full name
Lana Elise Lloyd
alias:
"L" (as in El)
personal creed:
For the ways that I hurt, while I'm hiking up my skirt.
I am sitting on a throne while they're buried in the dirt.
gender:
Female
age:
17
orientation:
Straight
relationship status:
Single
family status:
Her parents are both dead. She has two older brothers, Benjamin and Dennis.
is the character in a gang/law enforcement agency/ citizen:
Citizen
state your industry and occupation:
High School Student
personality:
A coin always has two sides, and the same can be said about young Miss Lloyd. How she acts is heavily depended upon who she's around.
For the most part, around friends or strangers or teachers and peers, Lana is a very confident and outgoing girl. She's very stubborn and often can be described as being brutally honest. She's the type of person who will tell you what the situation is like without coating it in sugar to sweeten the deal. Because of that she can appear a bit intimidating to people who are more introverted. Unlike some other people her age, Lana isn't interested in the latests trends or what was on TV the night before. She's a bit more mature than her peers and likes to gather in the company of others who share her interests - which often end with people quite a few years older than her. But that doesn't mean that the teenage girl has lost her playful side. She loves to joke around and make people laugh and enjoy themselves. Her bubbliness and easy going personality is there to hide the thick walls she has built around herself.
Lana doesn't like talking about her past and isn't interested in the sob stories or 'deep and meaningful' conversations some others like to get 'closer' to people. Truth be told, she keeps just about the entire world at a distance. She hates being the centre of attention, and cannot stand showing weakness, especially the emotional side. She's the girl with a wide smile and scary make up that tends to draw you in with the irresistible gaze and remain a mystery for you to solve.
There aren't many people who know Lana beyond what she allows you to see. Truth be told, only her brothers know the real her. They are about the only ones who she honestly trusts enough to bring her walls down around. Or maybe that's just because they were there before she put the walls up. They are the ones who know the soft and squishy side of Lana that she hides away from the world. The fragile and innocent side of her, the side that's riddled with worries, fears and doubts. The side of her that can admit she isn't as strong as she would like others to believe.
But regardless which face of the coin she lets you see, Lana is loyal to a fault and cares deeply for others. Especially those who are close to her. She is naturally a very curious individual. This, along with her brother's help, has always guided her thirst for knowledge. But that sometimes came at a price. 'Curiosity killed the cat' is a phrase that could often be used to describe Lana. With her stubbornness, once she found something that caught her curiosity she was bound to learn more. Which could have gotten her into some sticky situations if not for her ability to talk herself out of trouble.
character image(s):
Lana Elise Lloyd
alias:
"L" (as in El)
personal creed:
For the ways that I hurt, while I'm hiking up my skirt.
I am sitting on a throne while they're buried in the dirt.
gender:
Female
age:
17
orientation:
Straight
relationship status:
Single
family status:
Her parents are both dead. She has two older brothers, Benjamin and Dennis.
is the character in a gang/law enforcement agency/ citizen:
Citizen
state your industry and occupation:
High School Student
personality:
A coin always has two sides, and the same can be said about young Miss Lloyd. How she acts is heavily depended upon who she's around.
For the most part, around friends or strangers or teachers and peers, Lana is a very confident and outgoing girl. She's very stubborn and often can be described as being brutally honest. She's the type of person who will tell you what the situation is like without coating it in sugar to sweeten the deal. Because of that she can appear a bit intimidating to people who are more introverted. Unlike some other people her age, Lana isn't interested in the latests trends or what was on TV the night before. She's a bit more mature than her peers and likes to gather in the company of others who share her interests - which often end with people quite a few years older than her. But that doesn't mean that the teenage girl has lost her playful side. She loves to joke around and make people laugh and enjoy themselves. Her bubbliness and easy going personality is there to hide the thick walls she has built around herself.
Lana doesn't like talking about her past and isn't interested in the sob stories or 'deep and meaningful' conversations some others like to get 'closer' to people. Truth be told, she keeps just about the entire world at a distance. She hates being the centre of attention, and cannot stand showing weakness, especially the emotional side. She's the girl with a wide smile and scary make up that tends to draw you in with the irresistible gaze and remain a mystery for you to solve.
There aren't many people who know Lana beyond what she allows you to see. Truth be told, only her brothers know the real her. They are about the only ones who she honestly trusts enough to bring her walls down around. Or maybe that's just because they were there before she put the walls up. They are the ones who know the soft and squishy side of Lana that she hides away from the world. The fragile and innocent side of her, the side that's riddled with worries, fears and doubts. The side of her that can admit she isn't as strong as she would like others to believe.
But regardless which face of the coin she lets you see, Lana is loyal to a fault and cares deeply for others. Especially those who are close to her. She is naturally a very curious individual. This, along with her brother's help, has always guided her thirst for knowledge. But that sometimes came at a price. 'Curiosity killed the cat' is a phrase that could often be used to describe Lana. With her stubbornness, once she found something that caught her curiosity she was bound to learn more. Which could have gotten her into some sticky situations if not for her ability to talk herself out of trouble.
character image(s):
physical description:
Lana has very fair skin, with great difficulty getting a tan however she doesn't mind. She likes the pale look. She stands at a natural 165cm in height, however is most often seen in high heals or wedged shoes which make her look about 175cm.
Due to her high metabolism, Lana is very skinny. She struggles gaining weight despite how and what she eats, and in some cases when she stretches her ribs become visible underneath her skin.
Lana has unnaturally blue eyes which appear to change in colour from vibrant blue to deep blue depending upon the shade, however due to the heavy make up she prefers to decorate her face with, it's difficult to miss the sapphire gems that search your soul.
There is only one thing that Lana is physically iffy about. She's quite comfortable in her skin, with how she looks and how she dresses, however she has a quite dark beauty spot above her lip. Sometimes she covers it with foundation, but others it can be quite noticeable.
For a young 16 year old, Lana has many piercing. A current total of 13. A single one on her lower navel and the remaining 12 in her ears, decorating her helix.
She also has 2 tattoos. One on her wrist - four x's on her wrist and one small star on her rib.
Lana is a natural blonde, however her natural colour is more of a 'dirty blonde'. However, since her 14th birthday, Lana bleaches her hair to get the pale near white shade of blonde.
Lana has very fair skin, with great difficulty getting a tan however she doesn't mind. She likes the pale look. She stands at a natural 165cm in height, however is most often seen in high heals or wedged shoes which make her look about 175cm.
Due to her high metabolism, Lana is very skinny. She struggles gaining weight despite how and what she eats, and in some cases when she stretches her ribs become visible underneath her skin.
Lana has unnaturally blue eyes which appear to change in colour from vibrant blue to deep blue depending upon the shade, however due to the heavy make up she prefers to decorate her face with, it's difficult to miss the sapphire gems that search your soul.
There is only one thing that Lana is physically iffy about. She's quite comfortable in her skin, with how she looks and how she dresses, however she has a quite dark beauty spot above her lip. Sometimes she covers it with foundation, but others it can be quite noticeable.
For a young 16 year old, Lana has many piercing. A current total of 13. A single one on her lower navel and the remaining 12 in her ears, decorating her helix.
She also has 2 tattoos. One on her wrist - four x's on her wrist and one small star on her rib.
Lana is a natural blonde, however her natural colour is more of a 'dirty blonde'. However, since her 14th birthday, Lana bleaches her hair to get the pale near white shade of blonde.
unique skills and abilities:
Lana is an amazing singer, especially since her voice has an unusual rawness to it making it perfect for the rock'n'roll theme that she prefers. Along with the knack for singing, the teenage girl also writes her own songs - although majority of them are kept within her lyrics books and only heard by her band members.
Other then singing, Lana can also play the guitar - both acoustic and electric. However she prefers to stick to acoustic.
Beyond musical abilities, Lana's brother Dennis has also shown her how to fight street style. This mostly consists of MMA style fighting and dirty moves. Due to his personal interests, Dennis has also taught the teenage girl how to ride a skate board. She has been training with him since she was quite young, and now Lana can skate at a level which would grant her access into most competitions.
More so, Lana also has an undeniable ability to be able to talk herself out of most 'sticky' situations. Be it when she was caught doing something she shouldn't be, or to get herself out of a potential fight.
strengths and weaknesses:
STRENGTHS
Lana doesn't have any weapons.
background history:
Lana is an amazing singer, especially since her voice has an unusual rawness to it making it perfect for the rock'n'roll theme that she prefers. Along with the knack for singing, the teenage girl also writes her own songs - although majority of them are kept within her lyrics books and only heard by her band members.
Other then singing, Lana can also play the guitar - both acoustic and electric. However she prefers to stick to acoustic.
Beyond musical abilities, Lana's brother Dennis has also shown her how to fight street style. This mostly consists of MMA style fighting and dirty moves. Due to his personal interests, Dennis has also taught the teenage girl how to ride a skate board. She has been training with him since she was quite young, and now Lana can skate at a level which would grant her access into most competitions.
More so, Lana also has an undeniable ability to be able to talk herself out of most 'sticky' situations. Be it when she was caught doing something she shouldn't be, or to get herself out of a potential fight.
strengths and weaknesses:
STRENGTHS
- Self-confident
- Outgoing
- Honest
- Loyal
- Can get along with just about anyone
- clever
- independent
- reliable
- chocolate
- doesn't let anyone get close to her
- her past
- drunks: she's terrified of being alone with them
- stubborn
- curiosity: It tends to get her into trouble
Lana doesn't have any weapons.
background history:
The loud, piercing sound of a toddler’s squeals filled the extravagant garden of the Lloyd Estate as the small child was hoisted up into the air, her shoulder length blonde locks flickered about her face like the rays of the afternoon sun that shone above. Michael-Scott’s calloused hands caught the young child’s waist, spinning around in circles causing the young Lana to giggle and laugh joyfully. Her bright blue eyes glanced up at her father energetically, her feet slightly swaying as he held her gently.
“Again, Daddy!! Again!!” The four year old chanted, her small hands gently tapping against her father’s forearms in an encouraging manner, the wide grin plastered over her face, a slight rosy blush spread over her cheeks, small dimples at the corners of her lips.
“Ready?” Michael-Scott questioned with his own amused tone, her lips curving into a wide smile before his hands dropped down to almost set the girl down on the ground before throwing her up in the air once again, causing a wave of giggles and squeals to ensue. Catching her once again, Michael-Scott awaited until her heart-warming laugher died down, gently setting the four year old down on the ground.
“I was flying, Daddy!” Lana’s high pitched, innocent voice announced proudly, putting both arms out like the wings of a bird or an airplane before running around in small figure eights on the soft, deep green grass that decorated their large garden, pretending to be flying again and burning through the never ending supply of energy that was stored in the child’s frame. Olyvia stood in the kitchen beside Remora, finishing off the final touches for lunch while watching her husband play outside. The warm smile clung to her pale red lips, slightly hidden behind a few locks of golden blonde hair that fell across her face, trying to blow them out of the way but they simply kept falling back down. Sighing, Olyvia shook her head and looked down at the platter of sandwiches, picking up the large plate to set it down on the dining table beside a few opened sandwich spreads and a jug of homemade lemonade.
“Remora, dear. Could you please go get the boys and tell them lunch is ready?” Her honey smooth voice broke the silence between the two women. Watching as the Spanish older woman nodded her head and made her way towards the stairs, Olyvia fixed up one of the knives, straightening it on the neatly folded napkin before heading for the open patio doors, leaning against the frame with one hand casually resting on her hip.
“Darling! Lana!” Her sweet voice called out towards the playing pair in the garden “Lunch is ready!” She announced before making her way back to the kitchen, making sure that the Nanny and herself didn’t forget anything.
Hearing the woman’s voice, Lana stopped running around, her arms dropping back down, her grin returning as her hands fell to her stomach, rubbing it eagerly.
“Yay! Food!” The child squealed, but before she could run off, Michael-Scott’s firm hand fell onto her shoulder. Those bright blue eyes peered up at him with a sweet, questioning gaze.
“Go wash your hands first, Princess.” Her father reminded the child, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. With nothing more than an understanding nod of her head, Lana ran off into the house to wash her hands and get seated for lunch. Watching her small frame run inside, Michael-Scott slowly followed, making his way into the kitchen where Olyvia was washing up a few of the dishes they used to prepare the food, wrapping his arms around her waist, gently pulling her against him as his nose dipped to trace the nook of her neck delicately, making the woman shiver and giggle softly.
There were moments in the young girl’s life that made her childhood seem perfect. She was the youngest of three siblings. The oldest of them was Benjamin, who was 9 years older than the young girl. And without a doubt he was the girl’s favourite person in the world, right after her mother of course. Benjamin always helped to look after the young girl, played with her, stopped Dennis from being mean to her. Who seemed to have the typical middle-child syndrome while growing up. Dennis was six years older than the young girl and from an early age he was a bouncing ball of mischief which only seemed to get worse after the girl’s birth. Others may have blamed it on lack of attention or the jealousy of the middle child, but in truth it was due to their father. Michael-Scott. Michael-Scott Lloyd was a famous Hollywood Director, living the lavish life with his family in Beverly Hills. In front of the cameras and on the red carpets they seemed like the perfect family, full of joy, happiness and love. But that was just a mask. Sure, he had his moments of fatherly goodness in his younger years, in the children’s younger years but as they grew older so did his habit to fill his blood stream with alcohol. And when alcohol and Michael-Scott were mixed, things turned ugly. At parties he was a beaming individual, but behind closed doors anger took over. He was loud, abusive and worst of all, Michael-Scott was violet. His vile tongue turned into tight grips and closed fists. Often the oldest son, Benjamin, tried to take his father’s anger onto himself, but it didn’t always work. He was abusive towards Olyvia, often leaving the beautiful blonde with miscoloured bruises and scars. Things turned for the worst when Lana was seven years old.
The nanny, Remora, had long ago left to go home after cleaning up the dinner. Michael-Scott was already drinking at the rather empty dinner table. The sixteen year old Benjamin was out on one of his extra curriculum classes while the thirteen year old Dennis made sure to avoid heading home after school, staying out late in the dodgy neighbourhoods of LA making friends with all the wrong people. It was just Michael-Scott, Olyvia and little Lana at the house. After dessert and watching a movie with her mother, Lana was set to prepare for the night and tucked in. But the usual dream filled nights were cut short during the late night hours when her parent’s argument got too out of hand. She could hear Michael-Scott yelling at Olyvia, her mother screaming something back. Lana wasn’t sure what pulled her to get out of bed that night, knowing fully well that she shouldn’t. That she should close her eyes and pull the blanket over her head and try to sleep, but instead she snuck out and tippy toed her way over to the stairway railing, hiding between the rails and looking down into the living room, watching as her parents screamed at each other. Watching as Michael-Scott raised his hand and brought it down on Olyvia’s face. Lana’s eyes went wide as a frightened scream caught itself in her throat as her father unleashed his anger upon the woman. Punching her again and again and again until the woman fell to the ground, but even then he didn’t ease up. Not until her mother’s panicked and pained screams, not until her body lay lifelessly. Tears screamed down Lana’s cheeks and panicking she ran to her room, hiding in her bed, too afraid that if she was found he would hurt her too. That…was just the beginning. Using his connections and his money, Michael-Scott had his friend and Chief of LAPD, Marcus Ernwood, cover up the murder of Olyvia Lloyd, making the media believe that a simple robbery went bad, framing one of the local gang members for murder of first degree and attempted robbery. But Benjamin and Dennis Lloyd knew better, knew better and tried to hide it from Lana who never told a soul what she saw. The first year after her death was difficult. For the first few months Michael-Scott would get so drunk that he completely forgot that Olyvia was dead, going on blind rage.
The evening had already set upon the warm summer day in Los Angeles, the prestige house illuminated by the soft warm yellow glow of the lights within the living room, giving just enough light for the young girl sitting at the top of the table to continue colouring her drawing without harming her eyes. The bowl of ice cream she was given for dessert was already half melted, leaving a rim of condensation around the edge of the bowl, threatening to stain the thick oak dining table. Her feet swayed beneath her on the chair, too little to reach the floor, only her extended toes managing to graze against the fine dark wood floors of the living room, the soft material of her pretty pink socks making it easier for her toes to glide over the surface. Lana’s long golden locks danced around her face as her head tilted from side to side matching the soft tune she was humming to herself, her innocent sky blue eyes were wide with joy and excitement s her crayons scratched over the page of the note pad bringing to life a childish sketch of their large house with four figures standing in the garden. Closest to the house depicted by the large manner on the drawing was the sketch of a man, standing almost as tall as the house itself. A little further away were two poorly sketched figures of small males with matching light brown hair, one coloured in a neater appearing outfit while the other male was missing a top. Finally, Lana’s gold crayon moved away from the little addition to the drawing, a perception of herself with long blonde hair and a pretty blue dress on. Her pale pink lips spread into a warm and exciting grin looking down at the makeshift drawing of her family. A happy, innocent giggle left her lips as she pushed herself away from the table and jumped down from chair, grabbing only the note book she was using to make the drawing and running out of the dining room into the main area of the house.
“DADDY!!!” Her high pitched innocent voice called out, the hint of a playful laughter lacing her innocent words as her head turned from side to side trying to see if she could hear where her father was.
“Daddy!! I drew something!” She added a little louder, closing the pages of the leather bound book and pressing it to her chest, waiting for a reply.
“Outside, Princess.” The raspy tone of her father’s voice finally reached her ears, making Lana spin around on her heels and run towards the wide glass doors that lead to the outside patio. The soft sound of her feet tapping against the wooden floors was enough to notify Michael-Scott of his young daughter’s approach, even before her sweet voice called out for him once again, hushed by the enjoyable sound of his Tabaco being burned away by the ambers while the nicotine filled smoke coated his lungs. His eyes opened once again as he felt a gentle grip of small hands upon his forearm, arching a brow as he gazed down at Lana, exhaling the cigarette smoke into her face making the child cough uncomfortably, shaking her head and looking back up at him with the same eyes as her late mother. Without setting the cigarette down, Michael-Scott reached up for his glass of whiskey, looking away from Lana disinterested.
“What do you want, Princess?” He asked again before downing the golden essence within his glass, putting it back down on the table and reaching out for the bottle of a 21 year old Chivas Regal.
“I made a drawing, Daddy!” Lana spoke with a soft squeal of excitement in her tone, pulling the leather book away from her chest and flipping through the pages until she found the newest masterpiece, putting the book down in his lap.
“See, see!” She continued excitedly, her torso leaning over the armrest of his chair to point with her little fingers.
“This is you,” Lana pointed towards the biggest figure in the house, “And this is Benny and Dan”She giggled sweetly “and that’s me here! Do you like it, Daddy? I can leave it for you if you like!”Those joy filled eyes glanced up at her father, yet seeing that his own reaction didn’t share her excitement, Lana’s features turned into a pout, pulling away from his chair.
“It’s no Picasso.” The already tipsy man spoke half-heartedly, the boredom evident in his tone as he looked down at the drawing, before glancing over to his daughter with an unimpressed shake of his head “Shouldn’t gloat with shit like this.” His cruel worlds made the young child take another half step back away from him, her small hands moving to rest against her chest in a startled manner, her eyes filling with sadness and regret.
“I’m sorry, Daddy…” She started to apologise with a quivering tone that gave away how broken hearted the young child felt, but Michael-Scott didn’t seem to care as his calloused fingers carelessly closed the leather book in his lap, about to throw it back to his daughter when his eyes fell upon the leather casing of the book his daughter had been using for her drawings, anger flaring up in his features as he looked down at his late wife’s diary.
“Where the fuck did you get this from?!” His voice turned cold and vicious as he picked up the journal in one hand, rising it into the air as if he was about to hit the child with it. “You fucking going through shit that doesn’t fucking belong to you, now?!” He snapped, pegging the book onto the tiled ground as Lana jumped back with a startled scream, tears welling in her eyes and spilling across her cheeks.
“I’m sorry Daddy! I’m sorry! Dany and I—“ Lana began to explain when Michael-Scott suddenly gripped the child’s wrist, pulling her closer to the chair, ignoring the loud frightened scream that rippled through the girl’s lips.
“Dennis?” The man demanded “Of course that fucker would take what isn’t his” He growled and glared down at his child, lightly shaking her frame. “You will NEVER touch her things again… understood?!” He demanded, letting go of her wrist roughly, making the young child fall back onto the tiled ground.
“I promise, Daddy! I’m sorry! I’m Sorry daddy!” The girl continued to cry and plead for her father’s forgiveness as her tiny body fell onto the ground, the sudden movement causing a small golden pendant to slip out from underneath her dress. Instantly, Michael-Scott glared down at the child, getting to his feet and stalking her down.
“WHERE DID YOU FUCKING GET THAT?!” he snarled furiously, leaning down to rip the necklace off her neck.
“No, Daddy, please! That’s Mummy’s! She gave it to me!” The girl continued to plead, not daring to move from the ground as her frightened eyes glanced up at the slightly swaying figure of her father. His fist clenched around the necklace, ignoring the pleading child as he spun around to walk back into the house.
“OLIVIA YOU FUCKING CUNT! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YA!” he screamed for his wife dead, leaving the crying child on the ground, storming through the house to find his wife.
Lana’s cries seemed to echo through the house as she lay on the hard ground of the patio, curling herself up into a ball. She hadn’t even realised someone coming until warm hands lifted her into the air and fell across her mouth in a hushing yet gentle manner.
“Shh.” Dennis looked down at her worried, looking over her small frame to check if she was injured anywhere, sighing softly seeing that she was fine.
“Go quickly to your room. Dry your eyes. Ben will be home from school soon. Do not leave your room until Ben comes to get you, okay?” The not much older boy spoke in a hushed tone, only getting a nod and a kiss on the cheek in response before his sister scattered to her feet and ran for her room. He watched until she disappeared before taking a deep breath and stepping into the house.
“She’s picking Ben up!” Dennis called out, hoping to get his father’s attention with the lie, knowing that in his drunken state he wouldn’t even remember that their mother wasn’t around anymore.
When Lana was nine years old, things only turned for the worse with Benjamin’s graduation from high school. Being the clever boy that he was, Benjamin got a fully paid for scholarship to attend Harvard University to study Psychology. But with the eldest son out of the picture, things back home only turned worse. The anger that was usually taken out on Benjamin had been turned towards Dennis and the teenage boy hardly stayed more than a few hours at home, preferring the street life. Getting himself caught up with gangs, drugs, alcohol and the life of crime. Remora even stopped working for them after she was attacked while walking home late one time. It only left Lana and the drunken pathetic excuse of a father. He turned his attention more towards his friends, throwing lavish parties rather than being a father. Only caring about his daughter when his female friends and stars wanted to adore the beautiful little blonde. One in particular was the one and only Marcus Ernwood. Ever playing Michael-Scott’s best friend, the Chief of Los Angeles police department had a far more twisted motion in mind. The truth was that he was once, long ago, married to Olyvia. He never forgave her for leaving him and made it his mission to make her life as miserable as he could. At least, until Lana was born. As the girl grew up he could see it, the perfect reflection of his ex-wife. It drove him crazy, to the point where he struck a bargain with Michael-Scott that would give Marcus the Legal rights to the girl until her 21st birthday. But Marcus couldn’t wait.
Lana was eleven when it happened, the one party that ended worse than any other. Everyone had gone home, she could hear the silence, hear her father’s snoring and she was so thirsty. She knew she shouldn’t have left her room, she wasn’t allowed out after her bed time, but Michael-Scott was asleep, so what harm would it be? She didn’t expect for Marucs to still be sitting in the kitchen, didn’t expect his head to look up at her as she stood on the bottom stair in her night gown. She may not have expected, but it was a night that she would never forget. The look on Marcus’ face when he saw her at the foot of the stairs, the hunger in his eyes as he looked over her little body, the way he burst through the small barricade she had made against the door. She would always remember his touch, his breath on her skin, the rough grip over her arms to hold her down, the agonising pain when he forced himself inside her.
“He’ll hate you” Marcus’ voice haunted her mind “He’ll be disgusted with the pathetic dirty little slut you are”. Yet it wasn’t until Marcus threatened to hurt her brothers that the young Lana Lloyd ended up promising that she would never tell anyone what happened. Even when he cleaned her up and left her alone, she didn’t say anything. She didn’t say a word for several days after the incident, only cried and snuck into Dennis’ room at night because the night terrors she was left with after her mother’s death were only worse whenever Marcus came to her mind, and they never left. Eventually Dennis couldn’t take it any longer and asked if she would like to talk to Benjamin, that he could ask their oldest sibling to come for a visit. Marcus’ threats rang in her mind, and the concept of her brother getting hurt filled her mind, horrified her to the point where she finally pushed past the numbing state, starting to pretend to be fine. A lie that she would base her life around. She was fine, she was happy. She was still herself.
A year passed since the incident before Benjamin Lloyd finally received his diploma and returned home. But things were worse than ever, with Michael-Scott hardly ever remaining a day sober. Lana was left to her own demise, locking herself away in her room or staying out in the school or skate park as long as she could. But with Benjamin back home, things were bound to turn around! Or so the not-yet-teenage girl thought to herself. But she never expected for it to turn around like this. She was out at a friend’s house one afternoon, when she came home to police lights and news vans out the front of her Beverly Hills house. As it turned out, her father had passed away. He crashed his car while drink driving and a gang member finished him off. She knew that she should have felt sad, but she only felt glad. Her father was gone; it was just her and her brothers. But there were some that claimed it was Benjamin that had killed him – a foolish thought. He wouldn’t ever. He didn’t even fight back whenever Michael-Scott took his drunken anger out on his eldest son. At least, as far as she knew. So to escape the horror of their childhood and start new, the trio ended up moving to Honolulu, Hawaii.
And for the first four years, for the first time in her life, Lana led a normal life. Or more or less normal. She lived at the school dorms, attended the Pearl City High School. She made friends, got herself in trouble, skipped classes and enjoyed life like a typical teenager should. More or less. Benjamin took it upon himself to ensure that Lana grew up right and his outlook on life always seemed stricter than the parents of her friends were, but she knew he only meant the best for her. It wasn’t until the young Lana Lloyd was sixteen years again that the horrors of her past returned into her life. Lana went with the school back to California for a field trip. But while the class was exploring the city, Lana snuck off to went and visit her mother’s grave. It was only by chance that Marcus happened to be at the graveyard, seeing the young Olyvia. Doing some research, he found out that she was now living in Hawaii and leaving behind his position as the LAPD Chief, Marcus transferred to Hawaii, determined to get back what was rightfully his.
"No! It can't be true! He... he wouldn't do that!" Lana protested, her voice raised and tone riddled with panic and confusion. She was standing in the office of the Pearl City School Dorms Headmaster, still dressed in the outfit she was in when the school called for her to come pick up her things. Her short light blue denim shorts ended just above midway up her thigh and the black tank top hid the top of the shorts. She had a red tartan jacket over the top to hide her shoulders. Her bleach blonde hair was down and neatly combed, although now her fingers ran through the delicate locks, gripping them desperately and messing them up. The day was going just fine; she was nearly over for the day since she never went to the afternoon free periods anyway. But instead she was taken out of school for a 'family issue'. She never expected this. Those blue sapphire eyes were wide and riddled with confusion as she read over the letter that sat on the Head master's desk. Written in black inc in Benjamin's handwriting. A style she could easily pick out anywhere. She's known that writing ever since she was little girl. She knew the signature on the bottom of the page. She tried to copy it enough times over the years and could never manage to get it perfect. Like he did. On that letter.
"I'm sorry, Miss Lloyd" The headmaster spoke again in a surprisingly calming and delicate tone. She wasn't used to him holding that tone of voice around her. Usually it showed hints of amusement or annoyance, but now he seemed genially caring. Almost as if he cared that she was being taken away. Or maybe it was the sheer fact that for the first time he saw Lana in this stage. Shaking, panicking, on the verge of tears.
"Just take a seat and breathe in deeply. Your things are already being taken there as per request."
And that's all it took, those simple words, before Lana fell into the chair she so far refused to sit in. Her elbows fell to her knees, her face falling into her hands. She wanted to scream, to cry, to run away and never come back... but she knew she couldn't. She just couldn't understand. Why would Benjamin do this? Even if he was so tired of her... why not give the rights to Dennis? Or an orphanage? Or someone else! Someone from the island! Not him! Without looking up her hand reached over for the letter that sat on the desk once again, brining it before her eyes to scan the words one last time. To make sure she wasn't just imagining it.
'To Mr. Peril - The Dorm Headmaster.
Due to unforeseen changes in Lana Lloyd's recent behaviour, I believe that it would be in my sister's best interest to leave the dorms to live with an actual father figure that would be able to take care of her full time. Mr. Marcus Ernwood is an old family friend who recently moved to Hawaii and has gracefully accepted the role of a father figure for my sister. He will arrange for her things to be picked up from the Dorms while she finishes her school day before picking her up.
Henceforth Mr. Ernwood will be Lana's guardian and next of kin. He will provide the details required for you to update your system along with the school details.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Lloyd.'
The short letter didn't quite sound like Benjamin, then again she so rarely watched him speak professionally around her. Mostly she was made to wait outside until they finished talking to her teachers or whoever she was in trouble with. Her stomach turned violently and her hand reluctantly clenched into a fist, scrunching up Benjamin's letter. She felt the bitter sing of tears in her eyes she tried to fight so hard. Ever since the death of her father, Lana rarely cried. Even when she was hurt. But this... this hurt more than she could comprehend. Out of everyone, the few billion people on this goddamn planet... he had to pick him. The one man she could not stand. He made Michael-Scott look good! But then again, no one knew that. No one but her. And him. A sudden brisk knock on the door snapped Lana out of her thoughts, dropping the letter to the ground as she looked up from the Headmaster over to the door. The man behind the desk spoke a simple "Come in" command before the door opened and one of the cleaning ladies that Lana saw around the dorms poked her head into the office. She looked from Lana to the Headmaster and smiled excitedly – as if this was a good thing. Like an orphan finally finding a new home. If she only knew...
"Mr. Ernwood has sent a car to pick up Miss Lloyd" the woman informed before closing the door again leaving the room in an almost awkward silence. The blonde girl's reaction showed the evident dislike for the situation, but there was nothing either of them could do. Slowly her blue eyes fell over to the Headmaster and a fake smile climbed to her lips. She knew how to perfect this look; she had gotten so used to it back home. Back in Beverly Hills, whenever they were on the red carpets with the blinding lights of photo cameras capturing the fake happy family the Lloyd's always put on.
"Thank you, Headmaster. I'll be okay" Lana reassured the man "I was just... shocked" She explained and got to her feet without another word, turning around to walk out of the office, not paying attention to the 'good luck' the Headmaster uttered as she left, making her way down the hall towards the entry of the Dorms. She had been waiting for the moment to leave them ever since Benjamin first brought her here, and now? She wanted nothing more than stay where she was. In the safe walls of the dorms where he couldn't get to her. Always protecting me, my ass. Stupid asshole knows that all of dad's friends are the same Lana thought to herself bitterly as she stepped out into the sunny warm afternoon. The black car already waited out the front of the stairs for her, the driver not even paying attention to her. A soft sigh slipped her lips as she walked to the car, hesitating for a moment as her hand lingered by the door handle. Drawing in a deep breath of courage, Lana pulled the door open and slipped into the back seat, closing the door and doing up her seat belt without a word. Neither her, nor the driver spoke as the car took off. With the end of school traffic on the roads it took the car nearly 40 minutes to finally reach its destination. A slow, agonisingly quite ride only put Lana in a worse mood, her mind flooding with memories of Marcus. Those creepy eyes, that sadistic smile, the scent of whiskey on his breath or the course touch of his hands. Goosebumps riddled Lana's skin at the thoughts but she forced them aside. She wasn't the same girl anymore. She no longer was the helpless, frightened 11 year old that tried to stop him by pushing a small desk against the door. She no longer was the girl that screamed for Benjamin to help her; that prayed for Dennis to come back just in the nick of time; or even for her father to awake from his drunken slumber and save her from the monster that was her friend. No, she was stronger now – emotionally, mentally and physically. Dennis may not have been there when she was little, but over the last few years on the islands he taught her how to look after herself from now on. He won't be able to hurt me she reassured herself as the car came to a stop. Lana didn't want to leave the car but as she didn't move the driver got out of his side and opened the door for her. Sighing and clenching her jaw, Lana slithered out from the car, brushing her hair away from her face and looking up at the simple double story house that would be her new home before finally walking up to the front door. Yet before she could manage to even knock the door opened and her heart began to race within its cage. There he was. Marcus. Standing in front of her with that same eerie sadistic smile that spread across his face. He hadn't changed much since she last saw him at her father's funeral. His face was still covered in wrinkled and his eyes held a false smile that she knew all too well. She could feel his gaze slithering over her body, watched as those dark orbs slid down over her frame, the smile on his face spreading; approving.
"Ah, Lana... Finally. Please, come in. I must admit I didn't expect this...but I am so glad that Benjamin came to me. You have grown into a fine young woman, Lana. And you look so alike your mother" Marcus spoke in his usual deep voice that held the permanent rawness of someone who smokes too many cigarettes a day. The girl didn't say anything as she stepped inside, her eyes only hardening at the mention of her mother. There was just something about the way he said the words that sent a shiver down her spine. Like an alert in her brain telling her to run. Not to trust him. To just do whatever she could to keep him away from her, to keep him at bay. Marcus closed the door behind her and motioned with his hand for her to walk into the living area of the downstairs floor, and Lana did so silently. Despite utterly hating his guts, she had to admit his taste was a lot better than father's. Nowhere near as good as the house Benjamin had – but she wasn't about to say that out loud.
"Now I'm sure you're just as surprised as me about this new change...so I'll keep it simple. I'll give you the rest of today to settle in and we'll start fresh in the morning. But there are some rules that I wish for you to follow" Marcus began to talk.
"So surprised there" Lana finally spoke up, her tone laced with the spite and sarcasm it always holds whenever she's in a bad mood. A trait she picked up from Dennis, but it seemed that Marcus didn't appreciate the gesture. His features suddenly turned cold, switching off the fake Mr. Nice façade Lana knew he was just putting on. He was the same bitter asshole he had been her whole life.
"Now you keep that dirty mouth shut unless you want me to shut it for you. Understood?" His tone turned angry and annoyed, but Lana didn't respond. She stopped in the middle of the living room, leaning against the back of one of the couches as her brilliant blue eyes studied his face.
"Good." He continued, as if her silence was an answer to his question rather than blunt ignorance to his words. "You will be dropped off and picked up from school every day. No exceptions. You are not allowed out after school until you earn that privilege" He began to speak, yet something about the words made Lana uneasy, making her heart race faster in her chest.
"You will not have a mobile phone until you earn the rights for one. Same goes for anything else other than a computer for you to do your school work on. You will keep this house clean and will be responsible for all the meals. You will have your own room, upstairs, beside mine. You are not allowed guests." He stopped talking to let the wave of information sink in, but Lana seemed unfazed. As if she's heard it all before – and pretty much may have. It was almost the same as the domes. Except so much worse.
"And most importantly, you are not to have any contact with your brothers." Marcus spoke the words in a slower tone, emphasising every spoken word.
"You're fucking kidding, right?!" Lana practically snapped "You can go shove those rules up your ass. I'm out of here" She spoke with an annoyed tone, rolling her eyes and pushing herself off the couch to head back towards the front door, but that quickly seized when Marcus stepped in her way, glaring down at her, his jaw clenched tightly and an unimpressed and disappointed look in his eyes. If it was on Ben, she might have actually felt bad – but in this case she was glad.
"You will not talk to me in that manner. I will not tolerate your disobedience. Your pathetic brother spoiled you. You're a rotten little bitch and you'll be taught your place. And when I tell you something, you will do it to the fucking dot. And when I tell you, that you are not to see, talk to, message, email, or send a goddamn flying pigeon to your brothers... you will corporate." He spoke in a quieter tone, making his voice sound more malicious with every word spoken, stepping closer to her and forcing Lana to walk deeper into the room until her back was pressed against the wall and his body almost touching hers.
"Understood?" He asked the simple word, expecting her to break and give in. But Lana had different plans. Her eyes narrowed on him and without a word she pushed herself off the wall and into him, bringing her leg up to knee him in the balls. A loud hiss slipped his lips as he toppled forward.
"Go fuck yourself!" Lana hissed and gripped his short black hair, forcing his head down as she brought her knee up again to kick him in the face. She felt his body drop and jumped over him to run for the door. There was no way in hell she was staying here! She'd go live with Dennis if she had to! But just before her long pale fingers could grip the handle of the front door she felt the sudden sting of her hair being pulled as Marcus caught up with her, gripping her hair tightly.
"That was a mistake" he whispered into her ear before forcing her head into the side of the wall with enough force to make the wall crack. Suddenly, everything went black. Lana woke up in a bed, her sculpt throbbing slightly from where her hair was nearly ripped out from the feel of it. But the throbbing ache that awoke her seemed to come from the side of her face, throbbing in dull motions as it spread across her cheek.
"You're finally awake, I see" Marcus spoke, making Lana open her eyes and see him standing in the doorway. Quickly she sat up on the bed and looked around the small room. It was filled with all her things from the Dorm. Her eyes fell to herself, still dressed in the outfit she wore to school. Marcus chuckled at her reaction and shook his head.
"Now I'm not like that, child. I'll make sure you're awake...” He spoke the threat in an almost sensual manner that made Lana's stomach twist with disgust.
"Now, let's try this again, shall we?" He asked the rhetorical question and walked into her room, sitting down on the foot of her bed. Lana's legs automatically slipped under her, pulling away from him, putting what little distance she could between them.
"What do you want..." She asked in a sceptical tone, her blue eyes looking at him closely.
"Your obedience" Marcus replied simply. "You follow my rules and everything will be just fine. And if you don't... well... I'm sure you remember exactly what happens when a child misbehaves" he spoke darkly, looking at her more seriously. Memories flooded her mind, her father yelling and screaming at her, Benjamin getting in the way so she wouldn't get hurt. Her eyes fell away from Marcus at the memory, looking down at the floor.
"Oh yes..." Marcus chuckled darkly as if knowing exactly what thoughts were going through Lana's mind. But the expression on her face showed it like a map. "But this time he won't be here to save you. You're big enough to learn for yourself."
"The moment they find out how you treat me, the--" Lana started to reply, but was quickly cut off by a firm hand to the cheek, right across the cheekbone that had been slammed into the wall, making her cry out in pain, her head turning with the force of his hit, her hands moving to cut the painfully stinging cheek.
"FUCKING CUNT!" she hissed in pain, but that only landed her another hit. This time one without a reply of cursed words, only painful whimpers and shallow breaths.
"Do not curse. It doesn't look good on a lady. Now I'll say this again, you are not to see them, or speak to them. And if you do, then it won't be you I'll take my anger out on" He let the threat linger in the air, letting it sink into Lana's mind. She knew what he did. He was a cop, a bad cop...but that meant he held power. And he could cause a lot of problems for her brothers. Benjamin was a respected teacher, and Dennis was already in jail once... she didn't want to put them in any more harm than they were already in. Biting her lip hard, Lana's eyes fell to her bed, her hands falling away from her stinging cheek.
"May I at least message Dennis that I'm okay... that way he'll stay off your back..." Lana spoke softly, finally looking up at Marcus who's face showed the victory he felt. She was far too easy to manipulate, all the siblings were like that. Just mention the others getting hurt and they get all protective and righteous.
"I will allow that." Marcus finally spoke and hopped off her bed, walking towards the door.
"Like I said, today you can settle in." Was all he said before walking out the door and closing it behind him. Lana didn't move, hearing the sound of a key turning made her heart sink to her stomach. Her eyes fell to her window but the 'fly screen' was permanently attached. There was no way out. She just curled up in bed and tried to ignore the pain in her face, feeling tears coming to her eyes but this time she didn't bother stopping them, just cried herself to sleep. When she woke up her bedroom door was unlocked and opened wide with her phone sitting on the bedside table beside her. She felt like hell. Her face ached terribly and her stomach was just about ready to eat itself. She took her phone and sent Dennis a simple message.
Hey, look, Benjamin gave up his guardianship of me over to Marcus Ernwood – dad's friend. I'm now living with him, but I'm not allowed to see you guys... and I won't have my phone on me until I 'earn it'. I'm sorry, I'll miss you. Don't get yourself into trouble. I love you.
Just writing the message brought tears to her eyes, but Marcus was a dick and she knew he wasn't joking about making her brother's pay instead. He was like dad after all.
But as it turned out, Lana was right. And Benjamin Lloyd did not give his sister up to the monster that was Marcus Ernwood. Benjamin came to speak to Marcus on his own the following morning. In the end Benjamin was forced to leave Lana alone with the man for a while longer, until he managed to get legal custody over the teenage girl once again. But things only turned worse. Lana couldn’t handle staying another night in Marcus’ house she waited until he was in the bathroom, stole his phone and messaged for her older friend, Selene, to come meet her. While he left for work, Lana snuck out of the house going to meet the brunette bar tender but what she didn’t expect was for Marcus to end up following the peroxide blonde. Furious that Lana would go against his rules, he decided to teach her a lesson. By beating the tattooed beauty nearly to death. Taking both women back home he decided what to do with them, when an even more twisted thought came to his mind.
Hours passed slowly as Marcus was forced to wait for the cover of the night before making his move. He had planned everything out quite perfectly, putting himself in the right position from both fronts. And neither would see it coming. His cold blue eyes shimmered darkly as that vile smirk coated his withered lips. He could here shuffling coming from the other room, only arching a brow curiously wondering which of the two goodies had awakened first. His beloved Lana or that feisty little fire cracker of a friend she so foolishly called to help her out.
"And there I thought you knew better than that.." He whispered to himself, spinning on his heels to face away from the window, fixing up the lapel of his black suit as his long strides closed the distance between him and the bedroom he had given Lana. His eye twitched slightly as his tongue trailed across his lips in a hungry manner, his hand falling to the door handle, teasing himself with the delicious prize inside. With a simple twist of the key and a push on the door, Marcus let it push open as he stood in the doorframe, his eyes eager to see which one of the two woke up first. His eyes fell to the petite tattooed beauty sprawled out across Lana's bed, instantly knowing his answer. As the door opened fully, he could see Lana's slender frame by the window, struggling to force the metal security screens off their hinges. At least until she heard the soft groan of the door being pushed open, her body freezing in its spot. He could see her whole body tense suddenly moments before her pretty little face turned around to look at him wide eyed.
"You are not trying to break my rules again.... are you?" His tone was calm and amused, laced with a hint of hunter that sent a shiver down Lana's spine as her eyes widened silently. So she had learnt to keep that forked tongue behind her teeth. Finally. Those cold eyes followed the teenage girl as she darted towards the side of the bed, standing before it like a shield for the unconscious woman. It was almost a shame, seeing her standing there silent and terrified, like a little mouse cornered by the big bad cat. Finally behaving the way she should be. But it was too late now. He would risk sacrificing her for the bigger and better things that would come from tonight's end.
"Step aside, Lana darling. We are on a tight schedule." Marcus spoke once again, his eyes staring deep into her shimmering sapphire gems. He could see the red veins that laced the sclera of her eyes, the puffy cheeks and red nose that easily told him she had been crying once again. The thought amused him as he stared at her, picturing Olivia in her spot. His stomach tightened and with one quick movement he found himself at the foot of the bed, reading out for Selene's ankle.
"NO!" Lana suddenly screamed, so foolishly stepping in his way, blocking his path to her friend; but Marcus wasn't fazed. His hand instead reached out to grab the pale yellow locks on Lana's head, twisting his fingers into her hair tightly before clenching his fist, forcing her head to move backwards with a pained yelp that decorated to room as he forcefully pulled her ear towards his mouth, letting his hot breath fall over her skin as she tried to wiggle free of his grip on her hair.
"You should have learnt by now, dear... “He cooed in her ear, his voice laced with sadistic venom that made her physically uncomfortable, and Marcus was loving it.
"This..." His hand shoved her head away from him and forced her to look at Selene's beaten, motionless body for a longer moment before bringing that pretty little face back to his.
"Is your fault." His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, a slight anger hinted in his words as his hand forced Lana's head back, making those pretty blue eyes stare into his own, and her neck bent backwards exposing her wind pipe as if he was itching to slice open the pale silken flesh.
"And every...single...time... you dare to oppose me, to go against me, to fight me... I won't waste my time on you... I'll find every person you care about and make them suffer. Make them scream and beg for me to kill them... only to send your regards." He almost growled the last words and with a sharp yank of his hand he tossed the blonde to the side like a worthless ragdoll, a few strands of her peroxide locks remained in his hand. Shaking his head he simply dusted off his palm and turned his attention back to the tattooed brunette. Licking his lips, Marcus gripped Selene’s ankle and pulled her small frame towards him as his hands fell to her body, feeling their way up her legs, his hands lingering around her hips before sliding them up her torso, feeling over her breasts and finally moving down her shoulders to her hands, gripping her wrists as he effortlessly flipped her onto her torso, putting her wrists behind her back and zip tying them together. Licking his lips his hands fell from her wrists to her perfect rear, taking his sweet time feeling over his body until he was satisfied she wasn’t hiding anything up her sleeves. He didn’t even look towards Lana but instead simply snapped his fingers and motioned for her to come to his side. It took a few moments longer than he wished, but soon enough the footfalls stopped as she stood beside the bed, his eyes peeling away from Selene to look up at Lana, watching as she struggled to keep her eyes tear free. His hands fell to her thighs; slowly sliding them up her legs, watching as she shuddered in disgust only amused him more.
“Calm down” His voice was stern and unimpressed “I don’t have the time to… enjoy you right now… But don’t you worry…” Marcus suddenly spun her around her hips, getting to his feet as his hands guided hers to meet at the small of her back before he pulled out another zip tie from his pocket and bound her wrists. Dropping his hands to her hips, Marcus pulled her against him, his fingertips digging into her with a force that left her gasping in pain, his lips finding their way to her neck.
“I will always find my way back to you. You belong to me.” He whispered against her neck before shoving her out towards the door, causing her slender frame to topple over and fall to the ground clumsily. He ignored the soft sounds of pain that slipped Lana’s lips and instead turned his attention back to her friend, wrapping his arm around her waist and picking up the unconscious woman with ease, tossing her over his shoulder as he walked towards the door, his eyes now locked on Lana as she struggled to get to her feet without the use of her arms. A smirk toyed on Marcus’ lips for a longer moment before he pulled his foot back and sent a hard kick to Lana’s hip, forcing her out of his way as her cry echoed through the house.
“Make another sound and I will gag you” He threatened, walking out of her bedroom and glaring down at her. The teenage girl seemed to get the hint as she finally managed to use the wall for support to help her up, following Marcus’ lead down the stairs and to the garage. Her eyes darted between him and Selene, wondering when the woman would wake up, frightened that she needed the hospital’s attention. Within a few minutes the trio found themselves in the garage as Marcus opened up the boot of his Jeep and tossed Selene’s small and slender body into it, slamming the door closed. His hands moved to Lana’s shoulder, pulling her closer to him again, forcing her attention onto him.
“Remember… this is all on you” Was all he spoke before opening the back door and forcing her inside, not bothering to wait for the bound girl to adjust herself before he closed the door and casually walked around to the driver side, opening the main garage door and starting the car. His eyes glanced into the rear-view mirror, watching as Lana struggled to get comfortable, attempting to see into the boot, doing everything she could to avoid looking towards him. A soft chuckle slipped his lips before Marcus started the car and drove out into the night, heading for the Abandoned Power House where the night’s fun was about to start.
There weren’t many things that could have made the situation worse for Lana as she sat tied down in an abandoned room, hearing some of the other women screaming, not knowing where Selene was, if she was safe. In the end, it was her turn and Marcus wasted no time taunting her about it. Everything turned worse when Hunter, a 24 year old gang member and assassin that Lana had developed feelings for came to pick her up. It was then that she learnt the truth about him, about his affiliation with the infamous MS-13 gang. But it didn’t stop there. Instead of getting her away from Marcus, Hunter decided to buy her as his own personal toy. He inspected her, played along with Marcus’ games and finally called Raphael – his younger brother and one of Lana’s best friends – to take her away into the car. It wasn’t until they were driving away from the scene that Hunter started to beg for Lana’s forgiveness, explaining that he only did it to protect her. But the damage was done. Seeing him like that, the things he said, they frightened her beyond belief and their broken friendship pushed him into starting heavy drugs again. Lana blamed herself and figured if she distanced herself from them and everyone that was close to the pair would make it easier for them. That’s how she lost her friendship with Blair. The only one of her friends she really turned to was her best friend Travis. It took a while, but in the end she realised how she felt towards him, how he felt towards her. The two got closer and even invited his family, Sawyer his older brother and a local police officer and his older sister Skyla who always treated Lana like a sister, a daughter. But Travis wasn’t the beset influence on Lana, his knack for trouble and disrespect for rules amongst other things made Benjamin dislike him. Her older brother explained that despite knowing how the girl felt towards him, it was in her own best interest to end their friendship. She avoided Travis after that, avoided every place they shared together. After Selene got out of the hospital and recovered from her wounds, she and Lana decided to tell Selene’s boyfriend, Chris, what or more specifically who did this to her. But it proved to be more difficult than either of them thought it would be because Christopher was a local police officer, straight out of the Academy. But more than that, he was Marcus’ partner, blinded by the professional persona that he had mastered. He wouldn’t believe the two women that Marcus was capable of doing something like that, and eventually Lana snapped and told him what the monster he so foolishly looked up to had done. Not just to Selene, but to her.
Feeling the door suddenly pull away from Lana’s forehead as it prepped the broken teenage girl up almost caused her to stumble forward into Benjamin’s frame, yet the girl seemed to catch her footing in the last moment as her head tilted upwards to glance up at the blurred image of her brother’s face, her blood shot eyes blinking away the veil of tears that smudged her vision. Following his guide, Lana stepped into his office timidly as if she had never seen the inside of the private space before, lightly jumping when the lock on the door clicked shut, taking away her means of escaping like she had done at Christopher’s house. Taking a deep, shaky breath in an attempt to calm the panic that had taken over her body, Lana’s hands slowly dropped from the hem of her grey tee shirt, tugging at the pockets of her pants, trying to form a coherent sentence in her head. Yet all the efforts seem to fly out the window when Benjamin placed the caring hand on her shoulder, pulling Lana into a hug. She tried so hard to fight the emotions that were trying to crawl to the surface, yet feeling his comforting and safe arms wrapped around her petite body, Lana couldn’t stop the onslaught of tears from falling from her eyes as frightened sobs escaped her trembling lips. Her arms wrapped around his waist, hugging him in an almost desperate manner as her face buried itself against Benjamin’s chest. She tried to reply to his question, yet the words failed to form, the sound not wanting to pass the heavy lump in Lana’s throat as she cried, causing her to gasp for air as she struggled to regain control once again. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, yet with every soft stroke against her hair and the silent protective embrace finally seemed to ease away the wave of tears that streamed down her cheeks, calming herself down. Closing her eyes and forcing herself to draw in a deep breath, Lana let her hands fall from around his waist and pull away from his chest enough to glance up at her brother with those broken, horrified and pleading wide blue eyes.
”Benny….” Lana’s whispered voice shook from strain as she tried her hardest to keep control over the panic attack that caused her to break down so badly she couldn’t even form words.
”I really messed up…and…and now Selene will get hurt again… Please don't let her get hurt...” the teenage girl finally admitted as her eyes shamefully dropped away from her brother’s gaze, scared of seeing his reaction, the very thought of it made her stomach clench violently.
Taking a shaky step away from her brother, Lana fell back into one of the chairs in front of his desk, her face falling into her hands as she drew in slow, deep breaths before brushing her hands away from her face, smudging the black streaks that coloured her pale skin, losing her fingers in her hair as she gripped it tightly, starting to sway backwards and forwards, chewing on her lip. She knew how confusing her words must have sounded and figured it would be better to start at the beginning, yet every time her lips parted to unveil the next part of her story, Marcus’ voice rose in her mind. His threats, his taunting words, those cruel eyes that bore in her memory. Lana’s fingers curled inwards, sinking her nails into the soft flesh of her scalp, a faint whimper falling from her lips at the recollections, shutting her eyes tightly while her body began to rock faster in the chair.
”He hurt her before..” Lana began to explain with her eyes still clenched shut. ”And… and Selene and I went to tell Chris about it… because they’re partners….” Her voice, although remaining quiet began to get higher as the fear entered her words, her eyes opening once more to glance up at her brother, the river of tears filling the rims of her eyes once again, spilling over the already raw cheeks.
”But Chris wouldn’t believe us because he was convinced that everything Marcus does was for the greater fucking good and we got into a really big fight and I—“ Lana’s story was cut short as another frightened sob slipped her control. Her tear filled eyes fell to her lap, resting her elbows against her thighs to prop her head upwards, the long messy peroxide locks falling over her face like a veil, hiding the broken girl away from her brother’s steely gaze. She couldn’t handle seeing his disappointment, seeing his anger, the look he would give her as he disowned her for what she did. The fear once more took over the teenage girl as another wave of shaking sobs and hysterical tears caused her whole frame to tremble.
”I couldn’t help it” Lana spoke between the sobs, still not daring to look up at her brother. ”Chris kept defending him…and I… I just… I snapped… I ended up telling them what he did…and …and… and now Selene’s going to question him.. and.. and.. he’ll hurt her Benny…. He’ll hurt her because I’m not meant to have told anyone. He warned me what would happen…” Lana’s head fall into her lap as she wept, her nails gripping the locks of hair so tightly that her nails managed to pierce through the first few layers of skin on her scalp, causing small red beads of blood to come to the surface, yet the girl didn’t seem to even notice.
”He nearly killed her last time… she’s going to get killed and it’s all my fault. I should have just kept my mouth shut… I wasn’t supposed to say… I’m not allowed to tell anyone.” Her panicked mind continued to repeat over and over until her trembling words fell silent over the hysteria that once more took hold of the girl. Images of the beaten, bruised and nearly lifeless form of Selene’s body danced through Lana’s mind, the fear for the safety of her friend made her eyes open as her head slowly peered up once more to glance up at Benjamin, her eyes wide and pleading. Begging for his help, his understanding, his forgiveness.
”I…” Lana’s shaky voice was cut off by the deep breath to fight back the lump in her throat, her hands falling from her hair to wrap around her slender waist, needing the self-reassurance.
”I understand if you’ll hate me, but please… please don’t let Marcus hurt her… I beg you… please… It was my fault. Don’t let her get hurt…” Lana’s horrified mind chanted.
Benjamin realised what had happened and managed to calm the young woman down, reassuring her that everything was okay. He took her back to his house and told her that she would from now on be staying with him again. Leaving her in Lucas’ care, a young man whom had been staying with Benjamin, he left for the night. In the morning Lucas drove Lana out to Marcus’ house to pick up her things, but when they arrived at the scene, Lana couldn’t believe her eyes. Someone had brutally murdered Marcus during the night. Calling for the police the two gave their statements before Lana was allowed to take her things later on during the day and moved into Benjamin’s house.
An article was published regarding the horrific death of Marcus Ernwood in the local paper, the Hawaii’s Chronicle.
Silence has fallen over the local law enforcement community as it mourns the loss of a veteran officer on this tragic day. Lieutenant M. Ernwood was brutally murdered in what police are calling "a grotesque butchery" of their fellow colleague. According to our resources, Mr. Ernwood was found dead on arrival on [March 3rd,] 2015. Shock and horror has fallen over the local police as they try to piece together the jigsaw puzzle left by an unknown killer believed to have been involved in numerous unsolved homicides, according to Detective L. Kershaw.
"It's quite clear that the killer is familiar with a knife. I would bet money on a medical background. That type of precision is not easily picked up by the common man." A detective commented when questioned on the matter. "We've seen stuff like this before. You see, the killer sets them up in these poses and scenes, as if he's creating an artwork." He further stated.
"A person like this seems to see beauty in death." A renowned psychologist, who remains unnamed for his own protection, provided some insight into the inner workings of this deranged mind. "Or he simply has a sick sense of humour. To put a person through so much pain, and actually make him live through it - no, we're not just looking at any ordinary serial killer, but more towards a trained psychopath. You know, like the ones you see in the movies. From the "artistic" displays, he's probably proud of his 'work', influenced by poetry, writings, and, of course, actual artworks. I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to recreate a scene from some sick little bit of literature."
Have you ever encountered a psychopath before? Please could you elaborate on what people may expect.
"Well, they're definitely not sane.." The psychologist laughed. "Basically, what we know from past studies, is that the psychopath's mind is lacks an internal personality structure, usually ruled by a sense of chaos and disorder. From that we see a destructive behaviour emerging. Often, it's self-inflicted, but there's the rare occasion that it's aimed towards others. I guess you could say it depends on the cause of the psychopathy in the first place."
How could the public distinguish a psychopath?
"It's extremely hard. Usually they mimic a perfectly normal, functioning human being. Just like you, and me. That's what makes it so difficult, you see. Any psychologist will tell you that it takes a while for any man to really dissect the mind, and get into his thoughts; once in, you might even glimpse a peak under the hood. But, it's rare."
Do you believe that this murder is connected to those that the police have suggested?
"I would be lying if I didn't suggest that there was inkling towards them. The similarities are striking and in plain sight, and if anyone should try deny it, then they'd be a fool."
Why did he choose this victim?
"That much I cannot say, but I can provide you with some speculation, guess work of course. From looking at the angle you could say that the victim, Lieutenant Ernwood, was a man who had disgraced or defiled the killer somehow; whether it is sloppy police work to a speeding fine that much I'm not entirely clear on. I mean, I've only just seen this file now.
The killer could have also just chosen him at random, you know, wrong place, wrong time; yet, the grotesque form of butchery suggests otherwise. Unlike the second victim, this seems more personal. Why else would he take more time with this fellow in comparison to the other, whose organs were used as a tool for decoration? And yet, he could also have just felt really moody on this evening."
We then went on to question another renowned psychologist, a Dr. B.M.S. Lloyd, to compare the notes provided..
So, Dr., could you give us some insight into the mind of a psychopath?
"This type of mind is truly quite rare, for only a few can truly possess the strength to bare it. I, myself, have only ever encountered one case of pure psychopathy; it was during my years as a student, where our lecturer was teaching us a module on psychopaths and we had to go off and interview a group of minds in order to form speculation as to how many people could be classified as a psychopath. I figured, why not go for the criminally convicted, to glimpse at what caused them to kill. Contrary to popular belief, the majority lacked the typical markers of psychopathy, however, there was one man that truly did not hide his true face when confronted by an avid young learner. He was convicted on numerous counts of murder and rape, and had a knack of eating bits of his victim, like Hannibal the Cannibal from the good old fashioned movies. He was intelligent, perhaps the most intelligent man that I had come across, mixed with a superficial charm and manipulation, accompanied by a lack of remorse and empathy for the victims who he had murdered. Yet, this was one truly astounding case that I was privileged to observe, and these findings cannot be rightly said about others that are deemed 'psychopaths'. An inconsistency in research performed has shown us that the psychopath is not always highly intelligent, and the person may be nothing but a brainless buffoon who enjoys the concept of killing. Findings produced by Cleckley in 1941 suggest that psychopaths are smarter than the average human being, which facilitate the superficial glib, interpersonal style and fuels the ability to manipulate others. He went on to further categorize them, and I quote: "Persons with the ability to escape ordinary legal punishments and restraints.". To rebut this argument, Hare's findings in 1991 and 2003, seemed to suggest that Cleckley's statements might be true to those who were well educated in the middle and upper-middle class. But what of the poor criminal?"
It seems like you have quite a lot of knowledge on this aspect, mind sharing an opinion on the actual crime scene?
"In all honesty, I haven't seen much of it. Only a few pictures, and of course, those you have graciously provided. But I can most certainly do my best to dissect this mind. There were two bodies found at the scene? Correct? Well, the first was less intricate more of a brutal case of 'you were at the wrong place, at the wrong time' or it could be the body of a previous victim killed earlier that night; nevertheless it seems that he wasn't as important as the other man. There seems to be a strong sense of symbolism present, even in the first body; you see the tongue has been pulled out of the throat here? In some groups they refer to it as 'the Colombian necktie' and it was used as a form of intimidation during the political unrest; however, this doesn't seem like intimidation to me, but more a silencing, perhaps? Something that shows his unrest, as if he's talking to us... The organs from this body were used to decorate the area outside the main scene, correct? We can assume that the killer is portraying the interior as a grand piece of art, something that requires a formal introduction before actually engaging in the "walk through". He's showing off the trophies of the body, what holds us together as humans - the heart that beats, the brain that thinks, and the lungs that breathe - for example. He's preparing us for the horror that lurks within the 'condemned', the source of evil, as he sees it.
And then, it all comes crashing down as he removes each vital component of the second victim, and situates it in such a manner that you cannot help but wonder if there is not a deeper meaning to the 'artwork' instead of it being some brutal slashing. No, this killer isn't like that - he likes his ego stroked, he wants the world to see what he is capable of - by leaving the man exposed in such a manner, he was looking to humiliate him, to expose his inner workings to the public, suggesting that there was more to the lieutenant that meets the eye."
Sorry to interrupt, doctor, but are you suggesting that Lieutenant Ernwood had something to hide?
"No. I'm simply providing you an insight as to what and how I see these killings; I could be completely wrong about the significance of each placement of organ and the scene; if this individual is a mind that I can only assume it is, there is something definitely deeper than a casual killing of a lieutenant."
Moving on to some personal issues, do you find it ironic that your sister happened upon the body of the family friend?
"First of all, I did not agree to address personal issues with you. Secondly, let it be known, on record, that the victim had no relationship with my brother or my sister, for that matter. He was only my father's friend, and even then our father wasn't our father. So I cannot comment on such an issue."
After leaving the experts to dissect the meaning of the crime scene, we decided to take another look into these horrific events that have most notably left the island scarred. We were lucky enough to gain an interview with the individual who happened to stumble upon the crime scene before anyone else. Miss Lana Lloyd, a troubled sixteen year old youth, was left in the guardianship of the late lieutenant Ernwood, who provided her with safety and protection like the paternal figure she lacked. And now, it was only to be stripped away from her, leaving her orphaned in the world once again...
We managed to gain a few words from Miss Lloyd regarding the horrific scene that she was forced to endure when she happened upon the 'kill site'. She was initially reluctant but with some warming up and kind words, she offered to provide us with an exclusive of her frightful discovery.
How was it that you came to stumble upon the body?
"Well... I needed to pick something up from his house, it was still quite early before most people went to work... And there... It was hard not to miss it, you know? The organs decorating his garden like a f-ing Christmas Tree... it was horrifying... I didn't even know why I went inside after that... But there he was..." Miss Lloyd answered with fear in her voice.
What was your reaction to the crime scene?
"I was sick. Sick to my stomach. Literally. This isn't some shit you see on a TV screen and make a face... Even seeing photographs wouldn't be as bad. You don't have the smell, that thick air that seems to suffocate you and turn your every nerve on edge. I panicked. I couldn't even run away from it. I just stood there, horrified."
Mr. Ernwood was a family friend from our accounts. Could you tell us what he was like? Off duty.
"He wasn't what most would have expected him to be. If you want me to tell you how he came home to a pair of comfortable slippers and a pipe as he gets comfortable in an old recliner chair, you'll be disappointed. Besides, I doubt this really matters. Those who knew him... knew what it was like. Those who didn't should keep their nose out of someone's personal life."
Do you worry, that as a close family friend you might be in danger yourself?
"No. If whoever did this wanted me, I'd be in pieces there with him."
And, if the person responsible for his death is currently reading this, what would you have to say to them?
"Thank you."
A man had been horrifically murdered, and you would thank them? A personal family friend? Your carer?
"What goes on behind closed doors is no business to the public. Marcus wasn't the man most saw him as, and he got what was coming to him."
Miss Lloyd was obviously deeply disturbed by what she had been forced to deal with today, and so she left before we could ask any additional questions regarding the statements she had provided to us. Hopefully, we'll be able to address this issue further as time goes by. But a word of caution for the public: while the police refuse to admit it, there seems to be a psychopathic killer on the loose.
Never once did Lana suspect the truth behind the brutal murder nor did she care. She knew the type of person Marcus was, and the crowd he mingled with so it was no surprise that he finally found himself on the other end of the spectrum. After moving in with Benjamin, Lana had distance herself from the traumatic experiences and many people that she believed had gotten hurt on her account. In those few short months she lost almost all the friends she had, but in turn grew closer to Oliver. One of Benjamin’s students, a young college student whom her brother took under his wing. He even found his twin brother and allowed Lucas, or Rocco as others called him, to live with them. Her life seemed to finally get back on track. One night when Benjamin was working late and Lucas was out, Lana invited Oliver over to watch some movies and have pizza. The twenty one year old of course came without hesitation, but looking back at it she wished he never did. The two fell asleep on the couch when the house alarms went off moments before three men came after them. Oliver told Lana to run, and while he tried to stall them he got stabbed. Lana ran out of the house and towards their car to try and escape to go get help. But her get-away plan was ruined. This was how she met Shiloh Vassue. Blackmailing her into behaving, Shiloh called for an ambulance to save Oliver’s life while he took the girl away, unknowingly taking her back to where she was held captive before. The abandoned power house. His men got rough with her, but in the end it was Shiloh who broke her ribs and kicked her in the face only to take a photo and taunt her older brother, Dennis. Leaving her behind in the abandoned power house, Shiloh went to give her brother a visit, unknowing to the fact that the man who hired him – Dimitri Ernwood – would come to wait for the Lloyd sibling.
Dimitri checked his phone for the hundredth time tonight, itching for the minutes to pass faster until everything fell into place just as he planned. It was a simple thing even for a mindless brute that he had to deal with. The man was just as much of a selfish asshole as he was, so he should have no problems erasing the younger of the two Lloyd brothers. The scenario couldn’t have been better laid out. Get the family’s Princess, lure the idiot away from his gang and recreate the sentence that Benjamin had dealt to their father. Their real father. Not the pathetic idiot that Michael Scott had turned out to be. Dimitri had enough time to find out all the dirty secrets about the Lloyd family, some coming from Marcus’ mouth as he gloated about his acts, others from pure curiosity about his half-brother. The perfect one that everyone seemed to adore. The esteemed professor who had more secrets than others could comprehend. A twisted, smug smirk spread over his wintery lips as the hour finally came. Grabbing his keys and tossing on a leather jacket to match his black jeans, Dimitri climbed into the car he was ‘borrowing’ for the time being and made his way over to the abandoned power plant where Marcus mentioned last having dealt with the little peroxide spit fire that supposedly resembled his ex-wife so much the man couldn’t contain himself. Twisted as he was, even Dimitri didn’t find a drive for the undeveloped ones, but he wasn’t there to judge his father’s taste. Least, not overly. The night was quiet for a change, a cool breeze falling over the usually hot tropical islands while distant storm clouds threatened to block out the silver rays of the moon that illuminated the night. He rolled his car to a stop in a nearby empty parking place, deciding to walk the rest of the way as he pulled out his favourite hunting knife, the silver blade glistering in the night as he twirled it this way and back, strolling casually towards the abandoned building. It didn’t take him long before his long strides lead him to the outside doors, the rusty doors pulled open. Arching a curious brow, Dimitri glanced around before noticing a man walking around the side of the building, but what caught his attention more was the paper bag with a big red “M” written on the front. Did he seriously leave to get fast food?
”Pathetic” He spoke in a disappointed manner just as the man seemed to notice him.
“Oi!” The man shouted in attempts to get Dimitri’s attention “Fuck off man if you know what’s fucking good for you” The man continued with his slurry of immature threats making Dimitri’s eyes roll with an evident disgust in his features. He stood by the door, unfazed as he arched a single brow at the guy, watching as the brute dropped his bag of hot-food goodies and cracked his neck, stalking towards Dimitri in what most would have called a threatening manner.
”Did you honestly just leave your hostage alone? Have you even checked if she’s still there?” Dimitri questioned which made the man’s eyes widen, clearly unsure if he was one of Shiloh’s other minions or someone else. But for whatever reason, the man didn’t seem too happy, shouting obscure threats riddled with swear words at Dimitri before charging towards him. Dimitri simply stood where he was, waiting until the man was close enough, watching as his arm drew back to throw a punch at the seemingly oblivious man. The moment the window of opportunity was opened, Dimi took it, reaching out with his knife as the hunting blade sunk between the man’s ribs and piercing his lungs, twisting the wrist sharply to make the blade pop vertically between the two ribs, dislocating them before he yanked the knife out sharply with trained precision. Stunned, the man looked at Dimitri wide-eyed before stumbling backwards and falling to the ground. Without as much as a second look, Dimitri stepped into the dark building, pulling out a small torch from his pocket and walking inside, searching for the little blonde bait that would lead her brother straight to him. It didn’t take long before the long white beam of the flashlight spotted a body on the ground making Dimitri chuckle to himself, stalking closer towards the girl. She wasn’t moving and for a moment he wondered if Shiloh had actually grown a pair and took out the sibling before Dimitri could have his fun, but as he drew closer he could see the slight movement of the girl’s chest.
”Interesting” He muttered to himself as he walked over to her body, setting the torch down on the ground as he kneeled beside her, rolling the girl onto her back as much as he could with her arms chained behind her back. The crimson glistered against her ivory skin, causing the now dirty platinum locks to stick to her face. Carefully with the bloody tip of his hunting knife, Dimitri pulled her hair away from his face without cutting a single blade of her hair before his the slightly warm metal of his knife traced the black bruise on the girl’s face that no doubt came from Shiloh and his men. Tracing the tip of his blade down her cheek, he let the blade hook into the black material that was in her mouth, forcing the now damped with blood and saliva cloth to fall from between her lips and fall lazily to the ground beside her face. His head tilted from one side to the other as he examined her face, her features, slowly drinking in the curves of her slender body that were visible beneath her tight tank top and the short denim shorts that clothed the girl.
”I honestly don’t see what he found oh so fascinating about you…” He spoke in a disappointed tone. And there he wasn’t meant to have judged Marcus’ taste in women. Getting to his feet, Dimitri left the flashlight on the ground, deciding to have a quick tour of the abandoned building as he waited for his prize to arrive. Without as much as a second glance, he left the teenage girl on the ground, his footsteps neither quiet nor careful as he made his presence through the building known.
Tap…tap…thud…tap…tap…tap…thud
The sounds echoed in Lana’s mind as bright light pushed aside the darkness that had seemed to take over her mind. Yet the more the girl seemed to break free of the slumber, if one could call it that, the more the pain reared its ugly head as the throbbing ache in her face started to get too much to ignore. A faint groan left her lips as Lana squirmed on the ground slightly, trying to open her eyes yet her lids felt too heavy, as if something heavy lay over them. But with a louder groan and a little more force, Lana finally opened her eyes, seeing only the bright light in her face. With a light hiss she closed her eyes again before forcing herself to blink the feeling away, her dazed state left the girl confused until she tried to move. The sound of metal scraping against the concrete floor and her arms bound behind her quickly made her recall everything that had happened. Falling asleep in Oliver’s arms. Waking up to the alarm going off. Running. The drive there. Shiloh…
Son of a bitch! She cursed mentally, drawing a deep breath before putting all her efforts into sitting up. It took a few tries, but eventually Lana found herself on her rear, trying to tug her legs under her to help her balance, all the while pulling at the restraints that held her in place. She didn’t know how long she had been there, yet the never ending pain that throbbed against her face was enough to tell the teenage girl that it wasn’t very long. Her eyes scanned around the lightly lit room for something that could help her escape, but there was nothing. Just dirt and broken pieces of glass scattered over the floor, the random flashlight illuminating the open room they found themselves in and herself.
Tap…tap…thud…tap…tap…tap…thud
The sound grew louder and louder before Lana realised what the oddly familiar tapping was. Footsteps.
”Ah, I see the Sleeping Beauty has awakened the unfamiliar voice spoke from the shadows, making Lana’s head spin around towards where the male’s voice was coming from. It wasn’t Shiloh that was for sure, the thick Russian accent that lingered in the man’s voice erased the possibility of everyone and anyone she knew. Swallowing drily, the bitter taste of the cloth still lingering on her tongue as those sapphire eyes struggled to make out the man’s features. At least until his footsteps brought him closer into the small ray of light from the battery powered device. Her eyes focused on his face, the shadows making him appear darker and more sinister. Or maybe that was only the sadistic smile that he wore upon his lips, or the odd extension of his arm. Lana’s eyes followed the length of his right arm until her eyes fell upon the bolt cutters in his hand, making her eyes go wide as she quickly tried to shuffle away from him but the stinging pain in her ribs quickly stopped her movements as a sharp breath slipped her lips.
”Now, now… don’t do that..” Dimitri’s tone was oddly soft yet laced with an amused taunting vibe that only made Lana’s heart race nervously. Her eyes were focused on the man as he stalked closer to the girl, holding the cutters out. Lana tried to move away, but nothing seemed to work, no words dared to slip her lips as he leaned over her. She felt the cold metal on her fingertips as Dimitri traced the blades up her fingertips, a sudden frightened sob made him arch a brow, his twisted smile widening while the teenage girl looked down towards the ground. He watched as her eye shut tightly, her body becoming tense as she un-doubtfully prepared herself for the wave of pain. Pulling the metal cutters away from her fingers, Dimitri looked down at the metal chains holding her in place and smirked.
Tink
The sound seemed to echo in the silence around them as the wire cutters broke through the metal of the small padlock that held her chains in place, letting the metal slide off her ivory skin with ease, showing the darkening bruises that had formed from her struggles.
Lana’s eyes opened suddenly, her whole body relaxing moments before she quickly brought her arms forward, rubbing the tenderness away as those innocent and frightened eyes peered up over her shoulder to look up at the man that seemed to be her saviour.
”T-thank you…” She whispered, her hands falling to her lap as she shifted to sit more comfortably on the ground, holding herself up by her arms, clearly trying to find the strength to get to her feet, but her body failed her. The strain of the pain seemed too much for the girl to cope with in that moment, making Dimitri’s smile turn colder. Twisted.
”You’re welcome, Princess.” He spoke the word carelessly, yet the moment the pet name fell from his lips, Lana’s head jerked towards the man, her eyes frightened and calculating. No one ever called her that other than Benjamin. At least, not since Michael Scott’s death. Even Marcus didn’t call her that.
”You know… you look so… beautiful…” He spoke the words slowly making Lana’s heart start to race again and push herself away from him, using her hands to clumsily attempt to get to her feet.
”Covered in those dark bruises” Dimitri continued, knowing that the taunting words would only frighten her more, yet the pure honesty that fell from his lips couldn’t be hidden. He slowly stalked towards her, his hand gripping her upper arm, making Lana scream.
”NO! Let go! Please!!” She begged as he slowly and surprisingly gently pulled the girl to her feet.
”You have that perfect skin…” his grip on her arm tightened fiercely, enough to start to make bruises. A pained whimper left her lips as she tried to tug free from his grip, but just like Marcus’ iron hold – she couldn’t escape.
”To mould…” he added as if simply talking to himself.
Lana’s mind rushed with thoughts and fears. It was as if she was living a nightmare, walking through a brand new scene she couldn’t escape. The mention of her childhood nickname brought memories of her father to her mind, the sadistic glister in his eyes reminding her of the looks Marcus always gave her before things turned bad. She couldn’t escape it, no matter how hard she tried. Her free hand moved to his arm, trying to pry his fingers away from her flesh, but he didn’t even seem bothered by her nails tearing into his skin. Just stood there, watching her. Observing.
”Let go, let go, let go!!! Fucking let me go!!” Lana pleaded, her words almost turning into a sob as her knees turned to jelly, unable to withstand the stress but his hold on her arm kept her standing.
”Just… please… let me go… please…” Lana’s words were broken by uneven breaths of air and a shakiness in her tone that only came when the damned lump formed in her throat. For a moment she thought it would once again fall on death ears, but suddenly the grip on her arm loosened and the teenage girl fell to the ground yet again, her arm instinctively wrapping around her chest where Shiloh had kicked as if holding onto her rips would make the pain ease. Her eyes dropped to the ground, spotting the wire cutters lying beside the chains that held her captive, and only one thought seemed to reach her mind.
Grab them
Lana’s eyes finally moved away from her target to peer up at the man who was standing above her, watching her with an odd curiosity. The same look Lucas had when he was making another sketch. An odd determination and contemplation, as if visualising a drawing that hadn’t been put on paper yet.
”Who are you?” Lana questioned quietly, an unusual timidness in her tone, hoping that maybe playing the sweet game would end better than every time she tried to fight.
Dimitri’s smile grew more confident as he looked at her, the very question making him laugh as he knelt down in front of her, his arm reaching out for her ankle.
”Me?” He questioned amused. ”I’m the devil in disguise” he offered a wide and confident grin before yanking on her ankle and forcing the girl closer, a sudden surprised gasp making her fall backwards, the sound of her scull hitting the concrete made him chuckle darkly, a soft ‘tisk, tisk’ falling from her lips.
”Now… let’s draw your brother a picture, shall we?” He asked, arching a brow.
The small bump made Lana groan as her already sore head buzzed uncomfortably, her eyes closing momentarily to try and fight against the grogginess that the ache seemed to bring on, before his words slowly dawned on her. Her brother? Who would want to do anything to Benjamin? But then it quickly dawned on her. It wasn’t Benjamin. It was Dennis. Her eyes went wide, looking at Dimitri with a sudden realisation, the shot of adrenaline making her eyes harden as she yanked her ankle free, and like before sent a heavy kick towards him, the flashlight this time illuminating enough to make her know where she was aiming. His kneeling position had him perfectly exposed as her slender foot collided with his ‘jewels’ making him stumble backwards in pain, cursing in a groan. Without wasting a moment, Lana forced herself to her feet, starting to run for the door, but before even managed to take a few steps, she felt a rough tug on her hair. Stumbling backwards, Lana gasped, her arms flailing to try and regain balance, but that seemed to be a bad move. The hand that gripped her moved from her hair to her wrist, and with a sudden yank and a loud crack Dimitri easily dislocated her wrist, making Lana cry out in pain and fall to the ground.
”Oh, no, little one… this isn’t how this game is going to work.” Dimitri’s voice turned darker, his Russian accent making it difficult to understand his words, but it didn’t appear as if the teenage girl cared what he was saying as she sobbed on the ground, her pleading and apologising muffled and broken by her pained sobs. Oh how he loved that sound. Keeping a hold of her wrist, Dimitri dragged Lana along the ground to where the metal chain rest beside the wire cutters. Dropping her wrist, he watched as her arm fell lifelessly to the ground, her body squirming to try and curl in on herself, shaking as she sobbed in pain, clearly trying to move her fingers but every small flinch of the joint sent another gasped cry echoing from her lips.
”You’ll be my perfect little canvas.. and I’ll paint you crimson and black… you’ll look so beautiful when I’m done with you” Dimitri cooed, once again kneeling down beside her. This time his hand moved to grab the chain with one hand, the other taking her hand. Lana screamed and cried as she tried to pull her hand away from him, managing to roll over onto her knees as her other hand punched, pushed and shoved to try and break his hold on her, but nothing seemed to work. Dimitri paused for a moment, looking from the chain, to her arm and back up at her blood and tear stained face, the dark bruises claiming her pretty features.
”Tell me, Lana…. How many times can your bones break before he shows up?” Dimitri questioned with that same honest curiosity. But the teenage girl didn’t seem to hold the same excitement as his words sent another wave of blubbered, pleading words, begging him not to do it as if her cries were meant to deter him. Without as much as a thought, his other hand wrapped the metal links around her slender forearm, twisting the chain around the circumference of her arm, taking an end in each hand before giving him a handsome and charming smile.
”Count for me…” he purred in a tone that almost sounded exotic before he roughly pulled at the chain ends, causing the metal links to roughly wrap around her slender forearm. The sound of the snapping bone was muffled by the piercing cry that left her lips, followed by the ever satisfying sound of agonising sobs that echoed through the abandoned building, her body falling limp on the ground as he relaxed the chains, moving them further down her forearm as he watched the blood pool beneath her skin, turning the ghostly pale hue black, as if demons had reached out from hell itself and tried to claim the girl. With a sadistic smile, Dimitri didn’t give the girl a warning as he repeated the action but a few centimetres below the previous fracture, filling the building with another, louder set of screams.
But it wasn’t Dennis who ended up coming to the abandoned powerhouse, but Shiloh. Seeing what he was doing to Lana, to the one person he could use as a body shield, to use her in exchange for his own life in case Dimitri failed in his little plan, the man stopped him and bargained her into his care. Taking her to the hospital to get fixed up, Shiloh used the preface of domestic violence to explain what happened to the teenage girl. He didn’t let her leave his site and when she finally woke up, patched up and on heavy pain killers he made it clear that if she didn’t do as he told that he would go to see Oliver again. Fearing for his life, Lana agreed and after Shiloh tripped the fire alarm the two of them managed to escape from the hospital. He gave her pain killers to help her function and baited her with chocolate to peacefully come with him despite having killed a police officer in cold blood right in front of her. Deciding to behave, Lana went along with him, getting into the car as him and his men made their way to their safe location. But the trip there didn’t go as smoothly as either of them intended.
Managing to awkwardly half push herself along the seat, Lana sat as close to the opposite door as she could manage, devouring the chocolate bar hungrily. Her eyes closed for a brief moment, taking a deep breath and letting herself enjoy the taste before curiosity got the best of her. Pulling at the edges of the white bag, Lana peered into the white bag, seeing the clothes inside. Or a specific piece of clothing to say the least. Eagerly she pulled it out of the bag, seeming not to care about anything other than the large, grey sweater in her hand. Anyone with a brain could tell it wasn't hers, the exotic and sophisticated scent of Benjamin's aftershave still lingered to the clothing. Curling it up into a ball, Lana hugged the sweater to herself as if it was a teddy bear. The familiar, comforting and calming scent of Benjamin's aftershave seemed to be enough to calm the teenage girl down as she relaxed against the window of the car, letting her eyes close. She hadn't even realised the pain had faded, or how easily sleep was welcoming her once again.
"All this, for that little bitch?" The sudden words made Lana's eyes snap open, attempting to glare at the driver but the lazily hanging eyelids made her look more dopey than anything. With a disgruntled huff, Lana looked at what else was in the bag, pulling out one of her 'gig' dresses, before watching as a pair of flip flop thongs fell to the ground. Who on earth grabbed this little outfit? She looked down at the shoes, her feet managing to turn them around the right way up, slipping them on. She lifted the short, body tight black dress, looking at it before glancing down at her cast before looking over the dress again. Shaking her head, Lana started to pull the dress up her legs, managing to her knees before starting to struggle over her slender thighs, turning, shifting on the car seat in an attempt to pull the dress up higher, she didn't even realise what she was doing until she fell off the car seat and onto the ground below, the sudden fall making her cast twist awkwardly, hitting her on the head.
"Fucking cunt!" She hissed in utter frustration, deciding to give up.
Shiloh shut the door behind Lana, and got into the passenger side. The driver started the car up and they were on their way. The police car sat idly only a few yards away from the alley, the lights still flashing red and blue. It won't be long before it’s found, and an investigation is started. He twisted the knife in his hand, careful not to get what little blood still stained the blade anywhere. "A dead cop? Seriously? As if I didn't have enough bloody shite to worry about and now this?" The driver tried to whisper but failed, unable to keep his voice from rising. "All this, for that little bitch?"
In a flash, the blade was at the man’s neck, Shiloh holding it just a hairsbreadth away from a major artery.
"That 'little bitch' is detrimental to my health," he said almost inaudibly as he looked to the man from the corner of his eye.
"Unlike you...So do well to remember that." Shiloh removed the blade, throwing it into the locked glove box that they lined with plastic wrap for instances like this.
The driver finally managed to take a breath, holding it for fear of getting sliced open by accident. His face was shiny with sweat, the sheen of it bouncing light from the passing cars. Shiloh could hear Lana struggling and he turned his head just as she fell to the floor.
"That eager to get out of your clothes, huh?"
Just as he said that, the driver started to slow down. They made it to their first stop. Picking up two more on the way to their final destination. Shiloh got out of the car and opened the back door, the street both ways were dark and quiet. They were just outside of the city but not far. Traffic was much lighter out this way since it was a long stretch to anything civilized.
"C'mon," he said as he helped coax Lana back into a comfortable position on the seat. He then slid in next to her as the door on her other side opens and a tall, man with tattoos on his face gets in forcing Lana in the middle of the two. A woman got in the passenger seat that Shiloh forfeited. "Landry, you tool we've been waiting!" The woman said.
"Bollocks, I've been hauling you twats everywhere since this mornin' and ya took two hours, so kindly sod off." Landry said. The man who sat beside Lana said nothing as the car started to move again. The two in the front seat continued to bicker as they made their way to their destination. They stayed just on the outside of town to avoid traffic, traveling along the outer roads beyond the main highway.
"So what have we here?" The man finally spoke, using his left hand to grab Lana's hair and inhale deeply. "Like blood and soap."
Shiloh's eyes were shut and it was safe to assume he fell asleep. Perhaps that's why the man didn't speak til now. He continued to eyeball Lana, letting his hand fall from her hair down to the hem of her hospital gown, his other hand shot up to cover her mouth. "Don't squirm. I wonder if you've got anything on under there. Let’s play Doctor." His sour breath invaded her space as his hand slid up her bare thigh, his tongue ventured out of his mouth to travel the side of her face.
A snapping noise followed by the sound of a pained strangled scream stopped all conversation in the car. The driver must have pulled over since everyone felt the jolt of the breaks. Shiloh held the wrist of the man tightly in his hand, bent at an awkward angle. It was definitely broken. He then shoved the arm back at the man and got out of the vehicle. He didn't bother shutting the door. Lana was alone again for those few panicky seconds before the door beside the man flew open and he was forcibly dragged out by his shirt, landing hard on his back as he dragged him a few more feet away from the car.
Shiloh’s left hand went to the man’s neck as he held him down, his feet on either side of him as he punched him repeatedly in the face. He said between each hit,
"I'd appreciate it....if you could not.....fuck with....my guest, Jimmy."
Before Shiloh could throw the next punch Jimmy dared to say, "You mean the hostage!?" And then instantly regretted it when he saw the look on Shiloh's face change and contort. From inside the car, Landry and the woman looked on.
"He's gonna kill Jimmy. Landry, do something!"
"The hell do you want me to do woman? He'll kill me."
She gave him a pointed look before getting out of the car. Landry followed, leaving Lana in the back. Landry grabbed Shiloh from behind and pulled him off a limp Jimmy, his face bloody and barely recognizable. The woman helped pry Shiloh off, both of them needed to keep him from beating their 'friend' to death.
Shiloh took a deep breath and spit blood and saliva at the human punching bag. He stood and shook off Landry and the woman.
"Ava, you're in the back. I'm driving."
It was that incident that somehow turned everything around for Lana. She knew the man was dangerous, a complete jerk who nearly killed her …friend… on top of everything he did to her. But in reality, compared to the others that she was forced to endure the presence of these last 24 hours, she quickly realised that Shiloh was her safest bet to keep herself alive. For one, he seemed to want to keep her alive also, and so far he had no intention of letting anyone else hurt her. Touch her. Which was a worry that had crossed her mind considering what had happened in the past. Taking more pain killers and finally managing to fall asleep, Lana woke up almost lunch time the next day in a rather nice room in a resort at the beach. Everything felt so different then. She was oddly calm, trusting. She knew she had to do anything to stay in the man’s good books, but it was more than that. She found herself getting along with him. Conversations, arguments, he even brought her smokes and cigarettes. It was evident that she had dropped her guard around him, and more than that she began to trust him. See in him hints of good, that there was more to him than just a killer. Maybe it was the horror of the recent events, or the kick to the head, she didn’t know – but for some reason Lana found herself clinging to the good that she saw in him. Her trust towards Shiloh only deepened when their time away at the resort was broken by a notification from Dimitri. A phone call that changed it all.
Dimitri waited silently on the line until he heard a sound indicating the phone was passed. The simple sound of Shiloh's breathing into the receiver was enough. Dimitri didn't bother to wait for Shiloh to speak before he started to talk.
"Let me make this clear to you. You don't contact me. I'll get in contact with you. And you do not get your pathetic monkeys to try and find out intel about me, especially when done so poorly. Understood?" Dimitri's voice was cold, professional although a hint of sadism slipped his tone at the last word. But after a moment he continued to talk.
"Now your little game of 'chase to the power plant' failed. And I do not like being disappointed like this, so while I go hunting, you just make sure that the Princess you carry with you stays alive. She's part of my grand finale, after all. Now. Dispose of Dennis Lloyd, or it won't be them you will have to worry about. Do not fail me again, Vausse." Without another word, the phone line went dead. When the line went silent Shiloh still held it to his ear for a moment, listening to the rain hit the windows. He slowly lowered the phone.
"Well that answers that question," he said in a low voice dripping with acid.
"Who was that?" Beck dared to say. Shiloh shot him a glance meant for Dimitri and hurled the phone at the wall, shattering it to pieces and leaving a slight dent in the drywall.
"That Russian bastard!" Landry looked like he cared but not enough, shrugging off the fact that his phone was long gone.
Beck scoffed, "Did you go and piss off all of Hawaii?" Shiloh didn't answer. He turned to Lana.
"He wants you." It was as if the world fell away for a moment and there wasn't a room full of other people. It was just her and him. For some reason, everything was okay when he didn't think Dimitri wanted anything to do with the girl, but now that he's made it perfectly obvious he does, something's changed. He almost felt a little protective of the 'princess' he kidnapped. But it was more than that. Getting the recurring feeling of having someone sadistic like Dimitri over him again caused him to tremor deep inside. He just got out from under the thumb of Christov and Jerrek. He didn't realize how great freedom tasted til only a few months ago. He thought for a moment, 'what if I sided with them'. With the Lloyds and his former Organization members. Dimitri seemed to be the biggest threat to them all. Pick the lesser of two evils, if you will. Shiloh shook his head. He'd think about it later.
"New plan. You've all been officially hired as Lana's body guards. Think of her as a second me. If second me dies, first me is going to be very, very pissed."
It was up to Shiloh to figure out how they would avoid Dimitri trying to get to Lana, knowing that their time in the resort would be numbered but even he didn’t realise just how short their stay would be. In the late afternoon one of Hawaii’s famous tropical storms hit, turning the sky black and casting the perfect cover for what was about to happen. It was then that Lane, an old ‘colleague’ of Shiloh’s and the man hired by her brother Dennis came bursting in through the window. Not knowing who it was or why he was there, Lana screamed for him to leave Shiloh alone and in that moment of confusion Shiloh knocked him out. He wanted to kill him but Lana begged him not to, and for whatever personal reason he agreed. When Lana woke up in the morning the two were sitting around together, talking, thinking of another plan to keep Dimitri away from everyone. The plan after that was simple. Return to the islands, keep a low profile, keep Lana away from Dimitri while they waited for Elexus to take the man out. But in the process of laying low, Lana grew more comfortable, and with that came boredom of sitting around all day doing nothing. While at lunch with Lane and Shiloh, a waiter suggested that if they were looking for something to do in town they should stop by the Halloween Event, a family friendly Halloween themed carnival. Shiloh wasn’t keen for the idea but after Lana’s persuasion he finally agreed. Lane dressed up as the Goblin King from Labrynth to keep his identity secret, while Shiloh went for a more simple choice of a vampire with fake blood and fangs. Lana’s peroxide locks were hidden beneath a black wig as she dressed up as a school girl version of Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family.
But what was meant to have been a fun night out turned into something horrific. While out trying to choose what to eat, Lana ran into Travis for the first time since Benjamin had asked her to stop seeing the teenager. She was on edge, knowing that Shiloh was watching her every move and despite how hard she tried to appear normal to Travis – the boy knew her too well, especially with her rather pathetic inability to lie. He figured out that something wrong was going on and connected the dots to Shiloh. He called his older brother, Sawyer, for help and they ended up meeting together. Lana told them that she was safe and begged Sawyer to at least let her have the night out before taking her back to Benjamin’s house. They agreed, although refused to part ways with her and the stranger she so oddly trusted, going together to the Haunted House. A scare maze where Dimitri was waiting for them after Sawyer foolishly confirmed that the ‘missing girl’ was somewhere at the event. The maze seemed normal at first, full of generic scares as they made their way through with Lana taking the lead, too excited not to. At least, until the scares turned all too real and she saw Dimitri posing as one of the scares. Frightened, the teenage girl ran ahead, trying to reach the exit but before she could, Dimitri took her in the moment she separated herself from Shiloh, gagging her and locking her into a prop Iron Maiden with historically inaccurate spikes on the inside that only added to the scare of the prop. But he wasn’t done. He wanted more than to simply take Lana back, he wanted to teach Shiloh a lesson.
Drawing the man out, Dimitri knocked him out, dragged him to the storage room where Lana was kept in the Iron Maiden and sat him down on a chair, tying him down with chains making sure that Shiloh sat where the small slit for eyes in the Iron Maiden allowed the gagged and trapped teenage girl to watch everything thing that was happening. Shiloh stirred awake, opening his eyes and realising he was chained up but no matter how hard he struggled he couldn't get free. Lana tried to scream through the material that was shoved into her mouth to keep her quiet, trying to somehow free herself from the claustrophobic casket. Hearing her muffled somewhere, Shiloh called out to her but Dimitri walked into his view, ensuring him that the girl was fine, but he wouldn't be. Pulling off the mask he was wearing and revealing himself to Shiloh, Dimitri began to taunt with him, letting his knife cut into Shiloh's cheek, dropping it to his collar bone.
"Now... a little birdy told me... you decided to go against me" Dimitri taunted, slowly starting to dig the sharp hunting knife into Shiloh's collarbone, watching as Shiloh tried to be his usual cocky self, to deny the grunt of pain. Taunting with him, Dimitri pushed the knife deeper, twisting it as he did, watching as Shiloh's face contorted with pain, hearing that gut wrenching noise slipping through his clenched teeth filled Dimitri with the satisfaction, especially when Shiloh told him to hurry up and kill him already.
"Oh, but I'm not going to kill you" He promised, pulling out the knife from his collar bone and twisting it in his hand so that the young woman could see the glistering of crimson against the blade before bringing it down Shiloh's chest to cut open his shirt.
"I'm going to teach you" He corrected Shiloh, starting to cut into his chest. The man tried to remain sarcastic as his shirt was pulled open but even Shiloh couldn't hold back the guttural scream that got lost in the cacophony of the haunted house.
"Lesson learned" Shiloh breathed harder, "We can all go home now."
"Oh, I'm not sure you've learnt this" Dimitri taunted, bringing the blade down from Shiloh's ribs all the way down to his left hip.
"What do you think Princess?" He mused, the very faint muffled screams of the girl finally joining the conversation.
"Lana" Shiloh spoke through gritted teeth, looking up at Dimitri. "What do you want with her? She isn't useful to you or your plans"
"I think someone should learn to pay better attention" Dimitri mused, tapping the tip of the blade against Shiloh's nose, leaving a crimson smear behind. "I've already told you. She's part of my grand finale. But don't worry, you won't have to play baby sitter anymore" He promised, grinning down at Shiloh before slowly sinking the tip of the blade into Shiloh's chest, close to his heart yet careful not to do too much damage. He still had so much in store for him.
"Yeah I remember. Was hoping you forgot" Shiloh smirked at him before his screams once again filled the room.
"You'll find I have a very..." He taunted the dark haired male, slowly pushing the blade deeper, twisting the blade as he did "Very good memory" he watched in a sick, twisted pleasure as Shiloh screamed in agony. But their fun was short lived when Travis suddenly tackled Dimitri. Yanking the blade out of Shiloh’s chest he stabbed the teenager, seeing that Lane followed into the room Dimitri wasted no time as he ran out of the room, wanting to separate them again. Sawyer joined them moments later as Lane chased after Dimitri, leaving Sawyer and Travis to get Lana out of the Iron Maiden and Shiloh out of there. Getting into Sawyer’s car, the small group decided to head towards Sky’s house. Her ex-fiancé was an assassin also, so she was used to this sort of scene, and with a medical history she could help. The night was long as they were patched up, leaving everyone to rest. Sawyer tried to question Lana regarding what happened, but she was too frightened to tell him any details, knowing Shiloh would be mad if she said too much – again.
But the rest was cut short when Sawyer suddenly left the house with Lane following after him to make sure nothing happened. But while they were away, Dimitri took the opportunity to break into the house and made his way up to Sky’s children’s room, using one of her twin babies – and eight month old Temperance – as leverage. Threatening to kill the child, he made his escape but not before telling Skyla to bring Lana to him, alone, giving the woman a very specific time frame. She agreed and using the visit form the local patrol with regards to her triggered alarm, her and Lana left the others to meet Dimitri. Having figured what the monster had done, Lana tried to reassure Skyla that it was okay, that she wanted to exchange her life for Temperance’s safety. But they never would as Skyla accidentally drove through a red light and another car crashed into her. Leaving the conscious yet disoriented teenager in the car, Skyla ran off to meet with Dimitri to explain what happened and get her daughter back. It wasn’t long before Shiloh reached the crash site, waiting with Lana to go back to the hospital.
The sound of distant beeping machines, people rushing and hushed whisperers surrounded the teenage girl, but none of that seemed to bother the peroxide blonde. It was as if someone had stuffed cotton balls into her ears, blocking out everything other than her own thoughts. We did everything we could the nurse's words echoed in her mind, the sound of Skyla's broken sob surrounding her, over and over again. Temperance was dead. One of Skyla's five month old twins was dead. Because of me, Lana's broken voice finally spoke up in her mind as a nurse lead her over towards the hospital bed, telling her to sit down before cleaning up the cut on her forehead, using the Dermabond glue to pull the torn layers of epithelia together, avoiding using unnecessary stitches. The once playful and mischievous glimmer of Lana's bright, sapphire orbs stared at the nurse with a blank and broken stare, watching her lips move yet not a single word entered her mind as the events of the past few days replayed in Lana's mind. Inviting Oliver to Benjamin's house to keep her company while Benny and Lucas were out. Falling asleep in his arms as they watched a movie. The alarm going off as Shiloh's puppets broke into the house. Seeing the panicked and determined look on Oliver's face as he told her to run. Seeing the blood covered knife as Shiloh twirled the weapon in his hand, making the moonlight illuminate the dripping blood. Feeling the overwhelming panic when she realised he took her to the abandoned powerhouse where Marcus had sold her to Hunter, feeling the pain spreading through her body as Shiloh added the extra 'touch' to her distressed look. Dimitri snapping her arm over and over again. Shiloh taking her to the hospital. Threatening her to play along otherwise Oliver wouldn't make it. The run. The police officer Shiloh killed. The man he beat to a pulp for attempting to touch her. Waking up in the resort, the clothes he got her, going swimming together at the beach. The cigarettes, the chocolate, the anger in his eyes when Dimitri told Shiloh he wanted her. Conning Shiloh into taking her to the Halloween event. Running into Travis for the first time since Benjamin had told her not to be friends with him. The argument, how Sawyer got involved. Watching as Dimitri tortured Shiloh before her eyes. Travis getting hurt, the time spent at Skyla's house until Dimitri found them again. The accident on her way to trade herself for Temperance. Watching as Skyla ran off, but to no avail. It was too late. It's all my fault Lana's voice blamed herself as her stomach twisted violently, her heart pounding in her chest. The nurse continued to try and talk to her, to get her attention, but nothing seemed to work as the broken minded teenage girl stared out into nothingness as the images rushed through her mind violently. If she had never gotten Oliver involved... if she had never conned Sawyer into letting them go to the Halloween event... If she never got Travis involved in all of this. Everyone would be fine. Temperance would be alive, Oliver and Travis would have never gotten hurt. None of them would be on Dimitri's radar, all because he wanted her for his sick, twisted games. It's all my fault the words repeated in her head.
At least until her name was spoken. In that tone, that familiar tone. As if water had suddenly unblocked her ears and the cotton buds were pulled out, the sounds suddenly engulfed Lana, her head turning away from the nurse, looking at Shiloh with the same empty stare. It was obvious that the near-seventeen-year-old was hardly holding it together. Her mind could only handle so much. The fear, the guilt, the confusion, the doubt, the pain. It all swam in her eyes like an open book before her gaze finally parted from him, looking down at her arm, blinking in confusion as she saw the new clean cast. Yet every time she closed her eyes, she could still see Shiloh's blood on her.
"It's clean" She finally replied in a faint whisper, daring to look up at him, tears threatening to come to her eyes.
"Shi... I need to get out of here..." She added, her voice shaking with emotion, the lump in her throat evident in her torn voice. The nurse frowned at the idea, looking at Shiloh with a dismissing look, yet seeing the state that the girl was in made her sigh.
"You still need to get your head scanned, darling. But.." Her eyes looked up at Shiloh with weary eyes.
"We can take you out of the ER. This place can be scary, so why don't we go get you into a room until the doctor is ready, hmm?" The nurse questioned, but Lana wasn't paying her any attention, her eyes looking at Shiloh with a pleading gaze. She didn't want to be near the others, not when Dimitri was still out in the open, using people close to her as bait.
Shiloh glanced at Lana, the broken look in her eyes struck him in a weird place. Like he didn't want to see that look in her eyes again. But what should he care? She was nothing to him. A human shield. The only thing protecting him from Dennis. Yet she was a magnet for Dimitri. She was trouble. Yet he kept her by her side, stuck with her and will continue to do so without looking too far into the 'why'. He glanced at the nurse after she spoke. "Of course. That would be best." At that the nurse led the way out, weaving through the crowded hallways, the cacophony of beeping and talking and groaning, til she turned a corner and walked down another hall, and stopped. She walked to the left, her hand on a doorknob, turning it and revealing the inside. It was a mostly empty room with a few cupboards and a sink, paper towels and soap with a single bed and a bunch of things on the wall behind it. The IG canisters were dusty and the monitor was sitting with a dark screen.
"She can wait here," the nurse said, allowing them to walk inside.
"How long," Shiloh caught her before she closed the door. "Do you think it will be til we see a doctor?"
It was a normal enough question. The nurse smiled but that wary look was still in her eyes. "He'll be in as soon as he can. We are very busy today, and he has several patients."
Shiloh smiled at the nurse as she closed the door behind them and his eyes immediately started looking around. Some rooms had cameras for psych evaluation. His eyes hit one in the corner. "Lana, there's a camera in here. No audio, but they are probably watching us." Shiloh cursed under his breath. "If we made a break for it they'd catch us before we even got down the hallway."
The sound of beeping machines began to fade as the nurse lead the two away from the emergency room, away from the shuffling feet and muttered voices of busy hospital staff, panicked patients and worried loved ones. The strong scent of bleach faded from the air as they finally stepped into one of the quieter, or at least in comparison, halls of the hospital. But the change of scenery didn’t seem to aid the teenage girl, the defeated look still lingering in her one brilliantly shimmering sapphire hues. Walking deeper into the room, Lana leaned against the hospital bed, her eyes locked on the ground until the nurse mentioned that she would be taken to the doctor as soon as any of them were available to see her.
”No need.” she tried to protest, but the words came out in a horse, broken whisper that was hardly audible to her own ears. Waiting around to go scan her head for any injuries seemed rather pointless to the teenage girl. It was nothing than a small bump to the head, didn’t even need stiches; nothing anywhere near as painful as the kick that Shiloh had delivered to her only a few days ago. Those blue orbs seemed locked on the ground by her feet, not even fully registering that the nurse had already gone, not until Shiloh mentioned not being able to walk down the hallway without being caught. Suddenly her head snapped up to look at the dark haired male, the emotions still swirling in her eyes as she fought back the tears that dared to come to her eyes.
”No.” she spoke up, her voice gaining a few more decibels. ”I can’t leave the room.” Lana corrected him, once again letting her eyes drop to the ground as she shook her head, recalling their conversation in Sky’s spare room and his plans to bail while Sawyer was gone and everyone was asleep. Even now he has a clear shot of getting what he wanted. Away from Dimitri.
”Shi… why did you stay?” she asked softly, not bothering to hide her confusion, to hide how thankful she was that he decided to stick around, for whatever reason. She needed him. Dennis, Benjamin, Oliver, Travis, Sawyer, Skyla, even Lane… they were all capable to their own extent, but against someone like Dimitri? They didn’t stand a chance. And the last 24 hours simply proved that. It didn’t make sense to her, why she felt so oddly safe around Shiloh. One would think that being around a police officer would have been better, away from the manipulative grip that Shiloh had over her. Away from the black mailing threats and violent outbursts. And yet, the ruthless paid-gun, bounty hunter or whatever he actually was, felt like the safest best. Maybe because he didn’t drag others into the mess; unlike her.
Slowly Lana finally pushed herself off the hospital bed, daring to lift her head enough to let her brilliant blue hues fall upon Shiloh’s face, drinking in his features. The look in his eyes, the way his jaw clenched, the way his veins would protrude above his left temple whenever his temper flared.
”I’m sorry… This is all my fault, I’m sorry Shi… “ her voice was weak, defeated, straining not to let it shake with every spoken word that fell from her pale lips. She could still envision the blood on his old shirt that matched his Halloween costume far too realistically. She could still remember the overwhelming scent of the metallic blood and it made her stomach twist violently.
”You warned me not to go to the Halloween party… You said that it was a stupid idea and I didn’t believe you… And now…” Her voice gave out once again, yet her eyes remained on him. She couldn’t bring herself to speak the words out loud. To admit that Sky’s child was dead because of her, yet the nurse’s words repeated over and over in her head. To admit that because of her, even more of the people she held dear to her were in danger. That even more people got hurt.
”I wanted to fix it.” Lana’s delicate voice lingered in the air like a hex. ”Dimitri gave Sky a way out, and I just… I knew what was going to happen when Sky asked me to go with her, and I figured that it would all end there. That once Dimitri had what he wanted, he would stop. That he wouldn’t care if you were gone so long as he had me again, and with me by his side he’d leave Sky and Sawyer and Travis alone…” She couldn’t hold his gaze any longer as the tears began to flood the rims of her eyes, threatening to spill across her pale cheeks once again, blurring her vision.
”I just wanted you guys to be safe…” the words fell from her lips just as the droplets fell from her eyes, guiding their way down her cheeks and pooling at the edge of her defined jaw before falling onto Travis’ shirt.
Her free hand quickly dried away the tears the best she could, wiping the back of her palm on Travis’ boxers, looking away from Shiloh’s figure. She didn’t have the courage to look at him any longer. Instead, her eyes found their way to the hospital window, offering a brief distraction, a chance to regain self-control. Taking a deep breath, Lana tried her hardest to block out Shiloh’s presence for a few moments as her eyes scanned the hospital gardens. Being on the bottom floor of the hospital it gave her the perfect view of the glistering sun falling upon the deep green, neatly trimmed grass. The few benches that lined the concrete paths decorated by rows of colour flowers and low maintenance tropical shrubs that added to the overall appeal of the gardens. Out there, the day looked so peaceful, as if a veil had been placed over it, protecting it from the cruelty of the world, from the dangers that lurked in every corner of the outside world. The patients outside appeared so relaxed, strolling along the paths, enjoying what must have been a blissfully warm day, carrying with it a delicate breeze, free of the hospital scents. Yet as the teenage girl glanced outside, slowly managing to regain her breath, her eyes suddenly locked on a figure standing just off to the side, barely within her view.
Lana’s body turned ridged and her heart seized it’s movements within her ribcage, as if winding her up before someone let go of the key, kick-starting her heart. Hope and joy filled her eyes as the sapphire gems turned wide, a loud gasp leaving her lips.
”OLIVER!” Lana suddenly cried out, her palm hitting the closed window, causing the entire glass to tremble from the force. It was him! Oliver! His features screamed exhaustion and the normally smile that melted her heart had vanished from his face. He looked utterly drained, as if someone tried to wake him up too early. But it was him. Up! Alive! Lana’s heart pounded quickly within her chest making her breathing accelerate and remind her of the strain in her broken ribs, but the teenage girl didn’t seem to care, or even notice in that moment. Quickly, the peroxide girl spun around so quickly that her long bleached blonde locks wrapped around her like a mystic spell, regenerating her mana.
”Shi! I need to go see him! Please!” the teenage girl begged, stepping up to Shiloh to lightly grip at his shirt, her eyes pleading and desperate, finding a new spark of hope and not letting it become extinguished.
He question caught him off guard, and it took him a second to think about what she was talking about. Then it finally dawned on him, and he sighed heavily. “I was musing. Just talking. It's not like I was serious. I'd be running for the rest of my life if I did that..” Shiloh thought, trying to convince himself of his own words. He shook his head instead of answering her. It didn't matter why he stayed, except that he did.
As soon as Lana started apologizing for the party he sighed. He was ready to tell her it wasn't her fault, that if he really didn't want her to go, she wouldn't have. It was his fault even more than it was hers, if at all. However, before he even got a word out, she mentioned fixing it. That if Dimitri had her, it would all go away.
"That's the solution to your problem? Giving up!?" Shiloh's voice raised a lot higher than normal, keeping in mind that they were on camera. "When will you learn that Dimitri doesn't stop. If he wants you, he'll get you and take down whoever he wants with you, weather you go quietly or not." Shiloh shook his head, exasperated, and walked to the other side of the room to face the wall. Rather than look at her face, at how helpless and guilty she looked. It frustrated him. He replied to Lana's final sentence with his own.
"It isn't your job to keep us safe." The room fell silent, the distant beeping of machines in the hall were muffled by the closed door, the insulated walls. Shiloh knew they couldn't stay in this room. The police have probably been called, upon realizing Lana is Lana. Her brothers might even get called in. This was NOT somewhere he wanted to be for long. His thoughts, that were increasingly becoming filled with growing anxiety at the situation were abruptly broken with Lana's voice uttering a name he'd vaguely remembered.
"Hart? Isn't that the guy we stabbed and would have left for dead?" Shiloh saw the longing in her eyes, how excited she was, how sick it made him that just the sight of Oliver had this much effect on the girls mood. He outwardly sighed, and rubbed his eyes. "We just discussed the fact that we can't leave the room, Lana. And with Dimitri on our asses do you really want to involve him more than you already have? You're reckless and that, Lana, is what gets people hurt." He knew it might sting, hearing these words but it was the truth. And reality was an ugly thing. Besides, Oliver Hart was of no use to him. Only a pawn that would get in the way.
The guilt and sadness had faded from Lana’s eyes as her gaze fell upon the young man who meant so much to her. So much more than she was willing to admit. And the fact that she saw him there, alive, walking… It sent a rush of hope through her, of happiness. She wanted nothing more than to run across the garden and hug him. But that joy was short lived when she saw Shiloh sigh, quickly her fingers uncurled from his shirt, taking half a step away from him as he reminded her that they couldn’t leave the room. Yet it was the mention of Dimitri that reminded Lana of the situation they were in, the very thought of Dimitri anywhere near Oliver made the teenage girl tense fearfully. She knew what Dimitri was capable of, she had watched seen it over and over again. But it was the simple, plain and honest fact that her recklessness got people hurt that stung the deepest. Lana’s eyes widened ever so slightly and her chest tightened, staring up at him as if he had just slapped her across the face. And with those words? He pretty much could have; it would’ve hurt less. She knew that he was right, she had told it to others, to herself so many times. Yet hearing someone else saying it, hearing him say it… so bluntly, so honestly… it sunk deeper than before, stung worse than before. He was right. If not for her impulse to invite Oliver over in the first place he would have never gotten hurt. If she ever bothered to think about what her actions could lead to, none of this would have happened. If she just did as she was told… She wouldn’t have gotten Oliver messed up into any of this, or Travis, or Sawyer and Skyla, and Temperance would still be alive.
”You’re right.” Lana muttered softly, dropping her gaze to the ground as her feet started to carry her back towards the hospital bed.
”I’m sorry….” the teenage girl managed to whisper moments before footsteps fell outside the door, while a brisk knock broke the tension and an older man stepped into the room with a friendly, yet tired smile spread across his lips.
“Hello, hope I’m not disrupting anything important” the doctor spoke casually as he glanced from the sad looking girl towards the male, assuming that it was still the post-traumatic experience of being in a car crash.
“My name is Doctor Malcolm.” He explained as he walked deeper into the room, leaving the door open as he walked over to Lana, bending down slightly to try and meet her eyes, although to no avail. Her sapphire hues were still locked on the ground, refusing to look at the doctor, hearing him sigh.
“Do you mind if I have a look at the cut?” He questioned in that same friendly voice that almost made Lana sick. Shaking her head ‘no’, the teenage girl lifted her head slightly, tilting it to the side to give him better access to the cut on her forehead. Brushing her peroxide locks out of the way, the doctor looked over the neatly cleaned up wound and nodded to himself.
“The nurse sure has cleaned it up well. But we’re still going to run a basic scan – “ Dr. Malcolm began to explain, but Lana interrupted him simply.
”We know.. The nurse explained. Can we do it now? I’d really like to go home” Her eyes finally lifted to meet the doctor’s gaze, her empty and beaten expression making her appear more drained. Both emotionally and physically, and who could blame her? After the crash and being left alone at the scene? The doctor simply nodded his head.
“Of course. Well, shall we go on then? The room is just down the hall” He explained with a smile before glancing at Shiloh, although quickly moved his gaze back to Lana. Almost as if he was avoiding looking at the man.
Nodding her head, Lana slipped off the bed and started to walk towards the door with the doctor following closely behind her, stopping by the open door as Lana made her way out into the hall.
“To the left, Miss Lloyd.” The doctor said with a smile before turning back to Shiloh.
“This won’t take too long, you’re welcome to wait here if you like.” The doctor added, yet his tone shifted from the friendly and warm manner he spoke to Lana into a more stern tone, as if his suggestion was more than that.
Lana glanced back towards Shiloh when the doctor less-then-suggested for him to stay behind, but before they had the chance to argue, the doctor stepped out himself, closing the door behind him while guiding Lana down the hall.
"We're going to run a simple MRI scan, to make sure there is no internal damage from the hit to the head" The doctor began to explain.
"But it's just a small cut" Lana pointed out confused, glancing over at the older doctor as they made their way to the scan room. He shook his head, opening the door for her to enter where two nurses were already waiting for them to arrive.
"No, Miss Lloyd. This is for the hit to the head you were meant to have done before you...left" the doctor explained, making Lana's eyes go wide. Her heart raced in her chest, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly hot. Her chest was rising and falling unevenly, not knowing what to do.
"I.. ugh.." she stuttered, but the doctor only shook his head and gave her a warm, reassuring smile.
"It's okay, Miss Lloyd. You're safe now. We'll get you checked up, and the police will be here any moment. Now, why don't we get started. Do you have any piercings we should be aware of?" Dr. Malcolm questioned, making Lana nod her head as she brushed aside her hair to reveal the row of piercings on her ear making the man chuckle.
"I see, well, could you please remove them? Then the nurses will help you onto the bed and we'll get started." Lana watched him silently, still wide eyed and shocked. How did they know? They remembered? What were they going to do to Shiloh? Blinking away the confusion, Lana started to take out the piercing in the helix of her ear, setting them down onto a nearby table before walking over to the MRI machine as the nurse began to explain how she should lay down and where to put her head.
"It won't take long" the nurse reassured her before they stepped out of the room, leaving the teenage girl alone for a brief moment before the machine started. The police car came to a sudden stop in front of the emergency entry, passing Skyla and Lane outside as they rushed into the hospital, the nurse at the reception already instructing them the way towards the room where Shiloh had been left to wait.
This was the start of the downfall. Lana’s broken mind could only cope with so much stress, so much hardship without rest, without the ability to fully digest what had happened. She started to slip up with reality, hearing voices. Laying down, waiting for the MRI scan to be taken, the fire alarm sudden went off, the sprinkler system going off and Lane busting into the MRI room only a few moments later, explaining that they had to go. Following him out, they made it outside just in time to watch Shiloh get arrested. Something in Lana started to break, crack under the pressure. Lane took her to Skyla’s house again, but Lana hardly registered what was happening. She was hallucinating, lost in her own world. It wasn’t until he spoke to Saywer and arranged to take her into Witness Protection, setting her down on the couch and waiting for Tate to arrive that Lana even realised they moved.
Tate made his way over to a chair nearby and sat down, wondering what he could do for her. Maybe the smell of food will help. Perhaps she needed some pain medication for her arm? Some sleep pills? He knew how hard it was to get someone in her state of mind to do anything willingly. Tate sighed, "You know he really likes you." He was referring to Shiloh, and he knew she'd know. "He might hide it, or not show it, but he does. And I've never seen him care about anyone quite like you before," he smiled at the end, knowing she wouldn't respond, but showing her the decency of conversation anyway. Weather the words reached her ears or not, they needed saying, because otherwise, they never would.
The fog seemed to surround her mind like a wild serpent waiting for the perfect time to sink the deadly fangs into her sanity, poisoning it with the broken fragments of her tragic life. The teenage girl stood silently, staring down at the ground yet the sight of her bare feet on Sky’s floor, on the grass in front of her house, began to blur in and out of her vision, masked by the white vapour that crept around her. She could hear voices, masked whispers that tried to break through the barrier of her broken mind.
I wish someone would decide for me.
What happened to her?
Out of my fucking life!
Kill yourself, whatever, do it.
He’s trying to help
We leave Lana with Lane
The whispered snippets of the conversation in the world around her slipped into Lana’s mind, but the girl couldn’t find the strength to list the fog from her mind, to find her way through the pale emptiness. Her eyes were locked on the ground, but her mind was elsewhere, trapped in its own reality as the voices continued to mutter in hushed whispers, nothing but a mumbled mess of voices trying to reach out to her, to drag her head even further beneath the fog of insanity. Like a ragdoll, Lana’s body moved on its accord, following the rushed pulls, the tight holds to ensure her safety. She felt herself being lifted from the seat she was on moments ago, and yet nothing was registering. The world moved past her in a blur, but it was as if her brain had secreted its own form of narcotics, leaving her dazed and delusional, but it was simply the severe sleep deprivation mingled with the mental stress of the recent events. The young peroxide blonde had been awake since the morning of the Halloween event, and even the night prior to the exciting family event she hadn’t gotten more than four hours sleep as usual, and her mind couldn’t function with the exhaustion, keeping itself awake only on adrenaline and anxiety. And now Lana felt as if her mind was relapsing through microsleeps on a constant loop, almost as if she was sleeping while still functioning, suffocating on the fog. Her eyes finally closed, shutting them tightly as the ever continuing string of whispers faded from her mind. As her eyes opened once again, she was no longer inside Skyla’s house. She had no idea where she was, but before she had the chance to even lift her head and look around, Tate’s body suddenly came into her view as he sat down in front of her. Lana blinked her eyes a few quick times, almost as if trying to wake up from a dream but it wasn’t changing. He was still there, talking to her. And the words that slipped her lips stung enough to make a sharper breath hitch in her lungs. Lana's mind drifted to Shiloh, to everything the two have been through. Meeting him at Benjamin's house, how terrified she once was of him, of what he did, of what he was going to do. Hating him for letting his men hurt her, take her...but that all changed. Slowly, one little thing after the other, it changed. The pills, the chocolate, the clothes, their time spent together at the beach, everything just swam in her mind.It isn't your job to keep us safe Shiloh’s words echoed in her mind, making her heart race a little faster, that familiar stomach clenching fear swimming through her veins. He was in jail now, she saw it… she saw the officer cuff him and recalled Lane promising to fix it. It was all there, in her mind, repeating over and over again. But before Lana had the chance to say anything, Tate once again got to his feet, leaving Lana on the couch, staring at the unfamiliar living room, unable to hide the confusion on her features. She could remember everything that happened before perfectly, down to the feel of Lane’s calloused hands on her lips, or the smell of the doctor’s cologne as he led her to the MRI room…and yet she couldn’t remember how she got there. Who with. Where were they now? Wasn’t she with Lane before? Lana’s head moved to drop into her hands, trying to catch her face in her soft palms, but the moment she moved her arm, the jolt of pain shot through her arm, making her whimper in unexpected pain. Her breathing quickened as the pain refused to dull, dropping her arm back down to see the saturated mess of plaster and unwinding bandage wrapped around her forearm. Her teeth moved to bite down on her lip, but as her tongue traced against the soft flesh, feeling the mark where she had bitten through her skin, she decided against it. Without saying a word, Lana got to her feet, her body feeling as if it weight a ton but she didn’t dare to let it show as she walked through the unfamiliar house, heading down the main hall and peering into every door until she found the bathroom, closing the door behind her and walking over to the sink. Turning on the cold water on full, Lana dipped the cast under the water, using her index finger to push away the white plaster before slowly undoing the elastic bandage from around her arm, ditching the wet cloth onto the edge of the sink, letting the cold water run over her arm, allowing it to numb the inflamed, black blue and red skin that now covered her arm. Sapphire orbs stared at her arm as if seeing it for the first time, remembering every break, every pull of the chain, every painful shatter. Her eyes welled with tears looking away from her arm and up into the mirror. Yet as her eyes opened, her reflection wasn’t the only one there. Behind her stood the wrinkled, long and rather emotionless reflection of Marcus, his deep blue eyes stared at her with a twisted satisfaction.
This is what happens when you refuse to be a good girl, Lana. He spoke, his raspy deep voice muttering in a whisper behind her. With a frightened scream, Lana whipped around, but he wasn’t there. Just an empty, unused and pristine clean shower, with her own faint reflection in the clear glass. Her heart thumped in her chest, her stomach twisting so sharply she wanted to gag. Shutting her eyes, Lana shook her head and fell to the ground.
”This isn’t real, this isn’t happening… he’s dead.. he’s dead…” She muttered to herself. And if you say anything, so will be the tattooed brunette. Marcus’ voice spoke up, making Lana look up to see him crouching down in front of her, a twisted smirk on his face. This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real… he was dead, she knew he was… she found his body… Saw his missing organs, how his genitals had been removed, blood coming out of his mouth with eyes wide open and terrified, holding his own organs in his hands. The twisted images burnt in her mind, that twisted sharp pain in her stomach getting worse and Lana barley moved quickly enough to throw her head over the toilet bowl, coughing up bile, feeling it burn the back of her throat and her mouth as her stomach tried to throw up the empty content, tears streaming down her face from the pain, the memories, the fear.
What little emotion she could master to express fell from her features the moment he popped her bubble with reality. She didn't want pills, didn't want something that needed to go down her throat and into her stomach that was still clenched in a tight not. She wanted the nicotine in her lungs to go directly into her system, wanted the morphine in her veins to numb her instantly. But it wasn't his fault, and she wasn't about to hold the grudge against him.
"Oh" Was all that managed to slip from her lips as she watched him drop two white pills onto his hand, recalling when Shiloh had first given her the pain killers, how quickly they worked. Remembered taking far too many at once and sleeping through the entire boat ride to the resort. Sleep... something that the seventeen year old hadn't experienced much of ever since witnessing her mother's murder, and all the tragic events that followed after. Night terrors haunted her mind into the brink of insomnia until only sleeping pills were capable of putting her frightened young mind to sleep. Even after the move, when everything seemed to have fallen into place as she lived safely in the school dorms, Lana needed the blissful aid of a sleeping pill to sleep more than four hours.
Her hesitation towards the pills was evident as her fingers curled around the two white pills, taking a slow, deep breath to keep herself calm as he offered her the water.
"Thank you..." Lana whispered softly, evidentially still contemplating whether she wanted to take the pills, to feel that burn along her throat but knowing if he was anything like Shiloh he wouldn't move until he's watched her swallow the pain killers. So without another wait, Lana dropped both of the pills onto her tongue and downed the glass of water quickly, swallowing the bitter pills along with the water. She felt them slide down her oesophagus and into her still turning stomach, feeling it rumble uneasily. And just as she had figured, once she took the pills Tate finally moved away again, leaving her to rest. And deep down Lana knew that she should. Laying down onto the couch, Lana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for the pain killers to do their job and soothe the throbbing pain from her broken arm into a dull ache that she could handle once again. But as she laid there in silence, awaiting that sweet release that Tate promised she would get, Lana couldn’t stop the thoughts creep back into her mind. Time passed quickly as she laid awake on the couch, the thoughts of Dimitri filled her mind. He was out there somewhere, hurting who knows who else to get to her. And he only wanted to get to her, to get to Dennis. What if he changed his mind? What if he had already killed her brother? Dennis had promised to keep in contact with her, that he would call every few days to check up on her. But he hasn’t. He hasn’t called once. What if he was dead? What if Benjamin was dead? The panic creeped through her mind, making Lana’s eyes shut tightly as her chest rose and fell quickly, her breathing accelerating and becoming erratic, depriving her mind of the much needed oxygen as she began to hyperventilate.
Panicking, Lana sat up quickly, her eyes snapping open, feeling her head swimming with dizziness as she did, gripping Travis’ shirt desperately. The wooziness only made her stomach twist and turn, and like in the bathroom moments earlier, Lana couldn’t stop herself from heaving, not having enough time to run into the bathroom she ran into the open kitchen, leaning over the sink as the water she just drank, mixed with the stomach acids once again came back up. Tears stung her eyes as the peroxide blonde leaned over the kitchen bench, her hand slipping slightly and hitting the knife rack, making stainless steel knives scatter across the counter, some falling onto the floor. She watched as the silver blades moved against the white marble kitchen top, her fingertip reaching out to trace the blade of the carving knife until they wrapped around the hilt, her eyes going wide, remembering the first Thanksgiving dinner after her mother’s death, how the already drunk Michael-Scott held the carving knife, his hand on her head, waving the blade beside her face.
See my pretty Princess… This is going to cut that into tiny little pieces. His slurred, deep voice spoke with that twisted amusement, the whiskey on his breath ruining the perfectly cooked and prepared feast.
Look at what you’ve done! Michael-Scott’s voice shouted from behind her in that same slurred, furious tone he always had whenever his drunken-self stumbled onto her toys.
”I didn’t mean to!” Lana retorted, backing up away from the kitchen sink, not even realising that her hand gripped onto the sharp carving knife, staring wide eyed at her father’s drunken figure.
Maybe I should teach you a lesson, Princess? Her father’s voice shouted the threat, advancing towards her quickly, his body elongating as he approached her, making her feel just as small as she was when she was seven. She watched his hand clench into a fist, moving to punch her with one swift motion. Lana’s body fell to the ground, eyes shut tightly, holding up her hands to her face, the knife almost cutting into her delicate flesh as a piercing scream slipped her lips. When the pain didn’t come, Lana’s hands lowered away from her face, daring to open her tear stained blue eyes. But instead of seeing her father’s frightening figure, Lana’s eyes fell onto the motionless body of a pale blonde female, her once perfect porcelain skin was covered in blood and darkening bruises, her chest still as her open eyes stared up at her with tears still lingering in her sapphire blue eyes. An almost spitting image of Lana.
”NO!!” the teenage girl screamed, trying to crawl closer to her mother’s motionless body, yet the moment her hands fell to the ground, her broken arm gave out from under making her fall face first onto the floor.
Just tragic… An intruder, a thief… Michael-Scott’s voice spoke from somewhere behind her, sound distant and almost apathetic.
”I SAW YOU!” Lana screamed, tears blurred her vision, leaving only her hallucinations in clear view, her mother’s face staring at her.
”YOU KILLED HER! I WATCHED YOU!” Lana screamed, scattering on the ground to grab the knife again, gripping the hilt tightly as she pressed her hand against her torso, the knife resting against her stomach, the sharpened blade facing outwards, as if she was preparing to swipe at anyone who came near.
She was a pathetic whore. Marcus’ voice joined in with her father, his footsteps getting louder and louder echoing around her.
”STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Lana screamed, her blue eyes looking up – up they weren’t quite there. She wasn’t seeing the safe house, just her visions. Her hallucinations. Watching as Marcus stalked her, the want evident in his glistering eyes.
”DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!” The peroxide blonde screamed, holding the knife out in front of her protectively, swinging it blinding around her while her legs kicked against the floor to push her away from the man, her back suddenly pressing against the wall.
I’m going to make you a good girl… You’ll be my good girl… and good girls do as they’re told. Marcus taunted, leaning down to put his hand on her inner thigh, trying to push the boxers she was wearing up.
”DON’T TOUCH ME” Lana shrieked, her voice, her face, her eyes filled with pure terror as she brought the knife down onto his hand. But there was no hand. There was no Marcus. Instead the carving knife cut into Lana’s delicate flesh, the blue silk boxers she was wearing quickly turning crimson as she forced the blade deeper into her leg.
“Again, Daddy!! Again!!” The four year old chanted, her small hands gently tapping against her father’s forearms in an encouraging manner, the wide grin plastered over her face, a slight rosy blush spread over her cheeks, small dimples at the corners of her lips.
“Ready?” Michael-Scott questioned with his own amused tone, her lips curving into a wide smile before his hands dropped down to almost set the girl down on the ground before throwing her up in the air once again, causing a wave of giggles and squeals to ensue. Catching her once again, Michael-Scott awaited until her heart-warming laugher died down, gently setting the four year old down on the ground.
“I was flying, Daddy!” Lana’s high pitched, innocent voice announced proudly, putting both arms out like the wings of a bird or an airplane before running around in small figure eights on the soft, deep green grass that decorated their large garden, pretending to be flying again and burning through the never ending supply of energy that was stored in the child’s frame. Olyvia stood in the kitchen beside Remora, finishing off the final touches for lunch while watching her husband play outside. The warm smile clung to her pale red lips, slightly hidden behind a few locks of golden blonde hair that fell across her face, trying to blow them out of the way but they simply kept falling back down. Sighing, Olyvia shook her head and looked down at the platter of sandwiches, picking up the large plate to set it down on the dining table beside a few opened sandwich spreads and a jug of homemade lemonade.
“Remora, dear. Could you please go get the boys and tell them lunch is ready?” Her honey smooth voice broke the silence between the two women. Watching as the Spanish older woman nodded her head and made her way towards the stairs, Olyvia fixed up one of the knives, straightening it on the neatly folded napkin before heading for the open patio doors, leaning against the frame with one hand casually resting on her hip.
“Darling! Lana!” Her sweet voice called out towards the playing pair in the garden “Lunch is ready!” She announced before making her way back to the kitchen, making sure that the Nanny and herself didn’t forget anything.
Hearing the woman’s voice, Lana stopped running around, her arms dropping back down, her grin returning as her hands fell to her stomach, rubbing it eagerly.
“Yay! Food!” The child squealed, but before she could run off, Michael-Scott’s firm hand fell onto her shoulder. Those bright blue eyes peered up at him with a sweet, questioning gaze.
“Go wash your hands first, Princess.” Her father reminded the child, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. With nothing more than an understanding nod of her head, Lana ran off into the house to wash her hands and get seated for lunch. Watching her small frame run inside, Michael-Scott slowly followed, making his way into the kitchen where Olyvia was washing up a few of the dishes they used to prepare the food, wrapping his arms around her waist, gently pulling her against him as his nose dipped to trace the nook of her neck delicately, making the woman shiver and giggle softly.
There were moments in the young girl’s life that made her childhood seem perfect. She was the youngest of three siblings. The oldest of them was Benjamin, who was 9 years older than the young girl. And without a doubt he was the girl’s favourite person in the world, right after her mother of course. Benjamin always helped to look after the young girl, played with her, stopped Dennis from being mean to her. Who seemed to have the typical middle-child syndrome while growing up. Dennis was six years older than the young girl and from an early age he was a bouncing ball of mischief which only seemed to get worse after the girl’s birth. Others may have blamed it on lack of attention or the jealousy of the middle child, but in truth it was due to their father. Michael-Scott. Michael-Scott Lloyd was a famous Hollywood Director, living the lavish life with his family in Beverly Hills. In front of the cameras and on the red carpets they seemed like the perfect family, full of joy, happiness and love. But that was just a mask. Sure, he had his moments of fatherly goodness in his younger years, in the children’s younger years but as they grew older so did his habit to fill his blood stream with alcohol. And when alcohol and Michael-Scott were mixed, things turned ugly. At parties he was a beaming individual, but behind closed doors anger took over. He was loud, abusive and worst of all, Michael-Scott was violet. His vile tongue turned into tight grips and closed fists. Often the oldest son, Benjamin, tried to take his father’s anger onto himself, but it didn’t always work. He was abusive towards Olyvia, often leaving the beautiful blonde with miscoloured bruises and scars. Things turned for the worst when Lana was seven years old.
The nanny, Remora, had long ago left to go home after cleaning up the dinner. Michael-Scott was already drinking at the rather empty dinner table. The sixteen year old Benjamin was out on one of his extra curriculum classes while the thirteen year old Dennis made sure to avoid heading home after school, staying out late in the dodgy neighbourhoods of LA making friends with all the wrong people. It was just Michael-Scott, Olyvia and little Lana at the house. After dessert and watching a movie with her mother, Lana was set to prepare for the night and tucked in. But the usual dream filled nights were cut short during the late night hours when her parent’s argument got too out of hand. She could hear Michael-Scott yelling at Olyvia, her mother screaming something back. Lana wasn’t sure what pulled her to get out of bed that night, knowing fully well that she shouldn’t. That she should close her eyes and pull the blanket over her head and try to sleep, but instead she snuck out and tippy toed her way over to the stairway railing, hiding between the rails and looking down into the living room, watching as her parents screamed at each other. Watching as Michael-Scott raised his hand and brought it down on Olyvia’s face. Lana’s eyes went wide as a frightened scream caught itself in her throat as her father unleashed his anger upon the woman. Punching her again and again and again until the woman fell to the ground, but even then he didn’t ease up. Not until her mother’s panicked and pained screams, not until her body lay lifelessly. Tears screamed down Lana’s cheeks and panicking she ran to her room, hiding in her bed, too afraid that if she was found he would hurt her too. That…was just the beginning. Using his connections and his money, Michael-Scott had his friend and Chief of LAPD, Marcus Ernwood, cover up the murder of Olyvia Lloyd, making the media believe that a simple robbery went bad, framing one of the local gang members for murder of first degree and attempted robbery. But Benjamin and Dennis Lloyd knew better, knew better and tried to hide it from Lana who never told a soul what she saw. The first year after her death was difficult. For the first few months Michael-Scott would get so drunk that he completely forgot that Olyvia was dead, going on blind rage.
The evening had already set upon the warm summer day in Los Angeles, the prestige house illuminated by the soft warm yellow glow of the lights within the living room, giving just enough light for the young girl sitting at the top of the table to continue colouring her drawing without harming her eyes. The bowl of ice cream she was given for dessert was already half melted, leaving a rim of condensation around the edge of the bowl, threatening to stain the thick oak dining table. Her feet swayed beneath her on the chair, too little to reach the floor, only her extended toes managing to graze against the fine dark wood floors of the living room, the soft material of her pretty pink socks making it easier for her toes to glide over the surface. Lana’s long golden locks danced around her face as her head tilted from side to side matching the soft tune she was humming to herself, her innocent sky blue eyes were wide with joy and excitement s her crayons scratched over the page of the note pad bringing to life a childish sketch of their large house with four figures standing in the garden. Closest to the house depicted by the large manner on the drawing was the sketch of a man, standing almost as tall as the house itself. A little further away were two poorly sketched figures of small males with matching light brown hair, one coloured in a neater appearing outfit while the other male was missing a top. Finally, Lana’s gold crayon moved away from the little addition to the drawing, a perception of herself with long blonde hair and a pretty blue dress on. Her pale pink lips spread into a warm and exciting grin looking down at the makeshift drawing of her family. A happy, innocent giggle left her lips as she pushed herself away from the table and jumped down from chair, grabbing only the note book she was using to make the drawing and running out of the dining room into the main area of the house.
“DADDY!!!” Her high pitched innocent voice called out, the hint of a playful laughter lacing her innocent words as her head turned from side to side trying to see if she could hear where her father was.
“Daddy!! I drew something!” She added a little louder, closing the pages of the leather bound book and pressing it to her chest, waiting for a reply.
“Outside, Princess.” The raspy tone of her father’s voice finally reached her ears, making Lana spin around on her heels and run towards the wide glass doors that lead to the outside patio. The soft sound of her feet tapping against the wooden floors was enough to notify Michael-Scott of his young daughter’s approach, even before her sweet voice called out for him once again, hushed by the enjoyable sound of his Tabaco being burned away by the ambers while the nicotine filled smoke coated his lungs. His eyes opened once again as he felt a gentle grip of small hands upon his forearm, arching a brow as he gazed down at Lana, exhaling the cigarette smoke into her face making the child cough uncomfortably, shaking her head and looking back up at him with the same eyes as her late mother. Without setting the cigarette down, Michael-Scott reached up for his glass of whiskey, looking away from Lana disinterested.
“What do you want, Princess?” He asked again before downing the golden essence within his glass, putting it back down on the table and reaching out for the bottle of a 21 year old Chivas Regal.
“I made a drawing, Daddy!” Lana spoke with a soft squeal of excitement in her tone, pulling the leather book away from her chest and flipping through the pages until she found the newest masterpiece, putting the book down in his lap.
“See, see!” She continued excitedly, her torso leaning over the armrest of his chair to point with her little fingers.
“This is you,” Lana pointed towards the biggest figure in the house, “And this is Benny and Dan”She giggled sweetly “and that’s me here! Do you like it, Daddy? I can leave it for you if you like!”Those joy filled eyes glanced up at her father, yet seeing that his own reaction didn’t share her excitement, Lana’s features turned into a pout, pulling away from his chair.
“It’s no Picasso.” The already tipsy man spoke half-heartedly, the boredom evident in his tone as he looked down at the drawing, before glancing over to his daughter with an unimpressed shake of his head “Shouldn’t gloat with shit like this.” His cruel worlds made the young child take another half step back away from him, her small hands moving to rest against her chest in a startled manner, her eyes filling with sadness and regret.
“I’m sorry, Daddy…” She started to apologise with a quivering tone that gave away how broken hearted the young child felt, but Michael-Scott didn’t seem to care as his calloused fingers carelessly closed the leather book in his lap, about to throw it back to his daughter when his eyes fell upon the leather casing of the book his daughter had been using for her drawings, anger flaring up in his features as he looked down at his late wife’s diary.
“Where the fuck did you get this from?!” His voice turned cold and vicious as he picked up the journal in one hand, rising it into the air as if he was about to hit the child with it. “You fucking going through shit that doesn’t fucking belong to you, now?!” He snapped, pegging the book onto the tiled ground as Lana jumped back with a startled scream, tears welling in her eyes and spilling across her cheeks.
“I’m sorry Daddy! I’m sorry! Dany and I—“ Lana began to explain when Michael-Scott suddenly gripped the child’s wrist, pulling her closer to the chair, ignoring the loud frightened scream that rippled through the girl’s lips.
“Dennis?” The man demanded “Of course that fucker would take what isn’t his” He growled and glared down at his child, lightly shaking her frame. “You will NEVER touch her things again… understood?!” He demanded, letting go of her wrist roughly, making the young child fall back onto the tiled ground.
“I promise, Daddy! I’m sorry! I’m Sorry daddy!” The girl continued to cry and plead for her father’s forgiveness as her tiny body fell onto the ground, the sudden movement causing a small golden pendant to slip out from underneath her dress. Instantly, Michael-Scott glared down at the child, getting to his feet and stalking her down.
“WHERE DID YOU FUCKING GET THAT?!” he snarled furiously, leaning down to rip the necklace off her neck.
“No, Daddy, please! That’s Mummy’s! She gave it to me!” The girl continued to plead, not daring to move from the ground as her frightened eyes glanced up at the slightly swaying figure of her father. His fist clenched around the necklace, ignoring the pleading child as he spun around to walk back into the house.
“OLIVIA YOU FUCKING CUNT! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YA!” he screamed for his wife dead, leaving the crying child on the ground, storming through the house to find his wife.
Lana’s cries seemed to echo through the house as she lay on the hard ground of the patio, curling herself up into a ball. She hadn’t even realised someone coming until warm hands lifted her into the air and fell across her mouth in a hushing yet gentle manner.
“Shh.” Dennis looked down at her worried, looking over her small frame to check if she was injured anywhere, sighing softly seeing that she was fine.
“Go quickly to your room. Dry your eyes. Ben will be home from school soon. Do not leave your room until Ben comes to get you, okay?” The not much older boy spoke in a hushed tone, only getting a nod and a kiss on the cheek in response before his sister scattered to her feet and ran for her room. He watched until she disappeared before taking a deep breath and stepping into the house.
“She’s picking Ben up!” Dennis called out, hoping to get his father’s attention with the lie, knowing that in his drunken state he wouldn’t even remember that their mother wasn’t around anymore.
When Lana was nine years old, things only turned for the worse with Benjamin’s graduation from high school. Being the clever boy that he was, Benjamin got a fully paid for scholarship to attend Harvard University to study Psychology. But with the eldest son out of the picture, things back home only turned worse. The anger that was usually taken out on Benjamin had been turned towards Dennis and the teenage boy hardly stayed more than a few hours at home, preferring the street life. Getting himself caught up with gangs, drugs, alcohol and the life of crime. Remora even stopped working for them after she was attacked while walking home late one time. It only left Lana and the drunken pathetic excuse of a father. He turned his attention more towards his friends, throwing lavish parties rather than being a father. Only caring about his daughter when his female friends and stars wanted to adore the beautiful little blonde. One in particular was the one and only Marcus Ernwood. Ever playing Michael-Scott’s best friend, the Chief of Los Angeles police department had a far more twisted motion in mind. The truth was that he was once, long ago, married to Olyvia. He never forgave her for leaving him and made it his mission to make her life as miserable as he could. At least, until Lana was born. As the girl grew up he could see it, the perfect reflection of his ex-wife. It drove him crazy, to the point where he struck a bargain with Michael-Scott that would give Marcus the Legal rights to the girl until her 21st birthday. But Marcus couldn’t wait.
Lana was eleven when it happened, the one party that ended worse than any other. Everyone had gone home, she could hear the silence, hear her father’s snoring and she was so thirsty. She knew she shouldn’t have left her room, she wasn’t allowed out after her bed time, but Michael-Scott was asleep, so what harm would it be? She didn’t expect for Marucs to still be sitting in the kitchen, didn’t expect his head to look up at her as she stood on the bottom stair in her night gown. She may not have expected, but it was a night that she would never forget. The look on Marcus’ face when he saw her at the foot of the stairs, the hunger in his eyes as he looked over her little body, the way he burst through the small barricade she had made against the door. She would always remember his touch, his breath on her skin, the rough grip over her arms to hold her down, the agonising pain when he forced himself inside her.
“He’ll hate you” Marcus’ voice haunted her mind “He’ll be disgusted with the pathetic dirty little slut you are”. Yet it wasn’t until Marcus threatened to hurt her brothers that the young Lana Lloyd ended up promising that she would never tell anyone what happened. Even when he cleaned her up and left her alone, she didn’t say anything. She didn’t say a word for several days after the incident, only cried and snuck into Dennis’ room at night because the night terrors she was left with after her mother’s death were only worse whenever Marcus came to her mind, and they never left. Eventually Dennis couldn’t take it any longer and asked if she would like to talk to Benjamin, that he could ask their oldest sibling to come for a visit. Marcus’ threats rang in her mind, and the concept of her brother getting hurt filled her mind, horrified her to the point where she finally pushed past the numbing state, starting to pretend to be fine. A lie that she would base her life around. She was fine, she was happy. She was still herself.
A year passed since the incident before Benjamin Lloyd finally received his diploma and returned home. But things were worse than ever, with Michael-Scott hardly ever remaining a day sober. Lana was left to her own demise, locking herself away in her room or staying out in the school or skate park as long as she could. But with Benjamin back home, things were bound to turn around! Or so the not-yet-teenage girl thought to herself. But she never expected for it to turn around like this. She was out at a friend’s house one afternoon, when she came home to police lights and news vans out the front of her Beverly Hills house. As it turned out, her father had passed away. He crashed his car while drink driving and a gang member finished him off. She knew that she should have felt sad, but she only felt glad. Her father was gone; it was just her and her brothers. But there were some that claimed it was Benjamin that had killed him – a foolish thought. He wouldn’t ever. He didn’t even fight back whenever Michael-Scott took his drunken anger out on his eldest son. At least, as far as she knew. So to escape the horror of their childhood and start new, the trio ended up moving to Honolulu, Hawaii.
And for the first four years, for the first time in her life, Lana led a normal life. Or more or less normal. She lived at the school dorms, attended the Pearl City High School. She made friends, got herself in trouble, skipped classes and enjoyed life like a typical teenager should. More or less. Benjamin took it upon himself to ensure that Lana grew up right and his outlook on life always seemed stricter than the parents of her friends were, but she knew he only meant the best for her. It wasn’t until the young Lana Lloyd was sixteen years again that the horrors of her past returned into her life. Lana went with the school back to California for a field trip. But while the class was exploring the city, Lana snuck off to went and visit her mother’s grave. It was only by chance that Marcus happened to be at the graveyard, seeing the young Olyvia. Doing some research, he found out that she was now living in Hawaii and leaving behind his position as the LAPD Chief, Marcus transferred to Hawaii, determined to get back what was rightfully his.
"No! It can't be true! He... he wouldn't do that!" Lana protested, her voice raised and tone riddled with panic and confusion. She was standing in the office of the Pearl City School Dorms Headmaster, still dressed in the outfit she was in when the school called for her to come pick up her things. Her short light blue denim shorts ended just above midway up her thigh and the black tank top hid the top of the shorts. She had a red tartan jacket over the top to hide her shoulders. Her bleach blonde hair was down and neatly combed, although now her fingers ran through the delicate locks, gripping them desperately and messing them up. The day was going just fine; she was nearly over for the day since she never went to the afternoon free periods anyway. But instead she was taken out of school for a 'family issue'. She never expected this. Those blue sapphire eyes were wide and riddled with confusion as she read over the letter that sat on the Head master's desk. Written in black inc in Benjamin's handwriting. A style she could easily pick out anywhere. She's known that writing ever since she was little girl. She knew the signature on the bottom of the page. She tried to copy it enough times over the years and could never manage to get it perfect. Like he did. On that letter.
"I'm sorry, Miss Lloyd" The headmaster spoke again in a surprisingly calming and delicate tone. She wasn't used to him holding that tone of voice around her. Usually it showed hints of amusement or annoyance, but now he seemed genially caring. Almost as if he cared that she was being taken away. Or maybe it was the sheer fact that for the first time he saw Lana in this stage. Shaking, panicking, on the verge of tears.
"Just take a seat and breathe in deeply. Your things are already being taken there as per request."
And that's all it took, those simple words, before Lana fell into the chair she so far refused to sit in. Her elbows fell to her knees, her face falling into her hands. She wanted to scream, to cry, to run away and never come back... but she knew she couldn't. She just couldn't understand. Why would Benjamin do this? Even if he was so tired of her... why not give the rights to Dennis? Or an orphanage? Or someone else! Someone from the island! Not him! Without looking up her hand reached over for the letter that sat on the desk once again, brining it before her eyes to scan the words one last time. To make sure she wasn't just imagining it.
'To Mr. Peril - The Dorm Headmaster.
Due to unforeseen changes in Lana Lloyd's recent behaviour, I believe that it would be in my sister's best interest to leave the dorms to live with an actual father figure that would be able to take care of her full time. Mr. Marcus Ernwood is an old family friend who recently moved to Hawaii and has gracefully accepted the role of a father figure for my sister. He will arrange for her things to be picked up from the Dorms while she finishes her school day before picking her up.
Henceforth Mr. Ernwood will be Lana's guardian and next of kin. He will provide the details required for you to update your system along with the school details.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Lloyd.'
The short letter didn't quite sound like Benjamin, then again she so rarely watched him speak professionally around her. Mostly she was made to wait outside until they finished talking to her teachers or whoever she was in trouble with. Her stomach turned violently and her hand reluctantly clenched into a fist, scrunching up Benjamin's letter. She felt the bitter sing of tears in her eyes she tried to fight so hard. Ever since the death of her father, Lana rarely cried. Even when she was hurt. But this... this hurt more than she could comprehend. Out of everyone, the few billion people on this goddamn planet... he had to pick him. The one man she could not stand. He made Michael-Scott look good! But then again, no one knew that. No one but her. And him. A sudden brisk knock on the door snapped Lana out of her thoughts, dropping the letter to the ground as she looked up from the Headmaster over to the door. The man behind the desk spoke a simple "Come in" command before the door opened and one of the cleaning ladies that Lana saw around the dorms poked her head into the office. She looked from Lana to the Headmaster and smiled excitedly – as if this was a good thing. Like an orphan finally finding a new home. If she only knew...
"Mr. Ernwood has sent a car to pick up Miss Lloyd" the woman informed before closing the door again leaving the room in an almost awkward silence. The blonde girl's reaction showed the evident dislike for the situation, but there was nothing either of them could do. Slowly her blue eyes fell over to the Headmaster and a fake smile climbed to her lips. She knew how to perfect this look; she had gotten so used to it back home. Back in Beverly Hills, whenever they were on the red carpets with the blinding lights of photo cameras capturing the fake happy family the Lloyd's always put on.
"Thank you, Headmaster. I'll be okay" Lana reassured the man "I was just... shocked" She explained and got to her feet without another word, turning around to walk out of the office, not paying attention to the 'good luck' the Headmaster uttered as she left, making her way down the hall towards the entry of the Dorms. She had been waiting for the moment to leave them ever since Benjamin first brought her here, and now? She wanted nothing more than stay where she was. In the safe walls of the dorms where he couldn't get to her. Always protecting me, my ass. Stupid asshole knows that all of dad's friends are the same Lana thought to herself bitterly as she stepped out into the sunny warm afternoon. The black car already waited out the front of the stairs for her, the driver not even paying attention to her. A soft sigh slipped her lips as she walked to the car, hesitating for a moment as her hand lingered by the door handle. Drawing in a deep breath of courage, Lana pulled the door open and slipped into the back seat, closing the door and doing up her seat belt without a word. Neither her, nor the driver spoke as the car took off. With the end of school traffic on the roads it took the car nearly 40 minutes to finally reach its destination. A slow, agonisingly quite ride only put Lana in a worse mood, her mind flooding with memories of Marcus. Those creepy eyes, that sadistic smile, the scent of whiskey on his breath or the course touch of his hands. Goosebumps riddled Lana's skin at the thoughts but she forced them aside. She wasn't the same girl anymore. She no longer was the helpless, frightened 11 year old that tried to stop him by pushing a small desk against the door. She no longer was the girl that screamed for Benjamin to help her; that prayed for Dennis to come back just in the nick of time; or even for her father to awake from his drunken slumber and save her from the monster that was her friend. No, she was stronger now – emotionally, mentally and physically. Dennis may not have been there when she was little, but over the last few years on the islands he taught her how to look after herself from now on. He won't be able to hurt me she reassured herself as the car came to a stop. Lana didn't want to leave the car but as she didn't move the driver got out of his side and opened the door for her. Sighing and clenching her jaw, Lana slithered out from the car, brushing her hair away from her face and looking up at the simple double story house that would be her new home before finally walking up to the front door. Yet before she could manage to even knock the door opened and her heart began to race within its cage. There he was. Marcus. Standing in front of her with that same eerie sadistic smile that spread across his face. He hadn't changed much since she last saw him at her father's funeral. His face was still covered in wrinkled and his eyes held a false smile that she knew all too well. She could feel his gaze slithering over her body, watched as those dark orbs slid down over her frame, the smile on his face spreading; approving.
"Ah, Lana... Finally. Please, come in. I must admit I didn't expect this...but I am so glad that Benjamin came to me. You have grown into a fine young woman, Lana. And you look so alike your mother" Marcus spoke in his usual deep voice that held the permanent rawness of someone who smokes too many cigarettes a day. The girl didn't say anything as she stepped inside, her eyes only hardening at the mention of her mother. There was just something about the way he said the words that sent a shiver down her spine. Like an alert in her brain telling her to run. Not to trust him. To just do whatever she could to keep him away from her, to keep him at bay. Marcus closed the door behind her and motioned with his hand for her to walk into the living area of the downstairs floor, and Lana did so silently. Despite utterly hating his guts, she had to admit his taste was a lot better than father's. Nowhere near as good as the house Benjamin had – but she wasn't about to say that out loud.
"Now I'm sure you're just as surprised as me about this new change...so I'll keep it simple. I'll give you the rest of today to settle in and we'll start fresh in the morning. But there are some rules that I wish for you to follow" Marcus began to talk.
"So surprised there" Lana finally spoke up, her tone laced with the spite and sarcasm it always holds whenever she's in a bad mood. A trait she picked up from Dennis, but it seemed that Marcus didn't appreciate the gesture. His features suddenly turned cold, switching off the fake Mr. Nice façade Lana knew he was just putting on. He was the same bitter asshole he had been her whole life.
"Now you keep that dirty mouth shut unless you want me to shut it for you. Understood?" His tone turned angry and annoyed, but Lana didn't respond. She stopped in the middle of the living room, leaning against the back of one of the couches as her brilliant blue eyes studied his face.
"Good." He continued, as if her silence was an answer to his question rather than blunt ignorance to his words. "You will be dropped off and picked up from school every day. No exceptions. You are not allowed out after school until you earn that privilege" He began to speak, yet something about the words made Lana uneasy, making her heart race faster in her chest.
"You will not have a mobile phone until you earn the rights for one. Same goes for anything else other than a computer for you to do your school work on. You will keep this house clean and will be responsible for all the meals. You will have your own room, upstairs, beside mine. You are not allowed guests." He stopped talking to let the wave of information sink in, but Lana seemed unfazed. As if she's heard it all before – and pretty much may have. It was almost the same as the domes. Except so much worse.
"And most importantly, you are not to have any contact with your brothers." Marcus spoke the words in a slower tone, emphasising every spoken word.
"You're fucking kidding, right?!" Lana practically snapped "You can go shove those rules up your ass. I'm out of here" She spoke with an annoyed tone, rolling her eyes and pushing herself off the couch to head back towards the front door, but that quickly seized when Marcus stepped in her way, glaring down at her, his jaw clenched tightly and an unimpressed and disappointed look in his eyes. If it was on Ben, she might have actually felt bad – but in this case she was glad.
"You will not talk to me in that manner. I will not tolerate your disobedience. Your pathetic brother spoiled you. You're a rotten little bitch and you'll be taught your place. And when I tell you something, you will do it to the fucking dot. And when I tell you, that you are not to see, talk to, message, email, or send a goddamn flying pigeon to your brothers... you will corporate." He spoke in a quieter tone, making his voice sound more malicious with every word spoken, stepping closer to her and forcing Lana to walk deeper into the room until her back was pressed against the wall and his body almost touching hers.
"Understood?" He asked the simple word, expecting her to break and give in. But Lana had different plans. Her eyes narrowed on him and without a word she pushed herself off the wall and into him, bringing her leg up to knee him in the balls. A loud hiss slipped his lips as he toppled forward.
"Go fuck yourself!" Lana hissed and gripped his short black hair, forcing his head down as she brought her knee up again to kick him in the face. She felt his body drop and jumped over him to run for the door. There was no way in hell she was staying here! She'd go live with Dennis if she had to! But just before her long pale fingers could grip the handle of the front door she felt the sudden sting of her hair being pulled as Marcus caught up with her, gripping her hair tightly.
"That was a mistake" he whispered into her ear before forcing her head into the side of the wall with enough force to make the wall crack. Suddenly, everything went black. Lana woke up in a bed, her sculpt throbbing slightly from where her hair was nearly ripped out from the feel of it. But the throbbing ache that awoke her seemed to come from the side of her face, throbbing in dull motions as it spread across her cheek.
"You're finally awake, I see" Marcus spoke, making Lana open her eyes and see him standing in the doorway. Quickly she sat up on the bed and looked around the small room. It was filled with all her things from the Dorm. Her eyes fell to herself, still dressed in the outfit she wore to school. Marcus chuckled at her reaction and shook his head.
"Now I'm not like that, child. I'll make sure you're awake...” He spoke the threat in an almost sensual manner that made Lana's stomach twist with disgust.
"Now, let's try this again, shall we?" He asked the rhetorical question and walked into her room, sitting down on the foot of her bed. Lana's legs automatically slipped under her, pulling away from him, putting what little distance she could between them.
"What do you want..." She asked in a sceptical tone, her blue eyes looking at him closely.
"Your obedience" Marcus replied simply. "You follow my rules and everything will be just fine. And if you don't... well... I'm sure you remember exactly what happens when a child misbehaves" he spoke darkly, looking at her more seriously. Memories flooded her mind, her father yelling and screaming at her, Benjamin getting in the way so she wouldn't get hurt. Her eyes fell away from Marcus at the memory, looking down at the floor.
"Oh yes..." Marcus chuckled darkly as if knowing exactly what thoughts were going through Lana's mind. But the expression on her face showed it like a map. "But this time he won't be here to save you. You're big enough to learn for yourself."
"The moment they find out how you treat me, the--" Lana started to reply, but was quickly cut off by a firm hand to the cheek, right across the cheekbone that had been slammed into the wall, making her cry out in pain, her head turning with the force of his hit, her hands moving to cut the painfully stinging cheek.
"FUCKING CUNT!" she hissed in pain, but that only landed her another hit. This time one without a reply of cursed words, only painful whimpers and shallow breaths.
"Do not curse. It doesn't look good on a lady. Now I'll say this again, you are not to see them, or speak to them. And if you do, then it won't be you I'll take my anger out on" He let the threat linger in the air, letting it sink into Lana's mind. She knew what he did. He was a cop, a bad cop...but that meant he held power. And he could cause a lot of problems for her brothers. Benjamin was a respected teacher, and Dennis was already in jail once... she didn't want to put them in any more harm than they were already in. Biting her lip hard, Lana's eyes fell to her bed, her hands falling away from her stinging cheek.
"May I at least message Dennis that I'm okay... that way he'll stay off your back..." Lana spoke softly, finally looking up at Marcus who's face showed the victory he felt. She was far too easy to manipulate, all the siblings were like that. Just mention the others getting hurt and they get all protective and righteous.
"I will allow that." Marcus finally spoke and hopped off her bed, walking towards the door.
"Like I said, today you can settle in." Was all he said before walking out the door and closing it behind him. Lana didn't move, hearing the sound of a key turning made her heart sink to her stomach. Her eyes fell to her window but the 'fly screen' was permanently attached. There was no way out. She just curled up in bed and tried to ignore the pain in her face, feeling tears coming to her eyes but this time she didn't bother stopping them, just cried herself to sleep. When she woke up her bedroom door was unlocked and opened wide with her phone sitting on the bedside table beside her. She felt like hell. Her face ached terribly and her stomach was just about ready to eat itself. She took her phone and sent Dennis a simple message.
Hey, look, Benjamin gave up his guardianship of me over to Marcus Ernwood – dad's friend. I'm now living with him, but I'm not allowed to see you guys... and I won't have my phone on me until I 'earn it'. I'm sorry, I'll miss you. Don't get yourself into trouble. I love you.
Just writing the message brought tears to her eyes, but Marcus was a dick and she knew he wasn't joking about making her brother's pay instead. He was like dad after all.
But as it turned out, Lana was right. And Benjamin Lloyd did not give his sister up to the monster that was Marcus Ernwood. Benjamin came to speak to Marcus on his own the following morning. In the end Benjamin was forced to leave Lana alone with the man for a while longer, until he managed to get legal custody over the teenage girl once again. But things only turned worse. Lana couldn’t handle staying another night in Marcus’ house she waited until he was in the bathroom, stole his phone and messaged for her older friend, Selene, to come meet her. While he left for work, Lana snuck out of the house going to meet the brunette bar tender but what she didn’t expect was for Marcus to end up following the peroxide blonde. Furious that Lana would go against his rules, he decided to teach her a lesson. By beating the tattooed beauty nearly to death. Taking both women back home he decided what to do with them, when an even more twisted thought came to his mind.
Hours passed slowly as Marcus was forced to wait for the cover of the night before making his move. He had planned everything out quite perfectly, putting himself in the right position from both fronts. And neither would see it coming. His cold blue eyes shimmered darkly as that vile smirk coated his withered lips. He could here shuffling coming from the other room, only arching a brow curiously wondering which of the two goodies had awakened first. His beloved Lana or that feisty little fire cracker of a friend she so foolishly called to help her out.
"And there I thought you knew better than that.." He whispered to himself, spinning on his heels to face away from the window, fixing up the lapel of his black suit as his long strides closed the distance between him and the bedroom he had given Lana. His eye twitched slightly as his tongue trailed across his lips in a hungry manner, his hand falling to the door handle, teasing himself with the delicious prize inside. With a simple twist of the key and a push on the door, Marcus let it push open as he stood in the doorframe, his eyes eager to see which one of the two woke up first. His eyes fell to the petite tattooed beauty sprawled out across Lana's bed, instantly knowing his answer. As the door opened fully, he could see Lana's slender frame by the window, struggling to force the metal security screens off their hinges. At least until she heard the soft groan of the door being pushed open, her body freezing in its spot. He could see her whole body tense suddenly moments before her pretty little face turned around to look at him wide eyed.
"You are not trying to break my rules again.... are you?" His tone was calm and amused, laced with a hint of hunter that sent a shiver down Lana's spine as her eyes widened silently. So she had learnt to keep that forked tongue behind her teeth. Finally. Those cold eyes followed the teenage girl as she darted towards the side of the bed, standing before it like a shield for the unconscious woman. It was almost a shame, seeing her standing there silent and terrified, like a little mouse cornered by the big bad cat. Finally behaving the way she should be. But it was too late now. He would risk sacrificing her for the bigger and better things that would come from tonight's end.
"Step aside, Lana darling. We are on a tight schedule." Marcus spoke once again, his eyes staring deep into her shimmering sapphire gems. He could see the red veins that laced the sclera of her eyes, the puffy cheeks and red nose that easily told him she had been crying once again. The thought amused him as he stared at her, picturing Olivia in her spot. His stomach tightened and with one quick movement he found himself at the foot of the bed, reading out for Selene's ankle.
"NO!" Lana suddenly screamed, so foolishly stepping in his way, blocking his path to her friend; but Marcus wasn't fazed. His hand instead reached out to grab the pale yellow locks on Lana's head, twisting his fingers into her hair tightly before clenching his fist, forcing her head to move backwards with a pained yelp that decorated to room as he forcefully pulled her ear towards his mouth, letting his hot breath fall over her skin as she tried to wiggle free of his grip on her hair.
"You should have learnt by now, dear... “He cooed in her ear, his voice laced with sadistic venom that made her physically uncomfortable, and Marcus was loving it.
"This..." His hand shoved her head away from him and forced her to look at Selene's beaten, motionless body for a longer moment before bringing that pretty little face back to his.
"Is your fault." His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, a slight anger hinted in his words as his hand forced Lana's head back, making those pretty blue eyes stare into his own, and her neck bent backwards exposing her wind pipe as if he was itching to slice open the pale silken flesh.
"And every...single...time... you dare to oppose me, to go against me, to fight me... I won't waste my time on you... I'll find every person you care about and make them suffer. Make them scream and beg for me to kill them... only to send your regards." He almost growled the last words and with a sharp yank of his hand he tossed the blonde to the side like a worthless ragdoll, a few strands of her peroxide locks remained in his hand. Shaking his head he simply dusted off his palm and turned his attention back to the tattooed brunette. Licking his lips, Marcus gripped Selene’s ankle and pulled her small frame towards him as his hands fell to her body, feeling their way up her legs, his hands lingering around her hips before sliding them up her torso, feeling over her breasts and finally moving down her shoulders to her hands, gripping her wrists as he effortlessly flipped her onto her torso, putting her wrists behind her back and zip tying them together. Licking his lips his hands fell from her wrists to her perfect rear, taking his sweet time feeling over his body until he was satisfied she wasn’t hiding anything up her sleeves. He didn’t even look towards Lana but instead simply snapped his fingers and motioned for her to come to his side. It took a few moments longer than he wished, but soon enough the footfalls stopped as she stood beside the bed, his eyes peeling away from Selene to look up at Lana, watching as she struggled to keep her eyes tear free. His hands fell to her thighs; slowly sliding them up her legs, watching as she shuddered in disgust only amused him more.
“Calm down” His voice was stern and unimpressed “I don’t have the time to… enjoy you right now… But don’t you worry…” Marcus suddenly spun her around her hips, getting to his feet as his hands guided hers to meet at the small of her back before he pulled out another zip tie from his pocket and bound her wrists. Dropping his hands to her hips, Marcus pulled her against him, his fingertips digging into her with a force that left her gasping in pain, his lips finding their way to her neck.
“I will always find my way back to you. You belong to me.” He whispered against her neck before shoving her out towards the door, causing her slender frame to topple over and fall to the ground clumsily. He ignored the soft sounds of pain that slipped Lana’s lips and instead turned his attention back to her friend, wrapping his arm around her waist and picking up the unconscious woman with ease, tossing her over his shoulder as he walked towards the door, his eyes now locked on Lana as she struggled to get to her feet without the use of her arms. A smirk toyed on Marcus’ lips for a longer moment before he pulled his foot back and sent a hard kick to Lana’s hip, forcing her out of his way as her cry echoed through the house.
“Make another sound and I will gag you” He threatened, walking out of her bedroom and glaring down at her. The teenage girl seemed to get the hint as she finally managed to use the wall for support to help her up, following Marcus’ lead down the stairs and to the garage. Her eyes darted between him and Selene, wondering when the woman would wake up, frightened that she needed the hospital’s attention. Within a few minutes the trio found themselves in the garage as Marcus opened up the boot of his Jeep and tossed Selene’s small and slender body into it, slamming the door closed. His hands moved to Lana’s shoulder, pulling her closer to him again, forcing her attention onto him.
“Remember… this is all on you” Was all he spoke before opening the back door and forcing her inside, not bothering to wait for the bound girl to adjust herself before he closed the door and casually walked around to the driver side, opening the main garage door and starting the car. His eyes glanced into the rear-view mirror, watching as Lana struggled to get comfortable, attempting to see into the boot, doing everything she could to avoid looking towards him. A soft chuckle slipped his lips before Marcus started the car and drove out into the night, heading for the Abandoned Power House where the night’s fun was about to start.
There weren’t many things that could have made the situation worse for Lana as she sat tied down in an abandoned room, hearing some of the other women screaming, not knowing where Selene was, if she was safe. In the end, it was her turn and Marcus wasted no time taunting her about it. Everything turned worse when Hunter, a 24 year old gang member and assassin that Lana had developed feelings for came to pick her up. It was then that she learnt the truth about him, about his affiliation with the infamous MS-13 gang. But it didn’t stop there. Instead of getting her away from Marcus, Hunter decided to buy her as his own personal toy. He inspected her, played along with Marcus’ games and finally called Raphael – his younger brother and one of Lana’s best friends – to take her away into the car. It wasn’t until they were driving away from the scene that Hunter started to beg for Lana’s forgiveness, explaining that he only did it to protect her. But the damage was done. Seeing him like that, the things he said, they frightened her beyond belief and their broken friendship pushed him into starting heavy drugs again. Lana blamed herself and figured if she distanced herself from them and everyone that was close to the pair would make it easier for them. That’s how she lost her friendship with Blair. The only one of her friends she really turned to was her best friend Travis. It took a while, but in the end she realised how she felt towards him, how he felt towards her. The two got closer and even invited his family, Sawyer his older brother and a local police officer and his older sister Skyla who always treated Lana like a sister, a daughter. But Travis wasn’t the beset influence on Lana, his knack for trouble and disrespect for rules amongst other things made Benjamin dislike him. Her older brother explained that despite knowing how the girl felt towards him, it was in her own best interest to end their friendship. She avoided Travis after that, avoided every place they shared together. After Selene got out of the hospital and recovered from her wounds, she and Lana decided to tell Selene’s boyfriend, Chris, what or more specifically who did this to her. But it proved to be more difficult than either of them thought it would be because Christopher was a local police officer, straight out of the Academy. But more than that, he was Marcus’ partner, blinded by the professional persona that he had mastered. He wouldn’t believe the two women that Marcus was capable of doing something like that, and eventually Lana snapped and told him what the monster he so foolishly looked up to had done. Not just to Selene, but to her.
Feeling the door suddenly pull away from Lana’s forehead as it prepped the broken teenage girl up almost caused her to stumble forward into Benjamin’s frame, yet the girl seemed to catch her footing in the last moment as her head tilted upwards to glance up at the blurred image of her brother’s face, her blood shot eyes blinking away the veil of tears that smudged her vision. Following his guide, Lana stepped into his office timidly as if she had never seen the inside of the private space before, lightly jumping when the lock on the door clicked shut, taking away her means of escaping like she had done at Christopher’s house. Taking a deep, shaky breath in an attempt to calm the panic that had taken over her body, Lana’s hands slowly dropped from the hem of her grey tee shirt, tugging at the pockets of her pants, trying to form a coherent sentence in her head. Yet all the efforts seem to fly out the window when Benjamin placed the caring hand on her shoulder, pulling Lana into a hug. She tried so hard to fight the emotions that were trying to crawl to the surface, yet feeling his comforting and safe arms wrapped around her petite body, Lana couldn’t stop the onslaught of tears from falling from her eyes as frightened sobs escaped her trembling lips. Her arms wrapped around his waist, hugging him in an almost desperate manner as her face buried itself against Benjamin’s chest. She tried to reply to his question, yet the words failed to form, the sound not wanting to pass the heavy lump in Lana’s throat as she cried, causing her to gasp for air as she struggled to regain control once again. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, yet with every soft stroke against her hair and the silent protective embrace finally seemed to ease away the wave of tears that streamed down her cheeks, calming herself down. Closing her eyes and forcing herself to draw in a deep breath, Lana let her hands fall from around his waist and pull away from his chest enough to glance up at her brother with those broken, horrified and pleading wide blue eyes.
”Benny….” Lana’s whispered voice shook from strain as she tried her hardest to keep control over the panic attack that caused her to break down so badly she couldn’t even form words.
”I really messed up…and…and now Selene will get hurt again… Please don't let her get hurt...” the teenage girl finally admitted as her eyes shamefully dropped away from her brother’s gaze, scared of seeing his reaction, the very thought of it made her stomach clench violently.
Taking a shaky step away from her brother, Lana fell back into one of the chairs in front of his desk, her face falling into her hands as she drew in slow, deep breaths before brushing her hands away from her face, smudging the black streaks that coloured her pale skin, losing her fingers in her hair as she gripped it tightly, starting to sway backwards and forwards, chewing on her lip. She knew how confusing her words must have sounded and figured it would be better to start at the beginning, yet every time her lips parted to unveil the next part of her story, Marcus’ voice rose in her mind. His threats, his taunting words, those cruel eyes that bore in her memory. Lana’s fingers curled inwards, sinking her nails into the soft flesh of her scalp, a faint whimper falling from her lips at the recollections, shutting her eyes tightly while her body began to rock faster in the chair.
”He hurt her before..” Lana began to explain with her eyes still clenched shut. ”And… and Selene and I went to tell Chris about it… because they’re partners….” Her voice, although remaining quiet began to get higher as the fear entered her words, her eyes opening once more to glance up at her brother, the river of tears filling the rims of her eyes once again, spilling over the already raw cheeks.
”But Chris wouldn’t believe us because he was convinced that everything Marcus does was for the greater fucking good and we got into a really big fight and I—“ Lana’s story was cut short as another frightened sob slipped her control. Her tear filled eyes fell to her lap, resting her elbows against her thighs to prop her head upwards, the long messy peroxide locks falling over her face like a veil, hiding the broken girl away from her brother’s steely gaze. She couldn’t handle seeing his disappointment, seeing his anger, the look he would give her as he disowned her for what she did. The fear once more took over the teenage girl as another wave of shaking sobs and hysterical tears caused her whole frame to tremble.
”I couldn’t help it” Lana spoke between the sobs, still not daring to look up at her brother. ”Chris kept defending him…and I… I just… I snapped… I ended up telling them what he did…and …and… and now Selene’s going to question him.. and.. and.. he’ll hurt her Benny…. He’ll hurt her because I’m not meant to have told anyone. He warned me what would happen…” Lana’s head fall into her lap as she wept, her nails gripping the locks of hair so tightly that her nails managed to pierce through the first few layers of skin on her scalp, causing small red beads of blood to come to the surface, yet the girl didn’t seem to even notice.
”He nearly killed her last time… she’s going to get killed and it’s all my fault. I should have just kept my mouth shut… I wasn’t supposed to say… I’m not allowed to tell anyone.” Her panicked mind continued to repeat over and over until her trembling words fell silent over the hysteria that once more took hold of the girl. Images of the beaten, bruised and nearly lifeless form of Selene’s body danced through Lana’s mind, the fear for the safety of her friend made her eyes open as her head slowly peered up once more to glance up at Benjamin, her eyes wide and pleading. Begging for his help, his understanding, his forgiveness.
”I…” Lana’s shaky voice was cut off by the deep breath to fight back the lump in her throat, her hands falling from her hair to wrap around her slender waist, needing the self-reassurance.
”I understand if you’ll hate me, but please… please don’t let Marcus hurt her… I beg you… please… It was my fault. Don’t let her get hurt…” Lana’s horrified mind chanted.
Benjamin realised what had happened and managed to calm the young woman down, reassuring her that everything was okay. He took her back to his house and told her that she would from now on be staying with him again. Leaving her in Lucas’ care, a young man whom had been staying with Benjamin, he left for the night. In the morning Lucas drove Lana out to Marcus’ house to pick up her things, but when they arrived at the scene, Lana couldn’t believe her eyes. Someone had brutally murdered Marcus during the night. Calling for the police the two gave their statements before Lana was allowed to take her things later on during the day and moved into Benjamin’s house.
An article was published regarding the horrific death of Marcus Ernwood in the local paper, the Hawaii’s Chronicle.
Silence has fallen over the local law enforcement community as it mourns the loss of a veteran officer on this tragic day. Lieutenant M. Ernwood was brutally murdered in what police are calling "a grotesque butchery" of their fellow colleague. According to our resources, Mr. Ernwood was found dead on arrival on [March 3rd,] 2015. Shock and horror has fallen over the local police as they try to piece together the jigsaw puzzle left by an unknown killer believed to have been involved in numerous unsolved homicides, according to Detective L. Kershaw.
"It's quite clear that the killer is familiar with a knife. I would bet money on a medical background. That type of precision is not easily picked up by the common man." A detective commented when questioned on the matter. "We've seen stuff like this before. You see, the killer sets them up in these poses and scenes, as if he's creating an artwork." He further stated.
"A person like this seems to see beauty in death." A renowned psychologist, who remains unnamed for his own protection, provided some insight into the inner workings of this deranged mind. "Or he simply has a sick sense of humour. To put a person through so much pain, and actually make him live through it - no, we're not just looking at any ordinary serial killer, but more towards a trained psychopath. You know, like the ones you see in the movies. From the "artistic" displays, he's probably proud of his 'work', influenced by poetry, writings, and, of course, actual artworks. I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to recreate a scene from some sick little bit of literature."
Have you ever encountered a psychopath before? Please could you elaborate on what people may expect.
"Well, they're definitely not sane.." The psychologist laughed. "Basically, what we know from past studies, is that the psychopath's mind is lacks an internal personality structure, usually ruled by a sense of chaos and disorder. From that we see a destructive behaviour emerging. Often, it's self-inflicted, but there's the rare occasion that it's aimed towards others. I guess you could say it depends on the cause of the psychopathy in the first place."
How could the public distinguish a psychopath?
"It's extremely hard. Usually they mimic a perfectly normal, functioning human being. Just like you, and me. That's what makes it so difficult, you see. Any psychologist will tell you that it takes a while for any man to really dissect the mind, and get into his thoughts; once in, you might even glimpse a peak under the hood. But, it's rare."
Do you believe that this murder is connected to those that the police have suggested?
"I would be lying if I didn't suggest that there was inkling towards them. The similarities are striking and in plain sight, and if anyone should try deny it, then they'd be a fool."
Why did he choose this victim?
"That much I cannot say, but I can provide you with some speculation, guess work of course. From looking at the angle you could say that the victim, Lieutenant Ernwood, was a man who had disgraced or defiled the killer somehow; whether it is sloppy police work to a speeding fine that much I'm not entirely clear on. I mean, I've only just seen this file now.
The killer could have also just chosen him at random, you know, wrong place, wrong time; yet, the grotesque form of butchery suggests otherwise. Unlike the second victim, this seems more personal. Why else would he take more time with this fellow in comparison to the other, whose organs were used as a tool for decoration? And yet, he could also have just felt really moody on this evening."
We then went on to question another renowned psychologist, a Dr. B.M.S. Lloyd, to compare the notes provided..
So, Dr., could you give us some insight into the mind of a psychopath?
"This type of mind is truly quite rare, for only a few can truly possess the strength to bare it. I, myself, have only ever encountered one case of pure psychopathy; it was during my years as a student, where our lecturer was teaching us a module on psychopaths and we had to go off and interview a group of minds in order to form speculation as to how many people could be classified as a psychopath. I figured, why not go for the criminally convicted, to glimpse at what caused them to kill. Contrary to popular belief, the majority lacked the typical markers of psychopathy, however, there was one man that truly did not hide his true face when confronted by an avid young learner. He was convicted on numerous counts of murder and rape, and had a knack of eating bits of his victim, like Hannibal the Cannibal from the good old fashioned movies. He was intelligent, perhaps the most intelligent man that I had come across, mixed with a superficial charm and manipulation, accompanied by a lack of remorse and empathy for the victims who he had murdered. Yet, this was one truly astounding case that I was privileged to observe, and these findings cannot be rightly said about others that are deemed 'psychopaths'. An inconsistency in research performed has shown us that the psychopath is not always highly intelligent, and the person may be nothing but a brainless buffoon who enjoys the concept of killing. Findings produced by Cleckley in 1941 suggest that psychopaths are smarter than the average human being, which facilitate the superficial glib, interpersonal style and fuels the ability to manipulate others. He went on to further categorize them, and I quote: "Persons with the ability to escape ordinary legal punishments and restraints.". To rebut this argument, Hare's findings in 1991 and 2003, seemed to suggest that Cleckley's statements might be true to those who were well educated in the middle and upper-middle class. But what of the poor criminal?"
It seems like you have quite a lot of knowledge on this aspect, mind sharing an opinion on the actual crime scene?
"In all honesty, I haven't seen much of it. Only a few pictures, and of course, those you have graciously provided. But I can most certainly do my best to dissect this mind. There were two bodies found at the scene? Correct? Well, the first was less intricate more of a brutal case of 'you were at the wrong place, at the wrong time' or it could be the body of a previous victim killed earlier that night; nevertheless it seems that he wasn't as important as the other man. There seems to be a strong sense of symbolism present, even in the first body; you see the tongue has been pulled out of the throat here? In some groups they refer to it as 'the Colombian necktie' and it was used as a form of intimidation during the political unrest; however, this doesn't seem like intimidation to me, but more a silencing, perhaps? Something that shows his unrest, as if he's talking to us... The organs from this body were used to decorate the area outside the main scene, correct? We can assume that the killer is portraying the interior as a grand piece of art, something that requires a formal introduction before actually engaging in the "walk through". He's showing off the trophies of the body, what holds us together as humans - the heart that beats, the brain that thinks, and the lungs that breathe - for example. He's preparing us for the horror that lurks within the 'condemned', the source of evil, as he sees it.
And then, it all comes crashing down as he removes each vital component of the second victim, and situates it in such a manner that you cannot help but wonder if there is not a deeper meaning to the 'artwork' instead of it being some brutal slashing. No, this killer isn't like that - he likes his ego stroked, he wants the world to see what he is capable of - by leaving the man exposed in such a manner, he was looking to humiliate him, to expose his inner workings to the public, suggesting that there was more to the lieutenant that meets the eye."
Sorry to interrupt, doctor, but are you suggesting that Lieutenant Ernwood had something to hide?
"No. I'm simply providing you an insight as to what and how I see these killings; I could be completely wrong about the significance of each placement of organ and the scene; if this individual is a mind that I can only assume it is, there is something definitely deeper than a casual killing of a lieutenant."
Moving on to some personal issues, do you find it ironic that your sister happened upon the body of the family friend?
"First of all, I did not agree to address personal issues with you. Secondly, let it be known, on record, that the victim had no relationship with my brother or my sister, for that matter. He was only my father's friend, and even then our father wasn't our father. So I cannot comment on such an issue."
After leaving the experts to dissect the meaning of the crime scene, we decided to take another look into these horrific events that have most notably left the island scarred. We were lucky enough to gain an interview with the individual who happened to stumble upon the crime scene before anyone else. Miss Lana Lloyd, a troubled sixteen year old youth, was left in the guardianship of the late lieutenant Ernwood, who provided her with safety and protection like the paternal figure she lacked. And now, it was only to be stripped away from her, leaving her orphaned in the world once again...
We managed to gain a few words from Miss Lloyd regarding the horrific scene that she was forced to endure when she happened upon the 'kill site'. She was initially reluctant but with some warming up and kind words, she offered to provide us with an exclusive of her frightful discovery.
How was it that you came to stumble upon the body?
"Well... I needed to pick something up from his house, it was still quite early before most people went to work... And there... It was hard not to miss it, you know? The organs decorating his garden like a f-ing Christmas Tree... it was horrifying... I didn't even know why I went inside after that... But there he was..." Miss Lloyd answered with fear in her voice.
What was your reaction to the crime scene?
"I was sick. Sick to my stomach. Literally. This isn't some shit you see on a TV screen and make a face... Even seeing photographs wouldn't be as bad. You don't have the smell, that thick air that seems to suffocate you and turn your every nerve on edge. I panicked. I couldn't even run away from it. I just stood there, horrified."
Mr. Ernwood was a family friend from our accounts. Could you tell us what he was like? Off duty.
"He wasn't what most would have expected him to be. If you want me to tell you how he came home to a pair of comfortable slippers and a pipe as he gets comfortable in an old recliner chair, you'll be disappointed. Besides, I doubt this really matters. Those who knew him... knew what it was like. Those who didn't should keep their nose out of someone's personal life."
Do you worry, that as a close family friend you might be in danger yourself?
"No. If whoever did this wanted me, I'd be in pieces there with him."
And, if the person responsible for his death is currently reading this, what would you have to say to them?
"Thank you."
A man had been horrifically murdered, and you would thank them? A personal family friend? Your carer?
"What goes on behind closed doors is no business to the public. Marcus wasn't the man most saw him as, and he got what was coming to him."
Miss Lloyd was obviously deeply disturbed by what she had been forced to deal with today, and so she left before we could ask any additional questions regarding the statements she had provided to us. Hopefully, we'll be able to address this issue further as time goes by. But a word of caution for the public: while the police refuse to admit it, there seems to be a psychopathic killer on the loose.
Never once did Lana suspect the truth behind the brutal murder nor did she care. She knew the type of person Marcus was, and the crowd he mingled with so it was no surprise that he finally found himself on the other end of the spectrum. After moving in with Benjamin, Lana had distance herself from the traumatic experiences and many people that she believed had gotten hurt on her account. In those few short months she lost almost all the friends she had, but in turn grew closer to Oliver. One of Benjamin’s students, a young college student whom her brother took under his wing. He even found his twin brother and allowed Lucas, or Rocco as others called him, to live with them. Her life seemed to finally get back on track. One night when Benjamin was working late and Lucas was out, Lana invited Oliver over to watch some movies and have pizza. The twenty one year old of course came without hesitation, but looking back at it she wished he never did. The two fell asleep on the couch when the house alarms went off moments before three men came after them. Oliver told Lana to run, and while he tried to stall them he got stabbed. Lana ran out of the house and towards their car to try and escape to go get help. But her get-away plan was ruined. This was how she met Shiloh Vassue. Blackmailing her into behaving, Shiloh called for an ambulance to save Oliver’s life while he took the girl away, unknowingly taking her back to where she was held captive before. The abandoned power house. His men got rough with her, but in the end it was Shiloh who broke her ribs and kicked her in the face only to take a photo and taunt her older brother, Dennis. Leaving her behind in the abandoned power house, Shiloh went to give her brother a visit, unknowing to the fact that the man who hired him – Dimitri Ernwood – would come to wait for the Lloyd sibling.
Dimitri checked his phone for the hundredth time tonight, itching for the minutes to pass faster until everything fell into place just as he planned. It was a simple thing even for a mindless brute that he had to deal with. The man was just as much of a selfish asshole as he was, so he should have no problems erasing the younger of the two Lloyd brothers. The scenario couldn’t have been better laid out. Get the family’s Princess, lure the idiot away from his gang and recreate the sentence that Benjamin had dealt to their father. Their real father. Not the pathetic idiot that Michael Scott had turned out to be. Dimitri had enough time to find out all the dirty secrets about the Lloyd family, some coming from Marcus’ mouth as he gloated about his acts, others from pure curiosity about his half-brother. The perfect one that everyone seemed to adore. The esteemed professor who had more secrets than others could comprehend. A twisted, smug smirk spread over his wintery lips as the hour finally came. Grabbing his keys and tossing on a leather jacket to match his black jeans, Dimitri climbed into the car he was ‘borrowing’ for the time being and made his way over to the abandoned power plant where Marcus mentioned last having dealt with the little peroxide spit fire that supposedly resembled his ex-wife so much the man couldn’t contain himself. Twisted as he was, even Dimitri didn’t find a drive for the undeveloped ones, but he wasn’t there to judge his father’s taste. Least, not overly. The night was quiet for a change, a cool breeze falling over the usually hot tropical islands while distant storm clouds threatened to block out the silver rays of the moon that illuminated the night. He rolled his car to a stop in a nearby empty parking place, deciding to walk the rest of the way as he pulled out his favourite hunting knife, the silver blade glistering in the night as he twirled it this way and back, strolling casually towards the abandoned building. It didn’t take him long before his long strides lead him to the outside doors, the rusty doors pulled open. Arching a curious brow, Dimitri glanced around before noticing a man walking around the side of the building, but what caught his attention more was the paper bag with a big red “M” written on the front. Did he seriously leave to get fast food?
”Pathetic” He spoke in a disappointed manner just as the man seemed to notice him.
“Oi!” The man shouted in attempts to get Dimitri’s attention “Fuck off man if you know what’s fucking good for you” The man continued with his slurry of immature threats making Dimitri’s eyes roll with an evident disgust in his features. He stood by the door, unfazed as he arched a single brow at the guy, watching as the brute dropped his bag of hot-food goodies and cracked his neck, stalking towards Dimitri in what most would have called a threatening manner.
”Did you honestly just leave your hostage alone? Have you even checked if she’s still there?” Dimitri questioned which made the man’s eyes widen, clearly unsure if he was one of Shiloh’s other minions or someone else. But for whatever reason, the man didn’t seem too happy, shouting obscure threats riddled with swear words at Dimitri before charging towards him. Dimitri simply stood where he was, waiting until the man was close enough, watching as his arm drew back to throw a punch at the seemingly oblivious man. The moment the window of opportunity was opened, Dimi took it, reaching out with his knife as the hunting blade sunk between the man’s ribs and piercing his lungs, twisting the wrist sharply to make the blade pop vertically between the two ribs, dislocating them before he yanked the knife out sharply with trained precision. Stunned, the man looked at Dimitri wide-eyed before stumbling backwards and falling to the ground. Without as much as a second look, Dimitri stepped into the dark building, pulling out a small torch from his pocket and walking inside, searching for the little blonde bait that would lead her brother straight to him. It didn’t take long before the long white beam of the flashlight spotted a body on the ground making Dimitri chuckle to himself, stalking closer towards the girl. She wasn’t moving and for a moment he wondered if Shiloh had actually grown a pair and took out the sibling before Dimitri could have his fun, but as he drew closer he could see the slight movement of the girl’s chest.
”Interesting” He muttered to himself as he walked over to her body, setting the torch down on the ground as he kneeled beside her, rolling the girl onto her back as much as he could with her arms chained behind her back. The crimson glistered against her ivory skin, causing the now dirty platinum locks to stick to her face. Carefully with the bloody tip of his hunting knife, Dimitri pulled her hair away from his face without cutting a single blade of her hair before his the slightly warm metal of his knife traced the black bruise on the girl’s face that no doubt came from Shiloh and his men. Tracing the tip of his blade down her cheek, he let the blade hook into the black material that was in her mouth, forcing the now damped with blood and saliva cloth to fall from between her lips and fall lazily to the ground beside her face. His head tilted from one side to the other as he examined her face, her features, slowly drinking in the curves of her slender body that were visible beneath her tight tank top and the short denim shorts that clothed the girl.
”I honestly don’t see what he found oh so fascinating about you…” He spoke in a disappointed tone. And there he wasn’t meant to have judged Marcus’ taste in women. Getting to his feet, Dimitri left the flashlight on the ground, deciding to have a quick tour of the abandoned building as he waited for his prize to arrive. Without as much as a second glance, he left the teenage girl on the ground, his footsteps neither quiet nor careful as he made his presence through the building known.
Tap…tap…thud…tap…tap…tap…thud
The sounds echoed in Lana’s mind as bright light pushed aside the darkness that had seemed to take over her mind. Yet the more the girl seemed to break free of the slumber, if one could call it that, the more the pain reared its ugly head as the throbbing ache in her face started to get too much to ignore. A faint groan left her lips as Lana squirmed on the ground slightly, trying to open her eyes yet her lids felt too heavy, as if something heavy lay over them. But with a louder groan and a little more force, Lana finally opened her eyes, seeing only the bright light in her face. With a light hiss she closed her eyes again before forcing herself to blink the feeling away, her dazed state left the girl confused until she tried to move. The sound of metal scraping against the concrete floor and her arms bound behind her quickly made her recall everything that had happened. Falling asleep in Oliver’s arms. Waking up to the alarm going off. Running. The drive there. Shiloh…
Son of a bitch! She cursed mentally, drawing a deep breath before putting all her efforts into sitting up. It took a few tries, but eventually Lana found herself on her rear, trying to tug her legs under her to help her balance, all the while pulling at the restraints that held her in place. She didn’t know how long she had been there, yet the never ending pain that throbbed against her face was enough to tell the teenage girl that it wasn’t very long. Her eyes scanned around the lightly lit room for something that could help her escape, but there was nothing. Just dirt and broken pieces of glass scattered over the floor, the random flashlight illuminating the open room they found themselves in and herself.
Tap…tap…thud…tap…tap…tap…thud
The sound grew louder and louder before Lana realised what the oddly familiar tapping was. Footsteps.
”Ah, I see the Sleeping Beauty has awakened the unfamiliar voice spoke from the shadows, making Lana’s head spin around towards where the male’s voice was coming from. It wasn’t Shiloh that was for sure, the thick Russian accent that lingered in the man’s voice erased the possibility of everyone and anyone she knew. Swallowing drily, the bitter taste of the cloth still lingering on her tongue as those sapphire eyes struggled to make out the man’s features. At least until his footsteps brought him closer into the small ray of light from the battery powered device. Her eyes focused on his face, the shadows making him appear darker and more sinister. Or maybe that was only the sadistic smile that he wore upon his lips, or the odd extension of his arm. Lana’s eyes followed the length of his right arm until her eyes fell upon the bolt cutters in his hand, making her eyes go wide as she quickly tried to shuffle away from him but the stinging pain in her ribs quickly stopped her movements as a sharp breath slipped her lips.
”Now, now… don’t do that..” Dimitri’s tone was oddly soft yet laced with an amused taunting vibe that only made Lana’s heart race nervously. Her eyes were focused on the man as he stalked closer to the girl, holding the cutters out. Lana tried to move away, but nothing seemed to work, no words dared to slip her lips as he leaned over her. She felt the cold metal on her fingertips as Dimitri traced the blades up her fingertips, a sudden frightened sob made him arch a brow, his twisted smile widening while the teenage girl looked down towards the ground. He watched as her eye shut tightly, her body becoming tense as she un-doubtfully prepared herself for the wave of pain. Pulling the metal cutters away from her fingers, Dimitri looked down at the metal chains holding her in place and smirked.
Tink
The sound seemed to echo in the silence around them as the wire cutters broke through the metal of the small padlock that held her chains in place, letting the metal slide off her ivory skin with ease, showing the darkening bruises that had formed from her struggles.
Lana’s eyes opened suddenly, her whole body relaxing moments before she quickly brought her arms forward, rubbing the tenderness away as those innocent and frightened eyes peered up over her shoulder to look up at the man that seemed to be her saviour.
”T-thank you…” She whispered, her hands falling to her lap as she shifted to sit more comfortably on the ground, holding herself up by her arms, clearly trying to find the strength to get to her feet, but her body failed her. The strain of the pain seemed too much for the girl to cope with in that moment, making Dimitri’s smile turn colder. Twisted.
”You’re welcome, Princess.” He spoke the word carelessly, yet the moment the pet name fell from his lips, Lana’s head jerked towards the man, her eyes frightened and calculating. No one ever called her that other than Benjamin. At least, not since Michael Scott’s death. Even Marcus didn’t call her that.
”You know… you look so… beautiful…” He spoke the words slowly making Lana’s heart start to race again and push herself away from him, using her hands to clumsily attempt to get to her feet.
”Covered in those dark bruises” Dimitri continued, knowing that the taunting words would only frighten her more, yet the pure honesty that fell from his lips couldn’t be hidden. He slowly stalked towards her, his hand gripping her upper arm, making Lana scream.
”NO! Let go! Please!!” She begged as he slowly and surprisingly gently pulled the girl to her feet.
”You have that perfect skin…” his grip on her arm tightened fiercely, enough to start to make bruises. A pained whimper left her lips as she tried to tug free from his grip, but just like Marcus’ iron hold – she couldn’t escape.
”To mould…” he added as if simply talking to himself.
Lana’s mind rushed with thoughts and fears. It was as if she was living a nightmare, walking through a brand new scene she couldn’t escape. The mention of her childhood nickname brought memories of her father to her mind, the sadistic glister in his eyes reminding her of the looks Marcus always gave her before things turned bad. She couldn’t escape it, no matter how hard she tried. Her free hand moved to his arm, trying to pry his fingers away from her flesh, but he didn’t even seem bothered by her nails tearing into his skin. Just stood there, watching her. Observing.
”Let go, let go, let go!!! Fucking let me go!!” Lana pleaded, her words almost turning into a sob as her knees turned to jelly, unable to withstand the stress but his hold on her arm kept her standing.
”Just… please… let me go… please…” Lana’s words were broken by uneven breaths of air and a shakiness in her tone that only came when the damned lump formed in her throat. For a moment she thought it would once again fall on death ears, but suddenly the grip on her arm loosened and the teenage girl fell to the ground yet again, her arm instinctively wrapping around her chest where Shiloh had kicked as if holding onto her rips would make the pain ease. Her eyes dropped to the ground, spotting the wire cutters lying beside the chains that held her captive, and only one thought seemed to reach her mind.
Grab them
Lana’s eyes finally moved away from her target to peer up at the man who was standing above her, watching her with an odd curiosity. The same look Lucas had when he was making another sketch. An odd determination and contemplation, as if visualising a drawing that hadn’t been put on paper yet.
”Who are you?” Lana questioned quietly, an unusual timidness in her tone, hoping that maybe playing the sweet game would end better than every time she tried to fight.
Dimitri’s smile grew more confident as he looked at her, the very question making him laugh as he knelt down in front of her, his arm reaching out for her ankle.
”Me?” He questioned amused. ”I’m the devil in disguise” he offered a wide and confident grin before yanking on her ankle and forcing the girl closer, a sudden surprised gasp making her fall backwards, the sound of her scull hitting the concrete made him chuckle darkly, a soft ‘tisk, tisk’ falling from her lips.
”Now… let’s draw your brother a picture, shall we?” He asked, arching a brow.
The small bump made Lana groan as her already sore head buzzed uncomfortably, her eyes closing momentarily to try and fight against the grogginess that the ache seemed to bring on, before his words slowly dawned on her. Her brother? Who would want to do anything to Benjamin? But then it quickly dawned on her. It wasn’t Benjamin. It was Dennis. Her eyes went wide, looking at Dimitri with a sudden realisation, the shot of adrenaline making her eyes harden as she yanked her ankle free, and like before sent a heavy kick towards him, the flashlight this time illuminating enough to make her know where she was aiming. His kneeling position had him perfectly exposed as her slender foot collided with his ‘jewels’ making him stumble backwards in pain, cursing in a groan. Without wasting a moment, Lana forced herself to her feet, starting to run for the door, but before even managed to take a few steps, she felt a rough tug on her hair. Stumbling backwards, Lana gasped, her arms flailing to try and regain balance, but that seemed to be a bad move. The hand that gripped her moved from her hair to her wrist, and with a sudden yank and a loud crack Dimitri easily dislocated her wrist, making Lana cry out in pain and fall to the ground.
”Oh, no, little one… this isn’t how this game is going to work.” Dimitri’s voice turned darker, his Russian accent making it difficult to understand his words, but it didn’t appear as if the teenage girl cared what he was saying as she sobbed on the ground, her pleading and apologising muffled and broken by her pained sobs. Oh how he loved that sound. Keeping a hold of her wrist, Dimitri dragged Lana along the ground to where the metal chain rest beside the wire cutters. Dropping her wrist, he watched as her arm fell lifelessly to the ground, her body squirming to try and curl in on herself, shaking as she sobbed in pain, clearly trying to move her fingers but every small flinch of the joint sent another gasped cry echoing from her lips.
”You’ll be my perfect little canvas.. and I’ll paint you crimson and black… you’ll look so beautiful when I’m done with you” Dimitri cooed, once again kneeling down beside her. This time his hand moved to grab the chain with one hand, the other taking her hand. Lana screamed and cried as she tried to pull her hand away from him, managing to roll over onto her knees as her other hand punched, pushed and shoved to try and break his hold on her, but nothing seemed to work. Dimitri paused for a moment, looking from the chain, to her arm and back up at her blood and tear stained face, the dark bruises claiming her pretty features.
”Tell me, Lana…. How many times can your bones break before he shows up?” Dimitri questioned with that same honest curiosity. But the teenage girl didn’t seem to hold the same excitement as his words sent another wave of blubbered, pleading words, begging him not to do it as if her cries were meant to deter him. Without as much as a thought, his other hand wrapped the metal links around her slender forearm, twisting the chain around the circumference of her arm, taking an end in each hand before giving him a handsome and charming smile.
”Count for me…” he purred in a tone that almost sounded exotic before he roughly pulled at the chain ends, causing the metal links to roughly wrap around her slender forearm. The sound of the snapping bone was muffled by the piercing cry that left her lips, followed by the ever satisfying sound of agonising sobs that echoed through the abandoned building, her body falling limp on the ground as he relaxed the chains, moving them further down her forearm as he watched the blood pool beneath her skin, turning the ghostly pale hue black, as if demons had reached out from hell itself and tried to claim the girl. With a sadistic smile, Dimitri didn’t give the girl a warning as he repeated the action but a few centimetres below the previous fracture, filling the building with another, louder set of screams.
But it wasn’t Dennis who ended up coming to the abandoned powerhouse, but Shiloh. Seeing what he was doing to Lana, to the one person he could use as a body shield, to use her in exchange for his own life in case Dimitri failed in his little plan, the man stopped him and bargained her into his care. Taking her to the hospital to get fixed up, Shiloh used the preface of domestic violence to explain what happened to the teenage girl. He didn’t let her leave his site and when she finally woke up, patched up and on heavy pain killers he made it clear that if she didn’t do as he told that he would go to see Oliver again. Fearing for his life, Lana agreed and after Shiloh tripped the fire alarm the two of them managed to escape from the hospital. He gave her pain killers to help her function and baited her with chocolate to peacefully come with him despite having killed a police officer in cold blood right in front of her. Deciding to behave, Lana went along with him, getting into the car as him and his men made their way to their safe location. But the trip there didn’t go as smoothly as either of them intended.
Managing to awkwardly half push herself along the seat, Lana sat as close to the opposite door as she could manage, devouring the chocolate bar hungrily. Her eyes closed for a brief moment, taking a deep breath and letting herself enjoy the taste before curiosity got the best of her. Pulling at the edges of the white bag, Lana peered into the white bag, seeing the clothes inside. Or a specific piece of clothing to say the least. Eagerly she pulled it out of the bag, seeming not to care about anything other than the large, grey sweater in her hand. Anyone with a brain could tell it wasn't hers, the exotic and sophisticated scent of Benjamin's aftershave still lingered to the clothing. Curling it up into a ball, Lana hugged the sweater to herself as if it was a teddy bear. The familiar, comforting and calming scent of Benjamin's aftershave seemed to be enough to calm the teenage girl down as she relaxed against the window of the car, letting her eyes close. She hadn't even realised the pain had faded, or how easily sleep was welcoming her once again.
"All this, for that little bitch?" The sudden words made Lana's eyes snap open, attempting to glare at the driver but the lazily hanging eyelids made her look more dopey than anything. With a disgruntled huff, Lana looked at what else was in the bag, pulling out one of her 'gig' dresses, before watching as a pair of flip flop thongs fell to the ground. Who on earth grabbed this little outfit? She looked down at the shoes, her feet managing to turn them around the right way up, slipping them on. She lifted the short, body tight black dress, looking at it before glancing down at her cast before looking over the dress again. Shaking her head, Lana started to pull the dress up her legs, managing to her knees before starting to struggle over her slender thighs, turning, shifting on the car seat in an attempt to pull the dress up higher, she didn't even realise what she was doing until she fell off the car seat and onto the ground below, the sudden fall making her cast twist awkwardly, hitting her on the head.
"Fucking cunt!" She hissed in utter frustration, deciding to give up.
Shiloh shut the door behind Lana, and got into the passenger side. The driver started the car up and they were on their way. The police car sat idly only a few yards away from the alley, the lights still flashing red and blue. It won't be long before it’s found, and an investigation is started. He twisted the knife in his hand, careful not to get what little blood still stained the blade anywhere. "A dead cop? Seriously? As if I didn't have enough bloody shite to worry about and now this?" The driver tried to whisper but failed, unable to keep his voice from rising. "All this, for that little bitch?"
In a flash, the blade was at the man’s neck, Shiloh holding it just a hairsbreadth away from a major artery.
"That 'little bitch' is detrimental to my health," he said almost inaudibly as he looked to the man from the corner of his eye.
"Unlike you...So do well to remember that." Shiloh removed the blade, throwing it into the locked glove box that they lined with plastic wrap for instances like this.
The driver finally managed to take a breath, holding it for fear of getting sliced open by accident. His face was shiny with sweat, the sheen of it bouncing light from the passing cars. Shiloh could hear Lana struggling and he turned his head just as she fell to the floor.
"That eager to get out of your clothes, huh?"
Just as he said that, the driver started to slow down. They made it to their first stop. Picking up two more on the way to their final destination. Shiloh got out of the car and opened the back door, the street both ways were dark and quiet. They were just outside of the city but not far. Traffic was much lighter out this way since it was a long stretch to anything civilized.
"C'mon," he said as he helped coax Lana back into a comfortable position on the seat. He then slid in next to her as the door on her other side opens and a tall, man with tattoos on his face gets in forcing Lana in the middle of the two. A woman got in the passenger seat that Shiloh forfeited. "Landry, you tool we've been waiting!" The woman said.
"Bollocks, I've been hauling you twats everywhere since this mornin' and ya took two hours, so kindly sod off." Landry said. The man who sat beside Lana said nothing as the car started to move again. The two in the front seat continued to bicker as they made their way to their destination. They stayed just on the outside of town to avoid traffic, traveling along the outer roads beyond the main highway.
"So what have we here?" The man finally spoke, using his left hand to grab Lana's hair and inhale deeply. "Like blood and soap."
Shiloh's eyes were shut and it was safe to assume he fell asleep. Perhaps that's why the man didn't speak til now. He continued to eyeball Lana, letting his hand fall from her hair down to the hem of her hospital gown, his other hand shot up to cover her mouth. "Don't squirm. I wonder if you've got anything on under there. Let’s play Doctor." His sour breath invaded her space as his hand slid up her bare thigh, his tongue ventured out of his mouth to travel the side of her face.
A snapping noise followed by the sound of a pained strangled scream stopped all conversation in the car. The driver must have pulled over since everyone felt the jolt of the breaks. Shiloh held the wrist of the man tightly in his hand, bent at an awkward angle. It was definitely broken. He then shoved the arm back at the man and got out of the vehicle. He didn't bother shutting the door. Lana was alone again for those few panicky seconds before the door beside the man flew open and he was forcibly dragged out by his shirt, landing hard on his back as he dragged him a few more feet away from the car.
Shiloh’s left hand went to the man’s neck as he held him down, his feet on either side of him as he punched him repeatedly in the face. He said between each hit,
"I'd appreciate it....if you could not.....fuck with....my guest, Jimmy."
Before Shiloh could throw the next punch Jimmy dared to say, "You mean the hostage!?" And then instantly regretted it when he saw the look on Shiloh's face change and contort. From inside the car, Landry and the woman looked on.
"He's gonna kill Jimmy. Landry, do something!"
"The hell do you want me to do woman? He'll kill me."
She gave him a pointed look before getting out of the car. Landry followed, leaving Lana in the back. Landry grabbed Shiloh from behind and pulled him off a limp Jimmy, his face bloody and barely recognizable. The woman helped pry Shiloh off, both of them needed to keep him from beating their 'friend' to death.
Shiloh took a deep breath and spit blood and saliva at the human punching bag. He stood and shook off Landry and the woman.
"Ava, you're in the back. I'm driving."
It was that incident that somehow turned everything around for Lana. She knew the man was dangerous, a complete jerk who nearly killed her …friend… on top of everything he did to her. But in reality, compared to the others that she was forced to endure the presence of these last 24 hours, she quickly realised that Shiloh was her safest bet to keep herself alive. For one, he seemed to want to keep her alive also, and so far he had no intention of letting anyone else hurt her. Touch her. Which was a worry that had crossed her mind considering what had happened in the past. Taking more pain killers and finally managing to fall asleep, Lana woke up almost lunch time the next day in a rather nice room in a resort at the beach. Everything felt so different then. She was oddly calm, trusting. She knew she had to do anything to stay in the man’s good books, but it was more than that. She found herself getting along with him. Conversations, arguments, he even brought her smokes and cigarettes. It was evident that she had dropped her guard around him, and more than that she began to trust him. See in him hints of good, that there was more to him than just a killer. Maybe it was the horror of the recent events, or the kick to the head, she didn’t know – but for some reason Lana found herself clinging to the good that she saw in him. Her trust towards Shiloh only deepened when their time away at the resort was broken by a notification from Dimitri. A phone call that changed it all.
Dimitri waited silently on the line until he heard a sound indicating the phone was passed. The simple sound of Shiloh's breathing into the receiver was enough. Dimitri didn't bother to wait for Shiloh to speak before he started to talk.
"Let me make this clear to you. You don't contact me. I'll get in contact with you. And you do not get your pathetic monkeys to try and find out intel about me, especially when done so poorly. Understood?" Dimitri's voice was cold, professional although a hint of sadism slipped his tone at the last word. But after a moment he continued to talk.
"Now your little game of 'chase to the power plant' failed. And I do not like being disappointed like this, so while I go hunting, you just make sure that the Princess you carry with you stays alive. She's part of my grand finale, after all. Now. Dispose of Dennis Lloyd, or it won't be them you will have to worry about. Do not fail me again, Vausse." Without another word, the phone line went dead. When the line went silent Shiloh still held it to his ear for a moment, listening to the rain hit the windows. He slowly lowered the phone.
"Well that answers that question," he said in a low voice dripping with acid.
"Who was that?" Beck dared to say. Shiloh shot him a glance meant for Dimitri and hurled the phone at the wall, shattering it to pieces and leaving a slight dent in the drywall.
"That Russian bastard!" Landry looked like he cared but not enough, shrugging off the fact that his phone was long gone.
Beck scoffed, "Did you go and piss off all of Hawaii?" Shiloh didn't answer. He turned to Lana.
"He wants you." It was as if the world fell away for a moment and there wasn't a room full of other people. It was just her and him. For some reason, everything was okay when he didn't think Dimitri wanted anything to do with the girl, but now that he's made it perfectly obvious he does, something's changed. He almost felt a little protective of the 'princess' he kidnapped. But it was more than that. Getting the recurring feeling of having someone sadistic like Dimitri over him again caused him to tremor deep inside. He just got out from under the thumb of Christov and Jerrek. He didn't realize how great freedom tasted til only a few months ago. He thought for a moment, 'what if I sided with them'. With the Lloyds and his former Organization members. Dimitri seemed to be the biggest threat to them all. Pick the lesser of two evils, if you will. Shiloh shook his head. He'd think about it later.
"New plan. You've all been officially hired as Lana's body guards. Think of her as a second me. If second me dies, first me is going to be very, very pissed."
It was up to Shiloh to figure out how they would avoid Dimitri trying to get to Lana, knowing that their time in the resort would be numbered but even he didn’t realise just how short their stay would be. In the late afternoon one of Hawaii’s famous tropical storms hit, turning the sky black and casting the perfect cover for what was about to happen. It was then that Lane, an old ‘colleague’ of Shiloh’s and the man hired by her brother Dennis came bursting in through the window. Not knowing who it was or why he was there, Lana screamed for him to leave Shiloh alone and in that moment of confusion Shiloh knocked him out. He wanted to kill him but Lana begged him not to, and for whatever personal reason he agreed. When Lana woke up in the morning the two were sitting around together, talking, thinking of another plan to keep Dimitri away from everyone. The plan after that was simple. Return to the islands, keep a low profile, keep Lana away from Dimitri while they waited for Elexus to take the man out. But in the process of laying low, Lana grew more comfortable, and with that came boredom of sitting around all day doing nothing. While at lunch with Lane and Shiloh, a waiter suggested that if they were looking for something to do in town they should stop by the Halloween Event, a family friendly Halloween themed carnival. Shiloh wasn’t keen for the idea but after Lana’s persuasion he finally agreed. Lane dressed up as the Goblin King from Labrynth to keep his identity secret, while Shiloh went for a more simple choice of a vampire with fake blood and fangs. Lana’s peroxide locks were hidden beneath a black wig as she dressed up as a school girl version of Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family.
But what was meant to have been a fun night out turned into something horrific. While out trying to choose what to eat, Lana ran into Travis for the first time since Benjamin had asked her to stop seeing the teenager. She was on edge, knowing that Shiloh was watching her every move and despite how hard she tried to appear normal to Travis – the boy knew her too well, especially with her rather pathetic inability to lie. He figured out that something wrong was going on and connected the dots to Shiloh. He called his older brother, Sawyer, for help and they ended up meeting together. Lana told them that she was safe and begged Sawyer to at least let her have the night out before taking her back to Benjamin’s house. They agreed, although refused to part ways with her and the stranger she so oddly trusted, going together to the Haunted House. A scare maze where Dimitri was waiting for them after Sawyer foolishly confirmed that the ‘missing girl’ was somewhere at the event. The maze seemed normal at first, full of generic scares as they made their way through with Lana taking the lead, too excited not to. At least, until the scares turned all too real and she saw Dimitri posing as one of the scares. Frightened, the teenage girl ran ahead, trying to reach the exit but before she could, Dimitri took her in the moment she separated herself from Shiloh, gagging her and locking her into a prop Iron Maiden with historically inaccurate spikes on the inside that only added to the scare of the prop. But he wasn’t done. He wanted more than to simply take Lana back, he wanted to teach Shiloh a lesson.
Drawing the man out, Dimitri knocked him out, dragged him to the storage room where Lana was kept in the Iron Maiden and sat him down on a chair, tying him down with chains making sure that Shiloh sat where the small slit for eyes in the Iron Maiden allowed the gagged and trapped teenage girl to watch everything thing that was happening. Shiloh stirred awake, opening his eyes and realising he was chained up but no matter how hard he struggled he couldn't get free. Lana tried to scream through the material that was shoved into her mouth to keep her quiet, trying to somehow free herself from the claustrophobic casket. Hearing her muffled somewhere, Shiloh called out to her but Dimitri walked into his view, ensuring him that the girl was fine, but he wouldn't be. Pulling off the mask he was wearing and revealing himself to Shiloh, Dimitri began to taunt with him, letting his knife cut into Shiloh's cheek, dropping it to his collar bone.
"Now... a little birdy told me... you decided to go against me" Dimitri taunted, slowly starting to dig the sharp hunting knife into Shiloh's collarbone, watching as Shiloh tried to be his usual cocky self, to deny the grunt of pain. Taunting with him, Dimitri pushed the knife deeper, twisting it as he did, watching as Shiloh's face contorted with pain, hearing that gut wrenching noise slipping through his clenched teeth filled Dimitri with the satisfaction, especially when Shiloh told him to hurry up and kill him already.
"Oh, but I'm not going to kill you" He promised, pulling out the knife from his collar bone and twisting it in his hand so that the young woman could see the glistering of crimson against the blade before bringing it down Shiloh's chest to cut open his shirt.
"I'm going to teach you" He corrected Shiloh, starting to cut into his chest. The man tried to remain sarcastic as his shirt was pulled open but even Shiloh couldn't hold back the guttural scream that got lost in the cacophony of the haunted house.
"Lesson learned" Shiloh breathed harder, "We can all go home now."
"Oh, I'm not sure you've learnt this" Dimitri taunted, bringing the blade down from Shiloh's ribs all the way down to his left hip.
"What do you think Princess?" He mused, the very faint muffled screams of the girl finally joining the conversation.
"Lana" Shiloh spoke through gritted teeth, looking up at Dimitri. "What do you want with her? She isn't useful to you or your plans"
"I think someone should learn to pay better attention" Dimitri mused, tapping the tip of the blade against Shiloh's nose, leaving a crimson smear behind. "I've already told you. She's part of my grand finale. But don't worry, you won't have to play baby sitter anymore" He promised, grinning down at Shiloh before slowly sinking the tip of the blade into Shiloh's chest, close to his heart yet careful not to do too much damage. He still had so much in store for him.
"Yeah I remember. Was hoping you forgot" Shiloh smirked at him before his screams once again filled the room.
"You'll find I have a very..." He taunted the dark haired male, slowly pushing the blade deeper, twisting the blade as he did "Very good memory" he watched in a sick, twisted pleasure as Shiloh screamed in agony. But their fun was short lived when Travis suddenly tackled Dimitri. Yanking the blade out of Shiloh’s chest he stabbed the teenager, seeing that Lane followed into the room Dimitri wasted no time as he ran out of the room, wanting to separate them again. Sawyer joined them moments later as Lane chased after Dimitri, leaving Sawyer and Travis to get Lana out of the Iron Maiden and Shiloh out of there. Getting into Sawyer’s car, the small group decided to head towards Sky’s house. Her ex-fiancé was an assassin also, so she was used to this sort of scene, and with a medical history she could help. The night was long as they were patched up, leaving everyone to rest. Sawyer tried to question Lana regarding what happened, but she was too frightened to tell him any details, knowing Shiloh would be mad if she said too much – again.
But the rest was cut short when Sawyer suddenly left the house with Lane following after him to make sure nothing happened. But while they were away, Dimitri took the opportunity to break into the house and made his way up to Sky’s children’s room, using one of her twin babies – and eight month old Temperance – as leverage. Threatening to kill the child, he made his escape but not before telling Skyla to bring Lana to him, alone, giving the woman a very specific time frame. She agreed and using the visit form the local patrol with regards to her triggered alarm, her and Lana left the others to meet Dimitri. Having figured what the monster had done, Lana tried to reassure Skyla that it was okay, that she wanted to exchange her life for Temperance’s safety. But they never would as Skyla accidentally drove through a red light and another car crashed into her. Leaving the conscious yet disoriented teenager in the car, Skyla ran off to meet with Dimitri to explain what happened and get her daughter back. It wasn’t long before Shiloh reached the crash site, waiting with Lana to go back to the hospital.
The sound of distant beeping machines, people rushing and hushed whisperers surrounded the teenage girl, but none of that seemed to bother the peroxide blonde. It was as if someone had stuffed cotton balls into her ears, blocking out everything other than her own thoughts. We did everything we could the nurse's words echoed in her mind, the sound of Skyla's broken sob surrounding her, over and over again. Temperance was dead. One of Skyla's five month old twins was dead. Because of me, Lana's broken voice finally spoke up in her mind as a nurse lead her over towards the hospital bed, telling her to sit down before cleaning up the cut on her forehead, using the Dermabond glue to pull the torn layers of epithelia together, avoiding using unnecessary stitches. The once playful and mischievous glimmer of Lana's bright, sapphire orbs stared at the nurse with a blank and broken stare, watching her lips move yet not a single word entered her mind as the events of the past few days replayed in Lana's mind. Inviting Oliver to Benjamin's house to keep her company while Benny and Lucas were out. Falling asleep in his arms as they watched a movie. The alarm going off as Shiloh's puppets broke into the house. Seeing the panicked and determined look on Oliver's face as he told her to run. Seeing the blood covered knife as Shiloh twirled the weapon in his hand, making the moonlight illuminate the dripping blood. Feeling the overwhelming panic when she realised he took her to the abandoned powerhouse where Marcus had sold her to Hunter, feeling the pain spreading through her body as Shiloh added the extra 'touch' to her distressed look. Dimitri snapping her arm over and over again. Shiloh taking her to the hospital. Threatening her to play along otherwise Oliver wouldn't make it. The run. The police officer Shiloh killed. The man he beat to a pulp for attempting to touch her. Waking up in the resort, the clothes he got her, going swimming together at the beach. The cigarettes, the chocolate, the anger in his eyes when Dimitri told Shiloh he wanted her. Conning Shiloh into taking her to the Halloween event. Running into Travis for the first time since Benjamin had told her not to be friends with him. The argument, how Sawyer got involved. Watching as Dimitri tortured Shiloh before her eyes. Travis getting hurt, the time spent at Skyla's house until Dimitri found them again. The accident on her way to trade herself for Temperance. Watching as Skyla ran off, but to no avail. It was too late. It's all my fault Lana's voice blamed herself as her stomach twisted violently, her heart pounding in her chest. The nurse continued to try and talk to her, to get her attention, but nothing seemed to work as the broken minded teenage girl stared out into nothingness as the images rushed through her mind violently. If she had never gotten Oliver involved... if she had never conned Sawyer into letting them go to the Halloween event... If she never got Travis involved in all of this. Everyone would be fine. Temperance would be alive, Oliver and Travis would have never gotten hurt. None of them would be on Dimitri's radar, all because he wanted her for his sick, twisted games. It's all my fault the words repeated in her head.
At least until her name was spoken. In that tone, that familiar tone. As if water had suddenly unblocked her ears and the cotton buds were pulled out, the sounds suddenly engulfed Lana, her head turning away from the nurse, looking at Shiloh with the same empty stare. It was obvious that the near-seventeen-year-old was hardly holding it together. Her mind could only handle so much. The fear, the guilt, the confusion, the doubt, the pain. It all swam in her eyes like an open book before her gaze finally parted from him, looking down at her arm, blinking in confusion as she saw the new clean cast. Yet every time she closed her eyes, she could still see Shiloh's blood on her.
"It's clean" She finally replied in a faint whisper, daring to look up at him, tears threatening to come to her eyes.
"Shi... I need to get out of here..." She added, her voice shaking with emotion, the lump in her throat evident in her torn voice. The nurse frowned at the idea, looking at Shiloh with a dismissing look, yet seeing the state that the girl was in made her sigh.
"You still need to get your head scanned, darling. But.." Her eyes looked up at Shiloh with weary eyes.
"We can take you out of the ER. This place can be scary, so why don't we go get you into a room until the doctor is ready, hmm?" The nurse questioned, but Lana wasn't paying her any attention, her eyes looking at Shiloh with a pleading gaze. She didn't want to be near the others, not when Dimitri was still out in the open, using people close to her as bait.
Shiloh glanced at Lana, the broken look in her eyes struck him in a weird place. Like he didn't want to see that look in her eyes again. But what should he care? She was nothing to him. A human shield. The only thing protecting him from Dennis. Yet she was a magnet for Dimitri. She was trouble. Yet he kept her by her side, stuck with her and will continue to do so without looking too far into the 'why'. He glanced at the nurse after she spoke. "Of course. That would be best." At that the nurse led the way out, weaving through the crowded hallways, the cacophony of beeping and talking and groaning, til she turned a corner and walked down another hall, and stopped. She walked to the left, her hand on a doorknob, turning it and revealing the inside. It was a mostly empty room with a few cupboards and a sink, paper towels and soap with a single bed and a bunch of things on the wall behind it. The IG canisters were dusty and the monitor was sitting with a dark screen.
"She can wait here," the nurse said, allowing them to walk inside.
"How long," Shiloh caught her before she closed the door. "Do you think it will be til we see a doctor?"
It was a normal enough question. The nurse smiled but that wary look was still in her eyes. "He'll be in as soon as he can. We are very busy today, and he has several patients."
Shiloh smiled at the nurse as she closed the door behind them and his eyes immediately started looking around. Some rooms had cameras for psych evaluation. His eyes hit one in the corner. "Lana, there's a camera in here. No audio, but they are probably watching us." Shiloh cursed under his breath. "If we made a break for it they'd catch us before we even got down the hallway."
The sound of beeping machines began to fade as the nurse lead the two away from the emergency room, away from the shuffling feet and muttered voices of busy hospital staff, panicked patients and worried loved ones. The strong scent of bleach faded from the air as they finally stepped into one of the quieter, or at least in comparison, halls of the hospital. But the change of scenery didn’t seem to aid the teenage girl, the defeated look still lingering in her one brilliantly shimmering sapphire hues. Walking deeper into the room, Lana leaned against the hospital bed, her eyes locked on the ground until the nurse mentioned that she would be taken to the doctor as soon as any of them were available to see her.
”No need.” she tried to protest, but the words came out in a horse, broken whisper that was hardly audible to her own ears. Waiting around to go scan her head for any injuries seemed rather pointless to the teenage girl. It was nothing than a small bump to the head, didn’t even need stiches; nothing anywhere near as painful as the kick that Shiloh had delivered to her only a few days ago. Those blue orbs seemed locked on the ground by her feet, not even fully registering that the nurse had already gone, not until Shiloh mentioned not being able to walk down the hallway without being caught. Suddenly her head snapped up to look at the dark haired male, the emotions still swirling in her eyes as she fought back the tears that dared to come to her eyes.
”No.” she spoke up, her voice gaining a few more decibels. ”I can’t leave the room.” Lana corrected him, once again letting her eyes drop to the ground as she shook her head, recalling their conversation in Sky’s spare room and his plans to bail while Sawyer was gone and everyone was asleep. Even now he has a clear shot of getting what he wanted. Away from Dimitri.
”Shi… why did you stay?” she asked softly, not bothering to hide her confusion, to hide how thankful she was that he decided to stick around, for whatever reason. She needed him. Dennis, Benjamin, Oliver, Travis, Sawyer, Skyla, even Lane… they were all capable to their own extent, but against someone like Dimitri? They didn’t stand a chance. And the last 24 hours simply proved that. It didn’t make sense to her, why she felt so oddly safe around Shiloh. One would think that being around a police officer would have been better, away from the manipulative grip that Shiloh had over her. Away from the black mailing threats and violent outbursts. And yet, the ruthless paid-gun, bounty hunter or whatever he actually was, felt like the safest best. Maybe because he didn’t drag others into the mess; unlike her.
Slowly Lana finally pushed herself off the hospital bed, daring to lift her head enough to let her brilliant blue hues fall upon Shiloh’s face, drinking in his features. The look in his eyes, the way his jaw clenched, the way his veins would protrude above his left temple whenever his temper flared.
”I’m sorry… This is all my fault, I’m sorry Shi… “ her voice was weak, defeated, straining not to let it shake with every spoken word that fell from her pale lips. She could still envision the blood on his old shirt that matched his Halloween costume far too realistically. She could still remember the overwhelming scent of the metallic blood and it made her stomach twist violently.
”You warned me not to go to the Halloween party… You said that it was a stupid idea and I didn’t believe you… And now…” Her voice gave out once again, yet her eyes remained on him. She couldn’t bring herself to speak the words out loud. To admit that Sky’s child was dead because of her, yet the nurse’s words repeated over and over in her head. To admit that because of her, even more of the people she held dear to her were in danger. That even more people got hurt.
”I wanted to fix it.” Lana’s delicate voice lingered in the air like a hex. ”Dimitri gave Sky a way out, and I just… I knew what was going to happen when Sky asked me to go with her, and I figured that it would all end there. That once Dimitri had what he wanted, he would stop. That he wouldn’t care if you were gone so long as he had me again, and with me by his side he’d leave Sky and Sawyer and Travis alone…” She couldn’t hold his gaze any longer as the tears began to flood the rims of her eyes, threatening to spill across her pale cheeks once again, blurring her vision.
”I just wanted you guys to be safe…” the words fell from her lips just as the droplets fell from her eyes, guiding their way down her cheeks and pooling at the edge of her defined jaw before falling onto Travis’ shirt.
Her free hand quickly dried away the tears the best she could, wiping the back of her palm on Travis’ boxers, looking away from Shiloh’s figure. She didn’t have the courage to look at him any longer. Instead, her eyes found their way to the hospital window, offering a brief distraction, a chance to regain self-control. Taking a deep breath, Lana tried her hardest to block out Shiloh’s presence for a few moments as her eyes scanned the hospital gardens. Being on the bottom floor of the hospital it gave her the perfect view of the glistering sun falling upon the deep green, neatly trimmed grass. The few benches that lined the concrete paths decorated by rows of colour flowers and low maintenance tropical shrubs that added to the overall appeal of the gardens. Out there, the day looked so peaceful, as if a veil had been placed over it, protecting it from the cruelty of the world, from the dangers that lurked in every corner of the outside world. The patients outside appeared so relaxed, strolling along the paths, enjoying what must have been a blissfully warm day, carrying with it a delicate breeze, free of the hospital scents. Yet as the teenage girl glanced outside, slowly managing to regain her breath, her eyes suddenly locked on a figure standing just off to the side, barely within her view.
Lana’s body turned ridged and her heart seized it’s movements within her ribcage, as if winding her up before someone let go of the key, kick-starting her heart. Hope and joy filled her eyes as the sapphire gems turned wide, a loud gasp leaving her lips.
”OLIVER!” Lana suddenly cried out, her palm hitting the closed window, causing the entire glass to tremble from the force. It was him! Oliver! His features screamed exhaustion and the normally smile that melted her heart had vanished from his face. He looked utterly drained, as if someone tried to wake him up too early. But it was him. Up! Alive! Lana’s heart pounded quickly within her chest making her breathing accelerate and remind her of the strain in her broken ribs, but the teenage girl didn’t seem to care, or even notice in that moment. Quickly, the peroxide girl spun around so quickly that her long bleached blonde locks wrapped around her like a mystic spell, regenerating her mana.
”Shi! I need to go see him! Please!” the teenage girl begged, stepping up to Shiloh to lightly grip at his shirt, her eyes pleading and desperate, finding a new spark of hope and not letting it become extinguished.
He question caught him off guard, and it took him a second to think about what she was talking about. Then it finally dawned on him, and he sighed heavily. “I was musing. Just talking. It's not like I was serious. I'd be running for the rest of my life if I did that..” Shiloh thought, trying to convince himself of his own words. He shook his head instead of answering her. It didn't matter why he stayed, except that he did.
As soon as Lana started apologizing for the party he sighed. He was ready to tell her it wasn't her fault, that if he really didn't want her to go, she wouldn't have. It was his fault even more than it was hers, if at all. However, before he even got a word out, she mentioned fixing it. That if Dimitri had her, it would all go away.
"That's the solution to your problem? Giving up!?" Shiloh's voice raised a lot higher than normal, keeping in mind that they were on camera. "When will you learn that Dimitri doesn't stop. If he wants you, he'll get you and take down whoever he wants with you, weather you go quietly or not." Shiloh shook his head, exasperated, and walked to the other side of the room to face the wall. Rather than look at her face, at how helpless and guilty she looked. It frustrated him. He replied to Lana's final sentence with his own.
"It isn't your job to keep us safe." The room fell silent, the distant beeping of machines in the hall were muffled by the closed door, the insulated walls. Shiloh knew they couldn't stay in this room. The police have probably been called, upon realizing Lana is Lana. Her brothers might even get called in. This was NOT somewhere he wanted to be for long. His thoughts, that were increasingly becoming filled with growing anxiety at the situation were abruptly broken with Lana's voice uttering a name he'd vaguely remembered.
"Hart? Isn't that the guy we stabbed and would have left for dead?" Shiloh saw the longing in her eyes, how excited she was, how sick it made him that just the sight of Oliver had this much effect on the girls mood. He outwardly sighed, and rubbed his eyes. "We just discussed the fact that we can't leave the room, Lana. And with Dimitri on our asses do you really want to involve him more than you already have? You're reckless and that, Lana, is what gets people hurt." He knew it might sting, hearing these words but it was the truth. And reality was an ugly thing. Besides, Oliver Hart was of no use to him. Only a pawn that would get in the way.
The guilt and sadness had faded from Lana’s eyes as her gaze fell upon the young man who meant so much to her. So much more than she was willing to admit. And the fact that she saw him there, alive, walking… It sent a rush of hope through her, of happiness. She wanted nothing more than to run across the garden and hug him. But that joy was short lived when she saw Shiloh sigh, quickly her fingers uncurled from his shirt, taking half a step away from him as he reminded her that they couldn’t leave the room. Yet it was the mention of Dimitri that reminded Lana of the situation they were in, the very thought of Dimitri anywhere near Oliver made the teenage girl tense fearfully. She knew what Dimitri was capable of, she had watched seen it over and over again. But it was the simple, plain and honest fact that her recklessness got people hurt that stung the deepest. Lana’s eyes widened ever so slightly and her chest tightened, staring up at him as if he had just slapped her across the face. And with those words? He pretty much could have; it would’ve hurt less. She knew that he was right, she had told it to others, to herself so many times. Yet hearing someone else saying it, hearing him say it… so bluntly, so honestly… it sunk deeper than before, stung worse than before. He was right. If not for her impulse to invite Oliver over in the first place he would have never gotten hurt. If she ever bothered to think about what her actions could lead to, none of this would have happened. If she just did as she was told… She wouldn’t have gotten Oliver messed up into any of this, or Travis, or Sawyer and Skyla, and Temperance would still be alive.
”You’re right.” Lana muttered softly, dropping her gaze to the ground as her feet started to carry her back towards the hospital bed.
”I’m sorry….” the teenage girl managed to whisper moments before footsteps fell outside the door, while a brisk knock broke the tension and an older man stepped into the room with a friendly, yet tired smile spread across his lips.
“Hello, hope I’m not disrupting anything important” the doctor spoke casually as he glanced from the sad looking girl towards the male, assuming that it was still the post-traumatic experience of being in a car crash.
“My name is Doctor Malcolm.” He explained as he walked deeper into the room, leaving the door open as he walked over to Lana, bending down slightly to try and meet her eyes, although to no avail. Her sapphire hues were still locked on the ground, refusing to look at the doctor, hearing him sigh.
“Do you mind if I have a look at the cut?” He questioned in that same friendly voice that almost made Lana sick. Shaking her head ‘no’, the teenage girl lifted her head slightly, tilting it to the side to give him better access to the cut on her forehead. Brushing her peroxide locks out of the way, the doctor looked over the neatly cleaned up wound and nodded to himself.
“The nurse sure has cleaned it up well. But we’re still going to run a basic scan – “ Dr. Malcolm began to explain, but Lana interrupted him simply.
”We know.. The nurse explained. Can we do it now? I’d really like to go home” Her eyes finally lifted to meet the doctor’s gaze, her empty and beaten expression making her appear more drained. Both emotionally and physically, and who could blame her? After the crash and being left alone at the scene? The doctor simply nodded his head.
“Of course. Well, shall we go on then? The room is just down the hall” He explained with a smile before glancing at Shiloh, although quickly moved his gaze back to Lana. Almost as if he was avoiding looking at the man.
Nodding her head, Lana slipped off the bed and started to walk towards the door with the doctor following closely behind her, stopping by the open door as Lana made her way out into the hall.
“To the left, Miss Lloyd.” The doctor said with a smile before turning back to Shiloh.
“This won’t take too long, you’re welcome to wait here if you like.” The doctor added, yet his tone shifted from the friendly and warm manner he spoke to Lana into a more stern tone, as if his suggestion was more than that.
Lana glanced back towards Shiloh when the doctor less-then-suggested for him to stay behind, but before they had the chance to argue, the doctor stepped out himself, closing the door behind him while guiding Lana down the hall.
"We're going to run a simple MRI scan, to make sure there is no internal damage from the hit to the head" The doctor began to explain.
"But it's just a small cut" Lana pointed out confused, glancing over at the older doctor as they made their way to the scan room. He shook his head, opening the door for her to enter where two nurses were already waiting for them to arrive.
"No, Miss Lloyd. This is for the hit to the head you were meant to have done before you...left" the doctor explained, making Lana's eyes go wide. Her heart raced in her chest, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly hot. Her chest was rising and falling unevenly, not knowing what to do.
"I.. ugh.." she stuttered, but the doctor only shook his head and gave her a warm, reassuring smile.
"It's okay, Miss Lloyd. You're safe now. We'll get you checked up, and the police will be here any moment. Now, why don't we get started. Do you have any piercings we should be aware of?" Dr. Malcolm questioned, making Lana nod her head as she brushed aside her hair to reveal the row of piercings on her ear making the man chuckle.
"I see, well, could you please remove them? Then the nurses will help you onto the bed and we'll get started." Lana watched him silently, still wide eyed and shocked. How did they know? They remembered? What were they going to do to Shiloh? Blinking away the confusion, Lana started to take out the piercing in the helix of her ear, setting them down onto a nearby table before walking over to the MRI machine as the nurse began to explain how she should lay down and where to put her head.
"It won't take long" the nurse reassured her before they stepped out of the room, leaving the teenage girl alone for a brief moment before the machine started. The police car came to a sudden stop in front of the emergency entry, passing Skyla and Lane outside as they rushed into the hospital, the nurse at the reception already instructing them the way towards the room where Shiloh had been left to wait.
This was the start of the downfall. Lana’s broken mind could only cope with so much stress, so much hardship without rest, without the ability to fully digest what had happened. She started to slip up with reality, hearing voices. Laying down, waiting for the MRI scan to be taken, the fire alarm sudden went off, the sprinkler system going off and Lane busting into the MRI room only a few moments later, explaining that they had to go. Following him out, they made it outside just in time to watch Shiloh get arrested. Something in Lana started to break, crack under the pressure. Lane took her to Skyla’s house again, but Lana hardly registered what was happening. She was hallucinating, lost in her own world. It wasn’t until he spoke to Saywer and arranged to take her into Witness Protection, setting her down on the couch and waiting for Tate to arrive that Lana even realised they moved.
Tate made his way over to a chair nearby and sat down, wondering what he could do for her. Maybe the smell of food will help. Perhaps she needed some pain medication for her arm? Some sleep pills? He knew how hard it was to get someone in her state of mind to do anything willingly. Tate sighed, "You know he really likes you." He was referring to Shiloh, and he knew she'd know. "He might hide it, or not show it, but he does. And I've never seen him care about anyone quite like you before," he smiled at the end, knowing she wouldn't respond, but showing her the decency of conversation anyway. Weather the words reached her ears or not, they needed saying, because otherwise, they never would.
The fog seemed to surround her mind like a wild serpent waiting for the perfect time to sink the deadly fangs into her sanity, poisoning it with the broken fragments of her tragic life. The teenage girl stood silently, staring down at the ground yet the sight of her bare feet on Sky’s floor, on the grass in front of her house, began to blur in and out of her vision, masked by the white vapour that crept around her. She could hear voices, masked whispers that tried to break through the barrier of her broken mind.
I wish someone would decide for me.
What happened to her?
Out of my fucking life!
Kill yourself, whatever, do it.
He’s trying to help
We leave Lana with Lane
The whispered snippets of the conversation in the world around her slipped into Lana’s mind, but the girl couldn’t find the strength to list the fog from her mind, to find her way through the pale emptiness. Her eyes were locked on the ground, but her mind was elsewhere, trapped in its own reality as the voices continued to mutter in hushed whispers, nothing but a mumbled mess of voices trying to reach out to her, to drag her head even further beneath the fog of insanity. Like a ragdoll, Lana’s body moved on its accord, following the rushed pulls, the tight holds to ensure her safety. She felt herself being lifted from the seat she was on moments ago, and yet nothing was registering. The world moved past her in a blur, but it was as if her brain had secreted its own form of narcotics, leaving her dazed and delusional, but it was simply the severe sleep deprivation mingled with the mental stress of the recent events. The young peroxide blonde had been awake since the morning of the Halloween event, and even the night prior to the exciting family event she hadn’t gotten more than four hours sleep as usual, and her mind couldn’t function with the exhaustion, keeping itself awake only on adrenaline and anxiety. And now Lana felt as if her mind was relapsing through microsleeps on a constant loop, almost as if she was sleeping while still functioning, suffocating on the fog. Her eyes finally closed, shutting them tightly as the ever continuing string of whispers faded from her mind. As her eyes opened once again, she was no longer inside Skyla’s house. She had no idea where she was, but before she had the chance to even lift her head and look around, Tate’s body suddenly came into her view as he sat down in front of her. Lana blinked her eyes a few quick times, almost as if trying to wake up from a dream but it wasn’t changing. He was still there, talking to her. And the words that slipped her lips stung enough to make a sharper breath hitch in her lungs. Lana's mind drifted to Shiloh, to everything the two have been through. Meeting him at Benjamin's house, how terrified she once was of him, of what he did, of what he was going to do. Hating him for letting his men hurt her, take her...but that all changed. Slowly, one little thing after the other, it changed. The pills, the chocolate, the clothes, their time spent together at the beach, everything just swam in her mind.It isn't your job to keep us safe Shiloh’s words echoed in her mind, making her heart race a little faster, that familiar stomach clenching fear swimming through her veins. He was in jail now, she saw it… she saw the officer cuff him and recalled Lane promising to fix it. It was all there, in her mind, repeating over and over again. But before Lana had the chance to say anything, Tate once again got to his feet, leaving Lana on the couch, staring at the unfamiliar living room, unable to hide the confusion on her features. She could remember everything that happened before perfectly, down to the feel of Lane’s calloused hands on her lips, or the smell of the doctor’s cologne as he led her to the MRI room…and yet she couldn’t remember how she got there. Who with. Where were they now? Wasn’t she with Lane before? Lana’s head moved to drop into her hands, trying to catch her face in her soft palms, but the moment she moved her arm, the jolt of pain shot through her arm, making her whimper in unexpected pain. Her breathing quickened as the pain refused to dull, dropping her arm back down to see the saturated mess of plaster and unwinding bandage wrapped around her forearm. Her teeth moved to bite down on her lip, but as her tongue traced against the soft flesh, feeling the mark where she had bitten through her skin, she decided against it. Without saying a word, Lana got to her feet, her body feeling as if it weight a ton but she didn’t dare to let it show as she walked through the unfamiliar house, heading down the main hall and peering into every door until she found the bathroom, closing the door behind her and walking over to the sink. Turning on the cold water on full, Lana dipped the cast under the water, using her index finger to push away the white plaster before slowly undoing the elastic bandage from around her arm, ditching the wet cloth onto the edge of the sink, letting the cold water run over her arm, allowing it to numb the inflamed, black blue and red skin that now covered her arm. Sapphire orbs stared at her arm as if seeing it for the first time, remembering every break, every pull of the chain, every painful shatter. Her eyes welled with tears looking away from her arm and up into the mirror. Yet as her eyes opened, her reflection wasn’t the only one there. Behind her stood the wrinkled, long and rather emotionless reflection of Marcus, his deep blue eyes stared at her with a twisted satisfaction.
This is what happens when you refuse to be a good girl, Lana. He spoke, his raspy deep voice muttering in a whisper behind her. With a frightened scream, Lana whipped around, but he wasn’t there. Just an empty, unused and pristine clean shower, with her own faint reflection in the clear glass. Her heart thumped in her chest, her stomach twisting so sharply she wanted to gag. Shutting her eyes, Lana shook her head and fell to the ground.
”This isn’t real, this isn’t happening… he’s dead.. he’s dead…” She muttered to herself. And if you say anything, so will be the tattooed brunette. Marcus’ voice spoke up, making Lana look up to see him crouching down in front of her, a twisted smirk on his face. This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real… he was dead, she knew he was… she found his body… Saw his missing organs, how his genitals had been removed, blood coming out of his mouth with eyes wide open and terrified, holding his own organs in his hands. The twisted images burnt in her mind, that twisted sharp pain in her stomach getting worse and Lana barley moved quickly enough to throw her head over the toilet bowl, coughing up bile, feeling it burn the back of her throat and her mouth as her stomach tried to throw up the empty content, tears streaming down her face from the pain, the memories, the fear.
What little emotion she could master to express fell from her features the moment he popped her bubble with reality. She didn't want pills, didn't want something that needed to go down her throat and into her stomach that was still clenched in a tight not. She wanted the nicotine in her lungs to go directly into her system, wanted the morphine in her veins to numb her instantly. But it wasn't his fault, and she wasn't about to hold the grudge against him.
"Oh" Was all that managed to slip from her lips as she watched him drop two white pills onto his hand, recalling when Shiloh had first given her the pain killers, how quickly they worked. Remembered taking far too many at once and sleeping through the entire boat ride to the resort. Sleep... something that the seventeen year old hadn't experienced much of ever since witnessing her mother's murder, and all the tragic events that followed after. Night terrors haunted her mind into the brink of insomnia until only sleeping pills were capable of putting her frightened young mind to sleep. Even after the move, when everything seemed to have fallen into place as she lived safely in the school dorms, Lana needed the blissful aid of a sleeping pill to sleep more than four hours.
Her hesitation towards the pills was evident as her fingers curled around the two white pills, taking a slow, deep breath to keep herself calm as he offered her the water.
"Thank you..." Lana whispered softly, evidentially still contemplating whether she wanted to take the pills, to feel that burn along her throat but knowing if he was anything like Shiloh he wouldn't move until he's watched her swallow the pain killers. So without another wait, Lana dropped both of the pills onto her tongue and downed the glass of water quickly, swallowing the bitter pills along with the water. She felt them slide down her oesophagus and into her still turning stomach, feeling it rumble uneasily. And just as she had figured, once she took the pills Tate finally moved away again, leaving her to rest. And deep down Lana knew that she should. Laying down onto the couch, Lana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for the pain killers to do their job and soothe the throbbing pain from her broken arm into a dull ache that she could handle once again. But as she laid there in silence, awaiting that sweet release that Tate promised she would get, Lana couldn’t stop the thoughts creep back into her mind. Time passed quickly as she laid awake on the couch, the thoughts of Dimitri filled her mind. He was out there somewhere, hurting who knows who else to get to her. And he only wanted to get to her, to get to Dennis. What if he changed his mind? What if he had already killed her brother? Dennis had promised to keep in contact with her, that he would call every few days to check up on her. But he hasn’t. He hasn’t called once. What if he was dead? What if Benjamin was dead? The panic creeped through her mind, making Lana’s eyes shut tightly as her chest rose and fell quickly, her breathing accelerating and becoming erratic, depriving her mind of the much needed oxygen as she began to hyperventilate.
Panicking, Lana sat up quickly, her eyes snapping open, feeling her head swimming with dizziness as she did, gripping Travis’ shirt desperately. The wooziness only made her stomach twist and turn, and like in the bathroom moments earlier, Lana couldn’t stop herself from heaving, not having enough time to run into the bathroom she ran into the open kitchen, leaning over the sink as the water she just drank, mixed with the stomach acids once again came back up. Tears stung her eyes as the peroxide blonde leaned over the kitchen bench, her hand slipping slightly and hitting the knife rack, making stainless steel knives scatter across the counter, some falling onto the floor. She watched as the silver blades moved against the white marble kitchen top, her fingertip reaching out to trace the blade of the carving knife until they wrapped around the hilt, her eyes going wide, remembering the first Thanksgiving dinner after her mother’s death, how the already drunk Michael-Scott held the carving knife, his hand on her head, waving the blade beside her face.
See my pretty Princess… This is going to cut that into tiny little pieces. His slurred, deep voice spoke with that twisted amusement, the whiskey on his breath ruining the perfectly cooked and prepared feast.
Look at what you’ve done! Michael-Scott’s voice shouted from behind her in that same slurred, furious tone he always had whenever his drunken-self stumbled onto her toys.
”I didn’t mean to!” Lana retorted, backing up away from the kitchen sink, not even realising that her hand gripped onto the sharp carving knife, staring wide eyed at her father’s drunken figure.
Maybe I should teach you a lesson, Princess? Her father’s voice shouted the threat, advancing towards her quickly, his body elongating as he approached her, making her feel just as small as she was when she was seven. She watched his hand clench into a fist, moving to punch her with one swift motion. Lana’s body fell to the ground, eyes shut tightly, holding up her hands to her face, the knife almost cutting into her delicate flesh as a piercing scream slipped her lips. When the pain didn’t come, Lana’s hands lowered away from her face, daring to open her tear stained blue eyes. But instead of seeing her father’s frightening figure, Lana’s eyes fell onto the motionless body of a pale blonde female, her once perfect porcelain skin was covered in blood and darkening bruises, her chest still as her open eyes stared up at her with tears still lingering in her sapphire blue eyes. An almost spitting image of Lana.
”NO!!” the teenage girl screamed, trying to crawl closer to her mother’s motionless body, yet the moment her hands fell to the ground, her broken arm gave out from under making her fall face first onto the floor.
Just tragic… An intruder, a thief… Michael-Scott’s voice spoke from somewhere behind her, sound distant and almost apathetic.
”I SAW YOU!” Lana screamed, tears blurred her vision, leaving only her hallucinations in clear view, her mother’s face staring at her.
”YOU KILLED HER! I WATCHED YOU!” Lana screamed, scattering on the ground to grab the knife again, gripping the hilt tightly as she pressed her hand against her torso, the knife resting against her stomach, the sharpened blade facing outwards, as if she was preparing to swipe at anyone who came near.
She was a pathetic whore. Marcus’ voice joined in with her father, his footsteps getting louder and louder echoing around her.
”STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Lana screamed, her blue eyes looking up – up they weren’t quite there. She wasn’t seeing the safe house, just her visions. Her hallucinations. Watching as Marcus stalked her, the want evident in his glistering eyes.
”DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!” The peroxide blonde screamed, holding the knife out in front of her protectively, swinging it blinding around her while her legs kicked against the floor to push her away from the man, her back suddenly pressing against the wall.
I’m going to make you a good girl… You’ll be my good girl… and good girls do as they’re told. Marcus taunted, leaning down to put his hand on her inner thigh, trying to push the boxers she was wearing up.
”DON’T TOUCH ME” Lana shrieked, her voice, her face, her eyes filled with pure terror as she brought the knife down onto his hand. But there was no hand. There was no Marcus. Instead the carving knife cut into Lana’s delicate flesh, the blue silk boxers she was wearing quickly turning crimson as she forced the blade deeper into her leg.