Crossblood - Completed

Chapter 2

POSSIBLE TRIGGERS

A knock on the door. Simple but strong with meaning. Lily dresses quickly, the constant fear of her husband discovering her gnawing at the back of her mind. Madam yanks the knob, an unknowing prisoner in her left arm hooked by her elbow and a passion to kill. Julius flashes a shy smile moments before being forced to his knees on the splintering wood floor.

"Do you know him?!" Madam's voice is hoarser than usual, more cigarettes I'm guessing. She should lay off before she's stuck with a plastic lung.

I rub the back of my neck, coolly trying to play off the fear boiling inside me. "He's a...friend...I guess."

Julius shows another smile "Told you."

Madam coughs a few times before staring me straight in the eyes, finger raising to point at me in an adagio matter. "You are not to leave this brothel nor this room for this man will not have you. Ever." That's one way to turn crazy stepmother the night before the ball. I huff silently at my thoughts.

Julius is instantly crushed, Madam dragging him out by his baby blue shirt collar. Through all of this I never realized Lily had snuck out of the room. Most likely to avoid an awkward situation.

I lay back to face the many ceiling cobwebs and baby spiders, a sudden ache of loneliness coming over me. The wood splinters as they spin silky webs for me in dazzling rhombuses and squares. A larger, much older spider turns to face me, it's eyes lingering on mine before scurrying back to a hole in the wall. Strange.

The days go by as usual as I sleep with women, bathe, get paid. I feel the need to cry, for being locked in a bedroom for seven days isn't living life to the fullest. Especially when a certain violet eyed man won't leave your thoughts. Madam has yet to speak to me as I to her. She will stop by once a day to make sure I didn't escape through a non existent hole but that is my only contact with humanity, for women seize to come.

As the days pass my mood declines drastically. First I just don't want to see women, the thought of their presence annoying me, but then I crave for the attention they gave me. How they hugged and kissed and touched me.

I don't quite understand why I'm given such treatment, I did nothing wrong. I do think of Julius more than usual now. His violet eyes and strong, diamond like skin, paler than the average human. My body shakes with the thought of ice on fire, his skin on my skin.

"He looks so distant." I stand in excitement at the sound of a female and quickly scramble to a sitting position beneath the sheets.

Greeted by a closed door, I sink back down with my head on a pillow, mind flooding with disappointment. There's a small cough and my head jerks to face a spider the size of a quarter. I sneak a smile as I count the eyes. Two. She's just like me...in a way.

"Good evening!" I whisper. My excitement barely able to be contained.

The spider jumps before leaning it's minuscule head closer to me "Can...can you...?"

A smile rivaling the Cheshire Cat plasters itself to my face. "Yes, I can hear you! I mostly just choose to ignore your...insects's chatter."

"Then you must be-"

All joking aside I say: "I choose to not talk about that title unless necessary."

She bows in respect of my offer then continues with her messy and slurred speech. "I can't even- all this time I never even knew you were him! You're N-"

"Yes, but the past is behind us and the future is ahead. I don't think back often, don't make me now please." She seems to understand my request, minuscule head bobbing as she folds and unfolds each of her twiggy, hair coated legs.