“Oh my god, you idiot.” Esmond groans, and I blink my blurry vision to see him on the ground, holding his nose in pain. I stumble to my knees and vomit into the wastebasket. Oh god, I can’t handle any more of this.
Esmond crawls over to me as tears start to burn my eyes. No, no, no, don’t cry.
“Hey, we are going to get out of here.” He whispers and I nod, trying to calm down. Stop it, Sloane, no panic attacks while getting attacked. It just doesn’t work out well. I go to wrap my arms around myself but cry out in pain. Esmond tense.
“Where did he hit you?” His tone is icy, and I point to my ribs, gut, and obviously my face. He runs a hand through his hair, panic clear on his face.
“Esmond, your nose is broken.” I force the words out through clenched teeth, and he lets out a half delirious chuckle as if what I said was hilarious.
“Yes, Sloane, I know that my nose is broken. I can feel it.” Without thinking, I force myself to sit up and face him. Esmond sombers down for a moment, a small smile playing on his lips.
“I heard you play, it was incredible. How come you don’t do music or band at school?” I shrug but wince as it aggravated the bruises forming on my skin.
“I didn’t want the attention from classmates and all,” I mutter, and he cocks his head.
“If I had a talent like yours, I would never stop flaunting it. But lucky for everyone, I don’t have a talent,” he says trying to joke, but I don’t believe it. 219Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRrFDfOAS7
“C’mon, you’ve got to have a talent,” I say, and my hands come up to his face, Esmond freezes and his eyes widen.
“Uh, well…” Esmond stammers, to my surprise, pink blooms on his cheeks, and he tries to move away an inch, but I keep my hands on his face.
One, two, three, go!
Snap.
“Ahh! What the fuck, Sloane?!” Esmond shouts as fresh blood pours from his nose. I smile grimly at him and back away.
“I fixed it, you’re welcome.” Esmond glares at me, cupping his nose. I clutch my side and rest my back against the wall. Esmond scowls and leans on the opposite wall across from me. A scream leaks from under the door and I shudder, how many people is he killing out there?
“Are we gonna die, here?” I whisper, and I feel him move closer, for some reason I wanted him to. Jeez, is being in this life or death situation making me delusional?
“Sloane, we aren’t going to die. We’ll get out of here, I promise.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, three gunshots echo through the station. I grip on to Esmonds arm and he to my surprise grips my hand with such force I almost wince.
“He’s killing all those innocent people.” He forces out through clenched teeth, and I nod, trying to imagine myself somewhere else.
“I was coming here to see my dad, he lives in the next town over. I would have driven, but my mother’s car broke, so she had to use mine.” I cock my head and see his jaw tensed and his face ashen.
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask, and he shrugs slightly, looking down at me. Why have I never noticed how beautiful his eyes were?
“I’m answering your question,” he says, and my heart thrums in my chest.
“I-you, you don’t have to.” I stammer, and he looks at me, a soft smile on his face. Why, of all places, here, is when my heart decides to go into overdrive. Maybe I’ll go into cardiac arrest, so I won’t have to get brutally murdered. Esmond stares at the ceiling, his body tense and his eyes swirling with unexpressed emotions.
“The rumors about me being a bad boy are fake. I’m not in a gang, I don’t do street fighting, and I definitely don’t fuck the principal.” My eyes are wide by the time he finishes. I don’t know what to say, there is nothing to say.
“People will believe what they want to.” A small smirk plays on the edges of his lips as he glances at me. My heart lodges in my throat at the look he gives me. I just let out a sigh and rest my chin on my knee caps. Everything is going off the rails, get it? Cause we are at a train station where a crazy psycho is killing everybody? Haha, so funny.
“You should take a nap. Sleep or something.” Esmond says, and I blink open my eyes, well, eye. He wants me to sleep at a time like this?
“I won’t be able to,” I mutter, and he shrugs, sliding closer to me, his blue eyes grave as he talks.
“You probably will need your energy for standing up to psychotic murders later, so get some sleep.” I roll my eyes but lean my head against the wall. I am tired, or maybe that is just from my definite concussion.
“Wake me up when he comes.” I murmur, my eyes already starting to close. I let out a yawn and the last thing I see before sleep drags me under is the ocean blue of his beautiful eyes.
~~~~
My eyes flutter open, and I cringe as I lift my head, god, my neck hurts. I find Esmond staring at me, a smirk on his lips.
“Did you know your nose scrunches, and you look angry or borderline disgusted while you sleep?” I stare at him for a few seconds until a small raspy chuckle leaves my mouth.
“At least I don’t watch people sleep.” Esmond rolls his eyes, not even the slightest bit embarrassed that he was watching me.
“It was the only pretty thing in the room to look at.” My cheeks redden and I scowl at him, but...he called me pretty. Esmond chuckles slightly and he pops various joints from sitting in one position too long.
“Sure,” I reply lamely and that does nothing to lessen the smirk on his lips.
“Tell me something I don’t know about you.” He murmurs and I cringe, ah, the personal talk. Do I answer honestly? But...he was honest with me, the least I can do is tell the truth.
“I have a sister,” I state quietly and his eyes widen. Esmond rubs the back of his neck.
“Oh, for some reason I thought you were adopted, like the no family type” I choke on my saliva and a startled laugh leaves my bloody lips.
“Haha, why would you think that?” I ask and Esmond shrugs his cheeks slightly pink.
“I, um, well it was kinda a rumor…?” I stare at him for a few seconds. There was a rumor about me? He believed it. Well, he never talked to me anyway. Esmond looks anywhere but me as I scowl.
“You believe rumors? Jeez, that’s shallow.” I mutter and roll my eyes, well the one that isn’t swollen shut. Esmond sends a pointed glare that way, to be honest, I didn’t think many people noticed me enough to make rumors about me.
“What was I supposed to do? It’s not like you talk to many people.” He snaps, and I cross my arms painfully, glad to have an emotion other than fear.
“You could have asked me instead of believing the rumors.” Esmond rolls his eyes and runs a hand through his tangled hair.
“Oh sure, like you would have answered to, “Hey, aren’t you the girl who’s adopted cause no one wanted her?” Yeah, I’m sure that would have come out great.” The words come out in an angry rush and I blink, that was the rumor? That no one wanted me so I was adopted? Are they serious?! And here I was thinking that nobody but Randin noticed me, yet it seems like a bunch did if there was a rumor about it. But... Esmond believed it. He believed that no one wanted me. I see regret flash in his ocean eyes, but I just glare at him debating re-breaking the nose I just fixed.
“You’re an asshole.” I spit and anger fills me within seconds. I’m being held by some psycho man who’s killing people off left and right. Furthermore, I’m going to die, so I’m not going to sit and be spoon-fed bullshit.
“Sloane what are you doing?” Esmond asks as I stand up and go to the door, my hands shaking in rage.
“I’m getting out of here, fuck this! I am going to leave or die trying.” I shout my voice tinged with hysteria. With no small amount of horror, I feel tears threaten to fall down my cheeks. Esmond stands and slowly comes forward as if I would do something stupid, maybe I will. I’m going to die anyway.
“Sloane, sit back down.” He coaxes, but I shake my head, no, no, no, I need to get out of here. Hazel needs me, I need her.
“No,” I say and back away and clench the doorknob, rattling it. My lungs seize in panic and I shake it again.
“Let me out, you crazy bastard!” I holler but Esmond pulls me back and shakes my shoulders, his face inches from mine.
“You are going to get us killed faster, idiot.” he seethes, and I scowl up at him, shoving him away. Anger fuelling my rage, my hands shake with anger at everything.
“At least I am doing something, not cowering around like a pussy.” I snap, usually, I’m not this vocal with my thoughts but to hell with it, I’m going to lose everything. Might as well say what I feel. Anger clouds his face and his fingers tighten the slightest bit.
“I am trying to not get us killed, dumbass. I am making a plan.” He whisper-shouts and I shake my head forcing his hands away from me, wincing at the pain in my side.
“I need to get out,” I say and Esmond nods, trying to coax me to sit back down. Like hell, I will, I’m getting out of here. Without warning, I turn around and slam my fists on the door and let out a blood curtailing scream. OPEN! A hand claps around my bruised mouth and the other around my waist, yanking me back.
“Have you gone fucking insane? He’ll come in here!” Esmond shouts and moves my thrashing body to the back of the small storage closet. Hot tears race down my cheeks and I hate myself for being seen weak in front of him.
“I-my sister. She needs me.” I force out through my choked sobs, and I feel Esmond relax slightly behind me. My face flushes as I realize I’m all but in his lap. I move quietly beside him, but he keeps his hand on my wrist in case I go all banshee beast again.
“What’s wrong?” I blink at the blonde and blue-eyed boy in front of me. He’s got to be kidding me.
“What’s wrong?!” I all but screech, and he glowers at my loud tone, hell, they are the ones who put us in here, so they already know where we are.
“I missed my state classical music competition, my sister is fucking dying, my dad is fighting armed men, and we are stuck in this bloody place with a man who has a serious God complex!” I let all the words out in one harsh breath. I didn’t mean to say all of that but turns out I did. Esmond just looks at me for a second, his mouth parted slightly.
Before he does what I’m least expecting.
He hugs me.
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