Two Hours Ago

I strode out of the restroom, not letting myself look back as I walked back into the hall. Cleo passed me in the corridor, giving me an expectant look and I sighed. "Make sure she has fun tonight, please." I pulled my card out of my wallet and passed it to her. "Buy her whatever she wants."

"Syn, I have money...we don't need-"

"Xavier will tell you the pin." I walked passed her, silently excusing myself before stepping into the destroyed dining room. My mom was sweeping the debris with the staff while Caspian and Xavier walked around the table, trashing broken glasses and plates. I walked over to my mother, who seemed more tired than anything and I crossed my arms. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Honestly?" She ran a hand through her hair. "You've done more than enough tonight, Syn. Just go home." I didn't appreciate the request, but a small part of me understood her anger at me. I mean, I did magically bind her to a chair.

I slid my hands into my pockets, not fulfilling nor denying her request as I walked towards Xavier and Caspian. When they spotted me, they smiled and I rolled my eyes. What the hell was there to be happy about right now?

"How are you feeling?" Xavier joked, slapping my shoulder. I glared at his question and he burst into laughter. "Relax, I'm messing with you. You need to cheer up, though. Everything will be fine."

"I know," I muttered.

"Do you want to grab drinks with us after this?" Caspian asked. "Queen and Cleo are going to be at the house and I am not interested in having a girl's night."

"I'll pass."

"Come on," Xavier pressed. "You need a night out."

"We just had one."

"Just come with us," he begged. "Please!"

"Okay, okay...calm your shit," I said lowly. He smiled at my response and I shook my head. "I need to change out of this." I looked down at the faint bloodstains on my white shirt. "Send me the address and I'll meet you both there."

They nodded and I snapped my fingers, disappearing from their sight and appearing in my dark bedroom. I tugged my tie loose as I headed towards the restroom and flipped the light on. After everything tonight, I need a freezing cold shower to shock some energy back into me. As ironic as it was, I had never felt as empty before. I was used to feeling nothing, but now there was something missing. A small ache inside of me reminded me that there should've been someone else here with me.

Maybe Caspian was right.

No, I shook my head. He couldn't be. I sighed, removing the remainder of my clothes and stepping into the shower. I turned on the water, remaining still as the ice-cold water hit my body, feeling like mini daggers stabbing at my skin. I let it go on for the next fifteen minutes, and when I was done, I wrapped a towel around my waist and headed toward the closet.

I glanced at Queen's messy side of the closet and shook my head slightly. The cleanliness I had craved was dwindling more and more by the day. She, for the life of her, couldn't keep anything organized. The habit of hers that used to infuriate me now provided me with the daily reminder that she was still here. I could get used to tripping over her heels scattered on the floor if it meant that she stayed.

I needed to make it up to her as soon as I saw her tomorrow, I just needed to figure it out. Cleo and Cas gave me a few ideas, but I had no idea how to execute them. Roses were mentioned as the cure all to these situations, but I knew Queen preferred sunflowers. Would that make a difference?

A dinging from inside my room made me peek my head out of the closet. When I heard nothing, I went back to getting dressed. Ding! The noise sounded again and I walked out of the closet. If I didn't find out where it was coming from, it was going to be bothering me all night.

My eyes scanned the room, still not knowing the source of the noise until it came again. My attention snapped to Queen's open laptop on the table, and I walked over to it and shut it. There.

Wait...

Why was I stressing myself out trying to figure out a solution to all this shit, when the internet knew everything? I held the towel shut and sat in the chair. When I opened her computer, all her tabs were opened and I clicked my tongue. She was virtually messy too.

I had been compromising all my habits for her ever since she moved in, but this was something I could NOT deal with. It was just horrifying to look at. I spent the next few minutes sorting her tabs and deleting the unnecessary ones. She'd probably kill me for doing this, but it would be worth it. How did she find anything like this?

I dropped random things in the trash, mindlessly clicking 'yes' when it asked if I was sure. I sorted her apps in alphabetical order on the left side of her screen, changing it from its checkered-styled mess, and sat back in satisfaction once I was done. My eyes scanned her apps and tabs, nodding in satisfaction. I moved to close the laptop until something caught my eye.

"Shit," I cursed, leaning towards the screen. In my trashing madness, I deleted her favorite shopping app. Her cart that she spent countless hours filling with clothes she wasn't sure she truly wanted, was gone. I ran a hand through my hair and tapped my leg, unsure of what to do. It seemed like an insignificant issue in the grand scheme of things...but this coupled with the fact that I had rearranged everything, was going to send her into madness. And I hated when she was mad at me.

I clicked on the trash, a multitude of files opening up before me and I groaned. How the hell was I going to get through all this? Xavier was going to have a shit fest if I didn't show up to the club tonight. "This is what you get," I told myself, shaking my head as I clicked on the first deleted file. "Should've left her shit alone."

One by one, I clicked through the things I deleted, getting more and more frustrated by the minute. "Nope...nope...nope..." I gave up on clicking through, figuring that I'd have to do a quick scroll. If I couldn't find it within the next few minutes, I'd have to lie to her.

My eyes moved at lightning speed as I read the names, and when I reached halfway down the entire page, my eye caught onto something. A file labeled:

Syn SinClaire: Beauty and The Beast Project

What?

Not having any idea why my name would be on a file, I double-clicked it open. I stared at the loading circle impatiently, and within a few seconds...a plethora of pages were open to me. My brows furrowed as I reach the first few paragraphs, and my chest compressed at the lines at the bottom.

Objectives:
-Syn SynClaire emotional capacities:
(Violent outbursts...pages 7, 13, 14-16, 20."

-Response to abrupt changes in environment:
(Date to amusement park...page 17.)
(Changes to bedroom/ bathroom/ living areas...page 19)

-Fears:
(Heights, refer to page 17.)

Likes?

Dislikes...

The list went on and the more I read it, my head began to hurt. I thought of every moment we shared along with every conversation and wondered just how much of it was real. Seeing how analytical she was with her in-depth paragraphs about our first date broke me. I was trying my best to make sure she had a good time even though I was suffering, yet to her...everything was an experiment.

Just my fucking luck.

The very first girl that I wanted to be with turned out to be a spy- or whatever the fuck she was. She was using me.

I couldn't stomach reading any more of her report and I backed away from the table. I let a numb feeling settle over as I got dressed, my mind repeating phrases I read.

A monster...was what I was belittled to.

After everything we had been through, everything we had done with each other- to each other...I didn't expect her to ever call me that. I hated the fact that the word hurt now. It never mattered to me when anyone else said it, but the fact that she was...

The candle I got her for her birthday sat on my dresser and I looked at it blankly. If she knew how long I spent searching for that for her, what category would she put it under? Would it be because of my meticulous-as she used- need to be precise or because I focused on arbitrary details? It couldn't fucking be because I wanted to make her smile- no, people like her would never include that shit! They want to add everything that makes me into the monster that people feared.

No one would ever have the guts to say it, but this was who they wanted me to be. The image the media painted of me was the one that kept people on their toes. I was tired of trying to deviate from that narrative. If people wanted a monster, I could give them one like they've never seen.

I grabbed my phone from the dresser and went directly to Queen's contact. We're done. Nothing else needed to be said. Those two words would hopefully destroy her as much as they did me. The words seemed to snap something inside of me so much so that Queen was the very last thing on my mind. There was only one thing I wanted right now.

Blood.

I could feel Caspian's eyes flicking to mine as I drove, and it was the hardest thing ever to pretend that I didn't notice his glances. I wondered what he was thinking, but I knew if I asked him, he'd give some cocky remark that would ruin my mood.

I didn't expect or want him to stay back and clean the entire restaurant with me, but I was glad that he did. He was actually pleasant when he was quiet. "You can tell a lot about a person by the way they drive," he said, eyeing my hands.

"Ahh, is that why you asked me to drive?"

"That, and you would've argued to drive because you just can't stand not being in control when it comes to me." I scoffed, shaking my head as I focused on the road. In my peripheral, I watched his body turn to face me in his seat. "But you always give in, don't you..."

"As if you didn't?" I asked. "If I recall, the other night you were-"

"Shut up and let your friend know we're close," he muttered. I burst out into laughter and used my free hand to dial Syns number. I hadn't spoken to him since he left and I figured he would call like usual, but he didn't. The phone dialed until it reached voicemail, and I frowned.

"He's not picking up," I mumbled.

"Does he usually?"

"Always..."

"Maybe there's no reception in the club," he suggested. "We can go and see if he's there. If not, I'll call Cleo to do a location spell."

"Okay."

We pulled into the parking lot of the club, and to my surprise, it was quieter than usual. Strangely quiet. "Is this not a busy night?" I asked Caspian as I shut the car off.

"It's a Friday night," he said, opening his door. "One of the busiest nights."

"Hmm." I shit the door behind me and headed towards the entrance, Caspian following closely behind me. Maybe too close...If I were to stop walking, he'd definitely bump into me. Is that what he wanted?

"Where is the bouncer?" He asked slowly, making me take in the scene in front of us. It was a Friday night, and there was no line at one of the most notorious clubs in the city. What was going on? If tonight were with anyone else, I wouldn't have questioned the strangeness...but Syn was involved.

"Come on," I said lowly, walking over the red velvet ropes in front of the dark club door. Pushing it slightly open, I could hear the sound of classical music instead of the usual club songs that played, and I frowned. As soon as I heard the sounds of violins crash into the song, I stood up straight and rolled my eyes. "I know exactly why no one is here."

"Why?"

I pulled the door open and sighed, crossing my arms as I spotted Syn in the middle of the dance floor. "Him." I strode in, letting Caspian close the door behind us. I looked around the club, noticing the glass littered all over the floor and I turned to Syn. "Vandalism, Syn?"

He faced me, slightly swaying in his spot as he squinted his eyes. "Oh, it's you. You scared me," he said deadpanned, his features giving away no emotion. He took a swig of the bottle of alcohol in his hands and I studied him. His white top was stained with droplets of blood and alcohol, making the shirt see-through enough that I could spot his tattoos.

This was different.

In all the years I had known him...in all the drinking and partying we'd done before...Syn had never gotten drunk. I mean, I had tried to get him buzzed plenty of times but nothing worked. The man was a steel vault. "You're drunk..."

"Nooo," he drawled. "You're drunk."

"Mature," I muttered. "Where is everyone?"

"Loud." He swallowed. "Very loud."

"What?"

"They were being loud!" He said slowly, shouting the words. "I told them to leave..."

"Why do you have blood on your shirt?" Caspian asked, walking down the colorful steps to the dance floor.

Syn looked down at his shirt as if he didn't know it was there, and looked up at the ceiling. "Some-..." he burped, "didn't leave fast enough." He stumbled in his spot, spilling over his drink and I took a step towards him.

"Maybe we should take that from-"

"No!" He hugged the bottle against him, holding up a shaky finger at me. "This is mine. Get your own."

Caspian laughed softly and I shook my head. To anyone else I guess this was amusing, but to me- the person who truly knew him...it was terrifying. I was mentally equipped and prepared to deal with all sides and moods that came with Syn, but I didn't know the first step of handling drunk Syn.

"How long have you been here?" I asked him, looking around at the chaos once again. He had to have been here for a long time to get the club, and himself in this state.

"Umm." He looked down at his fingers in thought. He started counting his fingers one by one and when he was done, he looked back at me. "I don't know..."

"We really need to sober you up," I said.

"Well, I think we need to drunker you up," he slurred, making wobbly strides to the bar. "Bartender, I need ten shots!" He drummed his hands on the bar and waited for someone to reply, and when they didn't, he clicked his tongue. "Right! I killed him." He scoffed. "Silly me, but no worries...I know how to pour things too."

"He's quite the character," Caspian teased as he stood next to me. I sighed and he laid a hand on my shoulder as we watched Syn walk around the bar.

"Drink of choi-..." He fell to the floor, disappearing behind the bar and I pinched the bridge of my nose as Cas burst into laughter. I heard Syn groan, as he slowly picked himself up and shake his man. "You really shouldn't be sleeping on the job," he whispered to the floor. "Very unprofessional."

I walked over to the bar, confused as to who he was speaking to, and leaned over the counter to look at the floor. When I saw the dead bartender laying face down in a pool of blood, I sat back in the seat and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "He's dead, Syn."

"Well...he's not very active right now, but I think it's insensitive to say dead." He leaned toward me. "He could hear you," he whispered.

"You're a horrible drunk."

"Why does horrible sound so...horrible? What would happen if you said it to- to someone...and they thought you said whore-able...what would happen, Xavier?"

"Hopefully you're never around anyone dense enough to mix up the two."

"I don't know." He sighed. "You have your days."

"What?"

"I think he's calling you an idiot." Caspian sat next to me, reaching for a bottle of whiskey and a glass.

"I'm not an idiot."

"Okayyy," Syn whispered.

"Tsk, we've been calling you for thirty minutes. Where is your phone?"

"I dunno." He shrugged.

"You don't know where your phone is?"

"Am I supposed to babysit my phone, Xavier??" He seethed. "I don't fucking know where it is. I just get new one...I will just get new one- a new one. I will-"

"I get it!" I yelled, making him look at me in disgust.

"I'm sorry that I like to be...grammatly correct."

"Grammatically," Cas corrected him.

Syn waved his hand. "Same shit."

But when I- I shook my head, deciding not to even argue. I had no idea he could ever be more annoying than me. "I need to use the bathroom."

I stood up. "Do you need help?" I asked, not knowing if he'd be able to make it on his own. The halls were dark and he was all the way off his rockers. He raised an inquisitive brow at me, making the tension shift to an awkward pause and I rolled my eyes. "Not in a gay way, Syn," I groaned, making Cas smile in amusement. "I just don't know if you can go alone."

"I just need to hold my dick and aim," he whispered, looking at me suspiciously. "I don't need help with either of those."

"Don't come to me if you end up peeing yourself."

His face dropped, and he glanced around before looking at me seriously. "A-am I going to?"

"Syn, go to the damn bathroom!"

"Why do you hate me?"

"Go!"

"We're going," he grumbled, raising his hands.

"We?" Caspian questioned.

"Weeee!" Syn yelled, teetering towards the dark corridor.

When he rounded the corner and disappeared into the hall, I sat back and ran a hand down my face. "He's going to be the death of me." He laid a hand on my thigh, a smile playing on his lips as he attempted to comfort me. "I'm sorry about tonight," I said. "I'm sure it's not what Cleo and you pictured when I invited you."

"Not at all." He sighed. "But we enjoyed getting to know you more."

"We hardly talked."

"You can tell a lot about a person from the people they surround themselves and how they interact with them."

I thought back to all of the fights and screaming tonight and scoffed. Not to mention us sitting in the middle of a crime scene created by the person I considered my best friend. "So I'm fucked."

"Not at all," he said. "We learned quite a bit."

"Care to share?"

"Well." He smirked at me. "From the moment we walked in, without speaking to you...I learned that you're the type of person who would rather struggle alone than ask for help."

"As soon as you walked in?"

"Mhmm..." he nodded. "With the gifts. I offered to help you, yet you declined and single-handedly carried them yourself. Granted, anyone with eyes could see you trying not to drop them- almost shaking..." I nudged his arm, and he laughed softly. "Then how you yelled at Jess in front of everyone..."

"Ugh." I shook my head.

"You took up for us against a friend of yours even when you didn't have to. It spoke volumes, Xavier. And it was hot..." he whispered, "as hell- no...hotter."

My eyes snapped to his and he smiled knowing that I realized what he was doing. "You heard my conversation with Queen."

"I'm a vampire, Xavier." He shrugged. "You were nervous...which was understandable considering how flustered I make you."

"You really think you're all that, don't you?"

"I know I am."

"The confidence is cute." I shrugged.

He leaned closer to me, his minty breath fanning my neck. "Cute?"

"Cute."

"I've been called a lot of things, but I haven't heard cute in a long time."

"Not even with the..." I pointed to his hair, "pink hair?"

He scoffed, rolling his eyes as he looked back at his drink. "Go check on your friend." The smile on his face was permanent as he shook his head and I laughed as I hopped off the stool.

I made long strides to the restroom, following the colorful lights on the floor as a guide in the dark hall. I heard the sound of running water as I neared the restroom, and when I pushed the door open...I saw nothing. "Syn," I called out, walking to the faucet and shutting it off. "If you needed to shit, you could've just said so."

I faced the stalls and crossed my arms. When I got no answer in return, I called his name again. Silence...was all I got. I pushed open the stall doors one at a time, and once I reached the end of the door with no sight of him, I began to panic.

He was drunk. He couldn't be out like this with as many people out there that wanted him dead. I rushed out of the restroom, heading back to Cas with worry striking me.

"He's gone."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not here. The bathroom is empty."

"Where the hell can he go? It's almost one in the morning."

"I don't know, but I need to find him before anything happens. He doesn't have a phone and he's drunk...I-I'll call you, okay?"

"What do you mean call me?" He asked, getting up from the chair. "I'm going to help you find him."

"You really don't have to. He's my friend..."

"Eh, I like the weirdo." He sighed. "I can call Cleo for a location spell if you'd like."

"We can try it, but I'm not sure it'd work. You need a valuable possession and Syn has none of those," I said. He didn't care enough about anything for it to be used to track him-

"Maybe Queen could help us with that."

...could she?