The Nightscape

A Reluctant Alliance

Lyra sighed with relief as she keyed in the door code to get into her block of flats, relieved to be home. Anya had dropped her off, with a vague promise to ring her later, but she was just happy to be somewhere safe, where she could finally relax. Usually, she would check for any mail, but she was too tired and overwhelmed to care. The door to her flat was unlocked, which was a little unusual, and when she walked in she realised why. 

Hayden was sat on her sofa, relaxed as could be, sipping a beer and watching her reaction with a smirk. As soon as she saw him, she jumped in surprise, dropping her bag and swearing under her breath before glaring at him. 

"What  are you doing here? Get out!" She hissed. She couldn't hear her father moving about in the apartment, so they appeared to be alone. When he leaned forward with a wolfish grin, the laid back boss persona slipping away like ice on a hot pan, she knew he wasn't here. 

"Is that any way to treat a guest in your home?" He asked, gesturing for her to sit down opposite. She didn't, instead going to the kitchen and making herself a drink, using it as cover to pull out a knife and discreetly tuck it into her belt, just in case. 

"You are not a guest. You haven't been invited." She snapped back. His smirk only grew. 

"Your father invited me, Lyra." Cold sweat trickled down her spine as she clutched the counter edge so tight her knuckles turned a bloodless white.

"Where is he? What have you done?" Her voice was hoarse and she ceased even trying to keep the fear from her gaze. For a long moment, Hayden only smiled sinisterly, before laughing and leaning back in his chair. 

"Oh, don't look like that, Lyra. I haven't done anything to him, he simply popped out to get some takeout for us. We're becoming quite good friends, you know." There was something a little taunting about his words, though he seemed sincere enough. But she wanted him out of her home and away from her father as quickly as possible. She narrowed her eyes at him, remembering what her and Anya had discussed earlier, trying to get herself into the same mindset as she had been when hypnotising their attackers.

"Please leave this building." She told him politely, maintaining eye contact and carefully enunciating every word, feeling her power flow through the syllables. For the first time, now that she was looking for it, she noticed a slight purple sheen pass over his irises, just for a heartbeat. Slowly, stiffly, he stood up, and she grinned at her victory, until he walked over to the counter and leant against it with a smirk. "What?" She cried out, not sure how he had managed to resist her suggestion. From what she understood, it should have been impossible. 

"Oh, Lyra, sweetie, you're barely more than a child, love, and you certainly haven't been trained to your full potential. I'm an adult, I've spent my life resisting other people's powers, and moreover, I have had a lot more practise and training with my own power. Observe; Lyra, put that knife away." In his last sentence, his voice suddenly turned hard, any playfulness gone. Anya had described her hypnotism as suggestions that got into your head, that made you believe like it was your idea, but this was a different beast. 

It was as though his words overrode any free will she had, pushing her consciousness so far into the back of her own mind that she was a mere observer in her own skin. Her movements were jerky and unnatural as she tugged the draw open and dropped the knife in, slamming it closed. Finally, the strange sensation dropped, and Lyra stumbled forward into the counter, laying her palms on the fake marble surface as she gasped for air, steadying herself. Hayden took another drink of his beer and smiled at her. 

"What did you do?" She snarled, putting on a brave face even though she was terrified. She both wanted her father to return and didn't, wanting the familial comfort but not wanting him in danger again.