"The reason we struggle from insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else's highlight reel."

- Steve Furtick.

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Back at the Crystaline Castle,

Vampire World.

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Darkness.

All I could see was darkness surrounding me, leaving me confused for a second.

Then, it was as if a bucket of cold water washed over me, which carried back the horrible memories of what took place yesterday.

Or has it been longer? I didn't remember.

All I remembered was my blood being drained by the King as I begged him to stop, as my body grew weaker and weaker until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I remembered as I gave up fighting and embraced the sweet relief fainting provided me.

I could still feel his hands on me, fingers digging in my shoulders as he sucked the consciousness out of me.

I shouldn't have agreed to walk through the woods with him. With a deathly creature, all alone at night. That was the second stupid decision I made, yesterday. First was getting out of that car.

I've always dreamed of freeing myself from this Castle, to be able to live. But after experiencing yesterday's events, I'm not so sure anymore. Is that really what lies outside of these Castle walls? My first day out of here, and I don't even want to think about it.

Bringing my thoughts back to present, I realized that the reason I was embraced by the dark was because my eyes were closed.

Too tired to even open them or move a muscle, I used the help of my ears to listen to any source of sound which will inform me where I am.

I couldn't hear anything but the fierce wind, which was also far away, so I knew I had to be inside somewhere.

The faint lavender scent of the washing powder used on the King's bedsheets notified me that I'm, in fact, back at the Castle.

Not only that, I'm back in the King's room. It's funny how I've came to recognize this place so well during my short stay here.

My throat was dried and as this thought made its way into my mind, I let out a cough, followed by a few more.

An arm reached under my neck to bring my head upward, being too weak to ask who it was, I simply accepted the gesture when a glass of water was pressed to my lips.

I gulped down the content without tasting it, but as my thirst began to slowly fade away, I became aware of the fact that what I just drank is not water. Water was tasteless, while this drink, it was something sweet and sour both mixed together.

I realized now was the time to find out what's going on, what if the King just poisoned me? I wouldn't be too surprised.

My eyes fluttered open, and blinked a couple of times before adjusting to my surrounding.

The first thing that appeared in my vision was a black button down shirt, so close to my face. My eyes followed the buttons, to look higher. The first two buttons were undone, giving me a perfect view of his tan skin. His freshly shaved jaw, until my eyes stopped when they met his black ones.

The same eyes that turned into the pools of golden water, as bright as the sun, yesterday.The eyes that looked at me as if begging me to drown in them. The eyes which contained a thirst so strong that led to him biting me.

The glass of weird tasting liquid was still touching my lips, I gave it a push. It was a gentle push, I swear. But I guess the King wasn't expecting it so it ended up tilting in his hand as the liquid poured out all over his shirt, soaking it wet.

"Fucking shit!"

He jumped away from me, off the bed. My head hit the cushion provided by the pillows, but I didn't stay there long, I pushed, well, practically forced myself to sit up. My feet guided me off the bed too, and I moved as far away from the King's furious face as possible.

"What's wrong with you?!" His angry tone just made me more scared of him, to the point where my hands started shaking. So I pushed them together to prevent the king from noticing that I'm scared of him.

Begging only increases the thirst for blood a Vampire has.

I remembered his words.

He started walking closer to me but I stood my ground.

"Stay away from me." It was a faint wisper, but I'm sure he must have heard it because of his good hearing abilities.

"Can you stop being so clumsy?! I was just trying to help because you are too weak to even drink by yourself!"

That sentence reminded me of that weird substance, "What was that? That was not water. What did you make me drink?"

"It's a power drink that's supposed to make you feel better, that's what the human doctor said. I wasn't trying to kill you or anything!"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

My eyes went wide as I realized what just slipped past my mouth. I didn't even think before I said that.

I noticed that the King had moved a little more closer to the point where he stood only about three feet away.

"Is that what you think? Is that really what you think about me? That I'm just trying to kill you?"

What is he talking about? I'm sure anyone would get the idea that a person is trying to kill them if they beat them, drain their blood from the system, and tortured them. Why is he all of sudden asking why I think he's trying to kill me? Isn't it obvious?

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it a long fucking time ago. I don't like playing chase with my enemies, once I get a hold of them, they're dead meat. Then there's no damn escape for them except death. What happened yesterday was because I haven't fed for a long time and I lost control, I was actually starting to regr-"

There was an unknown emotion in those black orbs, which seemed so unfamiliar on his face, that I almost missed it. But a single, short glance was all I needed to recognize the regret that showed in his eyes. But it was gone as soon as it came, like a passing wind.

He looked at me again with a cold look in eyes, "you know what? I don't even regret anything, actually. You very much deserved it after your stupid actions yesterday! If I hadn't came on time, you were still gonna get bitten by that drunk Vampire! So what difference does it make if it was me or him?!"

But it does make a difference.

Suddenly the memory of that drunk man touching me in a disgusting way brought back the anxiety I experienced. One blink of my eyes was all my brain needed to make those haunting feelings wash over me again.

My breath started going in and coming out in pants as if I had just ran for the longest time. Then I realized that I am running. Running from my fears, running from the past memories of my dead parents, too afraid to even open that short chapter of my life. Every single thing I've never ever thought about started coming from different directions, hitting me at once.

It felt like the world was pushing in on me. It felt like my head wasn't getting enough oxygen even though I had plenty around me. An invisible hand was pressing onto my neck, suffocating me.

I could barely make out the King's words but I heard him cuss and move closer to me. I heard him calling my name, not human, not pathetic, he was calling me Lexi.

"Shit, what happened?! The doctor said for you to not take any stress because your body is still too weak. Calm down, Lex. Take deep breaths."

His voice was rushed, almost desperate.

Finding the last bit of strength I could make out in the deepest pit of my stomach, I muttered, "stay away from me."

From my tired, dropping eyes, I could still make out that he held out his hands as if surrendering, "okay okay, I won't come close to you, but just sit down. Too much stress isn't good for you. Just relax."

Relax?! How can I relax when my head is pondering as if someone is inside it, hammering against it. I touched my forehead and let out a cry. Tears welled up in my eyes as I gulped to stay calm.

I started to walk towards the bed but stumbled which caused the King to grab my arm quickly. His touch made me jump as if I had gotten shocked, which I almost did. His touch was ten times more electrifying. And that's what scared me the most.

"Leave me alone!" My voice surprisingly raised but I didn't feel any better.

The world started screaming at me or were they my own thoughts? I couldn't be sure anymore. The last thing I heard before Silence overcame me were his words.

"Don't give up! Stay with me, Alexis!"

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