Chapter twenty one:Unwined
Tala's POV
I woke up quickly as sweat poured down my pale face. I had been dreaming that Kiko was in danger, or at least it looked like her, it could have been anyone. Nevertheless, they were in danger, and so was I if I tried to help whom ever it was. What was I supposed to do for them? If it hurt me, and they were in pain, there was nothing I could possibly do but watch as they suffer in their silence. Who ever it was, they were lying in a pool of crimson blood, the pool had encircled around the person, and they did nothing but lay still in it.
As fear washed over me once more as I thought about it again, I realized that it wasn't the right time to be awake; I did have a long day of training ahead of myself. So, I laid back down, and closed my icy eyes. A few moments later, my eyes snapped open again. I tried countless times before I realized that it was impossible for me to fall asleep. I sighed in defeat, and stared up blankly at the ceiling. The thoughts continued to swirl around me, therefore my eyes weren't seeing, and my ears weren't hearing. I failed to notice the straining sounds coming up from the stairs; the laboured breathing coming towards me; the weak footsteps leaving the hallway; and the crashing of a body against a wooden floor.
I'm not sure when I did wake from my comatose state, either way I woke up to the pounding on my door. 'What do they want now?' I lazily glanced at my clock, the red letters clearly stated that it was 3:30 am. 'It's not time to wake up yet, then why would they-' my thoughts were interrupted when someone thrust open the door, damaging the lock on it. They ran in and stumbled through the room because of their quickened speed. They finally reached my bedside, and fumbled around for the lamp beside me. I casually flicked on the light, that soon filled out my room. Bryan stood before me, and Spencer was at the doorway. The light from my lamp blinded me, so I squinted trying to gain some sort of definition as to why they were here and why they had brought down my door. But, nothing had entered my mind that was an excuse for their actions. I was about to raise my voice to them, but they interrupted me before hand.
"Tala sir, it's Kiko chan, she's injured badly and won't wake up!" My eyes grew wider as they spoke. 'What do they mean? How could she have…' As in answering my thoughts, Spencer calmly came towards me. His olive eyes were filled with worry as his emotionless face showed no sign of it. He was right at my side now, and his hands were behind his back, and they slowly came up to his chest and crossed over each other.
"We heard something crash downstairs, and then thumping came up here. We heard a door slam, and then we made our way out of the door to find the source of the crash," he waited a minute to catch his thoughts, and then continued, "it turns out that the door to your…computer…was left open and when we turned on the lights…" He stopped there, as he saw the shear horror written in my eyes. 'She didn't…did she?' Bryan pushed Spencer aside, and quickly took my arm. His grip was steely, and his gaze was fierce.
I got the message this time: something was indeed wrong, and Kiko chan was hurt. I nodded slightly to them, as I was slightly surprised that they would be so up front with me; they never are. My team doesn't joke around, they don't have fun, they don't talk to me, and they don't talk to each other. Besides when we train, we never see each other. I don't know my team very well, and have no friends at all. I treat them as they should be treated; without any respect at all. They were lower than I, why should I care if I hurt their feelings and make them cry? Pain only makes us stronger, and friendships weigh us down; but then why did that Granger kid defeat us? How did we lose? If we followed what we were meant to to make us stronger…the strongest…then how did we lose?
I shook my head and tried to erase the thoughts in my head; I need to think of her now. I slowly got up out of my warm and comfortable bed. Bryan and Spencer both backed up and their gaze retreated to the floor. I, being a boy and all, was wearing my boxers and socks to keep my feet warm. Maybe I was the only one who did this? No matter, the thing that needed to have thought about was Kiko chan. What I was wearing didn't matter for the moment. "Um, sir, you should maybe at least gets…pants on." Spencer spoke uncertainly. My surprised look gaze away my feelings right then; which didn't help me concerning the situation. Me, in my green underwear, showing emotion; all bad things for me. No one sees my emotions, as few as they are, and no one sees me dressed like this…ever! But, I digress, I did as was asked, and threw on a pair of my white pants. I then followed Bryan and Spencer out of my door, and into her room.
It was rather cold in her room. Ian was beside her, desperately trying to wake her up by jabbing her side. My eyes quickly analysed her wounds from where I was standing, her side was bleeding, as were her arms and her legs. I calmly walked up to where the two people were, and clamped my hand on top of Ian's shoulder. "Ian, that's enough!" My voice boomed loudly in the room, and Ian jumped slightly when he heard it. Ian turned to face me, and then quickly got out of the way. I gently picked her frail and limp body up, and gently placed her on her bed. 'why was she left on the floor? Those cuts are deep, she should have been taken care of immediately.' My eyes scanned over her once more, before turning back to my team. "Get the first aid kit, now!" Bryan quickly nodded, and ran out of the door. The sound of his footsteps was still heard as he ran down the stairs.
My attention then came to the other two, "now, for you two, you need to get a cloth and a bowl of luke warm water." the nodded, and dashed out the door. I turned back to her, and stood there wondering what we should do. 'She's a girl, anything I do can be deformed into something perverted, so this will be rather challenging. How do we get to the cuts on her sides? That could easily be miss-read by anyone if not done correctly. What on earth was she doing to cause this much damage? Humph, she probably slammed into something and got cut up, maybe a plate or a window. But, if it were a window, the alarm would have gone off…then what could have…' Memory came back as what Spencer had said rang through my head again, 'she was in that room wasn't she? But, that room is locked and is too heavy for any girl to open by herself…did she get help by someone? No, they wouldn't dare try that. What did she see? What does she think of me now? This could turn out very badly, everything could turn out badly. I guess it is what I deserve though, for being as I am. I'm not meant to have the slightest hope of happiness, nor am I allowed any kind of space or peace. No, I'm meant to die alone as I was born alone. No one will ever see me as human, they'll only see a freak, a monster, a horrible person, a leader, someone to be feared. No one will ever see the true me, and I don't think anyone wants to as well.' As I stood there watching over her quietly, I failed to notice that her right arm was twitching; signalling that she was to wake soon.
Spencer, Bryan, and Ian came back quickly, and were at my side with the items I requested. I began to scrutinize her; what are we going to do? "Tala sir, she did go into that room, so it might be wise to ask her how she got inside?" Ian's voice was small and shaking slightly. But, the last comment was the last straw for my patience. I quickly turned on my heel and glared down at him. I then reached down, and picked him up from his collar. He was now face to face with me. He was filled with fear; the thing I have built up for so long. And I was filled with hate; the thing that didn't take forever to grasp.
"You think I don't know that already, Ian?" I hissed, "do you think you're wiser than I?" Ian shook his head. "Then I suggest you don't talk to me about being 'wise', got it?" He nodded, and I placed him down on the ground, and turned back to face Kiko chan. "Give me the water and cloth," I ordered. They did as I said, and stood behind me awkwardly. I carefully placed the water on her side table, and dunked the cloth into it. I gently dabbed at her wounds, and attempted to get the glass out; this was not working. I was only making it worse, she will be in a lot of agony when she wakes.
I continued to gently dab at her wounds. The blood surrounding them was slowly leaving her pale, soft skin. I closed my eyes for a little while, then opened them quickly after. 'I need to keep on getting this blood away'. I did as I thought was best. 'Should I be the one to do this? After what she has seen…she might hate me for being what I am. I am a mutant after all. I'm not human, I shouldn't even be considered as part human; I'm a monster. I'm a freak, a mutant, a monster, a loser; that is what I am. I will be nothing more, and nothing less. I am the lowest scum on this earth, never to be accepted or loved.' Suddenly, her eyes twitched. I drew a quick breath in; hoping that she doesn't wake. What would she think if she found me like this?' I thought sullenly.
To my dismay, she slowly did open her icy blue eyes. I loomed over her, uncertain of what to do. 'Should I stay by her side and wait for her to say of which I hate? Should I wait to see the fear in her eyes? What should I do? I should leave, and hope to be forgotten.' These thoughts and more filled my head; so much that I failed to notice her opened eyes watching me calmly. Bryan, Spencer, and Ian had all left and closed the door behind them. It was me and her alone in this partially empty room; the window on the far wall was open, explaining why it was so cold in here. The cold drafts that entered where chilling me to the bone.
I'm not sure when I did notice that she was awake, but whenever it was, it was apparent that she was waiting for something from me. "Tala sempai…why are you…looming over me?" Her icy eyes were hard to read; they didn't say fear, nor hate. But, of something else, something even I can't describe or understand. The things I never expected came, and the things that I wanted did not. Instead, I got cold heartedness, not showing love, nor hate. I stood there, blinking in complete and totally confusion. Confusion; something that didn't occur to me easily unless I thought of the past.
The past; my past, it haunted my every being. It gave me Goosebumps and made me want to hide, to be held tightly; something which was also foreign to me. I have never been held by someone before, I have never felt the reassurance that I would be alive the next day. The Abbey had taught me many things, and many were not necessarily good. The one thing it taught me was: always fear for your life, and never show emotion. They also told me that I was nothing and will never amount to anything. That no one would love me, and nothing would ever stay with me. Boris; the man who ran the place, had hammered the fact that I was not worth anyone's time, and that the world would be better if I had just died the day they brought me there, to that dump. I was not to love anyone, so that I would never get emotionally hurt by some girl…that I was taught were all weak.
As her icy eyes remained on me un-moving, al thoughts of her being weak escaped me, and only the thought of how beautiful she was, was left. And suddenly, the fear of her leaving the team had filled me; would she leave because of me? I don't want her to leave, I feel like she could be the difference between us losing or us winning. "Kiko chan, you got hurt downstairs when you were…" I shut my eyes for a little while, and then opened them a few moments later, "when you were in my room…where my computer is…" Her eyes seemed to dull a little, and she turned her head away.
'Did I say something wrong? Or, did I scare her because I now know…' Remembering that she had found my room and gotten in somehow, it didn't bother me or worry me, or even get me angry. Her gaze then returned to me, with the same dullness in it.
"Tala sempai, why was your stress level rising? It…worries me…" I said nothing in response, and my gaze strayed from her to the ground. "Tala sempai, are you angry at me?" Her voice shook with fear. I knew it; she is scared of me. My eyes closed, and my fists grew clenched. "Tala sempai, I am so sorry for going in there, I know it was very wrong of me to do so. Tala sempai, if you are angry at me, please say so, please?" Her eyes were begging me now, and so was her voice. It was slowly growing more quiet as she talked. It shook, and it sounded so pathetic, that I dared look up into her eyes.
I stopped. Her eyes, her eyes were something different. They told a story of pain and sadness. Of strength and courage. And, then something else, something I could not read. My emotions of anger left me, and only the emotions of forgiveness came forth from somewhere that I never knew existed. "It's alright, Kiko chan, I'm not angry, not anymore." Her eyes then relaxed, and so did the rest of her body. Her thin body, her soft eyes; no, don't think like that! I still didn't know what was causing me to become stressed, and hopefully, it doesn't come back what ever it was. "why does my stress level worry you?" I desperately wanted to ask her what she thought of me now…but I'm not entirely sure I want to know.
She smiled almost softly up at me, and her eyes seemed less dull. "Because, you are my team leader, are you not?" I nodded slightly to her. I grew amazed by how her eyes seemed to light up with happiness so quickly. It was remarkable honestly. How her eyes seemed to grow to a different shade of blue, an electric blue in fact. So happy and honest were her eyes. And suddenly, in that fleeting moment, I felt at peace and felt that I could tell her everything about me, my secretes, my fears, my weaknesses, and that she would understand them and accept them. I feel like she could accept me, and treat me like I'm human. Like she could joke around with me, and be my friend, the first one in my whole life.
We talked for a little bit more, and then I told her that she should rest. But, before I left, I asked her, "what do you think of me now that you know what I am?" She gave me a confused look, and cocked her head slightly. "I'm not human, not a normal human at least." Her eyes were just as soft as ever, and no fear seemed to leak into them.
"Tala sempai, I don't care what you are, it is who you are that matters." She then smiled, and laid back down on her bed. I nodded slightly, and calmly walked to the door. I opened it slowly and quietly, and placed one foot outside the door.
I turned my head slightly so that she could only see part of my face, "good night" I said, and calmly left the room. I closed the door behind me with a cold exterior pasted onto my face. I went over to my room, and entered it quietly. I went to my bed, and laid down on it. 'she doesn't care what I am, just who I am…nothing like that has ever been said to the likes of me, why?' I pondered on this for what seemed endless. The night was endless, and I still needed to be awake at 7. I sighed to myself, and got up again. I left my room, and calmly went to each of my team member's. I told all of them that we were not going to train that morning. Afterwards, I went back to my room, and disarmed my alarm clock. I then thought more and more about her, until I slowly drifted off to a peaceful sleep. She had remained in my thoughts that whole night, never had a girl been in my mind before. It was a new experience for me, and it worried me slightly, and calmed me slightly. But, soon I was asleep, and no thoughts overcame me then. Only dreams of the Abbey and how it tortured me, and then, of her, and it grew calming and relaxing.
Author note: This chapter was long...well not really but, the longest I've posted I believe! Keee! Tala is so awesomely sweet, I love writting on his POV (point of view). It is so, hard, and very very nerving, but it is worth it in the end. I personally like this one, especailly one...no...a few of the paragrphs are so cool! I was writting it, and online, and I was hyper right? But after I wrote it I ecame so depressed and angry, it was awesome! Mwahaha! Please review it for me! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW IT! It worries me when people don't you know? Mm...anyways...please keep reading, I can't wait to start the next chapter!