3. Travis Phoebe (ManxMan)

•Travis 31.

Thora came to feed me again. They smiled a little bit once I had eaten everything. This was a really good lasagna.

"I like to cook, I don't really get to cook for anyone else, I hope you liked it."

"I did." Thora shyly looked down, smiling and rubbing their hands which I noticed were really scared up. "How old are you?"

Thora sat down suddenly, folding their legs beneath them comfortably. I looked down at them and they looked up to speak to me.

"18, it was my birthday yesterday."

"Oh, well, happy belated." They smiled brightly for the first time, flashing me their bright white teeth, the two front ones were bigger and it made them adorable. "So, what happened?" I asked nodding to their hands, they shied away then, pocketing their hands with a blush. "If you don't mind."

Thora pursed their lips then before taking their hands out to show me. From my experience with wounds, it looked like cuts but others looked like cigarette buds.

"My- uh- my foster parents they didn't like when I didn't shift."

"What?" I gapped at Thora who gave me a soft sad smile.

"It's okay. Seren stopped them before they could do any real damage."

"So that's why your here?" Thora looked up at me with wide innocent eyes. "You owe her your life?"

"She took me out of a bad home, clothed me, I'll be starting school soon too... I owe her more than my life."

"And you're paying it back with the lives of others."

"That's not what this is." Thora stood from their sitting position. While I could be glad Seren saved them from what looks to be an abusive home, I couldn't disregard how Thora was being too complacent in the bad Seren was doing just for that.

"How could you do this?" Thora paused looking down at their hands and quickly tightened them around one another.

"They won't hurt you."

"How could you believe that?"

"She promised... she doesn't plan to have you in danger."

"Thora, do you see the state I'm in? I'm chained, locked in a room dampening my magic, sold to a complete stranger. How can you help her?"

"He's really nice. They all are, they're just... Misunderstood, lonely."

Thora looked at me then, frowning, their eyes pleading with me to believe them, to see their view and I shook my head.

"You took me from my m-"

"Thora." We both looked over behind me, Seren glared at me, then at Thora, Seren's gaze softened a bit and she sighed. "What did I say about talking to them?"

"I'm sorry, Mistress."

Thora collected the plates and glass, looking at me one last time. I couldn't ignore the soft tone Seren took with Thora, the pointed almost warmth I glimpsed in her eyes.

You'll be okay. I heard them speak into my head then before turning to Seren who watched Thora leave before looking back at me, folding her arms over her chest.

"Are you trying to do that pathetic thing, where you gain the sympathy of your captor in order to bring your escape?"

"You can't have expected me to do nothing."

"You should have." She shrugged a shoulder and walked over to me then and sighed. "Tonight we shall say goodbye at last, Dear boy."

I blinked searching her eyes then.