Chapter Fourteen

"It's in your eyes, what's on your mind.
I fear your smile and the promise inside.
It's in your eyes, what's on your mind.
I fear your presence, I'm frozen inside. -A Dangerous Mind, Within Temptation

I couldn't tell him. I wouldn't give away Bruce like that. I would let him kill me first. Not that it would take long for that to happen... "I can't tell you that."

To my amazement he giggled hysterically. "You have such courage for one so small and vulnerable. Oh what a shame it will be when I have to kill you."

I wished he'd stop reminding me. "If it's such a shame to kill me, don't do it at all." Please.

He laughed again, louder and longer than before. "I will, in the end. I promise you that. And I am a man of my word. Now, when that is, even I cannot say. I have no plans. I could kill you today or in ten years." Well, that was something. "It'll be closer to the first choice, though." Lovely.

"If you don't care at all, why don't you just kill me now?" Show me you care, please. And if you don't, at least I won't always wish you did anymore. At least I'd be in peace, at last.

He giggled at me. "Oh, I couldn't kill you right this moment. I'm having too much fun, and I haven't gotten my answers yet. But I will skip my first question for now, if you insist on being so stubburn. I'll simply move on to the next question, for now." Well, I would take what I could get. "Why don't you fear me, Larisa?"

He said my name. Sigh. Wait...what was the question?! "What?!"

He looked at me for the millionth time tonight, and I almost melted. Maybe a puddle me would be harder to kill. "I asked you why you didn't fear me."

Oh. Oh dear. How was i supposed to answer that?? "I do fear you." Ehh..good enough.

He looked almost...disappointed? "I see."

I didn't understand why he didn't want me to fear him, unless... "You sound disappointed."

He grinned again. I didn't understand. I was in over my head. But it was too late to back out. "I just would have liked to have one person to die with out fear clouding up their face. It would've been a pleasant change to see a peaceful dead body fall down, rather than a restless and haunted one."

Now I was REALLYYYYYY glad I asked. "That's...interesting." Not exactly. More like disturbing. And I wanted him to want me to not be afraid of him because he felt for me too, not because my death would have been a 'pleasant change'. The way he could crush me into a million tiny pieces with his words...

He laughed. When was he not laughing? I wondered if he laughed in his sleep. I wondered when he slept. I wondered if he slept. I wondered what his favorite food was. Probably eyeballs. I tuned back into our conversation.

"Interesting can mean so many things. It can mean you're disgusted. It can mean you're disturbed. It can mean you're not interested at all and merely bored. Or it can mean, of course, that you are actually interested. But how many times does that happen in life? When someone actually cared about what you have to say?"

I cared. I cared so much. So much that it was killing me. I wished I didn't care. He was going to kill me already. Better not help him along the way. "I care what you have to say."

He grinned at me, showing two rows of filthy teeth. I wondered if anyone else found filthy teeth such a turn on. "How thoughtful of you. And why do you care what I have to say?"

Oh. Didn't think about that... What could I say? "I care because...because you say things that need to be heard." Huh?

He stopped grinning so much. He looked faintly serious. As serious as he could ever look, anyway. "Such as?"

I stopped again. Shit. I should stop talking quite so much. "You tell me what you are going to do to me. This is incredibly important. To me, anyway. As it determines when-" And how... "I will die."

He was silent. I couldn't believe I had said such crap. "I was right about you. You are wiser AND smarter than any other girl, of any age, that I have ever met. And killed." Thank you, thank you, for adding that last sentence. How would I have been able to go on without it.

"Sometimes it is better to be stupid and carefree."

"Sometimes." he agreed. "But usually it is better to know things are going to happen. And you do, Larisa. You do."

I did? I did!

"Now I know of one thing you know that I really want to know. Can you think of what it is?"

Batman or the Joker, I had to choose. A friend or a hopeless love. Dying a good person or living as a coward. No, scratch that. Dying as a good person or dying as a coward.

A/N: helloo! Thank you everyone for your support and your lovely reviews! I don't know if I like this chapter very much...oh well...I hope you guys like it! I do like my song choice though...It fits exactly right, in my opinion. :) OHMIGOSH I WENT TO SEE THE DARK KNIGHT FOR A FOURTH TIME TODAY. Lol. Yeppp. I'm obsessed. :D I was watching Beauty and the Beast in my room today, (Don't ask) and I noticed, however slightly, that this story is kind of like it. Actually..hmm..Beauty, check. Beast..in a way...enchanted objects...no...enchanted castle...no...happily ever after...definitely not...singing...nopers (that would be interesting. lol...crazy father...hey it kinda did have one of those. but not for long. lol. yepp extremely slightly like beauty and the beast. :D well it's 12:30, so I'm signing off. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. ahh, the end of another ramble. just a random thought: today i watched A Series of Unfortunate Events, Mean Girls, The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea, The Dark Knight, and Beauty and the Beast. Lmaoooo. Anyways, school is starting in a week...no more 12:00 typings and postings. ;'( i'll be so sad to write this story when the sun is still up. Oh well.. Oh snap, this ramble is a lot longer than it was supposed to be. Sorry you peoples. Just remember I ramble because I love. Anyways, read, review, and begone with you! just kidding.

Love, WhySoFreakingSerious