The Assassin's Tree

( 16 )

"Leon? Where are you?"

Hearing him call to me again sent a chill down my spine.

His voice seemed teasing, playful almost. I started to stand, to reach for the doorknob-

He is your enemy.

I sat back down again, hiding further in the closet. His voice was closer now.

"Leon, this isn't funny. Please come out."

He sounded more panicked now.

Good, let him panic.

"Leon, don't be childish. I know you're in here."

His voice was coming from within the master bedroom now.

I don't know where my sudden fear of him came from. It was silly. He wouldn't hurt me.

Slowly, I climbed to my feet, inching towards the closet door.

What are you doing?

"I'm leaving." I answered the voice impatiently, throwing open the closet door. Dean was standing in the doorway, and he raised an eyebrow as I emerged from the darkness.

"Where are you leaving?" He asked quietly, taking a few small steps towards me.

"Uhm... the closet?" I rubbed the back of my neck, doing everything I could to avoid eye contact.

"I think the phrase is 'coming out of the closet'. And if that's what you were going for, it was highly unnecessary." He rolled his eyes. "I already knew you were gay."

Now, I raised my gaze, staring up at him. "No, that's... that's not what I meant. I heard..." I stopped, realizing how stupid it sounded. "I heard you coming and it startled me. So I hid in the closet. That's all. I know it doesn't make sense."

"Are you alright, Leon?" Dean was watching me closely, eyes narrowed and an eyebrow raised. He was suspicious, or maybe it was concern written on his face?

"Yes, yeah. I'm perfectly fine. What does it matter to you anyways?" Even though my words were meant to be bitter, they came out meek.

He shrugged, closing the distance between us and looking down at me. Those dark brown eyes were soft with concern. Concern. He was worried about me.

"I know this is going to be hard on you, but you don't have to be afraid. You have time to make your choice. I'm not going to force anything out of you. I'm not that way."

"Yeah, sure, right. You say that, until you lose your patience after one week and beat the shit out of me because you're bored and tired of being cooped up with me." With a sudden surge of confidence, I pushed his hand off my shoulder. "Don't talk to me like I'm a fucking child. You don't know me. You think you've seen shit? Walk a week in my shoes." I broke eye contact, getting out of his face and shoving past him, retreating out of the room.

I stumbled down the stairs, blinded momentarily by anger. Once I reached the bottom, I bolted towards the door, throwing it open. I heard his voice from behind me, but I couldn't make out the words.

My boots thudded against the ground as I headed towards the creek, the only noise filling my head was the sound of the running water.

Good. Let your anger fill you.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to drown out the voice.

Don't fight. Let it chill your bones and inflame your senses.

My heart was pounding as I dropped to my knees at the water's edge. I stuck my hands deep into the water, letting it flower over my fingers. It was freezing.

"Leon, what the hell?" I finally recognized Dean's voice in my ear, and felt his hands grab my shoulders. He shook them gently. I kept my head down, ignoring him and staring at my hands in the water. A chill ran down my spine.

How dare he put his hands on you.

"Don't touch me." I murmured, pulling my hands out of the water. I stood up swiftly, forcing him to step back a bit. I turned to face him, wiping my eyes. When had I cried?

Show him what you can do.

I hesitantly raised my fists into a defensive position.

DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

The voices erupted in chanting.

"NO!" I yelped, grabbing my head in my hands and covering my ears, as if that would stop it. "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop..." I sluggishly sank to my knees again, shuddering. "Just... stop..." I whimpered loudly, my head felt heavy in my hands. I could feel the hot tears sliding down my face.

A second later, I felt Dean's warm hands on my face. "Leon, calm down, look at me. It's just me. It's just me."

I wavered, before eventually turning my eyes up to him. He was crouched in front of me, still cradling my head in his hands. I blinked my tears away the best I could. I lifted my left hand to touch his face.

I had a splitting headache, but the voices had gone away.

"Dean, Dean..." I exhaled sharply, pulling my hand away from his face. "I... I..."

"You don't have to explain." He stood up, carefully pulling me to my feet. He was staring at me.

It was a stare I was familiar with.

He thought I was a freak.

And he was right.