Azalea's POV

I shoved my closet closed, hearing a thud following that made me cringe. I kneeled down, knee digging into the rough carpet. My hand grazed the metallic surface that was as cold as absence. I was about to unfold the laptop until a distant knock sounded. My head snapped up, alert and heart racing. I stood up and started downstairs, sending careful glances behind me before I left my room.

I cautiously approached the door, recomposing myself before opening. My heart lurched when I immediately recognized who he was, but I calmed down after I realized he could easily be handled.

"Ashton," I mumbled, trying to look annoyed and uninterested the best I could.

"Hey!" he smiled enthusiastically. "I was around, and... have you seen Hayden anywhere? I knocked and he didn't answer."

"You think I constantly know where he is?" I said crankily. "I'm sure he's out and busy... plus, I heard his girlfriend was in town."

A spark of registration went off in his eyes. "Oh, that's right! Of course..."

He shyly hesitated and readjusted his glasses. "Well, I'm not doing anything anymore, so I was wondering..."

That would actually be a great idea. It wouldn't hurt, either. What's one more going to do? But then again, it may not be the best choice...

I grunted disapprovingly. "No. I'm busy."

He opened his mouth to object, but I slammed the door too quickly to catch anything audible.

I stared at the door while reevaluating my decision.

"Am I getting soft?" I murmured.

I then remembered the glint of metal from earlier and reminded myself that I wasn't.

Hayden's POV

A jingling sound. A clatter and clang. They continuously echoed through my ears as I constantly shivered. I was in a state of madness, unable to help it. Wedged between consciousness and unconsciousness. Krystal was around, though. Pulling a blanket over me, securing me in bed. The clinging still roared in my ears and I wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't she make it stop? The lights dimmed and suddenly I was facing a set of eyes, piercing my nerves. I was petrified with fear, losing my ability to breathe or cry out for help.

The set of eyes remained stationary, but that was the most terrifying part about it. I almost wanted him to confront me rather than observe me. Get it over with. I anxiously anticipated a form of torture, attack.

But what came after was much worse.

An icy substance penetrated my pores. I sharply inhaled and started choking. Alarm and panic shot through me as I skidded backward and slammed against the stone wall behind me. I fell to the ground, hacking up liquid. I started trembling and weakening as the adrenaline slowly died down due to my already fatigued state. This was all some fever-induced nightmare. It had to be.

Then why did it feel so real?

I slowly grew back in touch with my surroundings. A cushioned surface supported my aching back. Newfound warmth securely wrapped around me. A dull throbbing of my head.

I deliriously smiled. "Good morning, Krystal. I had the weirdest dreams, but they're all over now...."

Silence was the only response to my greeting. Footsteps tapped the ground, but not in the way that would seem familiar to home. Thoughts of unsettlement passed through my mind but I chose to ignore them. Krystal just didn't hear me. I opened my mouth to partially repeat myself.

What felt like a blade slowly dragged through my foot. The pointed edge of it sunk down into my skin and twisted in a full circle. The blade was lifted and then sliced through the burning wound once more. I cried out in agony and for mercy, teeth unintentionally cutting through my lip. The blood from the wound cascaded down my foot. I wanted to open my eyes at this point, but was too scared to see what was on the other side. I heard a clang that signified the knife was placed down on a table. Footsteps back towards me.

"I'm sorry that hurt," an unfamiliar voice apologized. "But I think you would be assured to know that it wasn't wasteful."

Wasteful? Why did he even want my blood in the first place? My head spun as I tried make sense of things.

"W-Where's Krystal?" I struggled. I burst into a fit of feeble coughing.

"Who's Krystal?" he asked with the innocence of a child. That, for some reason, enraged me.

"Don't act so clueless," I hissed. "I'll bet you know exactly where she is but you're playing dumb."

I opened my eyes to give the man a menacing death stare, but the light that was shining directly in my eyes nearly blinded me.

"Ah...!" I squinted and shut my eyes once more.

A sigh. "Now why would you think that the person who saved your life is lying to you?"

"Saved my life?" I let that linger in the air, contemplating it. Then, "From what?"

"Roblox, of course," he said as if it were an obvious statement. "You're their most valuable asset. They wanted to steal your laptop and torture you for information."

"So one of them broke into my house and knocked me out." I slammed my hand against the bed. "I should've known something like this would've happened, it seems to happen every time during these things."

A constant tapping echoed through the room like a metronome. It was oddly calming.

"Why did you save me?" I demanded. "Whose side are you on?"

"Is it a crime to not have a side?" His movement stopped and I felt a strange disappointment.

"It would help me trust you if I knew." I attempted to sit up so I could be more comfortable, but I slid down. I let out a hum of frustration.

"So you're saying..." A metal clinking noise. He was tinkering with something. "If I told you what you wanted to hear, you would trust me? Because I was told that's lying."

"Enlighten me then," I said.

"A Robloxian knocked you and this girl, I'm sure that's the Krystal you referred to, out and took you to their headquarters for interrogation, and possibly worse. I hate the idea of Roblox and Minecraft fighting, so I stole one of their pawns by rescuing you. I was going to take Krystal, but I had gotten there too late. I'm so sorry."

I heard a click. The brightness that leaked through my lids darkened and I slowly opened my eyes. My gaze darted over to the crimson liquid glistening on my foot. The fact that I was bleeding and Krystal was out of my reach began to register in my mind. She was gone. Out of my reach. All because of me.

"Krystal is gone." Urgency and alarm were rising in my throat. "She's gone because of my problems." I whipped around to the man that forgot her, who looked relaxed. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE! GET ME OUT OF HERE SO I CAN SAVE HER!"

An intense pressure restrained my arm. I writhed, feeling like a helpless bird in a cage. My hands grabbed the cuffs of metal that wrapped around my arms and yanked them off the chair arms they were attached to. I shot out of bed, bad foot landing on the ground with such force that I bit open a fresh cut on my lip. My head quickly jerked around, searching for any kind of exit. I tasted metallic as I scrambled toward what seemed like the exit.

"You don't need to panic," I heard his voice say calmly as I launched myself at the doorway. "I'll explain everything if you just sit back down."

"PANIC?!" I chucked the pieces of metal at him and he dodged quickly, leaving it to crash into his workspace. "YOU DRAW BLOOD FROM ME WITH A KNIFE, TELL ME MY GIRLFRIEND IS BEING HELD HOSTAGE BY AN ENEMY AND EXPECT ME TO SHRUG IT ALL OFF AND NOT PANIC?"

I gripped onto the silver doorknob, ferociously rattling it to open. I glanced back and he was approaching me carefully like I was a wild animal.

"It's locked," I mumbled to myself, infuriated.

"Please, don't make me calm you down," he said gently, getting closer.

"Get away from me!" My panic was at the peak of its hysteria. "I just want to have a nice winter break with my girlfriend, not get captured by an enemy and rescued by a PSYCHO! GET ME OUT OF H-"

A sharp needle sunk into my arm. A familiar lightness dizzied me as my knees buckled. A pair of arms caught me and lifted me, my arms and legs dangling limply. I stared up into his eyes, blinking drowsily. Rings of color layered his eye complexion. A darker green outlined the irises, following with an olive green that lightened to shades of yellows and browns and a tiny burst of orange circled the black pupils. The intricacy of hazel eyes.

His skin was as pale as a ghost; it seemed as if he never went outside. Maybe he didn't. Dark hair neatly combed to the side. A memory was vying for attention. I knew that face. The struggle to remember where brought me to madness.

"I know you." My words came out slurred, raspy with sickness. "Where were you in my life?"

"Nowhere," he said soothingly. "I was nowhere and I'm sorry..."

I firmly gripped onto his arm, desperate to stay awake.

"I know how much Krystal means to you," he whispered. "I can save her. I just need your help."

"Of course..." I murmured. "Anything..."

Hypnotized by the lull of his voice, I slipped into unconsciousness.