Over the following days, my paranoia only grew. As I paced my bedroom back and forth, I felt my heartbeat quickening. This isn't good. In fact, it's downright terrible! How could Bennett have found me so quickly?

Wait. Maybe he doesn't know it's me just yet. There's always the possibility that...

OH, WHO AM I KIDDING, HE KNOWS IT'S ME! As I started to chew on my nails, Stefan who finished eating his sandwich watched me with his head tilted to the side like a puppy.

"Tastes bad." The boy casually remarked.

As soon as I heard that, I stopped my pacing and slowly turned my head to the side. "So, you can talk... Was the whole mute thing a lie then?" I questioned suspiciously.

Stefan continued to observe me with a blank expression.

I stormed towards while pointing my finger in determination. "Now don't play dumb with me! I know I just heard you speak." He continued to feign ignorance.

"C'mon, tell me what tastes bad," I said in a voice full of authority.

...

"Sandwich."

I smugly planted my hands on my hips as if I had just achieved something worthwhile. "That's what I thought!" Once Stefan's words finally sunk into my head, I dropped the triumphant demeanour and quickly became offended.

"H-Hey! What do you mean that sandwich tastes bad! Don't kids like peanut butter and jelly?"

"No meat."

Don't children normally want sweet things rather than meat? Geez, this kid sure is abnormal.

"Well, you won't have to worry about any future meals I make because I quit!" I exclaimed as I opened the wardrobe to look for an empty suitcase.

If I leave after dinner, I should be able to get a head start before Bennett can even attempt to pursue me. As long as I'm ten steps ahead I should be good to go! I can't risk hanging around, he could always strike when I'm least expecting it.

"You can't leave," Stefan said in a dejected voice.

I almost felt bad. I never knew I was a sucker for puppy dog eyes. But sadly for him my resolve to escape Bennett was stronger than this. "I'm sorry buddy, but it's not safe for me here. I'm sure you'll understand when you're older."

Stefan shook his head defiantly. All I could do was roll my eyes at his tantrum. No matter what he did, he can't stop me from leaving.

"Please don't—" Stefan cut himself off from finishing his own sentence as his eyes turned blank. "Hungry..."

I can't believe this kid, he just ate! Granted it apparently didn't very taste good... But still, he shouldn't be hungry right now!

"Look, I'm busy right now. I need to focus on packing." I opened my door and guided Stefan towards it. "Ask someone else to make you some food if you're still hungry."

Stefan merely stared at me with a furious expression. Something about seeing an angry kid made me want to laugh. I suppose I just couldn't take him seriously whether he was trying to act intimidating.

"Don't leave!" Stefan ordered as crossed his arms before leaving.

As I shut the door I scoffed at his words in my head. What does this kid think he's doing? One moment he has everyone fooled that he can't do anything for himself, then in the next his little dictator. I just don't understand it...

When it was finally time for dinner, I brought Stefan down to the dining hall. To my surprise the only one seated at the table was Atticus.

"Where's your father?" I asked curiously.

Atticus swished the glass of water around in his hand with a bored expression. "Tied up with work in his office. One of the servants brought his meal to him not long ago..."

"I see..." Just as I went to take my leave, Atticus called out to me once more.

"You haven't eaten yet; you can sit with us if you like." I quickly eyed the long dining table. It sure looked lonely seeing the two brothers eat in silence. Although the offer was tempting, I knew it was improper for the staff to eat with the house owners.

Sensing my apprehension, Atticus sighed in disappointment. "But if you prefer to eat with the rest of the staff, be my guest."

Oh no. That would mean I'd have to face Nick again today. I'd rather not run the risk of blowing my cover any further than this.

"If it's alright with you then—"

Atticus cleared his throat abruptly. "Need I remind you it's young master," Atticus said while eyeing me authoritatively. "I'm showing you kindness right now, the least you can do is be respectful of honorifics."

Swallowing my pride, I knew I'd have to submit if I wanted to distance myself from Nick.

"Thank you, young master."

God, I wanted to vomit. As I sat down with a forced smile, Atticus's entire mood brightened up.

"So, what's your deal?" Atticus asked playfully.

I eyed him suspiciously as I tried to make out what he was getting at. "Excuse me?" I asked inquisitively.

"How do I say this..." Atticus paused to rethink his wording, in the meantime, I grew uncomfortable by the unexpected questioning I had walked in on. "Why is it that I don't want to torture you like the others? But instead..."

I took a long sip from my wine to fill in the uncomfortable gaps in this conversation.

"I want to fuck you."

I nearly choked on my wine as I spat it out on the white tablecloth before me. "T-THAT IS A HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE THING TO SAY TO ME!" I said while trying to steady my breathing.

"I'm just being honest," Atticus said while playing with the food on his plate.

I shook my head once I realised that this was a bad idea. As I rose from my seat, I noticed that Stefan had gone missing. "Are you kidding me?" I grumbled to myself.

I quickly wiped my lips with my napkin as I began my pursuit for Stefan. "STEFAN?" I called out. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Atticus soon rose from his seat to follow me. I quickly whipped around and pointed my finger at him angrily. "No! You stay put!" I said while almost stumbling over my now wobbly feet.

While the two of us stood at a standstill the loud sound of crashing and a scream could be heard from the kitchen. I looked at Atticus who wore a similarly concerned expression as myself. Without a word, we both made our way towards the kitchen.

As I slowly turned the door handle, I was overcome with a putrid stench. I wish I could say I was unfamiliar with it, but Bennett made it so that it was a common odour wafting through our house back in my old world. I'm afraid to say I've become so well-acquainted with it that I'd recognise it in a heartbeat.

Once the door was fully open my suspicions were confirmed. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the scene I envisioned in my head. There, lying dead in a pool of blood on the floor was one of the house's servants. And right by his neck was Stefan who was drinking his blood.

On instinct, I vomited what little food I had in my stomach. Arguably I've seen worse than this so this can't be a response to the corpse. As I mulled it over, the answer to my own question popped right into my head.

"Weak constitution..."

After I muttered those words, I felt myself start to lose more balance in my standing. Atticus quickly caught me before I could hit the ground.

"There, there. You're okay." Atticus said while pulling me tighter into his arms.

In a weak voice, I asked, "What did you put in my drink?"

But before I could even receive an answer, I felt my consciousness fading to black as Atticus stroking the crown of my head was the last thing I remembered.