Amelia;
I was woken up by Piper bouncing on her double bed, I begrudgingly opened my eyes and looked at her beaming face.
'Merry Christmas; Amelia!' she squealed. I sat up and looked at my watch through one squinting eye. It was 8am, I had, had 5 hours sleep. After sitting on the porch for 3 hours cursing at Selene and smoking a whole box of cigarettes, I finally dragged myself to bed. 'Come on. My mum leaves for work in an hour, it's present time.' Piper jumped off her bed and ran out of her room, I groggily followed her yawning. When I walked into the living room, the smell of spiced apples and cinnamon filled my nose, I was in awe of their lit up Christmas tree, so much effort had gone into it, red and gold foiled garlands hung from their ceiling, the fire was lit and candles were neatly spread around the room, it looked like Santa's Grotto.
I couldn't help the fact that my whole face lit up, I loved it, it was beautiful. I sat down on the blue sofa whilst Piper and Tanya sat down at the Christmas tree pulling out the beautifully wrapped presents, they had bought for each other. I leant down the side of the settee and pulled out a gift bag that was full of the presents I had bought for them but before I could give mine out, Piper handed me a little square box which had a red ribbon around it.
'This is from me and mum.' She grinned proudly. I opened the box and smiled. They had bought me a charm, it had two dangly hearts on it, one said Best and the other Friend.
'Thank you.' I whispered gently closing the box. Although I didn't own a charm bracelet for them to go on; I would definitely be buying myself one now.
'I have some gifts for you guys too.' I passed them both all their presents and sat back. This is what Christmas was truly about, giving gifts and watching the happiness spread across their faces…. And being with family.
'I love them.' Piper cried happily, she stared down at her presents fighting back tears. I had bought her a bottle of perfume, a framed photo of me, her and Matt and two pairs of diamond earrings. I had bought Tanya a Candle gift set; as I had recently discovered her love for them, and a gold necklace, they both seemed absolutely thrilled with their gifts and for the first time, I felt genuinely happy. Tanya left for work at 9 so I helped Piper clean up the house, from top to bottom; another Christmas gift for Tanya. What woman doesn't want to come home to a tidy house after a long day of work?
Whilst I washed up, Piper disappeared into her room, I assumed she was getting changed but when she came back into the kitchen, she was holding up a glittery red dress.
'This is for you.' She smiled proudly. I quickly dried my hands and looked at the dress; it was stunning.
'Oh my gosh; Piper!' I gasped, 'You didn't need to get me another gift! You didn't need to get me anything at all.' I threw my arms around her and pecked her on the cheek.
'You can wear it today at dinner.' She grinned. I bit my lip and then sighed.
'Oh yeah, dinner.' I did not want to go to that stupid meal, I didn't want to face anyone, and I was sure that my dad, Charlie and Lori would be thrilled that me and Arlo had broken off, whatever we had. Piper looked deflated and weakly smiled.
'Matt told me about…Arlo. But he hasn't found his mate yet; Amelia, you can still be with him, nothing says you can't. I mean look at me and Eddie, he is an Elite and I am a Mutt, we are not allowed to be together…ever, but we are and yes it's in secret and I just wish I could kiss him in front of everyone, proudly show off my man. But I can't and I can't let him go, so until he Imprints on someone and until I do, we will be together, and you and Arlo can too.' I appreciated what she was saying and I understood it all, it devastated me that my best friend and my brother were so in-love with each other but couldn't be together, they were strong, they had accepted that they could never truly be together, but it was different with me and Arlo. He is the Alpha and I don't know who I am. I am an abnormal werewolf, one that is so different to everyone else; one that can't even shift yet! He deserved better than me, and one day he would get better than me. I just wanted so desperately to have one more night with him, I needed closure, but I knew if I did that then it would be so much harder to let him go. Just one more night; Amelia.
I looked up at Piper and smiled 'What time is Christmas dinner?' She smiled at me and then bit her lip.
'Well, it's actually Christmas Lunch and we have to be there at 12:30pm, it's now 11:30, so let's get ready.' I had a shower and washed my hair, allowing it to dry by itself, it brought out my curls more and I decided to wear it down. I did my make-up, making sure to wear black eye liner with a pin-up flick's, the eyeliner brought out the colour of my eyes and the blood red lipstick suited my new dress, which; may I add was my new favourite item of clothing. The dress was fairly short, revealing the bottom part of my thighs, my father would definitely have a fit. It was strapless with a scallop sweetheart neckline and sparkled every time I moved. I pulled on a pair of platform black stilettos and looked in the mirror. Piper came up behind me and looked at me in amazement.
'You look fucking hot.' She grinned taking in the beautiful dress she had bought me. I blushed and turned to look at her.
'As do you.' I gasped. Piper was wearing a green mini dress with laced off the shoulder sleeves, her silver stilettos complimented the dress nicely, her red hair had been straightened and she was wearing her diamond earrings.
'Wow!' we both turned around after hearing a familiar male voice. Matt was standing at Piper's bedroom door with his jaw practically hitting the floor.
'You, girls look incredible.' He looked us up and down and then smirked. 'Who are you ladies trying to impress.' I smirked at him and then fluttered my eyelashes.
'Obviously you! You're the only man I will ever need.' I giggled. Matt flashed his famous grin and winked at me.
'And you ladies are the only… well ladies I will ever need.' We all started laughing and then left the house. It was quiet outside; everyone had probably already gathered in the dining hall; waiting for their Christmas feast. I looked over to the stables and smiled admiring my handy work. I had decorated them the day before with silver and white tinsel to match my beautiful Unicorn and made sure I filled her bowl up with oats and apples and also gave her a salt block to snack on. It was Christmas for my girl too.
As we got closer to the mansion, I heard footsteps behind us. I turned around and smiled when I saw Ethan and Hannah; they were holding hands and dressed formally, his tie matching her Black dress. 'Hi guys!' I smiled given them wave.
'Hey; Lia can I talk to you for a minute?' Ethan asked holding back.
'Of course, you can.' I replied stopping where I was so he could catch up to me. Piper and Matt both turned to see what was going on and nodded to Hannah.
'Come and walk with us.' Piper smiled linking her arm through Hannah's.
Ethan looked up at me and smiled. 'You look gorgeous.' I blushed and looked down to the ground linking my arms through his.
'Thank you. And I must say; you and Hannah make such a beautiful couple. It is so nice to see you happy.' I grinned staring at his beautiful blue eyes.
'It means a lot to hear you say that; Lia; thank you. I just wished that you were happy.' He admitted studying my face. I frowned at him in confusion.
'I am happy.' I lied reading his unconvinced expression. He sighed and raised one of his eyebrows at me. 'No, you are not; I can see it. What is wrong and don't tell me you are fine because I know you aren't.'
I closed my eyes and looked anywhere but at his face. 'I guess it is just the usual; Charlie is being a prick and accusing me of being a killer. My dad doesn't defend me, he never has, and I just feel let down by my own family.' I bit back the tears and stared straight ahead; we were now at the mansion doors.
'You know if I could protect you from them… I would. But all I can do is promise to be here for you whenever you need me. Don't shut me out okay? You mean so much to me; Lia, don't ever forget that.'
I watched as Ethan caught up with Hannah and I smiled, but it was short lived because being in the mansion brought me back down to reality. Now it was time for me to face everyone and although I looked ready, I wasn't.
The smell of roast turkey filled my nostrils and my stomach rumbled, neither me or Piper had eaten today and is still felt weak from my blood loss, the sound of clattering plates echoed in the hall as the kitchen door opened, the servers were bringing out roasted vegetables and potatoes and the sight of them made my mouth water, it was definitely time to eat something. I nervously walked towards the dining hall with Matt and Piper either side of me, I started to feel sick, I still was not ready to see anyone, especially; Arlo. I took a deep breath in and squeezed Matt's hand as I tried to steady my breathing. Piper went into the hall first and me and Matt waited for a couple of minutes before going in ourselves.
The doors swung open and I felt my mouth fall open. Whoever had been in charge of decorating the food hall had seriously outdone themselves. This place looked amazing. I hadn't been in here since the morning that I tried to end it all; so, this could have been like this for weeks for all I knew. The moment I appeared in the doorway all eyes turned to me. I cleared my throat and held my head up high. I wasn't going to let these people know that I was on the verge of cracking. That was none of their business. To them, I had been away hanging with my best friend having the time of my life. I locked eyes with Lori and held my stare for a moment. There was something odd about her. There was a certain glimmer in her eye that almost looked concerned. But I knew better. There was not a genuine caring bone in that girl's body.
I paused at the table for a moment, unsure where to sit. After spending so long sitting by Arlo's side, I didn't think that I was able to sit back with my father and brothers. That was when I noticed the little red place markers in front of each chair. Names were scrawled across them in elegant metallic script; each letter curling around neatly. I slowly walked the length of the table, looking for my name. The red card was placed next to Arlo's and a mixture of emotions came over me, I was scared to see him but excited too, I longed to be close to him and see his face, but it would be a bitter-sweet moment.
I stood behind my chair, my eyes focusing on the red card in front of me, I didn't want to look up at anyone, they would easily be able to see that I was a nervous wreck. I held on to the back of my chair tightly; so tight that my knuckles were white, when the sound of the doors opening caused me to flinch. The whole hall was no longer filled with hushed whispers and excited chatter as all eyes turned to our Alpha. I held my breath waiting for him to pass me; still not strong enough to make myself look at him. Would I be able to keep my secret hidden from him? He had always been so good at reading me. I wondered if anything like that had changed since the imprinting. The sound of shuffling came from my left, as people moved aside to let Arlo pass, and I felt the heat from his body roll over my bare shoulders as he passed me. I focused all my energy on not trembling in his presence. My desire for him was stronger than it had ever been. Maybe I was just one of those girls that wanted the one thing that they couldn't have?
The sound of scraping chairs filled me ears and I looked up to see the rest of the pack sitting down. I hurried to catch up with the others so that I wasn't the last person standing. I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. As I fell into my seat, the hem of my dress rode up higher than I thought. I grabbed for it and tugged it down, only to make the cleavage line plummet. Who thought that this dress was a good idea for a Christmas lunch? Oh yeah… Piper! I closed my eyes tightly and tried to fight through the blush that I knew was about to rush across my cheeks when a deep low voice snapped me from my nightmare.
'You look… amazing.' Arlo whispered. I turned to look into his golden eyes and instantly all the fear that I had been holding melted away. How was it that we weren't meant to be? How could someone that wasn't destined to be mine have this effect on me? I cleared my throat and smiled up to him.
'Thank you. You look good too.' And boy I was not lying. He wore skinny fit suit trousers that shimmered a strange blue in the light, with a pale blue dress shirt tucked into them. Both items of clothing showed off every one of his perfectly sculpted muscles in a way that made my mind go blank. Well, not blank. There was only one thing on my mind, and it wasn't his suit. It was what was underneath it. I stared up into his eyes and noticed them running up and down the length of my body. He licked his lips and that was almost enough to send me over the edge. Arlo opened his mouth to say something when the main doors burst open and servers entered the room, each pushing trolleys loaded to the brim with food. They weaved in and out of the other pack members, placing plates in front of them smiling the entire time. It amazed me how people could look so happy around people that clearly thought so little of them. That was one reason I loved the non-Elites so much. They were the ones with the true power around here! Arlo and I received our plates and the smell of the food consumed me. It was like heaven. The sound of someone behind me caused me to glance over my shoulder. One of the servers smiled down at me and offered a glass of rose that was practically overflowing. It was scary how well they knew me.
'Merry Christmas Lia.' The server said with a beaming smile, before straightening up and glancing at Arlo nervously. 'Oh, um. I mean.' I placed my hand on the servers and smiled sweetly.
'Merry Christmas Lu.' I smiled, causing the worry to fall from her face once more. Arlo looked at me out the corner of his eye and tried his hardest to hide the smile. But I knew it was there. We ate in silence; the food was so good that it left me speechless, I doubt I would have had the patience to talk, even if I wanted to. By the time we had cleared our plates and eaten our puddings. All three of them! Arlo offered me his hand and helped me to my feet.
'Would you mind escorting me to my office?' He asked, his voice a little louder than needed causing a few of the other wolves to glance at me nervously. 'I think that we need to talk.' He added, dipping his head lightly. I pulled my fingers free from his hand and held my head high once more.
'Of course, alpha.' Arlo turned his stare to glare at me and I fought the smile tugging at my lips. 'After you,' I continued. A few of the other pack members gasped at my "audacity" but that only added fuel to my fire. We slowly walked back to his office; him throwing the door open and storming inside angrily. I stepped into the room and turned to close the door softly behind me. I wasn't sure what was about to happen, but either way, I was not going to let it be bad!
Before the door had closed fully, I turned only to be slammed into the wood causing it to slam shut. Before I could say a word, his lips were on my consuming me. I ran my hands up his arms, feeling his muscles flex under my touch. He pushed me against the door once more and ran his hands over the curves of my body, only stopping when his hand touched my bare skin. He pushed my dress up over my hips and pushed his fingers into the waistband of my knickers, ripping them from me with one swift motion. Selene! They were new. AND LACE! But I was too lost in the moment to care. I ran my hands down his chest, tugging open the fly on his trousers and feeling his hardness throb within the material. I slipped my hand inside pulling him free.
He slid me up the door, causing me to wrap my legs around him. He thrust forward and entered me, and I was overcome with an orgasmic rush. He thrust his hips into me deeper, nearly causing me to cry out. This was unlike any time we had done it before. This was raw, and desperate. I placed my face into the crook of his neck as his thrusting grew faster. Another wave of pleasure rocketed through me and I clamped my teeth down onto his shoulder; so hard that I drew blood. He fisted my hair and pulled it, wrenching my teeth from his skin, only to crash his lips back down onto mine. I couldn't control myself any longer and a cry of pleasure escaped my lips. Now was not the time to be loud but… hello?
He pulled his tie from around his neck with one hand and placed it around my mouth gagging me. A look in his eye that I had never seen before. That only made it worse. I didn't know how much longer I could fight off this ecstasy. I felt myself grow wetter with every thrust, and I could feel him throbbing inside me. Our eyes locked on to another once more and he pulled the tie from my mouth, before kissing me passionately. His breathing grew ragged and I felt the familiar tightening in my stomach that only meant one thing. We finished together at the same time, him thrusting into me with every pulse. In that moment, we were one. I placed my arms around his head and pulled him in close to me. We stayed there like that for what could have been an eternity. Him still inside me; and me not wanting him to be free. He kissed me once more, before lowering me to my feet and tucking himself back into his trousers. While I shimmied my dress back into place. He glanced around the office and noticed my tattered underwear lying on the ground.
'I'm uh, sorry about that.' He said, sounding more than a little embarrassed. I bit my lip to hide my smile and slowly wandered over to him.
'It's ok. It just means that you owe me a new pair.' I whispered with a giggle. Arlo smirked and wandered over to his desk before dropping into his chair. I hesitated for a moment, before he turned to look at me once more.
'Please, take a seat. There really was a reason I wanted you to come in here.' He said, running his eyes over my body. Arlo cleared his throat and look back up to my eyes. 'I am sorry about that by the way. I know that we shouldn't… but you know. When you arrive at the food hall looking like that, I am afraid that I was a little overcome with…' He stopped and turned his stare away from me; his cheeks flushing. I slowly made my way over to the chair opposite his and lowered myself into it. My bones had already started aching from the roughness of us. But it only made me smile. He leant forward and pulled a small bag from beneath his desk.
'T-This is for you.' He whispered, placing it on the tabletop and smiling at me. The bag was white, with a red ribbon tying the two thin handles together. I loosened the red material and put my hand into it, I could feel a small box inside it. I pulled it out and opened the black velvet box gasping at what I saw. He had bought me a Charm bracelet, something that I had always wanted, four charms had already been clipped into place, one was a wolf's face, one was my birth stone; an opal, one was a moon charm, with a moon stone encrusted into it and the other was a Love heart charm, it was beautiful and such a thoughtful gift. I bit my lips and swallowed back the lump that had built in my throat, trying my hardest to contain my tears. His smile fell as a look worried concern crossed his face.
'If you don't like it, I can take it back.' He said quickly, swallowing nervously. I shook my head and laughed softly.
'No! I…I love it; Arlo…Thank you.' My voice started out normal but ended in a whisper, I looked up at him, I loved him so much that it hurt. A weak smile spread across his face.
'You are more than welcome; Amelia.' He said before standing up. I too stood up, so we were facing each other, he looked down at me and put his strong arms around my waist. I just wanted to tell him how much I loved him and that I couldn't bare him being with anyone else but me. I wanted to tell him I could never love another man the way I did him. But he would forever, be the one who got away. Arlo allowed his face fall to mine, our foreheads touching, I placed my arms tightly around him, this was where I should have belonged. But Selene clearly had other plans. We closed our eyes, and just like magnets drawn to each other, our lips met again, this time although it was a passionate kiss, it was one full of love instead of Lust.
Our embrace was interrupted by a knock on the office door, we slowly pulled away from each other and I put one finger up to Arlo.
'Wait.' I whispered scurrying over to my black laced underwear which were still on the floor. Arlo started chuckling and held his hand out, I passed my now scrunched up underwear to him and he threw them in his little bin which was neatly tucked under his desk. 'You really do owe me a new pair.' I giggled blushing.
Arlo cleared his throat and called for whoever was at the door to come in. Matt and Piper both sheepishly entered the office, checking to see if they had interrupted anything. 'Hey, guys.' Arlo smiled sitting back down in his seat. Piper turned to me and grinned.
'Amelia, you left this with me; it's the gift you got Arlo.' I looked at her puzzled and then realised what my legend of a friend had done. I didn't end up buying Arlo anything, because I didn't think he would want anything from me, so Piper had picked something up for him instead. 'Thank you.' I mouthed reaching forward and taking the bag from my friend; which strangely enough matched the bag that he had given me only moments before. I turned back to face Arlo and dropped my stare down to the bag as my heart pounded in my chest. Why was I so nervous? A confused look crossed over his face as his cheeks turned a slight pink.
'Y-You didn't have to get me anything Lia!' He said, trying his hardest to hide the appreciation from his voice. I placed the bag on his desk and stepped backwards crossing my arms over my chest nervously. He gently tugged the red ribbon and I watched as the bag fell open and he pulled a square white box from within. The box popped open and his eyes widened slightly, before flicking from the gift in his hands back to me. He pulled a thin leather bracelet from inside it and held it up to the light. It was a bracelet from the same place that he had bought mine from; and hanging from it was one charm. A wolf with mismatched gemstone eyes. One opal and the other an emerald. I gasped as realisation set in. It was our birthstones. He rose from the desk and offered it out to me with one hand while holding out the other.
'Would you?' He asked softly. I nodded and eagerly loosened the catch before fastening it around his wrist. He glanced down at the black leather and stared at it with an emotion crossing his face that I couldn't place.
'I'm glad you like it.' I whispered, still conscious that my friends were still standing behind me. He reached forward and pulled me into his arms. This was the first time that he had ever displayed that sort of affection in front of anyone other than when we were at the pub together, and I thought that I was about to cry.
Arlo;
I cleared my throat and pulled back from Amelia, taking in the tear-filled stares of our two friends, who were stood behind her. I thought that I had done well to hide my emotions from them in that moment, but it was clear to me then that I hadn't. I smiled down at Amelia and kissed her softly on the cheek.
'Thank you so much for this. I really do love it.' I paused and looked over to Piper and Matt once more. 'Would you mind if I spoke to them alone for a moment? I was going to call them in after speaking with you this morning anyway, but as they are here, I may as well get right to it.' Amelia glanced over to them anxiously as they nodded in unison, before stepping back and walking over to the door.
'I will speak to you all a bit later?' She asked smiling softly.
'Sure thing. I'll look forward to it.' Matt answered, glancing back at her once more before she slipped through the door. The moment the door had closed I turned back to them, claiming my seat once more and gesturing for them both to sit in the chairs opposite my own. I waited as they did.
'I-Is everything ok?' Piper asked, her tone was soft, but I could feel the waves of anxiety rolling from her. Matt looked calm as ever, but that was only because he was and always would be my best friend.
'I know that you both know everything. And… and I just wanted you to hear from me that if I had my way, none of this would be happening.' I paused and glanced over to Piper and sighed. 'I know that it is uncommon for an Elite to ask this of a Mu- a non-Elite, but she trusts you more than anyone in here. Both of you. And for that, so do I.' I hesitated once more, trying my hardest to find the right words.
'Arlo. You can trust me. And yes, I know that it is unusual for Mutts to speak to Elites this way, but I can sense that there is something different about you. Ever since Amelia arrived her you have been… changing.' Piper whispered. I gasped slightly, shocked at the confidence in her words; but I also realised that I was not the only one that she had changed. Amelia was having a good impact on everyone here in the mansion, and she never even realised it. It was almost as though she was a warrior queen that was sent to save us all.
'I want you both to promise me something.'
'Anything' Matt and Piper said at the same time.
'I want you to protect her. She may seem strong to the rest of the world, but I know that deep inside her, there is a frightened girl trying her hardest to stay afloat in a never-ending sea of misery.' Matt and Piper glanced at one another, a strange look upon their faces, before turning back to look at me.
'I am flattered that you are asking this of me Arlo. But you never needed to ask me. I would fight to the death to protect her.' Piper said, rising from her seat and smiling down to me. Matt smiled proudly as he looked to his friend in awe.
'For someone so quiet you have a fire in you. I like it. And I want you to keep that fire alight. Stay vigilant and keep your guard up. If you haven't noticed, only one Elite and one Elder have been attacked, but the rest have been… Non-Elites' I replied, rising to my feet also and walking over to Piper, who nodded with a sad smile. I pulled her into my arms and held her there for a moment, her body going ridged from shock before hugging back.
'I know about you and Eddie. So, I know that you understand how I feel.' Piper gasped and pulled away from me.
'H-How did you know?' She whispered, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
'Because I have eyes.' I replied softly. 'I see the glances that you give one another when you think that no one else is looking. The way that his hand lingers on yours for a second longer than necessary when you hand him his drink.' I paused and looked down to Matt. 'And, I also had a suspicion that Matt and Lia also knew, and I am so happy to know that you have good friends like them to keep your secret.'
'We should have known that the alpha would suss this out.' Matt said, speaking for the first time in what felt like forever. 'So, why are you bringing this up now?' He added. I smiled.
'Because I want to warn you. You need to be more discreet. Just because I am ok with this, doesn't mean that Charlie would be. We all know his feelings against those that aren't Elites, and I fear what he would do to you and his brother if he were to find out.'
'Thank you, Arlo.' Piper whispered, stepping forward and kissing my cheek lightly. 'Promise me one thing. Whenever you find your soulmate, please don't ever change.' With that, she turned back towards the door and left my office. Matt rose to his feet and wrapped me into a bear hug, before turning and flocking after Piper. I stood there for a moment, staring after them smiling.
Amelia;
I left Arlo's office, still lost in a daze from what had just happened. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Were we both still too fragile for this? Who knew? But I was glad that it happened. I wandered aimlessly down the corridor, heading towards the main doors. It was Christmas after-all and I hadn't spent some quality time with Pretty Girl for far too long.
A strong hand flew out of the open doorway, latching onto my arm and dragging me into one of the empty rooms. I gasped as I was caught off guard and turned to face my attackers, and my heart sunk. Charlie and my father. I stared at them both taking in the angry glares plastered upon their faces.
'What the fuck do you think you are doing?' Charlie hissed through clenched teeth. I blinked in surprise as I tried my hardest to figure out what he was talking about.
'Do you not understand the danger that you are putting this pack in?' My father said, his voice full of sorrow and hurt. 'Just own up to the murders. We all know that it was you.'
'W-What?' I shrieked, anger swelling within me. 'Fuck you! Fuck you both! Who do you think you are to accuse someone of that-' I was cut short as the back of Charlie's hand slapped across my cheek, so hard that it knocked me to the ground.
I clutched at my face and waited for the burn to die down and looked to my father for support. But all he did was turn his face away from me.
'Tell everyone that it was you. Or we will make sure that you are caught.' He looked down at me in disgust and shook his head. 'I always said that it should have been you. You should have been the one to die that day and not our mother.' He paused for a moment, as a realisation washed over his face. 'Is that how it all started? On the way out you killed our mother. So, now you need to continue your killing spree?' He sneered. The anger within me had reached a point that it was almost too much to bear. How fucking dare, he. How dare he mention our mother in the same sentence as the murders that had happened. And how dare he blame them all on me! I pushed myself up to my feet, knocking Charlie off balance as I did, and leant over him.
'You know what. If I was the murderer, don't you think that I would have started with you?' I shrieked. He scuttled back a little and I couldn't contain myself. I kicked out with my foot and caught him straight in the groin, causing him to crumple up in pain. My father leapt forward, pinning me up against the wall by my throat. I turned my cold, angry stare to him and tensed all my muscles. In one swift movement I threw my elbow forward and caught him in the stomach causing his grip to loosen on me. I threw my head forward, headbutting him and causing a sickening crunch to fill the silence. It was then that I threw all my weight in front of me and made my escape.
I ran out into the hall and hurried past Matt and Piper, who both held shocked looks upon their faces. Had they heard? I never stopped. I just kept running. Just when I thought that my life might be getting back on track something like that had to happen. Why did I need to be constantly reminded that my life was one big fuck up? This was it; I may not have been able to kill myself by slitting my wrists, but I knew one way that even I wouldn't be able to survive.
I stopped at Pipers house and just stood in her room for a moment. I wrote a small note and tucked it beneath her pillow with tears streaming down my face. I hurried back out into the cold afternoon air and ran towards the wrought iron gates. I hurried past the stables, only glancing at them fleetingly but I kept on running; watching as Pretty Girl leapt over the gate containing her and chasing after me. She dipped her head and flipped me up onto her back and we both disappeared off into the forest.
Piper;
I paced back and forth in my room, it had been hours since any of us had seen or heard from Amelia. Not since she was cornered by those sick people that claimed to be her family. How could those that were supposed to love and protect you be the ones to throw you to the wolves? I glanced out the window and took in the darkening sky. Soon it would be night and that would mean that Amelia would have been missing for eight hours. A knocking at my bedroom door had me whirling around on the spot. It was Matt.
'Any news?' he asked, stepping into my room and closing the distance between us in three large strides. I opened my mouth to answer but no words came out. I shook my head and fell into his arms. That was when a second voice had me looking over to the doorway. There behind Matt was Eddie.
'Babe, I have been out there looking, but I can't find her. She doesn't even have a scent for me to track.' He said, crossing the room and pulling me into his arms. The minute that his arms were locked around me I felt as though his warmth was chasing all my darkness away. I sank into his scent, allowing it to overcome all my senses for a moment.
'What made you come back here?' I asked, pulling my head back and looking up into his eyes.
'I-I could sense that you needed me. I don't know how. It was weird, like I could hear you calling to me in my head.' He answered, a confused look upon his face. I snuggled myself into his embrace once more and sobbed silently. 'What caused this? What made her run?' He added, placing his cheek against the top of my head.
'It was-' Matt started, but I cut him off.
'It was your prick of a brother, and that spiteful man that you call father. They are vile creatures!' I snapped. Matt and Eddie both paused and stared at me in shock. It was only then that I realised that I never usually cursed. Or spoke so angrily about others. What was happening to me? I pulled myself from Eddie's grip and sat on the edge of my bed when something small and white fell from beneath my pillow landing beside my foot. I reached down and plucked the square of paper from the ground and unfolded it. I leapt to my feet once more as I realised what was happening. I knew where she was. Without a word I ran forward, barging past Matt and Eddie, not bothering to tell them where I was going. The white piece of paper fluttered from my hand landing on the ground. As I turned to go down the stairs, I noticed that Matt had scooped it up.
It was those two words that had made everything fall into place. The two words that I you never wanted to see from your best friend.
I'm Sorry!
Amelia;
I had been gone for hours. Just riding around on Pretty Girl, getting lost in my surroundings. I had been silently battling myself in my head. But I had made my decision. I took a deep breath and tied my beautiful horse to a nearby tree. 'I love you so much; Pretty Girl. You have been my Guardian Angel since the day I left the cottage. Piper was right; you came to me in a time of need but now you can help Arlo. Look after him.' I whispered before kissing her on the nose.
I stood on the edge of the cliff that Arlo had found me at once before, looking down at the twinkling lights from the buildings below. My heart pounded in my chest and my stomach churned. I thought back to all the times my father had left me when I was a child. The horrible insults from him and Charlie rang in my ears and I allowed the tears to flow. I remembered when I first saw Arlo; his beautiful eyes drawing me in. Images of when I first met Piper, Matt and Ethan flooded through my mind, but it was no longer enough for me to stop what I was about to do.
I closed my eyes, feeling the wind whip around me. It was soothing, but at the same time reminding me of all my pain. In the back of my mind that stupid lullaby played, taunting me, teasing me, urging me on. Without another seconds thought I leant forward, feeling the ground disappear beneath my feet. This was it. This was finally the end.