The Middlemen-Chapter Three

NOTE: I WILL POST THE LAST PART OF WAKE ME UP 7, JUST WAIT A LIL, PLEASE. I NEEDS A BREAK. IF U EVEN CARE, LOL.1

CHAPTER THREE: Confinement2

Alina felt light-headed, staggering down the hallway. She wasn't fully recovered, that she knew, and Beck kept his arm around her waist to steady her, for which she was grateful. Was it just her imagination, or was the hallway tilting ever so slightly?3

When they finally reached the holding cell, Yamamoto swiped the keycard through the slot and turned to his two most important Middlemen. "I just wanted to warn you, Miss Madison, that you've done a bit of damage to the boy's face."4

Alina nodded, swallowing. "I saw."5

"It's pretty fucked up," Beck stated, his voice as calm as ever. She shuddered.6

"Can I just talk to him?"7

The professor sighed and pulled the door open.8

It was blindingly bright in the cell. The boy, Gabriel, was chained to the far wall by a delicate network of chains. They looked sickeningly frail, but they were all made of steel alloy, the kind of thing you made jet turbines out of. It would take more than supernatural strength to get out, especially if you had just been hit full in the face with xenophedramine.9

As mentally prepared as she had tried to convince herself she was, Alina still gasped when she saw his face.10

One half of his face was beautiful. The skin was chalk-white, but delicate and clear. His face was marvelously shaped, each contour molded into perfection, cheekbones at graceful, catlike angles, mouth composed of two luscious, cupid's bow lips, one eye a deep, breathtaking sapphire blue.11

The other half was marred with long, red scars, digging deep into the pale flesh. His other eye was positively red, with a black pupil, and dried blood traced the dips and hollows of his eyes, nose and mouth. The black shirt he wore was half torn open, and Alina could see the gory-looking swipes that lined the ridges of muscles tearing down his abdomen. Beck probably knifed him a couple times, she mused.12

"G-Gabriel?" she asked, her voice trembling.13

He looked up. His eyes, red and blue alike, were full of something she couldn't place. Some strange combination of pain, sadness, and anger.14

"Your not going to catch him, you know," he croaked, startling everyone. "Either he'll hide, or he'll catch you. That's how he works." He looked down, face seizing up in pain. "He'll never be prey. Always the predator."15

Professor Yamamoto's eyes creased at the corners with worry. "You should rest up," he informed Gabriel. "I'll try to track him down. What is his name?"16

Gabriel gritted his teeth against the pain. "Roderick. Roderick McCleodd."17

"He's your brother-in-law, you say?"18

He nodded. "Please, just find him."19

Alina opened her mouth. "Why are you helping him?" she demanded.20

Yamamoto raised a gray eyebrow. "He doesn't have a record of violence, Alina. And I'll have you know that he comes from noble lineage. It could be that there was just a little..." his fingers twitched. "KINK in the line, hm?" and with that, he left the confinement cell.21

Beck looped his arm around Alina's. "What's say we go grab some dinner?" he mumbled, turning to leave.22

Alina caught him. "You go ahead, I think I need to talk to him."23

Beck frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea."24

"You can think whatever you want to think. I'm not asking for your permission," she replied.25

He scowled. "Fine. Just don't come back crying to me."26

Alina snorted. "As if." She waited until Beck vacated the premises, and then turned to Gabriel. "Are you in pain?"27

He reared back, body spasming wildly. "It...I can't..." he gasped.28

Alina closed her eyes and tried to remember what Professor Yamamoto had said during one of his lectures.29

Vampires go through a very quick healing process, although the speed of the actual healing is said to cause extreme pain.30

He must be healing, she realized. "Listen, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry," she stammered as she sank to her knees, a few feet across from him. He doubled over and moaned, eyes rolling around in their sockets.31

"Gabriel, please. I'm so..." without thinking, she reached forward and grabbed one of his hands, pressing it to her cheek. "I'm really sorry. I didn't think. I mean, I didn't mean to cause you any pain..."32

"I know," he grunted, twitching. Slowly, his long white fingers uncurled and touched the side of her face. "I know that, Alina Madison."33

"How do you know my name?" Alina demanded.34

A half-hearted smile played across his elegant lips. "Prof let me see the class list."35

"Class list...you mean..."36

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess I'm Middleman Academy's newest transfer."37

***38

"How could you do this, Professor?" Beck demanded, from where he was standing in the corner of Yamamoto's office.39

The Professor sighed and sank down into his recliner. "Having a vampire student on a Middleman campus isn't unheard of, Mr. Beck. Gabriel DiAngelo is from a benign vampire family, with the exception of a Mr. Roderick McCleodd. He would very much like to assist you in catching him. Attacking a Middleman is unheard of, especially in groups. Actually, Gabriel tells me he is rather glad you assaulted him with xenophedramine. He says that otherwise he probably would have attacked you."40

"And now he's in horrible pain," protested Alina. "Do all vampires heal like that?"41

"Unfortunately, yes. Some more than others. The only way to dull the pain is to drink fresh human blood, and goodness knows we're not going to allow that at the Academy. So, for the time being, and I mean this for BOTH of you–" here he shot a glare at Beck. "–will accept him as a fellow student. In fact, you especially, Jared."42

"Huh, me?" Beck demanded. "Why?"43

The Professor could hardly even contain his smirk. "You will be sharing a room with him."44

Even Alina had to laugh at the bright shade of purple Beck's face turned at hearing that.45