Chapter 6

Rayne dropped Draven's body ungracefully onto the first available bed in the medical bay, bluntly ignoring the hiss that escaped him. Quickly shutting the curtain to avoid having people ask questions she began searching through the cupboards.

"I still can't believe you just stood there as Mr Michael and Miss Abigor beat the shit out of me." Draven muttered as he slowly slipped his shirt off his wounded body.

"You're a dumbass for getting caught." She replied, dropping the rubbing alcohol and gauze next to the boy while not bothering to hold back the amusement in her voice. "Besides I didn't know that you'd be getting your ass kicked."

"Bullshit! I know you got my texts that I was about to be caught."

"Yes, as well as the multiple voice notes of you cursing at me in Latin." She chuckled as she began disinfecting the open wounds left behind from his discipline session.

"And you- wait, voice notes? How the fuck did you get voice notes I shoved my phone in my bag before they started."

"Damien was nearby and recorded everything." she shrugged

"Why the fuck are you talking to him!?"

"One, I have my own freewill and two I'm stuck having him as a neighbour in the dorms and he was my partner for the chemistry project that was due on Thursday."

During the past few weeks, she had gotten closer to Draven and learnt of his and Damien's history as well as his title of the academy's man whore, yet despite the various warnings she got from the group of troublemakers she had grown to call friends, she found herself being entertained by his flirting.

"So, you are still going to ignore me and Hayden? Phantom, even Dantae hates him. "

"Draven, he hates everyone that isn't Hayden, and I don't exactly want to be around him more than I need to. Besides, I'm not ignoring anyone or their concerns. I’m simply entertaining myself with his attempts, it's not like I am going to let him have his way with me."

"Danny is just a bit emotionally constipated, he's actually fond of you." a slight flinch as Rayne dabbed the alcohol-soaked cotton ball. "But that's beside the point here! That damned pornstar reject is trying to get into your pants, and I'll be damned if he does before I do."

"The day you get into my pants will be the day I stop wearing the mask for good." She said tossing his shirt back at him.

"Speaking of which when am I-" He froze mid-sentence as the small girl grabbed his chin and brought her face close to their noses almost touching, forcing him to forget his line of thought and focus on her eyes.

"We don't talk about it, remember?" she let go and quickly turned her back on him and placed the supplies back.

"Phantom, when are we going to talk about it?"

Her shoulders tensed up before gently closing the draws and threw her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you later, I have the pool all to myself for a while."

("I still think you should get rid of him; he's getting too close.")

"Of course you do, but then again you never like me doing things that you don't demand."

("Oh, how I miss the few seconds I had when you listened to me.")

"Why don't you do me a favour and disappear into the crevasses of my mind for a few hours. I'd like to enjoy my swimming session without you distracting me."

("Fine.")

A bitter chill ran down Rayne's back as she felt the voice slink back, something wasn't right. He never gives up tormenting her that easily. Shrugging it off she scanned the room before she began to change. She paused when her reflection caught her eye. Despite having an attractive figure, a bitter feeling washing over her as she ran her fingers over the scars that snaked around the valley of her breasts.

"Let it go Sinn. He’s dead. He can't do anything to you anymore." She whispered to herself as she wrapped her towel around herself.

Making it to the pool she took a deep breath before diving into the water allowing the heated water to embrace her as she began her laps.

"You're nothing more than my passion project."

Lap four to eight brought back memories of her first beatings, the flash of the knife.

"I should've let your father kill you when I had the chance to…"

Lap eight to twelve brought on the sting of open wounds, the pain of broken bones and the god-awful taste of her blood.

"Just fucking die already!"

Lap thirteen had hands wrapped around her throat keeping her under the water with a knee embedded in her diaphragm. Panic flooded her system as she tried clawing at the hands that increasingly tightened cutting her supply of air off. Red began tainting the water along with spots of black that began creeping along the corners of her vision.

"This is how I die... After everything else I survived I die because I'm being drowned."

Shutting her eyes, she felt her body lose all tension the black creeping in completely. Before she lost sense of everything, she felt the hands being wrenched from her neck and the cold air hitting her wet body. The sound of shouting and swearing ringing out in the background.

Arms wrapped around her body; a cold hand kept slapping her cheek. "Rayne. Stay with us." A familiar voice rang out. The continuous tapping on her cheek began irritating her, slowly she opened her eyes. Her grey eyes clashing with panicked green ones. She blinked trying to clear her vision.

"Oh God, he's back. He's going to finally kill me."

("He's not here to kill you.")

"How the fuck-?"

("Look, now isn't the time. you can ask him all you need to when you've recovered. Right now, try to get your breath back.")

"Who is he?"

("Who have you met in this place that has the same green eyes you've seen all those years ago?")