We trained for what felt like an eternity. Sebastian was constantly throwing new challenges at me, and once I finally concentrated, I could block everything he threw at me, whether it was knives, swords, bullets, even himself.

When we finally stopped for a breather, it had been a couple of hours. I sat heavily on the floor, setting my twin blades on either side of me. My hands had begun to cramp, and I gasped to catch my breath. When Sebastian appeared at my side a moment later with a glass of water, I gratefully accepted it and gulped it down.

"Your skills have improved greatly," Sebastian observed.

I didn't respond. I placed the empty glass on the floor beside me.

There was a silence between us for a while. All I could think about was the servants, my family. I thought about what my parents would have done in this situation. But they hadn't had a demon to help them. They would have simply called the police.

But no one had dared to defy my parents. Our neighborhood had been one of the safest places I'd ever seen. But once they passed away, everything changed. No one thought I was going to be like them, or defend the neighbors like they had. All I could do was give. I wasn't capable of protecting anyone.

Then about a year later, people realized I was different from my parents. They got gutsier when it came to the horrible things they could do to us. The kidnappings began, more the other kids in the neighborhood than myself. People were just trying to test the boundaries, hoping they could gradually push them a little further.

"Chrystal?" Sebastian asked, startling me from my thoughts.

"Is it enough?" I asked quietly.

This time, Sebastian stayed silent. Did he know I wasn't good enough to help? Was he going to keep me here to train until one of my friends died because I wasn't good enough to save them?

"It will be," he finally answered.

I glanced down at my feet. Great. I wasn't good enough. Why couldn't I be good enough?

The next time I glanced up, Sebastian had knelt down beside me.

"One more day of training tomorrow, and then we'll leave before dawn the next day. Don't worry about anything. You'll be strong enough."

"But what if I'm not?" I questioned, staring back down at my feet. "What if something happens to one of them, and it's because of me?"

"Nothing will happen to any of them. They are being taken care of until we arrive, I assure you."

"How do you know?"

"I was there for a few hours myself, remember?"

I glanced up at him. He wore a sympathetic smile on his face, his deep red eyes full of honesty and reassurance.

And for a moment, I couldn't look away.

Eventually, I broke our gaze, and stared back down at the ground, blushing slightly. Sebastian, however, seeming unfazed, stood from his place beside me.

"Well, let's go fix some lunch, shall we?"

I nodded, finally realizing how hungry I was. Sebastian helped me stand, holding onto my hand for a moment longer than necessary, before leading the way to the kitchen, with me trailing a few feet behind.

*

After lunch, I told Sebastian I was tired, then went up to my room to rest. Well, not really rest. I couldn't get my mind off of the situation at hand, and I needed some alone time to think.

Should I call the police? Would they be able to help? Or would I just be sending them to their deaths? If what Sebastian said was true, and that there were many guards stationed all over the place where my friends were held, then I couldn't ask for the police to help, not if I knew someone would die.

I groaned in frustration, plopping down on the pillows. I wasn't going to be strong enough to help. I would end up getting myself killed. Even with Sebastian protecting me, there were still chances. He would be trusting me to defend myself the best I could, and if he looked away for too long....

I sighed. I shouldn't be thinking like this. I needed to concentrate on what I needed to do, not the risks I would be taking. There was no need to dwell on that when there was still a plan to be made.

"Sebastian," I said quietly, sitting up.

He was there in an instant. "Yes?"

I turned my body to face him, my legs dangling off the edge of the bed. "Do you have a guess on how many people there are guarding the place?"

"I'd say roughly 50 or so. Why?"

I felt my shoulders slump slightly. 50? How was I supposed to distract 50 guards and walk away after? "I was just trying to think of a plan for distracting everyone. It's harder than I thought it was going to be."

"You won't have to worry about all of them, Chrystal. I won't let you take them all on alone." He smiled gently. "Don't worry. You'll know what to do when you get there. Just rest for now. We will be training again tonight after dinner."

I nodded, glancing down at my hands. Sebastian stayed for a moment, as if he was debating on telling me something, but left a couple of seconds later, making me unsure if he had really been lingering at all.

I quickly grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, not wanting to be alone with my thoughts. The news was on, and there was a story about a girl who had run away from home. Her picture was on the screen, and I made a mental note to keep an eye out.

I watched the stories change from one to the other, most of them about robberies or murder cases. But one story in particular caught my attention, and as I continued to watch, I felt my blood run cold with fear.

"Reports say that a girl named Chrystal Foster may be behind these horrid acts," a lady said to the camera. "There have been multiple claims from witnesses saying the girl has killed multiple men, and that she claims to not stop there. But she doesn't seem to be in hiding. Police are on their way now to investigate."

I sat on my bed, frozen. Me? Murder someone? Witnesses? What was going on?

A moment later, I heard police sirens floating into the room through the cracked open window. It was then that my frozen body melted into a panic. I quickly stood and ran down the stairs, nearly tripping over my dress several times as I tried to find Sebastian.

"Sebastian!" I screamed, terrified. I finally slipped on my dress, and fell down the stairs, only to be caught by my demon butler before any real damage could be done.

"What's the matter?" he asked, confusion and concern clear on his face.

"W-we have to leave!" I stammered, unable to find any other words. "Now!"

Sebastian didn't ask questions. I closed my eyes, and we were out of the house in seconds. I felt the wind whipping through my hair as he carried me far away from the house and into the night.