Forever Ignored

Whooo! I feel so relieved to have this story going again, I can't even explain! 

Plenty of more to come, hopefully end of next week. ;) 

A big thank you to everyone reading, rating and reviewing, all feed back is greatly appreciated!  

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Love, 

Traxie

 

 Chapter 18

 

 

My shoulders were tensed and hunched forward rigidly when I waited for Vasco's reaction to my snappy reply. Rio stood by the stove behind Vasco, his face pale and his eyes flicking between us nervously. Clearly he was fearing for his brother's reaction as well.

”Don't get snappy with me, Brat.” Vasco warned me and finished with his meal before speaking up again. ”Seff was supposed to take you to your friends. I always thought of him as a man of his word, can't say I'm not disappointed.”

”Leave Seff alone.” I grunted and managed to glare at Vasco.

A stupid grin curved Vasco's lips and I wanted to spit into his face. And then run and hide from his fury.

”Are you willing to take his punishment for breaking our deal?” Vasco surprised me by asking and I frowned, my face pale.

”Vas, please don't-” Rio whispered in a shaky voice before I could come up with a reply and the tone of his voice had Vasco glance at him. For a moment Vasco just stared at his brother before pushing his chair back and standing up.

”Let's go.” Vasco told me and I hunched up my shoulders again when he motioned for me to stand up. I wasn't going with him.

”Now, Brat.” Vasco growled and I jerked away from him when he grabbed a hold of my arm.

”Vas-” Rio started again when I was yanked onto my feet, and when Vasco pulled me closer to himself, I panicked. I wasn't exactly screaming but I couldn't keep quiet either when I fought to get Vasco's hold off of me.

”Stop fighting me!” Vasco growled at me and tightened his hold on my arm, yanking me closer roughly. I ended up with my back pressed against his side while his arm went around me to pin me in place.

”Vas, please don't.” Rio begged, his voice breaking with emotion when Vasco picked me up like I weighted nothing at all and begun carrying me towards the door.

”Thanks for dinner, Rio.” The man told his brother simply and marched out of the apartment with me tightly in his hold.

Once in the hallway, Vasco lowered me enough for me to have my feet on the ground but kept his arms firmly around me, pushing me forward with his body. ”Walk. Don't make me drag you.”

 

”Let me go!” I demanded in a shaky voice and Vasco dug his hand into my hair, shoving me forward a little rougher now.

”WALK!” He bellowed louder than I had ever heard him yell at me, and the authority in his voice had any further objecttions dry up in my throat. My traitorous feet carried me forward as if having a mind of their own and Vasco let go of my hair, pulling his hands away from me completely. He made sure to walk just behind me, ready to grab me the second running from him even crossed my mind, and only touched me when directing me to the right direction.

I wasn't surprised to be taken to Vasco's apartment. The room felt overwhelmingly familiar to me when I was pushed over the threshold and I stepped away from Vasco the moment the man turned to lock the door after us. I stood by the wall, not far from the spot I had woken up in when I had first set my eyes on Vasco's apartment, and I could hear my heartbeat loudly in my ears.

”Don't run from me, Brat. You know there's no way you'll get out of here without being caught and if it's someone else catching you, you'll be accused of thievery again. If that happens, you're not walking out of here alive.” Vasco warned me and moved away from the front door, towards the kitchen. I fidgeted by the wall and my eyes shifted restlessly towards the door when I considered his words. As much as it pained me to admit it, he was right. I would never get out of here alive if I ran now, despite feeling stronger already thanks to the rest and the meal Rio had provided for me.

”What do you want?” I asked in a timid voice, my eyes turning to look at Vasco who stood in the kitchen now, two bottles of beer in his hands.

”To talk.” The man replied and motioned towards the couch when I simply stared at him in suspicion. ”Take a seat. I won't touch you, I promise.”

I watched Vasco walk to the living room and set one of the opened bottles down on the sofa table before moving to sit on the armchair. The dark man looked at me expectantly and I hesitated for a moment before shuffling forward from the wall. I picked up the bottle, the glass cool against my sweaty fingers, before sitting down on the very edge of the couch, ready to jump back up if Vasco as much as moved a muscle.

”You can relax. I'm not going to hurt you.” Vasco said and I couldn't stop myself from huffing at his words. Right.

We sat in silence for a moment, staring at each other, until Vasco's lips curved in a small smirk and he nodded towards the bottle I held with both hands. ”I didn't poison the drink. It would make talking to you a little difficult.”

”You lied to Rio.” I said accusingly and Vasco's smile turned out to be a short one. ”You told him you found me passed out on the streets. But I fell asleep at home.”

”You call that hell hole home?” Vasco snorted, but quickly continued when my frown deepened. ”Alright, I admit it, I lied to Rio. I didn't want him to know I followed you when I promised him I would stay away from you. It doesn't change the fact that I saved your life, though.”

”Who said it needed saving?” I asked quietly and Vasco narrowed his eyes at me.

”You don't really wish that I would have left you to die in that moldy pit.”

”I don't?” I huffed, annoyance perking up inside me.

”No, you don't. Do you know. how I know?” Vasco asked, his lips turning into a smirk, and continued when I remained quiet. ”You kept coming back to the food line. You never stuck around until you got a portion but you came every day.”

”You've been stalking me?” I asked with a frown and Vasco actually laughed at me.

”Don't flatter yourself, kid. I was there to enforce order. People tend to be more mellow when they see me around.”

I didn't doubt his words. The people on the streets knew Vasco's reputation. They knew that if you fucked up and ended up in Vasco's hands, it was more than likely that you wouldn't be around for much longer. People, the City Leaders took interest to, tended to disappear.

”You followed me.” I pointed out quietly and Vasco took a sip of his beer, his eyes studying me.

”I did. You were just barely on your feet that day and I was sure you wouldn't be making it back to that little hole you call home. I was surprised that you did.”

”What do you care?” I muttered out and looked down at the bottle in my hands. I didn't know why I had even picked it up from the table. I had never tasted alcohol but I knew I didn't like it. I didn't like the effect it had on people and didn't want to get intoxicated.

”I don't.”

”Then why-?” I begun, a bit louder this time, and looked up at Vasco. I ran out of courage mid-question and I fell quiet instead.

”I have my reasons. Are you going to drink that beer?” Vasco changed the subject bluntly and I glanced at my drink again before reaching over to set it down on the sofa table in front of me. ”Not good enough for you then, eh?”

”I don't like alcohol.” I said quietly and kept my eyes on Vasco when he reached over to pick up my abandoned drink. I didn't like the idea of him getting drunk either and couldn't stop my eyes from drifting towards the front door. Could I make it to the door before he caught me? Probably not.

”Wouldn't do it if I were you.” Vasco remarked and continued when I turned my eyes back to him. ”You won't get far.”

”What do you want?” I asked again, getting tired of the games the man was playing with me.

”To help you.” Vasco replied calmly and I snorted in disbelief.

”Right. Help me how? Beat me up and chain me to the wall? Make me sleep on the floor like a fucking pet?” I asked and stood. Vasco was up on his feet before I could take a single step and I flinched backwards from him.

”I can help you find your friends.” Vasco said and I stilled, my eyes meeting his. Was he serious? Or was he playing with me again? ”I know where to find them. I can take you to them.”

”How?” I asked slowly, frowning sceptically at his words.

”Because it was me who told Mist where to go.” Vasco replied, a dangerous smile curving his lips. My heart dropped when his words sunk in. Mist and Missy hadn't left the city willingly? They were somewhere out there, held captive by the City Leaders? Had Seff been captured with them now?

”You promised me you wouldn't hurt them if I were good. If I wouldn't run.” I whispered, my world crumbling around me. I had thought that I could find them and we could live a new, a better life, out of the City.

”They're not hurt. Not that I know of, at least.”

”You promised to leave them alone! I didn't run, I-” My voice cracked when I thought about my friends, being tortured and starved somewhere out there. I had thought that I had kept them safe but all this time, they had been hurt too, just somewhere else.

”And I did.”

”Just because you didn't do the hurting personally, doesn't mean you're not responsible!” I screamed, tears in my eyes now. Vasco's eyes narrowed and the man's jaw tightened when I raised my voice at him.

”Don't. Yell, at me. I told you, I never hurt your friends.” Vasco grunted at me and rounded the sofa table to stop me when I took a step towards the door. ”You don't have to believe me. I'll show you. Tomorrow.”

”You don't really know where they are.” I said quietly and turned my head the other way to hide my tears from him.

”Why would I lie to you?” Vasco asked, drawing closer. ”If I had hurt your friends, I would have told you in detail when you were here. I would have made you watch while I hurt them.”

I felt sick listening to him, yet I couldn't ignore the truth in his words. He would have made me watch Mist and Missy being tortured, just to hurt me. Hell, he would have done it just for the fun of it!

”Where are they?” I whispered and backed away from Vasco slowly.

”Just out of the City. There's a farm where we grow our crop, I sent them there.” Vasco replied and I turned to look at him, not caring that he saw my tears anymore.

”And they're alright?”

”They're fine. Farm work is no holiday but it sure as hell beats living on the streets, Brat.”

”My name's Colan.” I said stupidly and collapsed to sit on the end of the couch, my head dropping forward. I buried my hands into my messy hair and let out a heavy sigh, fighting to rein in my emotions. I felt like a wreck, like I was about to pass out any minute now, like there was a hand squeezing my heart in an iron grip.

Vasco was silent for a moment before speaking again. ”I have some things to sort out before we go tomorrow. Do I need to chain you or-”

”I won't run.” I said quietly, my eyes closed. ”And I won't touch anything either.”

Vasco just stared at me for a moment before turning around and walking to the door. ”I'll be back later. You can go to sleep if you want.”

After Vasco was gone, I just sat slumped over on the couch for a long moment. It felt so unreal to be back here and a ball of anxiety settled in my chest. I contemplated breaking my promise to Vasco and making a run for it but then decided that it wasn't worth it. I had no place to hide in, Vasco would find me if I stayed in the City and leaving BC on my own didn't sound like a good plan either.

In the end I simply curled up on the corner of the couch, my eyes drifting closed even when I tried to fight off sleep. I had wanted to be awake when Vasco returned, but in the end exhaustion won, and I fell fast asleep.

 

 

 

I woke the next morning, under a warm blanket. I felt groggy when I rubbed my face against the blanket and it took me a moment to remember where I was. My eyes shot open when I did and I lifted my head off the armrest of the couch slowly, only to be met with Vasco's intensive gaze.

”Sleep well?” The man asked, sitting on the armchair with a bottle of water in his fingers, another on his lap.

”Sorry.” I muttered, twisting my body to sit up, the blanket falling off of me.

”For sleeping well?” Vasco asked and I jerked when a bottle of water was thrown onto my lap.

I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing, simply curled my fingers around the cool bottle and pressed in against the side of my face, my eyes falling back closed.

”If I had wanted you awake, I would have woken you up.” Vasco stated when he realized that he wasn't getting an answer to his question, and continued when I let my head drop forward. ”Are you hungry? I want to get an early start.”

I shook my head tiredly and forced myself to sit up straighter, my fingers a little shaky when I opened the bottle to drink.

”Great. Use the bathroom if you need to and let's go.” Vasco nodded and got up swiftly. I followed his example in a slower pace and took the water with me when I went to take a piss, not wanting Vasco to take it away from me.

 

 

Half an hour later we were walking down the streets of Broken City in a small group. I had just about peed myself when I had realized that it wasn't just me and Vasco going on this little trip but others too. There were six of us in total and I tried to stay close to Vasco when I walked. He hadn't spared me a glance since we had started and didn't seem to notice it when I had trouble keeping up with the brisk pace. The man walking behind me kept pushing me forward, his hands on my back whenever I fell behind, and by the time we stopped for a quick break, I was already feeling faint.

I collapsed to sit on the ground when I was finally allowed to stop and flinched when another bottle of water was dropped on the ground in front of me. The one I had gotten that morning hadn't lasted me very far and I felt parched.

”You have to keep up or we're not going to make it to the farm by night fall.” Vasco said, grouching down by me when I fought to even out my breathing. My stomach felt hollow with hunger and I regretted refusing a meal this morning now. Had I known that they were planning to run out of City, I would have begged Vasco to let me rest for another day.

”Did you hear me?” Vasco grunted and I nodded, gulping down water as fast as I could. The bottle was snatched away from me before I could finish it and Vasco stood before reaching down to yank me back on my feet. ”Let's go.”

I stumbled forward, just barely on my feet, terrified of what Vasco would do when my legs would give out on me. And it was only going to be a matter of time when that happened.