It was utterly quiet in the small study located within the darkest corner of the small underground headquarters of the most sinister beings in the world. A girl sat in the center of the room, her beautiful blue eyes unfocused as she painted a beautiful picture. She moved stiffly, almost robotically as she painted. There was no passion in her movements at all, despite painting being a passionate art. She looked as if every emotion had been drawn from her.
Just a few feet away, at the farthest corner of the room, to men stood. Both had dark hair, but one had dark red bangs and had a more youthful appearance than the man beside him. The more youthful one refused to look at the girl, a wild emotion in his eyes.
"Domeinico, you act as if the plant would bite you. She is not a Venus fly trap, you made sure of that." The man stated, laughing coldly as he patted Domeinico on the shoulder. Domeinico flinched forward slightly, before stiffening again and regaining his composure.
"Perhaps..." Domeinico stated slowly and closed his eyes before adding: "But the plant is very deceptive."
Domeinico's companion barked a sharp laugh and shook his head.
"Not this one. She has no fight left in her, you made sure of that one, Domeinico."
The responding flinch on the younger mans part made his regret known, further displeasing his companion. The man was already angry at Domeinico for showing his regret in breaking the girl.
"You should not regret breaking her spirit. You helped with the plan." He told him sternly. "You proved yourself while she could not."
"Yes... you're right..." Domenico nodded as a crack echoed throughout the room, bringing their attention to my hiding spot. They saw the large hunk of wood now lying on the ground, the telltale signs of fingers having been gouged into it obvious within the chunk.
"Domeinico...?" The man began warily as Domeinico shifted slightly, now looking at the still girl. For a moment, realization shined in his eyes, only to disappear as he shoved the man aside and into the wall, clearing the way for me. I ran past him, brushing his side and whispering a soft thank you.
As I ran, I heard the other man shouting and scolding Domeinico, only to silence himself when Domeinico told him that the girl had disappeared and he did it to protect him. After that, his voice faded into nothing as I tore out of the castle and found myself underneath the beautiful starry sky.
AN: Another School year, another fresh batch of Fan Fiction. I'm excited to edit and come back to both of these. I had so many plans for Starless and they all fell through. This time though, I'm making it good.
Notable changes:
-More conflict between Collin and Mai; Collin doesn't run off.
-A little more backstory on Mai; occasional flashbacks
-More Paul backstory. What's been going on in his love life? What caused him to calm down.
-More time for Paul and Mai's relationship to build
-More Domeinico. His appearance and feelings for Mai felt too abrupt in Totality.
-Mai's feelings and hesitation toward moving on to Paul.