𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 - kiara carrera¹

𝒍𝒙𝒊𝒊𝒊. 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒆

"Hey, guys, we gotta get to the HMS," Kiara said, going into immediate motherly panic, going over every bad scenario possible in her head. "We need small, no running lights -"

"It's at the château, Kie," John B butted in before she could sprinkle her contagious anxiety over everyone else.

"And I wonder if the cops got the entire place staked out," retorted JJ with heavy sarcasm. "Let me think. Oh, yeah. No, they definitely have that place locked down."

Tatum rolled his eyes and nudged his shoulder, still not finished being careless about the situation.

"Yeah, copy that," said Kie frustatedly.

"Let - letmethink," said Pope, speaking fast through the stress and urgency of it all. "Give me a second. Just give me a second."

Childishly, Tatum counted to one in her head and burst out with giggles when he didn't speak up for another 0.5 seconds afterwards.

"JJ."

"What?"

Pope turned around in his seat to face three immatures - Tatum still smiling down at the poster of fame, John B moody and worried, staring out into the distance, and JJ, surprisingly, trying to come up with the best, actually smart ideas, because he needed his friends to be free more than anything in the world. His friends were his family. They were all he had. "Does your dad still have that boat?" Pope asked him. "The cigarette boat, the Phantom? The one he used to race."

The name of Luke Maybank's legandary vehicle snatched everyone's attentions, even John B's, who was particularly distant today. Not like anyone could blame him.

"Maybe," JJ responded unsurely, because he could remember a time his dad and his uncle had a big falling out, so Nathan sent his kids out to trash his boat. But that might've been before the Phantom's birth. He couldn't remember.

Tatum shook her head, noticing the discomfort on his face. "Me and my brothers set fire to Lily," she reminded him, which meant the Phantom should be fine.

"You could get right up the coast, no problem," said Pope, turning around to put the car into gear.

"Okay, look -"

"It's won't be that easy, Pope," JJ told him before Kiara could go on with her usual protective, warning speech.

But, of course, she wouldn't let anyone shut her up. "The surf's running from three to four -"

"I don't know where the keys are."

And then everyone began to talk over each other. Tatum rolled her eyes, honestly wanting the police to find her because she knew they'd give her free therapy on the inside. But he dad would murder her if she participated in that - 'only pussies get shrinks, and no kid of mine is gonna be a pussy'. She threw her fists at each of her temples, over and over again, harder and harder, trying to block out her father's voice. But he only got louder.

I'll kill any one of youse that turn out to be a pussy.

Shoot each other already, give me some entertainment.

Pussy.

You're a big girl, Tate; don't you wanna wear big girl clothes?

Your brother's a pussy.

I'm stressed today, Tate.

Fags are the worst breed of pussy.

You look just like your mother, Tatum.

You're going to be so beautiful when you grow up.

"Tate! TATUM!"

The argument broke off the moment they heard the girl's fists pounding off her head. JJ and John B jumped straight into action, gently and slowly taking her hands away from her temples before she knocked herself out. Kiara climbed over her seat and leaned her head on Tatum's chest, softly whispering assuring words. Pope tore off his jacket and threw it behind, allowing the manic girl to use it as a blanket.

"Why don't you have a nap?" Kiara suggested in a hushed, comforting voice.

Since her arms were restrained by the two boys on either side of her, Tatum only had her legs free. She threw Kie back with a powerful force, sending everyone's jaws flying to the ground. This obviously wasn't Tatum. She obviously wasn't thinking. She would never purposely hurt Kiara. But when her mind eventually caught up, she would never forgive herself. That was the one sure thing they knew. Tatum Quinn - the real Tatum Quinn - would kill herself before putting Kiara Carrera into harm's way.

"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A FUCKING CHILD!" she bellowed furiously, thrashing against the boys' restraint.

Unfazed by the way her girlfriend had just hurt her, Kiara stepped forward again, doing everything she could to calm Tatum down. Was this how it was going to be? For the rest of their lives, was Tate going to continue getting like this? Was she ever going to hurt her again?

She shook her head. Thomas could deal with this; so could she. It would be a long road, but Kiara was determined to help the girl she loved. Get her medicated or some shit - she didn't care; she just wanted Tatum back.

"Look. It's that guy. And that girl. Over there." A young boy from outside pointed at the car cheerfully, having found the two town murderers himself.

"Shit."

"We got a snitch," said JJ, still not letting go of Tatum as everyone went back to their places, getting ready to flee the scene. "Pope, turn the car on."

"We get $25,000 if we find him!" the little rat went on, and the people of the streets slowly begun to recognise the teenagers in the car. The killers.

People, strangers and friends, began to bang on the windows.

"Come on, Tate, shh," whispered JJ, wrapping his arms around the girl's body, not knowing how she'd react under this amount of stress in her current frame of mind. For God's sake, she just did the one thing nobody ever thought she'd do: she booted Kiara. She was capable of anything now.

To prove the boy's thoughts, the adrenaline that filled Tatum's blood made her stronger. It freed her from the restraint.

"TATUM, NO!"

One

Two

Three

Four shots were fired.

Tatum's kill count went up to an ugly seven. Perfect. Just what they needed.

But, still, her friends were not giving up on her. Tears in his eyes, JJ pulled the girl closer to him, not caring about the danger he could be putting onto himself. Her energy began to drain away, and just like that, her mind snapped off. She was asleep.

"I'm not letting her go on like this anymore," declared Kiara, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm going to get her some help, I'm going to bring her back."

Pope shook his head, spinning the car around and speeding from the disaster. "If a killer likes to kill, they get addicted," he told them, his voice croaky. "She's not going to get better."

"She will," John B said, running his hand up and down the girl's arm. She looked peaceful now. Like someone who didn't just murder four innocent people. She looked like herself again. "And we'll do everything we can to help her."

"Anything," agreed Kiara confidently. Because it was the truth. She would do anything - she would die to get her girl back.

A/n: it broke my heart to make tatum kick kiara, i promise she'll never do it again. but things like this often happen when someone who is clearly mentally ill is under a lot of stress. i hope you don't hate her now...

for each chapter until i finish season one, im going to reveal something about season two.

so, for this chapter, i will reveal that the name for the next book (season two) will be 'No body, No crime'.