Your vision had been going in and out all day. The migraine induced by your job's flickering lights had gotten much, much worse. One second your vision would become too blurry to read the words on the screen in front of you, and the next moment the words were so clear it burned your eyes. You took a moment from the computer screen and propped your elbows on the dark oak that held your livelihood. Your face fell into your hands heavily and you began to violently rub at your eyes.

Your body was still severely strained from Cain's expedition, which added to the list of things that continued to piss you off through out the day. Just thinking about him made your face twist with unimaginable anger. You thought of his smile, how his fangs peaked forward more than his other teeth, and how delicate, yet hungrily, his eyes would look at you. The day you both had sat down for dinner together flooded your brain. It meant absolutely nothing to him, and he still happily violated you without once flinching.

It wasn't hard for Cain to do those things. You wondered how much longer Cain planned to toy with you before killing you and moving on to another unfortunate woman, man, or person. Although grim, you had just secretly willed for that day to come faster, as there wasn't much more you felt your body could take.

Moving your face from your hands, you waited for your vision to read adjust to the busy enviorment around you. Barely were you able to see the figure that was standing beside your cubicle awaiting your attention. When your vision returned, you saw the familiar, fluffy brown haired boy that brought you to tears last night with his texts.

"Hey, I thought you may appreciate some coffee. I brought it back from my break, I heard it is supposed to help with headaches as well.", Alex cheered, gently placing its paper rim against the dark oak that held your weight. You looked at him strangely for a moment as he set the cup down.

You shrugged off this thought and graciously accepted the gift. Your cheeks were darkening in color as the blood rushed to your face. You couldn't seem to make eye contact with the beautiful man who seemed to be so strangely kind to you. You could feel his warm, gentle, green eyes gaze at you with anticipation.

"I hope you enjoy it. I got what I personally like to drink whenever I need a fix so I hope it can also meet your standards.", he smiled kindly.

"T-thank you, Alex.", you pushed out, your voice cracking nervously.

Alex's eyes flickered at the sound of your voice squeaking so ungracefully. His cheeks turned a tint of pink, and he nervously smiled at the sound. You noticed this and quickly covered your mouth looking down at your desk.

"You're cute, [y/n].", Alex softly whispered. There was a tingling feeling that ran down your spine, a good, warm feeling this time. This was the opposite of how you would feel with Cain; this time it was a feeling you wanted to be embraced by forever.

You awkwardly nod your head up and down frantically. There was a moister forming on your hair line and you could feel your heart pump throughout your body. You didn't know how to react, you just sat there and nodded like an idiot. The office eye candy just called you cute and you just sit there without a word in response.

"Alex! Would you like to come eat lunch with Jessie and I?", Christa, a felow coworker of yours, cheerfully shouted to Alex.

Alex's gaze snaps away from you and he smiles at Christa. Something about that made your heart sink a bit. You couldn't help but feel envious of girls like Jessie and Christa who would so easily be able to invite men or women out like that. Like it was nothing. Not that you would be able to in the first place, but you've never been one for romancing. Yet, you crave the affection from someone else, so Alex had began to peek your interest.

✞✞✞

Cain has been gone for a few days now. Ever since that night he's been off somewhere.

"Good riddance.", you groan to yourself as you brush your hair in the mirror.

Your bruises began to change colors as they entered the final stage of healing. You still felt icky everytime you looked in the mirror; you didn't like what you saw. You struggled with how you looked a lot back then, back before Cain. You wondered if this is why no person ever peaked an interest in you. You weren't like Alex, you knew you were far to average for people to take notice.

You were a plain person, even your apartment was pretty blank even though you weren't hurting for money. It was a Saturday morning, no work, nothing to do, and most importantly, no Cain. You though to yourself for a long while in silence. The sounds of birds and children running around outside creeps its way into your room. The gentle rays from the sun touch your skin, leaving behind warmth as your curtains sway slowly with the breeze and laughter.

You turn around and look at your room, empty and simplistic. It wasn't horrible, but since you never had anything to do on the weekends, you decided to go out and do some shopping for once.

"I'll look my best, I want to be pretty today. I'll treat myself-", you get cut off by Snowball softly rubbing her body against your bruised legs.

"-and Snowball, of course, hehe. I guess I'll just go to a few stores and see what they have. Maybe some plants..", you began to ramble to yourself when suddenly Alex crossed your mind. You don't know why this sudden thought popped into your head, but his presence wouldn't leave your mind.

Your cheeks went warm as you reached out for your phone. Your finger tips touched the back softly, and you quickly picked it up and opened it to Alex's contact. The last texts between you two made your heart twist in two. You swallowed back the lump in your throat as your thumb hovered over the keyboard.

"M-maybe Alex would.. Like to help..? Would that be a date? I should just leave him alone.. But-", you stuttered nervously as you began to type in the chat.

"Hey Alex! I was wondering if you were busy today"

You stared at the text for a long while. What if he was already busy? What if Cain found out? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to try and start something more personal with Alex. It was time to change, and stop being such a plain, predictable person. Maybe that's what Cain liked so much about you, he liked how easy it was to control you.

"No..", you whispered.

You deleted the text and turned your phone off. You sighed and placed it on the counter. You shut your eyes as your brow furrowed with frustration. You could feel Cain's shackles form around your wrists. He had you imprisoned, even outside your home. Even when he wasn't here, he knew he had control over you and your actions.

"This is all Cain's fault.. I can't risk it.", you sighed. You slowly walked to the closet and looked inside for the most interesting outfit you could wear.

"I'll just go alone. I won't let Cain ruin my day."

The breeze suddenly grows stronger outside your window, blowing the cutains wildly around. The sound was almost deafening. Your heart began to pound as you feared the worst was about to happen. You covered your face with your forearms and kept your eyes shut tightly, your face turned away from the howling wind.

"C-Cain..?"

When you moved your arms to peak, all you saw was a single white feather laying on your floor gracefully. You blinked multiple times in confusion and slowly walked over to it. It was beautiful; it sparkled in the light and was soft to the touch. Much more beautiful and delicate than anything you've ever seen. It was on par with Cain's horns. You couldn't guess what bird this thing belonged to.

You gently picked it up, careful not to disrupt the hairs that peaked out from the silky white stem.

"What the-?"