Matt:
I paused and looked over to Piper, my heart thundering in my chest. Something was wrong, I could feel it in my gut! Piper's eyes widened as she suddenly had the same thoughts as me. She opened her mouth to say something, but her expression was all I needed. I took off at a run, not bothering to check if Eddie was following us. Seeing Piper take off like that was all I needed. When I noticed the paper falling from her grip, I picked it up and read the two words scrawled across the page in Lia's handwriting. I'm Sorry! We all ran as fast as our leg's would allow us too, this was when we needed to be able to shift at will. I could feel a pounding in my ears as my pulse rang through them, my heart was thundering but the adrenaline kicked in for us all.
We passed through the iron gates, out into the darkness of the forest; we were now officially out of our territory, so we had to keep our wits about us, rain heavier than anything that I had ever seen pelted against my skin as thunder rumbled overhead. Eddie grabbed hold of Piper's hand as she struggled to keep up with us. I was so scared that we had run out of time, would we be able to save her? There was no certainty that we were heading in the right direction, her scent was still masked beneath the aromas of the forest, but that didn't make sense, I know that I wasn't the best tracker, but even I knew that you would always be able to pick up on another person's scent! That question ran through my head consistently until we all saw Pretty Girl, she was tied to a tree and was standing on her back legs, a noise coming from her that was inhuman; it was almost sounded like a scream. I looked up at the cliff top and saw her; Amelia! And she was about to jump! Panic took over me, and I lost all senses of everything else around me.
I pushed on harder, putting myself to my full capacity, ignoring as my muscles protested from the exertion, my feet slipping and losing traction in the mud. The world seemed to slow around me as she leant forward and allowed herself to fall from the cliff. My pulse thundered so loud in my ears that all other noises faded. I jumped forward and managed to grab the top of her arm as she began to fall to her death. I could hear Piper's and Eddie's screams behind me and then Amelia shrieked, her screams sounding like that of a banshee. I pulled her back up to safety and we both tumbled to the ground with a crash, her sobs filled the night sky as I pulled her into my arms tightly, holding her against my chest.
'Noooo' she screamed, 'No, no, no… I just want to die, why won't you just let me die.'
Amelia;
My heart dropped as both of my feet left the soiled ground and for a second, I was free and would be for eternity, but a warm hand grabbed hold of my arm pulling me straight back up. I shrieked in frustration and tumbled onto the ground with them, sobbing like I had never cried before. I just wanted it to all be over, I didn't want this life, why could no one understand that?
'No, no, no… I just want to die, why won't you just let me die?' I cried, in between sobs. Matt, Eddie and Piper all dropped down on the ground next to me, I felt my Matt scoop me into his arms and rock me back and forth, the rhythm would have soothed anyone else but the devastation of my second failed attempt took over everything else. Eddie and Piper both started crying each placing an arm around me. For the first time in my life I heard Eddie cry, it shocked me because he was always the joker, he was always laughing and was the life and soul of any group that he was a part of, but today he too was hurting. And that was all because of me.
'Why? Why would you do something like this Lia? Why didn't you just speak to me? Please, please don't do that again. I love you' He whispered through tears. 'I can't lose you baby sis.'
'We love you so much, they are not worth this heartache.' Matt said rubbing my back, his voice gentle and full of raw emotion. I felt him kiss me on my cheek.
I don't know how long we sat there, but the four of us just huddled together in silence, the only sound that could be heard was me crying. Thunder cracked overhead, with a flash of lightning briefly illuminating the darkness. I glanced over to Pretty Girl, who had now calmed slightly, and was glaring out into the darkness protectively. I was suddenly overcome with exhaustion, and I sagged in Matt arms. Eddie scooped me up and carried me over to Pretty Girl and placed me on her back. Another flash of lightning illuminated the darkness surrounding us and I tried my hardest to fight through the haze of my own fatigue. Something caught my eye in the lining, something that didn't seem right. I strained my eyes into the darkness, and I could have sworn that I could see dozens of pairs of glowing white eyes reflected from the flash. I shook my head and collapsed onto Pretty girl, no longer able to keep my eyes open. I was exhausted and could sleep for hours at that point, I was just emotionally and physically drained. I finally gave in to my exhaustion and slipped into the darkness.
Matt;
I turned back to Eddie and Piper who both looked equally as distraught as I felt. How was it that we never noticed her slipping this far into the darkness? Some friends we were! Eddie glanced over my shoulder back to his sister, who was now sound asleep on the back of her unicorn and shook his head. I untied Pretty Girl from the tree and gently placed my hand on her neck and we all slowly started making our way back to the mansion in silence.
'Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?' Eddie asked, storming in front of us, causing us all to stop, looking from me to Piper. We glanced at one another and his eyes narrowed at us both. 'What is it that you both aren't telling me?' Piper sighed and turned to face him.
'A few days ago, Matt and I…' She paused as her voice caught in her throat, causing it to wobble.
'A few days ago, what?' He snapped. Piper sighed and turned her stare to the muddy earth beneath her feet before answering.
'A few days ago, Matt and I found her in her bathroom unconscious. And there was a lot of blood on the floor. Her blood and we think… we think that she tried to slit her wrists.'
'What?' Eddie roared, anger taking over him causing us both to flinch. 'And no one thought to tell me? Does Arlo know about this?' He continued shouting, hurrying over to his sister and looking at each of her wrists.
'She told us that it was an accident. And although we knew that it wasn't, we didn't know what to do. We didn't want to break her trust.' I answered, knowing how stupid that, that sounded now.
'And she asked us not to tell anyone. Especially Arlo.' Piper replied, her voice so quiet that it was almost inaudible over the sound of the torrential rain.
'And neither of you thought that something was a bit off with that? The fact that she didn't want anyone to know?' he continued, his tone cold and angry. Piper closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.
'We were keeping an eye on her.' I replied. Eddie whirled back around to glare at me.
'And well done to both of you. I am so glad that you managed to keep her safe!' he snarled. Anger washed over me, and I couldn't control myself any longer.
'Do you know what Eddie… why don't you speak to your brother and father? I have seen how often you defend her in front of them. And if you really want to know, the reason that we lost track of her today, was because they pulled her into a room, hidden out of the way so that no one could find them. They practically told her to confess to all the murders. They don't give a fuck if she was the one to do them or not. They just want her to own up.'
'Wait… but…'
'I'm not finished!' I shouted, cutting Eddie off midsentence. 'When your sister tried to stand up for herself, Charlie hit her!'
'What?' Eddie replied, his voice flat and emotionless.
'Yea. So, next time that you want to start blaming Piper and myself for not keeping an eye on her, maybe you should go to the source!' I stormed passed Eddie, patting Pretty Girl's neck gently, urging her forward. That was when I smelt it. A wolf!
'Get behind me!' Eddie urged, pushing Piper tightly against his back. 'You smell it?' He asked, looking to me. I nodded, refusing to take my eyes from the line of the trees. The sound of bushes rustling had me looking over to my left, just in time to see a brown wolf emerge from the foliage. How long had it been there? What did it hear? And what did it want?
'You have no business here!' I said, keeping my tone calm but assertive. 'You are seriously outnumbered!' I continued, gesturing to the others around me. The wolf watched me with green eyes that looked familiar. Where had I seen those eyes before? The wolf stepped forward slowly, not in a threatening manor, but more in a curious manor. I homed in on my senses, trying to pick up whether there were more hidden in the shadows. But we were alone. The wolfs stare switched from me to Amelia his head hanging slightly. I summoned my wolf senses once more and realised that there was no threat. The only feelings that I could pick up on from him were fear and concern. He looked to me once more before taking a hesitant step towards her. Our eyes locked for a moment, and it was as though I could feel his question burned into my brain. He wanted to see her. I nodded once and we all watched with wide eyes and he wandered over to Amelia and gently pushed his face against her limp hand. He closed his eyes and allowed her hand to rest against his head for a minute, before throwing his head back and letting out a heartbroken howl.
A putrid stench washed over the clearing. A smell unlike anything I had ever smelt before; a mixture of rotting flesh, wet dogs and vomit. It was so strong that it stung my eyes. The brown wolfs head whipped around to look at the three of us before growling. Even though we couldn't communicate, I knew what it was telling us. He was telling us to run. So, we ran!
Pretty Girl took off at speeds that were almost impossible for any horse, while Eddie, Piper and I did our best to keep up. The sound of the brown wolf's growls and snarls could be heard, growing further into the darkness as we grew closer to the mansion.
Eddie;
I wasn't sure how much we could trust the brown wolf, but the heartbreak that was put into the howl was enough to tell me that he wasn't a threat. I gripped on tightly to Pipers' hand, practically dragging her along behind me. The awful stench was closing in around us. I didn't know what it was, but all I knew for certain was that I didn't want to find whatever it was that the smell belonged to.
We could see the glow of the mansion in the distance, so we pushed on. The sound of rustling was gaining on us, and I knew that if we didn't do something soon then we were all in danger.
Amelia;
I sat up and looked around the room. I was back in Pipers house. A sudden sadness crashed down on me. I thought that it had all been a terrible nightmare. But no, I was still alive. Still here to suffer for another day. I sighed and flopped back on the bed and glanced out the window and allowed myself to drift off into a daydream, when a gentle knocking brought my attention back to the reality of everything.
'Come in.' I whispered; my voice hoarse from all the screaming I had done the night before. Eddie walked into the room, a tray in his hands loaded with all types of foods. The minute that I laid eyes on the food my stomach growled loudly, causing my brother to chuckle.
'Well, I am glad to see that your appetite hasn't changed. Here, I thought that you could do with something to eat.' He said, placing the tray on the side table before taking a seat at the end of the bed. He sighed loudly and kept his stare focused out the window.
'I-Is everything ok?' I asked, already knowing the answer. He turned to look at me and the grief in his eyes almost broke me all over again.
'Why, Lia? Why did you do it?' He asked, his face was full of sadness and confusion. I thought for a minute, how much did he already know? Had Matt and Piper told him anything?
'Have you ever felt trapped?' I asked, staring into my brother's eyes. I continued. 'Well, I have felt trapped my whole life. I have lived in the shadow of mum's death and I do not know who I am, I only know how I am perceived. To everyone I am the child who killed her mother, I am a freak of nature and the person committing these heinous murders. How can I expect anyone else to see the real me, to know the real me when I don't even know myself? To answer your question, I did it because I am a burden, not only to everyone else but myself. I don't want to live anymore; anywhere is better than here even if that means I fall into a darkness for all of an eternity.' I looked out of the window and stared at the half moon; I heard my brother sigh sadly.
'But you are not a burden to everyone; Amelia. You have Arlo, me, Piper, Matt and Marie and all the mutts. We all love you and adore you and whether you think it or not, we know you, the real you.' I nodded, considering his words for a moment. It was true, they were the only people who truly cared for me and so did my beautiful Pretty Girl. But was that enough. I closed my eyes and shook my head.
'Eddie, I-'
'I love you; Lia and I am so sorry that I haven't defended the way I should have, against dad and Charlie. I am ashamed of myself and I have let you down. But I won't ever let you down again, I swear it, on my heart. I will protect you and defend you to my death.' Eddie said, interrupting me. Tears were now falling down his cheeks, I could see that he meant everything he said, I could feel it.
'I love you too big bro.' I whispered crawling over to him and leaning my head against his shoulder. We sat in silence for a few minutes before my brother asked me something I never expected.
'What is going on between you and Arlo? He hasn't been right for a few days, he has become, more… aggressive, he is impatient, angry and just not himself.' He asked, his eyes glazing over as though he were drifting into a distant memory. I closed my eyes and nervously licked my lips.
'W-we… broke up, if you can call it that, whatever we had is over.' I admitted nodding my head, still trying to come to terms with it all myself. I smiled weakly and looked at my brother. 'I love him.' My lips started to tremble as a lump built in my throat. 'I am in love with him, but we cannot be together… ever and yet I can't let go of him.' Eddie nodded, I knew that he understood how I felt, he was in love with Piper and if anyone ever found out, uproar would fill the mansion.
'If only things were easier for the both of us.' He answered, his voice coming out no more than a whisper. Anger swelled within me. Arlo was the alpha, why wasn't he doing anything about this? He may not have been able to be with me, but why did others have to suffer? I cleared my throat and slowly rose from the bed; my bones cracked from the movement and my muscles were tense. How long had I been asleep?
'Who knows, one day you and Piper might have the chance to be happy together. No one knows what the future holds. But then, I know that the non-Elites and Elites never imprint.' I answered softly. Eddie nodded and forced a smile.
'Is that what happened between you and Arlo? He imprinted on someone?' I paused for a minute, considering his question. I never was one to talk about others, but in a way, this involved me also. I nodded, not wanting to trust my voice. Eddie rose from the bed and crossed the room to stand beside me. 'Well, at least things never got too far with you both.' He replied sweetly. I closed my eyes and fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. Eddie paused as he caught my reflection in the window, before turning me back around to face him.
'Well… we actually… um…' I blinked rapidly as my cheeks flushed. I couldn't believe that I was about to talk about this with my brother. 'He took my… vir-'
'You what?' Eddie cut in, his voice low and deadly. His eyes blazed with a fire that I had never seen before and he balled his fists as though he was about to punch something. 'I'm going to kill him! I'm actually going to fucking kill him!' He roared, so loud that it caused me to flinch. I stood there frozen to the spot for a few seconds, my brain not registering what was happening. This was all new to me. I wasn't used to someone being this protective over me. Especially not a member of my family. I lunged forward and latched on to Eddie's wrist, just as he started towards the door.
'Wait. It's not like that. I wanted to do it too.' I said, my cheeks now burning hotter than a furnace. I cleared my throat before I continued. 'And, I know that he did truly love me. It isn't his fault that he imprinted. I bet if that hadn't had happened, we would still be together today.' Eddie screwed up his face for a moment as he tried to accept my words. His muscles were still tense, and I knew that he was still resisting the urge to kill our alpha.
'I don't like it. I don't like it at all. And I am not happy!' He mumbled, a scowl on his face that reminded me of a sulking child. I pulled him in to my arms and hugged him tightly.
'Thank you. No one has ever defended me this way before. It's… strange, but also super sweet.' I said, kissing him on the cheek. Eddie turned his glare to me and stared into my eyes, and I watched as his they softened slightly. He rolled his eyes and rested my head on his shoulder.
'I told you. Things are going to be different from now on. I'm no longer going to stand by and let others hurt you.'
'Even if it's our alpha, and you know that you are rushing into sudden death?' I asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly. He clenched his teeth and nodded, all joking aside.
'Especially if it's an alpha that wants to take advantage of my little sister.' He replied. I couldn't contain it any longer and a giggle escaped my lips. 'Seriously? You're laughing at me?' He said, now smiling along with me. I cleared my throat and shook my head.
'Not at you. Just at your logic.' Eddie kissed my cheek softly and smiled before clearing his throat once again.
'Lia; I have to ask you this because of the rumours that are swirling around about you… which may I add I don't believe. But I am curious to know about this Ethan guy.' I froze and looked up at his serious face before shaking my head.
'There is nothing going on between me and Ethan. I care for him and I do really like him, but I love Arlo and before you ask; No, I haven't slept with Ethan and no I haven't slept with Matt.'
Eddie smiled down at me and pulled the hair away from my face. 'I don't care who you are with, just as long as they are treating you with the respect you deserve and not taking advantage of you. I just want you to be happy.'
Piper walked into the room and smiled over to me and Eddie. I glanced at the clock on the wall and turned my confused stare back to my best friend.
'Pipes, why aren't you at work?' I asked, worry settling in my voice. Piper rolled her eyes at me and shrugged, dropping down onto the bed beside me and resting her head on my shoulder.
'I spoke to Arlo earlier and told him that I was having a few personal problems, and he said that I could take a few weeks off to deal with it.'
'But… Pipes, what about your money? You have been working like crazy to save up to do that intense beauty course! What about your dreams to own your own salon?' I asked, my eyes wide. Please don't tell me that my own selfishness has cost my best friend her dreams? She wouldn't even let me pay for it. She was too independent that way.
'Arlo said that I should have a few weeks off with full pay.' I pulled my head to the side so that I could look down at her.
'Wow. That was really nice of him! Didn't he ask what the personal problems were?' Piper shook her head and sighed.
'Nope. I know this isn't exactly what you want to hear right now, but he is a truly amazing alpha. We are extremely lucky.'
'Pipes, I never said he wasn't a great guy. I am heartbroken, I don't hate him. Like I said to Eddie, it's not Arlo's fault that he has imprinted on someone else. It's just the way that it is supposed to be. And I am so glad that he is going to make an amazing leader for you all in the years to come.' I smiled weakly to myself. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that what I was saying was right. Arlo really was an amazing guy, and whoever it was that he was imprinting on was one seriously luckily girl.
'What do you mean by that? The way that you worded that sounded like you aren't planning on being around here much longer?' She asked, her voice quivering from worry. I shook my head and smiled. Eddie stared at me with a worried expression on his face.
'Don't panic guys. I realise now how that came across that is not the way I intended.' I paused for a moment and sighed once more. 'Hey is Matt still here? I think that the four of us need a talk.' Piper looked to me with a concerned expression and then glanced at my brother before nodding slowly and leaping from the bed. She disappeared out into the hall and down the stairs, giving me the chance to wander over to the window and look out across the horizon. I listened as hers and Matt's footsteps climbed the stairs once more, faster than I had hoped they would, and someone rushed back into the room.
'Ok, we are all here, so what was it that you wanted to talk to us about?' Piper asked, taking one of my hands in hers and squeezing it gently. I turned my stare from the darkness outside the window and locked eyes with her. I noticed that Matt was hanging around in the doorway and I waved him in. I waited for a few seconds, telling myself that I needed to be brave. I exhaled loudly and closed my eyes.
'I know this is not something that you are not going to want to hear, any of you. But I think there is only one way that I can promise you that I will not try to do anything else to cause myself harm.' I paused and took in their puzzled expressions and sighed. The room fell into an eerie silence and I turned away from them once more, pulling my hand free from Piper's.
'You are seriously starting to freak me out!' Piper said, stepping forward and forcing me to look at her. I admired how much she had grown since me arriving here. She never would have had the courage to stand up to an Elite this way before. I looked into her eyes and smiled as best I could.
'I want the three of you to promise me, that you will help me find a way to run away from this place.'
'What? No!' Eddie snapped, turning away from me and placing both hands on his head. 'Lia, what the fuck is going on? Why did you even think that we would agree to this?'
'Because it's living here that is making her feel so shitty.' Piper said in reply. Eddie turned to look at Piper and sighed heavily.
'Look… Lia… I understand what you are feeling right now. I understand what it is like to love someone that you can't have.' He paused and glanced at Piper from the corner of his eye. He thought that no one noticed it, but I did. And it broke my heart.
'I know that you are in a similar situation to me. And it completely sucks! But, watching Arlo fall in love with someone else is not going to help. It was bad enough when Arlo was by my side. But now that he is destined to be with someone else, what do you think is going to happen with me?'
'Lia, nothing is going to change.' Eddie whispered, rising from the bed and stepping forward, placing his hands on each of my shoulders.
'That's the problem though, nothing is going to change. Dad and Charlie will continue to make my life a living hell, and there is nothing that anyone can do about it. Arlo was the only one that had the power to stop them. But now that's over. Do you really think that all the other Elites are going to just sit back and accept the girl that they all blame for these sick murders?' The room fell into silence for a moment, as they allowed my words to sink in.
'I promise.' Matt said, speaking first and taking a step closer to me and holding his hand out. I took it in one of mine and glanced over to Eddie and Piper. Both of them looked torn. Piper nodded and placed her hand over mine and Matts and the three of us turned to look at my brother. He stared at us in silence for a moment, his eyes flickering back and forth as he thought everything through. He sighed and held his hand out, not touching ours but still holding my stare.
'I'm not happy about this, and I have conditions. But I agree. I will help you.' For the first time in what felt like forever I had a genuine smile.
'And what are these conditions?' I asked, pulling the three of them into a tight hug. Eddie wriggled free and stared at me.
'Firstly, you have to wait until you have your first shift!'
'Wait! That's not fair-' Eddie held his hand up, cutting me off midsentence before continuing.
'Secondly, you need to wait to find out who is the culprit behind all these killings. And that is for two reasons, one, so that I know that you are safe while you are out there. And two, if you run now, that is only going to spur the others on, making them think that you ran away out of guilt. I know that you have nothing to do with these murders. But there are plenty of others that disagree with me.' I paced back and forth for a moment, thinking over his conditions. I could see that he had a point, and that was what was so frustrating. If I left now, that would only give Charlie more ammunition to come after me. And now that there have been so many murders, they won't even hold a trial. It will be an automatic execution.
'You have a deal!' I said, turning back to face them. They all glanced at one another anxiously. I knew that none of them wanted me to leave, but at the same time they all loved me too much to want me to die. And I swore it. If I didn't get to leave here, then I would die. I would have to end it all and this time I would succeed.