VI
▬▬▬
"i've already met death once.
i'm not afraid
to meet it again."
▬▬▬

"ARE YOU SURE?" Menace's voice was cold, like Edinburgh in deep winter. It stung the air, and seeped into my veins until all I could feel was a boiling rage. Nothing made sense anymore, and every instinct in my body told me to run - get out of the house and never look back.

I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly, trying to cover my anger before I exploded.  "Sure about what?"

Zane's eyes narrowed at Menace. "I wasn't at first."

"I am standing right here, you know that, right?" I interrupted, suddenly feeling as though I had turned invisible. If I punched Zane in his beautiful face - which I was very tempted to do - they still probably wouldn't note my existence.

The group of friends had a strange bond which I had seen from the offset. Unlike other university households, the four were very dysfunctional and clashed like siblings. They barely laughed, let alone smiled. It was as though they had been unable to get into student halls, and thrown together into a house at the last minute. Yet, there was a deep bond that stretched further than knowing each other for two years.

Zane's jaw pulsed before he continued. "But now we know she can see it, she must be it."

"'It'? I'm a person, not a pinecone."

"Hush, bambino," The menacing boy waved a tanned arm. He was still shirtless, and I didn't need a mirror to know how red my cheeks were.

"Did you just call me baby?" I asked in shock.

Zane's lips formed yet another smirk. "Is there a problem, bambi?"

My mouth opened to form a reply, but Zane waved a hand and continued before I could say anything.

"No? Good."

"But if she can see everything, then what happens when they find out?" Menace's voice held a strange concern for my well-being, her attitude towards me completely shifting.

Isarius tentatively entered the conversation. "Then they don't find out. How could they even know? She could be coming round to shag Cassian for all they know."

"Not my type," A voice declared from the hallway, and I jumped. Sure enough, out of thin air the lanky, tall boy had appeared. His cropped hair glinted in the evening rays like diamonds, skin so clear it looked photoshopped. How was it possible for the whole house to be so completely and utterly breathtaking? He checked his perfectly round nails that I envied: mine were bitten down to weak zigzags over years of stress.

I didn't know how to react, so I continued to stand there dumbfounded. I wasn't everyone's type, and as long as I felt good about myself, it didn't matter. Looks weren't everything, and I knew I was not someone who stood out from a crowd. I loved my brown eyes, rounded face and curly hair, scattering of pale freckles across the nose, but I was nothing special.

"Not the point."

"The point is we found it, guys," Menace interjected. Somehow, despite her minimal facial movements, she showed the slither of a smile. "Two centuries. Two fucking long arse centuries. We should be throwing a party."

Isarius rolled his eyes and smirked. "I can arrange that."

Seemingly the sensible one, Cassian stopped admiring his nails and sauntered forwards. "No parties. This has barely just begun. We celebrated last time, and look what happened."

"It's not our fault he decided to get into a gun fight and spontaneously shot," Menace glared.

"No, but this time we've got to be careful. We've only got one shot at this, ok? Then we can go home. Just got to keep an eye one her, make sure they don't know."

They? Keep an eye on me?

At the mention of their home, my eyebrows furrowing as the faces of the other four people in the room spontaneously lit up. If they didn't count this as their home, then did they all know each other before university? Where was their home?

"What's going on?" I asked after the silence lasted more than a few seconds. I felt uncomfortable in the house, like the air had been sucked from my lungs and I couldn't breath. The freezing cold reached into my bones and all of a sudden I was shivering, even in my thick puffer jacket and hoodie.

Menace narrowed her eyes and looked at Zane. "Do we tell her?"

For the first time in minutes, Zane paid me some attention and advanced once more, leaning against the door frame with his forearm. He smelt of burnt wood and cologne, the two aromas mixing together surprisingly well. I was drawn in, entranced once the brown of his eyes settled on mine.

"Where's the fun in that?" He smirked.

My lips pursed themselves for a moment, perplexed by his striking face and the way his cheekbones stood out like an aeroplane scarring the night scar. But then I blinked and anger hit. My blood had already boiled, and with flustered cheeks I stuffed my hands in my pockets and turned around to leave. They were plain rude, and I didn't have time for people like that in my life.

"I'm leaving," I announced and stormed past Ace, only for Isarius's hand to latch onto the stair railing and block my exit. "I thought you wanted me to leave."

"Oh, I do."

"Then let me leave."

Isarius shrugged his shoulders and I clenched my hands into fists, but I didn't get the chance to fight my way out to leave. The people in this house were notably strange, cocky, and for some reason I felt enticed. Part of me wanted to get to know them better; get beneath their skull and dissect their thoughts.

"I'll drive her."

I turned around in astonishment, and opened my mouth to tell Zane that I didn't need a lift home, even if the walk was thirty minutes in the bitter cold. "It's fine."

"It's cold, dark, and you're turning down quality time with me?"

"Yes."

The boy threw on a shirt and collected a vintage jumper from his bedside table along with his car keys, the jingling cutting through the silence.

I glanced up at the man as he walked past confidently, expecting him to smile, but his face remained fastened in a smirk. He strode past Isarius who moved his arm, and I hesitantly followed whilst the blonde boy winked. My stomach dropped, and I hurried down the stairs and through the front door.

"Zane, it's fine, I'll walk," I reinstated and zipped my coat all the way up. My breath formed clouds of vapour in the night sky, droplets of rain beginning to patter against the ground. Storm clouds had brewed overheard, lit in an abundance of grey and ebony by the yellow lights of the city below. They bellowed overheard like a ferocious beast, the smell of earth  hanging heavy.

Zane's car was parked on the road, and he clicked it open before entering and turning on the engine. The beautiful machine purred to life. As I had expected, the machine was maliciously painted black, Mercedes symbol illuminated by the streetlights. It was an old vehicle, but it had been looked after so well I could barely tell. I huffed as the boy ran the windscreen wipers and unwound the passenger window.

"You coming?"

I rolled my eyes to the top of my head, but it was thoughtful for Zane to offer me a lift. He was the most complex, layered person I had met in a long time. It was a huge contrast to the simple people I had surrounded myself with at secondary school. 

Without a word, I clambered into the passenger's seat and strapped myself in. The interior of the car was just as impressive, with beige leather seats smothered by the smell of pine trees.

"Where to?" Zane smirked as he switched the radio on, the Arctic Monkeys filling the confines of the vehicle.

"72 Aphra Road," I sighed, staring out of the window so my cheeks wouldn't burn up at the pure sight of Zane.

"As you wish, Bambi."

I almost climbed out of the car in anger at the nickname. I was a nineteen-year-old, fully grown adult, not a child. Sure, I was immature, but way too fiercely independent to let myself be called Bambino.

Zane stuck the car into first gear and edged away from the curve before speeding down the road, working his way through the gears. My head was forced back into the headrest, and I yelped as he made a dangerous turn.

"Zane," I gasped from the adrenaline rush. "What the fuck is your driving you're gonna kill us!"

"Not us, just you. I can't die," Zane joked.

"God, I knew you were an arsehole, but not that much of an arsehole."

Zane gave me a side glance and flashed his perfect white teeth. I held my breath as the traffic whizzed past, him seeming not to care that he was breaking the speed limit by almost double. I wanted to open the door and roll out because even that would be safer than sitting in the passenger seat with Zane at the wheel. It was like being on Stealth at Thorpe Park, except it kept going and going and going. I loved roller-coasters, but I was beginning to feel sick from dread. I didn't trust Zane one bit.

"What? I'm telling the truth."

"Sure."

"There's a lot more to me than meets the eye, Nadia. And I know that there's a lot that meets the eye," The cocky boy jeered. I rolled my eyes. 

"Without my contact lenses in, there really is nothing - and I mean nothing - that meets the eye," I muttered and stared out the window at the dark Edinburgh street encircling us. It was almost empty, with bright blue lights flickering 'Open' in windows, and figures clad in black making their way through the city like whispers. "And on a more serious note, what the hell is up with you and your friends?"

"What do you mean what is up? We're all fine, I'll have you know."

I bit my tongue in frustration. "I mean what do you mean 'I can see everything'? And why the fuck can I see your tattoo and no one else can? I swear that they- they move." The words sounded crazy and the car fell silent as the song faded out to be replaced by a BROCKHAMPTON track. I was crazy. I must be. And the fact that I had been confident enough to confront Zane about it would be enough to make even my father proud. 

"Bambino, don't stress. You've just suddenly become very important to me."

"Wow, that really clears it up." I was angry and I wasn't an angry person. Fiery and quick to temper perhaps, but I had a lot of love to give. Zane and his friends were a new kind of person (arsehole) I had rarely come across, and although they were borderline terrible people who seemed not to have any morals and the ability to heal miraculously quickly, I wanted to stick with them. I needed answers. Like a kid in a candy shop, I craved every flavour. For some reason, it felt as though I was entangled in a web they had created, and I couldn't get out. They had me ensnared in something much bigger than my understanding.

"It's complicated. You don't want me to get into it."

I fought not to roll my eyes. "Yes I do! You healed within one week, and didn't go to the hospital. Now I can see your tattoo when no one else can. Plus, they fucking move. It's like you're not even human." Because maybe he wasn't. But then that was stupid, and if it wasn't, what was I? Why could I see something others couldn't?

Zane's hands stiffened around the wheel as he turned the corner with a little bit too much speed. My bum slid across the seat and I let out an uninvited yelp as my shoulder hit the car door.

I tightened my jaw at Zane's sudden silence.

"So now you suddenly can't talk."

"You don't understand-"

"No, you're right, I don't because you won't tell me what the fuck is going- Zane!" I screamed as the car roared down a much quieter residential street. I recognised the configuration of houses immediately, and felt relief knowing that I was only two minutes away from home. But the road seemed to stretch out for eternity, the inky darkness swallowing us into oblivion as Zane stared ahead, fixated on the ebony skyline. The rain had grown heavier and thundered against the windscreen like a river flushing over the glass. The pattering was peaceful as I clutched onto the seat for dear life.

And then, out of the gloom, a light flashed so brightly I was temporarily blinded. I placed a hand over my face to keep the distorted rays from intruding my eyes, but the white grew and grew and grew before it consumed everything. I began to panic at first as Zane slammed on the brakes before all I could feel was the beating of the heart, and my chest slamming into the body of the car. Pain erupted in my abdomen, and then-

Nothing.

For the second time in my life, my heart stopped.

___

merry xmas (to all those that celebrate) and happy new year!! sorry for once again, being a terrible author, but this time I bring you this chapter as a Wattpad Star!! Which! is! crazy! i can only thank your support for getting me to this point. thank you so much <33

hope you liked this chapter hehe and sorry for the cliffhanger!

I secretly love Isarius so much whoops but Zane i'd happy take anyday ;) what do you think will happen next?

lotte <3