Devil on the Doorstep
Well, I told you updates would be slapdash!
Devil on the Doorstep; Chapter XIII: Stockholm Syndrome
Kai hugged his knees as he stared around the dark and dingy cell. Once upon a time, he would have called on The Phantom of the Abbey to help him, but now he knew better. Bryan was curled up next to him, and the crimson eyed blader was scared for his friend. Because, to escape from the place of your nightmares, and then be dragged screaming back, was hell. And he wasn't sure how much more Bryan could take, before he cracked and went the way the only people who legally escaped the Abbey did – the mental asylum.
Lee forced a smile as Kai looked at him. But it soon wilted under Kai's intense glare. The neko-jin was scared, no matter how much he tried to hide it, and Kai had no sympathy for him.
Kai felt someone looking at him – from his back. No one in the room was looking at him, and there were no CCTV cameras in the cells… Kai took a deep breath and looked behind him, meeting a familiar grey eye as it looked through a slit in the wall. Kai swore under his breath. The eye had no hatred in it, nor anger. Just a calm amusement, as if seeing his son in a cell was a highly entertaining thing. A piece of wood was then drawn across the gap, and Kai was left with a simple sentence.
All is not what it seems…
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Afraid of the dark, do you hear me whisper, an empty heart replaced with paranoia…
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Bryan scrambled to his feet as Seth and Boris entered, Seth first, then Boris. Kai was shivering slightly, though from cold or fear the Russian couldn't tell.
Seth was still wearing the full length skeleton mask – the 'Masquerade' mask as the older Russian called it, but his hands were shaking and he no longer met anyone's eyes. Despite himself, Bryan was intrigued. What was wrong with the Phantom? And this time, it was clearly Boris who was the dominant figure. Seth seemed so much younger, and Bryan couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear for him.
The Phantom's grey eye swept across the row of bladers, betraying no emotions as it did so. Like before, he stopped at Kai. By this time, Kai was shaking so violently that it was noticeable, and Bryan was pretty sure it was from fear. Pure fear, that makes you want to scream, but freezes your throat so you can't. As Bryan was next to Kai, he saw the look in Seth's eye as he bent down. There was no hatred as the father looked at the son, just such powerful love. Kai looked coolly at his father, and Seth opened his mouth to say something, and then shook his head. He left quickly, just turning before he exited the room and said calmly "Keep your hand at the level of your eyes." And then he disappeared into the cavernous darkness.
Boris' eyes gleamed in a way that the Demolition Boys and Kai remembered – and feared. His eyes swept along the row and they could see he was weighing up their various merits, trying to figure out whose soul would be the most fun to break. He stopped at Lee, and his mouth curved into a smile. He grabbed the neko-jin's arm and pulled him out of the room. Tala and Bryan looked at each other nervously, but they knew there was nothing they could do.
Kai slumped down in the corner he'd been sitting in before, and curled up as tight as he could, trying to stop himself from shaking. But he couldn't stop. He was just so scared. Bryan and Kasi squeezed up either side of him and Bryan wrapped an arm around him, whilst Kasi stroked his hair. Soon, Kai began to drift, feeling almost safe…
… But then he was brought back down to earth with a bump when he felt the same prickly feeling as before. He twisted around suddenly, and met again with the grey eye. It seemed to be telling him something; move out the way. Kai obliged, letting Seth see the full company of them. For a few minutes, the Phantom's eye flickered around the room, and then the gap was filled in. Kai leant back against the wall in exhaustion, not expecting what came next.
The door flew open and Seth came in.
"Where's Lee?" He demanded.
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You're cold with disappointment, whilst I'm drowning in the next room…
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Seth threw open the door to Boris' confinements, shaking in anger. He knew what he was going to see before he saw it – Boris kissing – touching – Lee.
"Get the hell off him, Balkov!" Seth yelled, gripping his cane tightly. Lee looked down, ashamed, and that just made Seth angrier.
"You can't tell me what to do!" Boris retorted, clambering up with a sigh. But that was a mistake; Seth was twenty years younger than Boris, and agile with it. The Phantom grabbed Lee's wrist and pulled him away from the older man.
"We had a deal Balkov…" Seth's voice was dripping with anger. Boris just shrugged and turned away. Seth rolled his eye and closed the door, loosening his grip on Lee's wrist. The neko-jin followed, head hanging in shame. Seth took the boy to his own quarters, shutting the door behind him. Lee stood in the middle, bitter tears coursing down his face. "You'll stay here tonight." Seth said curtly, deliberately not looking at the boy. "I daresay you are in need of a good sleep." Lee curled up obediently on the bed, and the sobs grew louder as he tried to suppress them. "Please don't cry." The Phantom said softly. "It's not your fault. I know you feel… dirty and used, but please don't blame yourself. It's my fault." Lee tried to stop, but the feeling of Boris' touch was still strong, and the tears would not go. Seth patted his arm awkwardly, unused to dealing with children. As the sobs continued, Seth grew slightly more accustomed, and stroked the neko-jin's hair gently. Then, he pulled the covers over the boy and watched him sleep.
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I'm so lost, I'm barely here, I wish I could explain myself, but words escape me…
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Hmm… not too bad… Naughty Boris!