The door to the bathroom flew open, polished oak colliding against plaster walls. He rushed toward the ceramic sink frantically turning on the tap, scrubbing at his hands stained red from the blood of a man who only moments before was alive. The water became hot against his skin quickly but he ignored it, continuing to scrub. Tears fell from his hazel eyes, adding sadness to the canvas that already stained his skin with bitter sin. The water quickly took on the harsh hue of red, his hands looked clean but he knew deep down that they were still stained with blood, with death. All of him was- he could feel it all over his body. The blood now cold against his soft features.

Hollow hues locked gaze with the scared teenager in the mirror, he didn’t recognise what stared back at him anymore. The face of a stranger. He gripped the sink with a trembling grip, shaking legs trying to hold the guilt which pushed down on his shoulders.

He was dead. And Kai had helped.

A small sob escaped from quivering lips, eyes squeezed tightly shut so he didn’t have to look at the stranger in the mirror anymore, a sticky wetness on his skin from where the blood was mixing with the salt of his tears. It was uncomfortable; itchy and burning much like a rash. He took a few large gasps of air, trying to control his shaking breath, however, when he breathed out another pained sob escaped from the back of his throat, he hadn't even heard the footsteps walking toward the bathroom through his panicked thoughts.

“You had one job.”

Kai spun around, back pressed against the sink still grasping onto it, his only form of support in this moment. Roxas’ gravely voice ensued fear in him, gripping at his throat and making it harder for him to breathe. Kai remained silent, large eyes watching his big brother's stalking movements, the blood on Roxas’ face filled the room with that sickly scent once more; something he had been trying so hard to avoid. He parted his tremulous lips to speak however fear kept a tight grasp on the words, trapping them in the back of his throat. Roxas’ dark, hollow hues stared back, refusing to break the intense gaze, feeling a surge of power from Kai's terror. Roxas took one step forward, causing Kai to force his back further into the sink until it started to dredge into his ribs, though the pain was lost within the ocean of dread.

“One job. And you couldn't even do that right.” Roxas hissed, continuing to walk toward the man, ignoring his reflection that stared back blankly in the mirror. Kai wanted to look away but he couldn't peel his gaze away from Roxas’ resentful stare; the apprehension squeezing Kai's heart, he felt dizzy and his ears started to ring. He wanted to get out of this situation. Roxas paused, waiting for Kai to speak yet the air remained silent, strangling the joy within the cold, murky tiles which patterned the floor.

Kai didn't know what to say, and even if he did the words refused to leave his lips, they too were scared of the man that towered Infront of him, who wore blood like fashion and saw fear as a prize. A small, jittery breath rattled his inside his chest, he kept his lips sealed tight, white knuckles from gripping at the sink tighter, wishing he could melt into it to get away from the man Infront of him.

A curt interjection escaped from Roxas’ throat, a ‘hm’ sound that spoke volumes in Kai's mind. He knew when Roxas made that sound, he was thinking- and it wasn't anything good. He took another step closer, his leather shoes squeaking against the tiles.

“You're not going weak on me are you, Kai?” Roxas asked, his voice had a fake calming tone weaved in-between the words, masking his true feelings of sadistic satisfaction. His hand fell, going behind his jacket as he spoke. Kai immediately stood up straight at the small gesture, almost flinching. A small callous smile flickered onto Roxas’ lips just as he pulled a pistol from behind his jacket, gunmetal catching the dim light. Kai's hazel eyes locked on the small weapon feeling fears grip tighten around his neck, pressing down. He swallowed hard, the sting causing meagre tears to blur his eyesight, the burn returning as he remained unblinking, terrified of what would happen if he peeled his eyes away for even a second. He knew he had to say something, anything. He opened his mouth, the words becoming lodged in his swollen throat. His gaze returned to Roxas’ dark stare, trying to force the entangled letters past the lump which stopped them.

“I-” He managed to speak in a strangled voice, the words quickly soldering themselves to his tongue. Roxas raised an eyebrow, watchful eyes slowly working their way up and down the smaller man's powerless figure. He closed the gap between the two of them, towering over his paltry brother, waving the gun carelessly. Kai shrunk down into the sink, eyes flickering between the cold steel gun and the colder man controlling its movements.

“I-I-I-..!” Roxas mocked, raising his voice in a sickly way to try and imitate the terror in Kai's naturally higher voice. He rolled his head back to look at the ceiling, Kai could hear a small sigh escape Roxas’ lips, though it sounded almost like a small laugh. “Do you know how to use a knife, Kai?” Roxas mused, returning his gaze to the man. Kai nodded subtly, barely moving his head. Roxas let the silence linger for a long moment, allowing the tension to thicken. With every second that ticked by Kai could feel his knees weaken, his racing pulse pounding in his ears, each beat making his vision blur slightly.

“Then…” Roxas started, bringing the gun toward himself, the finger on his free hand circling the barrel of the gun. Twisting it slightly to keep on catching the light, blinding Kai every time. Suddenly Roxas’ free hand grabbed at Kai's collar, pulling him forward slightly and then pushing him back into the sink again. Kai let out a small whine of agony, legs almost giving way. “Why didn't it go into that asshole’s chest?!”

The growl escaping from the back of Roxas’ throat reminded Kai of a wolf snarling at its prey; he was just the little sheep in the house of wolves with no way to escape, so until he could he had to play their game. And he had played wrong.

“I-” He repeated, trying to imagine the words being forced off his tongue and falling off his lips. “He was just-” He was stuttering, knowing whatever words he spoke was only going to anger the man. Silence, however would only awake the monster that lingered inside. “He didn't deserve to die.” He finally managed to speak, the passion behind his voice filled the dim room with the illusion of light. “He didn't!” His voice raised for a split second before he abruptly stopped, Refusing to finish the sentence.

Silence strangled the air, the two locked in an intense gaze that dripped with fear, and hate. Roxas’ hickory brown eyes stared down at Kai like he was nothing. Just another obstacle in the way. Without breaking eye contact he started to raise the gun toward Kai’s head. Kai panicked, frantically scrambling to grab at his arm, using all of his strength to try and stop him. It didn’t help. Roxas easily shook the smaller man's wiry arm away, his other hand leaning his collar and roughly gripping a handful of Kai’s mousy locks. The gun caught the dim light once more as it passed Kai’s frightened eyes, reaching its final resting place. The barrel pressed firmly against his temple. Kai froze, scared to move in case Roxas decided in the back of his mind to actually pull the trigger. He couldn’t tell if the pounding throb in his head was his heart beating, or the ache from the grasp Roxas had on him.

“I’ll ask you one more time, Kai. you’re not going weak on me are you?” Roxas asked in a hushed tone, his low voice vibrating in Kai’s bones. Kai swallowed hard, the lump scraping against his throat to remind him that it was there. He was searching Roxas’ gaze for mercy, he saw nothing. His trembling lips remained closed, trying to shake his head, stopping when he felt the barrel of the gun press into his temple more, a shooting pain striking through his scalp. Roxas continued to observe, slowly licking his lips before pulling the gun away from his head; a smirk tugging on his lips when Kai’s body relaxed.

“Good, Good.” He replied, his voice relaxing into an even lower tone than before. He removed his grip from Kai’s hair, fixing the decorative cuff slotted into the crisp sleeve of his shirt, wiping ruby blood from the golden plate with his thumb. “Because we both know what happens to loose ends, don’t we.” He shrugged, dark hues looking from his golden cuff toward Kai’s hazel hues momentarily before he looked back down as his sleeve, his small laugh filling the chill in the air.

Kai watched him with a frown decorating his lips. He knew this was part of his games, making people second guess themselves. Manipulating them to his level. Yet even though he knew this was his trick; he stumbled right into it. “W-” He started, pausing briefly to calm his wavering voice. “What?”

Roxas lips twisted itself back into a sickening smile, tilting his head to one side, stepping closer to the man so his lips were next to the smaller man’s ear. “We tie them up.” He muttered, followed by a short chuckle while Kai’s boy froze up, eyes watering once more. “Aw come on, Kai.” Roxas sneered “Can’t you take a little bit of fun with your big brother?” he started to raise the gun toward him again. Kai flinched and tried to step away but soon enough he felt an iron vice gripping onto his wrist, forcing him to remain in the situation. “You know, real Winters can handle this kind of...Playtime.” He taunted. “Are you not a real Winters, Kai? Are you just another loose end-”

“Leave him alone…” A small voice came from outside the bathroom, behind the two men. The female voice was also calm, with a lingering sadness behind her soothing tones. Roxas’ lip twitched from frustration, the sadistic look in his eyes flickering to one of displeasure. Kai peeked from behind Roxas. His entire body relaxed when he saw the petite body of Rose not too far away from them, her delicate hand resting on the oak banister of the stairs that lead up to the attic, the place she had learned to call home. She seemed unphased by the scene in front of her, ignoring the blood-stained fingerprints that painted the sink red with sin.

“Who the hell-” Roxas twisted around. Snarling before closing his eyes, composing himself. An unstable chuckle escaped from the back of his throat, rasping slightly against his tongue, he waved the gun around haphazardly, twirling it around on his index finger until it faced her, grasping it. She remained motionless. “Careful, Rose. This gun-” He gestured toward with his head, cocking it to one side so it caught the light. “Is lethal. Kai can tell you that.” He snickered, pointing the gun toward Kai again, clear glee etched on his face when the smaller boy flinched.

Rose observed them with a knowing look, prussian hues swapping between Roxas’ and Kai’s unsteady gazes. One with fear, the other with sadism. She stepped away from the stair frame, closer to the two taller figures looming within the nightmare realm. “I don’t think it was the gun that killed him, Roxas.” She started, her fingers fiddling with the thin material of her jumper. “I think that maybe it was the monster that it belonged to” Her voice remained calm even when throwing such a large accusation toward the dangerous male. Roxas stepped back, taken aback by her denunciatory words. His lip lurched into a scowl, nostrils flaring with each step he took, tearing through the indictment. He stopped when he stood directly in front of her, his shadow dominating her dainty frame.

“Are you calling me a monster?” Roxas’ voice was low once more, a lethal tone to hear. He lifted the gun up toward her forehead yet she didn’t flinch, eyes watching his movements. The barrel went to press against her forehead when a larger hand grasped at Roxas’ wrist, making him unable to move.

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“ Don’t. Point that thing at her.” A New Yorker accent sliced through the tension, the low female voice fueling the burning rage within Roxas’ chest. He tried to free his hand from her vice, but it only tightened more. A snarl could be heard rumbling from the back of his throat, but she ignored it, throwing his hand which held the gun down to the side, the force enough to make him drop it. His spare hand wrapped around his wrist, rubbing it to soothe his bruising skin, easily making it look like he was simply fixing his shirt sleeve.

“Oh, she does speak,” Roxas spoke up, dark eyes locking with her emerald gaze. Stella’s face remained stone cold, the dog tag she had draped around her neck glimpsing in the darkening light. “Speak up, Princess. I couldn’t hear you.” Roxas mocked, head cocking to one side while he lips twisted upward.

“I said, don’t touch her.” Stella replied, her voice remaining in the same dark, monotone voice as always. She didn’t move from the spot where she stood, her six-foot shadow towering over both Kai and Rose, Roxas being the only one able to look her in the eye.

“Or what?” The words lingered on the breath of silence. Both Rose and Kai waited with bated breath- the two of them simultaneously fearing what would come next. Stella, however, remained silent. Stonehard gaze not looking away from the man in front of her, a sense of eerie calm exuding from her presence. The unsteady serenity irked Roxas, his top lip curling into a spoilt scowl.

“Why don’t you just return from wherever the hell they picked you up from.” The mocking tone in his voice replaced with a vindictive hiss “It’s not like you fit in here anyway.” He paused before a small scoff rumbled from the centre of his chest. “Then again, I guess They didn’t want you either, hm?” He asked, eyebrows raised. “Who can blame them, I guess.”

The silence that filled the house had a different air to it now, replacing the tension with something much worse, a silent danger. Stella pushed her tongue against the side of her cheek, raising a singular eyebrow while nodding, allowing his words to sink in. She raised her hand, with only one finger unfurled before doing a curt gesture toward him.”Say that again. I dare you.” Her voice had lowered even more into a threatening growl. The corner of his lip twitched upward, a glimmer of sadism within his glare.

“I said, no one wants you Stella, Not I, not George, Not even your real parents.” He paused to allow his words to marinate the air. “No one.” He noticed her fist flinch, though started to soften again, his smirk contorting into a smug smile. “Hell, even that little shit back there will realise soon enough and leave you too.” He finished, allowing his gaze to meet hers. He could see the anger in her eyes, masking something much deeper down in the depths of her chest. The room remained silent. Stella started to walk toward him, her black combat boots colliding with the floor, a dark purpose behind every step. She stopped in front of him, giving him no time to retaliate before grabbing him by his collar, dragging him closer to her.

“One more time.” Her voice whispered in the dark, bringing nothing but a sense of tingling fear to those who heard it. Even Roxas. He wrapped his own hand around her wrist to try and make her let go, but it only made her vice tighten. He could tell she meant her threat. He refused to look away from her, wanting to show his dominance in the situation, even though it was fleeting.

“You’re just as bad as me, Stella…” His voice was quiet now like he was talking directly to her. Her top lip twitched, fingers curling around his collar more, the sound of the material starting to slowly rip alerting Roxas just how much power she was wielding. “And soon enough, that bitch will figure it out too.” He raised his voice slightly now, barking the word bitch, however, Rose’s features remained soft- deaf to his words. Stella’s free fist started pulling backwards, while Roxas’ hand reached toward his back pocket, where his pocket knife lay dormant.

“Stella.” A calm male voice came from behind the group of young adults, Rose seemed to step closer to the steps from which she descended- Kai, trying to shrink back into the bathroom while Stella and Roxas both stopped with their dangerous actions. It was a voice they all knew too well- a voice which was the mentor for some, but the nightmare for others. “Let him go.”

“George.“ Stella growled, Roxas able to feel her grip tighten in a silent rage before finally loosening, shoving him away; the force making him stumble backwards. “He deserves it.”

George stood at the top of the stairs, tugging at his tie with two thick fingers easily loosening it, the knot slipping out with ease; material hanging lifelessly over his neck. His top two buttons were already undone, revealing the tension being held within his throat. He looked toward the scene unfolding in front of him, shaking his head subtly while walking toward them. “Roxas, stop antagonising her.” His voice, though still calm, had an authoritative tone behind it. One that made Roxas subtly shrink away from him as Kai had done. “I leave you for an evening and come back to this?” He paused, looking between the two of them. “What happened?”

“Roxas threatened Rose,” Stella replied, her monotone voice returning, shutting herself off. George’s grey hues flickered to Roxas, one eyebrow raising at Stella’s words, before slowly his gaze rested on the smallest of the group, brown hair camouflaging in with the darkness that filled the air. Her prussian hues flickered with fear, the sadness that had been there moments before now gone. Her chest tightened, hands clamming up.

“Well, that’s not good, is it?” He spoke up to them all, though his gaze remained on Rose, directing his next words toward her. “Run along, little one. I’ll speak to you later.” he finished with a crooked smile, goosebumps leaving dangerous kisses along her soft skin. Her blue eyes shifted to look for Stella who simply nodded at her.

“You too, Stella.” George never broke his gaze with Rose. “Fuck off.” Stella spoke through gritted teeth, storming past George, her shoulder colliding with his as she walked past. His shoulder moved but he remained in the same spot. Not breaking his gaze with Rose, Slowly, she turned away back toward the stairs which lead to her room. She took a few delicate steps up, before coming to a halt when she heard George address the two boys which remained.

“Did you do it?”

“I did.” Roxas replied, “because someone wasn’t able too.” Kai shrank further into the bathroom, trying to hide away from Roxas’ bitter words. George’s gaze briefly looked at the smaller boy, though it was clear he didn’t give Roxas’ words a second thought- almost ignoring him.

“Good.” He replied in his eerily calm voice. He started to drum his fingers slowly against a wooden side table that decorated the darkly decadent hallway. The repetitive rhythm syncing with the apprehensive beat of Kai’s heart inside his chest. “This means the next part should run more smoothly” He explained, tapping all of his fingers together quickly before leaning his elbow against the table. “Do you happen to know what College she’s enrolled in?”

She? Rose pondered, she assumed they could only be talking about the woman from Roxas’ and George’s late-night conversation all those nights ago. Why was George so concerned about this woman that he was actively taking a roll in helping Roxas in this chaotic endeavour. He was never one to focus on someone else’s interests- unless it benefitted him of course.

“Dumont University.” Roxas replied once again, the corner of his lips tugging upward at the mention of the Blonde siren that had bewitched her mind. “Seems like the smarter than we perceived.”

“Intelligence and judgment are two different things, son. I’ve trained you well enough to at least know that.” He spoke softly, though his words held a ring of disappointment behind them. He pushed himself off the table, waving his hand carelessly to almost brush away his words of unease. “Getting you enrolled should be simple, of course, it is going to cost us. Nothing we can’t make up, though.”

“All worth it in the end. Right, father?” Roxas chimed in.

“Right. Plus, the Dumont family will accept any form of bribery if it brings them closer to winning their mindless rich man rivalry.” George paused, the cogs in his mind actively turning while the plan all formulated together in his mind, each beautifully spun web starting to match up. “That means all we have to do now is buy a house close to where they live.”

“Maybe the house across the street-“ Roxas suggested eagerly, dark eyes flickering through unholy fantasies that were spinning inside the darkest depths of his mind.

“No, no. That’s too obvious, the sudden new students in the school living across the street. No, at least a few blocks away. Close, but not close. ” He explained. “But that we can figure out later, after my meeting with-“

“Why did you kill him?” Rose’s voice suddenly smashed through the silence, interrupting George’s words.

“It was vital for the plan, Rose.” He explained calmly not even turning to look toward her. “He was just a loose end, nothing of importance.” He tried to smooth over the question quickly, before gazing back toward his son, lips parting to speak once again.

“He wasn’t-“ She paused, quivering lips trying to find the right words, “He was a human.”

George fell silent, twisting on his heels to now face her, one hand resting in the pocket of his suit trousers. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, little one.” He replied, the calmness in his voice being masked by a sudden curtness.

“I believe I understand fully…” She took a shaky breath trying to calm herself, she tried to hold eye contact, but quickly averted her gaze, looking down toward her feet instead. “You killed someone, for nothing but your own benefit.”

Those words seemed to affect George more than she had expected, his features contorting into a bitter stare, tasting the rage he was trying to suppress inside him. “Rose.” This time the usual calm in his voice was gone, completely replaced with an unnerving seriousness. Something she rarely heard leave his lips. “You need to go to your room, now.” The world now rasped from the back of his throat, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up straight, trembling in the troubling wind. She hesitated for a moment, before turning around and continuing up the steps, the bedroom door clicking shut behind her. Roxas’ gaze hardened on the steps before shifting to look back at his father.

“You’re really going to let her get away with that?” He asked the bitterness of his words left a nasty taste on the tip of Kai’s tongue.

“I’ll deal with her later.” George snapped back at his son, before stopping to recenter himself, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes. After a brief moment he opened them again, his calming presence returning to him. “Don’t you focus on that. You need to be focusing on your task at hand.” He explained, pushing up the sleeves of his shirt. Roxas’ eyes lingered on the stairs for a few moments longer before the temptation of discussing the plan overwhelmed him, turning his full attention back his father.

“Are you moving the whole family?” Roxas asked. “Stella would ruin-“

“Stella won’t be there,” George replied briskly, cutting his son off mid-sentence. “I’m going to be staying here to continue bettering my relationship with James.” He explained. Roxas’ eyebrow twitched, trying to understand exactly what George meant.

“What do you mean better your relationship with James. ” He asked, his eyes closing slightly from confusion. “Isn’t the whole idea of this to worm your way into the Versity family? For power? How can you get that if you’re not even in the same country.”

“Divide and conquer, Roxas. Divide and conquer.” George smiled at him, tapping his index finger against the side of his head. “While you’re working on winning the heart of that Versity girl, I’ll be focusing on becoming a mentor figure for the eldest Versity son.” He explained. “With both of us building relationships with the Versities, it’ll be easy to slip into their life. Plus, their father is more likely to trust our family if we gradually introduce ourselves...Call it more natural.”

“Natural…” Roxas repeated, before nodding. “Of course.” He pursed his lips together, letting George’s words sink in. “Does that mean I’ll be going on my own, then?” He asked. George shook his head.

“No, of course not. I wouldn’t send you alone, I didn’t with this task; so why would I with the next one.” George now turned his attention toward the smaller, meeker boy who remained hidden within the bathroom, trying to shrink away into the furthest corner that he could. Seeing George now focusing on him caused his chest to tighten, his heart jumping into his mouth. He pushed his body further against the dull tiled wall.

“Are you excited to go to England, boy?” George asked, the relaxed smile on his lips making Kai’s stomach churn. He could feel his hands starting to burn, reminding him of the blood which had stained them only moments before. He let his hazel gaze look down at them, almost like he had to double-check the blood wasn’t there anymore. It wasn't physically, but it was still there in his mind's eyes. He closed his eyes to hide the tears that threatened to escape his eyes, his eyes still itchy from all the sobbing he had done earlier. Finally, he nodded his head slowly.

“Yes, Father….” He spoke in a hushed whisper. “I’m excited…”