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They walked for what, to Adelaide, felt like ages. The forrest surrounding the walls of the school was so dense, she couldn't keep track of where they were headed. In fact, everything was so similar that she felt as if they hadn't moved at all.

Levi clearly knew, though.

He didn't hesitate for even a second to lead the way he had seemingly memorized like the back of his hand. Adelaide had a hard time keeping up, stumbling over the uneven dirt and fallen branches.

She was so focused on the ground that when Levi finally did stop, she ran straight into him.

Squeaking, she stumbled and almost fell if not for a tree catching her back. Levi didn't turn his head to see her commotion, instead he kept his focus on the clearing before them.

Gaining her witts, Adelaide moved to stand at his side, eager to see what had captured his attention. Adelaide shifted awkwardly where she stood, not entirely sure what exactly they were looking at.

"Levi?" She started. "What is this?" She asked.

Levi didn't answer her right way, instead opting to wander closer before opening his mouth.

"You can't tell?" He finally asked in return.

Adelaide shook her head, growing gradually more confused, particularly as to why Levi would actively choose to spend his time here.

Levi sighed, finally turning to look back at her again.

"It's ash. The ashes of a house that once stood in its place." He said calmly.

"But, Levi, why...why would you come here?" Adelaide asked, taking a few slow steps in his direction as she spoke.

Levi again took his time to respond. This time, however, Adelaide could see the loss in his eyes. They glossed over as his mind wandered. He turned away from her again, walking closer to the remains of the old home.

"I come here when I want to think. When I want to find peace by myself." Levi answered.

Adelaide hesitated to ask her next question but she was unable to resist the curiosity plaguing her mind, "Does this-this wreckage mean something to you?"

"It was my father's." Levi said, although his face gave way to no emotion.

"Oh...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Don't. I hated him." Levi scoffed. "He was a cruel man." He paused before turning to face Adelaide yet again, capturing the attention of her eyes instantly. "Yet, he was everything to my Mother. It broke her when he died, she practically died with him."

There was an edge in his voice as he spoke that left Adelaide feeling increasingly uneasy. She had wondered what went on in Levi's mind but having him share it with her was something she hadn't truly anticipated.

Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out the shiny object Adelaide had asked him about a while ago. He turned the key over between his fingers several times.

"It once unlocked every door in that house. My mother wore it around her neck for a long time." He shoved it back his pocket, his face turning up slightly as he recalled the memory.

"Did he die in the..." Adelaide asked, gesturing toward to ashes.

Levi shook his head, "It happened after he had been gone a while."

"Oh... Do you know what started it?" She pried further.

"Me."

Adelaide tried her best to suppress her shock but she could not hide the look in her eyes.

"I hated that man for everything he was when he was alive and he was no better in death. My mother drowned herself in sorrow over his loss and this house was the last thing standing to remember him by. I needed it gone."

"But-Levi...to burn a whole house down?" Adelaide frowned as she hugged herself uncomfortably.

Levi rolled his eyes. "It was an old pile of wood and nails. It didn't hurt anybody, who gives a fuck."

"Was your mom not upset?"

"She's the reason I did it."

"Oh." Adelaide wasn't sure what the right thing was to say to any of this. She wasn't even entirely sure how she felt knowing it all. Her curiosity was coming back to bite her.

"You're unhappy." Levi brought himself closer to her as he spoke.

"No-I just-I um." She stumbled over her words, feeling too nervous to truly process it all.

"Tell me what you're thinking." Levi stopped a breath away from her.

Adelaide swallowed thickly, searching her mind for an acceptable response.

Levi took hold of both sides of her head, forcing her to face him entirely.

"I-I guess I don't understand." She confessed at once.

"Love only breeds burden and loss. It's better to live without it to begin with than lose yourself when it leaves. I refuse to ever live like that." His words slipped off his tongue like honey and yet every word stung Adelaide worse than the previous.

"This is why you don't like me." The words leaving her mouth on their own accord in nearly a whisper.

"I will never like you, Adelaide."

Levi stared down at her face, both of them unmoving as her eyes filled with tears. His face failed to change even as they slowly slid down her cheeks before his eyes. Her bottom lip wobbled as she tried to gain control of her emotions.

She could not understand why he was so cruel to her - why he was so cruel to her heart.

"Why do you play with me like this?" Adelaide asked after several minutes of silence - several minutes of her attempting, and failing, to reign in her emotions.

"How do I play with you, my sweet Addie?" Levi asked, tilting his head slightly as he began sweeping away her stray tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"You cannot be serious." She spoke in a breath.

"I told you from the beginning that I would not like you." Levi shrugged.

"Then why-"

"I have been and will continue to be selfish. I want you and therefore I will have you. From what I've gathered you want to be mine as equally as I want you to be."

His eyes were so soft and his voice so calm, Adelaide was tempted to rest assured that this was an acceptable way to continue their relationship, whatever it may be or mean.

"Levi that is not normal." She argued.

"When have I claimed to be normal? Normal is boring, it does not suit me." He scoffed.

"I will not belong to anyone." She tried pulling away slightly, but he tightened his grip to keep her in place before him.

"You say it as if it's a bad thing. I won't give you what you're looking for, titles aren't permanent enough."

"You do not treat me well enough for me to want a title." Adelaide confessed.

"Not well enough?" Levi raised a brow.

"You're mean to me more often than you are nice. It makes me...sad. I don't deserve sad." She frowned.

Levi scanned her face with eyes for several seconds before dropping his hands and turning away. If Adelaide was confused before, this conversation did little to help. She could not wrap her head around what went through Levi's head, even now as she admitted how he made her feel, she could not tell the effect it had on him.

If it had any affect at all.


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