"Helena!" I whispered, but she didn't turn around, marching downstairs like a robot. My heart felt like it was being squeezed. I moved to follow her.

"Don't," Liam spat. I turned to look back at him. He was glaring at me, face still twisted in a snarl.

I force my feet to carry me inside the room, matching his glare with one of my own. Helena's expression played over and over in my mind, making my blood boil.

"What is wrong with you? Like seriously, what the hell?" I screamed, shoving at his chest. He moved only a fraction of an inch.

"NOTHING!" Liam screamed back, so loud I scooted back a little, shocked.

I saw the same shock mirrored on Liam's face. He bit down hard on his bottom lip, releasing a thin trickle of black. He sat heavily on his bed, looking almost miserable.

"What's...what's going on?" I asked, confused more than anything. Liam looked up at me. He opened his eyes wide, then reached in and peeled off his cornea. I gasped, clapping a hand over my mouth in horror.

"Contacts," he muttered, digging a contact lens case out of his pocket and putting the blue lens inside. I sighed in relief.

We were both quiet as Liam peeled the other lens off his eye.

"You still haven't answered my question," I finally said. "What have you been doing? And why are you acting like this?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

"I was out," Liam said, sounding tired. "Getting groceries."

I rolled my eyes. "That's a lie. You smell awful, you're acting awful, and you don't even have a bag with you."

Liam sniffed his arm, then jerked back. He looked almost disgusted, but I had to be reading that wrong.

Suddenly, Liam punched the bed, making it creak. Then he punched it again. And again. A noticeable divot was forming in the covers and mattress, but he didn't stop.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. Instinct took over as I reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping it mid-punch. "Just tell me," I said quietly.

He opened his mouth again, words just about to fall out.

Liam just shook his head, wrenching his arm from my grip. "What could you possibly do to help me, human? I'm over 1,000 years old. You're what, seventeen? You can't even use your own arm," Liam said, voice stony. His face hardened into a cold mask, and he sat up straight. An ice prince yet again.

I pulled away from him too, scowling. "I don't want to help you, dipshit. I want to help Helena," I said, trying to match his coldness. I've never been much good at not caring, though.

Liam smirked at me. "What? Is she your best friend now?" He asked, mocking. Grinning. Back to normal. Like nothing just happened.

"So what if she is?" I shot back. "And you can't just pretend you were out getting groceries. Tell me what the hell you were doing!"

Liam stood, still smiling pleasantly. Despite that, though, I stepped back, wary of another intense mood swing. But he just walked right past me. "Bags are in the car. Come see for yourself, if you like."

He walked out of his room, whistling. I followed, still highly suspicious.

Outside, a black car was parked on a dirt road right in front of the house. Other than that, though, there was empty, green space. It was pretty, sure, but it went on for miles in every direction. Even if I managed to make a run for it, I had no clue whatsoever how to get back home. Damn.

I sighed, then followed Liam over to the car. Sure enough, when he opened the passenger's side, I saw a bunch of regular grocery bags. I squinted at Liam, who just grinned at me.

"See? Just some shopping," He said, flicking me on the nose. I jerked back.

"But...but why do you smell like that?" I asked. He couldn't have just been shopping. He just couldn't have.

"I dunno, didn't you say the whole house smelled like death?" Liam pointed out, reaching into the car for the bags.

"W-well I...yes. But that's different! This is stronger!"

"Maybe your nose is just getting stronger, Blythe. Now get those last two bags, will you?"

"That makes no sense!" I shrieked. "And I am NOT your servant!"

"I mean, you kind of have to do whatever I tell you...but you don't get paid...and you can't leave...." Liam said, pretending to think. "Hey, I guess you're right. That doesn't make you a servant, does it? You're more of a slave than anything."

"I'm not your goddamn slave, either! I will pick up those bags of my own volition," I harrumphed, snatching up the grocery bags and stomping inside, Liam's manic giggle following me all the way.

I needed to find Helena, to make sure she was alright. I tossed down the bags, searching for any sign of her. The front room was completely empty, so I headed back into the dining area. No Helena there either.

"What are we looking for?" Liam asked. I jumped, unaware that he'd been following.

"None of your business, creep," I snapped, moving into the kitchen. Completely empty. I moved on to a new area.

"Well, this is kind of my house, so I think I have the right to know," Liam said, still walking leisurely behind me.

"Fine, whatever," I said, peering into what looked like a sunroom. A huge glass window in the back revealed a high fence around the backyard, and a huge, glittering pool right in the center. My eyes widened, but there was no time to dwell on it.

The sunroom had two doorways leading out of it, one on each side of the room. I peered in the one on the left to find a TV and some bookshelves. No Helena though, so I moved on.

The one on the right, though, held a full-fledged gym. Shiny new equipment covered almost every inch of the space. And on the bench press, lifting what seemed to be an impossible weight, was Helena. I sighed, relieved.

"So you were looking for the soldier," Liam mused. I scowled.

"She has a name." I hissed.

Liam shrugged. "Obviously I know that. It's just not relevant. Isn't that right?"

Liam said this last bit to Helena, who has stopped lifting to sit up and stare at us. She nods once.

I ran inside the gym.

"Hey! Need someone to spot you?" I asked, trying to look cheerful.

"That would be wise. Though I am more inclined to ask Liam. He is stronger," Helena said, sounding robotic. Liam grinned.

"But....he's cruel to you. You can't trust someone like that," I said, laughing a little.

"I don't mind. I am his soldier, no matter what." Liam messed up Helena's hair.

"That's right," he said, staring me down with those dark red eyes. I looked at Helena, who said nothing, did nothing. "Now run along. We're training."

My heart felt heavy as I realized Liam was right. What could I, a child, do for an eternal being? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I turned away, embarrassment, anger, and more than a little bit of anger warring in my stomach.