Tora stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, pocket knife flipped out in her hand, a line of blood trailed down her arm. She focused on the pain of the small, deep slashes, letting it fill the empty spaces that she felt. She glanced down at her arms, scarred more and more as her gaze went up to her shoulder. Tora sighed, keeping her arm over the sink, but leaning down and resting her head on the small space of counter before her.

She jumped when she heard rapid footsteps coming up the stairs to the second floor bathroom. The door was open, because her parents were away on business, and she wasn't expecting anybody. Who would just come into her house?

It hit her like a smack in the face, Blur, or rather Blake. He was the only person Tora knew who could both climb stairs that fast and have the nerve to come inside uninvited. She lunged for the door, but it was too late.

He stood there, mouth open, blue T-shirt with the Autobot logo, jeans, bare feet. Silver eyes focused on her arm.

But he stood just outside of the door. Tora slammed it in his face. Then she locked it. Blake was a decent lock pick, but it would take him a few minutes to get in. With that time, she shut and locked the window, and grabbed a towel. Then she sat by the door, bracing her back against it. She was stronger than Blake, he wouldn't get in if she didn't want him to.

Tora heard him trying the lock, she reached over to the stereo a few feet from her, and brought it closer. The CD was Mumford and Sons. She played "Ghosts That We Knew" as loud as she could. It was loud enough that she could tell Blake was trying to talk to her, but she couldn't make out his words.

"Go away!" she screamed, he wasn't supposed to know. She'd liked Blake for a long time, but he wasn't supposed to know about what she did to herself to fill the empty spaces. Not about why she never wore short sleeves, or went swimming.

She made out the yell of "No!" it was fast and slurred, the way that Blake talked.

She turned down the music a little, "Blake, just leave me alone!"

"No." the calm refusal came again.

Tora reached up and held the lock up and in place. She could outlast Blake. Her nickname was twenty-four seven. She could go for days without sleep, whereas Blake would pass out. She would be wide awake, when he was sleepy and slow.

Tora waited, focusing her energy, she could envision Blake, picking the lock and leaning back, crouched, in frustration. She'd always been able to do this, it was her secret. She could sense other people, she was positive that she would know when Blake left. And he would have to leave. Because if there was one thing that everybody knew about Blake, it was that he never had his cell phone.

Tora's room was right next door, she would have to go only five steps. Blake would have to call somebody if he wanted help, and the only home phone was down a flight of stairs, through a sitting room, and into a study.

She smiled a little, to herself, for how smart she was. Had she planned for this? No. But had she planned for Blake? Yes.

Tora bided her time, keeping the door locked by holding the small mechanism in place with one hand. It would take Blake hours, if not an entire day, to get through the locks on her bedroom door. And they would never break down the door, not even if Orion came, it was made of three solid inches of steel.

After a few hours, which only felt like ten minutes to Tora, who was very patent, Blake moved off, slowly at first, then running. Down the hall.

Tora jumped up with her knife in hand, and ran the five steps to her room. Slamming the door behind her. She clearly made out a string of curses that made her raise an eyebrow. She hadn't known that Blake was so creative.

She locked all the locks, they lined one side of the door. She was always ready, nobody could get into this room of hers if she didn't want them there.

The walls were painted navy blue, with dark grey trim. Posters of foreign bands hung on one wall, the other one holding a world map and a periodic table. There was a bookshelf too, filled with textbooks and novels, one shelf stuffed with CDs. She had a desk too, a walk in closet, a laptop, her bed, one window, which was always locked. There was a walking stick in one corner, a crowbar by her bed, a metal pipe above the sturdy rod that held up her black thick curtains. Even a gun in her closet, in a secret place.

Her mother and father were lawyers, good ones, expensive ones. They were never home, too busy, so they granted almost any request that Tora made, as long as she could give a good reason. Most everything she did was to make herself safe, weapons, locks, doors, different glass for the windows.

And since her family was never home, Tora's house was also a good meeting place.

Tora took her chair and jammed it under the knob, in case Blake were to get through the locks. But she could hear him cursing, it would take him a while.

And while he was busy, Tora moved herself into her closet. She had a futon there, and food and water. She took her laptop and her phone, then the crowbar. She grabbed a few books too, for entertainment.

She had a back-up stereo in her closet too, she grinned as she stuck in another CD, "Now THAT'S What I call BRITISH." And she switched to the song "Bleeding Love" cranking up the volume, she pushed the repeat button, making sure that the song would keep playing.

She opened her closet door again, making sure that she had what she wanted from her room. She heard more than Blur's voice from outside her door now. Orion was there, as well as Percy. What worried her was that she could make out Magnus. He was a bigger guy, good for knocking things over, but also good at reasoning.

"Can't you all just leave?" Tora called.

"No, no, no!" Blur called back.

"Tora!" Orion called out, "We could help you, just let us in!"

"I don't need help! I handle myself fine without your assistance." The last part was a snarl, but still loud enough to be heard through the door.

Tora cut off what Magnus was about to say with, "This has been going for five years, I know what I'm doing, just leave! You didn't notice before, why do you care now?"

Tora didn't wait to hear and answer, she closed herself in her closet again, slamming the door, they would have heard it.

She switched the song to "Soldier of Love." Tora took several blankets and layered them onto her futon, then laid down. She wanted to rest after this. It was seven at night, and the surprise, the waiting, the knots in her stomach, they drained her.

It seemed like only a couple of minutes before her cell phone vibrated jerked Tora into waking, she glanced at the caller identification, it was Blake.

She paused the music, "Soldier of Love" was still repeating.

"Soldier of Love"

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