The Runaway

Did he mean those words or was he just playing along? She didn't really know what to think, stepping away, however he stepped after her. His hand against her cheek made her feel vulnerable. Gods be damned she had missed that, just feeling him like this, feel his hand or just anything really. But it seemed like she was getting more, he leaned down, and her lips moved carefully against his. Sighing as he pulled away, she held her eyes closed, not wanting to look at him with the sad eyes she knew she had right now. It felt like torture, and as he stepped away, saying those words made her angry. How could he so effortlessly kiss her only to suggest she needed to be with someone else? She wanted to yell at him, grab him and pull him close, remind him that she didn't want him to decide who she was or wasn't with. The best solution right now was just to let him go, despite what she needed.

The weeks seemed to pass. Ayalla had been gone for a week now, and Ethan was finally taken out of the coma. Sitting up he was disoriented, a throbbing in his head and a ringing to his ears. He couldn't even hear what the doctors were telling him. Even speaking seemed hard on him, often forgetting words or just staring silently in to the air. The doctors reassured whoever was there to visit that it would be temporarily, but that they were unsure if it might leave something unknown problem appear in the future.

Since Ayalla had gone, Gareth decided to come instead, sometimes to be met by a Darren that definitely wasnt happy to see the daemon when he had figured out what happened. But at the same time, they were there for Ethan, so he wasnt going to say anything to him. Gareth nodded at the doctor's words before he stepped in, unsure what to say or do. He sat down by the bed and folded his hands, frowning as he was quiet for a bit. "I need you to get better," he mumbled, biting the inside of his cheek like he hadnt really planned on saying that. "She needs you to get better," he corrected himself, lifting a hand to scratch the side of his neck. "She refuses to eat or do anything till I take you to her. And if I dont, she'll be sent back to the facility," he explained, knowing it was probably a lot for someone who had just woken up from a coma. He shook his head and rubbed his face, "I was really just trying to protect you," he mumbled, looking at the human with tired eyes.

Ethan felt it hard to reply, stumbling a bit over his words, but he seemed to get some sort of sentence out. "G ... I'm ... Sorr-," he slurred, but he had to place a hand against his forehead as he tried to contain the headache rising. The doctor reminded them that it would take some time, that they had to do some more work before he could get back to functioning completely normal. Ethan's throat felt dry, but it was mostly from the tubes that were finally out. His voice, when he did speak, was hoarse and didn't really sound like him. "I ... See ... Heee-er?" he stumbled over his words, but he hoped it made sense. If she saw him she would freak out, but at least she would see that he was alive and not half dead. Gareth had seemed to apologize, but Ethan didn't know what to think of it all. Also he was wondering where Ayalla was, last he could remember she was there.
There was a small knock on the door, and a small white haired girl stuck her head in. Her features were almost that of a doll, looking around the room until she saw Gareth. A smile appeared on her lips as she stepped in, but she wasn't sure of what to say. "Hi ..." she said before looking at Ethan, her head popping to the side as she looked at the human. They both were so familiar to her, but she could see they didn't recognize her. "Oh ... That's right," she mumbled, digging in to the pocket of her light blue dress and taking out a piece of paper that she handed to Gareth. "I was asked to bring you this," she said, moving over to sit down on the side of the bed with Ethan. She was strange to say the least, Ethan staring at her with confusion and then at Gareth as if to ask if he recognized her from somewhere.

The paper:
I hope this letter finds you well. I know you're probably wondering where I am and to that I can only reply that I'm back at my owner's facility.
We said so much to each other, I just wish I had a chance to tell you what I really wanted. I hadn't planned for me to write this, but I'm entering an experiment and I don't know if I'll be able to survive; But it will hopefully help with Vanessa's freedom in the long run.
I just wanted you to know that I do love you, I think I won't ever stop loving you, but I also know that you don't think you're worthy. Don't think that. Just relax a bit more and when you find the one you care about, pull her close and tell her what you're feeling even if you get scared.
Tell Vanessa that's I'm sorry. Sorry for not being the friend she deserved. Tell Ethan that I hope he survives, and that despite it all I did consider him a friend. Also, tell Darren that I didn't use him - I care for him, he feels like a brother I never got to have, and now never will have.
This is already too long, but I hope whoever delivers this to you won't be taunting.
Yours forever, Ayalla.

"If she saw you now mate, she'd lose it, and probably kill me" he said with a small chuckle, though it wasnt really that funny. "Hell I deserve it, but let's give you a day or two to get better first," he remarked, not because he was trying to save his own skin, but make it easier for Vanessa. The door opened and he turned his head to see a face that somehow looked familiar, but he wasnt sure who he was looking at. "Uh... Hi," he mumbled, narrowing his eyes a little. She pulled out a letter and he tilted his head to the side. He opened it and started reading, looking up as he felt Ethan's eyes on him. He shrugged to let him know that he didnt recognize her, turning his eyes back down to the letter. "Make yourself comfortable," he just told her as he then went from a neutral expression to a far more serious one. He shook his head and slapped the side of his face with a flat palm. "You gotta be fucking kidding me," he muttered before he packed the letter away, getting to his feet. "I gotta make a phone call," he mumbled as he stood for a moment and looked at the girl, then he made his exit. It was a short call and he seemed to come back more agitated than he left. "Ayalla's done some bullshit. I dont know how to fix this," he explained with a deep sigh. "I hate you guys so much and your fucking hero complexes," he muttered, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

Ethan frowned, offering the young one some of the fruit a nurse had come by with. Nodding at Gareth's glare he just watched a bit weary. That was until the daemon's expression seemed to change. Ethan already felt a bit overwhelmed, confused as the daemon walked out, talking about a call. When he returned it hadn't seemed to help, but the young one got on their feet, popping a piece of melon between their lips. Reaching out they touched Gareth. *I know an Ayalla,* the sweet voice sounded in only his head, tilting their head to the side. Images of Ayalla flashing for Gareth. *I'm Veela,* the voice spoke softy, almost giving him a rundown of who they were. Or at least how much they themselves knew.
Gareth would know that Veela was in fact a vessel, though the surroundings of their creation was shrouded and a bit cloudy. He would know that they had very little understanding of basically anything, but that in their mind they seemed to recognize both Gareth and Ethan. "Wuss ... Goin' ... On?" Ethan asked, his voice hoarse as he pulled a pained expression. Veela let go of Gareth, stopping the flood of information, but he would now know where Ayalla was being stored.

Gareth looked at little surprised as the white haired girl seemed to reach out for him, but he didnt move away. He looked at her with a puzzled expression and then she started talking in his mind. He found it a little weird, but he just listened quietly, eyeing Ethan shortly; hoping that he wasnt really aware of what was happening. The information just seemed to flood his mind and suddenly he felt like he knew everything. He looked at Veela and shifted between their eyes. "Take him to my mansion. I think you know where that is," he said as he pointed towards Ethan. He got up and clapped Ethan's shoulder. "It's your lucky day E. You'll see her again," he said, before he looked at Veela. "Make sure his doctor knows he'll be there. We dont know how he'll be tomorrow, so they have to come check up on him," he said before he just left without even saying goodbye. He had to go find Ayalla.

Ethan frowned, groaning softly at the small slaps on his shoulders as he narrowed his eyes at the daemon's words, but he also seemed to understand. A small smile appearing on his lips as he felt a little excited. He still couldn't tell if Gareth was giving him the green light to be with Vanessa, but whatever this was, it was a beginning at least.
Veela might've not been in existence very long, but they seemed to know a lot, or at least gather information at a rapid pace. The orders were clear; take the human to the mansion and keep him safe along with another one from their memory. Veela managed to get everything sorted, something that seemed very strange and distant to them, but also so familiar. Like there was something in them that guided them through it all. Getting Ethan moved was another headache in it of itself, but it seemed like there was some numbers that could be called, so soon enough a car came and picked them up. Ethan wasn't looking too good, but he only had to worry about his head bandage now and the sore hand and throat he had. That and the fact he wasn't feeling too good, almost like getting motion sickness, even when the car was standing still.
Ethan was helped inside the mansion, Veela following suit and getting a few glances as they spun around the grand foyer. Everything seemed so recognizable to them. "Vane?" Ethan tried calling out, but his voice was quite different and he wasn't even sure if she could even hear him.

It wasnt Vanessa but a housekeeper that came to greet them. She eyed Ethan for a moment before she looked at the ground respectfully, "She's upstairs, under her bed, last we saw her. I'll help you with the door, but she has attacked most of the personnel so you'll be on your own in there," she explained before she let Ethan support himself on her if he needed. She was a daemon, so helping him was quite easy if he needed it. The blinds inside Vanessa's room had been pulled to make it almost completely dark. The room itself had been turned into a mess, everything that could be broken was torn apart, even the ceiling lamp had been pulled so the only source of light was a faint shine through a slit in the curtains. She just sat in a corner, staring up at the ceiling quietly. When the door opened, a crackling sound came from her hand and she clutched onto the thick mass that quickly hardened to a usable weapon. "I dont want to see anyone," she mumbled, lifting the sharp black thing in her hand to scrape against the wall, ruining the paint.

Veela went off to explore on their own accord as a servant came to the human's aid. Ethan nodded, feeling like he needed to save his breath and his words a little bit. He was however not that steady on his legs, feeling them wobble a bit from having laid down so much. Her reply made him smirk slightly, but it did worry him how the whole room was looking. "Aight ... I'll come back," he said hoarsely, coughing slightly as he was straining himself to speak as normal as he could. He didn't want to be perceived weak, but he couldn't really handle standing much longer. "Juss ... Lemme have a rest before I go," he teased, sitting down on her torn apart bed, but it felt good not to stand anymore. He felt a bit broken, but he didn't want to sleep either. Mostly it felt like he had been sleeping for forever and he wanted to stay awake now that he was finally aware of what was going on.
He turned, looking at her with a shit-eating grin. Even if he was badly injured, he could still find a way to smile when she was around. Moving his hand he patted on the mattress beside him as if to ask her to come closer. Let her check if it was really him.

"Not yet," he chuckled with his raspy voice that soon turned to a bit of a larger cough, making it ring in his ears. She touched him, and he felt some sort of relief, but as he reached out she moved away. He looked hurt, wanting to feel her, however as his eyes adjusted to the darkness he saw why. Breathing out in a heavy sound, something tickling down his throat as he did so, he reached up to touch her anyways. He didn't care how she looked, but he worried for her now more than ever. Why had she done this? His hand was shaking a little as he started to cry. It was like he was finally allowed to feel something again being in the presence with her, and he felt this mixture of joy and sadness that was very hard to explain.
"Kiss," he pleaded, his voice sore from having spoken too much, but he needed to ask for her permission. If she did, he would pull her face closer, his lips moving carefully against hers as his whole body was shaking. He was so exhausted, he honestly just wanted to lay down, but that would mean moving away from Vanessa and that was the last thing he wanted right now. Moving his hand from her face and down to her chest, he placed his palm flatly over her heart, feeling it beat and making him whimper with happiness. His throat felt so dry, he could hardly do anything but just look at her in the darkness. Despite everything he saw her beauty, saw who she was beneath all of this. However he soon needed to lay down, doing so even though the mattress was a little worn and torn, as it was probably still better than his own. Gesturing for her to lay down with him, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as he just inhaled her scent.

He felt rather grateful that she just seemed to move with him, holding her close as she sobbed, comforting her simply by running his hand up and down her back. Ethan wanted to tell her everything at once, but he could barely find his voice. He needed to let it rest, but he at least wanted her to know that it was really him. He had lost a lot of blood that day, but it had been an easy fix at the hospital. It had been his damn head that was the problem. He still found it weird to speak or even think, but he was guessing it would be easier as time passed.
"Still ... Here," he managed to promise her, though his voice was wearing a little thin. She placed her head over his chest, his heart beating like a steady drum behind his ribcage. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for acting so stupid. He wanted to apologize for ever putting her in that position, but he also wanted to tell about Ayalla. How Gareth had spoken about leaving to find her, but everything in his mind seemed like a scrambled mess. So instead of saying anything, he just laid there with her, holding her as close as he could and breathing in her scent.
A small noise came as the door was once again opened. Veela popping their head in, squinting at the darkness, but it seemed more like a natural instinct rather than something they actually needed to do. "I'm hungry," they complained in a soft-spoken voice. To Vanessa it would perhaps sound almost uncanny and so familiar. Ethan sat up with a sigh, gesturing to what he presumed to be a young girl dressed in a pretty blue dress. He didn't really know who they were or anything. Veela seemed hesitant to come closer, feeling the destruction in the room affect them.

Nodding he chuckled as she said she loved him, feeling like it was all he ever wanted her to say. It felt like the butterflies returned so quickly, making him giddy, however it seemed like their moment was spoilt at the stranger entered the room. Ethan didn't even know if he could explain it properly, but it seemed like this young girl knew just what to do, walking over to look at Vanessa. The human felt a little freaked out, mostly because he didn't really have a voice to use.
Veela stepped a little closer, reaching their hand forward, hoping the daemoness would understand the hint. If she decided to trust them, the young one showed the daemon all that she needed to know. Introducing themself in a sweet voice before showing images of what had happened. Of course they didn't know what was said in the letter, but everything else was pretty much laid out there. The vessel then took a step back, looking down to their stomach which they placed a hand over. It was rumbling rather loudly. It was a bit weird, because vessels like Veela weren't supposed to feel hunger. They weren't supposed to eat or anything, but they had always felt a need for it. "Food," they pleaded in a soft voice, their green eyes moving up to look at the daemoness, and for a split second it was as if Vanessa was looking in a mirror, but then it was gone.

Ethan didn't know what to say or do, other than the fact that he just didn't feel like getting up. However something in him didn't really trust this unknown girl. He didn't even know her name. However it seemed like Gareth and Vanessa did in some way, which was pretty weird. He nodded at Vanessa's words, laying back down as he felt like the world was spinning for a bit. He couldn't wait to get better, but alas it would probably take some time. He placed a kiss against the daemoness' hand before she left.

Veela hadnt responded to the daemoness' words, because wasn't it obvious? They didn't really like thinking about not being real, or at least as real as everyone around them seemed to be. Following her, they looked around the mansion, their green eyes captivated by almost everything. It seemed so familiar, yet they had never been here before. The question made them frown, looking in to the fridge and seeing loads of things they hadn't seen before. Usually they had been fed something synthetically made. It didn't rast good, but it removed the discomfort in their stomach. Reaching out and touching the daemoness, they simply showed a few flashing images of what they usually had, frowning as it might seem odd. Vela didn't like speaking. It drew attention to them, and they began to feel flustered. Basically they were up for anything.

Although Veela didn't know many social norms yet, they was quite polite by nature - perhaps something instilled in her DNA and coding, but it was hard to tell, and definitely not something the vessel thought about themselves. The seemingly young girl stepped around the counter, giving the chef room to cook, but their eyes remained on the daemoness. Veela knew her, or at least part of them knew her; Vanessa. But it would be weird if they just started blurting out names of people that they hadn't even been introduced to properly.
The next orders were clear, Veela nodding to show that they understood. The first question came and they nodded with a smile on their face. It was perhaps strange, because most people would rarely smile at the mention of someone as seemingly vile as Samuel. However the vessel was perhaps predisposed to like him in a way. The next question made them shrug a little. It was a little unclear, but for now it seemed like the case. "Helping Vanessa," they said, their voice harmonious and sounding almost like a singer. Veela moved over, sitting down at one of the chairs as they studied the daemoness' reaction to everything. It was quite strange, coming to face a person that they felt they knew so well, but she seemed to flinch at every touch. It made the vessel sad in some ways, but they didn't say it out loud. "Helping Ayalla," they then added.

The abandoned building was dimly lit inside. Large glass containers filling the rooms, each bearing what seemed to be a faceless person inside of them. Undoubtedly vessels, but not any that had succeeded yet. Time would tell. If Gareth moved further in to the facility, he would notice that there was several rooms connected, each with more containers for vessels that hadn't even been created yet.
Ayalla groaned, clawing at the collar around her neck as she felt desperate to get it off just to breathe, but the scientists keeping her there weren't stupid. She was dangerous, and therefor kept in a cell made out of glass and not metal. Her hair was dull, her skin pale and she looked like she was starving as her eyes seemed sunken in to her face. However despite this, there was a voice inside her head that told her that this had been the right thing to do. Closing her eyes, she hoped that her friends could forgive her, maybe understand why she had done it, but alas she would never know. The hybrid still felt like she had so much more to say and do, but the scientists kept her under lock and key.

Ayalla was sitting on the floor of her cell, her knees curled up under her chin. Her eyes were staring blankly at the glass, clawing at the collar once more as if it was becoming a soothing mechanism for her. Check the collar, scratch the collar, bleed a little and repeat. Samuel's words made her take a deep breath. She knew she wasn't doing well right now. She still felt like she had some power in her, but it was like the light of her candle was close to being snuffed out. "I can still be useful," she said in a rather determined voice. If she could actually do this, help him make a vessel that he could transfer his own DNA to - effectively make a clone - then Vanessa would be free. He had made her that promise when she had agreed to this.
Ayalla felt like she saw Gareth, her eyes looking at him, but she didn't say anything, mostly because she thought she was hallucinating, and putting that on the list wouldn't make her chances better. "Veela is functional, right?" she asked, looking up at Samuel, her green eyes shining slightly, but they were dull compared to how she had been before all of this. She was wearing white, bloodstains around the collar of the shirt that rubbed against her neck.

Ayalla knew, she knew he was right, but she would be damned if she didn't at least die trying. This was far beyond her normal reach, but she was pushing herself to the limits. She wanted to do this for Vanessa. Prove that her loyalty had always been to her, but that she had let her feelings get in the way. Closing her eyes, she nodded at Samuel's reply, letting him leave as she remained silent. There was no use fighting back, she was here on her own accord, but she just wished she could've told someone what she was planning on doing. Mostly because maybe none of them would ever know the true extend of what she was doing.
Then she saw Gareth appear, her eyes looking at him with confusion, and as he got in to lift her up she twisted and turned to get out of his grip. She was hitting him, beckoning for him to let her go, but she knew he wouldn't. Some of the guards stepped up, offering to sedate her, but it seemed like they were dismissed.
In the car, she shook her head at his words, looking at him with a defiant look. "This is all I can do ... This is all I'm worth now," she told him point blank, mostly because it was what she believed to be true. She had wanted to be with Gareth, but he pushed her away, even when he had said he wanted to be with her. She wasn't really anyone to Darren or Ethan, and Vanessa would never forgive her. Why couldn't he see that this was the only logical solution to this predicament. He grabbed her arm, and she felt how warm she was, wanting to touch his face and feel his warmth a bit more, but she looked directly in to the eyes of the daemon as she spoke. "Samuel created me, he owns me," she said in a serious voice, saying the words that Gareth probably didn't like hearing, but he had brought it up at the hospital himself. "I offered to let them use my DNA for a vessel that would take Vanessa's place," she explained, looking at him with pain in her eyes as she felt so tired and cold. "If Samuel has a vessel he himself could transfer his DNA and memories to, he wouldn't have a need for her; She would be free and you wouldn't have to worry anymore," she said. She wanted Gareth to be happy, and he was happy with Vanessa as his family and with Ethan and Darren. She had been nothing but trouble, and she knew that it was impossible for him to ever tell her what she really wanted to hear. She was a lost cause, it was just how it was going to be, but at least she could try help those that she loved so dearly. "Now, let me go back in and do that ... Let me be useful for once," she said through gritted teeth as her eyes started to water.

It wasn't like this had been an easy choice for her, but when she had looked around it had just been what she felt she needed to do. She could understand Gareth was angry, in a way this was very selfish and way too self-sacrificing for the daemon to understand - or so she presumed. She remained silent as his temper got to him, not wanting there to be any words spoken to aggravate him further. But his anger didn't really matter, did it? Once Samuel found out that he had stolen her away, he would have a leverage over Gareth, even if he didn't love her, it was clear he still considered her worth saving.
His conclusion stung, and she looked out the window, considering getting out. She didn't have to sit here and take this. He was just taking out his frustrations because he knew he couldn't do anything, and she at least tried. "I made him sign a contract," Ayalla said when he was done with his bickering. She turned to look at him, her eyes sitting deep in her head and making her look almost not alive at this point. "And despite what you think I believe him," she said. She was almost too far gone at this point, fixating too heavily on what she thought was her only chance of redemption.
"Pull over," she then said suddenly. "Pull over or I'm just gonna open the door and roll out," she demanded. depending on what he did, she would get out regardless, walking away from the car and in the direction back to the facility. She was done with this bullshit. Life hadn't treated her fairly, so why was he so hung up on her throwing her life away. What life was that exactly? One where she could barely control herself? One where she would have to spend the rest of her unending life alone because people would slowly realize what a horrible person she was?