Consequences

Chapter 33: Bruised

"What's the easiest way to make you cry, princess?" A sinister smile played at his lips.

Time to be tough I guess. "I don't cry when coerced."

"Oh?" The vermin in front of me lifted his brows at my statement "I think you underestimate me." If I weren't feeling stubborn I would believe you.

"You can try. Brothers don't generally sugar coat things. Just remember who I grew up with. "

"That's about all I can do. With one of them dead and the other M.I.A."

"You're not going to get me to cry by making me remember my dead family members. You know that, right?"

He shrugged "I thought it would be a good tactic." It's like this is a normal conversation for him.

ㄴㄱㄴㄱㄴㄱㄴㄱㄴㄱㄴㄱㄴㄱㄴㄱㄴㄱㄴㄱ

It felt like it had been hours of vermin trying his best to tear me apart. He went through every detail he knew about me. From my parents, to my brothers, to reminding me of how good life was before all of this. Most of what he said was general information, nothing too personal. While some of the things he said left a sting, It was obvious he didn't do much research before coming here.

He's just trying too hard.
"Your plan doesn't seem to be working." I said matter-of-factly, "You sound well rehearsed though, how often do you have these conversations with people?" See? Alice took her confidence pills this morning. Why am I thinking in third-person?

"You don't get to ask any more questions." He took a couple steps toward me. I mimicked him except I walked backward. This pattern continued until I was backed against the wall. Dang it. I fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. 

He stopped a foot away from me. A smirk glowed on his face in the dim light. "What makes you tick, princess?"

I turned my head to the side, partly because his stare is making me uncomfortable, and also because his breath smelled oddly of licorice.
This guy is a lunatic!

He took hold of my chin and turned my head to face him. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" He appeared to search my eyes for the answer making my insides crawl. He slammed his hand on the wall next to my head. My body betrayed me and I flinched more violently than I should have. He laughed at my reaction, apparently feeling satisfied.

This is my moment. I latched onto his arm that supported his weight against the wall and lifted my legs so all my weight was hanging from his arm. His hand slipped off the wall and he stumbled forward. Sure, I landed pretty hard on my butt, but he landed pretty hard face first into the wall. "AH!!" He yelled. I got up and backed away from him. "You brat!" He held his face with one hand as he stomped toward me.

There's no sense in running. I can't unlock the door without a key. All I can do is-... Call for help!
"LU-" I started to yell for Lucas but was cut off by a solid slap across the face.

"You just made a big mistake." His eyes seemed to glow with fury and his hand was lined in blood from holding his newly injured head. He gained his composure and walked to the door. "Get some rest." He smirked once more before unlocking the door and exitting. "I'll see you tomorrow, princess."

Is this how all of these things are going to go? I have better chances than I thought. I gave myself a nod of approval and laughed at the memory of him slamming into the wall. "Who uses brat as an insult anymore?"

~ ~ ~ The next day ~ ~ ~

I hardly slept all night. It seemed a new nightmare based on my reality infiltrated my subconscious everytime I closed my eyes. It didn't help that the cot was uncomfortable and the room was cold. I cried many tears and after a while I convinced myself it wasn't the vermin that made them fall.