The Hallway of Memories
Tuesday Afternoon, 1:00 PM.
The university hallway was crowded and noisy, but for Elian Sterling, the world was spinning in slow motion.
He walked toward his History class, clutching his chest.
Suddenly, a sharp, cold pain shot through his bones.
It wasn't real. His new body was healthy. The doctors had confirmed it.
But his mind remembered.
Flashback (The Previous Life):
The beep of the heart monitor. The smell of harsh antiseptic. The feeling of the cold IV fluid burning his veins.
The doctor shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Elian. The cancer has spread. There is nothing more we can do."
The pain of his bones disintegrating from the inside.
Reality:
Elian gasped, leaning against the lockers for support. He was sweating cold sweat.
"No," he whispered, his vision blurring. "Not again. Please, God, not again. I promised I would live."
He felt weak. His legs were shaking. He needed to sit down. He needed water.
The Vulture Descends
"Elian?"
A voice spoke right next to his ear. It wasn't a friendly voice. It was hungry.
Elian looked up through his blurry vision.
Gabriel Cross stood there.
Gabriel had been following him all day, waiting for a chance. Now, seeing Elian weak and trembling, Gabriel saw an opportunity.
"You look terrible," Gabriel said, stepping into Elian's personal space. He reached out and touched Elian's forehead. "You're burning up."
Elian flinched violently.
To him, Gabriel's hand didn't feel like a lover's touch. It felt like the cold hand of the Grim Reaper coming to take him back to the hospital bed.
"Don't touch me," Elian wheezed, trying to push him away. "Leave me alone."
"You're sick," Gabriel grabbed Elian's waist to steady him. "You can't even stand. Come with me. My car is outside. I'll take care of you."
"No!" Elian cried out, panic rising in his throat. "I don't want to go with you! You'll take me back to the dark room!"
"I'm trying to help you!" Gabriel snapped, his patience thinning. He tightened his grip on Elian's waist, dragging him away from the lockers. "Stop making a scene. You belong with me."
The Collapse
The stress was too much.
Elian's breathing hyperventilated. The flashback consumed him completely.
The white ceiling. The darkness closing in. The end.
"Mom..." Elian whispered.
His knees buckled.
His eyes rolled back.
The world went black.
Elian collapsed, his dead weight falling against Gabriel.
Gabriel panicked. "Elian? Elian!"
He held the unconscious boy, looking around frantically. Students were staring. "Someone help! He fainted!"
The Predators Arrive
Suddenly, the crowd at the end of the hallway parted.
Silence fell over the corridor like a heavy blanket.
Two men were walking toward them.
They wore immaculate suits. They radiated power and terror.
The Blackwood Twins.
They were here for a Board Inspection, but they had stopped.
Kaelen Blackwood had stopped mid-sentence.
His nose twitched.
He smelled it.
Vanilla. Distress. Fear.
He looked down the hall and saw Gabriel holding an unconscious Elian.
Kaelen didn't think. He didn't act like a Trustee.
He moved like a beast.
He sprinted.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Kaelen roared, his voice shaking the glass windows.
Gabriel looked up, terrified. "Mr. Blackwood, he just fell—"
Kaelen didn't listen. He reached them in seconds.
He grabbed Gabriel by the collar and threw him—physically threw him—against the metal lockers.
CLANG.
Gabriel slid to the floor, gasping for air.
Kaelen dropped to his knees instantly. He scooped Elian up from the cold floor before his head could hit the tiles.
"Elian?" Kaelen's voice changed from a roar to a terrified whisper. He tapped Elian's pale cheek. "Kitten? Wake up."
Elian didn't move. He was limp.
Kieran arrived a second later. He placed two fingers on Elian's neck.
"Pulse is erratic," Kieran announced, his grey eyes icy calm but his jaw clenched tight. "His heart is racing. It's a trauma response."
The Golden Cage Decision
Kaelen looked at Kieran. His blue eyes were wild with protectiveness.
"We are taking him."
"To the hospital?" Kieran asked.
"No," Kaelen growled, pulling Elian closer to his chest, shielding him from the staring students. "He hates hospitals. I saw it in his eyes before that night. I remembered. He was terrified."
Kaelen stood up, lifting Elian effortlessly in his arms.
"We are taking him to the Penthouse. Get the private doctor. Now."
Kieran nodded. He turned to the stunned crowd.
He adjusted his glasses and looked at the Dean, who was trembling nearby.
"Class dismissed," Kieran said coldly.
Then he pointed a finger at Gabriel, who was trying to stand up.
"And you," Kieran said, his voice dropping an octave. "If you try to follow us... I will have security break your legs. Consider yourself expelled pending investigation."
Gabriel watched helplessly as the Twins walked away, carrying Elian like he was a broken porcelain doll.
As they passed, Gabriel caught the scent trailing behind them.
Vanilla mixed with Blackwood Musk.
He realized with a sinking heart: They didn't just save him. They took him.
Elian floated in darkness.
He expected to wake up in pain. He expected the hospital.
Instead, he woke up to softness.
He was lying on a massive bed with black silk sheets. The room smelled of Sandalwood and expensive rain.
He blinked his eyes open.
He wasn't alone.
Kaelen was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Elian's hand with both of his own.
Kieran was standing by the window, speaking quietly on the phone to a doctor.
Elian tried to sit up. "Am I... dead?"
Kaelen looked at him. The relief on the younger twin's face was heartbreaking.
"No," Kaelen whispered, bringing Elian's hand to his lips. "You are alive. You are with us."
Elian looked around the dark, luxurious room.
"Where..."
"The Penthouse," Kieran hung up the phone and walked over. "You collapsed at the university. We brought you home."
Elian's breath hitched. "Home?"
"Yes," Kaelen said firmly, his eyes darkening with a possessive vow.
"And you aren't leaving until you are well. Even if I have to lock the doors."
Elian looked at the door. Then at the Twins.
He realized with a jolt:
He wasn't just a guest anymore.
He was a prisoner in a Golden Cage.
And the scariest part?
He didn't want to leave.