~x~ Chapter 56 ~x~

We turned away from each other so that we could get dressed. Once ready, we managed to get a few blankets together so that we could use them as shelter from the rain. Drew put the fire out and we readied ourselves before making a mad dash through the rain towards the main building for Martin's office.

Luckily, we didn't bump into anyone along the way since we would've no doubt attracted a few odd stares and questions. When we burst into the office and shut the doors behind us carefully, we found Ali pacing frantically around the room and the others were all seated with heavy frowns marking their faces.

Hearing us crash in, they all looked up and Ali stopped pacing. When our eyes met, he rushed towards me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" he murmured into my hair, holding me away from Drew.

"Yeah, I'm good, Alster. We're all good since Ozera's going to be a nice guy." I reassured him.

Peeking over Ali's shoulder, I could see everyone stare at Drew expectantly. Rosette had understanding and some strange gleam of anticipation in her eyes. Crispin and Maria seemed to have the same kind of look on their faces. Martin, Joey and Aunty Jules shared the same look too. They were astonished but understood the situation. They knew why Drew was going to keep quiet because being a royal himself, he knew of the pressure. But since they also knew how he held the Ivashkov Princess in such high regard, they were also surprised that he wasn't making more of a deal out of this.

As for Ali… well since I couldn't see his face, I had no idea. His heart was racing and his arms tightened around me until I felt like I was going to suffocate from lack of oxygen.

"Um… Ali… you've got to loosen up a bit. I can't breathe." I choked out, giving his back a light thump with my fist.

His hold loosened a little but he didn't let me go. I was shocked when he suddenly lowered his hands to my waist and lifted me up. He threw me onto his shoulder and I stared at the others with a dumbfounded expression as he carried me off.

Rosette shot me an anxious but understanding glance while Joey and Crispin just smirked at me. Clearly those three knew what was going on in Ali's head but didn't have a chance to explain since Ali ran off with me on his shoulder. It was a good thing that it was a Sunday and most people staying in the dorms or the other common hang out areas scattered around the campus. I certainly didn't need any strange rumours flying around about me and Ali.

He didn't stop until we reached my old house and when we got into the living room, I saw that the film we were watching was still on pause. I felt little bad that Drew was left on his own back there against my family members but knew that he could handle himself just fine. He was a royal after all and my family was certainly going to be mindful of that. They were probably still going to warn him and threaten him but not to the same extent as Crispin perhaps.

"Um… Ali? Are you okay?" I asked hesitantly, unable to read his clouded expression at all which kind of made me feel even more nervous.

"I don't like it," he told me eventually after keeping quiet for what felt like forever.

"Like what?"

"Prince Ozera knowing."

"About me?"

"I don't like it. This feels different to when Jenson found out. It's a lot heavier and thicker. I feel like I'm drowning in something and can't get out, Kalster," he told me honestly, his eyes dark with an emotion I couldn't name.

Concern welled within me and I grabbed him for a hug. "Oh Ali… I wish you didn't feel this way." I murmured against his shoulder. "Try to explain it. If I get a better idea of what you're feeling, maybe we can change it."

"I don't know. It's something like a mixture of anger, confusion and something else," he grumbled, his arms curling around my waist, his face buried into the crook of my neck.

"Anger, confusion and something else? That's not really helping much." I joked, trying to lighten the situation.

"Throw in a whole load of frustration and there you have what I'm feeling."

"What are you frustrated about?"

"Not understanding what the other emotions are."

I thought about it for a minute before I burst out laughing.

He pulled away so that he could look at me with an incredulous and irritated expression. "If you're going to laugh at me, maybe I shouldn't have explained anything."

"Don't you dare." I warned him between laughs. "I hate it when you bundle your emotions and don't explain them to me. It makes me feel confused and lonely."

"Then explain why you laughed."

"You sounded so much like me, that's all."

"What'd you mean?"

"Feeling something but you don't understand what that feeling is. I still get that all the time and it drives me nuts! I think I know the frustration part that you're feeling right now."

"You're a kid, you still have years ahead of you to try and figure things out," he scoffed.

I smacked his shoulder and rolled my eyes at him. "You're not that much older than me, Alster."

"I'm older enough that I should know."

"You forget, most guys generally have the emotional understanding of a girl almost half their age. So technically, you should have the emotional understanding of someone even younger than me which means that I am more knowledgeable of emotions than you are."

"That's nonsense and you know it."

"Is it? It is true that until a certain age, guys are more foolish about emotions than girls are."

"So what? Are you implying that we have a similar understanding of emotions right now?"

I smirked and gave a nod. "That sounds about right. Can you deny it?"

Ali watched me for several moments before giving a sigh, running a hand through his hair with a troubled but defeated expression. "You're not wrong," he admitted reluctantly. "We do tend to get rather confused when it comes to each other, don't we?"

"I have yet to work out whether that's a good or a bad thing."

"Same here. So what do you suggest we do?"

"Work through it of course. I don't want us to become distanced, Ali. Not ever again. Although it was my reckless decision to run away, I don't ever want to be separated from you again. It'd probably kill me."

"It would kill me too." Ali told me with a low and intense tone that sent shivers raking through me. It was a tone of voice that I'd been catching glimpses of. It was something that I never would've thought would be directed at me, and yet there it was. Even after a week and a half, I still didn't know what to think of that.

What should I think of that?

I was startled when he leaned forwards and rested his forehead against mine. Our eyes met and our noses touched. I gave him a soft smile and leaned up to kiss his nose. "Since we're here, why don't we finish off the movie and maybe a couple more? I'll send Martin and Joey a text to say where we are."

Surprise flickered across his eyes at my suggestion. "You don't want to discuss with the others about what you found upstairs?"

"That's too heavy for me right now. As much as I want to get to the bottom of it, we all know as much each other as to what might have happened. I think I've had enough headaches for today with finding that empty vault and Ozera finding out about me."

"It's good to know that you're still a child at heart, running away from heavy situations."

"I'm not running away." I protested. "Just… delaying it. I mean, even if I talk about it with them, it's not really going to get anywhere. I've already told Joey and Martin everything I know about the vault. Besides, as 'Kylie Valentine' I can't go investigating as to who has been hanging around the house, can I?"

"So you're being a little general and letting others do the investigative work?"

"That's right!" I declared.

Ali's phone rang and he took it out of his pocket to read the message. Curiosity rose when a grimace settled on his face and he shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"Am I allowed to be nosy and ask what that message said?"

"I've been ordered to stay away so that I don't behave recklessly around the prince. They also told me to keep you away to make sure you're really okay while they deal with Prince Ozera."

"I really am okay." I reassured him with an honest smile. "Thanks to being a royal, he really does understand how I feel about other people knowing about my blood heritage as a royal."

"It doesn't bother you that he knows?"

"At the moment, I'm trying not to think too much of it. If I do, my mind just might explode. So long as neither of us change the way we behave around each other in any noticeable way, I don't really mind too much."

"Kalster, how do you really feel about him knowing? He was one of the people you didn't want finding out the most, right?"

I glanced at him anxiously for a moment before giving a heavy sigh. "Well… to be honest, I guess that I'm feeling a little bit relieved. He's taken it well so now I don't have to panic over what his reaction could be since it's already happened. Somehow, things have worked out nicely."

"So it seems. Let's get started on those movies," he suggested, gently nudging me to take a seat on the sofa. "I'm kidnapping you this Sunday since we've haven't had a chance to spend a whole day together like we used to."

"It's hardly kidnapping if it's consensual." I scoffed, throwing a pillow at him. "Stop making yourself sound like such a villainous badass."

Ali shot me a defensive look. "Okay, so maybe I'm not a criminal. But I'm still a badass."

"You'll always be a badass in my memory, Alster. All those memories of causing havoc around the school has deemed you a badass forever in my mind."

Up until curfew, I stayed with Ali at the house, watching movies one after the other. Joe and Martin texted us just to check in and to make sure that we were alright.

Somehow, I managed to make it back to the dorms by curfew and once again Joe was there to congratulate me on my success of getting back on time. He also told me that the next day, rather than having my extra training session with him and Crispin, we were all having a meeting in Martin's office instead. Since I had a pretty good idea regarding what the topic of the meeting would be, I wasn't worried.

That night, I fell asleep feeling lighter than usual. Maybe it was because I wasn't worrying about Drew's reaction anymore. The dream that I had however was cryptic, mysterious and it almost drove me nuts. It was a memory of when my parents showed me the vault. There were indeed meant to be two letters. They had also told me that one of those letters was crucial for me to read should anything happen to them before my 16th birthday.

I woke up with a start, feeling startled and unnerved. Goosebumps scattered across my skin and I took a shuddery breath. What was I meant to do now? Since the letter was nothing more than a pile of ashes, I couldn't read it anymore.

I ran a hand through my hair and let out a deep breath to calm myself from the building frustration.

Throughout the whole morning, I still felt like I was in a daze and couldn't focus properly on anything whether it was lessons or my friends. During our training lesson before lunch, I was surprised when Crispin suddenly dragged me off again.

"Sorry about this, Val, but we need your help covering a senior training session again." Crispin told me with a hardly apologetic smile. His grin didn't reflect his words at all.

"Again? But I thought another guardian was assigned already."

"They're not feeling well so I've been asked to fill in while Black takes my place with your class."

"Are you sure it's really okay for me to do this again?"

"Belikov gave the okay. If she says yes then it's fine. Are you okay though? You look a little out of it, Val."

I looked up at him in surprise for a few moments before giving a defeated sigh. "I want to lie and deny it but you won't fall for it, will you?"

"No. Do you want to talk about it?"

"How much did you hear about what happened yesterday besides Ozera finding out my secret?"

"Someone has broken into your house and destroyed something important is what I was told."

"I had a dream about what was meant to be in that vault without knowing what the contents of the letters should be." I let out an unsteady breath. "It's something crucial, Crispin. They said that it was imperative that I read it if something happened to them before I turned 16."

"They never hinted to you what its contents could be?"

"Not at all and it's been bothering me since I woke up. I keep trying to think back to see if they had left any hints at all but have come up with absolutely nothing."

"Don't try to work through this all by yourself, Val," he warned. "You have you amazing family with you. Don't forget to talk to them about it. Voice your thoughts no matter how silly you may think they are."

I gave him a wide beaming smile and patted his shoulder. "I really can see why they've taken such a liking to you, Crispin."

"Oh really? Well, do I have your approval to join your family?"

"You've had it since I decided to trust you. To be perfectly honest with you, I reckon you've had my approval since day one."

"Since day one? I didn't think I made that kind of impression."

"It was in the way you interacted with Joey. You just seemed to fit so well into our family unit and with everything that's happened, it's helped prove that we made the right choice in trusting you."

"And I suppose things are only going to get more complicated from here for all of us."

"This isn't even the tip of the iceberg. I hope you'll be prepared for hell breaking loose. I know I'm not."

"Whatever happens, I hope for you sake that everything will turn out fine in the end." Crispin told me earnestly.

We stopped discussing the matter when we reached the senior training grounds. After a few warm-up exercises, I was surprised when Tom asked me to be his sparring partner.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, Valentine, but just how far out of line did he get?"

It didn't take a genius to work out who Tom was referring to.

"When you warned me back then, how far did you think he would go?" I fired back with a question of my own.

"Over lunch, I want to tell you a little story if you'd care to hear it."

"If you tell me the story, I'll tell you mine."

"Done deal. But at least tell me one thing, did he hurt you?"

"Hardly. The headmaster caught us before it could get that far."

"You're a good fighter, Valentine. Anyone can see that. But to go up against Eric you'll have to be much more than just a good fighter."

"You're being pretty cryptic, Tom."

"I can't tell you in any other way."

"You don't seem like the type to be friends with Eric. So why are you friends with him?"

I was startled by the suddenly protective gleam in his eyes. His jaw tightened and the punch he sent whirling my way was stronger than the others as he lost the control over his own strength. The gears in my mind began whirling and I realised why.

"You're not friends with him for friendship, are you? You're friends with him to keep an eye on him in order to protect Ingrid."

"You're as smart as everyone gives you credit for."

"Thanks… I think?"

"That was a compliment."

"You're quite cunning. Keeping your enemy close to observe them."

"If it protects my sister, I'll do anything."

"I don't suppose you'll ever let Ingrid hear you say that."

"I still have my pride to uphold."

"You're a good brother, Tom. Ingrid is a luck sister."

"Just don't tell her I said anything."

"Don't worry, your concern for her is safe with me. She won't hear a thing from me."

"Thanks. You're really difficult to attack," he groaned in frustration.

"I've been training for a long time." I told him simply as I easily dodged another attack.

The rest of training whirled by with Tom unable to land a single hit. As we sparred, we picked a lighter topic to converse about. When the class was over, I asked Crispin to let my friends know that I would be spending lunch with Tom today. He reminded me about the meeting in Martin's office with a hushed voice and I merely grumbled in response. I followed Tom to the clearing in the woods where I had played Ghost last week.

Once I was comfortable, making a seat out of the monkey bars, I decided to take the first plunge. "Should I start my story first or listen first?"

"I'll start." Tom told me with a heavy tone. "You need to know what he won't hesitate to do if he wanted it enough."

"Then, the stage is yours."

He took a deep breath and turned away from me to glance up at the sky as the memory surged through his mind. "Three years ago when we were 14, Eric became the newest renowned ladies' man within the school. Somehow, every female suddenly began really interested in him and he took full advantage of that. One day, he finally experimented on taking blood for pleasure and found the experience exhilarating. But then, the next day, the upper class man – a Moroi no less – remembered nothing of what had happened to her."

"What did he do?"

"He went to bed with a senior and made a meal of her without her consent. Eric felt some kind of a rush from being 'superior' – as he called it – and couldn't wait to try again. Within half a year, nearly half of the senior year girls woke up not remembering anything that had happened the night before. Not to mention, they had bite marks and so a terrible rumour spread saying that they were a band of voluntary blood whores."

"Did the teachers get involved?"

"These girls ended up in counselling and the counsellor reported to Headmaster Hunt about the common thing between them. They were all missing that one night from their memories."

"And what did he do?"

"Tightened up security and patrols as well as curfew regulations. I realised pretty soon who the culprit was and confronted him about it."

"How did you work it out?"

"It was in the way he looked at those girls sometimes, the weird gleam of victory and superiority in his eyes was a dead giveaway."

"What happened after the confrontation?"

"Absolutely nothing. Since I had no evidence, there was nothing that could be done. Eric already had a popular reputation so anything I said would've fallen on deaf ears. He toned it down considerably and the next year, we were assigned to be roommates, apparently at his request."

"He wanted to be your roommate?"

"Probably to ensure that I didn't say anything," he sighed. "I'm not match for him, Valentine, so instead I chose to stay quiet to protect Ingrid."

"I get the feeling that that's not the worst of it…"

A grim smile spread across his face and disgust shone in his eyes.

"Last year, a younger girl from your year rejected Eric's charm. She didn't care for him and she became his conquest. He wanted her to bow to him as a slave would to a master. He played out the perfect game and she became ensnared by him. He tore her self-worth and self-assurance to shreds. He took and took from her every day until she needed him desperately for the high he provided. When her desperation reached a high point to his satisfaction, he dropped her. He humiliated her every time she approached him in public. He was abusing her through humiliation, Valentine."

"What did he do?" I whispered, anger rising like the tide.

"He would subtly treat her in a degrading way. For anyone who really had eyes, they could tell that he wasn't treating her like a person should be treated. He treated her like she was an object, an object for him to use as he pleased."

"How did no one sense anything was wrong?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

"Ozera did. He saw through Eric for what he really was. He wasn't fooled by his charming façade. Ozera kept Arabelle from Eric. Ozera managed to lessen her desperate desire for him." Tom explained. "Unfortunately, Arabelle's friends got drunk off of her supposed fortune and luck for dating Eric."

"Some friends they are for not spotting the abuse! What happened to them? I doubt Eric would've welcomed Ozera stepping in like that."

"I don't know the exact details but Arabelle left under Ozera's advice and Eric and him have had a discreet tension between them ever since. No one really notices since they're not around each other that often."

"Wow… No wonder Ozera objected to Eric so much…" I murmured. "I nearly became another victim, huh? Fortunately for me, he didn't play the game well enough to a tune I'm comfortable with."

"He will try again when he gets back, Valentine."

"He will… won't he?"

"His pride won't let you get away."

"Damn pride makes so many things all the more complicated than needs be." I grumbled, ruffling my hair.

"Glad you understand it. You sound like you empathise with it."

"I do. I know how it feels. Sometimes my damn pride makes things far more difficult than necessary."

"You're a smart girl, Valentine," his voice suddenly growing heavy once more. "Why did you play along if you knew he was playing a game?"

"I thought the blood desire was normal here. I mean… its exactly like human boys aiming for sex. I didn't think it was something so unusual."

"You were at least aware, right? Of his bloodlust I mean."

"Yeah. I told him 'no' from day one."

"At least you didn't fall for his game, you weren't plagued by incredible innocence." Tom praised. "Most girls just don't even know what hit them since they're too enthralled by his attention."

"I count myself lucky. I'd hate that feeling of knowing something I really should." I grumbled. "But, what I don't understand is why they don't remember."

Tom gave me a sympathetic and patient glance. "Valentine, he's a Spirit user. Have you had a chance to study about them yet?"

I froze and stared blankly at him.

A Spirit user…

A string of curses spewed from my lips and anger directed at both myself and Eric flooded my senses.

For a brief moment, all I saw was red due to the level of fury.

How did I not think of it before? Everything made sense now… It would explain why I was basically powerless against him. Why I had such trouble trying to reject and refuse him. The sonuva jackass was using high level compulsion on me. If I saw that asshole again, I was going to kill him.

Painfully.

Slowly.

Excruciatingly.