Another chapter! Yay! Sorry if it's sorta short - I've been busy! Thanks!

~Lissa

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That night, I didn't return to my apartment.

I lived in a small, cozy apartment on the outskirts of town at the highest story - it provided a beautiful view of the nearest streams and buildings. While I loved my place, from the many pictures decorating the walls and various candles, it was too quiet. Back in high school, I craved quietness; it was difficult to have a laidback, relaxing day with my siblings and frantic friends. Now, there had been too many days of silence, of being by myself - being lonely. It allowed insane thoughts and feelings, so given the opportunity, I usually crashed at my desk in the facility. It was located in the corner, cramped with the ticking sound from the vent above me; most would've found it annoying, but it saved me from silence.

I awoke to my shoulder being nudged, hard. I jerked awake with a moan, slowly raising my head from my tangled arms. My hair was matted to my sweaty forehead, yesterday's makeup felt sticky on my face, and my back was aching from my terrible posture. I blinked away the blurriness in my vision and looked over my shoulder, yawning. Temp was standing behind me, a frown on his face. He was wearing a black t-shirt, revealing the scars on his arms, and a pair of black pants. Exhaling loudly, he reached forward and yanked a sticky note off my cheek. "That's cute," he said, sarcastically. "And, you wonder why you're single."

"Shut up," I retorted, too tired to think of a comeback. He dropped the sticky note onto the floor and looked around at the people beginning to show up. "What do you want?"

He pinched his lips together. "Something is up."

"What are you talking about?" I mumbled, running my fingers through my hair. "It's too early to deal with your weird behavior, Temp."

"I tried reading Subject 106's thoughts yesterday," he started, appearing frustrated. "His mind was blank - actually, when I tried, I heard this buzzing sound and after a minute or two, my ears were bleeding."

I shrugged. "Maybe your gift doesn't extend to the supernatural."

"I've read other werewolves thoughts," he argued, his eyebrows knitting together. "He's the first one that I can't - and my ears bled, Blue."

"It's probably a sign that you should stay out of his head," I told him, pushing my chair back. He stepped away and slowly, I rose to my feet. I stretched my arms and twisted my back, carefully. He watched with an ugly scowl on his face, though still looked freaked and confused. "He's centuries old, Temp - maybe he's bumped into other mind-readers and learned to control his thoughts. And, I imagine his thoughts are scary; from what he spilled about his family yesterday, his past isn't too great."

"But, if I was able to read his thoughts, there wouldn't be any need for you to go in there and ask questions," he said, tossing his hands into the air. "Things would be done faster."

I walked over to my cabinet and unlocked it, yanking out my heavy purse. "Well, why does it matter? He's cooperating, isn't he?" A few people passed by, looking at the two of us in shock; it wasn't very often Temp was found at my desk, willingly. I flopped back down behind my desk and fixed the position of my mirror near the screen of my computer. Seeing my disgusting appearance, I started fixing my makeup, applying some powder to my face and another coat of mascara. Temp watched, his arms folded across his chest and his lips pinched together. "I think you're overthinking the situation."

"Bullshit," he swore, angry. "My ears bled."

"He probably used his powers on you," I said, rolling my eyes. "Maybe he knew you were snooping through his head."

"No, because he isn't capable of using his powers beyond the glass," he argued, shaking his head. "The walls and glass prohibit his powers from extending beyond the room."

"Alright," I drawled, applying some lipstick to my full lips. "Well, he's really old, so over time, maybe his mind became - "

"Stop trying to defend him," he interrupted, harshly. "Because of him, I can hardly hear out of my left ear anymore and I still have a mild headache." I glared at him through the reflection of my mirror and grabbed my small brush from inside my purse. I brushed through my tangled hair, before twisting it up into a professional bun, similar to Amanda's. "Anyways, you'll have to finish the questions from yesterday. Amanda isn't too happy with you; I emailed her about it."

"Of course you did," I muttered, exhaling loudly. "I guess I'll finish the questions today."

"As soon as possible," he added, raising an eyebrow. "We need answers - and anything else you can get out of him." I nodded in annoyance, shoving my things back into my purse. Tiredly, I rose to my feet and dropped my purse back into my cabinet. Without sparing another glance at him, I walked away from my desk and began heading towards the front where coffee awaited me. Some of my coworkers stared at me as I passed and for a moment, I was confused - until I realized that Temp was lingering behind me. The two of us weren't caught dead together unless we were being forced; that explained how much we disliked each other. Stepping on the back of my shoe, he began decreasing the space between us. "What are you doing? You need to go finish the questions."

"I need coffee," I told him, seriously. He swore under his breath as I stopped at the front counter, grabbing one of the deposable cups. I poured myself some, humming myself awake. The steam swirled up into the air, before quickly disappearing. My eyes paused on the mark on my wrist, the haunting black 'x' that reminded me of the worst months of my life. I gulped loudly and ignoring Temp, tugged the sleeve of my shirt down in an attempt to keep it hidden. "Is there any - "

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted, rudely. "Get to work."

"I don't take orders from you."

"You do from Amanda," he countered, raising an eyebrow. "And, she expects those questions answered by the time she arrives."

"She won't be here until noon," I argued, shaking my head. "Stop rushing me." He opened his mouth to respond, but I was already walking away. I started stumbling down the corridors, slowly sipping my hot coffee. Temp, bouncing on the tips of his feet, stayed at my side, nodding at his fellow guards that passed by us.

"Yo, Blue!" a familiar voice shouted, stopping me. Archer came running around the corner, his dimples highlighted by the dangling lights above. Temp grumbled and I nudged his side, giving him a nasty glare. It was unbelievable how rude Temp was capable of being; he knew that Archer looked up to him, yet he treated him like an annoying kindergartner. Sometimes, he treated him like a brother, but only when the two of them were siding against me. Archer joined me at my other side and slowly, the three of us began heading towards the laboratory. "How is Subject 106 coming?"

"That is classified," Temp blurted, strictly.

Archer rolled his eyes. "Bullshit."

"It's coming fine," I answered, giving a small grin. Despite the numerous times of Archer siding against me, he wasn't a bad friend. He was the type of person who saved a seat for you at meetings, shared his coffee, and spilled all the latest gossip around the facility. Believe it or not, but there was quite a lot; it reminded me of high school. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm not needed," he said, exhaling loudly. He was already dressed in his black protective gear and required boots, yet he seemed bored. "I'm just patrolling the facility, I guess." Temp frowned and thankfully, kept his remarks to himself. "Where are you going?"

"I have to finish asking Eth - Subject 106 questions," I answered, quickly fixing my mistake in almost calling him by his name.

Slowly, Archer nodded. "I'll accompany you."

"She doesn't need your company," Temp responded, harshly.

I glared at him. "Would you just stop?" We turned into the laboratory where a few scientists were scurrying around, muttering to themselves. I was greeted with silent nods and taking one last sip of my coffee, I slipped on my white, laboratory jacket. Temp scrunched his nose up in disgust at the stains on it and I shook my head, still too tired to deal with him. Archer bounced over to the door, the one keeping Ethen locked away, sheltered and alone. I snatched the clipboard of questions hanging off a nail on the wall and rummaged through my pockets, finding a pen.

"I want to watch through the cameras," Archer announced, his eyes wandering around.

"You aren't even supposed to be in here," Temp said, shaking his head. "I should report you."

"But, you won't," Archer came, sliding around me. "I'm part of your team, remember?" Temp stared at him for a moment, debating in his head what to do. Without another word, he exhaled loudly and gestured towards the small screens in the corner of the room. Excitedly, Archer skipped over, leaving me standing there, nervous and afraid. The guard standing at the heavy door eyed me up and down, his eyes lingering on the clipboard in curiosity. Impatient, I ordered for him to open the door and hesitantly, he obeyed - I walked into the room, holding my breath.

Ethen was standing in the farthest corner, staring at the crack in the wall. His muscled back was facing me, his shoulders hunched forward. It was obvious that he was slowly weakening; it was partially his fault for not eating and throwing his food around the room in protest. Hearing the door shut behind me, he turned around, seeming relieved of my presence. His emerald eyes caused a twisting in my stomach - why did he make me nervous? Probably because he's dangerous.

"Uh, I need to finish asking these questions," I informed him, slowly walking farther into the room. "Is that okay?"

"As long as you answer them too," he said, quietly. He tilted his head at me and I expected him to walk over to his bed, but he remained standing in the corner. The butterflies in my stomach were ridiculous, beginning to cause a sick feeling inside me. His emerald eyes were focused entirely on me, not on the camera shifting around the room - because of the constant moving, I assumed that Archer was messing with the angles. Despite knowing that he wouldn't harm me, being in the room wasn't comforting; I would've rather been watching from behind the camera. "You seem out of it today, Thea."

I flinched at my name. "It's early."

"I'm afraid I don't know what time it is," he responded, exhaling loudly. "I continuously lose track of time, especially since I don't sleep as much anymore."

"How often do you sleep?"

"Every few weeks," he answered, honestly. "It gives me more time to wander, experience the beauty of the world at every hour. Though, sometimes, it isn't too great - I'm mostly alone, considering everyone else, including regular werewolves, require their sleep."

"So, it's lonely?"

"Indeed," he mumbled, looking down at the floor. "It's only terrible when you start liking being alone."

I nibbled on my bottom lip and nodded, understanding where he was coming from. I looked down at my clipboard of questions and cleared my throat in preparation. "Other than Ryker and Caine, is there any more of your family around?"

He hesitated for a second. "No, not necessarily. You see, you don't have to share blood with someone for them to be family - you should know that with your foster siblings. Over time, our family has grown, not by blood, but by love. Emma, Ryker's mate, is considered part of our family now; she's a sweet girl and I'm always willing to help her. . ." He dozed off for a moment, almost lost in thought with a saddening look on his face. "Nora, Caine's mate's daughter, is considered part of the family, along with her troublesome brother. Then, their mates, kids, and more - it goes on."

I scribbled down his answer, summarizing quickly. "Okay, do any of you have children? I imagine this question is on here because you've been around for quite a while."

"Well, Caine considers Nora his daughter," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Therefore, she's technically my niece in a way. As far as I know, I don't have any children." He laughed to himself at the question, shaking his head. "And, if I did have a child, I wouldn't share their name with you. I honestly would've lied to you, but I'm not lying now." I hesitated and wrote down his answer, hearing the camera shifting from the corner. "Now, you have to answer the question - that was part of the deal, Thea. Do you have any children?"

I laughed. "No, I don't."

A soft grin came onto his face. "You have a beautiful laugh."

My heart stopped and awkwardly, I cleared my throat. "Uh, thanks." Feeling my cheeks redden, I looked down at the clipboard of questions; Temp had definitely seen me laugh. "Other than fighting off the guards coming in here, why haven't you tried escaping?"

He pinched his lips together. "Maybe I have a reason to stay."

"But, what about your family?"

"Well, once I deal with what's keeping me here, I have to fulfill my promise to someone," he answered, quietly. "Then, I have to return in time for a wedding." I wrote down his answer, feeling his eyes watching me. "Why do you like working here? Torturing supernatural beings?"

I frowned. "I'm not torturing - I'm studying." He didn't bother arguing with me, considering my voice had raised. "Last question, how did you and your brothers stay hidden all those years?"

"Well, when we discovered people were asking too much of us, we went into hiding," he started, casually. "Not only that, but a lot of people feared us or hated us - it was unbearable. My brothers and I split up; I can't tell you where they went because I don't know. As for me, I traveled and traveled - I purposely didn't stay in one place for too long. You see, for a while, it was believed that if you saw one of the Volkov brothers, it was bad luck. I kept myself hidden long enough until I was believed to be a myth, along with my distant brothers." Silent, I scribbled down his response, summarizing it. "Have you always lived around here?"

"Uh, mostly," I answered, hesitantly. "For a while, I lived in California."

"I'm not a fan of California," he responded, starting conversation. "It's too hot and crowded for me." I nodded my head and turned away from him, heading towards the door in silence. "I hope to see you again, Thea?"

I looked over my shoulder at him. "I don't know."

"Then, I'll come see you," he said, seriously. Did he mean that he was going to break out of the room? Come find me in the facility? Or outside the facility? With my heart hammering in my chest, I exited the room, replaying his words in my head over and over again.