THIRTY-SIX

THIRTY-SIX

Everything happened so fast after that.

Link materialised next to me, lifted me off the chair and pushed me out the door all in a matter of seconds. I didn't even have a chance to catch my breath which I presumably left behind me.

"Link!" I yelled at him, which he bravery ignored. He had his fingers wrapped around my wrist tightly and was using that hold to steer me in whatever direction pleased him.

We were going up a set of stairs, my legs wobbling under me after each step since they still didn't recover from whatever the hell happened in that room. I was still shaken up, which was probably why I allowed Link to drag me all the way up these deadly stairs and right into another hallway.

This one looked desolated, seeming as though no one ventured to these parts unless they really needed to. It was oddly quiet and very dark until Link further dragged me in and that's when the automatic lights switched on.

"Link, what the hell?" I exclaimed at him although he still ignored me. He didn't turn around to look at me, address me, give me any sort of hint that he was acknowledging me. It frustrated me to another level at how he was acting, let alone towards me.

He came to a sudden halt in front of a closed door. "Wait here," he said in an icy tone without turning around. I reared my head back, even though he couldn't see me but I was convinced no one could not, not feel the wrath I sent upon him, even Link himself.

The minute he dropped the hold he had on my wrist, I flicked around on my heel and started to walk away. I didn't get the chance to get the second step in as Link grabbed my arm and yanked me back to him. "I should have known you wouldn't listen," he muttered to himself mostly and hauled me into the room.

"Of course I wouldn't you idiot!" I yelled at him incredulously. What was going on with him?

He slammed the door behind me and let go off me once again, this time with a warning. "Don't try to leave again."

I gaped at him. "Don't even-" I started to say but Link just turned around and started grabbing for random stuff in the room.

My eyes followed every of his movement and I didn't give myself a chance to look around and register that we were in a bedroom until Link dropped to his knees and pulled something from under the bed. The whole room seemed so dull and basic. A bed and a small dresser and that was it. But it was filled with stuff, which I assumed was Link's stuff what with the way he was going through it.

I didn't question anything, and instead watched Link who seemed like he lost something. I would have offered to help him look for whatever it was, but I was still reeling over his sudden need to drag me everywhere and dish out orders. So I just kept my eyes on him, staying as close to the door with my arms crossed on my chest.

When he finally got off the floor, I noticed his hands were bare. "Didn't find what you were looking for?" I asked, my voice coming out fake.

He shot his eyes at me, an icy glare hitting me so hard that I had to look away.

I heard some more ruffling, followed by silence, and then Link came in front of me. I turned my head to face him and raised one eyebrow at him. "Done?"

"Yeah," he reached for my hand again but this time I furiously yanked it away from his reach.

"I don't think so." I gritted through my teeth.

He let out an annoyed sigh. "Quit being a child Ori and let's get out of here."

"Quit being a child?" I repeated incredulously.

He rolled his eyes and went to open the door. But I was still standing right in front of it, so Link had no other choice but to get past me. And I was in no mood to budge.

He sighed once again. "Ori," he said calmly. "Move."

I shook my head. "No."

He leaned back and looked at how I was standing. "Are you serious right now?" he asked me slowly.

"Yes." I replied back firmly.

"Okay." he said. I frowned at his response because I didn't expect that from him. I also didn't expect him to take a step back, turn around and walk to the dresser. He dropped all the things he had in his arms which consisted of his coat, a jumper and a few files.

He then went back to the bed and stood there for a few seconds, with his back facing me.

Just as I opened my mouth to say something, Link turned around and got to me so fast that a small scream escaped out from me. I was not prepared for whatever happened afterwards.

Link's arms were wrapped around the back of my knees and I flew over his shoulder as he lifted me off the ground effortlessly. "Link!" I screamed. "Put me down!" I was a fool to believe that my screaming would be of any use since I was hanging upside down with my ass in the air.

He turned around, not sure how he managed to not hit my head on any of the walls. "Link!" I screamed again but it was to no avail.

He carried me to the bed and threw me down. He leaned back away from me and was trying to straightened himself when I grabbed the front of his shirt with both my hands. I yanked him back and close to my face.

"You're insane!" I screeched at him.

His fingers wrapped around mine and he tugged on them slowly. "Let go Ori."

"No!" I shook him as hard as I could but not one single hair moved. "You're insane and you need to know that."

He shook his head at me. "I'm not insane."

"Yes you are!" I screeched at him again.

I didn't like how calm he was. He was supposed to be riled up. He was supposed to be angry as well. He was supposed to be looking at me being all hard and shit but instead, he was fucking calm.

"Why are you so calm?" I screamed in his face. "You're not allowed to be calm!"

He didn't say anything and just stared at me, his eyes unwavering.

I shook him again, gripping the front of his shirt tightly until I felt my nails dig into them. "Say something."

When he didn't, I let go of his shirt. He didn't move back. He stayed right where I had dragged him to.

I lifted up my hands and noted the pale complexion it suddenly had taken. I pressed them hard against my eyes and tried to steady the quivers that had appeared. They ran all through me, up to my spine and left me in a trembling heap.

My mouth ran dry as a feeling of dread washed over me. "Oh my god." I gasped out, my hand still covering my eyes.

If I was on the bed, I could only imagine myself falling to the ground, unable to keep myself upright as this sudden hurricane slammed into me.

"Just because I'm calm," Link spoke in a soft voice which threw me off completely. "Doesn't mean that you have to be calm."

I moved my hands from down my face and looked at him. It never occurred to me that I wasn't calm. In fact, I was extremely calm. I woke up today, unlike any other person that went through what I did, and just got on with my day. I haven't actually broken down and I knew I wasn't going to break down. It was, in more ways than one, the only thing I could hold onto.

"I am calm." I told Link.

I didn't register the tremble in my voice and what it actually meant. No, it wasn't from all the screaming and the screeching. The underlying problem was what caused my whole demeanour to slowly crumble.

"You don't have to lie." Link said, this time more slower and allowing each of his word to hit me harder than it should have.

Because those words too, had an underlying meaning. I didn't have carry on my two year long lie anymore. I didn't have to lie to my friends and family and wonder why Link had chosen me as his target. I didn't have to lie.

But I chose to regardless.

"If I don't lie," I said, swallowing the hard lump that had built up in my throat. "Then..."

"It makes everything true." Link filled in for me.

"Yesterday... last night..." I began again but I just couldn't put together the right thing to say.

"You're allowed to be scared Orianna."

I held his eyes, not covering anything behind mine and allowed myself to open up in that way. I laid myself bare for him so he could see the truth behind everything. "I am so scared of you." I whispered, as wetness built around my eyes and a tear danced around my tear duct.

Link lifted his finger and hovered over my face. If felt as though hints of a soft feather traced alongside my jaw, sending a bunch of electrical spasms through me. "You should be." He replied to me.

"I am so scared of how much you can..."

I didn't finish what I had planned to say. I was close to telling him that he had a form of control over me which was laying myself completely bare for him. Because then it meant he won. And deep down inside of me, as much as I didn't want this to be a game, I knew that Link still had his own agenda.

Yet, knowing all of what Link was I couldn't ignore the overwhelming feeling of need had come over me, a newfound thirst that needed to be clenched and the only person that could do it, was right in front of me.

I leaned forward, grabbed the front of his shirt again and pulled him all the way back to me until both our lips furiously met in the middle.

This kiss was like no other. This one was filled with built up raw emotions. Link met my harsh attack with his equally rough one, his own way of answering back to me. He knew we were fucked.

It wasn't easy to fill me up and I found myself needing more. More from him, more from this situation, more from this kiss. I pushed myself up, leaving my knees to support me and crushed myself against him.

He welcomed it by wrapping his arms around me and pulling me in closer, all the while our lips not breaking contact. As the intensity increased, the urgency of answering our cravings increased until I fell on my back, pulling him down with me.

It was a repeat of last night but this time, we were both alive, both filled with the raw bitterness that swam between us. I clung onto him and realised, in the most twisted way that this was my salvation. His burning touches and heated connection, caused for more longing.

The situation carried itself and we did nothing to stop it. Not when he was hovering over me, both of us breathing heavily and in locked gazes. This was different. We held a silent conversation with our eyes and both agreed on it.

We needed this.

****

What felt like days later, when it probably was just an hour I found myself sitting in the passenger seat of Link's car, with my hands firmly clasped together. Link was strapping on his seatbelt, that being the only sound in the silent car.

I gazed out the window when Link eventually got to driving. I blocked every single minute of what happened a few moments before and kept my mouth firmly shut. I was not up for idle chit chat. I wasn't down for anymore physical contact. I just wanted to disperse into nothingness.

Current situation caused for an immediate SOS with my best friend but for some strange reason, I was afraid to pick up my phone and send her a text. Her respond is what made me think twice about contacting her because I knew what it was going to be.

If she wasn't going to kill me, Versa would probably do something worse.

"About last night, how are you actually doing?"

Weird enough, my heart sped up stupidly at Link's voice. He wasn't meant to speak. And he really wasn't meant to bring up last night after what just happened.

"Managing." I replied back without turning around from gazing out the window. Not that I was actually using my eyes since I blocked out my whole surroundings and was busy thinking about my best friend.

"You know, I'm-" he started to say but stopped abruptly. "You shouldn't have come to Lucian today." He started again.

I wanted to ask him why? But decided against it.

"He's not who you think he is. He doesn't follow any rules except his. And that's if he's in the mood for it."

I think, based on the few seconds I was in the room with Lucian I could gather enough evidence to back up what Link was saying. He didn't seem the type to follow any rules, he seemed more or less the type to go as he pleased and take control of all situations. And he seemed damn good at it.

And I didn't want myself involved with Lucian. Not now, not ever. He was a hunter, that hunted for people. And when someone says that to you, with such assuredness and ease you run the hell away from them. And that's what I intended to do.

"Link," I sighed. I dropped the act and turned around to face him. "Could you please just take me home?"

"Where is home to you now?" Link fired back without moving his eyes from the road. "Back with your parents or at my aunt's?"

I was sure what he was implying so therefore decided to ignore his rude remark. "Parents." I clipped out.

There was not much talk after that. We were both very engrossed in our own head, I for one mostly gone out the world and way too deep in my head. So far deep that I didn't realise we were outside my house until Link nudged me.

I jumped slightly at that, startled for a second before I quickly recovered. I shot out the car, making sure to slam the door behind me hard. I stomped, literally stomped up the front door to my house, jabbed in my keys and walked right in. And lastly, slammed my own door shut behind me loudly, so loud that Link all the way inside his car would have heard.

What was wrong with me? I asked myself incredulously. I was really angry and was acting out.

Carrying my feet towards the stairs, I didn't make it one up one as I dropped myself down. I held myself upright using the stair rails and just stared at the door.

Images of me frantically trying to open the door came back to me and the next moment where the intruder grabbed my hair and pulled me away from it. It was as if I was playing out a horror movie and I was casted as the lead role.

I lifted my hand and carefully threaded my fingers through my scalp. It was still hurting, a dull aching pain that was there since the morning but I didn't give it twice a thought until now. It was there, as if millions of small pins were stabbing into my scalp and simultaneously blowing heated air over it.

I needed to put my head under cold water to ease the pain and the thought of standing under the spraying water seemed appealing right now. I pushed myself up to a stand and that's when I felt a small drop trail down my cheek.

I lifted a hand to my face and felt the wetness over both my cheeks.

"Damn it," I choked out, yet I welcomed the silent tears with open arms. I had held them in for as long as I could and something told me that those tears weren't just for me.

"Fix yourself Ori," I angrily whispered to myself. Even if I wasn't breaking down in front of anyone, crying behind closed doors was not going to help me in the long run.

I went up the stairs, dragging my feet to my room and picked up a few essentials I needed for a shower. When I got to the bathroom, I stripped down naked and inspected myself in front of the mirror.

I just saw them now.

The bruises that appeared all over my body. Different hues of bruises that covered different patches on my body, some taking a more vicious tone and some looking eerily like pieces of aesthetic splotches. Something twisted inside my stomach as bile rose up my throat. My hand shot up to my mouth as I tried to cover up my cries.

He saw you like this...

I shut myself down after that and quickly walked under the shower head, letting the water rinse out as much as it could physically. Mentally, I was fucked. But I didn't care anymore.

////

> who watches the walking dead and saw the recent sneak peak? Willing to tell me who you think is gone :( ?

> if you enjoyed this chapter, please comment and vote I still haven't seen a title that has clicked with Link Dane 2 so keep dropping some suggestions <33