"Peter, these fruit tarts are amazing!" I breathed, shocked at how carefully crafted each piece of fruit was over the delicious filling.
"Oh, my little tart, how your compliments soar through my heart!" He cheerfully rhymed, clearly thrilled I was enjoying his treats. I'm happy he talked me out of making something deep fried and smothered in peanut butter and chocolate. This was a lot healthier and one of the best desserts I've ever had!
"Yeah, they're really good. I didn't know you could cook this well. I'm impressed." I note, enjoying his completely thrilled expression at the tiniest compliment I give. He's just too funny.
They're so good I've already had to devour at least half of them. Thank goodness Peter will love me regardless of what I do. The thought pulls me up short at my next bite. But that's just ... impossible. There has to be traits of me that he doesn't like. There has to be. I turned towards him, opening my mouth to ask him something stupidly self conscious but the complete and utter look of adoration instead filled my sight. Ah~ there is nothing. I can tell just by looking at that fully enamored expression of his.
"I love everything about thee. Please stay with me." He said, almost as though he could read my mind before he took my hand and softly kissing my palm, licking a small bit of the tart off of the skin.
A soft flush riddled over my cheeks as I hesitated to say anything at all. Here he was, a guy I've kissed and, yes, 'made out' with, but he doesn't act like anything happened. It almost makes me mad how much I'm overthinking it and how easily he's taking it. He's the one who's supposed to be all flustered but here I am unable to even answer him because I'm busy reimagining what his lips felt and tasted like. Even his kisses felt OCD somehow.
"Jackie? Are you alright, sweetheart?" Peter asked, looking mildly concerned, "did you perhaps have one too many tarts?"
"I don't think it's the tarts I've had too much of." I admitted, staring at him with a slightly deeper blush. Crap … this is my stalker, and I need to stay away from him. I should stay away from him. But now I'm suddenly wanting to be closer to him and know a little more about him. Now how do I do that without him going completely stalker crazy? I sense I have to be more careful as to what I say and do to not trigger a sudden stalker crazy phase.
"Do you feel unwell?" Peter asked, alarmed as he remove his glove with his teeth. My eyes remained glued to the fabric being pulled so gently and smoothly from his hand, paying special close attention to how perfectly smooth his bare pale fingers were, literally being the epitome of perfection before he pressed his warm palm against my forehead. "You feel alright but you are acting a little odd." He worriedly remarked.
"I'm fine, really." I heavily sighed. Well, that was a short and bothersome fantization I suddenly had with his fingers. I think that's the first sign of 'puppy dog love' … and that was dangerous. I don't hate Peter of course but I would dare say it's still quite a ways from anything that could be deemed as 'love'.
Peter's ears suddenly flicked around, catching my attention as he gazed at nothing in particular while deeply engrossed in what he was listening to. After a few moments, he simply smiled very kindly. "Would you care to take a walk in the garden with me, dear?" He offered with an extended arm and very warm smile.
I stare at the offer before taking his arm. Getting some fresh air might be better than being stuck in an enclosed space with that will help clear my head. "Sure." I smiled, hopping off the counter and walking with him.
FACELESS POV
The order came out; every soldier with a number 7 or 3 was to be executed in mass for the queen's entertainment, ordered by, of course, the Prime Minister. I stood at my ready with the rifle in hands, taking aim at the unarmed masses of faceless herded into the center of one of the larger rooms in the castle. The Queen of Hearts sat atop the room, watching over the greatest show to occur in quite sometime. My stomach churned in disgust but somehow I managed to hold it down. The queen's orders were absolute … weren't they? But if they were, then I would be amongst the masses now. The number 9 uniform burned into my skin as the slaughter began.
Being around the foreigner has certainly changed me. I can feel it; but as to whether or not by how much, I know not. The age old question rang in my ears, drowning out the screaming in front of me. Was it possible … for a faceless to win the game? This has been a question often toyed with and played around with amongst the soldiers usually while they were drunk and off the rocker but the question posed a very strange possibility. Going against the Role Holders and the game … was that possible for a faceless such as I? Those who have even thought of the possibility are long dead; but now here he was, finding himself at a tipping point. To rebel against the Role Holders and take the foreigner for himself, or stay a mindless sheep amongst the faceless rank.
"That's enough!" The queen called out, making the firing cease now that the corpses in the center of the room had all stopped moving. "That was wonderful entertainment! We are pleased with the performance. The rest of you may live another day to further entertain us." The dreaded queen of Hearts said with a dangerous curve of her red lips, turning and disappearing from the room.
The moment she was gone my fellow soldiers slouched slightly, overlooking their friends and family that they had just killed by orders of the queen. Very slowly but surely, they began collecting the bodies and removing them so the maids could get to cleaning sooner. I too joined the cleaning, dragging the corpses away along with the countless other soldiers.
Having connections in this world were all deadly; all of them. A friend today, a lover tomorrow and dead by the next evening. None of the faceless mattered. However, the foreigner was different. She was lovely and beautiful, the star of the game. The most rare and precious gem of them all within this game of the Role Holders. My teeth clenched together, finding myself struggling to not scream in frustration. If I rebelled against the Role Holders, I would surely die. If I tried to take the foreigner's heart for myself and win the game, there was a strong possibility she would reject me. I had to know; would she accept a faceless at all? Was there a chance she could ever accept a lowly faceless to love as the winner of the game or would she reject the very notion?
That question held the key and I knew that. And in order to get that answer from her, I needed to get her alone and in a situation I controlled, without letting her find out who I was. I grunted as I tossed the body into a large growing pile beneath the castle, watching as corpses rained down into the pit from around around the edges. If nothing changed I would one day end up in that pit of death. I do not want that to happen. I want to live, d***it! I want the foreigner, I desperately do! But if I were to take her, I would need to be very, very careful. But first .. I needed to get her alone to find out for myself if she would accept a faceless at all as a lover. To not die, I will have to be very, very careful, even with her. She could recognize my face so I would have to remain hidden when I asked her that. I'll have to hide her somewhere just for a small while, just long enough to get the answers I needed. If the foreigner could indeed love a faceless and I could win the game … then I will do everything in my power to take her for myself.
JACKIE'S POV
"Come here, Jackie. I have a special surprise for you." Peter said with a cheerful smile.
" … it better not be burying me in roses or something like that." I said, almost thoughtlessly remembering the time Alice told me of when Peter had proposed to take her to a ball and the massive display of flowers fell on top of them both.
"Would you like something like that?" Peter asked, perking up with a cheerful smile.
"Absolutely not." I immediately stated. I really hope he never does anything like that to me.
He softly smiled, looking a little disappointed. "Is that so? Alright then. Close your eyes." He requested in a gently voice, holding out his hand for me to take. I hesitated, finding his actions to be a little strange but strangely interesting. Hmm … now I really am curious as to what this surprise is.
"Alright; don't let me trip." I said, closing my eyes and reaching for his arm before he took hold of it.
"I won't. Everything I do is for the sake of your happiness, Jackie." Peter stated with a soft tone as I seized up.
Everything I do is for the sake of your happiness … how many times as he told that line to Alice? Definitely countless times. And when I say countless, I mean countless times. Alice herself has admitted she lost count after about 94. So how many times will he tell me that same line up until I begin counting them off like she did? My frown deepened as I felt a painful grip on my heart, as though Alice were reaching into my chest and tightening her fingers around my heart. Peter was her everything; her happiness. She never paid him attention … and get he gave her all the love in the world. If she were to ever return to Wonderland for whatever reason …
Then what would happen to me?
The sound of a gun went off as my eyes burst open, startled as the Afternoon sky shifted to Night. Before I could demand to know why he startled me like that I was almost blinded by the massive decor of the decorated flowers. A large gazebo was set amongst the roses, carefully decorated by vines which perfectly spiraled around the wooden structure. Spanning around the gazebo was an endless sea of roses peeking past the green leaves in a glorious display of love, full in bloom without a single thorn to be seen. Peter stood in the gazebo entrance with a hand over his clock, warmly smiling over me while remaining silent, letting me take in the sights for myself. The sight, admittedly, was so breathtaking that I could not take my eyes off of it.
And yet, I could not help but wonder how many times he did this for Alice too.
"Jackie … are you happy now?" Peter asked, walking up to me before gently sweeping up my hands. " … I want only the best for you, Jackie. I love you." He said, slightly flushing before pressing his lips against mine.
Rather than the warmth and passion I felt before, I could only feel a cold chill crawling up my spine. This Peter White says he loves me … but the moment Alice comes back, if she ever came back at all, Peter would turn on me in an instant. And there would be nothing to stop him from ripping open my chest and taking out my heart; emotionally and physically too.
A small streak of a tear slid down my cheek, startling me as I felt an almost earth stopping force crushing me under its weight. Peter White was so much closer to my heart than I realized if something like that thought hurts me so badly. If he were to suddenly turn on me … if Alice were to somehow return, and Peter were to turn his back on me … it would be so painful I don't think I'd make it out alright.
"Jackie?" Peter questioned, pulling back slightly in confusion before his eyes widened, startled as he saw my crying face. "M-My dear, what is the matter? Are you hurt? Are you feeling unwell? Or was it the latter?" He asked, gently touching me and searching for the cause.
Peter is so kind that I cannot bear to see him leave me. And if Alice returned, he would leave in an instant, and things would go back to normal. I wouldn't be able to handle that, I really, really wouldn't. To protect myself, I cannot let him go any further.
"S-Sorry, I, uh," I stuttered, nervously swallowing as I began to wipe the tears away. "I … was, um, a little o-overwhelmed." I admitted, glancing around at the flowers and pretending to take a closer look at them.
"But what brings tears to your eyes?" Peter asked, taking out a handkerchief and wiping the tears away with ease.
The fact that you're too close.
The fact that I'm further gone in his puppy love than I realized.
The fact that he will eventually leave a scar so deep and lingering I won't be able to take it.
"The … roses." I shakily muttered between my trembling lips. "They … um, everything is just so perfect … and, well, it's kinda that time of the month s-so I'm little more emotional." I lied, taking the handkerchief and padding beneath my eyes a bit.
"Oh? But you aren't supposed to start for another 2 weeks." Peter said, sounding a little confused.
" … huh?" I said, turning to him in confusion.
"Your last one ended 2 weeks ago. Ah, sorry, more loosely it ended 42 time changes ago but since I needed a standardized unit of measuring, I was using your world's measurement of 2 weeks." Peter answered in a rather matter-of-fact fasion.
The shock of his knowledge on my period made a small laugh bubble past my lips before I laughed a little harder, looking down at the ground. Good hell, he even knows my cycle better than I do. I'd bet there was a whole lot of things he knows more than I do about myself. And it wouldn't surprise me either; he's such a good observer … so much so I wouldn't doubt that he sees past my lie but is not pushing for an answer, because he doesn't want to hurt me. Well, that or I'm giving him too much credit.
"Oh dear. Maybe I really am pretty far off," he said, sounding a little troubled as he took out a small book with a calendar inside and making a few brief marks.
"Maybe." I laughed a little more lightly, trying to keep the weight in my chest from making my sink. Peter was too nice and too kind; he just wanted to love me, and here I am already trying to think of future ways to reject and hurt him. I wanted to tell him right then and there to stop, that I can't handle all this love; but if I tried to say that I would break down crying because it was a lie. Crap … I really needed to sort out my feelings and decide on what I want and fast before I become some wishy-washy girl like Alice.
"Hey … Peter, um, now that I think about it, I really should be heading home soon. Do you mind?" I asked with a sheepish smile, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. Ugh … all of this emotional trauma was really doing a number on my stomach. Either that or the tarts were making an attack.
"As you wish, my beautiful angel fish." Peter said, surprising me how non-clingy he was being. He was being … shockingly mature. I wonder why?
I gently took his arm, walking back through the garden with him as he cheerfully chatted about this and that, nothing in particular but described all of it in vivid detail. I emptily stared at him and nodded along, agreeing or disagreeing at times but otherwise keeping quiet. This kind of emotional ordeal was not something I was used to dealing with; I was literally going to have to go home and think about it long and hard.
"-kie. Jackie?" White said, very gently sweeping my cheek up in his hand. He leaned down, very gently kissing my forehead and pulling me back to the present. "My dear … are you happy?" He softly asked, seeming a little sad.
"What makes you ask that?"
"You've been terribly quiet since the rose garden. You have me worried." He said, gently kissing the tip of my nose. "Does kissing you make you happy? You were so happy before, but now you are not smiling." He pointed out again, kissing the corner of my lips.
" … well, I'm not unhappy." I faintly smiled, unsure of what to say. "This … well, all of this is new to me. I'm still getting used to it." I admitted as I reached the gates. "Ah, I'll see you later, Peter." I smiled, trying to make a quick escape but he gently took my arm. Ah~ caught.
"My dear, please allow me to escort you home. It is Night and I want to walk you back." He sweetly smiled as he hooked his arm around mine, moving in a little closer.
"Why did you change the time change to Night if you knew I would leave during this time change?" I asked with a light tease but he only smiled back in a way that melted my heart.
"Because I know you enjoy the Night more." He said with a warm smile that hit me like a freight train.
Without meaning to I leaned up, gently holding his face. He's too sweet; so much so that it will hurt deeper once Alice returns. My lips pressed against his, slowly and carefully, feeling him return the gesture just as gently. My eyes slid shut as I struggled to pull away, finding myself melting into him. Ugh … why does tonight of all nights do I have to find him the most irresistable?! I'm already having enough trouble as it was trying to push him away and now here I am like a wishy washy idiot trying to hold onto him.
"Lord White!" A voice called, making my head pull back in surprise as Peter's eyes slid open, looking rather deadly. "I apologize, but the queen is requesting for your presence immediately."
"Inform her that I am busy." White huffed, pulling me into his chest as he angrily glared at the card but, thankfully, did not pull his gun out.
"I-It is urgent, sir." The card said with a slight dip of his head in an apologetic way.
"Just go, Peter. I'll be just fine." I said with a smile towards him, pecking him on the check, "we can see each other another day."
" … if it is for you, my love, then I shall make haste!" He delightfully cried as he tightly squeezed me in a hug, drowning me in affection. Ahhh~ there's the Peter White I know and despise.
"You there!" Peter barked, making the guards jolt. "Escort Jackie back to the Amusement Park without error. If there is so much of a scratch on her skin or tear in her eye, you both will be dead in the gutter." He hissed at them as they both very quickly nodded in understanding.
Oh Peter … sometimes … no, all the time, you are too much.
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM
"No, he didn't!" I laughed, listening to the hysterical tales the soldiers were saying about their time at Heart Castle.
"Yes, quite so! If it weren't for the tarts a soldier's wife made for him, we both would have lost our heads!" The man laughed as the other joined in the chorus of laughter.
I am so happy we are actually talking now. It was awkward before especially when I tried and failed horribly at making small talk by asking how it was to work at Heart Castle. After that horrendous awkward silence of a time bomb, I quickly switched topics to funny stories, telling them about the time of the cart incident and how I was sent flying into the air in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood. The awkward silence from before was all but gone as they laughed, loosening up and acting rather carefree as both of them began sharing their own fair share of stories, from being forced to paint some white flowers red to mistakenly misplacing some tarts for the queen and how some quick thinking saved their lives.
I was honestly surprised how light hearted all of them were especially considering they worked for the territory that was the harshest towards the faceless. While talking to them was fun it was also bittersweet; their lives were so hard that they had to find ways to laugh about everything. Most faceless did have a light hearted view on life, which at times upset me with how little they think about life, but usually it was the ones who laughed the hardest and who were the most funny that had the harshest lives in Wonderland and that proved true for the soldiers at Heart Castle.
"That's too funny! So a number 7 soldier caught you?" One of the cards asked, muffling his laughter to hear my answer.
"Yeah, right after a number 9 catapulted me into the air. I'm shocked at how fast the 7 card moved!" I smiled, laughing at myself for that incident. "I wasn't able to get his name unfortunately but I'd recognize him if I saw him again. Last time I saw him he was wearing a number 3 uniform though. Next time I'll have to get his name." I noted aloud, wondering how often soldiers changed their numbers with each other.
Silence almost immediately crept into the alley as the soldiers fell quiet, startling me. Uh oh, did I say something? For a moment I thought they perhaps sensed some danger but their gazes were pointed away from me, looking rather sheepish and troubled. Oh crap, what landmine did I step on? "Did uh, I say something wrong?"
"W-Well no, you did nothing wrong, Miss foreigner. It's just … ," he trailed off slightly, sealing his lips up tight.
"Well, it doesn't matter if we tell her or not, does it?" Another card said with a shrug, "sorry, Miss foreigner, but you probably won't be seeing him again." He apologized.
"Why not?" I asked, suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable. "Did something happen?"
"Just last time change the queen attended an entertaining gathering in which all card soldiers numbering 7 and 3 were executed for her amusement." He explained as my eyes grew wide with shock.
"What?!" I shouted, mortified. "W-Why?!"
"For the queen's entertainment. There really doesn't need to be a reason." The card spoke up with a shrug and smile. "I guess we're lucky we are number 6's." He pointed out with a cheerful grin.
"Yeah, lucky." The other card sighed before wistfully smiling, "but enough of that now. Let's get you home, yeah?" He said with a cheerful smile.
"Th-That is ridiculous." I breathed. It's impossible that 7s and 3s were the only ones executed. Did … Peter have something to with that? A cold shudder rattled my bones. I find it very hard to believe it's a coincidence that only 3s and 7s were executed. My only thought as to how that was possible was that Peter was somehow involved. "Hey … Peter didn't organize that, by chance, did he?" I asked feeling my heart sink into my gut. Both card soldiers studied my mortified and heartbroken expression, appearing to grow more somber in response.
"He signed off on it, yes. Just before he went to entertain you." The card answered with a sad frown, attempting to put a curl to his smile, "but please, don't be alarmed! His love for you is far more than us card soldier's worth. Please do not think badly of the Prime Minister for this." He pleaded with a genuinely happy smile.
"It was a pretty big execution." The other card muttered under his breath, looking rather concerned and saddened himself.
"But still … that's just too much." I said with a hard glare in my eyes. Stupid, stupid Peter White-! I should have known he would do something stupid like this! "That's it! Where is that stupid rabbit?! I can't believe him, he's so stupid!" I ranted, turning right back around and started stomping back towards Heart Castle. How could he do something like that to his own workers?! That faceless was nothing but helpful towards me and he repays them back by executing a fifth of the staff?!
"Please wait, Miss foreigner! It really isn't anything to get so angry about. We're all replaceable," the card soldier explained, trying to spare the Prime Minister's ears from my eventual screeching into them.
"No, it is something to get angry over! You work for that bunny moron and yet he treats you like this?! And worst of all if you complain he'd just shoot you!" I shouted, all of my previous warm fuzzies for that moron earlier today obliterated. "I'm going to rip his stupid ears out of his sockets!"
The other card's hand shot out, catching my arm and making me falter before I turned back and looked at him, surprised by his tight grip on my arm. O-Ouch … he's holding a little too tightly.
"You are too kind to us card soldiers, Miss foreigner. I … want to be selfish and make a request." He said, deeply frowning as the other card looked concerned.
"What are you doing? Let go of her; if you leave a bruise, the Minister might take the heads of all the 6s as well." He warned, gripping his spear rather tightly and seeming ready to fight his partner if necessary.
"N-No, it's fine. What is it?" I asked, looking him right in the slight slopes of where his eyes should be against his smooth skin.
"Please … and I do beg you, Miss foreigner, to please stop showing such kindness to us cards." He asked, his lip slightly trembling as he loosened his grip, lightly rubbing his thumb over the sore he assuredly left on me.
"W-What?" I asked, completely caught off guard by the request. "Stop being nice to them? Why? Are … you afraid Peter might come after you too?" I asked as my eyes widened. For hell's sake, Peter wouldn't go through the entire guard and decimate them, would he?! … I have no doubt in my mind that he most definitely would.
"I mean to say, Miss foreigner, that your kindness is only causing us trouble." He explained, "and do not misunderstand, I do not mean that in regards to inadvertently bringing the Prime Minister's wrath upon us." He said, seeming like he was having trouble forming his explanation to his request.
"I don't get it. If it's not for that, then why?" I asked, at a loss for what other explanation there could be for his request.
"I mean that your kindness towards us is giving some of us … doubts. Your kindness is something that is, how should I say, additive?" He questioned, trying to find the right word to describe it. "Hmmm no, that's not quite the right way to put it," he admitted, slightly flushing in his embarrassment to not think of the right word quickly enough.
"I don't understand what you're saying." I admitted with a frown, "stop being nice … because you don't like it?" I asked, trying to help him explain what he was trying to say.
"No no, we love it. It's … that we love it too much. We start loving it more than our actual-"
BANG BANG
I jolted with a small startled shout as the Heart Castle soldiers slouched over, falling onto the ground with only two gunshots fired through both of their heads. The shock of the suddenness of their deaths left me speechless as I covered my mouth, mortified before quickly turning towards the shooter, half expecting to see Peter but instead only saw a man with a lady's stocking over his face. The sight of such a startling choice of mask completely took me off guard along with the very brief wondering as to why a faceless would bother to wear a mask at all since most people wouldn't recognize them, myself included.
The attacker flinched slightly, as though coming out of a faint trance before he made a fast rush towards me. Without the slightest hesitation I spun around and started running through the alleys, barely outpacing him through the allies. Oh what the hell, was this another kidnapper attack or a loan shark attack?! Whatever it was I needed to get the hell out of here.
"Stop, wait! Please!" The man called as I kept running, casting a glance back at him. Why the hell is he asking me to stop if he's the one chasing me?! Out of the corner of my eye I spied him pick up a long lead pipe, throwing his arm back before chucking it forward with precise aim.
Before I could dodge the attack the pipe shot between my feet, slamming into my ankle rather hard as I landed wrong on the injured foot. With a painful twist I smacked onto the cold hard ground, jostled before he pushed my shoulder into the ground.
"Get away from me-!" I shouted, struggling to work myself out from underneath of him as his hand grabbed my face, muffling my voice.
"Shhh-! Be quiet! I-I'm sorry, I just need a moment of your time." He apologized with a trembling hand as I reached back, barely grabbing the lead pipe before swinging it around and smacking him in the head. "Ouch-!" He shouted, gripping his head as I drove my fist into his throat, making him gag before barely managing to worm out of his grasp. Before I could escape, his hand shot out and grabbed my foot before dragging my leg back, "wait, wait please! Crap, where did I put the rag?" He asked aloud in a panicked voice, feeling around his body for something as I whipped around and punched him in the head.
"Get away from me-!" I shouted, struggling to kick myself free.
"W-Wait, Miss Jackie! U-Um, please, just wait a moment!" He shouted, pulling out a rag doused in some kind of liquid. The moment I spotted the dangerous rag I knew what he was trying to do; this moron was trying to kidnap me?! This was the most awkward kidnapping I've ever heard of!
My fingers knotted in his hair before driving my knee into his face, making the faceless howl in pain before I managed to kick off my shoe and keep running. Like hell I'll let myself be kidnapped like this!
"No, stop!" The man shouted with more surety than before as he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around my legs and tripping me onto the ground once again. I turned back and glared at him, freaked out to see so much blood seeping into the tan stocking on his face. "L-Look, just stop struggling, please." He said, tightly gripping my shirt before ripping it. Both of us froze as his lips parted in startlement. "W-Wait, wait I didn't mean that-!" He started before I grabbed the mask and ripped it off his head amongst the struggling. In a fash his hand shot towards covering my eyes and gripping my temples to an agonizing degree as the cloth was shoved into my mouth, making me taste the horrendous chemicals burning down my throat. "Oops-!" He gasped, quickly pulling the rag out but the chemical residue burned my tongue with the disgusting taste.
"BLECH-!" I shouted, trying to spit out of the awful taste as I felt my head growing heavier and heavier.
"Sorry, sorry! Here, this is a clean rag," he said, shoving a large rag into my mouth but it was too late; the chemicals were already throwing off my concentration and the world was getting too heavy to bear. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I let out a soft groan, slipping into the forced darkness which entrapped my body.
FACELESS POV
I heavily breathed as I held her down as gently but as firmly as I could, finding her no longer resisting. "M-Miss Jackie?" I softly called, removing my hand slightly to test the waters. When she did not respond I pulled away entirely, staring down at her. I-I actually did it. A shaky and relieved breath left my throat. O-Okay, so now, now what? Now I just need to take her to that motel for the Night time change. My head and throat ached as I shakily breathed, still tasting my own blood in my mouth. Ouch … well, she knows how to somewhat fight against an attacker so that's good. However, this whole experience does ilicit some sympathy for those who try to kidnap foreigners. The thought pulled me up short. K-Kidnap? Well … I'm certainly not taking her with her consent, so I suppose this would be a kidnapping. But my aim wasn't to hurt her, so this was different. I-I only need some answers.
With a deep breath I quickly picked her up, hoisting her over my shoulder before quickly slipping through the alleys towards the nearby motel. Every sound and every shadow moved swayed, making my clock race. If anyone saw me they would think I was doing something terrible for her, but I'm not! I am not trying to hurt her. And yet, that was certainly what it looked like. She was now roughed up and bruised from our scuffle earlier. I will have to bandage that as soon as I am able to.
But was this alright? I came to a stop, trembling. I hurt her. I did, I just did although I did not mean it. I only wanted … I only want to question her. That was all and nothing more. I only want to ask her if she could love a faceless. That would be all I need to know to continue in my pursuit for her. If I had asked her directly, Peter may have caught wind of this and could potentially kill everyone in the castle trying to find me. This … was certainly better, doing it this way, it was!
With the utmost carefulness I snuck into the motel room and quickly locked the door. My fists tremble as I touched my head against the wood, trying to work up my nerves. This is the best solution to this situation. Any other way and other Role Holders would have found out about this, without a doubt. This was safer for both her and I.
Fixing my nerves now I let out a deep sigh, nodding to myself. And now to continue. I turned towards the bed and gently laid her over the cheap covers, seeing the bleeding wounds on her knees and her slightly swollen ankle. My clock shuddered, feeling terrible for hurting her like this.
"I-I'm sorry … I will fix you up quickly, I promise." I whispered, gently thumbing her forehead. She was always so kind; almost too kind. So kind that any Role Holder could easily take advantage of her but I would never do that. My lips formed a hard line before I gently kissed her forehead, feeling my clock skip a beat as I faintly flushed. "I'm very sorry, Miss Jackie. Please bear with me." I softly asked before I took out the strips of bed sheets I previously cut up and tied her wrists against the head posts just before gently blindfolding her. I certainly don't want her to hurt herself again by struggling when she wakes up and if she saw my face, it would ruin everything. After a brief pause I hesitated to do the same to her legs. If she started kicking she would hurt the both of us s-so this is for her own safety. I gently tied up her ankles and strapped them to the bottom of the bed, looking over her body which formed an X formation against the bed. Once she was secure against the soft prop, I quickly dressed her wounds before standing back and looking her over.
Perfect! Now she won't hurt either herself or I if she struggles. I am the best kind of kidnapper. The thought almost immediately brought me to my knees in a brief but hard hitting depression. Th-That really isn't something to be proud of; at all.
I let out a shaky breath as I stared at her, mildly wondering when she would awake. She wasn't supposed to actually ingest the knockout liquid. Th-That wouldn't hurt her, would it? I nervously stared at her now, finding my foot tapping quick against the ground in worried thought before I lost my nerve, quickly digging through the small duffle bag and pulling out the bottle.
"O-Okay, so it won't have adverse effects, right?" I asked aloud, quickly reading the warning label.
Warning. This product is entirely safe only if inhaled through the nose or mouth. If ingested after recently having taken a painkiller of this same brand, side effects could include intense heat flashes, oddly absurd noises, temporarily loss sensations of taste, extreme thirst, increased sensitivity, clock attack, stroke and or near death hallucinations.
"What a very odd label." I uneasily noted, faintly worried. It really wasn't that much and it wasn't as though she swallowed much of it; only a taste on her tongue. S-So I imagine she will be fine.
The shaky unease refused to leave my system as I walked over to her, gently touching her arm. S-She does appear to be rather warm. From her lips she let out the faintest of groans, making me jolt and stare at her as my clock raced. She will surely be frightened when she wakes up b-but he had no intentions on harming her at all.
"Hmm … Miss Jackie, are you awake?" I softly whispered, sliding my hand down her arm and finding the heat becoming more intense. Entirely frightened now I very hesitantly touched her belly through the thin cotton cover of her tank top. The heat was so intense it almost felt as though my skin would melt against hers.
"Miss Jackie … p-please wake up," I whispered, trembling in fright. She wasn't in pain, was she? But this heat ... if she remained being this hot, she may be in danger. "Please pardon me, Miss Jackie!" I pleaded, gently grabbing the rim of her shirt and slowly peeling it away from her moist skin. A hot flash of excitement crawled over my skin, making my clock painfully ache. Here I was doing something I never imagined I would; undressing the foreigner and even though it was for an innocent reason I still felt … dirty. As thought I was touching something precious filth such as I should never touch.
My cheeks flushed as I slowly pulled her shirt up, finding my breathing hitching as her bare skin was slowly being revealed to me. My clock raced as I pushed her shirt up over her forearms, moving slowly and savoring the touch of her skin under my hands. So soft and so hot, I feel as though I truly will melt into her. Is this what Role Holders feel when they are near a foreigner? Do they also feel such a powerful lust when looking at her skin or was I perhaps the only strange one? If everything went awry later … this may be the last time I can ever hear, touch or feel her presence.
The thought was simply devastating. I do not want to fade away from her. My legs shook so terribly that I kneeled on the bed beside her, pressing my hands against her hot stomach and listening to her soft whining breaths as sweat beaded on her forehead. My head spun in circles as I hesitantly set my head against her chest, listening to the warming presence of her beating heart. Such a delicate sound … I desperately want it. I turned towards her skin, hesitating before very gently kissing the skin over her heart.
I desperately want this heart all to myself.
This feeling of simply being near her was truly addictive. I wanted more, I wanted to touch her and hold her close just to become closer with her precious heart. I shouldn't yearn for this, I am a faceless. Just a filler pawn like the rest of the faceless in this world. Very slowly but surely the tip of my tongue tasted her, wanting to know her more than anyone else. The salt of her skin teased me as I leaned in closer and closer, allowing just a tiny bit of self indulgence. Just a little bit … I only want a little bit right now. Do not think so badly of me, Miss Jackie. You are simply too beautiful and alluring to not desire. But … now that I have had a taste of the foreigner, I do not think I can ever go back to the life I was had.
JACKIE'S POV
"N-Nnnh," I faintly groaned, trying to open my eyes but found a pressure holding them shut. Was I … blindfolded? And why was it so hot? I shakily breathed and tried to weakly pull my legs and arms in and away from the heat but they were firmly strapped down with a thick cloth holding them. Wait … oh crap, I was kidnapped, right? The sweltering heat in my body currently took up most of my processing power, hardly able to comprehend what was happening now let along what had happened before. "Hot … i-it's hot." I panted, finding an uncomfortable cotton dryness in my mouth.
A movement against my skin made me slightly jump, feeling the presence tense up. "Ah, Miss J-Jackie … you are awake. How are you feeling?" He asked as what felt like his hand slid up my waist, gently gripping the soft flesh.
"It's hot," I panted, trembling as I tried to collect my senses, "where am I?" I questioned, barely having the concentration to form that important question. My tongue tapped against the top of my mouth, trying to wet it to make talking easier but my voice was lost in the dryness.
"I-I can't say. B-But please answer me this, Miss Jackie … could, could you ever … love a faceless, as the star should love a Role Holder?" He hesitantly questioned as his hand slid down my side. The intense sensation made me gasp and shy back from it, tossing my head against the pillow.
"It's hot," I whispered, trying to kick at the sheets below me, "I-I can't talk," I barely rasped out, feeling the aching dryness impeding my speech.
"You can't? Ah, alright. Here." He said, sliding his hand slowly into my hair before lifting my head up and touching a glass to my lower lip. The flooding water hardly improved the dryness in my mouth, if not made it worse. It was as if my body already evaporated the water before it could satisfy my dryness.
"It's hot … it hurts." I shakily breathed, finding that breathing alone was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Do you feel unwell?" The kidnapper asked, hesitating before touching my skin again. "Y-You're getting hotter! Hold on," he said, startled before he left the creaky bed. The hot flash of fire consuming my body evoked a deep groan as I weakly pulled at the restraints. They were too tight and I was too weak to break them. "Here," he said as something rattled before painful spikes of freezing coldness dropped onto my body like bullets.
"AAUUUUGH-!" I shouted, struggling harder in the restraints as my breathing hitched and picked up, gasping for air now as tears built up in my eyes from the lack of oxygen. My chest constricted as it felt like my windpipe was starting to close. This was so painful-!
"What's wrong?! Are you hurting? D***!" He shouted, gently cupping my cheeks, "s-stay right here, I'll be right back with some more ice to help cool you off." He said before he hurried away. A door opened and shut rather quickly as I tried to call out for help but found it impossible to speak through my near gasping. What the hell kind of kidnapping was this? He seemed skittish and weird … ugh, it's t-too hot.
I desperately began trying to worm myself free, unable to move fast at all. My heartbeat thudded behind my ears as I strained my head against the pillow, unable to gathering my senses properly. It's no use … everything in my head was a mess and I can't coordinate my body right.
The creaking of the door caught me off guard as I shakily breathed, listening for footsteps but none came; someone was at the door and watching, however. I could sense it. My tongue scraped against my mouth, trying to speak up and demand to know who was watching but there was no response.
"Ooh … how erotic." A deep and familiar voice crooned as the tapping of his expensive shoes against the floor drew closer. "What's this, now … a sexy rendezvous gone wrong?" Blood's voice softly asked against my ear before lightly sucking on my earlobe, making me tremble and try to shy away. "No need to be so coy, my dear. Why don't you simply let me play?" He questioned before a single finger touched my sternum, slowly drawing down and making my spine raise and follow his descent before he poked the bottom of my belly.
" … elp," I barely squeaked out, desperately trying to speak. "Ood. -ease," I tried to beg through the desert in my mouth.
"That voice is quite sexy … but how did you end up in this predicament, Jackie? I simply must know," he questioned as two fingers slipped into my mouth and against my tongue, holding it down as his hand pressed against my stomach. Ugh … t-this isn't the time to be teasing me like this-!
"Blood! Did you find her?" Elliot's voice asked from the doorway. "J-Jackie-?!" Elliot gasped, startled her bounds began to loosen. "What happened? Are you alright?" He asked, touching and feeling my skin before the blindfold was ripped off of my face, revealing Elliot nervously looking me over with my missing shoe in his hands. Blood's staff hooked around my jaw, making me look at him as he leaned in slightly, observing my eyes.
"She's been poisoned by an amature; dry mouth, excessively heated skin and upped sensitivity. A rather common chloroform mixture intended to be inhaled but it appears the simpleton made her ingest some." Blood explained, "a common home brewed mix such as this takes effect rather quickly and dissipates slowly with the right treatment. However, it appears as if he was torturing her." Blood noted before another searing painful touch against my belly made me gasp and clench my teeth, trying to hold back a scream before pulling my shirt back down to cover myself.
"Which means the b****** is around here somewhere." Elliot hissed before he bounded out the door and started barking orders to some
I tried to speak once again to ask how they found me, unable to get any words past my throat. Blood noticed this, lightly laughing at my attempts. "Quiet yourself, my dear. That poison won't let you speak for a few time changes." He warned with a faint laugh, drawing a thumb over her jaw, "now what sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into today? I look forward to finding out once you can speak," he teased, slipping out of his jacket before slipping it over my shoulders. "Come now, dear. Perhaps some tea will help with that dry mouth, don't you think?" Blood asked as he helped me up. I pressed a hand against my dizzy forehead, relying on him for support as he half carried me out of the tiny apartment. Ugh … I don't know what's worse, having been kidnapped by a stranger or now being kidnapped by Blood Dupre of the mafia.
… Blood was worse, definitely.
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I hope you are enjoying the series! I know I've been on haitus for a while but I hope to write more and more of these stories for your enjoyment! 10 REVIEWS for the next chapter~