Savage Moon 05 - Unleashed - 2. Chapter 2

The truck traveled down the nearly empty highway, the roads pitch black, void of any light at all except for the stars above. We passed by a few small houses, inhabited by people who wouldn't be awake any later than 10:30 PM, even on the weekends, and everyone around me stayed mostly silent. Dex had curled up with his knees under his chin, sucking gently on his thumb while playing with one of his shoelaces. Kriegar was concentrated mostly on his bottle, taking sip after sip, enjoying the sting of the drink time and time again. I couldn't tell if John Boy was awake or asleep, but I knew that whatever state he was in, he was alert. Possibly more alert than any of us. Even though his dark circle sunglasses hid his eyes from me, I knew that his senses were always reaching out ahead of us, behind us, and every direction in between. He had this gentle stillness about him that resembled a monk in meditation, and I often wondered what it was like to be so in tune with everything at all times. I stared at him for a moment, thinking that maybe his eyes were closed and he really was asleep...simply giving the illusion of an intense focus on the world around us. But as I watched him closely, John Boy's boyish lips curled up slightly in a soft smirk, and I knew he could 'see' me. He never said a word, but my interest in him alone was enough to make him smile.

I was thankful for the trucks speedy motion, as it allowed the cool night air to wash over me in a steady breeze. It felt like I was trapped in the beginnings of another fever, and it caused beads of perspiration to appear on my forehead. Occasionally I would feel a few drips slide down my neck, and I'd sit up a little higher in the truck to catch more air as it whizzed by us. My side felt like it was on fire where Dex had bitten me. I would take my hand and rub it every now and then with my fingertips, feeling the indentations where his bite had sunken in the deepest. I didn't want to look at it. In fact, I wish I could stop touching it too. I was probably aggravating it and making it hurt worse. But, much like the bruises I had received earlier that night, the wound became just as fascinating. Weird.

The moon was so bright that it almost made my eyes ache. I watched it chase the truck through the trees, racing behind us at top speed as though it were actually trying to beat us to our destination. And as I stared at it's silvery splendor, the woods on either side of the road seemed to come alive in my ears. I could hear the scurrying of night time creatures rummaging through the fallen leaves on the forrest floor. I could hear the flap of insect wings, whizzing past the speeding truck at the speed of light. It was amazing how....separated everything was. Usually, the night just blends into this buzzing tempo of white noise without any distinction or purpose. But...tonight was different. Tonight I heard the dark symphony, with each individual instrument adding to the nocturnal melody. And it gave me goosebumps to feel so alive.

I winced and turned slightly as I felt a sharp pain rip through my side, almost causing me to yelp outloud. I grabbed a hold of the painful spot, and the others in the back of the truck turned to watch me. The pain seemed to only be temporary, but my GOD, did it ever sting! And burn! It was like having a hot poker jabbed in my side. What the hell did Dexter DO to me???

John Boy, his ever charming smile spreading out slowly on his lips, calmly asked me, "How are you feeling, Wesley?"

"I'm ok. Just had a sharp pain in my..." I started to say, 'in my side', but as Dex was looking at me apologetically, I felt the need to keep him from feeling any worse. "...Just...a sharp pain. That's all. It's fine."

"Maybe if some random punk hadn't BIT you, you'd be alright..." Kriegar started, but John Boy put a hand on his leg to shush him before he got Dex screaming again. I saw Dexter turn slightly, his pout melting into a frown, and he just went back to sucking his thumb in silence. John Boy gave Kriegar the cue to not start trouble, and Kriegar sighed with a grumble. "Sorry, geez. Didn't know he was so 'sensitive' all of the sudden. I'm sure Wesley's side hurts from something entirely different from having a nutjob bite down on him as hard as he can."

"Kriegar...relax." John Boy, told him. "Drink."

He didn't seem to have any problem with that order at all, and left the whole thing alone. I looked over at Dex who seemed to be spiralling downward so far into regret that I actually began to feel sorry for him. He looked back at me out of the corner of his eye, and when our gazes met, we held it for a few quiet moments. Then, he suddenly took his thumb out of his mouth, and quickly hopped up onto his hands and knees. It startled me, seeing him suddenly race towards me at top speed. Not even John Boy could catch him and sit him down in time. Dex wormed and wiggled his way over to me in record time, and I held my breath as I didn't know what to expect from him. But he simply sat up on the tire beside me and hugged me tight around the waist. Nearly squeezing the air out of me. The others just looked at him, clinging to me for dear life, and as I heard a few sniffles below me, I noticed that he was sobbing gently into my shoulder. His emotions flip flopped so drastically these days that I could hardly get a lock on how to predict his actions. Which was fine when he was doing it in a unpredictably cute fashion. But now that his mood swings were getting much more severe...it was becoming more and more important to figure him out before I found myself with another chunk taken out of me.

"I'm sorry...." He sniffled, and held me in his strong embrace.

"Awww....it's ok, Dex. Really. You didn't mean it." I told him softly, and I let my hand travel up to pet his sweet blond curls in an attempt to comfort him. My side was still burning and aching out of control, but he was a cool kid, just a little bit 'off' that's all. I didn't want him to feel bad. The others tease him enough as it is without me joining in on making him feel outcast. Dex, felt the sentiment in my hug, and before I could turn away, he looked up at me with a straight face....and he licked me! From my chin, across my lips, and up to the tip of my nose! "Ugh! Dude..." I said, leaning away from him. It wasn't until I started giggling that Dex let a smile of his own break out on his face. He leaned in quick and placed the sweetest kiss on my lips, cuddling up at my side again as all was forgiven and forgotten in an instant. I don't think Dex held on to ANY emotion for longer than a few minutes. I swear, his random thoughts must race by him at a hundred miles an hour all day long.

The rest of them watched carefully for a few seconds to make sure that I wasn't in danger of being 'eaten' again, and after seeing him snuggle safely for a few moments, began to relax. I turned forward slightly, as much as I could with Dex locked to my waist, and looked out the front window of the truck to see the road rushing up at us. Sebastian had his window rolled down, the air blowing his long flowing hair up in the most seductive way possible. I caught small glimpses of his soft neck as his cascading locks swept back and forth over it, and the profile of him, his thin lips looking so tempting...it was magic. Pure magic. Scout, as always, was sitting in Kristin's lap in the middle of the front seat. It looked as though she was tenderly rubbing a small lump in the front of his pants, getting a bold feel of his goods as she rested her other hand on his stomach. But, while Scout enjoyed and appreciated he touches, his head was leaning over onto Cyrus' shoulder. As though to give him full credit for all of the wonderful sensations Kristin was supplying him with. Scout's loyalty to Cyrus was so complete. Much more than any of the others. And I don't mean in a 'little brother' or a 'you're my hero' sorta way. This was serious worship. Idolatry of the highest level. When I thought about, even the other members of this little gang ever had much interaction with the boy outside of a few exceptions. I highly doubt that Scout would allow them too. He made it very clear that Cyrus was the only priority he had in his life, the only one he needed out of the whole pack. And the only time he really paid the rest of us any attention was when they were taking Cyrus' focus off of him. I wonder why.

Then, as I looked out at the beams of the truck's headlights, I saw a small black shape trot out into the middle of the road. It was fat and furry and grey in color, with a long tail. A possum, no doubt. It saw us coming and picked up the pace to get to safety. But...with a demonic smile on his face, Cyrus hit the gas, and sharply swerved to the left, the rest of us in back holding on to keep from being tossed over the side. And seconds later, the truck brutally ran over the possum with its two left front and back tires. I could feel the sickening squish as we struck the large animal, the impact almost making me nauseous.

"Woooo! That was a juicy one!" Kriegar shouted, "A full 15 points for that one, man!" I saw Cyrus giggling, reaching a hand up as if to accept full credit for his deed. Cyrus' eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and even though I had a concerned look on my face, his smile didn't waiver a bit.

Shank looked back at the road behind us, his eyes fixed on the corpse as it scrolled backward into the darkness. He was enchanted by the sight of it, almost....dare I say it...'aroused' by it. It was the same kind of fascination that his twin brother, Razor, often directed to the slow burning flame of a lit match. Actually, Shank's seemed a bit more intense. It was during these times that you could seriously tell the two of them apart. Those rare moments when their obsessions broke their link and gave them the opportunity to act independently of one another. I saw Shank crack his knuckles, and stare out as far as he could behind us. The tiniest smirk crossing his lips.

"Meanies." Dexter whispered.

"It's dead." I told him, giving his hair a few more strokes.

"No....not yet." Shank said softly, finally turning around to face us again. He had this dreamy look of euphoria on his face as he spoke about it. It was creepy. "It wasn't an instant kill. The organs and muscles will continue to twitch and spasm for another few minutes at least. It doesn't even know how bad it is yet. By the time it realizes what's happened, it'll be down to it's final breaths." Shank slid down to the floor of the truck, and his brother slid down to sit beside him. "It's more likely to bleed to death than it is to die from the initial strike. Or...if it has enough muscle control left...the harsh spasms and pointless desire to try to get on its feet again will cause it to break its own neck." He sighed to himself, closing his eyes. "God...I wish I could be there to see it."

"Shit, Cyrus already creamed it with the truck! That's the best part! I've seen all I wanted to see!" Kriegar said, taking a big gulp from his bottle.

"You guys are gross...." I mumbled, but Shank and Razor both looked up at me at the same time, almost intimidating me with their eyes.

"Oh No, Wesley. It's not gross. Not at all." Shank said softly. "The happiest moment of any creature's life is the moment they let go of it, and get reintroduced to the ether. Especially when those final moments are lived in agonizing pain. The contrast between suffering and salvation must be orgasmic at the time of death." Shank's eyes glazed over, and he spoke as if he were poetically describing the blossoming of a spring flower. "The body is here, but the spirit is gone. There is nothing more beautiful than the husk a freed soul leaves behind in its journey to another place. It's almost like a seashell, of sorts."

I was frozen. I didn't know if I should even respond to that. Not that it didn't make a sick kinda sense, but it was frightening to think that he would view it that way. Much less speak about it openly in front of the rest of us. I looked away from them, biting my tongue and trying not to display any visible signs of disgust. Then I heard the twins giggle playfully from the other side of the truck. It was the same taunting laugh that I had heard in the woods that first evening when they played a trick on me. Teasing me, humiliating me. I looked back up at them to shoot daggers in their direction...but what I saw frightened me. Their eyes were aglow with a bright green light, enough to illuminate their wide grins in the darkness. Four shining orbs, directed at me. I gasped a bit, and straightened up, as though I could move any further back in such a confined space. Dex felt me jerk, and hugged me tighter, obviously more affected by my reaction than the look of their eyes.

"Wesley...you seem awfully jumpy tonight." Razor grinned.

"Very jumpy. Was it something I said." Shank added.

"What's...what's wrong with your eyes?" I said.

And they answered in unison, "What's wrong with yours?" They continued to stare for another second or two, and then, with a blink of their eyes...the glow was gone. They leaned back with satisfied smirks, and I watched as they lovingly shared a lingering tongues kiss with one another before taking their attention off of me again. I don't know how they did that, or how they got it to work on cue, but I'm willing to bet that they got some kinda crazy special effect contact lenses from the same place that John Boy got his. They must have a ton of gags lying around the house or something. It's a gimmick. A joke. And I'm not falling for it. Let them pull pranks on someone gullable enough to believe their bullshit.

It was a relief when I finally saw Cyrus turn off of the main road and hit a familiar terrain that meant that we were almost 'home'. The people in this group of misfits were revealing parts of themselves that I didn't see in them before. And I wasn't sure that I liked it. Some taboo activities go way beyond sexual experimentation, underaged drinking, and a little teenage mischief. And they were pretty much willing to touch on all of them.

The old white house approached us as Cyrus turned into the driveway. It wasn't really all that far from Rainbow's End, but somehow the twenty minute trip always seemed to get longer and longer each time. I guess my idea of time relativity depends on how comfortable I was with the others and howmuch fun I was having. Tonight...it was a long trip.

Dex released me from his death grip, but instead of playfully finging himself to the ground like he usually did, he simply got up and hopped down with the rest of them. He had been surprisingly quiet since his argument with Kriegar, and it made me wonder if he actually resented them this time. Sure he says it all day long, but I never really thought he took their teasing to heart. Maybe I'm just getting used to their whole dynamic, who knows? But as my mind tried to put he pieces together, the only thing I ended up with were more questions.

I hopped down from the truck as well, and it wasn't until my feet hit the ground and I started walking towards the house, that I realized that I was actually going to be spending the night here again. Against my father's wishes, no doubt. I tried to give myself over to Cyrus' idea of complete freedom. I tried to just let it all go and accept that I was capable of making my own choices and becoming the person that I wanted to be. But...despite all my defiance and liberation from the supposed 'chains' that were holding me back...the feeling of consequence was still haunting me. I could feel it, right there in the back of my mind, nagging me, telling me to think. And yet,there was this strange fire in my veins that was fighting it every step of the way. Something alien in my bloodstream that I had never felt before. Telling me to trust my new father, to follow him and obey his order. Forcing me forward to wallow in his love and focus. It was like living two conflicting lives simultaneously, and my soul was ultimately caught up between both sides. Hanging in the balance, waiting for me to make a choice.

As I walked towards the house, Cyrus smiled warmly at me, and put an affectionate arm around my shoulder. There was nothing like his caress, even when it was meant as nothing more than a gesture of friendship. His dominance electrified you the moment any stray adoration fell upon you, and even though my thoughts were plagued with worry and doubt...he made it all disappear. When you were in his favor, nothing else mattered. Which is why I almost understood when I felt Scout walk up and squeeze himself in between us, hugging Cyrus close to him and practically growling at me to move away. Normally, it wouldn't bother me at all to let Scout claim his hero and not say another word. But tonight was different. Tonight, I wanted to fucking smack him and retake my place at Cyrus' side.

We all marched into the house, with Shank and Razor guarding both sides of the door, and plopped down in the living room. "Kristin....music, please." Cyrus said, and sat down in his easy chair, with Scout curling up in his lap. Kristin got the message, and turned the stereo on. It always stayed at full volume, so I braced myself for the assult of rock guitars and drums as the walls began to vibrate with the noise. Sebastian took a position on the steps, away from the rest of us, to sit in silence. You could never look at him for a quick moment and then look away. His beauty always drew you in, causing you to stare and examine his grace whether you wanted to or not. And yet, in his silence and slight withdrawal from us, he never seemed rejected or melancholy. In fact, he was able to somehow maintain the illusion of being easily approachable and 'too pretty to be touched' at the same time. He caught me looking, and stared back at me for a moment. The expression on his face was impossible to read, but the eye contact alone made me hard as a rock in my pants. He could be so effortlessly breathtaking when he wanted to be.

"Open!" Kriegar said from in front of me, snapping me out of my fantasy.

"Huh?"

"OPEN!" He said even louder, and he physically tilted my head back, pressing a bottle up to my lips and making me drink from it. I almost gagged on the liquor inside of it, but as it ran out of the sides of my mouth and down into the collar of my shirt, I knew it was either drink or drown! Especially when I felt some of the alcohol wash up over my nostrils and cut off my air. Kriegar held the bottle up for a LOT longer than I would consider sane...but he finally let it drop, and I coughed and gagged as I gasped for air. I held my chest, already feeling dizzy from the instant buzz I felt from the instant assault on my tonsils. I couldn't even speak to curse the bastard out, and kept wheezing while the others shared a light chuckle over the expression on my face. "Good boy!" Kriegar said, patting me hard on the back. "I like this kid! He might just work out afterall!" And he walked back over to sit on the couch. Jesus...if I could catch my breath and stop the unmerciful burn that I felt working its way through my intestine...I might have thanked him for the compliment.

Cyrus grinned approvingly, his stare fixing itself on me from his throne. Scout kissed him on his cheek and wiggled a bit in his lap, but it was more to recapture his notice than it was out of affection. "I GOT DIBS ON THE SHOWER!!!" Dex screamed out of nowhere, and then he hopped up from the sofa, sprinting towards the stairs. He ripped his shirt off on the way and tossed it behind him as the blond blur hurried up the steps two at a time. My throat was still reacting to the poison Kriegar had just poured into it, but I did laugh a bit at the thought of Dex racing through the house as though someone else were trying to beat him to the bathroom. Shank and Razor stayed close together, gently petting each other in the most 'un-brotherly' ways. Seeing them start to kiss and lick at one another's lips made me wonder if I should anticipate another one of their nightly orgies like we had last time. I didn't want to stare, but I was instantly aroused by the mere thought of it. I looked down at the carpet, holding my legs together to hide my excitement, but I'm pretty sure they all knew what I was feeling. What I was thinking.

I looked back over my shoulder to connect eyes with Sebastian again, and he used to fingers to lightly tuck one side of his long hair behind his ear. And it was then that I became aware of that sweetened scent again. That candied aroma that I had noticed in Jimmy the last time we spoke. But it was stronger here. Extremely strong. And it was coming from every corner of the room, in powerful clouds that drew me in with the simple suggestion of their presence. I felt myself grow harder than I had ever been before, feeling it in my stomach, the muscles at the top of my thighs straining to contain it. I held my legs tighter together, and leaned forward with my arms folded to press down on the stiffness and will it to go down. But it only made it swell and throb, desperately crying out for release. Just a few strokes would take me over the edge, I was sure of it.

I heard Kristin giggle at my position, and she slid down to the floor in front of me, using her hands to pry my legs open and push me back against the couch. I blushed furiously at being so 'open', but she didn't touch me there. She just smiled, and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes to enjoy the scent she got from me. Then she sat back in front of me, leaning back on her arms. "Your apetites are going to keep growing stronger, you know? All of your apetites." She told me. "There's no need to be shy or ashamed. We're here to help you feel satisfied. Focused. That's what families do for each other." I looked down at the obscenely hard tent in my pants, and just wanted to cover it up again. Kristin raised her foot up from the floor, and rested it in my lap, making me tremble violently from the contact. She moved in slow circles, just beneath my balls, and then let her toes move up th length of the shaft and back down again, nearly making me cum. I had to close my eyes to concentrate on something else, but I couldn't tell her to stop. In fact, as if she willed it so, my legs opened wider to grant her access. "You've got a nice size, Wesley. I like it." She moaned. "Does it run in the family?"

The last comment made my eyes flutter open, and I looked down into her seductive eyes, seeing her lust for my baby brother still lingering there. It was the one thing that gave me some of my self control back, and I used my hand to brush her foot away from my crotch and put it back on the floor. "Awwww...little Wesley doesn't wanna play anymore?" She said.

"I don't appreciate you referring to my little brother, alright?" I said sternly, but still weak at the idea of another mindblowing sex romp with the others around me.

"Why? Does it bother you?" She asked with a wicked smile.

"Yes. So just...don't do it, ok? It's...weird."

Kristin got up and slid into the seat next to me, letting her fingers play in my hair. "You know...if you're gonna be one of us, you're gonna have to learn how to share." She giggled, as I leaned away from her. "All pedophiles aren't men, Wesley. There are a lot of us girls out there that find young males just as tastey. Luckily, society's double standards tend to work in our favor for a change when it comes to these things. Me getting banged by some young boy? Hooray for him, he's a stud. But a young boy getting speared by someone older...string 'em up from the highest tree. You know why that is, hon?" She whispered in my ear. "It's the penetration. Most people think of penetration as an 'attack', making the person getting penetrated a victim, willing or not. So no matter how loving the sex or deep the emotion, anyone with a penis is going to be viewed as a borderline rapist in the eyes of the judges watching. While us ladies...get to sit back and enjoy the show. Trust me, I haven't spent a single day of my life envying that particular organ at all." She ran her hand across my lap. "But if you need a hand to help it feel better, I'd be more than happy to have a taste."

"I have to go to the bathroom!" I said, quickly disengaging myself from Kristin entirely and standng up on my feet. The others seemed tickled that her advances had gotten me so tense, but Cyrus pointed towards the stairs to let me know where to go. "Which door is it?"

"The one where Dex is taking his shower, of course." Cyrus replied. I nodded and started to walk up, when Cyrus called out to me. "Wes....make sure that you come right back down. Do you understand? No funny business with the blond brat." Again I nodded, and went up the rest of the stairs to relieve myself.

The steps creaked as I traveled up to the second floor of the house. I had yet to see this part of the house, but it was just as abandoned as the rest of the place. There were scratches in the paint, like someone had run a rake across them. And the bedroom doors were all closed and locked. There were no lights in the hallway, just the one coming from the bathroom, the door wide open and the shower running. There was a trail of Dex's clothes littering the hallway where he had carelessly stripped down on his way to the tub. Then, as I got close to the door, I noticed a giant dried stain on the carpet. Thick and dark, reaching across the hallway and travelling further down for about 10 feet in front of me. The light from the bathroom showed it to be deep purple in color...or was it brown? I could hardly tell. But I knew that I got a negative vibe the second I saw it, and it made me even more uncomfortable than I already was.

I walked into the bathroom and saw Dex behind the clear curtain, shampooing his hair and humming softly to himself. I moved quietly and lifted the toilet seat, but he knew I was there. "Whatchya doin'?" He asked.

"Just using the bathroom."

"Ooh! Can I help?" Dex jumped out of the shower, totally naked, and dripping wet with soap and shampoo. He grabbed me from behind and reached down to unzip me and hold it for me. There was never an opportunity to talk him out of anything once he got that playful impulse in his head. So I just let go, and allowed him to..uh...help, I guess. But when I was done, he began to stroke me slowly, kissing my neck and ear. He hugged me close, his wet body soaking into the back of my shirt. I couldn't stop from getting hard, but remembered what Cyrus said. I took a step to move away from him, but he clung tightly to me, his kisses getting more feverish.

"Dex..I've gotta go. Finish your shower, k? And then we can play later. Alright?" But he kept kissing me all over my cheeks, and turned me around to face him. Wow, he looked soooo hot when he was naked. And he grabbed my hands, placing them on the small tight mounds behind him, kissing me full on the lips as though he were hungry for me. It was passionate and reckless, but I knew Cyrus' order...and I was to come right back down. That was his law. And although the dark haze washed over me, making my senses go wild and grip Dex firmly in my squeezing hands...I knew I had to stop. "Ok...that's enough." I said, pushing him away while he fought me. "Dex...ok, Dex! Hehehe...you are getting way too crazy right now!" But as I pushed him away from me, in an instant, I saw something that nearly made me scream out loud in terror!

Dex suddenly jerked his head upwards, and with a rapid succession of loud 'barks', he snapped at me! His eyes were glowing like two burning coals, his mouth had stretched beyond anything human, and his teeth looked sharp as razors. Two inch long spikes that shot out from the bottom and the top jaw, dripping with long strings of saliva. I jumped back immediately, my heart leaping into my throat, and found myself sitting on top of he sink!

But just as quickly as it had happened, it was over. In the blink of an eye....Dex was his normal self again, his eyes looking at me with confusion. "What's the matter?" He asked me, his innocence so pure that I had to question whether or not what I saw was real. Am I hallucinating? Are the fevers I've been having making me lose it, all of the sudden. "Come on, Wesley....kiss me. I want it. You were doing great." He moved closer to me, and I jumped. A gulp of air got caught in my throat, and I hopped down from the sink to move towards the door. "Wesley? Awww, come on, I'm all stiffy now, look!" He said, making it bounce a little for me. "I want some more."

"Cyrus said...he said I have to come back down. I have to...I have to go." I stumbled backwards, walking back out into the hallway.

"Don't go. Come on, get wet with me!"

"He said...I gotta go." I walked away from the door, wondering if it was even safe to turn my back on him. That was it. My days of putting any sort of trust in Dexter was pretty much gone at this point. As I heard him climb back into the shower, humming quietly to himself again as he washed the shampoo out of his hair, I felt a chill run through me. And suddenly, all I could think about was going home. I mean..I wanted to stay...but....I couldn't stay....but, I felt like I had to. Why was my mind so mixed up. Th more I tried to figure things out, the harder it was to think. It was like, all of my choices were being systematically shut off from me. As though any will outside of Cyrus' direct commands were being hidden away in the back of my mind where my everyday thought processes couldn't reach them. The room bean to spin as I struggled hard to break through and think straight, and I reached my hands up to give my head a squeeze. I could feel a severe headache brewing, and my eyes nearly rolled back. Why can't I THINK anymore???

"Wesley...." I jumped again, startled to hear another voice in the darkened hallway with me. I could hardly adjust my eyes well enough to see, but noticed a reflection of the bathroom light reflected in the tinted lenses of John Boy's glasses. I couldn't see much else. "...Cyrus is waiting for you."

"Dex...he...."

"I know. I felt it. We all did. He has a sligh problem with 'balance' during certain phases of the moon, but he'll even out again eventually. We'll be sure to keep him on a shorter leash as the new moon gets closer." He said softly. All I could recognize was the shine of those glasses, the rest of him was invisible to me. And yet, I knew that, even without his sight...he could see me just fine. "Go back downstairs. Cyrus has a gift for you." He patted me o the shoulder, and lightly pushed me in the right direction. So I went, but I didn't feel any more at ease than I had a second ago. In fact, I felt worse. Something tells me I shouldn't have come here tonight. I should have just runaway to some place else entirely.

As I walked back downstairs, I saw Cyrus give me a wide grin...and I knew that going home was no longer an option. He'd never let me go again.