Thorn Bonds

*Phoenix*

The day after I me Orochi, he started following me. I didn�t think much about it at first. He was helping me find the others and Katie�s killer. On the third day, I met up with him in the park. He looked up with a smile when he saw me.

�Hello there,� he greeted me. I gave him a little smile.

�Hi,� I said. I noticed his hand on a laptop.

�What�cha got there?� I asked. Orochi looked down at his hand.

�I brought my laptop with me from my classes,� he answered. �Figured we�d use it for our search.� I blinked at him.

�How?� I asked. Orochi smiled at me still. Here flipped open his laptop.

�Look here,� he said. I came over to his screen. I saw a chat room before us. I studied the screen for a moment.

�Blood Underground?� I asked.

�I met Katie through here,� he said. �We find many others like us here.� I stared at the screen still. Seems tempting�

�Go ahead,� Orochi said. �Create an account to ask your questions.� I looked over at him. I have done this for my e-mail and a gaming site, but this was different.

�Go on,� Orochi said. �You want the answers to your questions, don�t you?� I nodded a bit.

�Okay�� I said. I moved to the keyboard. I typed in PFinch for my username. I filled in my password as well. I even filled in the basic information. Orochi checked behind me afterwards.

�Good enough,� he said. I clicked, �sign up.� I got the thank you message in return. I opened up another tab for my e-mail. Orochi looked away as I logged in.

�Now what?� I asked.

�We wait,� he said. I closed my mouth. Silence passed us. I pressed my lips together.

�Orochi,� I spoke up. He looked over at me.

�Yes?� he asked. I swallowed a bit.

�Could we take some pictures together?� I asked. �No reason, it�s how I remember everyone.� Orochi gave me a little smile.

�Sure,� he said. I looked at him with big eyes.

�Really?� I asked. �You mean it?� He nodded at me again.

�Wow,� I mouthed to myself. I had to make myself calm down.

�Right,� I said. So, I drew out my camera and got to work. We got about seven or eight pictures together. I put my camera away afterwards.

�I thank you,� I said with a bow. �This means so much to me, finding one of Katie�s friends.�

�Ah,� he said. The silence led to another thought that nagged me.

�Orochi,� I spoke up.

�Yes?� he asked. I paused to gather my words.

�How old are you, if you don�t mind me asking,� I said. I waited for a reply. I thought he would be offended. But, he smiled at me.

�Twenty-one,� Orochi said.

�Twenty-one?� I asked.

�Yes,� he said. I looked down at my camera in silence.

�Wow,� I murmured. �Katie never told me she had any adult friends.� I looked at Orochi again. He smirked at me.

�Don�t worry,� he told me. �I won�t do anything to you.� Then, he stood up and walked over to me. Orochi kissed me on the lips. I began to panic. I wanted to push him off, but my body wouldn�t budge. Orochi finally let go of me. I screamed.

�What the hell?!?� I yelled. �You said wouldn�t do anything!� He gave me a little smile.

�Just a kiss,� he said. Then, Orochi took my by the hand.

�You and I now have a special bond,� he said in a low voice. He gently kissed my fingers. I became alarmed.

�B-Bond?� I stammered out. Orochi took me close in his arms. He leaned down to my hair.

�I want to take you down,� he whispered to me. My head shot up at his words.

�Take me down?� I asked. �W-What does that mean?� My heart quickened as my eyes grew big.

�You mean� my ribbon?� I asked. Orochi gently put his finger to my lips. He looked me dead-on in the eyes.

�Not yet,� he whispered. �You�re still too young. When you�re a bit grown up.� Orochi paused for a moment.

�Unless,� he said. �You want me to do it now. What should I do?� I stared at him with thoughts of rape in my mind. Who was this guy? What was this guy? Instinct told me to run away, but he was my only key to finding Katie�s killer�

Then, Orochi�s laptop beeped. We looked up.

�You�re in,� he said. The shock from a few minutes ago blocked out his words at first. I nodded once I understood.

�Oh,� I said. �Right.� I raced over to his laptop and looked at the screen. I had one new message in my e-mail. I opened the inbox and the message. After I read everything, I was in. I clicked on the link and started my quest.