Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Sharing is Caring

Valencia followed Jonathan through the door. It opened into a small kitchen and on the right hand side, a connecting living room of smaller proportions.

"Hey!" Edward called to Jonathan who was busy closing the curtains of the window that rested over the kitchen sink.

Jonathan turned, bringing his arms back to his sides. "What."

"What did you mean back there? Something's wrong with Valencia? Didn't she just get back from being healed?" Edward stood next to Valencia, placing an arm around her waist seemingly protectively.

Valencia doesn't push Edward away, but she didn't cuddle up to him either. She just stood there, her eyes frozen on Jonathan standing alone on one end of his kitchen with four people rallying against him on the other.

Jonathan rattled off what he'd experienced previously. "We had stopped at a restaurant before coming here. She--Valencia--went into a sort of paralytic state--her body froze, and it was almost like her mind had no control over her powers and they went haywire. Arms of shadows coming from the walls-throwing things, knocking over people, chairs, tables-" he stopped short, focusing on directing his words at Edward. "She needs to stay here. With me. I need to study her-"

"-Study her?" Edward stepped in front of Valencia, his arm dropping to his side. "Like how you studied her reaction to your Toxin and nearly killed her because of it?"

Jonathan grew defensive. "I will never give her Fear Toxin ever again." He growled pointedly.

"You said the same thing to me. To all of your patients!" Edward frowned. "And you lied. How am I supposed to know that you're not lying?"

"Why do you care so much if I lie?"

"It's not that, it's-"

"You care about me?" Valencia interjected, causing both Jonathan and Edward to shift their gazes to her.

Edward was silent, his jaw set. "How did you piece that together?"

"It's quite evident."

"Why do you care that I care?"

Valencia was taken aback. "You vould sink, after reading my Arkham file sat you, as ingenious as you are, vould be able to guess," She paused. "Everyone I have ever loved, who has ever cared about me, has left me," She paused again. "You'd sink I'd be skeptical of people who vish to vorm sere vay into my life, and I am."

"Well, I do care. And I won't be leaving anytime soon." Edward smiled.

"Get out. All of you." Jonathan announced, annoyed. "Except you Valencia, you stay here."

"Vat if I don't vant to stay?" Valencia retorted.

"Do you want to figure out what's going on inside your head, or do you want to die painfully?" Jonathan growled in a threatening tone.

"Fine. I vill stay, but vis vone condition. I get to raise a little Hell vonce in a vile."

"I'll think about it. But you all need to leave. Now. Valencia needs to sleep." Jonathan demanded with a sharp tone.

The three men all left, not even saying goodbye.

Jonathan had started to pace slightly. Taking only a few steps before turning and taking a few more. The room was filled with uncomfortable silence beside the sounds of Jonathan's shoes on the old wood floor. "You'll sleep in my bed, I'll take the couch."

"Alright." Valencia pursed her lips and went back into Jonathan's room. She wasn't tired at all, so she went to his book shelf and scanned the books for something interesting to pass the time. She didn't look away when Jonathan walked into the room to grab some clothes, or when he stopped to stare at her while she read the book titles. Once he had left, she took a book down from the shelf, the only fantasy book in the entire bookshelf, The Tales of Sleepy Hallow.

She walked over to the bed still looking over the cover. When she had sat down on the bed, she noticed that Jonathan had set out a plain black tee shirt and a pair of sweatpants at the foot of the bed.

She looked around the room to see if there could even be the slightest chance possible for anyone to be watching her undress. When she was satisfied she was alone, she got changed into the clothes. She folded her clothes and set them on the table with the lamp.

She then got under the covers after moving some of the pillows to the side, and started reading this children's book.

After a good forty-five minutes, she closed the book and set it on the other side of the bed, silencing the lamp with a flick of a wrist.