[UNEDITED]

I gave exactly two vials of my blood to Mel, who then packed up and left the room without locking, and what was surprising was that she had actually left the door open on her way out.

I got up from the bed, paced inside, and then decided that I should actually step out and see what the others were doing.

It took me a lot of willpower to step out onto the yard awash with sunlight and laughter. I squinted my eyes and found the whole battalion gathered there, sans Beth.

I stared at the target they had set up at a corner, right in front of the water pump, which essentially was a wooden frame that held small pieces of cardboards to it. Riley was standing quite a few feet away, holding a shotgun pointed at the targets.

"Come on man, shoot already!" Daniel shouted. I looked at him, and saw that he was smiling. He looked quite like Dylan when he smiled, except that the occasions were rare, especially when he was around me. He was wearing jeans and a white vest, and his feet were bare.

I saw Nicole and Dylan standing on the other side of Riley. Nicole was her usual self, but my eyes got stuck on Dylan. He only had a jeans that hung low on his hips. His tanned body was visible along with all the ripples in his muscles and dents in about all the right places. He did not have picture perfect abs, but they were right there. There were about a thousand cuts and bruises on his chest, but they could not mar the beauty that his features held.

His hair seemed much longer than the first time I had seen him here, I noticed. Daniel taunted Riley, and Dylan tipped his head back and laughed. The voice was soothing, and it tickled at the back of my head. He straightened, and his fringes fell on his forehead. He ran his fingers through his hair, forcing the unruly locks to behave.

I just couldn't stop looking at him.

Mel's voice came floating to my ears.

"Come here!" she called. She was standing with Sam right beside Daniel, both of them smiling.

Daniel looked at me, and so did Nicole and Dylan. The smile was wiped from all of their faces as they watched me. Dylan's smile returned after a few fleeting seconds though, but Daniel and Nicole stayed grim-faced.

I hesitated, but after another urge from Mel, I walked toward them.

Riley fired, making me jump. The semi-loud boom almost made me fall down.

All of them laughed.

"What's going on?" I stood beside Mel. It seemed like the silent agreement between Dylan and me had been spread to the others as well. They knew that I would not harm them, and they knew that I trusted them.

"Nothing special," Mel said, "The boys are practicing."

"Don't forget me!" Nicole raised her hand.

"Yes, yes," Mel laughed, "The boys and Nicole is practicing shooting."

Riley had apparently hit the target that he was aiming, and he cheered.

"I am sorry that I came out like this," I told Mel, "I was getting bored, so decided to peek for a few moments."

Everyone looked at me now, listening to my words. My eyes fell on Nicole, and she looked like she would eat me alive.

"I should go," I whispered, and turned.

"Wait, wait!" it was Riley, "Stay! I am not going to shoot you, I promise."

Everyone laughed to that. Everyone except Nicole.

I shrugged, and then decided to stay. My eyes stranded to Dylan's direction. He was scratching his neck, looking hot as hell. I looked away.

"Aren't you gonna attract the regulators if you keep shooting like this?" I whispered to Mel as Riley handed the gun to Daniel and moved away.

"Nah," Mel said, "This has been going on for a long time now. They have suppressors, as you have already seen. The guns never make much noise."

I nodded, and watched Daniel hit another target. Riley cheered.

Dylan took the gun next. I was glad, because I would not have to look away when he would shoot. He did it with precision, and the bullet found its target. I clapped along with others.

Nicole was next, but she missed the target, and miserably so.

She did not forget to give me a dead stare as I laughed at a joke Riley cracked on her.

"You think you are really good at it?" she looked at my way, "Come shoot this thing, let's see how tough you are!"

My face heated, and I shook my head vigorously. I had never held a gun in my hands before, let alone shooting it.

"Come on," Riley beckoned, "Just one shot!"

Dylan looked at me for a few seconds, and then he came and placed his hand on my elbow.

"I'll show you," he whispered.

My breath got stuck in my windpipe.

He slowly pulled my to where Nicole stood, and took the huge gun from her hand. I did not feel the smooth surface brush against my skin, it was only Dylan's hands that I felt on it.

He helped me take an aim, giving instructions all the while, but I was too busy focusing on his breath on my shoulder.

"That's it, hold it tight!" Dylan said, and his hands slipped on my waist just for a moment.

I swallowed. He took two steps back, and my back was bare and cold, missing the heat coming from his body.

"Okay," Dylan was still behind me, "Now, shoot!"

I pulled the trigger without thinking. The gun backfired, and it hit me hard on the shoulder. I was flung backwards even before I understood anything, and Dylan's arms were right there, catching me as I fell.

Nicole's laugh was the loudest voice in my ears.

Dylan suppressed his smile as he carefully pulled me up on my feet. I massaged my right shoulder. It hurt like hell.

"Are you okay?" he asked me kindly. Mel was beside me in an instant.

"Yeah..." I said as Dylan's hand started kneading my shoulder, "It just hurts a little."

"Come on," Dylan quickly pulled me as Nicole was about to throw a malicious insult at me, "Let's go inside."

He tore me away from the others before I could complain. I was relieved to be away from them. I was blushing a deep red. I had just made myself a laughingstock in front of all those people. I shouldn't have agreed to shoot at all.

"It's okay," Dylan said, as if on cue, "It's happened to all of us."

I nodded, still red, and his bare body was making me even more uncomfortable. For some unknown reason, I wanted to reach out and just slide my hand across that sturdy mess of muscles.

Dylan took me to his room, and then came back in a while with a small pot that contained some sort of salve. I sat on the bed facing him, and to my disappointment, handed me the pot. He also had a shirt on, which added more to my disappointment. It was also challenging, because the top three buttons of his shirt was undone, and my eyes kept going there, repeatedly.

"Sorry about Nicole," he said, "She's just a little upset over everything."

"Don't be sorry," I said, "You have a lovely family."

Dylan smiled.

"You love them a lot," I said. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," he said, "If I am ever grateful for anything in my miserable life, it's those people. I would probably have withered away if they had not stood by me--and Daniel--all this time."

I opened the pot of salve, scooped some out, and then rubbed it on my shoulder. It still hurt.

"What?" I said as I caught Dylan staring at me with a smirk on his face.

"I am waiting for you to cry," he laughed, and then added, "You amaze me."

"Why?" I stopped, curious.

"You were hurt, stabbed, nearly killed several times, but the only time you cried was when I stopped you from escaping that day."

I looked at my hand, "I have mostly cried in frustration in my entire life, never from a physical pain."

Dylan pointed at the pot, and I went back to rubbing my shoulder.

"You wanna see me cry? Tell me, when is the last time you cried?" I mocked him.

"The day my dad didn't come back," Dylan replied, and his voice sounded distant, dejected. I wanted to kick myself.

He looked at my eyes, "But I do remember another occasion. Nicole and I both were very small, and then she kissed me one day, that too, in front of everyone. It was my birthday, and I wouldn't stop crying all night. That was a very embarrassing moment of my life."

I laughed, which did not sound genuine even to myself. I hated what he said. There was a bitter feeling engulfing me, and I felt like I could kill Nicole then and there.

"And what's the happiest memory that you have?" I tried to change the topic, just to divert myself.

"There are many actually, especially the ones with my dad, when he used to teach us how to catch fish and roast them on fire," he replied.

I sighed, "I am sorry," I said, "I keep making it harder for you. I never meant to poke into your sad memories. I am such a stupid girl."

Dylan cocked his head, "You are everything but stupid."

I looked up at him.

"You possibly can't make my life any worse than it already is, Naomi," he said softly, "So don't blame yourself. You are a very brave girl, and I really praise that in you. Wherever you go, just be yourself, and everything will become easier. Always."

The smile that followed melted my heart. Dylan stood up and took the salve from my hand. He asked me something, and I nodded, but I wasn't sure what I had consented to. My eyes were glued to his blue ones, and a felt a warmth spread through me.

Was I really happy to go back to my own house? Probably not.

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