Chapter 2

The seven youthful Cahills sat on the itchy floor. No one was speaking, no noise whatsoever present in the absence of the bruit.

The clutch of them sat in vexation, some sitting in complete sereneness, others in constant shifting. Yet, no eye contact was made between any of the hostages, all of them keeping their heads down, hiding away the best they could.

No physical contact was made either, as they were all sure that the gun man would not hesitate on killing any of them. The despondent aura was strong and sensed by everyone as they all trepidation about breathing in the pestilential atmosphere.

Ian sat in his small spot that he mentally limited himself to, scanning the archaic room for the hundredth time, eminently straining himself to abscond the room, liberating himself and the others from this Pandemonium.

They been in the room for who knows how long. All the time Ian had been rummaging through the dinning area, making himself become nauseated of looking at the room, the ugly room. He was rebelling against his body's commands and refused to sleep. None of the others did either.

Ian's skin clawed and his stomach turned and growled. He felt drops of sweat run down his face at times. He gritted his teeth in anxiousness. He already chewed all the skin away from his bottom lip.

He felt the paranoia and claustrophobia burgeon inside him swiftly as each uncountable minute passed by. He was struggling to regulate his unsettling breathing. He felt confined, hopeless, and, for the first time in a long time, scared.

The room was dark, the only light coming from the glass of the French doors. Without it, he wouldn't be able to see the others. He barely could now. In the windows, that were covered by cream colored drapes, was the silhouette of the villain in all of this.

The gunmen had been in front of the doors the entire time, and the only time he had left was to go get Amy and dragging her into the room with the rest of them. He stood on the other side, watching them...through the threads of curtains, the glass of the window... observing their every move, breath...

Ian wasn't scared so easily. Hell, he's a Lucian, he's normally the one scaring, not the one on the other side of the trigger. Yet, he has never been so paralyzed with fear in his life. It wasn't the fact that the asshole was able to break into his house, hit him over the head with a candle holder, and then shot him with a dart gun and knocked him out. Hell, his stalkers did that in a weekly bases.

It's the fact that Ian was completely sure that he knew who the gunman was. There no doubt in his mind. He knew that man...yet, he didn't.

It was almost like it was...him...the bastard...

Just than the gunman's shadow on the curtain moved, the first time in what seemed like entirety. The door was clicked open and he came in. The gun was still in his hand and Ian, from his train, was positive that he had more on him somewhere on his body. It was hard to identify since he was only in a t shirt and jeans with muddy boots. He had that wild look in those lifeless eyes. It sent shivers down his spine.

He pulled out a bundle of strips of cloth from his pocket of his pants. Ian realized that they were blindfolds. He scrapped his feet across the room towards Amelia. He saw Dan watching the man with a glare, his hand in position besides him, like he was getting ready to pounce like a cat.

He saw Hamilton doing the same. Ian knew just like them if Amelia Cahill, the leader of the Madrigals, goes down here, the Cahills in general will go back to their old ways, if not worse.

Ian felt himself get ready for a fight himself as the man bent down and lifted Amy's head. Instead of hitting her, he wrapped a blindfold around her eyes. He went next to Dan and did then came to Ian.

Ian didn't know what possessed him to do it. It was just the fact that he felt like a corner animal and it cause him to flash out. He grabbed the man's hand that held the blindfold and dug his nails into his skin that was surprisingly hard as a iron. Ian then shove him back, causing him to take a step or two back and somewhat lose his balance for a second.

For a long moment, no one moved. Everyone was stunned, including Ian. Then, faster than light, the man reacted. He grabbed Ian by the collar, lifted him to where his feet weren't touching the ground, making him eye level with the beast, and than slammed his back against the wall. Pain waved through his body a great deal, and the pain increased as the man continued the beating five more times. Ian fell down the ground when the man let him go.

Spots danced before his eyes, he could hardly think without the pain making him groan and suffer. He didn't even see the man's foot rise and deliver a hard kick to Ian's chest. A loud snap was heard and Ian knew it was his rib. The pain was enough to conform it. The man wrapped the blindfold around his eyes roughly and slammed his head down back to the ground.

Ian just focused on inhaling and exhaling oxygen and carbon dioxide.

He finished his abuse and went on putting on blindfolds. Ian expected so, since he could still see.

"Who's first?" he growled. He glared around the room, his eyes driving into all of them.

No one spoke. Ian could tell the man was getting madder. He couldn't hear much since his heartbeat was in his ears, thumping loudly like a drum.

"How about you, lover boy?" he repined. Ian could hear his voice near him but not exactly at him.

"Or what about you, Monster?" he snarled at someone farther away.

Ian didn't know who he was talking to and he didn't care, he just wanted to get out of this hell hole.

"Oh, I know..." A moment of scraping passed. "You. The traitor."

The sound of footsteps doubled and ended quickly, going back to just two single steps. A sharp snapping then burst into the silence. A long moment. Ian wasn't sure if someone just died or not.

The silence almost became nerve racking till the man spoke again. "Miss Sinead Adeline Starling."

Sinead didn't respond. Traitor... Ian thought, of course, Sinead.

"Why don't you tell us about your life? Hmm?" the man asked, in a tone that sounded like he was mocking her, scowling her even.

"I don't have to tell you anything," she hissed at him. Rage and hatred boomed in her voice.

"Oh, but you do if you want to live." Ian didn't have to see to know he was probably gesturing his gun in some way. "Now talk." Sinead stayed silent.

"How was the clue hunt for you, Sinead?" the man finally questioned her. Ian almost flinched at the fact the man knew about the clue hunt.

"Was it short lived for you? Ended to soon?"

"Go to hell!" she screamed at him. She was still touchy on that topic, which was understandable.

"Tell us about the explosion." The man's tone turned colder. "Tell us how much it hurt. Tell us about the pain that you felt when it all came crashing down on you. You and your brothers."

A moment of silence.

"Didn't it hurt though? The way your head hit the floor like a ball. How the weight of the whole building just kept piling onto you. The bones in your body hurting, breaking. How the light of the sun and the breeze of the wind just stopped and disappeared..."

Sinead said nothing still. None of them did.

"And what about the aftermath about it all?" he teased her more, like this was a zit or pimple on her face instead about the thing that ruin her life. "After all that pain and misery, those test and treatments in the hospital by all those doctors and nurses, you were the one to come out completely fine. You, the worthless one."

"Shut up!" Sinead shouted again.

"But isn't it true?" he went on. "According to your parents, that is? How you, the worthless one, the worthless girl was saved over your genius, valuable brothers? Ted now blind. No longer able to draw out those amazing sketches that his brother, Ned, who now not think without getting a migrate, thought of. And that's all your fault. You didn't save them then, which cause them to be this now. They're handicapped forever and there no fixing them because of you. Because of the fuck up."

Sinead didn't say anything back. She was too busy holding back her sobs that were escaping her.

"Am I not right?!" the man shouted. A gun shot fired, the sound scaring Ian, causing him to flinch."ANSWER ME!" he screamed at her. Sinead cried more. Broken, tortured sobs slipping out of her.

"Say it back to me!" the man ordered. "Repeat it!"

"I...I'm the fuck up. I'm the one to blame for damage done to my brothers. I'm the reason why they are not the same today. I should have protected them better. They should be the ones to be okay...I'm the one who should have been damaged. The one to die there... to save them the suffering..."

Sinead was full on crying then. Her sobs were almost heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry!" she screamed, in a blood curling, stomach tugging scream. Ian winced. The scream sounded so much like Natalie's...

"Shut up!" the man yelled at her. Sinead only cried more, her sobs so great she was hiccuping. Her own tears were stealing her undeserving breath of life.

Ian didn't know what to think about all of this. He knew about the explosion that put the Starling triplets in their condition. It was early into the clue hunt and it was just a miracle that they all escape with their lives. He also knew about Amy and Dan also being in that building at the time too. How they even warned the triplets and yet ignored them like the clueless contenders everyone assumed them to be at the time, Ian didn't know.

And was true, about it being her fault of not listening to them, but it wasn't her fault for everything else. And the fact that she was being blamed for it was total shit.

"DON'T MOVE!" the man suddenly shouted, his voice in a high pitch, startled almost. Ian himself jumped out of surprise. "NO CONTACT!"

Ian wished he really could see what was going on. He hoped that the man didn't shoot again. He hated the sound of a gun fire, it reminded him of too many people in his life.

"We're not done with her." the man's voice growled, became low, deep and mean. It was like the man turned to a beast, like he transformed into his true form.

"You fucked up more later in life when you came back into the hunt, didn't you?" the man sneered at her. "When you came back, you were gunning for the serum, like everyone else. The only thing you cared about was getting that serum, the prize. You were so obsessed with it. And the reason why you put them there was because you wanted that serum-"

"For them! The serum was to cure them!" Sinead screamed in her broken voice.

"Bullshit!" the beast roared. "You wanted that serum for yourself! So you could be better then them! So you could finally be the better one!"

"You're wrong!" Sinead cried.

"No, I'm not! You did it to make yourself look better towards your parents, your branch. And what did you do? You fucked up again and have in your part the clues! You all did!" he suddenly started yelling at all of them.

Another long moment of silence passed and it felt like he was pointing a gun at all of them. Ian started to shake again with anxiety.

"What was your excuse again for that little act in the end, traitor?" he hissed at Sinead, the beast's voice still balefully gloomy. Sinead didn't answer.

"Was it the right thing to do? As a family?" The beast then laughed like a manic. "And than how were you going to cure Ned and Ted? Huh? With the plans they came up with?"

Sinead didn't respond but Ian guessed that she probably answered by nodding.

"How did that turn out for you? Hmm? Tell them, Sinead. Tell them how all those idea and plans failed. And it was still your fault for there disabilities. Their pain and humiliation was all because of their fuck up baby sister... but then, he came along, didn't he?"

The mood of the room changed with the sudden rise of confusion and wonder and suspension. The air became as sharp as glass, like one move or breath and you would be bleeding.

"Tell us about him, Sinead."

The beast's voice was now worse, yet Ian wasn't sure how. His voice became light, speeding up the rate somewhat. It wasn't taunting, yet not kind. It was pure disgust, almost. Like Sinead was the revolting one.

"Tell us about how you just randomly got a call from him one day. How he said he had a cure for your brothers and to meet him at the park if you were interested. So you did. You did what you were told, like the little slave you were then. And even before you signed up for it all."

The beast chuckled like a disappointed father. "You met him and..."

"And he offered me a deal. He said the Vespers would rise and become the most powerful, the richest. After they take down the Cahills..."

Sinead's voice turned smaller, softer. Like she was lost in thought, memories even.

"And that they would help Ted and Ned if I helped them. An eye for an eye."

"More like a heart for a heart. Ambit it, Sinead, you joined because you liked him straight away, didn't you?"

"Yes," she said, emotionless. "Yes. I really did."

"He charmed you right away. His soft brown hair...those fetching Hazel eyes...that strong voice. He was in charge, and he knew it."

"Yes."

"And that's when he took advantage of your little mind, your small brain. You two made a deal. You, befriend and move in with the Cahills, the top ones in that case. And sell out all their secrets you collect about them."

"It was for my brothers-"

"It was for his attendant as well. Correct?"

A moment of silence. "Yes."

"Because you really liked him, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And then he liked you too, didn't he? He was a fun guy when you got him away from his work. Not such a hard ass, was he?"

"Yes..."

"It was all for Ned and Ted at first, but as time passed, more time with him... well, he became apart of it too, right?"

"Yes."

"And soon, you and he made plans for each other, in the future. When he was ruling the world and you were by his loving side, you and your cured brothers, you two would live together in love and peace. Everything would be perfect, you would finally be accepted and loved by someone. But, after you got caught and you saw the Vespers were losing-"

"He told me he would finish with his work," Sinead spoke up, he voice harder, more stable. Her stubbornness self was coming back. "Dave w-"

"Oh no!" the beast cut her off. "Not Dave, honey. Say his real name."

"Damien," she forced the word out, "wanted me safe. On the winning side. He wanted me to live..."

A long time passed were no one spoke. Ian and Hamilton had found her email to Vesper 1 and somewhat assumed that there was a romantic relationship between them, but he never expected this.

"And so you did," the beast spoke. "Like the little fuck up coward you are. If you really loved him, you would have stayed by his side. You would have cared about his work, too. If you really did love him, you wouldn't bare to live without him. True?"

"I did love him," Sinead said. She admitted it like a beaten down victim. "I still do..."

"You have a extremely odd way of showing it," the beast growled. "You're disgusting. You're horrible and you're a disgrace to both the Vespers and Cahills. You're unwanted by both groups and, as far as I'm concerned, should be dead, with your lover or by yourself. You don't deserve to live."

And with that, the beast hit Sinead in someway. It sounded like a slap to Ian. The beast took six steps out the room and back to his position to the door.

Soon, Sinead started to cry again. Ian took off his blindfold to see the redhead sitting on the ground, crying her eyes out, her face in her hands as she sobbed. He felt truly sorry for the girl.

He had some empathy for her too, since he grew up and was treated the same way growing up with his parents.

Amy took off her blindfold and went over to Sinead and held her into a hug as she cried. He was about to tell them about the rule of no touching till he saw that the man wasn't at the door anymore.

The door was locked with many locks but no one was watching them. He wasn't sure if that was a relief or not.

Ian soon felt like he was being watched. He turned his head to the left and met eyes with Dan Cahill. Dan pointed his eyes and head up towards the ceiling. Ian followed and found the ceiling fan, that had a open hole at the base of it...

Dan nodded when Ian nodded to him that he understood. The younger male than pointed to his head, telling him to think about it. Ian nodded again.

How could they escape through the hole in the ceiling without getting caught or hurt?