Breakfast was awkward.

The environment forced.

Pin drop silence.

Just the clanging of fork on plate and slurping of tea.

Sarah could add another reason to why she left her town , her mother's house . .it was to avoid this.

This forced we- are- a -family situation.

The everything- is- normal.

When nothing was.

Nothing ever could be.

There was a force in her heart that kept pestering her to just tell her to go back!

Get out of her space.

She didn't want her brooding presence in her house.

Now if only she could have said that earlier. .life wouldn't be how it was today.

"Was someone here yesterday?"

Her mother's neutral tone dropped a bomb on her. Wildly she glanced from her coffee to her mother's face.

She wasn't looking at her.

She was busy with her omelette, her eyes downcast.

Waiting for her reply.

"N-no. No one at all. Why ? did you hear something?" Sarah tried to not let her voice trip .

It was hard to lie to a woman who knew her like the back of her hand.

While cutting the omelette , her mother glanced up at her.

The gray eyes freezing her.

Almost subduing her to spit out the truth.

Sarah didn't even dare to swallow the piece of boiled egg in her mouth. it stayed on her tongue for such was the weight of those murky gray eyes.

Sarah knew what she was doing.

Staring at her with spit it out already look.

She would stare at her until Sarah's nerves would give out. And she would give away everything but this time it didn't.

This time something in her just . .snapped.

What came out of her mouth gave her septic shock.

"Mother. .stop it."

She didn't yell nor snap but she could hear the lash in her voice.

"Stop what? Asking you to tell the truth?" Her clipped voice grated on her nerves , she reached for her tea. .her approach so cold and so. . Cold.

As if there was nothing wrong with Sarah's tone.

Nothing at all.

Sarah fisted her hands on top of the table.

"I don't want to do this right now. ." Sarah said edging towards losing herself.

The anxiety in her flaming up at her mother's coldness.

Her heart going thud thud thud .

Her mother sipped on the tea, looking at her over the rim of the cup.

" Looks like this city has caught up with you with it's. .lies. All your mother, " her voice dipped sarcastically, " wants to know is the truth .  Nothing less."

The final cut to her tone didn't do anything for Sarah.

It made her feel from bad to worse.

And then a smile that had nothing to with humor creeped up on Sarah's face.

"I'll not tell you anything I don't want to. The city hasn't caught up with me. . mother . It's me who has caught up with me. "

This was it!

She would not engage further!

Her mother watched as she got up, her breakfast untouched . Her hands trembling.

" Sit down and—"

"And what? Continue this pretense?! Continue feeding your ego with a yes mother no mother? No one asked you to come. No one asked you to—," Sarah stopped catching her breath. "I'm done."

She moved.

Moved towards her bedroom, the door slamming shut.

The delicate plates clattering slightly.

If she had stayed far longer than she would have seen. . .seen her mother's eyes turning glossy as she finished her tea.

Alone.

×××××××××××××××××

Sitting on the edge of the bed , she tried to take deep breaths to calm down her anxiety.

She didn't need this .

She didn't ask for this.

She will not spiral down again into her mother's web of control. She is going to leave this place. Leave this house and find a place her mother can't find  ever.

All she wanted to ask was why can't you be normal mother? Why can't you listen to me? Why is it so hard to talk to you?

She always tried to be the good daughter. The silent daughter who would obediently accept whatever she threw at her for her mother had led a single parent life. She knew how much she had sacrificed for her sake but did that mean. .did that mean Sarah had to sacrifice herself? To show her mother that yes I recognize your sacrifices and here I'm your lamb to slaughter anyway you want.

Did she know her coldness had made her develop anxiety? Did she know every time she would frown , Sarah's heart would go into overdrive . . fearing .

Backtracking into thinking did she do something wrong?

Silently she had been battling her anxiety that seemed to dimmed down, almost vanishing the day she arrived in this city.

It was liberating.

She didn't even remember it when Damien was around her. So warm and so welcoming.

Her judgmental free zone.

And now. .now the anxiety had resurfaced.

Rearing it's ugly head.

The hurt in her was throbbing and the slight throb of it was the most hopeless thing in the world because it made her feel like it won't ever go away.

It will hurt and hurt and hurt—

Sarah covered her face with her hands , shaking silently, the wet tears spilling between the cracks . .

××××××××××××××××××

"—i think. Yeah. She's my. .end game."

"So you're telling me she's what? Your it girl now?" Elliot muttered darkly.

Damien grinned at him, his long fingers curled around the stem of the wine glass.

The red liquid swirling around in the glass.

Not looking like wine.

More like . .blood.

Deep red blood.

"Why ? You look disappointed? I didn't know you have your eye on me." Damien took a sip of the designer blood.

Elliot didn't say anything.

Just gave him the finger.

Dressed in a black silk button down shirt, some gray pants on. .the top two buttons opened teasing out his impeccable chest. .

As he sipped on the blood he grimaced visibly.

"How is it ?" Elliot asked curiously, longing on the couch.

Damien cleared his throat noticing the citrusy punch at the back of his throat.

"It's. .passable. "

"Passable!? Wasn't it you hoarding this blood up in case you run out of it?" Elliot mocked.

"What can I say. . my taste have changed for the better." Damien winked.

Elliot rolled his eyes.

He took another sip , tasting. . swirling the liquid in his mouth and that's when it hit—

It hit him viciously.

Almost blacking him out.

The wineglass crashed to the floor, startling Elliot and as soon as he saw Damien, he was up in a blur.

Damien's hand was on his burning heart. It was as if it caught fire!

"Damien?! What is it?! Damien speak to me!" Elliot lapped around him wildly not sure to touch him or not?

Damien held his hand up as if to tell him to stop panicking.

"Fine fine. .I'm fine." He winced at the shot of pain in his heart almost electrocuting him alive.

He moved towards the couch, Elliot hot on his heels and collapsed on it.

His head laying back , eyes shut . .hand on his chest . . rubbing  circles over it as if it would put out the fire.

"Is it the blood?! It was poisoned—" Eliot cried looking at the red splash on the white floor.

Damien breathed deeply. .the pain subsidising but the sting of it still there.

Throbbing.

"It's her. She's calling me."

×××××××××××××××