Lucien's game

"I'm sorry, but I can't come along, and neither can London!" Oliver yelled this out as Damon gripped him by the ear. In all honesty, I feared it would tear off from his head as his feet dangled in the air.
"And why not?"
"Fucking let go of my ear, and then maybe I'll answer you!" He spat.
Damon looked up at me and then uttered, "Jasmine would you lik-"
"Never mind, I can ignore the pain." Oliver said. I saw Damon smirk and then, he quickly removed it when Oliver looked up at him.
"Lucien is only interested in Jasmine and perhaps you. He won't want me involved, let alone London, his little sister."
London, already pissed off to the point of murder at hearing her good older brother actually being insanely unstable, crossed her arms and then raised a brow, "Really? You were involved already. What's the real reason?"
Oliver sighed and then said, "He said he would kill me... if he ever saw me again."
"And what about London?"
"That I was not lying about. Lucien specifically said, no London involvement. So, unless you want him to find another way to get to you, I suggest you go to that house without us."
I looked up at Damon, catching his skeptical eyes, and then we both nodded at the same time before I grabbed London and pulled her into a sleeper choke hold. She struggled for a bit before falling unconscious against me. I then placed her on the floor, gently, and Damon let go of Oliver.
"You keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't leave. And Moon Goddess, if you dare even think of escaping, you might as well consider yourself dead and buried, am I clear, Oliver?" Damon said and then clenched his jaw in anger.
Oliver gulped and then nodded slowly. It seemed he got the point loud and clear.

"You know where we're going right?" Damon asked as we began reversing out of his driveway. I nodded. I knew the route off by heart, even from here. Heck, I was sure that I were trapped in the middle of the ocean I'd somehow, someway be able to navigate myself to Lucien's home... to *our* home.
"Jasmine, I need you to listen to me okay?" Damon uttered as I pointed my finger right and he began turning the steering wheel.
"Hmm?"
"Whatever happens tonight, whatever... he says or does, I want you to know that I love you, and that I belong to you, okay? He will not take me away from you, no matter what." He then took my hand in his and kissed the back of it gently before letting it go and returning it to its place on the steering wheel.
*Damon belonged to me, and Lucien could not, under any circumstance take him from me.*
The sky was beginning to grow darker, now glistening with the faintest traces of stars here and there and slowly turning the navy-blue edges of the sky into a deeper shade of black.
Darkness, that was where this was all heading, into the depths of my darkness and the depths of Damon’s, gurgling and splashing from the lids we'd both placed over the past.
We made another left turn and my heart thudded as we entered through a familiar, densely wooded area. Pine trees stood on either side of the road in rows and rows and rows which, if you concentrated, you could make out and count. That's what I always did. I'd count the rows of pine trees and as we drove nearer to the place I once called home, the number in my head grew and grew and so did my heartrate.
"Jasmine, calm down." Damon said, and I then realised that I'd stuck my fingernails deep into the palms of my hands and that they now drew blood.
"S-sorry."
"Don't say sorry. I understand. Just... don't get worked up. He's not worth it."
Not worth it? Lucien was worth every tear, every scream, every red drop of blood. It was all his at this point. But I tried to calm down, I had to, because it was clear that my nerves were beginning to get on his, which was evident by the tapping of his fingers on the steering wheel.
My heart stopped completely when we reached the last row of pine trees, right outside of the gates to the beautiful, large home I once resided in. It was a house slightly smaller than a mansion, but not humble enough to be classified as anything less. Marble, beautiful, large windows, more marble, more large windows. All were covered in thick curtains, something Lucien had begun to do ever since I'd left, as if the house could no longer be well-lit, as if light did not belong there if I wasn't there either.
"Well, I'll be damned. He really didn't let the inheritance go to waste. Go figure." Damon said as we exited the car and passed the steel gate, locked by a lock and tied together with a chain.
We both went to the intercom outside, now slightly dusty and slightly faded as a result of the harsh conditions of the weather here. I slowly pressed on the button, heart practically out of my chest, throat dry and tears welling up in my eyes.
"Hello? Hello? Lucien?"
No answer.
"Let me try," Damon said. "Lucien? Brother?"
Still, no answer. It was strange, especially considering he literally invited us. I furrowed my brows in confusion and stared hard at the intercom, and that's when I saw it. Right below the intercom, a rock, but not just any rock, *my* moon rock. I leaned down, picked it up and then discovered a key below it. I took it in my hand and Damon stared at me curiously.
"It seems he is not home at the moment." I uttered.
"I honestly did not expect you to know my brother this well." He said, motioning towards the rock I was still clutching.
"It's not simply a matter of knowing him, it's a matter of the memories we share. In a way, Lucien became my older brother."
I walked towards the gate, unlocked the lock and removed it along with the chains before pushing it. It was quite squeaky, and I'd noticed that it definitely needed to be greased.
"It seems he hasn't been home in a while." I said before we both began walking towards the front door. There, I definitely knew where to find the key. Hidden under one of the wooden planks of the patio, third from the doormat.
Once I'd retrieved it, I slowly began to insert it into the keyhole, now slightly relieved that Lucien was not here, but at the same time cautious and weary. What did he actually want with us?
When I opened the door, I was surprised at how dark it really was inside. Not a single light shone, and the usually clean place smelled dusty and of mildew.
I quickly turned to my left and flicked on a lightswitch, but to my dismay, no lights switched on. Had Lucien abandoned this place? That was the only logical explanation to the state it was currently in. I could barely see anything with my normal human vision and could only make out the shapes of the objects. So, I decided to close my eyes for a moment and then opened them revealing my red eyes. Damon seemed to be one step ahead of me and glanced around with his own red eyes in curiosity.
"So many pictures of you two on the walls."
I nodded, passing one of the photos we'd taken near one of the old lakes towards the edge of the city. It hung there, dusty, old and against the fall near the entrance of the kitchen.
I stopped and took a moment to look at the two people in it. A frown decorated my face, and a smile decorated his as he ruffled my hair which, back then was quite long. I remembered that day quite clearly. He wanted to take me fishing and I, on the other hand wanted nothing more than to just cuddle up in bed with my blankets. I spent the whole day in a sour mood, and his jolliness only made me sourer.
"Brighten up, little Vixen, frowning makes you look less beautiful." He said. He was the first person to call me that, *beautiful*, and at the time I could only blush in response. I wondered now if he'd ever meant it. I wondered if he ever saw me as more than just... a possession, a plaything. I really did wonder now, because the more I was surrounded by our past, the more I could only picture that hand, reaching towards me, and that smile he wore. A smile that said, "you and I are the same". I wished that were the case, that we were the same and that Lucien, like Damon was just scared. Perhaps Lucien was even more scared, broken and shattered than any of the three. Perhaps he was the actual product of Ambrose's hate. No mother to love him, nothing but his siblings who, it was now evident, truly struggled to communicate without intervention. Maybe all he needed, all he craved was-
"Hey Jasmine, come look here, I think I found something."
I hadn't even noticed that Damon had ventured off further into the house and his voice gave me a little startle.
"I'm coming!" I yelled and began walking towards the sitting room, from where I heard his voice. Damon was hovered over the coffee table which stood in front of the soft leather couches and slowly, as I neared him, I began to understand why. On the coffee table lay a neatly placed chessboard. But instead of pawns there were rose petals to the one side, carefully placed on each square and on the other side, small jasmine flowers also each in their own square. Next to the chessboard lay a single, delicate red rose, and underneath it, another note.
"What is all of this?" I asked, more to myself than anything else.
Damon looked down at me, face stern and bone-chillingly serious, before uttering, "A game."
He then knelt down to the level of the coffee table and began to pick up a petal. I followed him, picking up a jasmine flower.
"Rose..." It left his mouth in a whisper and drew me out of my state of short-lived curiosity.
"Pardon?"
"My mother's name, was Rose-" he then turned the board slightly and tilted his head, "-this is Lucien's game, and you and I are his pawns. That's what this all means. Jasmine flowers to represent you and rose petals for me." His eyes then shifted towards the rose.
"So that must mean that this note is mine." He lifted the rose, tossed it to the floor and then picked up the note. Immediately the lights switched on in the sitting room and so did the flat screen television on the wall in front of us. On it, was none other than a smiling Lucien who, it seemed, shot the video in this very room. I looked at Damon and then my eyes caught on to what caused the lights to miraculously switch on. To the back of the letter was a wire attached which, when pulled by Damon's picking up of the letter, must have turned on the lights. This truly was Lucien's game... perhaps his best, most intricately designed and lethal game yet. But this was not the most frightening part, the most frightening part, was that Damon and I were pawns, little pieces on Lucien's board, whether we liked it or not.
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Two chapters in one day? Yes please!
So I released a double update today because the next time I will be updating will be on Tuesday and then hopefully I can return to my good old regular schedule! It's been a heck of a ride with ups, downs, misplaced words, possible spelling errors and name confusions- because it's clear I like names that start with 'L' (I don't know why, it just happened). Nonetheless, you've made it this far, and now, all I ask is that you stick with me!
Stay safe! Stay healthy! And if you haven't heard it already, then I'm going to say it: you are loved and you are perfect just the way you are, so keep on smiling!