goes on and on. Cade is no exception to these horrifying thoughts that race through my mind. I can smell his cinnamon tinged breath as it fans my face, warming my cheeks, and I wonder how my breath smells.

I haven't had access to gum in forever...

His eyes are still dancing with barely concealed laughter, and something else...I think I see a glimmer of a different emotion before he impatiently asks me

"Well my dear? Are you coming or not?"

As most people, I fail to think logically when angry. And I am furious at him for trapping me here against this wall, denying me the knowledge I wanted a few minutes ago. So I blurt out the first words that come to mind.

"There is no way in hell I'm going to go with you, Cade Silvers."

"Just for fun dearie, may I ask why?"

My blood is boiling, and I no longer have any control over the words flowing off my tongue.

"Well for one thing, I'm not just some doll that you can manipulate and tease at whim. Second, you're a freak and you have no sense of boundaries. You're forcing me to be close to you because even though you're attractive you give off an erie vibe which has probably scared off countless girls. And thirdly, though my memory of how I got here is fragmented I do recall you were involved in my kidnapping making you a threat to myself and to anyone else.."

My words fly from my tongue like daggers and stop abruptly when I see the look in his eyes. His face is dangerous and changing to a mask of complete sadism.

"I'm a freak, am I?"

His voice sounds so unlike what I've heard before, so devoid of emotion yet so strident with it. I am robbed of air though, when I look at his eyes, which have become almost black. I know for a fact his eyes are silver, yet they look as though the pupils have swelled and engulfed the very color and life that had previously been dwelling there, evicting Cade's very soul is a darkness that seeks to consume us both.

"Cade, I.."

My voice is shaking. I am not easily frightened, but I feel terror looking into his face and not really seeing him. He purrs his response.

"What do you know about me exactly, Miss Neal? Last time I checked you knew next to nothing. If you say another word to me along the lines of what you previously stated, I will have no problem slitting your pretty throat and carving out your tongue as a souvenir. Understood? Excellent. Now come with me or I will be forced to use violence."

At this he let go of me so abruptly I fell to my knees painfully. I looked up at his back which was moving away from me at a brisk pace so I stood and followed. Any resolve I had before his speech was shriveled up and dead. I had no doubt that the new Cade I witnessed wouldn't hesitate to kill me if I refused him. I trailed after him through the hallways, realizing we were going back to my room. We walked in silence and I had no inclination to disturb said silence.

Anger directed at myself has always inspired one of two things in me. It can make me feel the heady, intoxicating wine of careless anger and words complete with a devil-take-the-hindmost attitude, or I will feel  guilt and mortification for being such an obviously inept human being that all I can do is remain mute. Cade inspires both in me, I feel such rousing fury when he is condescending yet a moment ago in that room, such fear and guilt. I said things I should never have said for even while I believed in them, they were uncalled for. But my pride will not let me admit this, and so I will be silent.

We finally reach my room and he halts.

Why is he stopping?

His voice startles me, it sounds so hollow and broken.

"Open the door, 2520."

I don't even say anything about his use of my number, I press my hand to the door and it slides away, opening to show my room in the same placid state I left it in. Cade enters and sits on my chair, saying,

"Now I will try to answer your questions to the best of my knowlege. Your results I deleted, because they are a danger to yourself, to me, and to one other."

My curiosity demands that I ask,

"Who is the other?"

Cade's eyes spark with an unreadable look before saying simply

"His name, is Nicolai Montoya. He is one of us."