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</div></div><br/>Ever drifted from consciousness and then back out, the world was a complete blur. Random images seemed to float aimlessly around in the pool of his thoughts, as though they were viciously being blown about by a hurricane. The pressure on his torso and extremities were relieved as Klaus and Magnus' blood meal came to completion, and momentarily brought Ever back to the outside world. But after a few seconds, Ever once again surrendered to the dark void of unconsciousness.<br/><br/>Ever was the center of attention and the main topic of conversation, yet the words Magnus and Klaus shared between them were a murmuring monotone, nonsensical. Ever could almost feel the weight of their gaze as they stared at his vulnerability. Ever tried to open his eyes again to stare the twins dead in the eye, but he couldn't keep focus. His eyelids felt weighed down, like his arms and legs did, and his surroundings simply felt as though they were being viewed on low resolution-- like a bad quality movie.<br/><br/>Confusion blossomed in Ever's heart and he knew that sooner or later he would have to wake up and face reality. But for now, Ever lay down his heavy head, and retreated into wallowing blackness. Ever's head lolled against Magnus' shoulder as his body was plucked off the carnage of his bed, effortlessly. The rest of his naked body slowly leaned into him, completely limp. Although Ever appeared to be sleeping, he had no pleasant dreams to accompany his slumber.<br/><br/>Without the complex workings of his conscious mind Ever looked vulnerable and childlike, his breathing shallow but even as he calmed down. The expression on Ever's face began to fade from its stressed out appearance as he regained composure, even though he remained incapacitated. His eyelids fluttered with the sclera showing underneath, but he seemed too out of it to notice that he was being carried by Magnus into the living room.<br/><br/>Once there, Ever was propped against the fluffy pillows and throw blankets in a semi-reclining position as Magnus tore a few sheets worth of paper towels off the dispenser in the kitchen. Ever moaned with the spinning sensation of the room, but opening his eyes completely at that point was still an ill-advised notion. Something cold and wet was pressed to his skin, rubbing and sponging the evidence of his attack away. Ever's face was very white, the color of a moonbeam, or an ivory carving.<br/><br/>A snowy face, very beautiful, like a winter king in a fairy tale. His hands, too, were bone-white, but masculine and elegant. He resembled a porcelain doll, so much that an onlooker might start to worry if Ever would shatter if he were dropped. As the bloody streaks were dabbed off, the sound of Magnus' calm yet rational sounding voice, buzzed at Ever's ears as it alternated between clarity and unintelligibility.<br/><br/>Ever wasn't able to comprehend a word of it, he just lay still like a rag doll until Magnus either tired of talking to his unresponsive form, or he had completed the task of cleaning off the blood. He was picked up again, this time his head rolled back away from Magnus' chest as if his neck had ball bearings in it, and his arms and legs hung languidly in the air as he was carried to the Augustin brother's Porsche. As Magnus placed him into the passenger seat, he strapped the seat belt around him to secure him in place before driving off into the night.<br/><br/>Ever Kasala had been abducted. Like millions of red flowers blooming, droplets of his blood sprayed across his plush bed, the upholstered headboard and the wall. More of his precious blood had dripped to the floor, creating a path to the living room sofa. Yet, even though there was a path, no one would see it nor follow it. Until eventually his distressed family couldn't reach him, and would come to the duplex and discover why he hadn't shown up for the weekend. Nothing would ever wash away the blood spatters from their minds, the horror of what happened to Ever becoming part of the Kasala family's nightmares.<br/><br/>The story of his disappearance would have to be patched together by investigators, or go unsolved.<br/><br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/><br/>The drive to the Augustin manor didn't produce a conscious or coherent Ever, he drifted into semi-consciousness twice, each time moaning and calling out for his mother. Intravenous administration of isotonic fluids would have been a standard emergency treatment for patients like him who had severe blood loss, but Ever wasn't remotely close to a hospital emergency room. Although he was a healthy, drug and disease free, physically fit 24 year old male it would take approximately 48 hours before his blood volume returned to normal.<br/><br/>It would take another two to three weeks before his bone marrow produced enough erythrocytes to keep him from developing anemia. Ever was completely oblivious to everything that had developed in his home after he was taken, not knowing that his precious belongings were being destroyed by Klaus in the carnage left behind in his duplex. It wasn't until the weight lifted from his eyelids and his eyes were able to flutter open, that Ever could awaken. When he did so, his consciousness returned while laying on his back in an ornate four-poster, mahogany bed far, far away from his Seattle duplex.<br/><br/>The satiny sheets were soft, plush and cool against his pallid flesh. Again, he heard the same murmuring tone of Magnus' voice as before, but it was more distinct this time. His eyes searched the room trying to find the source, and his head weakly turned and tried to lift from the bed. That was a bad mistake on his part, because Ever was instantly nauseated and dizzy from the effort. As his vision cleared, it was becoming more obvious to him that he wasn't at home, or even in his family's home. It frightened him, because he remembered nothing about how he'd gotten here, and he was naked as the day he was born.<br/><br/>The more he could see, the worse he felt. The room was voluminous, with ornate antiquated furnishings, like the bed. It was blurry but he could see the corners of the room, there were items on the wall in one corner that didn't register with his brain at first. His head turned as the weight of Magnus's body pressed into the mattress beside him, a sense of alarm registering in Ever's olive eyes. Ever might not have been able to understand all the things that had been said thus far, but there was no mistaking the meaning behind what Magnus said next.<br/><br/><i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff4d4d">"You're in for a rough night, my little mouse," Magnus said, pressing his face into Ever's hair and inhaling deeply, reveling in the sweet, addicting scent.</span></i><br/><br/>Even though Magnus' gesture was gentle, it made the hair on the back of Ever's neck stand on end. Something dangerous lurked within Magnus' words, and whatever he'd said triggered a moment of retrocognitive fugue. When Ever blinked, there were two of them, not just one. They were at his duplex, drinking tea. Then they were all naked. Then..<br/><br/><span style="font-size: 26px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff4d4d">RED. RED.</span></span><i> Everything in the room was dripping with blood.</i><br/><br/>Moments later, when Ever slipped free from his vision of past events, he was screaming as if he were caught within his own nightmare.<br/><br/><i>Except this wasn't a nightmare, it was real.</i>