1767

¬Abella

I immediately panic, the sight of the empty cell consuming me in fear.

Slowly, I back away, gaze fluttering between the shadows to ensure he truly is gone, before turning around to run down the hallway. He's gone...Who knows when he did it, so he may be far gone by now, or he may still be in the facility. The thought of such a dangerous man having escaped breeds wild thoughts within my mind as I race toward the staff room.

"Renna!" I call out, pushing my way through the door to slam it behind me, gasping for air. Renna is in her usual place on the staff couches, feet kicked up onto the coffee table as she reads through a magazine. She startles, looking up at me as I rush in.

"Amolet, what's going on, are you okay?" she questions, getting to her feet.

"No, Cian isn't in his cell," I tell her breathlessly, bracing my hands on my knees. I have no doubt Cian could leave whenever he pleases, but he hasn't left in years, and he could be a danger to us and the rest of the patients. "The door is locked, but he's gone."

Renna immediately pales, tossing her magazine down. I doubt any of us know the true extent of his power, but having a loose immortal around when his mental state may not be completely stable is a danger to all of us...A very magical danger, which is all the more terrifying. Even if I've spoken to Cian, I have not reason to trust him beyond the bars of that cell.

"That's impossible..." she exclaims, moving toward the phone strung on the wall, picking it up before pressing it to her ear. "I'll call security."

"He's a Sin, no one is going to be able to do anything about this," I remind her.

She doesn't respond, speaking quickly into the phone to the security. I wait, tapping my feet incessantly, glancing up and down the hallways, looking for any sign of the immortal. I'm not sure what I would do if he did suddenly appear...I doubt I've established enough of a relationship with him for him not to kill me if I got in the way of his grand escape.

Renna appears beside me suddenly, done with her phone call. "That's why we are getting out of here while they find where he is."

"Can he not leave whenever he pleases since he isn't actually ill?" I ask her as we dash down the hallway to the exit. Renna looks mortified, even more desperate than me to get out of here. I spent an hour convincing Stace Cian could be trusted...Now I'm terrified of the idea of him being free.

"Well, clearly he is ill if he admitted himself in here and hasn't spoken a word since," Renna reminds me, opening a thick metal door for me to step through, locking it behind us. We run up the stairs, not bothering with the elevator.

"I don't think he will hurt us," I say, although I'm not sure I believe it myself. Cian can't be trusted, and as much as I don't want to admit that, I have to.

Renna glances at me, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not taking that risk."

Renna and I sat outside the building with a few other staff members for a good hour while security scans the building. As I'm sitting on the concrete step outside, still dressed in my uniform, a figure approaches from down the street, mixed in with the rest of the crowd. I quickly realise it's Lev, who I called not long ago, needing someone to speak to about this.

"I got your call, are you okay?" he questions, coming to sit next to me on the steps. He's wearing his apron from the bookstore, golden waves pushed back, all tousled with the sudden onset of wind.

"Yes, I'm fine," I say shakily, unsure if that is true or not. Now that we are out in public I feel safer, but what is to stop him from hurting us, even out here? There are no consequences for an immortal with that much power. "We have been out here waiting to see if it's safe to go back in. A very dangerous patient has escaped."

Lev glances uneasily toward Renna and the other staff members who only sit a few steps away, discussing something between them. "Is this job really worth it, Amolet?"

For a moment, I don't know what to say. Is it?

Suddenly the door opens beside us, a security guard stepping out.

"It's safe..." he says gruffly to us all. "He's back in his cell."

"You caught him?" I question, relief flooding me. In his cell, he won't hurt us...At least that's what I tell myself, even though it's likely he can leave whenever he pleases. But why would he, when he has spent so long not moving?

"No, he was in the locked cell when we checked," the man explains. I frown. I checked his cell thoroughly, and I swear I didn't see him in there. This must be some kind of trick, like he escaped and then came back, all in a very short amount of time. My relief is replaced by panic again, wondering whether Stace and whoever else runs this place can use magic to keep him locked in.

"That's impossible, I saw his empty cell," I say to Renna and Lev as the guard slips back through the door. "He must have been using magic."

Renna sighs. "Of course he was, he's a Sin after all. He can do as he pleases."

"This proves he isn't a threat to us. If he can break out at any moment, then why fear him at all?" I ask, watching the rest of the staff walk back inside, not fearful anymore, like all the threats have vanished. The guards didn't mention him killing anyone, if that was even his agenda to begin with. I can't decide whether I'm wrong for trusting him, or whether this strange feeling in my stomach is telling me I'm right.

"We have no other choice but to fear him," Renna says uneasily, rubbing her arms as she looks around. We are all shaken up after this. I need to see Cian, to ease all of our fears to find out whether he really did escape or not.

"Let's go in and check. Why don't you come in, Lev," I offer. As soon as I'm done with this, I'm going home to find a book at the store below our apartment to sink my feelings into.

Leven nods, follows Renna and I down into the facility. With the guards swarming around, I doubt they will mind a citizen coming in, especially since the issue with Cian has now been solved. He looks around curiously, and a little bit apprehensively as we walk down the stairs and into the main facility, which is now swarming with guards. None of them pay us much mind as we pass by, slipping down the hallway where Cian's cell is at the back.

Renna goes back to the staff room, not wanting to risk facing the immortal. Surprisingly, no guards are hanging around the cell, likely not having gotten a word out of him.

Sure enough, he is sitting in his cell, as if he had never left, still wearing the same clothing, in the exact same position. He doesn't look up as Lev and I come to stand before the bars, his expression impassive, unbothered.

"So this is him. The one who has been troubling you?" Lev mutters.

"His name is Cian," I say sharply, wincing at what he has just admitted in front of the immortal. Cian definetely didn't need to know that he has been haunting me outside of my work hours, even if Lev is right. "Where did you go?"

Cian does move, and doesn't say a word. The golden roots of his hair glow under the low lighting, a sight that is unnerving Lev, even if he won't admit it in front of him. Seeing an immortal, especially one so powerful is a terrifying sight, considering metal bars are the only thing that separates us. This is the first pureblood we have ever seen, and will likely be the last one.

"Right, the not speaking thing," Lev comments flatly, looking at me tentatively. I see through the bored facade, the way he is pretending like he doesn't care.

This fascinates him too.

"He isn't going to speak if you act like that," I mutter, nudging Lev's side.

"Why don't we go out tonight, maybe to dinner like we used to?" he says suddenly, turning to face me. My voice is lost in my throat for a moment, not expecting him to change the subject so quickly, already bored of the talk about Cian, acting as if he isn't there at all. I eye the immortal carefully, although he doesn't seem to take much notice.

"I'm a bit shaken up..." I admit, biting on the edge of my lip uneasily. Lev watches the movement intently, waiting for me to agree.

"It will take your mind off everything," he promises, reaching out to grab a hold of my arms, squeezing them tightly. "I feel like we haven't hung out properly recently."

"Okay, I'll meet you outside then. I have to sign out first," I decide, releasing a sigh.

Lev grins, nodding before he walks back down the hallway, but not without hearing me yell directions for him to get out of here. This entire facility is like a maze, which you can get easily lost in. Lev is confident though, and wouldn't be frightened by anything, or anyone in here.

I turn back to Cian. "Where did you go?"

He stays silent for a moment, but right before I go to walk away, deciding that I really do need to take my mind off all of this, he speaks, his smooth voice dancing it's way across my senses.

"You don't have to fear me, Amolet," he breathes, looking up at me for a long, intense moment. "Have a lovely night."

🤎••🤎

🐻••🐻

🐼••🐼

Sophie_Midika

Midikacrane

~Midika 💜🐼