This New World Bites [Thaila]

[Thaila Papillion]

They say there’s only so much a person can withstand before they break. Thaila Papillion would tell you different. She would tell you that you can break a million times before you finally can’t take anymore. Broken is a state of mind, its not physically debilitating. Was it wrong to say that Thaila could admit to being used to it? Another day another disaster. Another excuse for her older brother to make her life miserable. Thaila had always been broken but this was the day she couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t know. She didn’t know anything. She didn’t know what she was, she didn’t know what he brother was, she didn’t know why she was going through this. She didn’t know why the beatings hurt less but why it felt like something was burning through her flesh when he cut her. She didn’t know what it was Dane was dipping the knife on but she knew that once he was done cutting into her skin she felt weak and lifeless, it hurt to move and it was the only time she really felt the urge to just lay her head down and fall asleep. But of all the strange and horrible things that Thaila’s brother had done to her, he’d never gone this far before. The words didn’t want to come out of her head, They weren’t really something she ever expected to hear. So graphic and disturbed that they made her feel physically sick. Running had been something the young blond had thought about many times before but something she never got around to doing. But the day your brother tells you how he wants to use your body is the day that enough is enough. She had to get out of here.

It had only been a small while since Dane left the house. The lack of anything resembling a clock meant Thaila couldn’t be certain how long but she knew it hadn’t been long. The effects of the dead mans blood that had gone seeping into her blood stream were slowly wearing off but it was enough that she could move. It was never certain how long he’d be gone but she was certain she still had time. Rushing to the closet, Thaila threw the door open and looked around, searching for something to wear. She threw on a pair of black leggings and a long sleeved white button up shirt. Despite tired eyes and a complete lack of knowledge when it came to fashion, she didn’t look half bad. Searching out an old backpack, Thaila threw in the only things she’d ever need. Her hair brush, the two photos she actually owned and her bear. She then pulled up the floorboard that she had used as a hiding place for as long as they’d been here, pulling out the enveloped of cash her dad had left behind. With everything together she was set. She pulled on a pair of sneakers and headed for the door. Her hands clenched the handle, twisting and then pushing and pulling, trying her best to open it before bolting to the back door to do the same. It was no use. He’d locked her in. She couldn’t be stuck here. She refused. She knew that Dane boarded up every window in the house. The reason for doing so was a mystery to her but the point remained. That meant she was stuck right!? She had to do something. She had to get away. Then it hit her. Her little legs had never moved so fast as they had when they ran to the kitchen and pulled at the door to the basement. She’d never been down there, not in all the time they’d been here.

The fear was starting to set in but that combined with the complete rush of adrenaline was all that was keeping her moving. She hadn’t left the house in over seven year. She was the girl that was scared of the monster in the basement because they couldn’t possibly be in the closet. No, the closet was the doorway to Narnia. As Thaila’s feet hit the floor of the basement, a clear splash ran through her ears, her shoes squelching against the wet basement floor as she looked around for a way out. Once she found it she scrambled towards it, moving everything she could to make her way up and pushing up the little door in and out of the basement. The second she’d pushed it open the rain started to flow in through the entrance but the feeling of the rain on her skin was honestly the most amazing thing she’d felt in a long time. She found herself stopping a moment, just letting the rain water flow over her, taking in everything about it. She’d always loved the rain. Just to sit and listen to the sound of it thrashing about in the rain, it was the most amazing sound. It was like Thai instantly snapped out of it, her hands reaching out and grasping at the wooden frame to pull herself up. It was dark out but the dark outside was nothing compared to inside. This wasn’t freedom. Not yet. She still had a long way to for that. So she went. Her legs had a mind of their own as they carried her away from the house and travelled as far away from it as she could.

The water was dripping off her but she didn’t care about that. She didn’t care about anything. She didn’t even know that as well as her white shirt going completely see through with the addition of water, the blood from the slashes made to her arms and stomach earlier that evening was slowly soaking through. She must have looked a mess but the only thing she could commend herself for was the fact she hadn’t started crying. She wouldn’t let anyone see her cry. She couldn’t. She just had to keep going. She didn’t know where she was going to but she’d know it when she got there. She had to. There had to be somewhere to go. Somewhere that was -- OOF!!!!! Oh no. Thaila froze for a moment as her body hit something else. Was sort of person runs with their eyes closed? It was just an accident waiting to happen surely!? Her first instinct had been the worst. That she’d open her eyes and see her brother’s face looking down upon her, ready to make her pay for disobeying him. Her eyes forced themselves open, practically drowning under the flutter of lashes as she looked up at the figure before her. It wasn’t Dane but in the moment she realized this she also realized she had no idea who it was. She immediately jumped back, fear stricken and shaking. The tears she held back desperately finally broke free and began streaming down her face, just determined to make her look more of a mess than she surely already did.

[Thaila Papillion]

Luck was what you perceived it to be. You couldn’t be lucky without feeling it. Right now, Thaila felt lucky. She had nothing, yet that was how she felt. Talon had a metaphoric hand intent on hurting him, trying to destroy him. For Thaila, this hand was literal. It was a hand that was supposed to feel unrestricted amounts of love for her. It was a hand that was supposed to try and cover her, protect her from Talon’s metaphoric hand the best it could. Fairytales had stories of princes and kings that would do anything to protect their loved ones. Growing up, Thaila saw her big brother as her prince. Trying his best to slay the monsters. Locking her in a tower to protect her. He was the hand that protected her, while the one she expected would do so, only caused her pain and suffering. How do you keep your trust in the prince charmings of the world when, upon slaying the beast causing you suffering, your prince becomes one himself. Of course Thaila knew nothing of the real monsters that walked amongst the people of the world. She only knew that to cause a person so much pain, there was nothing else you could be but one. So, though the dainty blond had nothing and knew not where to go or of anyone to help, she felt lucky. Was anything that capable of hurting her anymore? Well you and I both know the answer was yes but Thaila knew no better. She had a chance. A chance to get away. A chance of survival. A chance of happiness. That was why she couldn’t believe she’d already run into trouble. Literally. She’d never seen a gun before. Not until this moment. Not until one was pointed into her face. Well if she wasn’t scared half to death before, she definitely was now. Her eyes looked to him, searching him for the same look she was far too accustomed to but she couldn’t find it. She wasn’t sure what she saw in his face but it was enough to confuse her. She was just thankful when he finally tucked the gun away but the feeling didn’t last long, it simply left her to wonder what was next.

All Talon seemed to do was stare at her. She couldn’t deny she was staring back but would also guess the boy before her probably had more idea of what to do in this situation than she ever would. She’d waited for something, anything, not even daring to look around or try and think of an escape. It wasn’t long before his voice finally broke through the silence, a silence that only existed in Thaila’s head of course but a silence none the less. See this was one of Thaila’s favourite thing, the sound of the rain beating down on the ground around her, yet she was completely desensitized to it in this moment. It’s okay. Two words. Two words that Thaila doubted, yet needed anyway. Two words that made her body finally try to calm itself in anyway it possibly could. Just the fact he didn’t mean to harm her just added to the calming feeling now sweeping over her body in waves. Slowly, her body stopped trembling. Even as he stepped towards her she didn’t really freak out. She was more just confused. She really had no knowledge of how most people would react. She had no experience with ‘most people’. He’d introduced himself, raising his hand. Her eyes looked up towards his hand, blinking rapidly as she tried to work out what he was doing and if her instincts were correct, she was now more confused than she had been in the first place. She wished she could talk. She knew how to talk, despite the fact she’d only spoken to one person in the last seven years and she may not have done it well, or always understood but right now, it was just fear preventing her. Watching the way his face would twist and contort as he, she guessed, was thinking, Thaila swallowed thickly and let herself be at ease with the man standing before her. She didn’t know of any reason to be scared so she wasn’t. Maybe it would ultimately be a downfall but that was who she was. She couldn’t see the bad in people until they’d done something to really hurt her. Even after everything her brother put her though, it took her months to realize he wasn’t ‘good’.

As Talon spoke again, Thaila’s eyes immediately stopped searching his face and snapped back to look into his eyes. The words took a while to sink in but as they did, Thaila moved to look down at her body. The blood seeping through the shirt she was wearing and spreading out through its fibres, aided by the fact the rain had now completely soaked it through. Her hands moved nervously, arms almost twitching as Thaila tried to think of a way to cover herself but she couldn’t. She couldn’t find a way to cover her entire body. Lost for words, Thaila simply uttered out the only thing she could think to say. “It’s not bad. Not this time.” It really wasn’t. Compared to some of the things Dane had done, this was tame. It was just the threat of things to come that scared her. Besides, everyone knew it was the emotional scars, not the physical ones, that hurt the most. It was almost like she was suddenly reminded of the fact she should be running. Her head moved from side to side almost as if she was just waiting for Dane to come up behind her and take her back to hell. Scared eyed darted back and forth before finally she stepped a little bit back away from Talon. Leaning forward, Thaila speaking with haste and lowering her voice like someone else might hear despite the fact the streets were barren. “He’ll find me. I have to hide.”

[Thaila Papillion]

Everything about the world seemed so weird to Thaila. It wasn’t like she’d ever lived in a different one but it had been so long since she’d been into it. It was like seeing an old friend. You don’t know them anymore, they might be different, might have changed and you might react wrong or say the wrong thing. Thaila didn’t know what to say at all. She never had done. As a child she learned it was best not to say anything. Just the pure fact she’d stood with someone for a whole few minutes without them laughing at her was unusual for Thai. Heaven knows that kids can be cruel but sometimes but it was worse when you were the weird kid. Having no desire to even talk to the other children, let alone become their friends. The more Thaila was out in the this world though, the more she wished that she weren’t. The more the soothing lands of fairytales seemed. Big castles with draw bridges and dragons to keep everyone out, deep dark woods and worlds down rabbit holes. At least then she could hide. She could be alone. There was something ironic about the fact she’d wanted freedom for so long, yet now she had it, she just wanted to run and hide again. Could she do that now? Dane might have been narcissistic and callous but he was still always looking after her. He fed her, clothed her, ran her baths and made sure she was ‘safe’. He told Thaila she was different, yet she didn’t actually know how. She didn’t know that without her brothers help, she’d be complete incapable of caring for herself. Despite being the same age as Talon, Thaila wasn’t like him at all. She wouldn’t even know that a person should need to go to a hospital with the injuries she’d received. She didn’t know that it was a distrust for institutions that made Talon not rush her into a hosptial and she didn’t know that it was even abnormal for Talon not to have done so.

Of all the things for the pretty blonde to find unusual, the first thing that seemed that way was when Talon started to remove his hoodie. It really was an strange sight watching him wriggle and squirm in an attempt to pull it off. All she could do was watch and blink. Her eyes seemed to move to his torso as it became exposed, tilting her head and staring for a moment which was a gesture that confused even her. Her lashes fluttered erratically as her eyes moved back up just in time. As the soaked material filled his hands, Thaila noticed Talon look down at it, her eyes moving to where his were, trying to work out what he was actually looking at before it was extended towards her, forcing her eyes to grow wider for a moment as her eyes moved instantly up to his. She listened intently as he spoke but the more she listened, the more her delicate features filled with confusion. Something inside Thaila urged her to reach out her hands and gently take the mound of grey material from Talon’s. “I don’t understand.” Her voice was quiet and still clearly nervous as she looked over the hoodie. It wasn’t so much the hoodie she was grazing at in amazement, no, her stare was just amazed by the sheer weight of the thing once it had absorbed enough rain to sink a ship. Well okay that was an exaggeration but the stuff was still falling down, over and around them. Thaila’s hands gripped the ends of the hoodie, twisting it and squeezing it together, water pouring out of it and hitting the ground heavily. With all the rain, you wouldn’t think you would have heard it but it rang through clear as day.

It wasn’t completely clear what changed within the little vampire, but she could feel it and she probably showed it. She took a ‘bravery’ breath. In through the nose, puffing out her chest and clearly holding it for a moment before blowing it out and swallowing. She opened her mouth once, almost speaking but not doing so. One hand moved up to rub at her eye briefly, clearly scared as she opened her eyes and stroked her index finger over her freakishly long lashes. She let out a sigh and smiled slightly at him. “I’m Thaila.” Well he introduced himself ages ago, it only seemed right for her to do so too. She should have run. She didn’t know why she didn’t. She was practically battling with herself to move but something was stopping her. Something was keeping her here.

[Thaila Papillion]

The sheer confusion that filled Thaila over the jacket never left, maybe it was mostly to do with the fact Talon didn’t seem to notice her comment or the fact she clearly didn’t get it. If nothing else, simple generosity from someone Thaila had never met was peculiar. Dane had spent a long time telling Thaila that she was different and no one would want to help her, no one would want to know here, no one would love her. Love was one of the few things Thaila completely got the concept of. It was one of the few things Thaila had always craved. Since the day her mother died, Dane was all she had, there was no doubt her big brother loved her, even now she couldn’t really doubt it, but he never loved her the way a normal person would love a sibling. He was a Momma’s boy through and through, her death nearly destroyed him and Thaila was sure he saw her as the last thing he could do for his mother. She knew he thought he had to protect her for their Mom’s sake. What she would never admit is that there were times she would have taken the beatings just to feel like her brother loved her just because she was his sister, without a motive or a reason, just loved her. She never felt the sort of love a person would have from family or friends, the love so many took for granted each and every day, yet it was probably all the young girl ever really wanted. So when Dane told her no one else ever would, it just made her feel like she had to embrace the little love he gave her and that was forbidden from taking it for granted. Any awkwardness she was causing or any unprovoked silences were more to do with her than they were him.

It had taken her a moment to do so, but the fact she spoke to him and introduced herself was amazing for her. It was a fact he wouldn’t have known and something he probably wouldn’t be able to appreciate. As she’d spoken, he seemed to look shocked or something. He’d repeated her name to her and with a smile still forcing itself at her lips, she nodded, almost as if she was confirming the fact. Thaila wasn’t sure quite how to react after that, he didn’t really give her anything to go off. The way he moved made Thaila question whether or not she should in fact go with her first instinct and run, but everything in her was telling her she could stay. She wasn’t sure if it was just because the guy before her was incredibly aesthetically pleasing or something else, whatever it was, it was working. She wanted to be around Talon as long as she possibly could. Her brain was practically arguing with itself about whether it was safe to be there as she heard him start to talk. His voice worked like a magnetic force, pulling her eyes towards his lips, her ears focusing completely on every word. Though, it probably would have helped if Thaila had understood every word instead of simply hearing it. She noticed the shift of his eyes to her shirt. She knew she looked a mess and the fact he kept looking to her was doing nothing but making her more conscious of the fact. That was when it occurred to her the reason for having the jacket in her head. She mentally reprimanded herself. That was something she really should have been able to work out for herself.

Safer? Her eyes fluttered open and closed for a moment as she tried to focus on him but before she could, he was already moving away. Safer. Definitely a work Thaila understood. Her legs moved quickly in an attempt to catch up with Talon, though moving quickly seemed a lot faster for her than she’d originally thought. There may have only been a matter of inches between the pair but his legs were a lot longer than hers and well logically that meant that with every stride her was moving further towards the car than she was. Thaila may have been busy trying to concentrate on moving but she actually managed to offer enough of her brain capacity to slowly utter a “Why are you being to nice to me?” There was nothing rude or unappreciative about her tone of voice, in fact the opposite, she was blown away by him but also, still oh so confused.

[Thaila Papillion]

The moments of silence before Talon answered her question, just bought up a whole bunch more in Thaila’s head. It was like his form of slow torture he’d cooked up just for her. He confused her so much more by the way he opened the door for her, stood there like the perfect gentleman even though he seemed completely uncomfortable with doing so, like it wasn’t his normal thing. Thaila really didn’t know what to think. Those big hazel eyes seemed to be wonderingly aimlessly over the door of Talon’s car as Talon finally answered her question, he said he was helping her because it seemed like she needed it. Well she could at least understand that. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to it but she didn’t know the world well enough to really wonder if there was an ulterior motive in Talon’s actions. Thaila didn’t even know what to say and as he spoke again she was confident she didn’t need to think of anything else. He said something about the leather interior, it completely went over Thaila’s head but she took it as him trying to be nice, so just smiled a thank you at him and once he’d moved, she lowered her body into the car. Thaila’s arms stretched out the open door and squeezed out the hoodie once more, shaking it before laying it in her lap. She watched as Talon shut his door and copied his actions, shutting the passenger side door and resting her hands on top of the hoodie across her lap. He didn’t really do much, he just sat there for a moment, the silence becoming unbearable. If Thaila was in any way equipped to make small talk she probably would have done so, if only just to rid herself of that horrible feeling she felt. She heard his words about the heater but once again didn’t have a chance to try and come up with an answer that she didn’t already know, before he’d gone ahead and done it anyway. He seemed flustered or nervous but she had no idea why. If anything, it should be her feeling that way shouldn’t it?

Head tilted down, Thaila listened to Talon speak. She couldn’t even begin to fathom what he was talking about but as he stopped, her lips turned up into a smile, her big doe eyes peeking from beneath her lashes as a gentle giggle escaped her. She looked away quickly and trying to contain the giggles but they just kept coming. Once she was able to contain herself, she started thinking and giggled again. She wasn’t a million percent sure why she was giggling but it was…. Refreshing. Without thinking, Thaila started to gently ease her shirt away from her body. The water that soaked it, allowing it to stick to every contour of her almost skeletal frame. Every time she moved the shirt from over a cut she found herself wincing in pain so eventually gave up, looking over at Talon. She begged herself to speak. To say anything. She was trying to come up with something intelligent to say, something, anything that wouldn’t make her seem silly. The implication she would in fact be safter in the care made her feel that she was but she didn’t quite know what was next. She never did but this was unlike anything she’d gone through before. Of all the intelligent things she could have said, all the things her head was actually capable of, Thaila actually came out with “Are they the same as they used to be?” Yes, she was sure to confuse him, but it wasn’t the first time tonight and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

[Thaila Papillion]

Well apparently, talking about cars was the way to go. Thaila watched as the smile spread softly across his lips, her eyebrows dipping slightly as she felt something start to flutter within her. Having never really experienced guys let alone he feeling of butterflies in her stomach. As if the world wasn’t already confusing the poor mite enough, now her own body was turning against her. Attempting to put the feeling in the pit of her stomach to the back of her mind, Thaila listened intently to what Talon had to say. While she knew nothing about cars themselves, most of what Talon said she either understood or could successfully make sense of. He’d seemed to pause momentarily, looking forward and he started to grin. Well hell, that made the butterflies in her stomach start to explode. She couldn’t help but wonder if people felt that way all the time and how they managed to put up with it. It was already rendering the poor girl speechless. She may have been a quiet person, but the one time she actually wanted to talk she couldn’t seem to. He’d said something about raw power but before Thaila even had a chance to let the words sink in she felt his hand around her wrist and it pulling her to the wheel. She’d be lying if she said for a brief moment she wasn’t scared. After the years of abuse you couldn’t really expect it to be any other way. But as his hand slipped away, Thaila found herself just at there in shock. She didn’t know what to make of it in the slightest. She let her eyes wander over Talon for a moment, yet the poor boys expression did nothing but confuse her more, so instead her eyes ran to the wheel her hand rested upon. As he revved the car, the simple vibration she feel so gently against her hand seemed to travel swiftly up her arm until it wasn’t just her arm vibrating but the entire car.

Thaila’s lips at parted slightly in shock, just staring at the wheel until he spoke. A gentle giggle escaped the bonny blonde as she turned to look at the gorgeous man she was now sharing the car with. “That’s… weird!” She practically beamed from ear to ear. The vibrations of the car, while weird and completely new to her were no weirder or more shocking than the way her body felt. She was at a loss for words again. Should she keep asking about cars? Or should she… BUDDY!!! Thaila’s eyes went mad and her hand moved off the steering wheel, pulling the back pack around so she could open it. She peered inside to view the contents, checking for any water that make have seeped in before taking the little ball of fuzzy fabric and fluff out of her back and pulling it towards her nose. The bear had definitely seen better days. You could say the bear was a physical representation of how Thaila was inside, beaten and broken. It had limbs hanging off and huge amounts of stuffing hanging out of it. Yet while it had been through the wars, it still smelled the same. Albeit it didn’t naturally smell the same, but how was she supposed to know this? Thaila’s eyes clenched themselves shut as she inhaled deeply, ensuring the delicate smell of lilacs, sugar and laundry soap. While it was such a simple combination of smells, and the smells wouldn’t have meant anything to anyone else, but nothing invoked a memory for Thaila like that smell.

[Thaila Papillion]

No one could really blame Talon for thinking Buddy should be thrown out into the trash, that was except Thaila. Only Thaila really understood the importance of her little ball of fluff. There was a time that Dane understood too, when her big brother did everything to keep Thaila happy but more importantly, to keep the memory of her mother alive. Thaila had stories, she had vague memories. She knew the facts and she even knew a couple of things that Dane told her, just so she could sleep easier at night. But Buddy? Well Buddy was the only physical thing Thaila still had. Her father sold everything, her jewellery, her clothes and even went to the effort of destroying her coffee mug. It was all she had of her mother and that was why she clung to it so hard. Anything else she’d have left behind. Sure she might not have had much but before she ran she still had dolls and toys from her childhood, she had books and clothes, but none of those mattered. None of those were worth taking. None of them could make her feel safe just from holding them in her hands. He was scraps really. The effort it would take to repair the bear, you’d probably be better off getting a new bear or making one from scratch but they wouldn’t be her bear. No bear compared to her bear. Thaila had been completely consumed by the smell and feel of the bear beneath her nose, only being released from her state of tranquillity by the sudden squeek of wet clothes against leather. Her eyes snapped open, blinking rapidly and her breath catching in her chest. But as Thaila looked to Talon, he seemed to be looking at the bear. As Talon cleared his throat and clearly searched himself for something to say, Thaila slowly lowered Buddy to her lap, sitting him upright almost like she was a child ready to start moving his arms and make him ‘talk’.

Despite the fact Thaila saw words coming, she still managed to jump to attention as Talon began to speak. Well, I guess she didn’t quite know when the words were coming, did she? The young boys actions probably shocked her more than the question itself. There was a sense of confusion that Thai was only able to pick up on because it was a look she adorned so often. “I…” Thaila had every intention of speaking she was just finding it hard. In fact, she felt…. Silly. Did she need to feel that way? Had she just made herself look pathetic in front of the only person trying to help her? “This is Buddy.” Way to go Thaila, you’ve probably just made your case ten times worse. She was mentally beating herself over the head. What was she thinking? If Buddy had been destroyed, it wouldn’t have made any difference whether she checked on him now or later. Wait, later. What the hell was she going to do? She was asking herself far too many questions and it was to the point she was frustrating herself with a lack of answers. A short sigh escaped her as her eyes locked onto her bear. “My mother gave me Buddy. I can’t let him go. So, in answer to your question, yes, most the time I carry a beaten up old bear with me.” With that she was as prepared as she could possibly be. For the backlash. For him to laugh in her face and possibly kick her out of the car. She wouldn’t blame him.

[Thaila Papillion]

The way Talon reacted to things made it hard for Thaila to read him. The way he reacted to her talking to him actually made her feel like she might be in trouble. One hand clutching the bear in her lap, the other moved to rub gently at her eye, much like a tired child. It was something Thaila had always done when she was nervous or upset, something she just couldn’t help. She hadn’t meant to be rude, or cause any bad feeling with how she said what she did, but the insane naivety that the young girl held onto, prevented her from seeing this was how he felt. Thaila’s eyes remained shut until the moment she heard a loud sniff come from Talon. Instead of turning herself completely towards him, she just let her eyes shift open and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. Talon seemed to look to her and then look away quickly. She didn’t wait long enough to pay attention to, or try and work out where he looked, but she was surprisingly… hurt by the action. Why was she so hurt by it? This was silly. This was a guy she’d just met, so why was she so keen for him to look at her? His words to her, though she knew they weren’t supposed to, hurt her heart. Who wants to be reminded of the fact they have nothing, have no one. That the kindness of strangers was the only thing she had right now. She bit her lip and tried to come up with a way to answer him, but before she could, he’d started again, asking how her injury was. A hand moved to her stomach, pressing lightly, as though she was checking. “Better than before. I think the bleeding stopped.” She couldn’t be completely sure. The fact that most of her shirt front was now crimson made it hard to know for sure, but it didn’t appear to be getting worse or darker. Her eyes moved to catch his, complete captivated by him for a moment, so much so she completely forgot what she was saying. She had to mentally slap herself, shaking her head gently. “I’m sorry. You asked a question. No, I don’t. I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t even know anyone.” A small sigh escaped her. It was one thing to know this but a complete different thing to accept and vocalise it.

[Thaila Papillion]

Thaila didn’t really know how to react to anything and she didn’t understand the silences that seemed to occur all too often as they sat in this car. She wasn’t a big talker and she didn’t know if Talon was either but she knew that there were times he just seemed to look at her, or purposely not look at her, and she wasn’t sure which of those actions confused her more. There was something about Talon that Thaila allowed herself to be lost in. There was a silence he caused that she happily embraced. Sometimes it was like she could see, hear and smell everything, but when she was with him, it was like her brain allowed her to switch off. Gave her some calm and serenity from the world. Though apparently, not from car horns. Until that point she’d been listening to him as though he was the only person in the world and was ready to reply when, the noise now blaring through the car hit her like a ton of bricks. She jumped and found herself quickly dipping in the seat as though she was trying to prevent herself from being seen. As though that car horn posed a threat her. Talon knew there was a threat out there, someone after her. He didn’t know it was her brother or that he was a psychopathic vampire. He also didn’t know that right now Thaila was silently praying she’d disappear. She’d had her eyes closed and was so busy talking to herself inside her head she’d barely noticed his reaction to the car, but as he spoke again, his words aimed at her, her eyes snapped open. She concentrated on the previous question as she looked upon him like a deer in headlights and nodded. “I want to go.” In truth she’d like to be anywhere but here at the moment. But there was a trust she had in Talon. A trust that he’d take her away from what wanted to hurt her, not to it. She could have been wrong and naïve. Talon could have been working with Dane this entire time and could be more than ready to drive the young blonde straight to her brother. But that was what trust was about right? Having faith in him not to do so. Her eyes darted around the streets around him and she turned slightly to look to the car behind them as she waited for Talon to take them somewhere away from there.