"Yeah, she's there."

"He wants to meet her."

"But what if Boss gets to know?"

"You know, if we don't allow him, he would do anything."

"He is very stubborn."

"Let him go."

The door squeaked open, and a teen boy walked in. With only two little windows at the top, it was pitch black inside. He flicked on the flashlight and swept it over the room, as if looking for something, or perhaps someone. When he saw a body on the frigid, filthy ground, his hands came to a halt. He approached her gently, taking cautious steps so as not to startle her.

"Princess?" he whispered, ever so softly, as he crouched down to her level.

The girl was lying languidly on the tattered mat. Her face was veiled by her unruly hair, which hadn't been bathed in weeks, if not months. She was completely unaware. To be honest, she had no clue how long she had been locked in that dark, filthy chamber. However, she felt as though it had been years since she had experienced the spirit of natural wind. She wasn't sleeping, but that didn't mean she was terrified of the young guy sitting next to her. It had been much too long since she had sobbed. She was numb; utterly-completely numb.

"Princess?" The young boy attempted again, knowing full well that she was awake. He even understood why she was acting the way she was, and he couldn't blame her. It was intended to happen, and it did. It did no good to drag her into his world, as it never did to anybody else. But the point was why was he so concerned about her? Why was he there, tenderly soothing her and calling her princess, despite the fact that he plainly knew the rules, the rules to reign, conquer, and kill? Those were the questions he couldn't answer, and he was insistent about keeping it that way for as long as he could ensure her safety.

The small girl, on the other hand, didn't respond because she hadn't spoken in a while, not because she was tired of all those dreadful things. For her, everything was a jumble of fuzzy lines. She sought refuge in her numbness, since her voice felt to be a curse to her. Her numbness lingered over her at all hours of the day and night. Scenes after scenes replayed in her head, making it extremely difficult for her to sleep. As a result, even sleep was a nightmare for her.

"I'm here to save you, rescue you, Princess. Please talk to me. " She would have laughed on him if it hadn't been for her numbness. Rescue? Was there a way out for her? What a joke! Perhaps she had embraced her destiny, her life, and everything else. At the very least, the splattered blood over her clothes, palms, and body served as a constant reminder. Still, a small part of her hoped that someone, perhaps her Prince Charming, would come to her rescue, as if he were a Knight in Shining Armor. She remembered her mum narrating her a few fairy tales, but she couldn't understand what she was saying at the time. In fact, she cringed saying, "I'm a strong girl. I don't need anyone. Not even a knight in shivering tremor. " Her mother always laughed at her wrong pronunciation.

"Trust me, Princess. " He gently stroked her rattling, dry strands. She had a fleeting moment of hope that her mother's words were real, and that he was there to help her. She cautiously stood up and took a seat next to him. Her clothing was stained with blood, and she had bags under her eyes. What was hilarious was that the blood wasn't hers! Her big hazel eyes were dull and lifeless, with no glint in them. She seemed vulnerable and fragile.

"Who are you? " She spoke up for the first time in weeks. "I'm the Devil," he answered with a smile, his eyes brimming with empathy and compassion at seeing her in such a condition. He didn't want to divulge his true identity or lie to her. He was, without a doubt, the 'Devil'.

"Come with me."

With heavy gasps, my eyes jerked open. Sighing, I wiped away the cold sweat. I peeked at the clock and saw that it was 4:05 a.m. I gulped down a glass of water that I had poured for myself. Slowly, I closed my eyes and dozed off.

My phone rang, which jarred me awake.

Why can't anyone let me sleep?

"What? "

"Someone's grouchy, today." On the other end, he was cackling.

"Yes, and this grouchy person may also murder you. Look brother, if you've phoned to tell that someone is grouchy today... Someone is this today... Someone's that today, I suggest you hang up! Goodbye. " I was about to hang up when he said something that made me reconsider.

"I'm gonna propose her. "

"Look, Ethel, if you're joking, know for sure I'd break your nose and gift it to your ex-girlfriends."

"Why are you always so violent?" I overheard him sigh. "Fine! I am being completely honest. I've been considering it for a while, and I believe this is the right moment." I slumped down and blew the air out of my cheeks.

"Finally, my brother has gained some sense. Pick me up at 12."

"How about this one? "

"Yes, and she'll fry your worthless skull in the same pot! Moron! Which girl would appreciate a cooking pot as a present?"

"Why not! I mean... She loves cooking. " He grabbed a few more items before tossing them away.

"Then why don't you give her some groceries?" I rolled my eyes at my asinine brother. My attention was riveted to a plain knee length one piece up and down blue dress.

"Aren't you a playboy? Don't you even know what girls like? " I ran my fingertips over it, imagining how it would seem on me. With no embroidery, it was modest yet opulent.

"Firstly, I was a playboy. Second, I'm not their manager to keep records of their so-called likes and dislikes."

"What about a bouquet? Or how about a flower vase? " He pointed to bouquets of roses, orchids, lavender, and other flowers.

"Yeah, and with that vase only she'll break your head. Dumb head! " We both sighed, looking for anything more appealing.

My gaze was pulled to a pendant necklace set in sterling silver that featured a heart-shaped created ruby ringed by ribbons of created white sapphire stones. At the same time, it was both elegant and spectacular.

"Got it!" We both exclaimed at the same time.

"Let's go fast! She would be arriving in an hour or so." We proceeded to the cash counter.

"Just a minute." Ethel walked into the dress section and returned with a bag in his hand. "Another present for her?" I inquired, puzzled.

He smiled and shook his head in disbelief. "It's for you." He took out the same blue outfit that had captured my attention. "It appeals to you, doesn't it?"

"E, you don't have to buy it. It's all right! " He laughed.

"C'mon, we're going to buy it." Our turn came before I could intervene. "Thank you very much, brother!" I said with a smile.

"By the way, you never told me how you met this Charlie girl?" We were seated in his car, driving back to my dorm.

"It's Charlotte." He gave me a sidelong glance. "Whatever!"

"I had to rush to New York with you, remember? " I responded with a hum. "The reason for this was that I had a new case to attend to. Previously, the matter was handled by a female lawyer who was involved in an accident and required total bed rest. " He sighed and changed the gear after honking twice.

"As a result, this case was rather intricate, and I required information from the previous attorney. We met in a restaurant to discuss things, and now we're here! " The car came to a halt at the red light.

"Woah! That's cool. "

"You know what's the coolest part? She was with me at the restaurant when I was slapped."

My phone started buzzing as soon as I entered the campus. "Yeah?"

"Soph, meet me in the Third North Wing cafeteria; it's very urgent. Come quickly!"

"Oh, okay! I'm on my way! " Then something dawned to me; I was about to ask, but she had already hung up. The cafeteria of the Third North Wing served lunch to the majority of the seniors and juniors.

Why has she summoned me there?

"C'mon, tell me what happened last night? " That was the first thing I heard as I sat with Ivy, and girls.

"What are you talking about?" I said innocently, feigning bewilderment. I was certain they wanted details from last night. I had managed to avoid Ivy since the morning, but not any longer.

"Girl, don't act so naïve," Saphy hissed, obviously frustrated by my lack of response.

"Did you two kiss?" she said, her brows twitched at me, making my nose scrunch up. "C'mon, spill it!" urged Mysie.

"What? NO! " I murmured calmly, rolling my eyes at her as I sipped my coke. Out of sudden, Ivy gasped, "Oh, my goodness! Holy Cindrella's missing pumps, did you two perform the deeds? "

I coughed as I choked on my coke and glared at her. Mysie laughed as she massaged my back, and Saphy joined in.

"Control your without filter blunt mouth before I tape it, crazy woman! "

She raised her hands in submission, "Geez, relax! I was only guessing. Anyway, you didn't do anything, like truly, you didn't do anything? "

"No, no, no, no! Which language will you be able to understand? We just sat on a cliff and had a wonderful time. " I grumbled as I stole some fries off Saphy's plate.

"You're no fun, Soph!"

"Tell me something, I don't know! "

"You like brother Aylwin." I was taken aback by Mysie's words. Her face was lit up with a knowing smirk. I was seeking for an excuse to escape out of the situation, when my gaze rested on a very familiar and helpful person.

"Hey, Senior Chase!" He was holding a tray in one hand and a bag slung over his shoulder. He grinned as he walked in our direction. I sighed, a triumphant smile on my face.

"Sup girls? Hey sexy! " He made himself comfortable in the chair next to Ivy, who was the color of a tomato.

Ah, it's just the starting my dear, Ivy!

"Senior Chase, Ivy has been mentioning you quite a bit lately."

"Is she?"

"Of course!" I said, avoiding Ivy's menacing glances, as Mysie and Saphy shared a knowing look.

"You know, Ivy wanted to tell you something, but she just can't seem to get the guts to do so."

"I wanted to tell him something? Why did I not know about this? " Ivy chimed in, narrowing her eyes at me.

I continued, ignoring her, "Look, she's still reluctant to talk about it. It's OK, Iv, it's fine! Instead, I'll inform him. Senior Chase, our Ivy, has always hoped for a brother since she was a toddler, but it seems that fate has other ideas. She had none. What a pity! Her life, however, was forever changed the instant she saw you in that dark alley. You rescued us, and Ivy was reunited with her long-lost brother. Not just that, but she can sense a deep brotherly-sisterly bond between you and her. "

Senior Chase scratched his neck awkwardly, as if pondering my words, while Mysie and Saphy bit their lips hard to suppress their laughter, and Ivy? Let's just say, my night was so going to be eventful.

Face it girl, face it!

"As it's a sensitive subject for her, she won't be able to tell you everything. I hope you understand! " I wiped a faux tear and sniffled a little, while the other two girls gave mournful nods.

Time to get out of here!

"You guys keep going; I'll go get a coke. See you later!" I sprang to my feet quickly to evade Ivy's deathly glare.

If only eyes could kill!

"Wait, Soph! We'll be joining you as well. Prof. Rick has scheduled a meeting with us." We departed the café, leaving Senior and Ivy to their own thoughts.

Talk about awkward!

We were laughing our asses off. "Damn girl, I had no idea you could pull off drama so well. From Ivy the sexy to Ivy the sister! How does that sounds? " We busted out laughing once again.

"You're so cruel. Poor girl, her love life didn't even start, and now it's end. "

"Tell me something, I don't know. "

"Brother Aylwin seems to like you! "