Disappointment

Chapter 5

Tea PoV

"No father! Please stop! Please don't do this! Please st--"

'Bang'

I jumped so hard in my sleep that it awoke me. My eyes darted around the room trying to take in everything at once. Nothing was disturbed, nothing was missing, and I could still hear the heavy breathing of my father in the room next to mine. I breathed a long sigh of relief, and laid my head back onto my pillow, glancing over at the clock. 1:47, it had barely been an hour since I fell asleep.

I stood to leave my room, thinking that water would quench the dry, sticky feeling that my mouth was now experiencing. I saw that there were beer bottles scattered around the living room left by the guests of my father that night; such a horribly vile drink.

I began filling my glass with water, the moonlight that was streaming through the window reflecting off of the pool of it. That's when there came a rustling at the door. "Robbers!' I immediately thought, "What could they want from us?" A horrible scratching noise came from the window behind me and I jumped, dropping the glass of water in the process. There was a man. A boy whom I had never seen before, yet who seemed extremely familiar. He was shrouded in black but I could tell that he had a small frame. He motioned for me to come to him, but my only response was shaking my head rapidly and backing into the cabinet behind me. The front door finally busted and creeping people came filing into the house, making more noise than they thought they were.

Once again I looked over at the window; the boy had disappeared. I ran to the corner of the room where we kept the knives, grabbing a couple and holding them out, ready to fight. What I didn't notice was the person lurking in the shadows behind me. With his hand over my face and my hands pinned behind my back, he took me struggling out of the back door.

Despite the thinness of his body, he was able to carry me for three blocks, with me struggling all the while. I finally broke his grip and he let me fall, however he did not let go of my wrist. I turned to face him, but he had a mask on. I twisted around yet the tightness of his grip did not lessen.

"Arg! let go of me! Help! Help!" I shouted in my loudest voice so that someone might here me and come to my aid. No one seemed to hear me, and my captive's hand was once again placed tightly over my mouth.

"Quiet", he whispered sharply, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

I recognized the voice. It was the voice I had been thinking about. It was the voice I had imagined telling me goodnight, and protecting me. The man, sensing that I was sedated, put his hand down.

"Ryou?' I asked questioningly to my captive.

But he gave me no answer and instead turned me to face the direction we had just come. I could see there was a light; A flickering light. There was a fire, and it was coming from my house.

"No! My father! I must go back! I have to save my father!" I screamed. But my captive pulled me into a tighter embrace from behind, one in which my arms were pinned down by my sides and I could not move forward.

"It couldn't have been helped Tea, he was dead long before the blaze. There was nothing you could have done"

"Ehh! What? No, no! There's still time! I must save him! Let me the fuck go! I have to go back to him!"

But he just held onto me all the tighter, and despite the desperate feeling of aloneness and confusion, he calmed me. My state of shock faded temporarily and I broke out in tears, turning to the boy who in turn started walking, guiding me along. I went hesitantly, but I once again found myself trusting in a stranger.

"But I don't understand, why did they want to kill my father and me?" I asked, but there was no immediate answer. However, the question was not ignored. My captive finally answered with something that lead to more questions.

"Tea, it isn't like there is always a direct answer for everything." he sighed.

He knew my name, so it would make sense that I would know his too. He reminded me of Ryou- the same build of his body, the same gentle touch, the same voice...yet it sounded a bit harsher, but that could just be a trick of the night.

"Uhm, Ryou?..." I began, but he interrupted me.

"I'm not Ryou. Stop calling me that."

I pulled away from him again. I would not be tricked by this man. I would not follow him any longer. I could beat him, I knew I could. And so I tried. I twisted around and hit him in the stomach, but that just caused him to pin me against the building wall we were walking by.

"Don't try that again or I'll wish I would have left you in your house to be burned along with your father. Unappreciative girl. I can't make out what he sees in you." he trailed off.

I shuddered. "How did you know that my house was going to be destroyed? And who are you! Why should I trust you?' I struggled again but he only tightened his grip on my arms.

"I don't want to hurt you- I just saved your ass by the way. I know Ryou; he is the one who sent me. Just relax; we're going to his house. Honestly, why are you being so foolish?" My captive looked around at me as if I was too childish for my own good, before leading me on down a side street.

The city was a maze; after only five turns I had completely lost all sense of direction. We had left the heart of the city. Where I had felt most comfortable, but then again, every comfortable thing I could think of was now gone.

Could it be that I was falling for him? This boy whom I had met less than a week ago? Every time I thought of him my stomach suddenly twisted into butterflies. It was a feeling that made me sick. The mere thought of his hand brushing against mine made me lightheaded.

So it seems that I really am too easy.

end chapter