Epiphany

Chapter 15 Part 2~Or an Ally?

"But Gunther surely does." He grinned.

I think he saw the fear creep in on my face at that, so he continued, "Yeah, I know. Creepy, right? But there's no other way around this. If someone from the group knows, then it'll have to be Gunther. So don't waste your time on the others."

My eyes darkened as the hope retreated from there. Now, I would never know the truth.

"But..." He leaned in further, something twinkling inside his chocolate eyes. "If Gunther told anyone from the group, then it'll have to be Jesse."

My mouth opened slightly.

"They're practically close."

I had to stop my lips from widening at that. Finally, a chance! I would make a deal. I could answer all his questions about me and he could answer mine.

Everything is concluded.

"When you know, hit me up. Deal?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you get the answers yourself?"

He stifled a laugh. "I don't wanna die yet. We've been ordered to not question you, let alone talk to you."

"So you want me to get in trouble?" I queried slowly.

This guy. He needed a punch to his face.

He then released a cackle. "No, you won't get in one. Even if you did, he won't kill you. I guess..." He pondered and before panic could settle in, he continued, "But me and the others might get hurt. We don't mean anything. We're just slaves."

He gave me a shrug at the end and an unreadable expression.

"You understand where I'm getting at?"

"Why then?"

I wanted to know what was going on in their boss' sick head. They aren't supposed to even talk to me, he said? And not question him?

"Those are the exact questions that we aren't supposed to know."

I gave up as I nodded slowly, still eager to know the reason.

"So make up some deal with Jesse and something might slip up, and there you go."

"Okay," I mumbled, hoping this would actually work. He seemed like the person who would get his ways on his own accord, whether he wants to give me my answers or not.

I focused my eyes on Elijah again.

This seemed a little suspicious. Why would he help me? Tell me things that the others wouldn't probably want me to know. And the fact that we just met made all of this seem unusual.

"Why do you want to know the reason?" I questioned, trying to read his hidden intentions.

But I didn't need to read anything as such as he simply said with another shrug, "Curiosity."

"That might get you killed," I confirmed, narrowing my eyes.

He didn't give out any other intentions as I hoped he would. The smile continued on radiating from his face as he said, "Well, that'll be out little secret. You don't speak about this conversation that I had with you and I'll tell you if I knew anything, okay?"

I hummed in response, hoping he had no other intention than knowing the truth.

But I wouldn't let my guards down, even if he seemed like a nice person.

"No thanks? Not anything?"

I glared at him, shaking my head. "I'm not giving you anything."

I clutched the fabric of the sofa, voice switching into a hiss. "You killed my friend."

The nice aura that he once had slowly vanished, and he gave off another type of aura.

"What?" He knitted his brows, braids hiding his right eye completely when he tilted his head.

"If it weren't for you, my friend would've not gotten hurt."

I knew this statement was wrong. Someone else would've gotten my information and manipulated it to catch me instead but my mouth was blurting out stuff before I could process it.

Or... maybe he was the one he did that?

He seemed taken aback, when he retracted his face.

And when we both opened our mouth, each one having a completely different question in mind, I jumped slightly at the panging noise that reverberated across the room.

Both our heads snapped towards the door.

Someone was knocking on the front door and by how the door was shaking, I figured this person wasn't in a good mood.

I had the feeling that it was Gunther. An angry one.

I turned my head towards Elijah, expecting him to go and open the door-even though I hoped not. But he didn't and I noticed a flicker of what I think was panic flash through his eyes.

Just like my own. But mine was a flood of it.

He stood up and approached the door cautiously.

"Hey-"

He cut me off with a wave. "It's okay. It's probably the guys."

But I wasn't assured. I wished they wouldn't arrive this sooner. Or arrive at all. I wished justice would serve them right on their way here.

The door creaked open a bit followed by a gasp emerging from Elijah's throat.

"Andre? What are you doing here? I thought you already left?"

I scrunched my face at the unfamiliar name and tone of voice that followed.

A deep, cool voice made its way into my ears. "Yeah. Change of plans."

"Oh."

The door widened a bit making me take a glance at this person's outfit. It was someone taller than Elijah, wearing a milky dress shirt and black slacks. He seemed like someone who belonged with the higher status, just like their Boss.

"Edward wants you. So you better head straight to him."

Another unfamiliar name...

"Wait, what? Right now?" I could hear the alarm in his voice and if I talked, I was sure that I would hear the panic in mine too.

"Yeah now. And, don't worry, the girl will be safe with me." It was then that the fear spiking through me doubled by ten folds.

"How did you...? I can't. Sorry. I promised Gunther that I wouldn't leave her alone." Elijah shook his head slightly.

"I'll let him know that you did your job. Now head straight to Edward."

Fear fluttered in my stomach like little flying insects as the man pushed the door open and stepped in, giving me a full view of his face.

"Alyssa, you'll be fine." Elijah gave me a final reassuring nod before exiting the house, leaving me alone with a total stranger.

Crap.