I couldn't get to sleep.

Tossing and turning in bed, I tried to close my eyes, but I still couldn't get a wink of sleep.

It looks like I'd gotten so use to Francis's warmth and it being able to put me to sleep almost instantly. But now laying in the large empty bed, I struggled to get any rest.

Finally opening my eyes fully and decided against staying in the cold bed and went out onto the balcony.

Watching over the lush garden, I saw something lurking in the shadows next the trees. It could be an intruder of some sort. I wanted to go stop it but what if Francis finds me and thinks that I'm running again?

Well then that can be his problem.

Jumping over the ledge and using my wings to hover above the ground before standing, I flinched as I heard the bushes shuffle behind me, then in front of me again. There were three of them.

I was surrounded, and I was still too weak to be able to advance off the ground quickly. Opening my mouth, I was about to yell for Francis only to be interrupted, by a bark?

Looking back in front of me, I saw two pairs of brown eyes before the two shadows before me jumped out to reveal Dobermans. The pair of dogs lunged at me and pushed me onto my back, both growling at me.

Falling back and landing on my wings, I let out a groan of pain and that immediately made the dogs tilt they're heads to the side as they saw I just sat there, without fighting back. They must be guard dogs.

I put my head back as I heard a patter next to my ear and saw another large Doberman standing at the top of my head, sticking it tongue out with curiosity.

"Well, aren't you just beautiful dogs." I say in a high-pitched tone and as soon as they saw that I wasn't a threat, they were wagging their tails with their tongues out, wanting to play with someone, I presume.

As I rubbed my hands on their backs, I could feel scars all along their body, but they didn't seem to hurt too much for them. These beautiful dogs seemed to be attention deprived also hadn't been properly bathed in a while.

After playing with them for a few minutes, they walked away and looked sad as they did, they must take their job seriously as dogs if they know when they must get back to 'work'. I just wish there was some way to give them a break. Maybe I could ask Francis?

Waving the dogs goodbye, I looked back up to the balcony and realised that I had no way to get back up there. I could try climb up the wall, but the stone is too smooth. I'm guessing I have to go the long way, to the entrance.

Walking through the trees, I see the familiar gravel driveway and two guards standing at the door armed with large rifles, yet again.

Approaching the two, I walked up the few stairs to them, making them alarmed and raise their guns at me. Quickly, I retracted my wings out and raised them, the same as Francis does to make himself look bigger.

The guards realised what they were doing and quickly apologised before standing aside and opening the doors for me.

I may have looked calm on the outside but on the inside my heart was racing from the amount of risk that small action could've put me in. I walked up the spiralling stairs and through the hallways, trying to figure out where Francis's room was, but instead, I found myself following his voice I could hear.

"That's not what the contract stated, Mr Lee." his voice boomed in the room he was in, obviously agitated.

"I-I know what it seems Like Mr Whitelock, but I promise you-" of what I assume Mr Lee started but he was interrupted with a sound that made my heart stop.

A gun being cocked.

I dared to look in the room, and gazed around the room, just for my eyes to lay on a gun being put to an elderly man's head. A gun being held by Francis Whitelock.

"Don't make promises you won't keep." his deep, emotionless voice says before the gun shot sounds around the room.

My eyes widened as I stepped back and tripped onto the floor, from the shock of the sound, but I could see Francis's eyes flicker to near where I was.

"Someone's here. Clean this up." Francis orders as he put the said gun in another's hands and started to walk out the door to see who it was.

I ran just in time that he didn't see me. I ran and didn't look back.

He would be checking up on me now, I would be the top of his suspects of who might've been there. Using his tactics against him, I pushed myself through the hallways faster with my wings and ran into his room.

Immediately covering myself in sheets and contracting my wings, I lowered my heart rate, now knowing that with surroundings quiet enough, you could hear someone's heartbeat and I wasn't going to get caught by anyone, let alone Francis.

Especially in future.

I closed my eyes shut as the door was opened carefully. I could tell it was him.

His steps were soft as he approached the bed. I could feel his gaze roaming around me.

"Are you awake?" he whispers quietly but I ignore what he says and remain still. After a minute of waiting, he steps away from me and utters something under his breath.

I thought he would get into bed, but instead he went out of the room, closing the door behind him. But I didn't let my guard down, I stayed still as the pictures of Francis ran through my head.

To me he was always kind and caring, his eyes full of life, but when I saw him in that room with the gun, all I saw was death. He was truly emotionless, and it terrified me knowing that he could turn and do that to me in any moment.

Why did I have to be here?

It's the morning and I'm glad that I eventually got to sleep, but when I woke up, I was still greeted with an empty bed, making me frown as I listened to the silence of the room, not even the birds were chirping outside.

The silence swallowed me as I crumpled the sheets in my fists, thinking of what events happened last night. But I knew I was going to have to deal with these types of things if I had to stay around any longer.

My head turns to the door as there was a knock and familiar red hair pops through the door and a wide smile, making me groan slightly.

"So! How is Francis treating you?" Quinn snickers and I tilt my head and point a finger at her when she enters the room.

"Who said you could enter this room?" I say in a posh tone and Quinn shrugs as she flops onto the bed and on top of my legs.

We chat for what felt like an hour before there was a barking outside and we both went to see what it was. I smiled as I looked over the balcony and saw that it was the three dogs that I'd met last night.

When they see me, they wag their tails and bark happily and I could see that Quinn was confused for some reason.

"What is it?" She switches from looking to me then the dogs and me again.

"Sorry, it's just did you do something to them? Those dogs are supposed to be one of the most vicious tracking and guard dogs we have. None of them has ever been seen wagging their tails, like ever "

That's odd. "Maybe they just liked getting attention once in a while." I wonder out loud, Quinn thought about it for a while but ended up shaking her head.

"Nope." she said popping the 'p'. "They growl at most people who try to get close to them, maybe you're just meant to be here." she laughs and nudges my side, and I go along with her dryly.

I zone out as I look at the horizon and draw circles on the marble railing with my fingertips.

Recently, there have been so many people that I've been growing to love, and there's only more reasons piling on and on why I shouldn't leave. And now I'm starting to think that I really shouldn't.

Quinn ends up leaving for after a while, after she gives me my breakfast and tells me to rest, but instead I end up going off the balcony and visiting the dogs again.

Giving them the cold breakfast, they scoffed it down as I sat beside them and scratched behind their ears. I noticed that they didn't have any names, so I wanted to change that.

Pointing to each of them, I introduced their names to themselves, and while I did so, I repeated that I was on attaching myself to this place more so that I wouldn't leave.

First was the brown-eyed dog with a chip in his ear. "Tam?" I said in a sort of question for the dog, and he barked at the name, and I giggled at the reaction.

For the second dog I looked into her eyes and saw a glint of yellow in them and I smiled as I thought of a name "Daisy." I say and Daisy sits with a wagging tail contently. Finally, I turned to the quieter Doberman sitting by my side and looked into his deep black eyes and smiled.

"And Duke." I say happily and rubbed under his neck, and he licked my face, making me fall back in surprise, but laughing none the less.

The grass felt soft against my back, and I felt dazed as the sun beamed on my face, and having furry body laid next to me to sun-bake. I was smiling so much that my cheeks hurt, but that immediately disappeared as the sun was blocked by a shadow standing over me and I felt my heart differ at his voice.

"What do you think you're doing?"