Why so friendly?

Todd yawned softly as he rose, his hair was a jumbled mess, along with is clothes. He looked aboslutely horrible, and he could feel it. Slowly stalking towards the bathroom, he began stripping almost immediately. Turning the knob to the hot water as he danced around trying to get his leg out of his pants, it showed that he was clearly not a moring person. He stepped into the shower, almost wanted to scream at the sudden heat, but quickly relaxing and he leaned against the shower wall.

He could feel all the grime and soreness simply wash away from him as he let the hot water go to work on his sore body. Last nights excitement was a bit more than he was used to, and he figured it would take a bit for his body to accustom to that kind of speed and strength again. After he finished washing up, he grabbed a towel and dried himself up. He then grabbed a robe from the door and wrapped it around his exposed form. He then skulked from the bathroom towards the kitchen, and instantly felt his stomach clench. He was starving, last nights excitement took more out of him than he thought, he realized that his body was starving for nutrients and fuel. He quickly made himself a nice sized breakfast. Eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast, with a strong cup of coffee to get him awake.

He took his food in the living room, watching the morning news as he did. He needed this routine, it was the only part of his life that was still normal, and he thrived upon this whole situation. It reminded him of better times. As soon as he finished, he took his dishes to the sink, he figured he would deal with him later. It was almost two in the afternoon when he finally decided to get dressed, he figured he had only been up for about an hour, but he needed to go and check on the girl. Make sure she was still there, make sure she was still safe.

He left his apartment, found that all the locks had been replaced already, and the new set of keys for the week were sitting in a nice envelope in the discharge compartment found behind his mail box. He took the keys, and placed the old ones in the box, they would later be destroyed, per his regulations. He then continued down the elevator, and made his way to her room. He knew he would knock first, but then he remembered the paper he had brought with him, maybe a piece of his normal routine would do her some good, he was sure she would be a bit curious as to what had changed since she was caged up like an animal for so long.

He knocked on the door, and patiently waited for her to respond....
 
She was pleasantly lost in thought as she finished off the blood bag and set it aside, her stomach full as she curled up in the chair and continued to watch the traffic. Her slender body easily balanced there, with her legs curled up in front of her and her chin resting on her knees. She watched the cars for a while, then began to watch the sidewalks. In the short time that she scanned the people below, she realized a few things. One was that nobody even seemed to notice the building was there. She didn't see a single person even glance up at it. It struck her as odd, but she didn't really question it. The other major thing she noticed was that nobody seemed to be acting cruel to anybody else. Most people just avoided everybody else, but then she saw a man fall in the street and scatter papers everywhere. Instead of mocking him, a woman hurried up and helped him collect the papers, then sent him on his way. Bizarre, she thought.


The sudden knock on her door made her flinch so badly that she literally fell out of her chair. Tumbling to the floor, she blinked and looked all around, then realized what the noise was. A soft blush colored her pale cheeks and she hastily put the chair back where she had found it, then picked up the empty blood bag and tossed it in the trash can. Everything else was exactly the same as when she had arrived, apart from the bed of course. She edged over to the door and hesitated, gazing at the doorknob.


Did she really dare to open it? Did she dare to not? Would she be punished if she didn't? She didn't dare question who was on the other side, that could be seen as being rude. Biting her lower lip anxiously, she reached out and opened the door..


.. And relaxed. It was Todd. She pulled the door open further and stepped back to allow him to come in, an unspoken invitation. It was too late to really say 'good morning', and for a moment she was silent until her mind came up with something to say. "Hi," she said softly, still anxious about having a man so close to her physically but it didn't seem as hard as it was last night.
 
He quickly relaxed when he saw her fragile frame in the doorway, clean and dressed in new clothes. It seemed he was feeling like this alot more now, and he liked it. He stepped past her, offering her a good morning with a slight chuckle. He tossed the paper on the table and buried his head in his hands, trying to wipe the sleep away from his eyes.

" Well I figured I'd atleast bring you a paper, your probalby curious on current events, hell I don't even know if you know what the date is... " He sat there for a minute, finally realizing how long she had been in there, had she known how long it was? Could she even see daylight where she was to know if it was night or day? He pushed it away from his mind, it didn't matter now. She was here, in a new life, with so many possibilities before her, and thats what mattered.

" And I only had one other question for you. You need to choose a name for yourself, i'm having identification papers made up for you. Not like you need them, just a precaution if I ever need to take you out of the state, or if were ever questioned by the authorities for any reason. But, i'm pretty sure that if things go as planned, you won't ever have to leave this flat if you don't want to. The ruccus that I caused after you left that house should be enough to cause quite an uproar in they're hierarchy. " Just thinking of what he did to the men at that house and the house itself was unthinkable. He burned the house just so that the authorities wouldn't call in the fed's or anyone higher than them. If they would have seen the disaster that happened there some of them might have been traumatized for the rest of there lives.

The thougths brought him back to a dark place, and he didn't like it. He quickly brought himself back to the situation at hand. He observed her for a moment then, to actually see how comfortable she was here. He could see her aura, it was a quiet green now, which showed that she was actually content with her current situation. She was comfortable with this place, and he could tell that his presence eased her thoughts, which was good. She needed to relaxe to figure out what she needed to do for her, she needed to worry about herself now, and take care of herself, or atleast get used to the idea again.

He then wondered what type of name she would pick for herself, it was totally her decision anyways. He could tell though, maybe just because of instinct, that whatever it was, it was going to be beautiful. There was simply an air about her that told him so, and he knew it had nothing to do with her actual aura, but just her as a person, who she really was. He then realized, that he just got his first glimpse at the gorgeous person this woman was, for thats what she was on the inside, he could tell. She may not have known it herself, but what she had went through had made her an adult, maybe not just quite phsyically, but mentally, she had been through a life time. And although he hated what she had to do to get there, he was happy for the person she turned out to be. Maybe a too bit cautious, but that was expected for a while. After she mellowed out, he could tell she was going to be an amazing person, and he couldn't wait to meet this person face to face.
 
She shut the door behind him and followed him to the kitchen area, curling up in one of the chairs and scanning the paper as he explained that he brought it for her. When he mentioned the date, she automatically glanced at it and froze. That couldn't be right.. Could it? That would mean she was trapped in that hellhole for over a year. She had missed holidays, seasons, even her own birthday had passed two weeks ago and she had no idea. For a few moments she was frozen there, but then she managed to tear her eyes away from that horrible line and nodded a little, looking up toward him.


"Thank you," she said quietly, then scanned the headlines with interest. There were so many things being referred to that she hadn't even heard of, and she knew that she would probably spend a few hours later reading every single letter of this paper. For now she only read the major headlines and glanced over a few of the pictures, more interested in what Todd had to say. He soon spoke again, this time telling her that she had to choose a name. A name? What was her name before? She honestly had no idea anymore. That bothered her, but she pushed it from her mind and tried to focus. Maybe if she thought really hard, she could come up with something similar. She pondered the issue, idly reading a few names in the paper. Nothing struck her as something that she wanted.


"Elayne," she said suddenly, honestly having no idea where the name had come from or what made her think of it. A name from her past, maybe, but she couldn't place it. "I don't know about a l-last name," she added softly, uncertain if she should just pick one at random. Would it be bad if she appeared to be related to somebody? What if she had to explain it someday? She could always claim to be a distant, foreign cousin, she supposed.


Something about having a real name again made her feel like a small piece of her shattered soul was back in place. Sure, there were still a lot of holes that needed patching, but it made her feel better. She relaxed a little and tried out the name in her mind. Elayne. It was nice, she thought. She let her thoughts focus inwardly for a few more moments, reveling in the idea of simply having an identity before she refocused on Todd. Did he realize the treasure he had just given her, or did he not know how important such a simple thing could be to somebody like herself? She decided against telling him. It just seemed too silly to have to explain herself, and she had a feeling she'd get emotional. Best to just keep it to herself and accept the gift with endless, silent gratitude.


"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" she asked, having just come across the thought that since this flat was supposed to be hers, she should probably treat him like a guest. That was how she was supposed to do it, right? Offering a snack or drink? It seemed like what she should do, and she didn't want to seem hostile. She wanted him to know that she welcomed his presence, even though that thought surprised her.
 
Todd nodded in agreement with himself as he hear her name, a smile even came back to him for a moment as he watched her. He finally realized how relaxed she, was and he was suprised to see how quick she'd warmed up, she still had a looong way to go, but even for her to trust him this much was crazy. He was suprised he made it in the front door at all, for fear that she was no longer there. He hated to admit it, but she did have the only key to that door, security would just bust it down if anything was truly wrong.

He then pondered for a moment, trying to figure out a last name, she didn't need his last name, that would connect her to his family. If anyone ever found him, she would most likely be with him, and it would not be good for her to bear his burden, he refused to bring her anyone near that situation, let alone know about it. So he continued to think about it, when he suddenly thought of one. Elayne Hannatake. It was a simple name, and quiet common around the area. It would help conceal her so no one would get curious about an exotic name. Elayne was still a beautiful name he thought to himself. He then suddenly realized that she had offered him breakfast, and he respectfully declined. He was quite full after the meal he had just finished.

" Well i'm going to head down to give my guy your new name. We'll have a birth certificate, I.D., Social security card, and a International Passport within the hour, and after that you can live anywhere you want. I have four more buildings like this around the world, all fitted with the same gear and men. So if you don't feel safe here anymore, you just say the word and we'll have you halfway around the world as quick as possible. ", his words were serious, and his relaxed tone should have told her that he was used to these types of situations, and would do anything to keep his clients safe.

He then rose from his chair to make his way down to the main workshop 4 stories underground.

" Is there anything I can get you while i'm gone, would you like to do some shopping for yourself? Actually buy some clothes that you want to wear, isntead of just wearing whats around because it's convenient. Don't think your going to get punished or anything for those types of requests. I pretty much follow what you say, not the other way around. Your in charge here, you do what you want, go where you want when you want. I'm here to make sure that absolutely everything goes smoothly, and that no one gets close to you at all.. ", his demeanor suddenly changed, she needed to know that he was serious. He relaxed a bit a few moments afterwards, and waited patiently to make sure she was content with what she had.
 
Nodding as he declined her offer of breakfast, she knew that was probably a good thing. If he had been hungry, she would have had to resort to cold cereal or something. She could scarcely remember how to cook human food, and that used to be one of her favorite hobbies. In the very back of her mind, she could faintly remember baking, but it was barely there. She certainly didn't remember how to do it properly without burning things or making everything taste like sandpaper. Her thoughts refocused, coming with the realization that she had become very scattered in the time she was imprisoned. She couldn't keep her thoughts on a single track and found them bouncing around almost as badly as her eyes did in a new situation. Focusing on a single thing might as well have been impossible, but she managed enough to get her thoughts into somewhat of an order before moving on to things that were completely unrelated.


Her thoughts stopped when Todd spoke, mentioning all the paperwork he was going to get for her. That meant he was going to leave, but it had been a pleasant enough visit while he was there. She had a name now, and a paper to read at her leisure later. Those were two very important things, and he hadn't asked for anything in return other than coming up with a name - and he had even helped with that! Bizarre.


The thought of moving to a different building made her tense up, and she shook her head slightly. She didn't want to go anywhere, not after so soon of getting somewhere that she didn't feel like she was going to be attacked every second of the day. Faintly she recognized that he hadn't meant she had to leave now, but still the idea made her anxious. She bit her lower lip and stood a few seconds after he did, trying to force the thoughts away as much as she was able so that she could concentrate on what he was saying.


She blinked a few times and nearly met his eyes accidentally from staring at him in shock, but then she quickly looked down. Shopping for.. herself? The thought of leaving the flat made her quiver slightly with anxiety, but at the same time she craved being outside more than anything. That had been what she wanted the most when she was a captive - a breath of fresh air and the feel of a breeze on her skin. She found herself drowning in indecisiveness, and realized that being 'in charge' was not something she was good at. His promise that nobody would get close to her didn't mean as much as he might think it did, and she found herself teetering from one decision to the other.


"I.. I don't know.."
 
Todd smiled soflty and shrugged his shoulders, he had figured it was a bit to early to rush her outside. He knew it would be, but in time, he guessed she would probably want to atleast wander around for a while. Just to get used to the idea of being able to walk around without a leash, or any type of restraint for that matter. He decided to continue down the hallway, with a small wave he closed the door. Walking to the elevator, he let her name float through-out his mind. It was a beautiful name, just as he knew it would be. Here within the hour, she would have her identity back, and that had to mean the world to her. The whole thought of actually doing something for her once again washed over him. The warmth that followed could have gotten him through the rest of the day with a smile on his face.

He listened to the hum of the electronic pulley system that was taking him down to the fourth floor basement once more, where his paper guy was. This was a man that knew his shit, you gave him a name and he could put it on any document in the world without a moments hesitation. The only reason it would take as long as it was because there was so much. If it was just a passport, he would have one printed up in minutes. But the birth certificate would have to be done by hand. He had a certain way of doing things, and Todd never questioned him, not once. He smirked as he walked into the room, threw the info on the table and a small roll of bills.

" She needs the works, a whole new identity. Make a few press passes and inspection passes just incase someone decideds to question her if we ever need to transport her.. " He wasn't taking any risks.

He then turned and walked away, no more words were needed. Making his way back to the elevator, his phone began to vibrate. It was a single text message, and the only word on the screen meant everything in the world. The main target was on the move, he pulled up a small program that came with the text, and suddenly he was watching a small triangle move quickly across a geographical map of the continent. He quickly put the iPhone back into it's case and rushed upstairs to the situation room.

This was the main room, top notch security technology lined the walls, towers, monitors, hard drives. There was over 250,000 dollars worth of supplies here. A hacked russian satelite was streaming a live feed onto the giant desk in the middle, a huge HD screen was underneath a sheet of plexiglass. In the middle of the video feed was a chopper traveling ridiculously fast towards the middle of the continent, and then it simply dissapeared. The interns began searching the area quickly with thermal scans, sonar, anthing that was at they're disposal, but once again he was gone. This was not the only time that this had happened, only on two other occasions had this man simply slipped out of the open day.

A growl emitted from his chest, and he banged a fist on the table. " We need to find this man....Now.. I need to get our top people on this, I want a team of 6 men in that area now, find out where that chopper went and where the targets current location. This should have all been done 5 minutes ago. " With those last words he left the room, they knew to contact him if they made any new developments.

Todd huffed and puffed all the way back to his room, this man was simply toying with him, and he knew it. But, there was nothing he could do about it, not until they got some more information on this damned ghost of a man. He decided that just dwelling on it wasn't going to help him, so he decided to maybe watch some tv and take a nap. Hopefully Elayne would call up to him, and give him something to do. Atleast it would help get his mind off of his current dilemna.
 
Elayne watched him walk to the door and close it, immediately walking over to it afterward and locking it. As she heard the click she felt a little better, a little safer. There was no way she was ready to go back outside yet, why had she even considered it? She sighed and went back over to the window she had been looking out of, watching as people went about their lives. So many of them had no idea how cruel the world could be. Even more didn't realize that creatures such as vampires even existed outside of books and movies and old campfire tales designed to make children scream. It saddened her and she turned away from the view, her gaze sweeping over the flat. There was no denying it was a beautiful place to life, but it felt so fake in a way. Like it was all a facade just hiding an ugly truth. Maybe she just wasn't used to living like this.


She walked back to the table and scanned the front page of the newspaper Todd had left. There were so many stories that she had no idea how to even think about. Politicians that she didn't recognize, a missing person that had been gone for months that she hadn't heard about. After a few pages, she found a picture of the girl from the club. Her death was being called an 'unfortunate accident' due to the 'riot' at the club. There was no mention of her switch of clothing, and not a word about the bite that had been left on her neck. Elayne carefully tore out the picture that accompanied the story and studied it. The girl was pretty, and looked like the sort that would have had a bright future. She frowned and carried the picture into her bedroom, propping it up carefully on the mirror that sat on her dresser. After forgetting so much, she was determined to remember everything from now on. Never would she forget the face of this girl, the one who didn't have to die.


Going back to the table, she finished with the paper and refolded it carefully before setting it aside. Television had never interested her and she didn't feel like reading, which meant that looking out the window was all she really had left to do. She pulled the chair over to the window and perched on it for about three minutes before she was up again, pacing over to the kitchen area once more. Opening the fridge, she pulled out a bottle of water and sipped at it. She wanted something to do, but couldn't really come up with anything. A glance at the clock told her that Todd probably wasn't done with getting the documents he had talked about, so she wouldn't bother him.


Unless..


Maybe he was done already. It wouldn't be so bad to at least check, would it? She bit her lip nervously and wandered over to the intercom and just stared at it for a few minutes. Maybe this was a bad idea. He wasn't her babysitter, it wasn't his job to keep her company just because she asked for it. She shouldn't hit the button, it was silly. He was keeping her safe, like he said he would. Somehow, though, the fact that she was alone was making her feel a little panicky. Even while in captivity she always had somebody with her, even if it was just a guard or somebody using her. Now she felt.. lonely? Bored? How odd, to have the freedom to even be bored and not scared to death. She eyed the number pad and turned away, immediately turning back and pressing the little number nine with a fleeting touch.
 
Todd was just about to nod off whenever the small click of the intercom made one of his ears twitch. Instantly he was up and at the intercom, he was waiting patiently for her to say something, and suddenly he realized that his chest was tight with anticipation. He had wanted to see her all that morning, and he couldn't lie to himself. That little visit about the paperwork wasn't enough. He was dying to get to know this girl, to get her to open up to him so he could get to know the real her and get her started on her new life. He was just impatient with the whole situation. He knew this was going to a be a rehabilitory phase, and he knew she needed it badly. To just get used to the idea again.

He couldn't wait any longer, " Umm, hello? ", he said it a bit softer than he wanted to, and he had no idea why. He was thinking about asking if she needed somthing, but he didn't want to seem to serious all the time. If he was just some stone cold bodygaurd type the whole time, she would feel just as lonely as she did, with no one to actually " talk " to. He smiled softly, as he listened to the intercom. It was still recieving on her side, and he didn't think she knew. He could hear her breathing, it was soft, but a ilttle quick. He could tell nothing was truly wrong, but could basically taste her intent. He smirked softly to himself, and without giving her a chance to speak, he told her he'd be down in a few and grabbed his jacket off the chair and made his way to the elevator.

It didn't matter where he was in the building, his paper guy could get ahold of him regardless. The thought comforted him for some reason, it gave him a chance to get out of that house for a little while, where he used to share a bed with his wife. Suddenly her face was all over his thoughts, and he tried to push them away. Not out of guilt of the situation, but because he couldn't stand the emotional turmoil that came with that face at that very moment. The door to the elevator is what pulled him out of his own little personal confrontation, and brought him back to reality. He continued down the hall, he could feel her form waiting only a few feet behind the door. It gave him a sense of ease for a moment, as if everything was going to finally start flowing smoothly.

Hopefully things would start getting interesting here soon, all this sitting around surely wasn't doing any good for him. It was keeping him contained, he needed to do something. As he reached her door, he reached for the knob, but then thought about it for a moment. Perhaps it still wasn't smart to simply walk in. He tapped a few times on the door, and let her know who it was. He stood back afterwards waiting for her to get the door. It was wierd though, as he stood back he felt time seem to slow. The anticiapation of seeing her was killing him, and he had no idea why...
 
The sound of Todd's voice startled her so badly that she squeaked and quickly clasped her hands over her lips. She stared at the intercom curiously, then realized with a faint blush that it was like a telephone. For some reason she had thought it was more like a pager, not something that could actually be spoken over. Before she could recover properly and manage a response, he had told her that he was coming down to her. She nodded, not really thinking about the fact that he couldn't see her. With that, she backed away from the intercom and let her hands fall from her face. Oh, that was silly. She shouldn't have pressed the button. Now what if he thought something was wrong? She hadn't told him otherwise, after all. Frowning to herself, she bit her lower lip and glanced toward the door. Would he be upset that she called him down here for nothing but company? Maybe. She wasn't really sure.


The tapping called her back to reality and she walked to the door, relaxing when he announced it was him. Of course it was. She unlocked it and turned the knob with slightly trembling fingers, pulling the door open and stepping aside to let him in exactly as she had done earlier. This time, however, she was more than just nervous. She felt guilty.


"I didn't.. really.. need anything," she admitted softly, looking down and fidgeting a bit. "Were you busy?" she added, wondering if she had interrupted something important. She fought down the panicky feelings and tried to relax, but it was a lot harder than it probably should have been. He didn't look angry or frustrated, which was a good sign. Then again, He had been really good at hiding his emotions too, making her even think sometimes that He was pleased with her. It never lasted. Todd was different though, right? Of course he was, he had already proven that. She repeated that over and over in her mind, trying to focus on what she already knew instead of getting lost in her anxiety over the past.
 
Todd chuckled softly when he heard her words, " You don't have to need anything for me to come down, sometimes a little human contact is just as good. ", he quickly corrected himself, suddenly realizing what he said could be taken the wrong way. He quickly told her he meant strictly conversation, and nothing more. Blushing softly, he made his way over towards the window, he noticed a chair there, but didn't seem suspicious about anything, he was just curious of the view. He had never really stayed in this flat in the past, he had never even really been inside, he just knew his clients never complained about the decor.

After finding nothing really of interest down on the streets he turned back to her. " Well i'm guessing your wondering why I came. Well first off I knew nothing was wrong, I have ways of knowing things. And well if I guess i'm giong to be helping you out so much, you should atleast know who and what I am. Well I guess, i'll start off simple. ", he paused for a moment and got a contemplative look on his face, as if he was trying to figure out where to start, " I'll start with my full name, Todd Lee Mirokate. I was born here in japan, i'm 24 yrs old physically, but mentally i'm probably around 56 now. I don't really care to keep count of that. My mental state exceeds my physical state, which gives me a hightened sense of my environment. For examply, I knew you weren't in trouble because I could see you below me, not you phsyically. But, your aura, your spirit I guess you could say. It gives off certain colors to certain changes in yourself, as in emotions and feelings, or physical pain and turmoil. I can also influence peoples emotions and intentions. I can motivate people to do things, based on ideas or fears that I find within them. There beliefs and thoughts are there worst enemies if motivated to a new height of conciousness. An example of this, umm...The riot at the night club a couple days ago. I caused that whole thing, simply by motivating a few girls to suddenly think that there crush's were in there. I made them believe that they were the love of there lives, and that nothing would stop them from reaching those people. Yet there was no one inside that they knew, that had actually been they're first time here in this town. The only reason they had to stop was to visit a relative, and they all decided to come on a whim, just to have fun. Now every one of them are sitting at the police station awaiting trial for the murder of six people. The things I can do are beyond even me, the things I can make people do. I was given this gift through my family line. One male from every generation will be given these powers to protect his kind and family. I'm a neko, pure blood, my kind has lived in the highest order of the governments and parliaments through-out time. Influencing some of the worlds major influences and disasters.

He sighed softly, realizing how much this was for her to take in. She had no idea who she was, and to suddenly hear what he was capable of? For all he knew, she was probably starting to think that all of this was fake, and she was being forced. That couldn't happen, she could collapse in on herself, and fall into a traumatic coma. That would not be good for her right now, in her condition her body could begin to feed off of itself, not immediately ofcourse. But over time...

He quickly rose his hands, promising once again that he had no ill intentions for her, or no underlying secret that was going to crush her in the end. He was being totally honest with her, and he vowed to her right there, in that room. That he would never influence her to do anything. Whether she wanted to or not, he would never use his abilities to get her to do something he wanted, or to maybe change a decision he wanted made. Nothing.. He needed her to know that she could trust her, and he would do anything to make sure she knew this.
 
Elayne blinked as he spoke, then hastily corrected himself. She looked up enough to see his blush right before he walked over to the window, and she carefully shut the door before following him. Taking a seat at the table, she clasped her hands in her lap and watched him look out the window. She had forgotten to put the chair back, but he didn't seem upset about it, just curious. Evidently he really wasn't upset about having to come down here, and he must not have been busy if he could afford to come inside and talk to her for a minute or two. That relaxed her a fraction and she curled one leg up in front of her, resting her chin on her knee and wrapping her arms around the leg. The soft feel of denim on her skin reminded her of better times, relaxing her a teensy bit further.


She let her gaze wander randomly as he began speaking to her about himself, but then she focused the more he talked. His name was nice, she decided. The fact that his physical and mental ages differed was expected - she knew he wasn't human. She looked like she was barely twenty but that wasn't the case either, why wouldn't he be the same way? It was what he had to say after all of that, that truly caught her attention. He could see her aura? That was interesting, and got her curious. What did an aura look like? Apparently it was colorful, which made it sound sort of pretty. Was it like a light or did it just sort of exist in a fuzzy circle around her like she had seen in drawings? She pondered it, wondering what it might be like to always know how somebody was feeling. It seemed like it might be helpful, but a burden all at once.


Her thoughts caught and faded to silence as he continued, describing how he had basically gotten a bunch of innocent girls to murder people just so that he would have a distraction. She realized that he could easily be influencing her the same way to feel at ease here and to trust him. Would she know? Those girls hadn't known. She started to panic, her anxiety rising as she stood up rapidly from her chair and backed up a few steps. This was all a facade, an illusion of security. He had as much as told her that, hadn't he? Why else would he tell her what he could do? Fearful tears welled in her eyes and she felt heartbroken at losing the only sense of being safe she had since being captured.


Backing into the kitchen wall, she stopped and looked down at the floor, her body trembling badly. She slid down the wall shakily and curled her legs up in front of her in an instinctively defensive position, tears streaking down her cheeks as she listened to him swearing up and down that he would never influence her. He was lying, it was a trap, it was all fake. There was never any security. She couldn't trust him, he was going to toy with her just like He did.
 
Todd knew this was going to happen. He instantly rose, and with a key from his pocket, he opened all the cages on the windows, and then simply walked outside. She needed to be alone, and she needed to have a way to escape if need be. He knew she was smart, she knew how to stay to the shadows if she decided too, and she still had the card. After thinking for a moment, he quickly exited the room, apologizing as he left. He left the door open, and also the cage. He didn't even bother taking the elevator, but the hidden staircase behind a panel before the elevator, on the left. He even left this open. She had to have several choices, see that this place was open and that she could leave anytime she wished.

After ascending to his flat, he threw his jacket off and went to his panic room. It was always open because it was access to an easy set of cameras, they lined the walls. The outside and all the hallways were shown, but none of the other rooms, that was to private for his taste. So he stood and watched, waiting to see if she would make a move to leave, or if she would stay in the building. If she left, he would not persue her, or would he send anyone to follow her. He had to trust her as much as she would come to trust him, hopefully....

After about twenty minutes of pacing, he decided to get something to drink. He had no idea what she was doing, and she could have slipped past his sight. He didn't need to underestimate her. She probably had more strength in her body now than she had in over a year. Sighing softly, he reached into the now open fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, no wine right now he needed a clear head.

He hated himself for flooding her with so much at once, he should have known it would have caused her to panic, but he would have to think about that later, now he needed to concentrate on what might happen. He sat for a moment, about twenty feet between him and the cameras he sat on a chair by the counter, watching them closely. Nothing moved, or atleast he didn't think so. His eyes weren't what they used to be, but he was still quick to notice something amiss, and everything seemed fine besides the abnormal breeze blowing through the hallway. It was because of the open windows through-out the main room of her flat. It would atleast make the place seem more open, and help her relaxe.

All he could do now was just wait, if he didn't see anything for a couple hours, he would go down to make sure she was alright. He wanted to go now, but he knew he had to give her time to relaxe and try to understand what he did. He thought about how stupid he must have looked rushing around opening windows and the bars, then just simply leaving, but it needed to be done. He rose again from his chair, and walked to the window. In his excitement he totally forgot about her aura, and he simply relaxed and let his senses reach for her. He was blocked away for some reason though, as if her panic had caused her to shut in on herself. He would have sensed something horrible, but he still couldn't even tell if she was there, perhaps it was just an emotional scar in the air, perhaps she had already left?

He had to know, but he also knew that he had to give her time, he couldn't go back there now. As far as he knew, he would just make things worse, and he didn't need that right now....
 
So wrapped in her own thoughts and sudden whirlwind of emotions was she, that she didn't realize he had left or opened the windows until a breeze stirred her hair. With a snap, she looked up and looked all around, her panic driving her to move faster than usual. When she registered that Todd wasn't in sight, she scrambled to her feet and raced to the door. She saw that it was open, which halted her steps. He hadn't locked her in? Pacing down the hallway cautiously, she peered in the elevator, blinking at the empty space and eying the door that he had evidently used. Slowly, she made her way back to the flat and paced from room to room. He was nowhere to be found, unless he also had an ability to make himself invisible that he hadn't mentioned.


She stopped in the middle of the kitchen area and looked around, then moved over to one of the shaded windows. The breeze felt nice, and she leaned out the window a bit, looking all around. There was nothing restricting her from climbing out and racing off on her own. She was free to leave? Quickly withdrawing back in, she shut the window and locked it back up, using the keys he had given her. Slowly, she made her way around the apartment and did the same to every single window that he had opened. Her mind was tripping like a cracked record, but it seemed logical. Lock it all up, nothing gets in. She would rather be trapped inside and be alone than be stuck outside where she was vulnerable. Eventually she made it to the door and she locked that up too, then dropped her keys to the floor.


The clutter of them hitting barely registered and she had to brace herself against the door with her hand. Her body was shaking and she couldn't think or see straight. Panic destroyed logic, fear thwarted her senses. She collapsed and managed to crawl a few feet down the hall toward the bedroom, but then her body gave out and she curled up in the fetal position right there on the floor.


Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she clasped both hands over her face and tried to block out her thoughts. Her attention was turned fully inward, her focus and strength feeding in to the mental monster that was rapidly gaining ground. The flat could have burst into flame and she wouldn't even realize at that point. All she could hear in her thoughts were the echo of a whip as it cracked against her own body, the tortured screams that ripped from her. She could feel the hands on her, hear the commands that had controlled her more than most people controlled their dog. The feel of a collar on her throat made her start trembling more and she whimpered outwardly, her thoughts drowning her and making it hard for her to remember to breathe. The more she tried to regain control, the deeper she was thrown, until it was as though she had just woken up back in her cage. She could feel the jagged glass under her feet from the goblet that had been hurled at her the night before, though her feet had grown so numb that she scarcely noticed the bleeding. A sting in her cheek told her that her bruise had just started to really set in, and her arms were shaking from being held over her head for so long. She felt a hand wrap around her throat and her mind told her it was real, it was all real, all over again.


She screamed helplessly and cried, her thin body wracked by sobs as she begged and pleaded desperately for mercy, speaking to a tormentor who wasn't even truly there.
 
Todd suddenly saw her aura spiking, its energy reaching through his floor. It was amazing, he had never seen anything like it before. It looked as if his floor was suddenly ablaze, and suddenly he realized why. He rushed through the aura, towards his door. Whisps of the energy trailing behind him. He rushed down the stairs, nearly losing his step a couple times. He ran down the hallway and into her rooms. He instantly noticed that the windows were closed, and at first he thought someone else closed them, but then he saw the keys on the ground, they were covered in her scent, and everything else seemed spotless.

He rushed into the living room, and saw her lying half way out the doorway. He ran to her, pulling her hands down from her face. He relaxed himself, tried prying past her defenses. He needed to know what was causing this to be able to stop it. Even though he promised he would never influence her, he needed to end this panic attack, and she wasn't letting up at all. It was a mental challenge, but he fought through her rage and found the inner problem. She had put her self back in that place as a defensive mechanism. It sounded crazy, but thats what she was used to, and her mind was trying to retreat back to something that wasn't so radical. Even though it sounded just like the very definition, it was what she was used to.

He instantly pried apart the situation in her mind, and placed her in somewhere quiet, like a dream, and she was sleeping. He felt her body slowly begin to loosen up, as if her body was a lock, and he just found the key. He sighed softly and backed away, she would sleep for a long time, he knew that much. And, she needed the rest as well. After that, she mine as well of gone back to that place. As if her physical situation was actually the dream. He went to her room, and pulled the blanket from the bed. He laid it upon her as he walked past, and then exited the room.

After leaving the room, he realized how exhausted he was physically and mentally. He looked at his wrists, he hadn't even realized that she grabbed onto him, yet her hand was still imprinted into his flesh, as if she was about to break his arm. He could feel it too, on both wrists and his forearms. He then realized that he suddenly had a horrible headache, almost a migraine. He was used to these, when he strained himself, this was the normal consequence, but it had been a while.

He made his way back up to his room, grabbed a couple tylenol and kicked back on the couch, as he waited for the pain relievers to start they're work.
 
Just when Elayne felt as though she couldn't breathe at all, a calming sensation pierced through the cycle of torture. It shattered her thought process into pieces and tore her mind away from the nightmare, disorienting her senses at first. She had been so convinced that it was reality, that she didn't know how to feel when presented with a blank slate. In less than a second everything changed, and she found herself with the vision of a calm lake before her eyes. She wasn't quite in control of her body outwardly and had no idea how she had clutched him so tightly in a desperate attempt to hurl him away, or how she had fought him so hard when all he wanted to do was calm her. In fact, she hadn't the faintest idea that Todd was there at all. The only thing she was aware of, was that she was sitting next to a huge tree in the shade, watching the soft ripples of a lake as the breeze played across the surface.


She felt completely relaxed and leaned back against the rough bark, the silky smooth grass rubbing her bare legs. All she wore was a sundress, and she could feel that she was smiling. 'You're late,' she said, then looked up and saw Todd standing next to her. He looked different, somehow. There was a big smile on his face and he was dressed differently, but that wasn't it. It took her a few moments before she realized what it was - his stress was gone. He was completely relaxed, just as she was. 'Forgive me, O mistress of time,' he retorted back at her, but he was laughing. 'Grovel and I'll consider it!' she quipped back, then squealed with laughter as he fell to his knees and dramatically pleaded out an apology.


The dream went on, carrying her gently through a picnic and swimming around in the lake. For some reason the sun had no effect on her, and they played as if they had not a care in the world. At the end of the day they sat together on a branch high in the tree and watched the sun setting. He turned to her as if he had something to say, and for the first time all day, there was an expression on his face that wasn't joyous. Before she could ask what was wrong, the scene began melting and fading from sight.


She opened her eyes and sat up, grimacing in pain. Her back ached from sleeping on the floor, and her body felt completely drained as if she had been through something terrible. With a bit of effort, she stood and looked around in confusion. There was a blanket puddled around her feet that she had been wrapped in, but other than that, nothing was out of place in the flat. The door was closed and so were all of the windows. Had she gotten the blanket? She couldn't remember. The memory of everything that happened after Todd had started telling her about his abilities was very hazy and she found that she couldn't focus on it. Her last true memory was the bizarre dream she had just had. She picked up the blanket and trudged to the bedroom, dropping it on the bed and trudging along into the bathroom for a shower to relax her aching muscles.


Once she was clean and dressed in a random outfit from the closet, she wandered out to the kitchen and pulled a fresh blood bag from the fridge. Her first sip calmed her a bit and she walked to the window, gazing out. It seemed to be early morning, but that didn't seem accurate. She frowned and walked to the television, switching it on to the news. That was when she found out she had been asleep - unconscious? - for over thirty hours. Her jaw dropped and she quickly switched it off, backing away from it and looking all around blankly. Why had she slept for over a day? She sipped the blood uneasily, confused and a little anxious. Perhaps Todd would know.. But did she want to call him? Had she overreacted?


She edged over to the intercom and hesitated, then left it and picked up her keys from the floor. Tucking them in the pocket of the skirt she was wearing, she walked out the door and shut it behind her. Still carrying her bag in one hand, she wandered to the elevator and out through the door that led to the stairs. That was where she first paused, but then she began her ascent to the floor above hers. Her bare feet made scarcely a sound, and she soon found herself emerging on the ninth level. Interesting. She wandered curiously to the only door that she saw and hesitated, biting her lower lip. It wasn't too late to turn around and lock herself back in. She took a deep breath, then knocked twice and stepped back, waiting anxiously.
 
Todd was sleeping beautifully whenever the knocks came, some type of dream. A lake, a girl, food. That was all he could remember, but now he was lying on the floor and his head was so sore. He looked up and saw that he must had fallen off whenever he was shook awake by the sudden noise. He rose, rubbing his head softly as he shuffled over to the door. Who could it be? He had no idea, so he opened the door, and was breathless for a moment. Here was the sleeping beauty right here before him. He then let his breath out, and stepped back to let her in.

" Sorry about the mess, I only let a cleaning lady in here twice a month, and she hates me for it. ", he finished this with a soft chuckle, still rubbing his head softly as she walked past him. He wandered back over to the couch, and started folding the blanket he was using. He needed something to do with his hands all of a sudden. This was un-expected. She had slept so hard for so long that he had gotten worried and stayed down in the flat the night before, but he didn't sleep. After folding the blanket, he threw it to the side of the couch, right on the small pillow he had used. He then began to organize the table, his paperword was scattered everywhere from the fall.

" So you slept for a while, did it help at all, are you feeling better? ", he tried to keep his words slow and soft. He wouldn't rush anything with her anymore. He would be as patient as he needed to be, and no longer did it bother him. He would just have to work his schedule around her, so that he knew she was going to be alright. The man would just have to wait, he would have to rely on his team to do what he could not. After re-organizing the table he walked up to his fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He had to have slept for atleast 12 hours. His mouth was dry enough to prove it. He rested against the fridge and drank deeply from the bottle. The liquid was nourishing, and he could feel himself feeling better as he drank.

He then placed the bottle on the table, and he opened the fridge again. He pulled some eggs, bacon, sausage, and a loaf of bread from his fridge. " So, I know your main diet is blood, but would you like to have a normal breakfast for once, I don't think it would hurt, or I wouldn't offer. ", he actually said this all with a smile on his face. Things actually seemed normal for once, as if they had woke up on a new slate. Atleast that was how he felt, and he would take advantage of the norm. He needed it, and he was sure she did too. He then reached back into the fridge and pulled out a gallon of fresh orange juice. The sight of him made his mouth drool. He was a sucker for orange juice.

He started the breakfast, butter in a couple of the pans, and he began breaking eggs and pulling apart the bacon. The aroma instantly clouded the room, and it brought back memories of his wife out here cooking them breakfast. The smell waking him from bed so many mornings, it didn't bring a smile to his face. But, he figured she would be proud of him for still reminiscing on these old, but dear memories. H

He then turned back to Elayne, " So Elayne, did you have any pleasant dreams while you were sleeping.. I know I haven't really given you a chance to answer, but I apologize, but i've never seen anyone sleep that long.. ", he was truly curious, he only motivated her to calm down and fall asleep. If she had experienced anything else, it was her own sub-conscious that had initiated the visions.
 
Elayne was starting to wonder if coming up here was such a wise idea at all. She knew Todd lived on this floor, but she realized now that maybe he wasn't alone. It was nearly noon, after all. She suspected he hadn't slept as long as she had, which meant he could very possibly be doing business things. What if he was having an important meeting in there and she was interrupting? She considered that and glanced back toward the elevator stairway, then back at the door. On one hand she really felt the need to have company, but on the other she felt like a nuisance. Plus she was really starting to feel guilty about freaking out the day before. She could almost remember it, but not really. Something must have happened, but she wasn't sure what it was.


The door suddenly opened and she looked up, accidentally meeting his eyes for the first time since she had met him. Her own sparkling red hesitated a moment before she quickly looked down, but she had already taken in his surprised expression. She stepped inside his flat and looked all around, nodding a little as he spoke of his cleaning lady. Wandering over to the kitchen, she watched as he organized his paperwork, then paused as he spoke. She actually had to stop and think. Was she feeling better? Better than what? She felt better than she had yesterday, but she had a feeling things had gotten a lot worse in that period she had been dreaming. Wait, it wasn't even yesterday, was it? It was the day before. This was just plain confusing.


"Yes," she managed softly after a few moments, watching him pull out a bunch of breakfast foods. She had nearly forgotten the blood bag in her hand, which she now quickly capped and put in her pocket in case the sight offended him somehow. "I haven't had.. normal.. food in a very long time," she admitted quietly, moving to sit in one of his chairs as she watched him cooking. It was actually fun for her to just watch, recalling how much joy she used to get out of being in the kitchen. Now it was just a dull memory, a reminder of things she couldn't do anymore. When he turned back to her and spoke again, she tilted her head slightly.


"I've never slept that long before. It was strange, but I didn't know I was dreaming until I woke up. The dream was so vivid and real. It was beautiful. Vampires don't sleep too much, but I guess I just needed it," she said, her soft voice lilting almost like a song as she slowly got back into her usual way of speaking. Suddenly she realized how much she had said at once and quickly fell silent, looking down at her knees anxiously.
 
Todd smiled as he listened, it was good to hear her speak like this. It was the first time she had actually "spoke" to him. He guessed a psychologist would call it a breakthrough, he called it simple progress.

" You know, it's good to hear you actually talk. I think that was the first full sentence i've heard from you. ", he said this with a soft chuckle, he wanted her to know that it was a good thing. " And, your more than welcome to some of this, I have more than enough for the both of us. ", he continued with the cooking, everything was finally simmering smoothly now, and he could put down his spatula and relaxe for a moment. He leaned against the counter, he noticed the blood bag in her pocket. He knew she needed it, and wasn't offended by it in the least. He was used to it, he was used to the abnormal for than the ladder. Which some would call odd, but he called it naturalism. Something he was used to, he had adapted to it when he was young. When his family still lived on a single ground, when things were happier.

He looked up towards the clock, trying to remember when he first fell asleep. It was almost 6 in the afternoon, he must had fallen asleep earlier that morning. He didn't mind his sleeping schedule, he had things set up so he could work at his liesure. Yawning softly once again, he picked his spatula back up, grabbing a bit of salt and pepper in his other hand. He lightly seasoned the eggs before he flipped them. He had also pulled out a bag of fresh hashbrowns from the fridge, and the other pan was now lightly coated in a film of butter. He grabbed a handful from the cut bag, and lightly spread them across the surface of the pan. They instantly began to spit and sputter, but quickly calmed down when they settled into the hot butter.

He then flipped the eggs and bacon, pushing the bacon aside afterwards, he made room for a few links of sausage. He didn't know if she was going to eat, but he still made enough for two. If she decided later that she was hungry, he could easily warm the food up for her on the stove. He then turned back to her, hoping he could spark up a bit of conversation. " So do you think you can tell me anything about yourself, like your past, back before he got ahold of you.. ", he didn't mean to sound pushy, and he only realized that he kinda did afterwards.
 
The sound of his laugh was the exact same as it had been in her dream, and she found a faint smile touch her lips, the first one in months. It faded quickly, but she knew it had been there. There was no denying it, Todd made her feel better than she would have otherwise. She watched him take a small break from the cooking, then start back up again. His yawn made her wonder if she had woken him up by coming up here, but she didn't dare ask. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to know, because right now he seemed content and she didn't want to go back to feeling guilty. So, she simply watched him cooking until he spoke again.


Something about herself? It pained her that she couldn't remember most of the things about herself. She wanted to answer him with something meaningful, anything really, yet it was as though nothing existed. For a few moments she let her mind wander, pushing as far back as she could. She let herself remember the attack from when she was captured and tried to rewind, to remember from before. It was harder than she could have possibly imagined, and she was forced to give up.


"I can't," she said softly. "It's like nothing is there. Faint traces leak through sometimes, but for the most part it's as if I didn't exist before," she added, a faint look of pain crossing her expression as she shrugged and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt in her lap. "I remember that I used to love baking, but at the same time I can barely remember how to make a cake. I can't remember my old name, or the name of the one who was with me when I was caught. I know he was important to me, but.. that's it.." she explained, then fell silent again. Talking felt really good, she realized.


"Was your wife a prisoner too?" she asked quietly, looking up at him.
 
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