Dark Diary

Chapter 6; Decidedly Reusable

The next day I’d stopped by the corner store to pick up a few things, and I ran into Nico’s Mom. She smiled at me and asked me how I was, but she didn’t even mention Nico. Curious to know the extent of the spell, I’d asked her ‘How Nico was doing’. She just gave me a perplexed look and asked who he was. And that was that.

An idea struck me, so as I returned home I wrote it down in my notebook and hid it in my bottom drawer. My parents were home, which was a bother, but Thorne had assured me that he’d weaved some pretty complicated spells around my bedroom, not to mention he’d made some suggestions to my parents involving a trip to visit grandma (without me of course) and basically staying away from the house for a while after tonight.

I made my way to the closet and opened the door. In the darkness I could still make out Nico’s form sealed away against the upper wall. Thorne had assured me that he’d return later that evening to participate in my nightly fun, but for now I was on my own, and happy to stay that way.

“Nico.” I stated clearly to the darkness, and the tentacle-like magic obediently handed me the redhead’s unconscious form. It dropped the boy in my arms and I carried him to the bed and lay him there. I sat and gazed down at him casually.

He was still wearing his unbuttoned shirt over his shoulders, but the rest of him was naked. He didn’t have any bruises or marks from yesterday’s fun, but he was still dirty. We couldn’t have that. I left him there to fetch a bowl of soapy water and a bath sponge, and when I returned he was still sleeping soundly. I washed him patiently and when I was finished I set the items aside and removed his shirt the rest of the way, carrying it with me into the basement so that I could wash it with the sheets and both our pairs of pants. When I returned to my room once more, Nico was starting to stir. I quickly fished out some handcuffs lined with soft fabric and snapped them to his wrists, securing both of his arms above his head between the bars of my bedpost.

I straightened myself and sat on the side of the bed, hovering over him as he blinked awake and tried to get his bearings. In seconds his eyes fell on me, and they became wide as he tried to pull his arms away and discovered that he was bound. I heard him whimper quietly as his frightened eyes hesitantly met my cool gaze again.

“Confused?” I asked quietly.

Nico creased his brow a little but didn’t trust himself to speak. Instead he glanced around the room fearfully, looking for an exit or maybe a way to free his hands. I smiled down at him knowingly as his eyes met mine again, and he seemed to slink back into the mattress, hoping to disappear into it. He was blushing in humiliation, ashamed of his naked body, and he pulled his legs up a bit to try to hide himself.

“Aren’t you curious?” I asked him easily, “Don’t you want to know why you’re not dead? Or why you’re not sore or in pain?”

Again, Nico didn’t speak, but his eyes were trained on me. He couldn’t look away, he was probably too afraid that I’d hurt him otherwise. I reached down with one hand to move some hair out of his face and he flinched desperately, shutting his eyes tightly and turning his head away. I hesitated, slightly surprised by this reaction, but then I grinned in amusement and moved the lock of hair anyway. He trembled under my touch and looked like he might cry.

“People…” he started suddenly, peering up at me cautiously, “People will be looking for me you know…”

“They’re not, I guarantee it.” I replied pleasantly, running my fingers through his hair as he turned to look up at me.

“My parents—”

“Aren’t looking for you.” I finished smugly, “I ran into you’re Mom just this morning at the store, she was happy to see me. She bought milk and her favorite magazine like she does every week and then she went home, not a care in the world.”

“Y-You’re lying!” he accused, shaking, “It’s not true...!”

“But it is.” I said quietly, enjoying the tormented expression on his face “No one cares that you’ve disappeared, Nico, and you’ll never be able to leave.”

“You won’t get away with it!” he shot out, despairing.

“Don’t be silly.” I smiled down at him patiently.

“You won’t—!” he stopped speaking abruptly as I took the side of his face in my hand and stroked it gently, endearingly. Poor Nico, he didn’t know what to think. Even after betraying him so violently, he still didn’t hate me. I could use that to my advantage.

I carefully set myself down beside him, laying on my side to his right as he turned his head and watched me wearily, biting his lip. I lifted a gentle hand let it rest on his head, petting him lovingly like I would a cat. He hesitated for a while, but he finally closed his eyes with a quiet whimper and a nervous shudder as he gave into my gentle caresses. He seemed thrown off by my affectionate gestures, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

I then pulled my hand away propped myself up on my elbows and brought my face close to his, only smiling very slightly, very softly, and I brought our lips together. It was a deep kiss, but very gentle. He didn’t resist me, he let me explore his mouth as I pleased and even kissed back, albeit very tentatively.

When I pulled away and sat up, looking down on him, he seemed much more docile. It was like he was trying to understand what on Earth could have driven me to this. Poor sweet big-hearted Nico, one could always trust him to sympathize with even the nastiest of people…

“When…” he asked quietly, his expression very fragile, “When did you start hating me Edric?”

I was a little taken aback by this question, and I let it show on my face. I traced a finger along his jaw line pensively.

“You misunderstand me.” I said, frowning a little as I considered the question, “I don’t hate you Nico. Why would I? We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Nico looked perplexed and just a tiny bit hopeful.

“If we’re friends, then why are you doing these things to me?” he asked in confusion.

“What do you mean?” I replied, genuinely thrown off at this point, “It’s because we’re friends that I’m doing this. I couldn’t do things like this with someone I hate. I’m keeping you here because I like you Nico, I won’t actually kill you, you know.”

Nico gave me a strange look and he flexed his fingers nervously.

“You’re not yourself Edric…” he stated anxiously.

“You’re right of course.” I agreed, “But there’s nothing you can do about it. In fact, even if I wanted to, there’s nothing I can do about it either.”

I toyed with his hair pensively for a while with a smile on my face as Nico watched me silently, trying to figure out what to make of me.

“But we’ll have lots of fun, you and I,” I told him pleasantly, “You might like it after a while.”

“Edric…” Nico looked tense, his hands balling into shaky fists above his head.

“You won’t get lonely either.” I said darkly, edging my face closer to his in a predatory manner, “I can promise you that.”

“What are you going to do?” Nico asked in a small voice, knowing all too well what my answer would be.

“I wonder who I should capture first?” I feigned a pondering face as I tapped a finger under my own chin, “Maybe that shy boy from art class, you know the one. He’d hide in corners between classes because he got bullied a lot. What was his name, Lukas?”

Nico looked up at me with wide eyes, his breath hitching.

“And who else? There’s always your friend there, Don right? Tall guy, glasses, reads a lot and gets good marks. Kind of a cold personality if you ask me, especially for someone in his position. Because he can’t see a thing without his glasses can he?”

“N-No, don’t Edric…” Nico mumbled anxiously, tugging slightly at his cuffs.

“Ah yes, so many victims to choose from.” I looked up at the ceiling, pretending to be talking aloud to myself, “Of course, how could I forget our dear friend Andi…”

Nico looked like he might cry again, he was trembling. I was well aware of the redhead’s reactions, but I skillfully disregarded him.

“With all that time he spends chasing girls, I wonder if he’s just hiding the fact that he’s interested in something else…I suppose there’s only one way to find out…”

“No, don’t do that. Please Edric, don’t do that…” Nico pleaded in a whisper.

“And all those soccer games have made him such an attractive specimen too,” I said, ignoring Nico, “I’ve never seen him cry though, I wonder what he’ll look like…”

“E-Edric!”

“I’m sure he’ll be really scared too,” I added, shrugging, “It’ll be his first time with a guy after all…and I wonder, will he fight back when I kill him like I did to you?”

“No, no!”

“Or maybe I’ll let Thorne do it, and we can just watch…”

“Please!” Nico cried out, “Don’t do it, I’ll do anything you want! Just don’t do that to him! Leave Andi out of it!”

“Oh?” I turned to look at Nico with the corner of my eye, “You think you’ll be enough for me Nico? And what could you do for me that I can’t just make you do anyway?”

“I—I don’t know, but I’ll do whatever you say!” Nico whimpered, “Please, ask me to do anything at all, anything! I’ll do it! Just don’t…don’t…” his eyes watered dangerously, “…don’t hurt Andi, I’m begging you…”

I turned to him with a serious look on my face, as if I was considering his offer, but in my head I was celebrating my latest victory. This was exactly the cooperation I’d been hoping for. Of course Andi was still on my list, and when I finished having my fun with Nico I planned to make him watch Andi get fucked or something equally heartbreaking. But the redhead didn’t need to know that, so I was going to take advantage of his trust and his desperate devotion for the time being.

“Well I guess there are a few things that you could do for me…” I said in a hesitant tone.

“I’ll do it!” Nico said at once, “I’ll do anything you say!”

I smiled down at him, quirking a brow.

“Alright then,” I reached up to his manacles, producing a tiny silver key from the back pocket of my jeans. I noticed Nico’s eyes get big as he noticed it and I stopped mid-reach, “Keep in mind that if you run, by the time you’re out the door, Thorne will be bringing Andi here to me.”

It was a lie, I had no way of contacting Thorne, but Nico had no idea and was successfully deterred. He dropped his gaze and nodded in submission as I freed his hands and helped him up into a sitting position over his legs. I raised a hand and stroked the side of his face again, and he just rubbed his wrists nervously on his lap, staring down at his knees and trying to pretend that he was somewhere else.

I took one of his hands by the wrist with the tips of my fingers and gingerly let it drop between my legs. Nico stared after it, and then up at my face.

“If you want to impress me,” I said seriously, “Then make me feel good.”

**********

End of Chapter 6!