7. CICURATE

Cicurate (Verb)

To tame or reclaim from madness.

Chapter 7

(Mako P.O.V)

I knock on the door as quietly and violently as I can, enough for them inside to hear it. It flings open and I'm met with an annoyed bucket hat twin...Tora. I put my hands in pleading pose, looking to my right the footsteps are louder now. I need to hide. I duck and walk beneath his arm inside.

"Close the door!!!" I hiss jumping up and down.

"What? I told you to..." He begins but I cut him off. I push him away from the door and I slam it shut. Turning to face him I plead,

"Just help me out, please! They're here to take me back! Pleaseeee!" I beg him, he sighs and I run to the door closest to me, pushing it open I face Seiji washing his face. I shut the door behind me and open my mouth to explain. But My heart jumps at the loud knock on the main entrance door.

"What's goi..." I press a finger on my lips gesturing to shush him. He looks at the door I'm pressing shut and back at me. He calmly spits in the sink and gives his face a violent wipe with a grey towel. I try to hear what's going on out there but it's muffled. I hope he makes them go away. My heart slows down as the voices die down a little and I crack a small smile at Seiji, but he tenses up hands on his hips. I suck in a sharp breath, we look up at each other frozen as a loud noise breaks in the back, something heavy plunging at the wood floor. I'm pushed aside by Seiji. Pressed against the wall, he opens the bathroom door and disappears out. I hear groans and loud moans. They're fighting?! I quickly fling the door open and step out into the living room. I freeze as I see the twins entangled with my brother and some other boys, kicking and punching at the floor.

"HEY! Botan! STOP!" I yell running forward to pull him off one of the twins. He stops looking up, eyes wide and mouth gaped open in shock as he sucks in loud deep breaths.

"Mako!?" He hisses, almost not sure if it's me.

"Get off of him!" I below glaring at him, ready to flee once I make them stop fighting.

"Why did you go to Donr yesterday then?" Hesitating, my brother ignores me still on top of the twin, interrogating him. How does he know about yesterday? Why is he even asking about it... isn't he here to get me?

"To find where the party's being hosted... you stupid!? to find the preem you shlock head!" Tora spits at my brother sarcastically.

"But..." My brother echoes giving me a quick look then back at them. A few seconds in silence as if he's trying to understand those alien terms Tora had been using. My brother finally releases the twin. Standing up he waves with his hand at the other boys and they release the other twin. Tora stands up narrowing his eyes at my brother who is smirking in return as if he won an award.

"You're from them!?" Tora spits at me, ready to punch me.

"Call backup, we're taking them with us. Mako, down to the car. Now." My brother goes on an ordering spree, the men behind him nod and go out the flat. I shake my head.

"Why are you taking them? How are you outside? Did father let you?" I ask him swallowing at my dry throat, my voice low.

"Mako, car now!" He hollers pointing at the entrance door. I shrug, I'm not scared of him.

"Blah blah, not happening. Leave before you get beaten up." I prod pointing at the twins. As soon as he sees their ghoul veins he will run back home. His eyes dart between them and a confident smirk yet appears on his face.

(Seiji P.O.V)

With little hassle, we're placed in a van and doors are shut in our faces. The girl sits holding her head wincing.

"I thought your name was Mira." I press disappointed. I thought she was a random preem, seems she is more than she lets on.

"Yeah? I didn't even know your name then. You don't have any right to be mad for not knowing my real one." She says softly, voice low. Looking up letting her hand slide beside her,

"I've been calling you sweaty bangs all this time in my head." I hear my brother snicker at her statement. Brushing my hair out of my face checking if it's actually wet or not.

"I didn't want to say my name in case you know who I am and take me back home. I know it's stupid, I was just paranoid. Sorry." She apologises as the van begins to move. The three of us hold the floor of the van asking for stability as we're hauled forward. I can't believe she turned out to be one of them, coming to us acting innocent and like she hates ghouls when she's...

"I should've know you're one of them... I mean the timing is perfect. You showed up in the right time to find us and shlocking stop us." My brother says what I had been wanting to say. She looks up eyebrows snapping together searching his face,

"What? What are you talking about? One of who?" She asks and I want to scream at her to stop the act. She brought them to us, now we're over. We're never finding the missing kid.

"Yeah, keep acting stupid. We saw how you two fsheks know each other." My brother spits.

"Botan? Of course, he's my brother." She announces.

"Exactly. Siblings." He presses glaring. She glances at me confused, as if wanting my support.

"I understand you, trust me. I'll tell father you have nothing to do with this and you will go free." She reassures us. Now I'm starting to doubt she is lying. If she knows what's going on she would also know what she's saying is stupid excuses...or maybe she is stupid...she does seem to be whacked in the head though.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this, I'll see for it my father lets you go the moment we arrive. I can do it, promise." She reassures us in a monotone voice, seems to me she's not confident it will happen.

"We don't want him to let us go." I tell her. She lets out a sigh in frustration,

"What are you saying? I'm as confused as a salmon. I swear." She declares mitts flaring beside her in the air.

"We're glad we're being taken to him, we don't need to look for that spree-killer anymore." My brother finishes my statement. Her eyes searching ours.

(Mako P.O.V)

I don't ask them anything anymore. I don't know what is going on and answers are just confusing me more. Why are they looking for my father? How do they even know my father?

As we slide down the van towards the doors I realise we're almost there. We're going up the hill towards the house. Couldn't we just travel in the car my brother got on? This is humiliating.

The doors fly open, we're hauled out like a bunch of criminals. Being dragged all the way through the garden I sneaked out from just the other night towards the living room. My legs ski on the granite floor and I dread being here again.

(Seiji P/O/V)

We enter a huge room never seen any like. The place was cool and fresh —a big contrast to the stuffed heat outside. Bright white piercing lights shone from the ceiling. I hadn't thought of it yet, but I had wondered before how electricity is being made in this big territory...

I'm pushed forward further into a huge room; dark with barely any natural night and a bit too cool, giving me icy shivers. Mako groans and complains as she's being dragged with us. We approach a man sitting on a fluffy looking single chair, embroidered with gold yellow. His legs are crisscrossed showing a set of shiny smooth shoes; fiddling with a big device in his hand. Dark wallpaper covered the walls of the room, the only decorations in sight were a painting of people dressed in white huddling in a circle and two red chairs. It remind me of the abandoned places back in the pit, haunted.

As we're hauled on the floor, Mako goes silent; looking up at the man behind the device, eyes darting from here and there; mitts rubbing against her pink one piece outfit. Everyone is silent as the men leave our side but Botan stays with us. The man hmms at something as I study my surroundings, windows starting from the floor, up about a few inches only, barely letting in little light; nothing from the outside besides the grass of the garden and fence is visible from the inside, we're on the first floor, why windows so low... I look up as the device is placed on the sofa, an inch beside the man. He finally pays us a glance, eyes dart between me and my brother not sparing a second to look at the girl whose gone quitter than a dead mouse.

"How long has it been? Ten days? Have you enjoyed your freedom?" The man begins smiling. I hold my anger, my chest tight. If I knew I could do any damage, I would throw myself right now at that spree killer.

"Where's the preem old man?" My brother speaks to the point. The man looks at him joining his hands together on his lap, right leg floating as he forces a smile.

"I don't have this kid you speak of." He says calmly composed, if I didn't know the truth I would have believed him.

"Come on, we both know that's a lie." My brother presses adding a mocking sigh. I need to do something or this won't end well.

"How about I say the kid isn't in my possession and you leave." He goes on, titling his head to the right,

"Or you insist I do, resulting in two bodies leaving my house today." He finishes off. I supress a laugh at his amazing boldness. Me and brother give him the glares and he calmly looks from me to my twin.

"Father, bodies? What are you saying?" The girl finally speaks up, voice skinny and low. Her father takes a few seconds to break eye contact with us to look at her. Narrowing his eyes at her, she shrinks with every passing second, it makes me wonder what makes her so scared? Isn't he her father?

"They have nothing to do with me sneaking out, I did that myself. Haven't you checked the cctv?" She asks still on the floor unlike us. He stays quite, waiting for her to spill more information. Is she really not from them? does she not know what is going on?

"Don't worry, he's very kind. He won't do such thing as kill you." She reassures us smiling, then gives her father a look of question.

"Of course not, it's a figure of speech, lamb." He tells her and she smiles in reassurance. Yeah right...as if he won't. I glance at Tora in question... did he just call her lamb? Lamb? My brother gives me a questioning look but he looks more like he's questioning if he should cut someone up.

"Go to your room." A shiver goes down my spine at his firm thick voice. She glances over at us...

"What is this? A family conversation time? Tell us where is the preem is old man... where is the kid, or I swear I'll kill you right here!" My brother bellows. We have nothing to negotiate with this man, we're not strong enough to take them down, not after becoming hugals. We don't have the strength we used to possess.

"Who is this kid you keep mentioning!? We don't have any kid in this place okay." Mako tells us, her hands shaking beside her. She peeps over at her father,

"Father, let them go now. They seem to be fetching a child and are confusing you with someone else." Pressing down at the spotless floor, she pushes herself up unsteadily as if about to fall and flounders forward to her father who is silent looking fixedly at us. Maybe we can take the girl hostage...

Without hesitation, I step right and pull her from the arm and throw her to the ground with almost no effort. Placing my mitts around her throat I look up at the man, my brother comes towards me acting like a shield; ready to fight Botan who's ready to charge at me; eyes bugging out.

"Give us the preem, we give you the girl. Now." I press at the girls throat. She grabs at my arm, mouth wide gasping for air. Peeking at her father I swallow hard my chest tightening. He's not moving, not flinching as I press at his daughter's throat.

"Let her go!" Botan cries planted in his place. Giving his father urgent looks, face growing pale.

"I don't have the kid." The old man presses voice stable... is he even her father? My brother pulls a knife out of his left pocket,

"Oh I've shlocking had it!" He shouts pushing me away from the girl and I stumble away. As soon as she gasps for air, my brother kneels down placing the blade on her neck.

"Bring the kid now or I swear I'm pushing this skunk knife in her throat!" My brother hollers; spit flying on the girl's face below him. I watch as her neck is stained red as the blade is pressed into the skin lightly. I stop myself from stopping him as I'm desperate to find the preem just as much, and she might be playing along with them anyways, I shouldn't sympathize.

"I'll take you around the house! If the child you're looking for is here you can take him!" She urges at my brother.

"Father!" Botan begs hands shaking beside him.

"The kid is here, we're not leaving without him! Tell me otherwise and I'll cut this throat!" My brother bellows pressing at the knife.

"Fine." The old man lets out. We're all frozen, not sure if he means it. He motions us to go,

"Mako, show them around." He confirms. I nod as my brother gives me a questioning look. Mako stands up taking heavy breaths rubbing at her throat smearing it pink with the little blood that escaped her cut. She starts gliding away telling us to follow her. Botan doesn't follow us as his father asks him to stay.

"There's a few rooms as we're a big family." Mako informs her voice deep monotone as she goes up the stairs thumbing at the reflecting ground. Arriving to the third floor, I spot no windows in the hallway, not even some short ones like the ones were on the first floor.

"This floor is our rooms and few other entertainment rooms. I'll show you each room to check if the kid you looking for is there." She says between her gritted teeth not meeting our eyes as we walk forward. I swallow, scared we might not find the preem here... or what to do if we find him. She knocks on the first room we come upon in the hallway. As the door swings open by Mako, a wide room faces us. My brother nudges me nodding his head towards someone sitting in front of a desk.

"That's Jessi..." Mako informs us. The girl has headphones on so she doesn't hear us coming in.

"Hey jessi!!" Mako calls out to the girl who twirls around giving us a scan not budging from her seat.

"Is that the child you're looking for?" Mako asks emotionless. We both shake our heads in disagreement. She looks too old. Mako tells the girl nothing and closes the door. Heading forward to the next room, we find a guy who looks the same age as us with light brown hair, not him either.

"What does this kid look like? Maybe we can go directly to him or her and get this over with." Mako says giving us a glare behind her shoulder as we walk ahead. We have never met the preem, the baby was taken at birth.

"We don't know... but he must be around nineteen... twenty years old." I tell her before my brother decides to brings a knife to her throat. By now I'm sure he isn't in this house, of course her father won't let us look around if he was here. The spree killer must be hiding him somewhere else, we have no choice but to attack the old man at this point.

"Huh? Twenty isn't a child Seiji... I mean... yeah, anyway. Then... the one you're looking for is Botan maybe?" She says sarcasm in her voice. I roll my eyes,

"No, the preem we're looking for is not a ghoul." I tell her as she knocks on another door. The door swings open and my brother walks in checking; our sibling is nowhere to be seen.

"What's that supposed to mean? Botan is a ghoul now?" She huffs, a sarcastic giggle escaping her lips as she places a mocking mitt on her mouth. She shakes her head laughing,

"Yeah, and everyone here is as well since you guys are siblings." I prod. She stands firm looking at me frozen. She pulls a smile, the corner of her mouth quirks up making her beauty spot uneven with the one on the other side.

"How about you stop by a hospital on your way back home later?" She says shaking her head as my brother walks out of the room; mitts on his hips shaking his head at me.

"I know Botan, I fought him ten days ago when I was just released from behind the walls. And I won." I say adding in my victory. She stands, her smile dissolving into a glare. I swallow uncomfortably at her scowl,

"Shut up okay? I'm done. Let me finish the tour and you boys leave this place." She rants closing the room door and moving forward. She looks clueless, trying to mask it with anger. Everyone in this house makes my skin crawl, I wouldn't want to admit I'm scared but I sure can feel the cold dark air in this place. All my... animal instincts are telling me to leave.

Pulling my brother into a stop as she walks ahead, "Hey... Maybe we should leave..." I whisper to my brother.

"What?" My brother jerks his hand free. I walk up to her as she opens yet another room,

"And this is my room, why don't you go in check if I'm hiding a kid under the bed?" She spits crossing her arms. My brother pushes me aside walking inside the room. Pink is everywhere, bed sheets, floor mats... again, a short window only showing grass from the garden. I spot a black sphere on the ceiling, Mako looks up at what I'm staring at and looks away pressing her lips together,

"Are we done here?" She spits at my brother. He walks out glaring at her. After inspecting every room, we find no preem fitting the description. All the siblings here are in their twenties besides Botan and Mako judging from her appearance.

"That's all. There's a basement but I'm never allowed there anymore... who knows, maybe a child... no wait, a preem lives there." She shrugs as we ascend the flight of stairs back to the first floor. Botan walks out the room we were dragged into earlier his shoes clacking on the gleaming white marble floor, eyes as sharp as the blade in my brothers hand.

"I can show you down there, and then you're out of here." Botan fumes irritated jaw sharp; eyes full of rage and anger.

Basement is huge, spacious with a guest room and what seems like a gym or something. These fsheks been living in here while we barely had a blanket, many dying in the winter cold.

Botan faces us as the tour ends, his brown hair clouding his raged eyes as strands of waves fall on his face.

"If I ever see you again, I'll kill you." He threatens eyes darting between us, mitts in fists as if ready to do it now. I suppress my laughter and comment of how I wrecked him a few days ago when I was taken out the pit.

"We don't want to see your shlocking intolerable wet sock face either." My brother pricks walking away towards the main entrance adjusting his hat.

"We will find the preem." I press turning around following my brother out.

"I hope you do." Botan adds in making me stop in my tracks. I turn around finding his sunken face. He's not sarcastic or joking, he's serious. He looks up at the corner ... at a black object attached to the ceiling... a surveillance camera.