Monster Minds [completed]

Chapter 16

"What did you just say?" A voice roared to life from the inside of the cell. Before Vans could react, a thick arm shot out from the bars and grabbed him by the collar, wrenching him forwards. His cheek hit the bars in a deafening crack, turning purple within seconds.

"Guards! Help!" I screamed, my concern genuine.

They turned swiftly on their heel upon hearing my scream, eyes widening as they saw the scene from afar. As they began sprinting down the hall, I took a step backwards, not wanting to witness the brutality they were sure to inflict upon the man. Alexi grabbed Vans' t-shirt from behind and wrenched him backwards. He struggled to find his footing and I ran towards him to keep him from falling. I steadied him from behind, pushing my hands against his back to keep him upright.

As the guards struggled to calm the man behind the bars, Vans turned towards me, blue eyes shining through the darkness of the hallway. I gave him a small smile and peered over his shoulder, curious to how our plan was playing out.

"We will deal with this, Miss. If you still want to see the Welshes, we will be right behind you." Alexi yelled through gritted teeth, attempting to restrain the man who was continuing to attempt to claw through the bars.

"Thank you, Alexi." I said, not realising that I wasn't supposed to know his name.

If he noticed, he didn't care, or was too preoccupied, because he continued to wrestle with the man behind bars. I grabbed Vans' hand and pulled him behind me, wanting to get as far away from the guards as possible. We had to speak to the Welshes quickly, before Alexi caught up and overheard the conversation.

As I pulled Vans through the hallways, tears of uncertainty began to fill my eyes. I didn't know if the Welshes would agree to let me see George, but I needed to try. Not knowing whether or not he was okay was an insufferable agony that left me feeling hollow inside. He was more of a father figure than my Dad ever was, and he taught me so much about life and love.

Always follow your heart, Emily.

The memory of his voice range through my mind, opening the fresh wound I had tried so hard to heal. He taught me to love everything under the sky, for the world is nothing without genuine appreciation. My father, on the other hand, taught me only about work and the value of ambiguity. Sometimes, I thought that he didn't believe in love and second chances and wondered how my parent's marriage had stayed afloat.

"Emily?" Vans said softly.

We had reached the office door of the Welshes. I lifted my hand up to knock, but my fist was caught inside Vans' palm before I could make contact with the wood.

"Emily, you're crying." He said softly, reaching out to wipe away the stray tears I didn't know had fallen.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, angrily swiping away the rest of the salty water.

"What's bothering you?" He took a step forwards, closing the distance between us. His skin was mere inches away from mine, making me itch for its warmth.

"Nothing, its just—" I cut myself off, not knowing what to say. My emotions were all over the place; sometimes it just got too hard to control them. "Its just, I'm so close to getting George out of this mess and I'm worried that they wont let me see him. I just need to know that he is okay and that he is not suffering, you know?"

"I understand, I do." He inched forwards and the distance between us was consumed by the touching of our skin. "When you care about someone, all you need to know is that they are okay, and then you will be okay."

He reached towards my face and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. My heart began to thud loudly in my chest, the butterflies at full bloom, flying erratically around my insides. I looked up into his eyes and smiled softly. The mark on his cheek was turning into a deep purple, swelling the skin around his cheek. I reached upwards and placed my hand upon his cheek, running a gentle finger near the site of the swelling.