━━━━༻ ♣ ༺━━━━ You choose to hide ━━━━༻ ♣ ༺━━━━

Even if she wanted to do something she couldn't. They were too damn close now for her to rush to the window. Sure, she could try running down the stairs towards Reese—she threw a hesitant look towards the shadowy passageway—but it would be all too obvious she had gone down there. The open painting was a dead giveaway where she was. She might as well have been broadcasting her intentions to the world.

She had no choice but to leave the painting as is and hide somewhere. She hoped they'd think she had gone into the hidden staircase and went down there to check, buying her some time.

(Y/n) squeezed herself behind two large vases carrying even larger leafy plant growth. From her hiding spot, she could hear their footsteps draw closer and their voices grow louder.

"Are you sure she went this way?" She heard Tristan say. "And Matthews, quit giving me that look. I understand I'm not your favorite person right now—"

"Far from it," the black-haired male muttered under his breath.

"—But it's rather hard to concentrate on something when you have someone constantly giving you the death glare," Tristan continued as if he hadn't spoken. They fell silent and she assumed that could only mean they had discovered the open passage.

She heard a light chuckle come from the group. "It seems like I had underestimated her," the blue-haired male mused. "I did not think she'd find this entrance so quickly."

"...You broke my painting in half?" Jaehyun piped up incredulously. (Y/n) could only imagine how his face must've looked like at the moment. "All my hard work...?"

"Now, now, Jay," Kieran said with a biting grin. "You basically breathe art. Remaking it is no problem for you. Anyway, how come I didn't hear of this door, Trish-chan? And you accuse me of abusing the dorm's many hidden tunnels!"

Tristan only grunted, promptly dismissing the other male. "Well, I suppose she'd be down there. Or"—his tone dropped and (Y/n) held her breath in dread—"She could be trying to lead us to believe that she is."

"No way, you know how she is~" Kieran scoffed. "You think she could think of something like that? With what brain?"

Wow, rude. Her eye twitched in irritation. I take personal offense in that statement. And here I thought you were the most decent of the lot, snowman.

"You underestimate her, Fujikawa—"

"And you're giving her too much credit," Kieran interrupted with a laugh. "Besides, isn't she and the vice headmaster's son real close or something? She wouldn't leave him here, would she?"

His words cut deep. She felt her heart wrench painfully and part of her was tempted to rush out past the group and down the stairs. Then she would, she didn't know, cling onto Reese's cell door and scream like a banshee or something. She hadn't thought that far.

"Come on, let's go before she hops out another window." Kieran began waving the others into the door. "Ladies first~"

Tristan shot him a dark look as he passed. "I'll remember that."

"How scary."

"I'll go down there," Tristan continued, ignoring the white-haired male's taunts. "And Matthews—"

"I'll go with you," Kieran interrupted with a wink. "Always wanted to spend some quality time with my best friend~"

She heard the other male groan and Jaehyun giggle. "Fine. Whatever," Tristan sighed. "We don't need all of us going down there. Matthews, can you check upstairs?" Leon grunted in answer. "Great. Let's go."

She held herself in a tense stillness as their voices, namely Kieran's teasing and Tristan's annoyed groans, was devoured by the passageway. Once she heard no more footsteps, she dared to poke her head out to check her surroundings. The painting had been closed behind them—so there was a close button on the inside, she thought—and it was almost like it hadn't been there to begin with. Only a figment of her imagination.

(Y/n) let out a relieved sigh when she determined that she was, in fact, alone. Surprisingly enough, her diversion had worked. For the most part. Leon was roaming about somewhere upstairs while the other three had gone down the hidden staircase. That bought her enough—well, a lot of time.

She eyed the broken window on the opposite side of the corridor. She had no choice; she'd have to run out for now—

"Are you pretending to be a plant or something?"

"What—!" (Y/n) fell backward with a startled yelp, almost crashing into the potted plants had a strong arm not caught her.

"Woah!" Cerise orbs peered down on (e/c) ones. "Are you okay, (Y/n)?"

No, I'm definitely not now! Trying to seem innocent, she cracked a hesitant smile. "Y-yeah, I'm great!"

His eyes slid back to the plants behind her. He tilted his head in innocent confusion. "Why were you sitting in a bunch of plants? Is it fun?"

"Um, yeah," she fibbed. "It's great. Being one with nature and everything, you know?" Totally wasn't trying to hide from you people or anything. Nope. Not at all.

"Really?" His clear eyes betrayed nothing. Not a single speck of suspicion or doubt. No emotion at all, and it only made her more uneasy. Fear slowly caressed her skin as she gulped and watched him cautiously.

Then he smiled. "You're weird. That's not how it works."

"Y-yeah, I guess not." Whew. (Y/n) mentally wiped the sweat off her forehead. Barely dodged that bullet. "Sooo...um, what are you up to today?"

"Hmm, I wonder." For some strange reason, the blond was being more cryptic than before. He seemed to be addressing someone else even though his eyes were on her. "I guess I'm just bored. What about you?"

"I'm, uh, bored too!"

"Hmm."

She stiffened when she felt him place a hand on the small of her back. From the corner of her eye, his expression was just as serene as always. Serene and tranquil, the perfect mask. He caught her looking at him and smiled.

"Let's find something to do, okay?"

Something about the way he said it made her feel a feeling of apprehension. It was like he was telling a joke only he understood, a secret only he knew. That didn't bode well.

"I think a game would be fun," he said more to himself as they walked. "They're the easiest way to pass the time, don't you think?"

She didn't like where this was going. Standing next to him made her feel like she was a mouse sitting unsuspectingly in the coils of a viper, and even while his hold on her was just a hand on her back, it still felt like she couldn't break free. And if she tried, the coils would only grow tighter until they eventually suffocated her.

"Any game would do," he continued, tilting his face slightly up in his musings. "Just not the one you were playing. Hiding behind the plants from us to buy your time to escape."

"Oh, I see—" She stopped. What did he say?

He giggled at the apparent shock on her face. "I told you, didn't I? I know more than I let on. I know everything about you, (Y/n). You can't hide anything from me; you're not a very good actress, you know? Well, it's okay. I'll forgive you this time if you do something for me."

Her hair stood up on the back of her neck and alarm bells began blaring like crazy in her head. "Like...what?"

He just smiled at her. "Let me in on the game too, okay?" He clapped his hands together, a mischievous grin dancing on his lips. "I love playing hide-and-seek, mainly because I'm too good at it. Oh, and I know! How about this time I get a real prize? Since"—a dark look crossed his face—"Last time I didn't get anything."

Last time resulted in me dropping on my head! She wanted to say but didn't. Instead, she backed away. Suddenly the air became thick with blacks and purples that threatened to wind around her neck and choke her. His eyes were two smudges of smoldering damask against the world that seemed to fade into oblivion around her.

All living creatures had two basic instincts: fight or flight. And this time, hers told her to run.

She heard his cruel laugh behind her as she darted away from him and towards the broken window, only to find that there now was a glass pane separating her from it.

"Oops, can't go that way," he giggled. Her heart picked up when she heard his steps, slow and taunting, come closer to her from behind. "That would be no fun if you got away so soon, don't you think?"

She was thinking, just not about whatever was going on in that twisted head of his. She bit her lip sharply, nearly drawing blood, as she darted into another hallway away from the blond.

The sky outside the window descended into majestic royal blue and velvety mauve blossoms that erupted like fireworks across a sun-scorched canvas. Tendrils of fading sunlight reached for the copper clouds, only to be swallowed up by the night stallion. Shadows cast by the fluttering curtains danced across the pale walls like monsters pulled out of their predatory lairs, transforming the Tempus Dormitory into a lethal playground.

(Y/n) tried to pull open a door, only to find it locked. Jaehyun had not been lying when he claimed to have anticipated her moves; in that aspect, she could safely say she was more afraid of him than Tristan. He didn't have to create some elaborate plan like the blue-haired male would to put people on edge; he just had to be himself. That was alone more than unsettling.

"Are you just going to run?" The sound of his voice filled with sickly sweet honey made her face blanch and her hands clammy. "It's no fun when it's just tag. If you don't start playing seriously...I might just win, you know."

Screw that, she thought as she changed her course towards the stairs. I'm not playing his stupid game. Leon should be upstairs so—

Pain erupted in her foot, making her stumble and bite down sharply on her lips to muffle a scream of agony. Her eyes watered up as what felt like a thousand needles dug into her foot and legs. Only when the pain subsided, just a little, did she dare to look down, dreading what she'd see.

Her feet were littered with hundreds of red cuts, some still boasting the razor in them to match. Around her were thousands of tiny little razor blades that had blended into the floor. She stumbled back, reaching towards the wall to brace herself while she tried to pull out the blades, but all her leg snagged on something sharp and she nearly fell over, losing her slippers in the process.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Jaehyun called from somewhere that was too close for her liking. "I kinda added a few surprises for you. It wouldn't be fun if it was just a regular old game, right?"

(Y/n) was not having fun. She dug her teeth sharply in her bottom lip to hold back her tears, not caring that the wound in it was still fresh, as she pried the barbed wire from her leg. It had coiled tightly around her skin like a metallic serpent lying in wait in the shadows. Its many blades dug into her flesh, clinging on like a porcupine's quills as she tried to untangle herself.

"Did you stumble into one?" She heard him laugh, a high-pitched giggle. "Already? I thought you were smarter than that, (Y/n). You better hurry up and run before I catch you...but then again, I want to win. I wonder what your face looks like right now?"

His footsteps came scarily closer as the (h/c)-haired girl continued carefully trying to free herself without causing any more damage. With no choice other than run, she held her breath and ripped the metal out of her skin, a sharp gasp escaping her lips in the process.

The sound was not unnoticed by the blond. His shadow stopped against the wall. "Hmm? Are you over there?" And then he began to run towards her as she stumbled to her feet and fled down an opposite hallway. "So you were! Geez, you really got tangled up in these, didn't you?"

He picked up the remains of the wire and inspected them, a pleased smile growing on his lips when he saw the ruby red drops of blood clinging to them. "Even your blood is beautiful, (Y/n)...I can't wait to see more of you. Imagine all the paintings I could make!"

He tossed the wire to the side and continued his chase. His smile grew wider as he spied the discarded slippers and the faint bloody footprints on the floor. "If you keep running around like that, you're going to bleed out. I wonder if you'll die first before I find you?"

A vile pain spread through (Y/n)'s chest as she ran. It was like a deadly infection that seeped into her veins, corroding her blood and every fiber of her body with its mortal poison. Her lungs beseeched her to stop running and her feet begged her to treat them. Each step sent a stab of agony up her legs that felt like stone and made her eyes prick with tears.

(Y/n) came to a stop in the next corridor, one she did not recognize. She placed her hand on the wall to catch her breath, only to pull back quickly before her skin could touch the opened, sparking outlet on the wall. Someone had short-circuited the electrical component and planted it there. Someone whose name was most likely Jaehyun.

Fearful that every surface she touched had something not so innocent embedded in them, she stuck to the center of the hallway and continued her escape down it. Jaehyun's gleeful voice had disappeared behind her. The silence was scarier than hearing his taunts because now, she had no idea where he was.

She nearly screamed out loud as something slammed shut around her foot with a loud clang. The pain came like a lightning strike, like searing bursts of flames that pulsated through her limb. And with each movement, however small, the pain intensified to the point her complexion was ashen. Her consciousness ebbed as she reached with a trembling hand towards her leg, now securely fastened by two steel jaws of a bear trap, to check if it was broken. The bruised flesh quivered under her touch and black spots exploded in front of her eyes at the pressure. But the bone seemed to be intact.

She yanked her hand back with a quiet hiss. She couldn't move in this condition. (Y/n) had no choice but to do the exact thing Jaehyun wanted her to do: hide.

The (h/c)-haired girl dragged herself to her feet, bear trap and all, and made her way to one of the nearest rooms. Again, it was locked. Her frustration accelerated as she shook the knob but it refused to budge. Dammit!

She heard something crash behind her and her head whipped around, her eyes widening like a deer caught in the headlights, half-expecting her pursuer to be there. But he wasn't. Instead, it was a painting that had fallen off the wall, not reduced to nothing but a broken canvas and shattered glass on the ground. A mere husk of its former beauty.

She couldn't help but feel the same way.

And finally, she heard his voice again. "Are you trying to run?" The blond called in a sing-song. "You realize I can hear you crashing into things, right? Well, that's okay. We'll have lots of fun forever and ever so you'll be able to get better at this."

The thought of having to endure his...tendencies for even a day longer choked the breath from her lungs and made her heart constrict in its wake. It pounded against her chest, not sure if it should continue beating or bring itself to a blissful stop.

"...And that stupid turd Tristan won't be able to get in our way this time," he continued, lost in his own twisted fantasy she wanted no part of. "Because I kinda been going down to the basement to deliver a few gifts, you know? I really hope they like them!"

She heard him clap and giggle excitedly even as her stomach twisted. What is he talking about? What...gift?

"You're pretty good at running...but you're not very good at hiding, are you?"

(Y/n) pressed herself closer against the wall at the sound of his voice growing dangerously closer. Her pupils dilated and she clapped her hand over her mouth, the other still supporting her injured leg. She held her breath and fixed her eyes firmly on the opening in front of her, hoping he wouldn't think to look inside the cabinet. It wasn't the best hiding spot but in a place where all the rooms were locked and she could barely move without wanting to scream, she had no other choice.

"I'm really happy you're only playing with me now," Jaehyun mused. She could hear his footsteps, slow and casual, coming close to her. "Seeing you laugh so happily with all those other people really hurt me. For me, I only need you. I don't need anyone as long as I have you. So why don't you feel the same? Am I not enough for you?"

If she hadn't been nursing an injured leg and trying to hide from him for her safety, she would've pointed out that she didn't smile or laugh all that much. Displaying affection or joy to others always felt weird to her. It always made her confused when she saw someone else being so bold as to express their emotions so freely.

Her hands trembled as she caught a shadow pass in front of the small opening of the cabinet doors. The thin line of light reflected a kaleidoscope of shifting obscurations over her (e/c) eye as she forced herself to keep them open. And just when she thought he'd pass her and she would be in the clear, he stopped.

Sweat beaded on the back of her neck as she saw his shoes turn tauntingly to point in her direction. A few silent moments of terror passed before he laughed. It was a small and amused sound.

"I told you that you were bad at hiding, didn't I?"

A silent scream burst out of her lips as the cabinet door was nearly wrenched off its hinges as he flung it open, sparkling claret orbs meeting frightened (e/c) ones. He smiled brightly at her. "Oh, hello there."

Maybe I can talk my way out of this...? She cracked a hesitant smile. "Um, so—"

Blinding white light burst behind her eyes as he stabbed something into her leg, his expression unchanging as he did so. She doubled over and tried to fight him off, the bloody tear in her lip growing larger as she dug her teeth into it to suppress the scream. He had found a glass shard and was digging it into the already opened gash in her leg, right where the bear trap had its jaws clamped around.

"Jay—stop, that hurts!" She kicked with her other leg but he caught it easily without so much as a flinch. His smile didn't disappear either as he ripped the glass out with one fluid motion, a spray of red following it. Droplets of crimson liquid arched through the air before falling like a terrible rain on her hoodie and arm.

"You're not that easy to break are you?" He tossed the broken glass to the side. "I knew I loved you for a reason!"

He dropped to a crouch in front of her. He spied the bear trap and a look of concern appeared on his face. "That looked like it hurts." His scarlet orbs flickered back up to hers. "Want me to get it off?"

Having no other option, (Y/n) could only mutely nod. He hummed in approval and pulled out a c-clamp from his pocket. He used it to open the steel jaws and free her leg. Once it was freed, she pulled it protectively closer to her body, trying not to cry at the new flashes of pain that burned like a sparking wire through skin, flesh, and bone.

Jaehyun gazed at the fear clouding her otherwise clear orbs and the pain etched deeply like a scar across her face. Instead of worry, what appeared in his gaze was a sort of awe.

He reached out and brushed a tear from her eye, not noticing how she flinched away. "You're beautiful when you're in pain too. I want to capture this moment and make it last forever...I want to know everything about you. All your expressions, fears, joys, pains..."

A thoughtful look crossed his face and he pulled back. "First, I should get a prize now that I've won, right? Hmm, what would be a good reward?"

Whatever it was that he wanted, she did not want to comply. In one last desperate attempt to run away despite the throbbing pain echoing in every crevice of her body, she lunged out of the cabinet and nearly knocked him over.

"Woah!" Jaehyun caught her before she could tear away. "You shouldn't move so much on that leg—"

"And whose fault is that?!" She spat as she tried to pull her arm out of his hands. "This really isn't funny, Jaehyun. Let me go right now!"

"Why?" He canted his head, a sudden darkness filling those bright cardinal orbs. The transition was so effortlessly smooth and seamless she barely even saw it. "I'm the one who won. You lost. You don't get to tell me what to do. Besides, you've done some reallyyy bad things, (Y/n). You haven't been a good girl and bad girls get punished."

He dug his fingers into the open wound and this time, she screamed. Pain burst like fireworks in front of her eyes and raced through her blood like a lit fuse. It scalded her from the inside, thousands of burning needles tearing into her skin. And he didn't care. He pressed harshly on the open wound with one hand, her blood painting his pale skin in shades of red and gore. With his other, he pressed it firmly into her back to draw her closer. And as he incapacitated her, he leaned forward to claim the prize he's been wanting to ever since he'd laid his eyes on her.

A deranged giggle flowed out of his chest like honey as he pressed his lips to hers. Shyness got the best of him and he pulled back, his lip now stained with a dark red from her blood. His tongue trailed over the skin and he hummed in satisfaction.

"They won't be bothering us anytime soon," the blond murmured as he cradled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a constrictive embrace. "Never again."

Through the agony, her mind was able to somehow wrap around his words and choke out a reply. "What do you—"

An ear-splitting explosion rocketed behind them, flames bursting through the hallways and incinerating everything it touched. But it didn't reach the two of them. Only a sudden wave of heat that slammed the (h/c)-haired girl closer to the blond who suddenly was laughing.

"They're gone!" He cackled, throwing his head back in a deranged fashion. "They're all gone! Except for Leon since he's upstairs, but he will be soon. I have a different surprise for him~"

His wild eyes returned to hers as a crazed smile spread across his face, nearly splitting him in half. "I know what I want for my prize now. You'll give it to me, won't you?"

Her only response was a punch towards his face but he caught it before he could land. The blond giggled as he threw her to the ground and wrenched her arms above her head, securing them there with an iron-tight grip.

"You arse!" She spat even though she could barely see him at this point. She was blinking in and out of consciousness from the pain. Even so, she forced herself to stay awake, even if that was the more painful option. "You're not going to get away with this—"

"I'm not?" He leaned over her and ran a finger down her cheek, making her shudder. "Who's going to stop me then?"

And without any other warning, he seized a glass shard, the same one he had discarded earlier, and dug it into her eye.

The pain was unlike anything she's ever experienced. If she thought nearly losing a leg and having to tear out barbed wire from her skin was bad, this was far worse. She felt as if she was on her death throes. Excruciating pain spasmed through her face, refusing to cease no matter how much she battered at the blond. It forking through her skull, from her every muscle down to her every vein and finger. It ate at her, tried to devour her consciousness, and she soon found herself losing.

"Take a key and lock her up, lock her up, lock her up," he hummed as he worked, pulling out one eye slowly. Strings of flesh clung onto it in one last-ditch effort before he mercilessly ripped it away, striking up a scream from the female.

And when both were gone, leaving her with two bloody, eyeless sockets for eyes, Jaehyun hugged her tighter. He rocked them while humming, completely ignoring the smoke billowing out from the far end of the hallway.

"My fair lady~ Now...we can finally play together...forever."