Soul Eater

Hello, everyone it's been a while hasn't it? Well, I am going to continue this story, but I just couldn't find a chance to update. It's one of my bigger stories since almost each chapter turns out to be 4k+ words long with or without my author's note. I've had lots of fun with this story, but, from this chapter on, it'll get deeper, hopefully with more feeling.

Anyways, thanks for patiently waiting! I hope you enjoy! Please excuse my grammatical errors and I hope this chapter meets your expectations. :)

Temptations

Chapter 4 - In Between

During the crack of dawn, Maka left Kid's house without telling him. He didn't believe her, so why was she going to stick around? Maka left Kid a quick note on the table and took the spare key to her house she had given him a while back. Somehow, after that, thanks to a passing cab, she made it home. Still, she had important things to do and she didn't have a second to spare. She was standing on a fine line, a fine line between life and death.

As terrified as she was, Maka managed to pull herself together. Every second or so, she would debate if what she had lived was real or not. Vampires? Were they really real? Did they really exist? Maka didn't know what was going on and her frustration levels were soaring. Then she would remember the terror she had experienced when Soul's cold fingers were wrapped around her neck. Never in her life had she ever felt a body more colder than his. It was almost like he was dead. How did people not notice that?

It was day, though, and she hoped, from the bottom of her heart, that she would be safe. She had never encountered a vampire, obviously, but she had read stories about them. She had always considered them fake and she had always blew them off as fiction. Now, of course, things were different. For the first time in her life, she was considering every weapon and trick to back a vampire away. One thing she had read was that they feared daylight.

Once she was finished scribbling a quick resignation letter, Maka began to pull out suitcases from her small one room apartment. She had to get out of there. She needed to move far away from Death City, even if it meant transferring her mother to another hospital, if it was even possible. She couldn't keep her or herself close to such a monster. No. She wasn't going to expose her mother to such a creature.

She quickly started to stash clothes inside her suitcase as she ran around in circles, but, before she could do anything, she had to go drop off her resignation letter. She didn't want to work there anymore. She didn't want to encounter that demon that almost snapped her neck. With that in her mind, Maka changed out of her clothes into some new ones. Not even bothering to eat, Maka grabbed her car keys and headed out the door. She needed to get this over with. She needed to close this sudden and unexpected chapter in her life.

Stepping on the gas pedal, Maka drove to her workplace, her hands quivering as she held the steering wheel. Her head was spinning in a million circles, her eyes were as stiff as rocks, her heart still pounding loudly. Questions kept running through her head and she wondered if she really was living in a nightmare. It just couldn't be happening. Vampires weren't suppose to be real. They weren't suppose to exist, but, if that was true, what the hell was Soul then?

It wasn't long before Maka made to the Evans Company, but, unlike most days, Maka wasn't in a sad or out of energy mood. In that moment, she didn't even know what she was feeling. The only thing she had in her mind was quitting. She would quit and leave the Evans Company forever. It was better that way.

She couldn't keep working there knowing that she could bump into Soul in any minute. No. She didn't want to risk it. She rather just move far far away to place that was vampire-free. She loved working in the Financial Department, but what choice did she have? She couldn't keep working there, not when there was someone or something out there trying to kill her.

Everything was just too confusing, too tangled and Maka's body was ready to collapse. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep even though she had taken over Kid's bed. He ended up falling asleep on top of his desk while she was the one that ended up pulling an all-nighter. Her eyes had kept flickering all about the room, hearing all sorts of noises. Sometimes she could even swear hearing tapping on the window.

Maka marched into the fourth floor from the elevator. She heard Tsubaki calling out to her like always, but she wasn't calling her out to simply greet her. "Oh, Maka!" She said with a voice full of relief. She threw her headset on her desk as she scurried toward her. "Thank goodness you've finally arrived! You won't believe-"

"Not now, Tsubaki." Maka stopped her as she continued down the hallway, placing her hand in front of her face. "There's something I got to do. I'll explain it to you later."

"But, Maka!" Tsubaki insisted, following behind her, trying her best to catch up to her. Maka, of course, paid no mind to her efforts. She couldn't delay. She couldn't stop in her path because she was afraid of changing her mind. Even so, would Tsubaki believe her? If she told her that the Public Relations Director was a vampire, a monster, would she believe her? Would she consider her crazy like the way Kid had? "This is important, Maka! Please, just listen! You've been-"

"We'll talk about it later, Tsubaki!" Maka exclaimed, trotting a bit faster down the hallway. She clutched her letter tightly in her hand, taking a deep breath. She had to calm herself down. She would be okay. It was day. Vampires don't come out during the day, right? They hate it, hopefully. "I'll see you after I get this over with."

When Maka finally made to Joe Buttataki's office, she burst right in there, forgetting to knock. It was okay, though. She was about to quit, so she didn't have to follow by the rules anymore. "Mr. Buttataki," Maka said with some firmness in her voice as she stood before him in front of his desk. He seemed a bit surprised to see her, but not disappointed. "There's something important I need to say."

"Ah, Maka Albarn." Joe Buttataki told her with a smile. He spun his chair around, stood up, walked toward her, and gave her a pat in the shoulder. "I'm so glad that you're here. You won't believe the excellent news I have for you. But, it seems you also have something important you need to tell me?"

"Yes, I do." Maka told him, handing him her letter. He looked at the folded piece of paper, but he didn't even bother to open it. Instead, he looked up at her and waited for her to go on with her message. "Mr. Buttataki, I loved and I really enjoyed my days here, in this department. I couldn't have asked for a better experience or a better boss. I can't thank you or this company enough." Maka paused and took a deep breath. She could feel her heart pounding loudly. "But, I'm sorry to say that I can't work here anymore. I quit."

He smiled at her and he handed her back her letter. Maka looked at him, wondering what was going on. He gave her another pat in the back before speaking to her. "I can't accept your letter of resignation or your departure, Maka. Part of the reason is that you're an excellent worker and I can't allow this company to lose such a wonderful employee." He paused as he walked back to his desk. "Of course, I can't take your letter of resignation because I'm no longer your boss."

"What do you mean?" Maka asked him, feeling her heart skip beat. She was starting to get a bad feeling, a very bad feeling. "What do you mean that you're not my boss anymore?"

"I'm not sure how it happened or what caused him to change his mind, but," Joe Buttataki placed his chin on top of his hands as he stared at her, his face turning a bit serious. "It appears that Soul Evans has agreed to make you his assistant. At first, I couldn't believe it. I mean, just yesterday, he was completely against the idea and now, he calls me over, telling me that he'll take you in. So, the point is that if you want to quit working, you're going to have to talk to Soul Evans about it. Starting today he's your new boss."

"What?" Maka whispered to herself, taking a step back in terror. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe what was happening. That thing was doing all of this to torment her and scare her, but why? Why did he take her in as an assistant if he could have easily killed her the night before? What exactly was he thinking? "Are you serious? That can't be. Why would he do that? I don't understand."

"I don't understand myself." Joe said, but that didn't stop him from letting out a small laugh. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands. "Still, I'm glad he decided to pick you after all. I'm sure he won't regret picking such a good worker."

"But, I don't want to." Maka began, but she decided to stop herself before she went on a rage. She couldn't complain to Joe Buttataki. He wasn't her boss anymore and there was probably nothing he could do. She wished she could just walk out from the Evans Company forever and never look back, but that was something unthinkable. She couldn't look for a new job if she was still registered as a full time employee for the Evans Company. "I don't want to be his assistant. I came here to resign, not to get a new position."

"Well," Joe began, letting out his last laugh as he pretended to wipe away his tears. "That's not something for us to discuss about. You need to go to talk to Soul about this."

Maka couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe what Joe had just told her. She was working directly under Soul now. He was her boss and he had complete authority over her. How did something like that happen? Maka's fear was suddenly starting to be washed away with anger. It annoyed her and it frustrated her to think that she would have to set foot in that office again if she ever wanted to be free.

Even so, Maka was sure Soul, that malicious vampire, wouldn't let her leave the Evans Company after everything she had seen. That was also the reason why her life was a step away from death. A vampire. A vampire. Maka still couldn't believe it and she had actually seen him. It was no wonder Kid didn't believe her.

"Maka?" Tsubaki said to her as she stepped out into the hallway. "What happened? What's going on? Why did you run into Joe Buttataki's office like that? Please, tell me. I might be able to help you. Is it about your mother?"

Maka shook her head, but she couldn't get herself to talk. She felt so angry, so discouraged, so frightened by everything. How did her life get from bad to worse? How was she suppose to work next to a vampire? Even if she did try to run away, wouldn't he be able to track her down? "It's okay, Tsubaki." Maka reassured her as she headed toward the elevator, her letter wrinkled in her hand. "I'll be alright. There something I just need to take care of."

Stepping inside the elevator, Maka headed toward the last top floor. She could feel her hands quivering again, her palms sweating. She could feel her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. Close to a panic attack, Maka bit her lip as she nervously looked around. She had come all this way to quit. She never planned to see Soul again. She never planned this at all. She was suppose to go to Joe's office, quit, visit the hospital, and leave, leave to wherever her gut feeling told her to. Her plans ended up as a complete failure.

When the elevator doors opened, Maka suddenly found herself faced with a busy busy floor, full with people. They were scurrying all over the place, secretaries taking in a million calls at a time, nicely suited men walking around with papers in their hands. Maka gulped as she began to walk forward. She was glad that no one had noticed her presence yet and still, she wondered where they had been yesterday.

Maka was walking toward Soul's door and when she stood only a few feet away, a very beautiful woman stopped her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Missy." She said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. "Where do you think you're going? You must be crazy if you think you can just waltz up here and expect to talk to the Director."

"I was sent here by Joe Buttataki, head of the Financial Department." Maka told her, furrowing her eyebrows. She didn't have time to deal with this. She wanted to go home and cover herself under her bed sheets. Couldn't this woman see the fear running out from her body? The only reason she had the guts of coming up here was because it was day. For some reason, she felt a lot safer than last night. "There something important I need to talk to with Mr. Evans."

"Oh, so you're her then?" The woman said as she looked at her with a disapproved look. She let go of her arm as she went back about her business, but Maka heard her whispering to another worker. "Can you believe it? That's the woman Soul picked. I know! What the hell was he thinking?!"

Maka tried not to let that get to her. He didn't pick her because he wanted to. He picked her because she knew his secret and he probably wanted to kill her. This time she would try to be ready. She couldn't let herself be caught off guard. She needed to push away her fears and walk inside.

The moment she placed her hand on the doorknob, Maka heard Soul's voice coming from inside. "What the hell are you waiting for?!" He yelled out, but only she had heard it. "Get in here already!"

Terrified, Maka tried to let her anger take over her body. She had to let go of her fear. She had to. Maka walked inside to a dark room, only a small lamp on. The curtains were closed and there wasn't a ray of sunlight visible. Leaving the door slightly opened, Maka took two more steps before she came into contact with Soul's crimson eyes. He smirked at her, spinning his chair so he can get a better look at her.

"I thought you wouldn't have the guts to come up here." He told her, leaning back on his chair, slamming his feet on his desk. "I'm impressed. I thought I was going to have to go out and look for. Saved me the trouble."

"I didn't come up here because I wanted to." Maka told him seriously, showing him the letter in her hand. She tried to act calm, but her entire body was shaking. She wondered if Soul could sense that. "I came up here to tell you that I quit! You're crazy if you think I'm going to work for you, especially after everything you made go through! There's no way I would work alongside a monster like you! Do hear me?!"

Maybe she had said too much, but either way, she had gotten his attention. He stared at her, his eyes suddenly flashing bright red. She took a step back, ready to fly out the door if she had to. Soul sat up straight and, in total silence, stood up. He stayed that way for a while, but then, in a blink of an eye, he was suddenly in front of her.

"I'm not giving you a damn option." He told her, taking a step toward her. As he spoke, Maka would every now and then catch a glimpse of his fangs. Why? Why had she come up here? What in the world was she thinking? Did she really want to die that fast? "You either work for me or I slit your throat. It's not hard, but the choice is up to you."

"W-what?" Maka stuttered, trying not to make eye contact. "Do think you can manipulate me that way? Think again, there's no way I'm going to be your assistant. You didn't want me to begin with, so why do you want me now?"

"Don't get too excited. I don't want you that badly." Soul told her, grabbing on her wrist and Maka could feel him slowly twisting her arm. She yelped in pain and tried to pull herself away, but it was all in vain. "You know what I am. I can't let you wander off free you know."

"Oh, so what's stopping you from killing me?" Maka asked him, her legs trembling, her body close to giving in. "That's what you wanted to do in the first place isn't it? So what's stopping you? Why are you holding back? If you're as mighty as you say you are, then what's stopping you from killing me?"

"Because I'm bored." He hissed at her, a cold sensation running down her spine.

The moment she turned away, Soul grabbed her other wrist, making her drop her letter. She cried out, but she suddenly found her eyes locked with his, her body paralyzed, restricted from movements. She couldn't move. She could barely breath. What was he doing to her? His crimson eyes kept flashing bright red as the pierced into her green ones. What was going on? Why couldn't she move her body? She mentally started to panic inside her head, crying out for help. This was what she got for messing with a vampire.

"I thought about it and I think it'd be more entertaining if I kept you alive. I can't wait to see a stupid little human like you squirm between my fingers. I'm gonna make you go through a living hell. Doesn't that sound exciting?" He told her with a smirk, releasing her wrist. Still, Maka couldn't move her body and she was really starting to freak out. Soul, her new boss, the Director, wasn't joking around. He was being dead serious.

"There's nothing that you'll be able to do about it." He continued, pulling on her hair tightly, bringing her closer to his face. "If you don't do what I say, I'll make sure mother never wakes up."

Maka's eyes widen, her breaths increasing in speed. What was he talking about? Why was he getting her mother involved? He smirked at her and she found herself able to move again. He was definitely screwing with her. If she wanted her to live a living hell, then he was sure succeeding. "What the hell are you saying?!" Maka hit him hard against the chest, but, of course, it didn't have any affect. "You! Why you! You keep your hands away from my mother! Keep your hands away from her!"

"Oh?" Soul grinned at her, showing her his fangs. He pushed her against the wall before he hovered above her, trapping her in between. He was twisted. He was crazy. He was definitely not human. That was clear for sure. "What are you going to do to stop me?"

"I swear if you lay one finger on my mother, I will stab your chest with a damn steak!" Maka yelled at him, but his eyes were intimidating her again, making her fear surface again. "I'll tell the whole world what you are."

"If you do that, then I'll just go after that boyfriend of yours." He smirked, leaving Maka dumbfounded. He knew about her mother and Kid? How in the world did he know them? Had he seen Kid yesterday or something? Why was he getting her loved ones involved? Then, Maka got her answer. Soul slowly pulled out her cellphone from his pocket, swinging it across her face. "I found this in my office yesterday along with some other stuff. Gave me some useful information. Aside from that, I also did some investigation myself. This is what happens when a vampire has too much time on his hands."

Maka grabbed her cellphone from him, feeling hot angry tears pouring from her eyes. He was leaving her with no choice. "You asshole." Maka whispered to him, hoping he had heard. "How dare you threaten me like this? Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"Who do I think I am?" Soul said, rubbing his chin before slamming his hands against the wall, scaring her. He got close to her and Maka could feel his coldness rubbing off on her. "I'm Soul Evans, Public Relations Director of the Evans Company, but in reality, I can do whatever the hell I want. I run this place however I want to and I live under no rules."

Maka groaned under her breath, but that's when she felt Soul's cold hands on her neck, threatening to choke her again. She kept quiet since she had already said enough. If he said one more about her mother, though, she would really explode. She kept her eyes away from his gaze, afraid that he might paralyze her body again.

"Whether you like it or not," He began again, leaning closer to her face. "From this point on, I'm your boss and you'll do everything I say. If I tell you to file papers, then you'll file papers. If I tell you to accompany me in a trip, then you'll accompany me in a trip. If I tell you strip, then you'll strip. If I tell you to give me blood, then you'll give me blood. You understand that, right?"

"What if I don't?" Maka raised an eyebrow, her lips quivering as she spoke. For some reason, the air was starting to get cold. "What if I disobey?"

"You wanna know what happens if you don't listen to me?" He squeezed her neck a little tighter, making her squeal. "You can go ahead and try, but I can't assure you that your mother or your human boyfriend might still be breathing. Is that what you want, Albarn?"

"I hate you!" Maka yelled at him, but he laughed at her, which made her more angry. "I hate you so much! Dammit! Why don't you just go to hell!?"

What choice did she have?

...