Chapter 13

Shuichi came from the kitchen, his hair was unnaturally ruffled and his lack of composing atmosphere sent an uncomfortable aura throughout the room, "Isabell, let's get you home." Shuichi attempted. I gave him a quick glance. He turned towards me leading us out of the door. I glanced at the clock, I had spent so much time lately within hospitals, school work, and trying to figure out my new life I hadn't even realized that time had been passing.

Were there any windows in the hospital rooms? How long had I slept? What was today's date? What was the last date that I knew of?

"Isabel are you alright?" Shuichi asked as we all piled back into the freshly fueled red car.

"Yeah" I smiled hiding my confusion and aggravation with myself at all the events that were going down.

"It's nothing. It's getting late I've got to take you to your aunt's." Shuichi's voice carried the same tone a lullaby did. It was hard to resist him the way he suggested to go back.

"Thanks Shuichi." I smiled pulling myself out of the car slowly shutting the door.

"You should let Botan drive." I whispered sticking my head back in the car as he twitched remembering he didn't know how to drive.

"I think I did pretty fine." Shuichi murmured looking out his window as if something was intriguing, the window helped reflect what he was trying to hide: the slightest blush that covered his face. I felt a smile struggle to twitch on my face. He really was just like the rest of us, even though he was a genius. I guess that was alright.

"Why me? I mean I'm not even in the...I mean I barely know anything about cars." Botan stated as I glanced over towards her.

"Well, I guess that means Shuichi is driving." I laughed. I waved towards them as Shuichi keyed the engine driving away.

Elizabeth's voice was shrieking to the point of hysterics. I was tempted to hand her the multitude bottles of medication to see if any of them would work in curing her attitude, "Where have you been?" Elizabeth said.

"A hospital bill? And then coming home in a stranger's car! What kind of people raised you! This isn't how a lady acts!" My aunt Anna interrupted her screeching and complaining with just as much hostility.

"Aunt An- wait hospital bill? Shuichi said he paid that! I was planning on getting a job to pay that back anyway!" I replied in shock.

Surely, she was just using this as an advantage it wasn't my fault that the new classroom contained a poisonous plant. "Well, I have the problem solved anyway." Aunt Anna laughed one of those laughs that sounded like nails on a chalkboard and made you want to squish her neck just to make her quiet.

I gave her a glance waiting for her long-winded and likely unnecessary explanation provided from the attention seeker and for the stupid. Her words contained static and were hard to understand, "Look directly at me make eye contact!" my aunt yelled as I glanced back at her waiting for see if she would yell at me for 'giving her a dirty look' or not paying attention to her.

"So what is this genius plan you've come up with." I asked as her smirk titled.

"You'll find out tomorrow. Go to bed already." Aunt Anna pointed up the stairs.

"But I haven't gotten dinner yet!" I shouted feeling my stomach grumble.

"Too bad, maybe you shouldn't of been out all night slutting around!" My aunt Anna shouted pushing me up the stairs, into my prison and locking the door.

A shadow sitting there in my window. My shaking hands reached to pull the curtain begging for the person sitting outside to be Youko. Yellow eyes glowed from the balcony edge, I stared towards the yellow eyes which illuminated from the window as he gracefully placed himself down upon my floor as I suddenly found myself slammed forwards enwrapped in warmth.

"Isabel." a voice whispered as I stared into a seemingly blank space, a hand playing through my hair.

"Youko?" I whispered slightly confused as an arm snaked around my waist.

"You're alive..." was the slightest whisper as I glanced down wondering if I heard him wrong.

"What do you mean?" I asked, images of the castle slowly returning once again as I quickly pushed them to the back of my mind.

"My colleagues just told me, you have curse on you" Youko replied in the darkened room as I glanced up towards the darkening yet glowing yellow eyes of his.

"A what?" I attempted hustling a fake laugh from the abyss of my mind.

"You know what it is don't you? This type would take you to acknowledge it in some way." Youko crossed his arms.

"You're odd tonight." I whispered.

His eyes weren't shimmering pools tonight, instead the yellow pools had stopped swirling instead were instead hard and aggressive, "Let me see the mark." Youko stepped towards me.

"No." I whispered back away slowly, wondering if the locking the door would be enough to stop that rejoiced in their title of a thief or his strength.

"Last time I couldn't figure out where it was to save her but this time I can save you." Youko said reaching for me.

"Last time?" I asked my voice a little higher than a whisper even though I knew that it wasn't the time for jealousy or envy.

"Isabel." He growled, reaching for my wrists as I slammed myself against the glass door. His feet were necessarily swift as he stared down at me, his proximity less than I would've liked, "Don't make me search you. They weren't stupid enough to put it in plain sight." Youko instructed.

"Don't assume I just know what a death curse looks like, it's not like they teach death curse education in school." I shouted back towards him. "Do ya mind?" I put my hands against his chest pushing him away.

"You're not strong enough." Youko shook his head, I glared up at him. He bent his head so I could feel his breath on my ear, whispering: "And on top of that I'm a demon." he whispered as I glared up at him. "You're insane." I whispered.

A chuckle escaped his lips, "This is serious." He sighed as he reached for one of the buttons on my shirt. His hand hooked around one of the buttons as I grabbed his wrist, "Stop."

"Where?" There was a pause, "Isabel."

"My back I guess." I whispered as he nodded backing away.

"Let me see."

"How is that supposed to help anything?" I muttered turning around so that he could see it.

"It's odd. It's in the shape of the handprint. I'm going to have to go ask someone I've never seen this one before." Youko whispered in intricate amazement and worry. "I'll be back soon, cover up." Youko grumbled. "I'll find something to fix it." I quickly got dressed again.

"Are you sure?" I whispered.

Youko turned to me, "What did I tell you? Thieves like to steal not be stolen from."

I locked the balcony door and went to bed wondering if I'd ever get to sleep that night. I sighed glancing at my phone the screen was dark and I didn't have the energy to pick it up to see another empty inbox and not a single attempted call. Sleep final taking over instead of dreaming it was as though I was just lying there my eyes shut unwilling to open, until Elizabeth's loud screeching and slamming of the door startled me awake, "Congratulations, you're getting married!"