Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.

-Unknown

■NATASHA■

•Flashback•

"You're creeping me out," Torrin said as he watched me eat a thing of octopus tentacles. We were making a pit stop before we went to go search for a stone because I was hungry. Torrin was as well, but he was too much of a dick to admit it. His eyes squinted together as he saw me put a whole tentacle in my mouth. "Disgusting." He muttered under his breath.

I rolled my eyes. "Can't I just eat in peace," I said while chewing. The tentacles were so juicy. "It's not like I was talking shit when you were eating that bullshit hamburger. Now that looked disgusting."

Torrin glared at me. "At least my breath doesn't smell like shit." He said staring at me.

I wiped the corner of my mouth with my fingers. "You're right, it smells much worse." I resort. "There's some mouthwash in the back seat if you want some."

Torrin's glare deepens. "I don't need your stupid mouth wash bitch."

Now it was my time to glare at him. "Then don't use it then... bitch." Torrin shakes his head and rubs his hands together. He puts the heat up and leans his head back on the seat. "Why are you so mean? You're like one of those evil people that O'Donald use to describe in his books." I asked while chewing.

Torrin sighs. "Can you please stop chewing with your mouth open, it's so disturbing. And how do you even know who O'Donald is, he was way ahead of your time."

I swallow my food down. "You're avoiding the question Scarface. And just because someone is ahead of their time, doesn't mean you can't know about them." I shrugged. "Besides, O'Donald died and went to hell. Believe it or not, we were quite the acquaintance down there. He even let me read his whole collection to his longitude poems. They were amazing." O'Donald was a very talented poet, he wrote books along with plays but eventually, the people of his town hung him when they found out he was killing children to get his inspiration to write.

Torrin turned his neck to look at me, his head was still on the seat. "So you mean to me, O'Danald went to hell and had to spend time with you down there." He sighed. "Damn, hell really is torture." Torrin chuckled slightly when he saw the look on my face. "I'm not mean mutt, you're expectations on how I'm supposed to just make me seem mean."

My face turned into a frown. "My expectation of you?" I questioned. "I have no expectations of you. You're no one to me."

Torrin stared at me and not like he usually does, but more intense this time. It was as if he was staring at what was left of my soul. I felt my heart skip a beat, with the amount of feelings in the car. "You do have expectations in me, Natasha, from the moment you found out I was Alexander's brother, you did. You just don't want to admit it, because you don't want to be an open book." He paused and lifted up his hand, before placing it on the side of my face. His hand felt so warm. "But what you don't know Natasha... is that you are an open book." He said lowly. "And I know that because I see you. And I read you the first time I laid my eyes on you."

My mouth dropped. I didn't say anything, only looked at him. I feared if I did, it would ruin the moment.

Moment.

We were having a moment.

Wait, were we?

"I'm not an open book." I had finally managed to say.

His head tilted slightly, his hand still on my face. "But you are." He said, smoothly. "Like right now, you're thinking about if we're having a moment." He lets out a breath. "Which we aren't. You know I don't like you like that. And I would recommend for you to not like me like that either." Torrin finally removed his hand from my face, the side of my face instantly felt cold.

"Why not?" I asked, confused. "If I did like you like that, why you recommend that I don't?"

Torrin turned away from me and took in a deep breath. "I would recommend you don't because it's not right. As much as you don't want to see it, I wasn't made for love... or to be loved. And you... you were destined for other things."

A strain tear fell from my eyes. What the fuck is happening to me? "But... but that doesn't mean it can't be reversed. Anything can be reversed." I said, ignoring what he said about me. I sniffed, my body shuddering.

Torrin looked back at me... worriedly. "Don't cry, Natasha... it's weird... seeing you do it." His hands go back to the side of my face. "You're strong and fierce don't cry because of me. I'm not worth your tears." He wiped my tear away with his thumb. "See, you look perfect when you're not crying," Torrin whispered.

I put my head down. "You know, that's like five times you said my actual name."

Torrin smirked slightly, lifting my head up. "I'm surprised by it too, believe me."

He goes to move away his hand, but I stop him. Placing my hand on top of his. "Can... can I kiss you?" I asked boldly, not caring about what it would lead too. Torrin is hesitant at first, but eventually, he nods and I waste no time pulling him into a kiss. Our faces bent down as our lips intertwined, the hunger for each other grew bigger and more intense. He traced his tongue across the bottom of my lip, biting on it just a bit.

Just when I was about to pull him closer, he pulled away, panting fast. "We... We can't."

I chuckled a bit. "I know," I said, understanding why. "But it still felt good." Torrin chuckled too, but then suddenly his face got serious. "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to remember this?" He moved away from me, not daring to say a word. "It's because I'm not, aren't I?"

"I'm sorry," Torrin said and before I could open my mouth to say anything, everything went dark.

-

I gasp, jolting up but something holds me down. My mind is all over the place, trying to figure out if that were a memory or a dream. It couldn't be a dream, because it felt too real to be one. Way too intense. I gasp again, this time feeling the familiar pain that took over my body before I passed out.

I remember everything that happened. Well, at least the basic.

Abducted.

Rahul.

Rahul stabbed me.

Blood.

A lot of blood and pain...

The pain is raw and growing. It has spread to my entire body, but the place I feel it the most is in my heart. I try to stand up again, but I'm forced right back down, by someone's hands. Very strong hands at that. They keep my body pinned to the ground. "Stay down child, you're going to bleed more if you don't."

The voice sounds so familiar, but I can't even think about who it belongs to because of the sharp pain that's coursing through my skull. Colorful spots flash in front of my eyes, it felt like my whole body was going to give up on me. "Torrin," I whispered, hoping for a miracle that he'd be able to hear me. "Tor... r...in..."

"No, don't sleep!" The familiar voice shouts, but it's too late.

My eyes shut, once again.

-

•Flashback•

"Are you gonna pass the butter?" Torrin asked. His voice was low and soft and his perfectly long fingernails tapped the surface of the diners wooden table. He gave me a questionable look when I didn't answer him. "Cat got your tongue or your mouth finally broke?"

I glared at him, sticking the middle finger at him. "Fuck off Scarface." I crossed my arms and huffed, before leaning back in my seat. "It's your fault I'm so sleepy. Everyone knows I need my beauty sleep. Look at me," I pointed towards my reflection in the glass. "There's freakin bags under my eyes. Bags I tell you! I look hideous!"

Torrin rolled his eyes all the way to the back of his head. "Calm down will ya, you're making a scene. And stop being so overdramatic, you have plenty of time to sleep when you're dead." His lips perked up a little when he saw anger flash through my eyes.

"Well, I hope you feel the same way when I strangle you to death." I looked down at my food and frowned. "This looks disgusting. There's still eggshells in the damn eggs. What kinda shit is this?!"

"Oh, so now you're too good for waffle house food." He taunted. "Just because you're a Queen, doesn't mean you always have to eat lavishly." When Torrin woke up this morning, he said he was in the mood for waffles. So here we were, at waffle house. I'm amazed they're still around.

Letting out a breath, I pushed the plate of food away. "Yeah, well it doesn't mean I have to eat slop." I resort back. "If this is what you eat, then no wonder why you look like this." The lighting in the diner was dim and the air was thick with the scents of so many different foods.

Now Torrin glares at me. "Don't piss me off Natasha. I'm in a good mood, don't ruin it."

I lifted my hands up in surrender. He was so bipolar. "Yeah, yeah." A yawn escapes my lips. "Would you please hurry up, I'm sleepy." Finally passing him the butter, he takes it from my hand. "Where exactly is this next stone located?" Realization hits me. "Wait don't answer that. I forgot to tell you to call your brother." I Reached across the table and grabbed his phone. "Alex is probably worried sick about you." Clicking the call button, the phone begins to ring and I pass it back to Torrin.

Torrin quickly hangs it up and looks up at me. An unknown expression marked his face. "I already sent him a text." He said, his voice sounding rough. "Why'd you call him Alex? His name is Alexander."

"I know that Scarface. It's just Alexander is such a long name, that's why I call him Alex."

Torrin looks unconvinced. He wears a scowl on his face. "Sure." He grumbled, before getting up. Torrin dropped twenty-four tokens on the table, before walking away. My eyes rolled to the back my head, he was making a big deal out of nothing.

Getting up, I join Torrin inside the car. "You're so damn moody." Torrin doesn't even wait for me to get inside the car, he takes off driving. "And a dickhead," I muttered the last part. Taking a string of my curly hair, I roll it around my pinky finger. It was a strange habit of mine. "Are you jealous or something?"

And just like that, the car comes to a complete stop making my body hunch forward. The seatbelt tightens around my body, making me hiss. "Let me let you in on a little secret Natasha, I never get jealous. Especially when it's something that has little to no relevance towards me."

I scoffed. "You know, you sound pretty jealous to me," I said looking up at him. "But what I'm trying to figure out is why. You said it yourself, I'm the last person on earth you'd ever end up with."

Torrin punches the car's steering wheel, which caused me to jump up in shocked. He looks up at me angrily. "I lied Natasha." He admitted, which shocked me even more. "And yes I'm jealous, you're not supposed to be giving my brother nicknames. You're supposed to be giving me nicknames."

My mouth opens wide. "Where the fuck is all this coming from Torrin?" I asked confused. "You're confusing the hell out of me."

He shakes his head. "It... It doesn't matter. You won't remember any of this."

I frowned. "What do you mean Torrin?" I questioned. "Why won't I remember any of this."

Torrin turned to look at me. "You know sometimes, I wished I didn't have to make you forget," He paused. "I've always wanted to know how'd you react knowing the information that I've given you, but I've realized now that it'll only hurt you." He said. "None of this makes any sense to you right now Natasha, but just know that for the past few weeks you've been the thing that I've thought about most in half my years of living."

"T... Torrin, you're creeping me out now." I said, confused. "Can you just explain this to me, because nothing you're saying is making any sense."

Torrin didn't say a word at first. He only lifted his hand up and placed his thumb at the temple of my head. His mouth opened and he said something, but I couldn't comprehend what it was.

All I knew is that my eyes felt heavy and my brain felt disconnected.

-

My eyes snap open again and this time, instead of gasping I scream. Not because of the pain, even though that played a huge part in it, but because I finally put the pieces together that I've been seeing memories that have been erased from my mind.

Torrin erased some of my memories.

Why would he do that?

"Natasha, I'm going to lift you up now. Please, try your best not to scream again." Weakly taking in breaths, I finally look up to see who the voice belongs to.

"No." I cried weekly, trying to back away, but my body wouldn't let me.

My father, sighs. "If I was going to hurt you, Natasha, don't you think I would've already done it by now." I don't answer him, I only watch him, ready to defend myself if I had to. Even though I'm weak right now. "I've never been a good father when it came down to you and I'm sorry about that. You don't have to believe me, but please know that I'm really trying to help you get out of here."

My vision starts to get blurry. "Why?" I ask, my voice sounding so guttural. There was no doubt in my mind that I was losing so much blood.

My father looked at me, his eyes sincere. "Because it's the right thing to do, even if its the last thing I'll ever do." He moves to touch me and this time, I let him. He sits me up and leans me against the painted brick wall. "I've been listening in on the things that Rahul have been saying. Now, if my calculations are right. Then this thing right here," My father pulls out a tissue from out his pocket. He unravels it, and a burst of red light shines through the chambers, nearly blinding me. "Will heal you. It and of course the other ones. I'm not sure it will save your true side, but I know for a fact that you'll live."

He puts the stone in my hands and I feel my body ache more. "It hurts more."

My father nods. "It's going to, that's why you need the other stones. This stone will only help you temporarily. Its power was designed to heal you and kill you at the same time. That's why you need to get to someplace safe, where there's help. Real help.

"You do know that Rahul is going to kill you for helping me." My body feels like it's melting, I've never sweated so much in my entire life.

He nods, his dark skin glowing at the sudden red light. He has changed from the last time we saw each other, his hair is grey, like the aging color, which confuses me. It's impossible for him to die, well not impossible but just... a complicated process seeing as he is a demon. "Sooner or later we all must die, Natasha. Death is nothing but another life, a life that we have yet to live."

Realization hits me. "You're dying, aren't you?"

"I am." He answers. "I'll be welcoming death with open arms and I suggest you do the same when your time comes." A small noise sounds by the door, which causes him to look back. He then turns around and places a hand on my shoulder. "Listen carefully to the words that are about to come out my mouth Natasha," Father says seriously. "Forget about everything and anything they thought you in the world of flames, it's all a lie. There is a God. And he's not like the ones you've seen before. He's Powerful. More powerful than ever, powerful to the point where he created himself with just a strike of light. He sits high in the mountains and watches us, only making his presence known when he wants to. This god has given me a vision, a vision of a new world. And when the time is right." My father lifts up my chin. "He'll make his presence known to you child."

I open my mouth to say something, but the sound of footsteps getting closer cuts me off. "Now is the time Natasha. You have to say a spell to get you out of here before they come."

I look up at him. "Come with me," I tell him, desperately wanting him to do so. We may have never gotten along in the past, but seeing him doing good I... I didn't want him to die.

He shakes his head. "You're body isn't strong enough to take the both of us." He gives me a closed mouth smile. "Besides, I've got a destiny to fulfill." My father places a kiss on my forehead. "Now you go. Natasha. Get from away from this place as you can."

My eyes close, as I concentrate on the mix blood pumping in my veins. It was surprising that there was still some pumping in my body, when the majority of it, is all over my body and floor. "Hic sanguinem et sanguinem quia coniungit nos. Sanguine ducens ad invicem. Clamabo et sanguine, misit me ad vos." I begin chanting." Hic sanguinem et sanguinem quia coniungit nos. Sanguine ducens ad invicem. Clamabo et sanguine, misit me ad vos. Hic sanguinem et sanguinem quia coniungit nos. Sanguine ducens ad invicem. Clamabo et sanguine, mist me ad vos." My eyes roll to the back of my head as I feel the blood bond, between Torrin and me, grow.

"Goodbye, Natasha." I hear my father say before I'm extracted from his presences.

A red mist surrounds me from the middle of nowhere, my view of the world fades until only I am alone in a misty one. The lighting of the mist changes softly but then abruptly in only a few moments and then it begins to clear, leaving me sitting on a cold wooden floor. I look around the room, the atmosphere feeling like home. In the center-left is a queen-size bed, with blue and grey covers, and white blankets. The blankets have black wolf designs on them and look to be thick.

My eyes close for a moment, and my body goes numb. I could feel my life slipping away, my nose forgetting to inhale and exhale. A sudden blackness fills the line of my vision, my world slowly but surely coming to an end.

"Natasha?" I hear a deep voice call, once the bedroom bathroom opens up.

I smile lopsided knowing who it is, but also at the worriedness in his voice. My eyes open for a brief moment. "Boy am I happy to see you here Scarface," I say, my voice sounding low and fragile. His scent fills my nose and it causes my stomach to flutter. "It would suck to die and not see your face."

"Natasha." He calls again, this time running towards me. He places both hands on my cheeks, pulling me forward. "What happened to you?" He questions. My eyes start to close, and it causes him to panic. "Stay awake, don't fall asleep on me. I got you... I'm right here."

"Call me crazy Scarface, but all tonight I've been getting these memories of you. Memories that seem to have been erased from my mind. You wouldn't have anything to do with that?" I feel his mouth open to speak, the vibration of his voice spreading through my body. I try to focus on the words he's saying, but I hear nothing as my mind goes blank. The stone falls out of my hand as my eyes close. The only thing I could hear is my own heartbeat.

Taking in one final breath, my heart beats one last time.

Great news lovely people, I graduate next Wednesday which means I can finally update more frequently now, without stressing about school.

So yeah🤞🏾🤘🏾

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