I do not own Blood and Chocolate. I do own my characters. Um... Yeah, lots of video game responses from my last chapter. I'm so happy this story has attracted fellow gamers. Rock on! Pirates of the Burning Sea comes out January! Woot-woot!
Layla:
I went through the clothes that I'd been provided with. They were pretty extraordinary. Fashionable cuts, stylish print, and a few pieces of what looked like lingerie, but upon further investigation I realized it was just skimpy. I guess Bridget had been the one to do my shopping. I guess all things considered I could have much worst captors. But everything in here looked more like Phoebe and Paulette's clothes.
I settled on a pair of jeans (like always) and a low cut brown t-shirt. I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror and brushed out my hair.
Keep an eye out for escape routes, anything that can be used for your advantage, I reminded myself. But instead I found myself wondering what I was going to do when I saw him. Dr. Gideon rapped on the door. I set my hairbrush aside and went to the door that was held open. I stepped outside with him and we walked down the hallway. The rooms that were once half empty were slowly filling with furniture and posters.
I made a mental map of each room we passed. Dr. Gideon led me out the back door onto the windy plains that was the backyard.
"I wouldn't try to run if I were you," Dr. Gideon said over his shoulder as I scanned the horizon. I snorted.
"I wasn't going to," I mumbled under my breath. We reached the red cube building, then up the staircases outside the building. Each metal step had a metallic groan as we went up. I looked around at the landscape. Everything was completely barren aside from the house and a single one lane road that came to and from the house. The land was completely flat. If I did try to run it would be one long sprint.
Dr. Gideon took out a ring of jangling keys and unlocked the door on the second story of the building. We stepped inside. Stale air came out. The room was small and narrow going long ways from either side like a hallway. But the opposite wall was a window.
Dr. Gideon didn't turn any light. He walked over to the right side and looked down. I followed his gaze. Jonas was sitting on a thick metal chair in the center of the room beside and matching metallic table. He wore a robe and not much else. His hair was ruffled. Sweat glistened off the parts of his skin I could see. He was tapping his fingertips anxiously on the arm of his chair, his knee bounced continuously.
His nostrils flared. He looked up, almost directly at me. This startled me. I'd never him like this. I've never seen anyone like this.
"Is he okay?" I asked Gideon.
"He's anxious. Annoyed," the doctor replied. "It must be frustrating to be this helpless."
"Oh..." was all I could think of to say. Dr. Gideon nodded to a button in the wall.
"You could speak to him through the intercom," he said.
"I can't go in there?" I asked. Dr. Gideon shook his head.
"If I let you anywhere near him, he might not give you back," he said. I frowned. Give me back? He was letting Jonas talk to another person, not letting him borrow a pencil in class. "You can talk to him."
"I want to talk to him alone," I said. Dr. Gideon shrugged apologetically.
"I'm sorry. I have to monitor the conversation," he said.
"I just want to talk to him personally. I'm not going to do anything," I tried to argue.
"The answer is no," Dr. Gideon said raising his voice. "I think I have given you plenty of liberties and luxuries so far. This is not going to be one of them." I crossed my arms across my chest and ground my teeth in irritation.
"If you wish I could take you back to your room," Gideon threatened passively. I rolled my eyes and stomped over to the intercom button.
"Jonas, its Layla. Gideon's eavesdropping on the conversation," I said. Jonas perked and stood up.
Jonas:
She spoke over the intercom and while I couldn't see her anywhere her scent told me she was close. Behind the one way mirror, I realized. I stood up making sure the robe I wore (I didn't exactly have any clothes for the occasion of being abducted) was closed all the way. Werewolves may not mind about clothing, but humans tended to be a little more fussy about keeping your jewels in the safe.
"Layla..." Where did I begin? "I am so sorry."
"You shouldn't be sorry. Gideon here on the other hand..." I smiled as there was a pause. I could imagine the exchange up there behind the one way mirror. "Anyway, don't worry about me."
"I am worried about you," I said. Don't worry about her? That was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard! I hadn't stopped worrying about her since the first day we met. "This is all my fault."
"Jonas, don't say that. It's not," she said.
"I should have said something," I said hanging my head.
"What? Like tell me you're a werewolf?" she laughed.
"No," I said. "But I could have told you how I felt. I had the perfect opportunity so many times. But my family and Katrina and Tommy... There were so many complications. I could have done something terrible to people if I lost control."
There was a pause. I looked up hopefully.
"Will he let me see you?" I asked.
"Gideon thinks if I get anywhere near you that you wouldn't give me back," Layla said. Gideon was maniac, but he was no fool. Had I been able to see her I would guard her, I would pummel anything that tried to take her away. I probably would end up killing Gideon and the others, and that was starting to sound more and more appealing.
"Gideon, what exactly are you using us for? Just research?" I asked. There was a pause. Layla's voice was replaced by Gideon's over the intercom.
"Research purposes. Perhaps if we learned how to contain you we could help other people with your problem," Gideon said.
"I was doing just fine with my problem until you stepped in," I said narrowing my gaze.
"Only because you were given the best circumstances. Layla doesn't reject you. She hasn't been courted by anyone else in the time you've had. When Michael and the other pups stepped in you weren't fairing so well," Gideon pointed out. I clenched my jaw at the thought of Michael leaving kills on Layla's front porch and frightening her.
"I could have handled it," I said unsure if I was telling the truth of not.
"Could you have?" Dr. Gideon retorted. I blinked a few times as I thought of what I could have done. Maybe I should be locked away like this. But there was no reason for Layla to be here.
"You don't need Layla. Let her go home. I'll do whatever tests you want. I'll... I'll help you with your research. Whatever you need," I said quickly.
"I can't do that. You won't reach your potential without her as incentive. Like I said, don't worry about her. She is perfectly healthy and comfortable," Gideon said. My fists clenched by my side. I paced back and forth by the thick steel table. My mind was racing for options. "The tests will start tomorrow."
Layla:
The tests will start tomorrow. What tests? What exactly were they going to do to him? To me? I had thoughts of mazes and electric shocks. With nothing left to say Gideon opened the door that led outside. He made an after-you gesture. I followed in front of him trying to make sense of everything in my head. Dr. Gideon followed behind me as we decended into the flowing plains, back towards the house.
It only then just occurred to me that I was missing my chance to say anything to Jonas. What did I want to ask him? That couldn't be all I wanted to talk to him about.
"What is it, Layla?" Dr. Gideon asked sounding more annoyed than intrigued. I opened my mouth to respond, but couldn't find the answer I wanted to give.
"Is there ever going to be a time I can talk to Jonas alone?" I finally asked. Dr. Gideon gave me a look.
"It would be counter productive. To know a Lone Wolf, you have to know his mate. I would have to monitor that conversation," he said.
"He's not a subject for some science experiment. He's a person. Couldn't we just talk alone for... five minutes?" I asked. Dr. Gideon blinked at me in silence. He was intrigued by something. Suddenly his mood swayed to charming. He put on a smile and rested a hand on my shoulder.
"Layla, I'd like to ask you some questions inside if you don't mind," he said. I was instantly suspicious.
"You want to interview me?" I restated. He thought for a moment.
"Think of it as a civil conversation," he said. When we got inside Gideon rushed around the house and put a recorder on the kitchen table. He motioned for me to sit down while he made a light lunch. It wasn't much, he just threw together a sandwhich. Maybe he wanted it to feel like a nice conversation, however the blinking light on the recorder reminded me that this was indeed an interview.
Gideon handed me a sandwhich on a nice grandma-decor plate that matched the feel of the rest of the house. The kitchen was decorated the same. The refrigerator was a stale yellow. The green wallpaper had faded to nearly the same color and there was the aged crochet curtains on the window. Dated and cracked linolium on the floor. The only odd thing I could find was that there was no phone on the wall. Or anywhere for that matter.
Figures.
The furniture must have been stolen from some diner in the fifties, I decided. The rounded rim chairs and table were a mismatched set.
It made me a little angry that Gideon was trying to pass this off as an everyday event. Like I was having brunch with my uncle or something. But as he was preparing a glass of juice for himself and me I got the best idea for revenge. I could flip flop this interview to gather more information.
"This is a nice house, by the way," I said surprising him just slightly that I was the one that started the conversation. He may even have been a little suspicious. Either way, he answered me.
"Thank you," he said.
"Did you buy it? Must have been kind of expensive what with the renovations and stuff," I said. Gideon sat down while handing me a glass.
"It wasn't mine," he said. This answer surprised me. "It's a friend's. She's letting me use it." Interesting. Very interesting.
"Oh. Does she know what you're-...?"
"Layla, if you keep bombarding me with questions how am I supposed to ask you anything?" he said as light heartedly as he could manage while trying to contain his annoyance with me. I closed my mouth. "Now... When did you and Jonas first meet?"
I sighed. "At school."
"Mmm... How?" Gideon said taking a bite of his sandwhich and taking out a notepad. I told him unenthusiastically of our little run-in when I was in the office and he was in the nurse's office with a headache. "And then you left?"
"Well, I did. Then Jonas caught up to me and asked me if I wanted to ditch. So we did," I said.
"Did you get caught?"
"Almost, we outran the supervisor. He helped me jump a fence..." I said almost smiling. I thought of the memory as romantic. Come on, two teenage delinquents? It was pretty cute. "Can I ask a question?" Dr. Gideon stopped writing, glancing up annoyed.
"Sure," he answered.
"What happened to the last Lone Wolf's mate?" Dr. Gideon looked away instantly. Just like I feared. Something terrible must have happened to them.
"I can't answer that," he said looking up again. He quickly changed the subject. "And in the time you and Jonas knew each other, did he ever do anything strange?" My brow furrowed.
"Like what?" I asked hesitantly.
"Did he ever show any possesive behavior?" he rephrased. I thought on that. I remembered him getting into fights. Both times he did I happened to be present. "Did he ever... display affection in a strange way?"
"What?" I burst, the word was caught sharply in my throat. "Jonas would never do anything inappropriate. I had to play the cheap, 'I'm cold' trick just to get him to put his arm around me."
Dr. Gideon sat back in his chair and thought for a moment.
"Did you ever find dead animals in your front yard?" he asked. My face paled. The my vegetarian's stomach churned.
"Yes... Twice," I said slowly.
"Only twice?" Gideon asked.
"Yes, why? Was that Jonas?" I asked appalled. Dr. Gideon shook his head.
"No. If it only happened twice it was just Michael trying to provoke Jonas," he said. Again I felt my brows knit together in concern. Two animals dead because of me. Great, now I was never going to get to sleep tonight.
"Why was Michael leaving dead animals in my front yard?" I said my voice getting higher as my heart sped up.
"That bothers you?" Gideon asked.
"Yes! It's a tad bit creepy," I said fidgeting uncomfortably.
"Now you're getting creeped out?" Dr. Gideon said chuckling a little bit.
"No, I've been creeped out since the day I met Michael and the others. Pretty much, ever since you and them came into the picture," I said raising my voice.
"Funny, because usually when a Lone Wolf imprints they tend to give off an uncomfortable stalking vibe. He should be the one creeping you out," Dr. Gideon said.
"Jonas never creeped me out," I said narrowing my eyes at him.
"He's a smart, dedicated boy. Do you understand the amount of work he went through just to avoid you?" Dr. Gideon asked. I started to say something, then I closed my mouth again. "Lone Wolves are dangerous. They often end up killing their mate, their pack mates, and any other poor innocent who happened to cross his path. He's dangerous and yet..."
He paused tapping his pen on the table top. He bit his lip in thought while looking at me. Like he was studying me.
"And yet you seem equally devoted to him," Gideon finally finished. "Why is that?"
I thought about that question. Why was I so obsessed with him?
"I... don't know," I answered slowly.
Again Dr. Gideon tapped his pen while looking at me with the same peculiar thoughtful look. I looked away, trying to break from the uncomfortable silence.
"Hey," I said. "It's my turn for another question."
Dr. Gideon straightened in his chair again, readjusting himself.
"If you must..."
"Where are you getting all the money for all this?" I asked him. He cocked an eyebrow. "You don't work, at least as far as I know, you've renovated this dinky little cutesy house, the barn is locked up so tight that Jonas couldn't break in or out if he wanted to, and you're supporting me, Jonas, and the other werewolves." Dr. Gideon raised his brows intrigued.
"If you must know, I'm gathering the information for this research for someone else," Dr. Gideon said.
"Someone's paying you to kidnap me, risk your lives by handling Jonas, and for your living up here with three kids rent free?" I said skeptically. There was prolonged silence between us. It seemed that Gideon was getting suspicious of me, wondering just how curious I was.
"You have a lot of questions," Dr. Gideon said.
"And you have very little answers," I retorted. I smirked smugly.
"You're one very spoiled hostage, you know that?" he said standing up and putting his plate away. He looked at my plate with my untouched sandwhich. "Not a fan of ham and cheese?" I shook my head.
"Vegetarian," I said. Dr. Gideon smiled wide, frightening me with such a sudden positive gesture.
"I love irony," he grumbled.
"Tell me more about Lone Wolves," I said pushing my plate away. Dr. Gideon took my plate and saved the sandwhich in a plastic bag.
"They're very powerful," Dr. Gideon said with a hint of a sparkle in his eye. It was a familiar sparkle, like a teacher teaching his favorite subject, or a lawyer presented with the perfect evidence. "They're willful, slightly psychotic, and possessive."
"So when you said if I saw Jonas, he wouldn't give me back..."
"I meant it quite literally," Dr. Gideon said. I thought on that. Well, when you put it that way it did sound pretty creepy. But in Jonas's defense, Dr. Gideon had already taken me with no intent on giving me back.
"Psychology is facinating," I said, half-faking my enthusiasm. Psychology was pretty interesting, however it was not my passion. Not like Gideon's.
"Isn't it?" Dr. Gideon said. His eyes were absolutely dazzling with interest. Passions make people sloppy. They make you willing to inform, to share your knowledge. I know this for a fact. For instance if you came up to me and told me you thought the Enlightenment Era was history's finest literature, I would babble on about Romanticism for hours. That sparkle is what makes a nerd a nerd.
"This Lone Wolf thing, you think it's hereditary?" I asked innocently. My question wasn't directed toward any of my own suspicions. I was just feeding his interest.
"Almost certainly," Dr. Gideon said.
Then he froze in place like he just realized he'd made a huge mistake. He paused and looked at me with furrowed brows. I kept my smile firmly in place with the innocent eyes of a student willing to learn. Somehow he seemed to catch me in the act. I saw him looking away as if searching his mind to replay what he'd told me.
"Go on," I encouraged.
Dr. Gideon went to the refrigerator and took something out of the fruit bin. He walked over to me and planted it in my hand.
"That is the only vegetarian meal we have. I think its time you got back to your room," he said. With that I was returned to my prison.
Its a little bit of a filler, I've got a bunch of ideas up in the air still. I just turned in my essay and my teacher assigned another essay! Freakin' A! No rest for the weary, but that just means more procrastinating, which in turn means more chapters.