The Countdown

I'm Wrong. Always Wrong.

I took a step back, bumping into Sean who in turn wrapped an arm around my middle.

"Kota, good timing, meet Sang."

Sean for his part sounded smug.

"Yes meet Sang," someone I recognized, North said, as he came into the entery way too. He didn't look very pleased.

Perhaps he was pissed off that I left and came home with another soulmate.... or two, I thought with a sigh as I watched Kota watch his wrist as the mark appeared on it. I glanced down at Sean's hand, the one around me and checked his wrist.

The updated version of the heart had green and purple, leaving one section left unmarked. I looked up at North, an apology on my tongue but for what I wasn't sure. When I couldn't figure out how to apologize for something I couldn't control I simply shut my mouth.

This seemed to only upset him further. He crossed his arms and glared at me.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?"

"Oh come on North, it's not like she's got a cellphone, she couldn't exactly call us."

North turned to glare at Luke, "that's not the point, Lucian."

Luke frowned at the usage of his full name. "Then what is the point? Because if I were her I'd want to be leaving too. I'd want to get out and assert my independence, or at least get away from all of us for a little bit. Imagine being her North. There's one of her."

"That's my fucking problem!" North exploded, yelling at his brother as he threw his hands up, "There's only one of her, what in the hell would we do if something happened to her?! What she did was fucking stupid!"

I flinched back. Of course. I was dumb. I shouldn't have gone outside.

I should have known better. I felt myself waiver a little and Sean tightened his hold. I could hear him say something but the sound was drowned out by North- no my step mother. She was yelling. I'd done something wrong. I was wrong. I'm wrong.

I felt myself tilt, tipping into a dark abyss that was my old house. I was to be punished, surely. Her face started to swirl around me. And then it multiplied, again and again. Until there were too many to count and her terrible voice rang down in my ears, beating me with their sound of promised threats.

Something was around my waist, a bar of steel keeping me in her line of firing.

My chest tightened up and I could feel myself losing my breath. I felt her icy hands wrap around my throat, trying to keep me from talking. I didn't fight her. How could I?

The voices of the boys were a blur, if voices could be a blur. I wasn't sure. I was probably wrong.

A clear, sharp, perfect voice cut through the tirant of my step mother's voices that assualted me.

"What is the meaning of this?"

It wasn't a question. No, words that perfect, that pointed could only be a demand. The voice was familiar, yet it was too sharp to be who I remembered it to belong to. No, wrong again. Her voices screamed louder.

Owen. Owen was here to save me from her again.

I smelled spring soap lift me up and carry me over to something soft and inviting. More voices, louder screaming from her.

"Sang I want you to open your eyes, can you do that for me?"

I don't know. I can't.

"I want you to try okay?" a hand slipped into mine, and then another into my other one. They were different hands.

Different saviors.

Neither were Owen.

"On the count of three, okay sweetie? One.. two.... three.."

I think he kept counting, his numbers blurring a little, but then he started over, not judging me for missing the spot where I was supposed to have opened my eyes. Sean. This was Sean. He counted again and this time I managed to open my eyes.

"Welcome back sweetie. Are you cold? You need a blanket? A Sean to keep you warm?"

I couldn't help but smile a little at his silly question, and nodded. He didn't have to ask which question I'd agreed to, he just assumed. After slipping onto the couch next to me, he slipped his arms around my body and hauled me against his chest, settled comfortably in his lap.

"Good girl," he whispered, wrapping two secure arms around me. Only this time they weren't holding me in a cage, they were protecting me and keeping me safe. 

So some of you know this wasn't supposed to come out until tomorrow, I had a quiet morning so I was able to bust it out--- which means I probably wont update it tomorrow. I thought about holding it until tomorrow- but I'm not a meany head so here it is. :)