Gerald pulled slightly at his ropes. Usually ropes would not be a problem, but it seemed that Nick and Alan had some new tricks up their sleeves.
"Damn it." He growled through gritted teeth. The rope was pulsing with a red aura that was preventing his escape. He looked up as he heard footsteps descending the stairway, hoping silently that it Alan with no luck. Nick smirked crossing the empty living room with Gerald tied to the chair in the middle, Gerald avoided his eyes. Those black empty colorless eyes that looked right at him, through him without pity. Nick entered the open kitchen and sat down at the small two chair table. Then the uneven steps of Alan echoed from the stairway, Gerald looked up this time and caught his eye with a pleading look. Alan closed his eyes trying to avoid the thought of what Nick had done to the man. Gerald's blond hair was all over the place with pieces of what looked like missing clumps, one of his eyes was bruised around the edge and there were small cuts here and there on his cheeks and shoulders. There were other marks too, but these were not physical. He was obviously very worn out and looked as though he was going to pass out.
Alan passed Nick in the kitchen pulling a pan from the clean dishes on the counter and moving out of sight to the stove. Soon you could hear the sizzling of food and the smell of what was bacon filled the house. Eggs followed with it, toast and then you could hear Alan's voice flow through the kitchen and into the echoing living room.
"Hey, Nick could you go to the store and get some milk?" Nick looked up at him with an irritated expression on his face.
"What for?"
"For the lack of milk we have in our fridge." He said bluntly, Nick smiled and nodded. Retrieving his coat he heading out the door. Alan moved his way over to the front window to watch Nick leave and seeing the car pull away turned to Gerald. He smiled sadly then limped his way over to him. Kneeling down with difficulty he erased a chalk line on the floor, the color of the ropes faded and then they fell to the ground. Gerald looked at him in confusion as he rubbed his wrists. He began to rise, but then was stopped by Alan.
"If you even try to break for it, you will look forward to Nick torturing you rather then myself." He said sternly, he was in no way happy about the concept of torturing someone but he would if had too. Seeing the truth in Alan's eyes he nodded hastily, rose and followed Alan to the kitchen. He nodded pointedly at one of the chairs and Gerald sat down. Alan brought him a plate of food and then settled himself across the table. Gerald nodded thankfully and began to eat hurriedly (he didn't know when Nick might return). Alan cleared his throat then and Gerald looked up as he began to speak.
"Now..." Alan began. "...Despite your mistreatment so far, I am going to ask you kindly for the information that I require, if you decide not to answer I will resort to other methods of interrogation. Have I made myself clear." Though Gerald had much power he admired Alan's advanced skills in speech and thought it best to comply with these terms, nodding his response. Alan smiled but continued as sternly as before.
"I would like to know what your deal was with the Garnet Circle..." Gerald began to answer, but Alan interrupted. "Since you are the new head of the Obsidian Circle, I know you have the most knowledge of this so try not to act to dim." Gerald raised an eyebrow, but he knew full well that Alan was true to his word.
"The thing bargained on the most is your demon pet." He smiled seeing Alan cringe at the reminder his brother's current predicament.
"Don't insult my brother or me it will not serve your situation well." Alan said coldly. Gerald almost smirked this time, but hid it with a small shake of his head. "Now what do you know about the leader of the circle?"
"Who, Raven Lee?"
"Is that her name?" Alan asked.
"Yes." said Gerald.
"Well then that's who I mean." This time Gerald couldn't hide his smirk and decided if he could no longer hide it he might as well fuck with Alan a little.
"Let's just say she would have made Black Arthur her bitch." Alan raised an eyebrow.
"Why don't you clarify, being vague won't keep you from my brother." Gerald's focus moved to the door for a split second before returning to answer.
"She's young, stealthy, intelligent and very powerful. She is also said to be very beautiful in true form." Alan rolled this over in his head.
"True form?" He asked.
"Yes, she is a very skilled shape-shifter." Gerald replied, this sounded familiar to Alan but he couldn't place it.
"Good to know." Alan said and then heard the car outside. "Chair. Now." He ordered Gerald, who obeyed without question. Alan redrew the line recreating Gerald's bonds and returned to the kitchen cleaning up the plates. Alan heard the door open and the footsteps work their way to the kitchen.
"Milk as ordered." Nick said, handing it to his brother. Alan smiled.
"Thank you, want breakfast?" He asked putting the milk in the fridge.
"Yes please." He said sitting down at the table and leaning in his chair. Alan filled two plates and sat down with Nick at the table to eat.
"So what next?" Nick asked pointing over his shoulder at their captive.
"Oh well I was able to get some information from him after you left." Alan said. Nick looked suspicious.
"How and What?" Nick sized up his brother trying to read him but that was truly impossible .
"How is not important, the "what" is much more so." Alan regaled his new found knowledge to Nick who listened carefully to everything.
"So no luck getting a location?" Nick asked, Alan shrugged.
"I didn't ask." Nick looked up is surprise.
"Why not?"
"It did not come up, I will ask more tomorrow." Alan said. "Now to school, you're late." Nick grumbled.
"Don't start...go." Alan said handing him a late note freshly written.
The hours that followed were slow at best and Alan spent most of his time upstairs researching what he could out of the books that he had. Unfortunately books can only be so useful, so he headed back downstairs. Gerald looked at this tired form of a boy who untied him once more. Alan stumbled a little, he had been sitting so long the his bed leg had fallen asleep. Alan started to fall trying to keep his balance but failed, then he realized he had been caught. Gerald looked down at him, and then helped him over to the chair. Alan nodded in thanks and then asked.
"Why?" Gerald smiled slightly.
"I told you I wasn't interested in hurting people unless they want it for themselves. So why would I start with..." He mumbled the last words ...with letting you get hurt and then finished. "...with you." Alan caught the mumbled words only slightly but had gotten the gist.
"You don't know me at all, why would you, do you care?" Gerald looked away.
"I do know you, though we only met twice you left an impression." Alan was so confused. Do I know him? Where would I know him from? He thought trying to place it. "We went to middle school together for the time you were there." Alan realized that he did know him. There had been a boy at his middle school that was very small, quiet and a favorite of the bullies to pick on. Alan remembered the last bit well because he had defended the boy and paid for it dearly.
---Eighth Grade---
"STOP IT!!!" Alan yelled at them. The bigger of the two bullies turned to face him.
"You gonna get in my face Ryves?" The boy asked threateningly, Alan didn't answer but continued to glare. The boy scoffed. "I didn't think so." He grabbed the small boy that he had been bulling by the back of the collar choking him as he was lifted off the ground. "Come on Ryves, make a move." When Alan didn't move the bully turned to the other and began to laugh. Then Alan reacted ramming the bully in the stomach making them crash to the ground. The small boy scurried away without a word and out of sight. Before the bullies could turn on Alan a teacher interrupted and sent them to their classes. After school that day however the bullies waited fr Alan and sent him home with a bloody nose, black eye and no shoes.
---Present Day---
"That was you?" Alan asked remembering now the blond hair that was stringy and all over the place. Now the man's hair was thicker but still stringy and was usually slicked back, though being tortured can change that. Gerald just nodded from his position on the floor where he had sat down. Then he said something that caught Alan completely of guard.
"I'm sorry." He said.
"For what?" Alan was confused. Gerald frowned and replied.
"For what they did to you, because of me." Alan looked at him thoughtfully for a moment then touched Gerald's hand.
"It's okay, trust me I've been through worse." Gerald shook his head at this hiding the shiver that had been created by Alan's touch.
"It doesn't matter, that happened because of me, because I didn't have the strength or courage to help you fight them off." Gerald said had been looking down at the warped wood of the floor, but his gaze moved to Alan's which was on his.
"I'm sorry that I could not of helped more." Alan said sweetly, Gerald had not expected this at all his eyes wide and couldn't believe that Alan had found something to be sorry about in a story involving his own pain.
"Don't say you're sorry. You have nothing to say sorry about. You...you saved my life."