Jane's POV
Something tells me I shouldn't trust Rafael. He was a part of the plan. Some sort of mythical creature who was all mysterious and secretive, and yet, he hasn't killed me yet.
"Can I ask you something? Not that I will know even if you answer it," I ask him.
"What are you? I mean, I know you were some weird creature. Not human. Since you keep taking about humans like we talk about roaches," I search his face for any emotions.
"Meh. You just said you won't understand yourself," he shrugged.
"God. Fine. It's not like there's anything between us that ever thrived on truth," I know I was not in the right mind to be sarcastic.
"Whoa. Woman. Something between us?" He chuckles... Now that I look at it, I wasn't paying much attention to the words.
"What I meant was, past experiences. You were pretty rude to me that time. That day. Do you remember?" I look at him.
"If you keep taking every little thing to your heart, you would die sooner than you anticipate," he tells me.
"I don't take everything to heart," I shot back. "It's just what you said," I realised it had grown a bit awkward now.
I took the clothes, and walked into another dark room. It was easy to change things in the dark. That was probably why most people put on their masks in the darkest of hours. Likehim. Like me.
I slip into the shirt and the cargo pants. To my surprise, they fit me well. It was a coincidence. I knew I had a weird body shape. I wasn't too thin. I wasn't too fat. Just alright. There was no way that clothes in my size were lying around.
The hair on the back of my neck tingled. Jane, you fool! This was all a part of his plan. Do not trust him.
My conviction only grew stronger when I returned to find him with his back against the wall. All windows and doors were turned shut. Except the one that led to my room.
"Did you lie to me?" I asked.
For a moment nothing was said. His eyes met mine. I knew all that I had to know.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have given you too much hope," he tells me.
"What about? You seem to ruin possibly good things. I won't worry about that if I were you," I tell him, and his golden eyes meant mine.
"I want you to take a good look into my eyes, Jane," he tells me.
"Why would I do that?" I was not only angry, I was hurt too. How could he be the worst of them all? Was he only here to stall me before they come and get me?
"Because the eyes are the windows to the soul," he tells me.
"What do you see, Jane?" He asks. "What colour do you see?" he almost pleads.
"Why, it's a stupid golden. Don't you know that yourself?" I was in no mood for cheap tricks.
"No. Not until you told me," he whispers.
"You did inform Professor Hank? Or whatever he's called. Didn't you?" I asked, and he nodded.
"Then why the high and mighty, I will set you free kind of bullshit that you pulled off?" I barked.
My knees went weak, as I crouched on the floor, sitting down slowly. His eyes looked at me determined.
"My true nature lies in cherishing my rewards. You weren't just as important, it seems. I tried to be kind to you. But kindness is such a human thing to afford. Unlike you, I am not human," he explains.
"Why wait so long then? Why ask others to do your dirty job?"
"Do not worry. I won't be here when he lets you go. But he sure will. I told him all that happened-"
"You don't know if he will let me go or not. He would kill me. You told me so yourself. Then why?" I ran my fingers through my hair.
"Because, if he doesn't see it for himself. He will find you and get you killed. And then, he will kill me," Rafael turns away. His forehead touches the wall, in an act of boredom.
"How easy must it be for you to make me a scapegoat. I hope the reward is worth the prize," I mock him.
"It is. It's certainly weighed in gold," he tells me.
"It was wrong of me to trust you twice. I should have known this was some poor tactic," I sighed.
"It was. Indeed. A slip in judgement. But you are too easy to fool. You are a fool," he smiles.
Yet something about the way his thin lips curve doesn't feel sinister or mocking. Maybe he was doing it all on purpose. This was the last resort to him perhaps.
"So what happens when he comes?" I gulped the lump in my throat.
"Well... He will find out that I have been telling the truth. That you don't have her soul within you anymore. He might use his tactics for it. Then he would set you free, unless he feels threatened by you," he explains.
"What good am I to him without her soul?" I questioned him.
"Some times people have a twisted sense of justice. Things seem too good in principle that they cannot be not true. And his shortcoming? He is a human. He doesn't see through," Rafael chuckles.
"Human or not, you are a self centred liar. Atleast he is doing it in some sort of way to reconcile with the woman he loves. What's in it for you? Only Gold," I tell him, meeting him eyes.
"You'd think it's fair to do crazy things in love. Love itself is never fair. To anyone. It's a mistrusting reverie. It makes you doubt yourself.
And what do you even understand about Gold? It's possibly the closest thing next to the light that always matters," he says, softly