The Age of The Masrui

Karsi looked over to him briefly, her only acknowledgement before she reached for a stuffed animal at the end of her bed that had been left there, curling it under her covers before staring at the wall again. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly after a few moments, though not quick enough to stop the tears as she began to sob silently.

---

“Something I never get used to.” Maddox hummed as he watched the sunrise over the skyline. “In truth the main reason I go for the red eye when I can...”

Karsi shrugged him off, burying her face in the covers for a few minutes until her body stilled and she composed herself. Pulling the covers away a few moments later and moving to look at the wall again.

---

“Definitely.” Maddox nodded, before moving to sit in his seat as they landed.

Karsi nodded, swallowing thickly. “What happened? How did I get here? Did I OD at the engagement party? Did I get too drunk and fall? Were we in a crash on the way back? What happened to you?” She rasped out, getting it all out in one go so she wouldn’t have to keep going later.

---

“I’m not sure... just more drawn to it.”

“Why was I in your apartment? When was this? How long have I been here?”

---

Once they landed, Maddox grabbed his bag and got off, turning his phone back on which instantly rang, putting it on speaker as he packed the car and got in, setting it on the dash. “Cal? What’s the - “

Don’t come home. Karsi woke up and none of us were there so she freaked the fuck out

“She’s awake - is she o-“ Maddox panicked then, running his hands through his hair.

“They don’t know, she woke up and none of us were there because you let your girlfriends brother in or whatever, Louis said she went fucking psycho”

“The last thing I remember is the party... months...” Karsi put a hand to her mouth in horror. “I remember bits... you were there and then Louis was there and they were touching me and I didn’t understand why... nobody stopped them.” She trembled then, moving her hand to bite at her nails. “You were leaving and I came outside to see why you were leaving. That’s all I remember. I came outside... and then it’s just black.”

---

“Fuck.” Maddox hissed, slamming the steering wheel at what Marlowe said before turning his attention back to his brother. “You said don’t come home - why can’t I come home Cal?”

You were supposed to be in there with her, dad said one of us had to be there the whole time... if she woke up when you were there she would’ve been calm, they could’ve assessed her, seen what the damage was... fucked all that. Louis had to authorise sedation because she was gonna fuck her vocal chords with screaming... you’ve fucked it Mads, I’ve been trying to call you all night. Genuinely don’t think I’ve seen dad this angry before. Louis is raging, mums in pure shock that you’d leave... I’m not gonna lie Mads I do think what you did is messed up.”

Maddox swallowed thickly, having gone drip white at his brothers words. “I need to come back - I need to see her. She’s awake...”

“Hes had your name taken off the visitors list, security will have you straight out, your girlfriends as well. He’s let the other one sit in with her purely cause it was something he did that woke her up but as soon as she’s acting normal he’ll be off it as well. Stay where you are for a bit, I’ll update you when I can. Dad told us all not to warn you, he wants you to come back so he can see to you himself but fuck that. Make your excuses, don’t come home until this has all blown over.

“Just please tell me how she’s doing. Keep me updated please... please.”

“I’ll do the best I can.”

Maddox hung up the phone then, just staring out the window in silence.

---

“Why weren’t they here?” Karsi questioned. “Why aren’t they here now? I’ve met you twice... they don’t care about me that much? They just leave me with someone I’ve met twice... they can’t know what happened because I didn’t tell anyone and Mads wouldn’t tell them so as far as they’re concerned you’re just someone random really...”

“The wedding... I - four months... my birthday.” Karsi shook her head in disbelief. “Why did they fuck me up that badly? What did I do?”

---

Maddox shook his head, starting the car and setting off in silence. Completely at a loss for words.

"You stupid fucker." Karsi exhaled from her nose, completely stunned. "I have nobody to blame but myself do I? So just so I get this straight - My fiancé decides to deal drugs knowing I have an issue and I sleep with his runner at our engagement party, then apparently go back for more but the runner wasn't smart enough to give my fiancé back the drug money so my fiancé has his men beat the shit out of both of us and I miss the wedding, and my birthday and wake up with none of my family around because I've fucked up that badly this time they can't be arsed." she laughed then, once, then a few seconds later it was uncontrollable hysterics.

---

"She could've woken up not knowing who he was. They didn't meet that long before she ended up in that state. She could've regressed years. I knew she could regress years. I knew she could wake up and still be fucking fifteen in her head. And I let her wake up in a room with someone that could've been a complete fucking stranger to her? She would've been terrified - Cal said she went psycho... I didn't even think. I didnt think she was going to wake up." Maddox confessed then. "I didn't think about the possibility of any of that happening because I'd given up hope - what does that make me?!"

"If - if we hadn't slept together you wouldn't have felt the need to keep the money from Louis as a fuck you. If you hadn't kept the money and if I hadn't come back to your apartment - not that I remember this but we both know what I was there for - then neither of us would've got the shit beat out of us and we wouldn't be here. This is entirely my fault. I have well and truly outdone myself." Karsi laughed incredulously, wiping the tears from her eyes, her voice getting more and more strained as she went on. "I mean I was the family fuck up before but Jesus..." she coughed then, her hand coming away bloody, her throat torn to pieces.

---

"I'm not going to crash. Both eyes on the road." Maddox shrugged, borderline offended that she thought he would. "Answer my question - what does that make me? Leaving her there like that basically with a stranger?"

Karsi just waved him away as she coughed into her hands, reddening.

"Mm? Do you need help dear?" One of the nurses asked as she walked over, one that had dealt with Dorian a few times on occasion. "Do you need me to take you back to your room dear?"

---

"She would've been okay if I'd have been there. She wouldn't have been scared. Imagine if you woke up to a stranger and Dorian wasn't there? You had no idea what you were there for? Imagine the fear?" Maddox just shook his head then, driving in complete silence till he pulled up outside an apartment complex and parked up.

"Miss Levi? Is she okay? Has she woken again?"

---

"Thanks." Maddox said politely, moving to get their bags from the boot before locking the car and walking up to the complex gates. Swiping his keys against a keypad that was set up there and waiting for the gates to open before walking into the building.

"Ah, Mr Levi - do you need help carrying your things up?" The concierge asked when he spotted Maddox walking in, simply nodding when Maddox declined quietly, watching as he pressed the button for the lift.

Maddox got into the lift and set for the top floor - penthouse - once Marlowe was in too. When the lift stopped, he had to swipe his keys again before the lift opened, straight into the hallway inside the apartment. It was a huge open plan setting with the kitchen, dining and sitting areas, the windows facing straight over the city. There was minimal furniture, all of it light coloured, the blinds let up so the light could get in. A bar close to the kitchen that would've been well stocked had anyone gone looking. To the left of the apartment there was a door that was opened up into the bathroom, to the right there was another corridor with three doors down it, leading to the bedrooms. There were a few pictures on side tables, mostly of Maddox with either Karsi or Caliban ranging from children to recently, though there were one or two full family pictures included as well. Maddox headed down the hallway and threw his own bag in what was his bedroom, then opened the furthest door and stepped in, setting her bag down a lot more gently and gesturing for her to follow

---

"Alert Mr Levi - " The nurse told one of her colleagues quickly, rolling her eyes when asked which one and simply replying "Any... all of them. And the fiancé too, he's in the family room." shooing the younger girl off before heading quickly in to see Karsi, fussing over her instantly.