Chapter 412: Meltdown

With over twenty men stripped down to their boxers, Olivia felt like she was living out an exceptionally good dream. The women around them were red faced with laughter, as some of the men tried to cover the parts of their bodies that had become obvious without pants to cover. There were also those who were proud and did not bother to keep a shred of modesty.

Mina's eyes were still closed, and she was missing out on the sight. Olivia kept trying to convince the woman to open her eyes, but Mina refused, saying that she would never be able to look at any of the men again if she did. For Mina, her memory was like a gift and a curse, and she did not need to put that kind of pressure on herself.

Still laughing at the cute woman, Connor took Mina's hand with the intention of rubbing it down his exposed chest, but he was unable to do so because Cylus showed up out of nowhere and snatched both Olivia and Mina out of the room as if they were rag dolls. Offended on their behalf, Willow followed Cylus who had both women by the back of their shirts in a comical fashion that reminded her of the behavior of an older brother.

Remembering what Mina suspected, Willow slowed in her steps, wondering if Cylus had become aware of something, because his actions were not those of a jealous man, they were the actions of someone who was trying to protect a person they cared about.

"You should give up on him," Willow heard Bastien say. She turned to glare at the man, hoping his body was flabby, but it was just as toned as everyone else's. She stepped around him, but he blocked her path. "Are you still angry with me? For back then?" Willow snickered and pushed the man away. She hated Bastien, because when she needed friends the most, he was there, but he later revealed that it was only because Oric sent him.

----

Olivia had never seen her cousin so angry. He cursed both her and Mina as he marched them toward his bedroom, asking them if they would have taken their clothes off had Willow lost. Olivia had already explained that the bet extended to everyone present, because she thought it would help, but it only served to make Cylus much angrier.

"My eyes were closed," Mina said, feeling as though she were being unjustly punished for something she had no control over.

"I saw that, and I also saw Connor about to rub your hand on his chest."

"What?!" Mina asked incredulously, she had felt someone take her hand, but she thought it was to lead her outside where the men were supposed to run. "I didn't know." Mina glared at Olivia who did her best to shrug which was impossible being dragged by the back of her collar the way they were.

Cylus flung both women into his room, shutting and locking the door behind him. Mina's eyes widened and she sucked in a deep breath. She began to hyperventilate and Cylus thought she was acting to elicit pity. Her breathing became heavier and heavier, and her eyes grew wider than he had ever seen.

"Scaring me is not going to work, stop it," he said, trying to sound firm, but scared that something was actually wrong.

"I don't think she is acting," Olivia said, she reached out to steady Mina, who had begun to sway, but the woman bolted from the contact, pulling at the closed door as if she had gone mad.

Cylus caught her, and Olivia tried to calm her down, but Mina struggled against them, begging to be let go. Finally, Olivia got up and unlocked the door, she had seen Mina's expression change when it had been latched, and she knew that Mina did not lock the door of her apartment, so it was the first thing to come to mind.

As if a great weight had been relieved from her, Mina began to breathe steadily again. Olivia hobbled out of the room to get her friend a bottle of water, while Cylus continued to hold her close to him. He was whispering for her to relax as he felt her heart pound against the part of his arm that was crossed over her chest.

Cylus stayed that way with Mina, sensing that she was trying to follow his breathing pattern and he could feel the tension in her body begin to relax. Unfortunately, things could never just go smoothly for Mina. Vanya entered Cylus' room clad in lingerie; she went to smack the woman in his arms, and Cylus literally had to push Mina onto his bed to stop her from hurting the girl.

"It's not what you think. Vanya please relax." Cylus was struggling with the woman, and he was grateful that everyone else was outside and no one bore witness to his girlfriend's meltdown.

Olivia made her way back to the room, the sight that greeted her was a stressful one, and her eyes caught sight of Mina who was curled up on the bed. She rushed to her, only to see that the look of panic had not left her friends face. She tried to get Mina to drink, but she sputtered the water out with a cough. It was then that Vanya realized she may have misread the situation, but her anger was not immediately placated.

"Are you calm?" Cylus asked. He was looking into Vanya's eyes pleadingly, and to Vanya, who already disliked Mina, it was a look of a man who was scared for someone he loved; and she knew it was not her.

Wanting to test the man, Vanya left Cylus' room, expecting him to follow, but he did not.

----

Cylus and Olivia sat on the bed staring down at Mina who had only just caught her breath. She sat up on her own with the look of exhaustion on her face.

"What happened?" Cylus asked. He had been telling himself that he had gone too far in dragging her away the way he did, but something told him that was not the problem.

"I don't like being locked in a room." Cylus searched Mina's expression and he could tell there were things she was hiding.

"Is it because of him?" He felt as though he had seen that look on Mina's face the first time he came to look for her at the Lee mansion. Mina nodded, not wanting to go into detail.

"Because of whom?" Olivia asked, ignorant of Mina's circumstances, but Cylus shook his head at his cousin, warning her not to pry.

"It's fine," Mina said, noticing the interaction. "Please find Vanya and explain to her that I had a panic attack. I think she was about ready to kill me." Mina laughed and Cylus frowned.

"Vanya can wait," he said in an unfriendly tone. He knew that Mina was putting on a brave face to stop them from worrying, and he did not like it.

"Please tell me what's going on. How long have you had panic attacks?" Olivia's face was pulled downward in concern, and Mina knew she would not stop asking until she got at least part of an answer.

"It's been years, but I haven't had one in a while. They used to only happen whenever I felt stressed, but now it's also whenever someone locks a door." Hiding outside, Vanya eavesdropped on the conversation and felt angry and guilty at the same time. Logic should have told her that she was wrong, and that she needed to apologize, but instead, she wanted to use Mina's illness against her. Mental health was a touchy subject in Pan, and if she could label Mina as crazy, Cylus would have no choice but to abandon the woman fully.