“You can never fail me, Grey. I love you.”
He looks away, and I tiptoe to force him to meet my eyes, using my hand.
“I love you too, little doll.”
“Dinner? That made me fucking starving.”
He chuckles, brushing grass from my hair. “I know just the right place.”
––––––––
THE DINER HE TOOKme to is vacant, and it’s completely dark on the outside with only the lamppost as the light source, casting a dim shine. I stare out at the empty car park, waiting for our food to be served, unable to rid the sense of paranoia from deep within my bones.
Is it wrong of me to feel as if someone is always stalking us?
Grey and I both made sure no one was when we made our way to this diner—a place he visited as a teenager whenever money allowed it.
“What are you looking at?” Grey asks from across the table.
“Just the car park,” I absentmindedly tell him, looking away from the window to meet his sapphire orbs.
I keep telling myself it’s just my nerves playing tricks on me, making me see things that aren’t really there. But the visions are getting more intense, and now I can’t shake the feeling that it’s just not my imagination.
The server brings our food as we sit in silence; two burgers with fries. It’s been a long time since I ate anything as greasy as this, and my stomach instantly rumbles. It feels strange, almost liberating, to eat whatever I want without being constricted in a dollhouse, waiting to be served food, if I even got any.
My eyes bounce around the diner, a tremor creeping over me as I observe the surroundings. The soft hum of music drifts from the TV, playing calm songs, and I let it soothe my broken soul. A few other people enter the diner quietly, the doorbell jingling as they do.
The server instantly greets them with a smile as she leadsthem to a table on the opposite side of the diner, near another TV on the same channel.
“You know, I’m thinking we should get out of here, see the world. We got the passports,” Grey begins.
“Where would you want to go?”
“Anywhere that isn’t here, or this goddamn country. Anywhere where we can feel the freedom we both deserve,” he says, a look of determination crossing his face. “There is nowhere in the world I wouldn’t take you. I’d kill anyone to let us escape, start over somewhere. I’d bask in their blood just to watch that beautiful fucking smile of yours when you’re happy and free.”
His eyes burn with seriousness as he stares at me, heating with lust and something more primal that has my heart skipping a beat. I clench my thighs, feeling his hand stroke one of them under the table with a knowing smirk tilting his lips.
“I would kill for you, too, you know,” I say, looking at him and meaning every world of it.
“I know. What’s not to love about me?”
As I playfully swat his hand away, he chuckles, his shoulders rumbling with laughter.
I could get used to this—being carefree together, savoring our freedom, basking in each other’s presence. For once, we’re not burdened by the world outside, with enemies lurking at every turn and the weight of broken souls threatening to ruin us.
Just as I take a sip from the drink in front of me, meeting Grey’s eyes glinting with delight, the voices sparkling from the television slices through the air. My attention snaps to the screen, a chill creeping over me, as if the warmth has been sucked out of the space. Color drains from my face, which Grey notices as he follows my line of sight, his shoulders locking in place.
On the screen, a man in a suit, with dark hair and hardenedeyes, speaks. He looks every bit the ominous force I know him to be. His eyes are the most unnerving, staring into the camera with a piercing intensity that makes my skin crawl, as though he can see me sitting here, knowing my exact location.
The moment he starts speaking, it feels like I’m drowning in a sea of ice.
“As previously reported, the search continues for the perpetrators behind the castle arson in northern England. These individuals are considered dangerous, and every available resource is being deployed to bring them to justice.”
“They’re deemed unstable, having escaped from the institution I oversee. I’m here to warn everyone—keep your eyes out, but do not approach them if you come across them. Immediately call the authorities for further instructions.”
A video clip from the dollhouse plays, causing my heart to lose its function. It shows me, Grey, and Daxton escaping the burning building, rushing into Daxton’s car, and swiftly driving off without looking back.
After Emilio Ricci hands back the microphone, the broadcaster’s voice cuts in. “Here are the surveillance clips, capturing the suspects fleeing the scene.” The video zooms in on our faces one by one, revealing our identities for all to see.
