beautiful thieves | ✓

four

"I think you gave her too high of a dose, Maeve."

"Don't be stupid, she'll be waking up any minute."

"She looks pretty dead to me."

"You guys are ridiculous."

"She can't be dead, dick, you can see she's breathing."

"Maybe if you poked her, she'd wake up."

"Don't touch her, pervert."

"You're the pervert."

"Lads, leave her alone. She'll wake up and freak out."

"I think she's already pretty freaked out by how Blake manhandled her."

"I didn't manhandle her."

"You better hope you gave her no bruises."

"Oh, she's fine."

"And hot."

"And you called me the pervert?"

All the voices seem distant and jumbled at first and melt into one another like ice cream. I can't distinguish if they're familiar or if I've never heard them before. All I can focus on is keeping my breathing at a steady rhythm to keep my erratic heart at bay.

"Guys," a familiar voice says. Colby. "I think she's waking up."

I decide to open my eyes to see where I've ended up. It's very bright in the room and I force my eyes closed again as they become a victim to the light's assault. It's a few moments later when they flutter back open and I slowly sit up, surveying the people around me.

Colby, Maeve, the tattooed guy who is laying on a couch with a lit cigarette between his fingers, the blond boy with the mysterious accent, the dark-skinned guy with the intimidating height and muscles accentuated by the fact his arms are folded across his broad chest, the grey-eyed guy with the charcoal hair, a blonde, Asian girl with dark makeup and a young woman who could best be described as a stunning, elegant creature with shiny, brunette hair and a black dress, a slit exposing her entire right leg.

All different people. All beautiful in their own ways. I must be trapped in some enchanted nightmare.

"How are you feeling?" Maeve asks me. Although her voice is soft and familiar, I can't help but narrow my eyes at her. She spent the entire day with me and my trust for her grew by the hour. All of it is gone now.

The boy with the tattoos takes a drag of his cigarette. "Hope I didn't hurt you earlier. We couldn't risk you getting away."

I scoff. "Getting away from my kidnappers?"

"We didn't kidnap you," the elegant woman says. She really is a beautiful specimen- even her voice is beautiful, reminding me of those sirens that lure pirates to their death. "You are free to go at any time."

My eyebrows shoot up. "I can leave?"

She nods her head, running a hand decorated with silver and gold rings through the thick locks of her hair. "You may leave... but I don't believe you should do so without hearing what we have to offer you first."

I hesitate. I should get home. I should get back to my family and get some sleep as if nothing ever happened and this really was all part of a dream. However, I don't know where I am. I could be miles away from home and I don't know my way around the area.