Chapter 5

　　Louisa's POV 　　The rain stopped as I got out of the house. 　　Walking on the street, I felt that I was slowly losing all my senses to the darkness. 　　I didn't feel anger, shame, coldness or anything. 　　I couldn't even feel the weight of my body. 　　I felt that I was floating in the air like a feather. 　　Suddenly, I felt extremely tired. 　　My head went heavier and heavier. 　　I knew I should go somewhere to sleep for the night, but I didn't know where I could go. 　　I took a nap in McDonald's before the waitress came forward and asked me if I needed any help. 　　I shook my head and walked away. 　　The night was so long. 　　It almost felt that it was never going to end. 　　Just when my willpower got to rock bottom, my mobile buzzed. 　　An incoming message. 　　"Hey. U up?" 　　I somehow knew it must come from Lucas Sigler. 　　No one would text me at 2:00 am. 　　I typed "Fuck off", but I just couldn't press the "send" button. 　　Then I noticed that my battery was getting flat. 　　I sighed and typed - 　　"Need a place to sleep." 　　I regret sending this message to Lucas almost immediately after I hit the "send" button. 　　This was probably the worst thing that a girl could reply to a booty call. 　　What if he ignores my message and doesn't reply? 　　Or, even worse, what if he replies?! 　　Just when I felt bothered and tried to switch off my mobile for good, my mobile buzzed again. 　　"Cresent Drive. 1A6." 　　I tried to delete the message. 　　Another one came in. 　　"Forget about it. I'll pick U up. Where U at?" 　　I looked around. 　　A bunch of hobos were lurking around around a burning barrel and I didn't like the look on their faces. 　　I typed - 　　"Lagoon Park. Main Entrance." 　　He soon replied - 　　"Stay right there. I'll be there in 5." 　　Does he mean five minutes? There's no way for him to drive all the way across the city within five minutes. 　　I was too cold to stand there alone, so I thought to myself, what the heck, and walked toward those hobos. 　　"Run away?" One of them asked me. 　　"I don't want no beef," I said while stretching out my arms toward the flame in the barrel. "I'm just waiting for my friend. He'll be here in any minute." 　　The man handed me a bottle of whisky. 　　"Drink it," he said. "It tastes like piss but it will warm you up." 　　I did need something to warm me up from inside out. 　　So I didn't think twice. 　　I opened the lid, and poured some liquid into my throat. 　　It was so strong that I started to cough. 　　All the hobos started laughing out loud. 　　"She good." 　　"Damn. I haven't seen a shorty so fine since." 　　"You've drunk too much of it," that hobo took back the bottle and said. "You won't be able to stand on your feet." 　　"My friend... will come... and pick me up..." I started to slur. 　　Damn. Am I drunk? 　　Cold sweat started pouring down. 　　"Do you need me to give you a hand, lady?" The hobo tried to hold my arms. 　　I pushed him away and said, "Do not come... any closer. I'll... Toast you... in the barrel..." 　　Several hobos circled me around. 　　My vision started get blurry and my head was spinning. 　　Just as I fell to the ground, I saw a giant black shadow flashing past over my head. 　　I couldn't tell what it was because I was too confused. 　　Almost at the same time, I heard the screaming of the hobos. 　　"Shit! What the fuck is that thing?!" 　　"Run! Run for your life!" 　　And then, I passed out into the oblivion. 　　I had the most obscure dream in my life that night. 　　It was like... 　　I was sitting in the living room. 　　My mom was wearing her favorite cardigan, cooking omelette in the kitchen. 　　It was weird, because my mom passed away shortly after she gave birth to me. 　　I had never seen any pictures of her, but somehow I knew the woman in the kitchen was her. 　　Everything was posh and I could smell the fresh brew of coffee in the air. 　　And all of a sudden the living room turned dark. 　　I rushed into the kitchen and saw my mom walking away from me. 　　No matter how desperate I shouted her name, she wouldn't look back. 　　And then, I saw a giant black figure walking slowly out of the darkness. 　　When his face emerged from the shadow, I saw his weird smirk on his face. 　　He had a human face, but he also got sharp fangs like kernels. 　　And then I noticed there was blood coming out of his mouth. 　　It was my mother's blood! 　　I screamed and woke up in cold sweat. 　　Where is this place?! 　　I tried to sit up straight, but I couldn't feel my limbs. 　　My body was still numb. 　　My mind was doing any better. 　　All I could contextualize was that I was lying on a kingsize bed in a bedroom that looked very lowprofile yet very expensive. 　　I heard a voice coming from a distance. 　　"Look at her! She's no more than barely 66 pounds. We need someone who's much stronger and powerful than her to..." 　　"Did you see her fighting? She was ready to fight five hobos with bare hands even though she was hammered." 　　"You confused craze with courage, Luke." 　　"You don't understand, Lucian. She's the one. I'm telling you. She's the one." 　　"You've said something twice, so you must be right." 　　"I didn't mean to interrupt..." I said in a scratchy voice. "But what's going on?" 　　Lucas Sigler appeared in my sight with an apologetic look on his face. 　　"I'm sorry we were too loud." He sat next to me, looking concerned. "My driver knows how to get on my nerves. And I don't fire him because I'm benevolent and kind." 　　Lucian narrowed his eyes and said, "See you tomorrow morning at six sharp, Mr. Sigler." 　　Then, he took a slight bow and walked away. 　　I was left alone with Lucas Sigler on a giant bed. 　　I had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. 　　I looked around, trying to look for something that could be used to protect myself. 　　However, there was nothing around but a giant pillow. 　　Lucas leaned forward. 　　I thought he was about to make a move. 　　Maybe I could smother him with a pillow. I thought to myself. 　　But then, it turned out that he was just placing his hand over my forehead. 　　I flinched and grabbed the pillow - 　　"Do not touch me, or I'll smother you with that pillow. I swear." 　　"I see that you're upset, but you don't have to. Please put that pillow down and let's talk." 　　I realized I wasn't wearing anything under the sheet. 　　"Did you...?!!" I totally freaked out and bashed him with the pillow. 　　He sat there and covered his head - 　　"Hey... Stop... I didn't... Listen... I mean..." 　　He couldn't finish even one single sentence because I hit his head and face repeatedly. 　　That asshole! 　　Eventually, he gave up and abruptly pinned me against the bed. 　　"Listen," he said while looking into my eyes. "I only cleaned you up in the tub and wiped you clean. I didn't do anything to hurt you." 　　I looked at the man who was on top of me. 　　He was wearing a white T-shirt, which, again, fit him perfectly except the upper arms. 　　His muscular and firm chest was moving slightly up and down. 　　I wasn't prepared for this. 　　He was so damn hot and so damn close. 　　If I left my head, our lips would touch again. 　　I could still feel the tenderness and sweetness of his perfect lips. 　　"Did you save me from those hobos?" 　　Lucas shrugged and said, "You've saved yourself. When I got to the park, you were defending yourself like a catwoman. Those motherfucker wouldn't dare to get anywhere closer to you." 　　I bit my lips and asked, "When you got to the park, did you see something unusual?"