SPELLBOUND ➵ L. Dunbar ²

chapter twenty

Hayden chuckles at her best friend's clear distress. "How about just answering whatever question he sent you?"

Ivy playfully rolled her eyes, "How about you? Have you spoken to your boyfriend?"

Hayden smiled, "Yes, I have. It's not very complicated."

Ivy frowns, "I know. It's just how do I tell him that I'm now on the enemy's side. An enemy that I no longer see as an enemy."

"You don't see Theo as an enemy anymore?"

Ivy shook her head, "How could he be the enemy after he saved us? But I doubt Liam would see past that. And besides, you know what I'm most afraid of."

"Yourself," Hayden stated, knowing that ever since the pair have come back to life, Ivy hadn't really been feeling like her normal self. Truth be told, none of the Chimeras did. But for Ivy, that feeling was stronger.

"Yeah."

The girls grew quiet, none knowing what to say to one another. Hayden decided to listen in on her sister, making sure she was safe. While Ivy scrolled through the millions of messages that Liam had sent her.

"Ivy, did you hear that?"

Ivy locked her phone and looked up, "Hear what?"

"Listen," Hayden told her, and listen is what she did. A voice was calling out for help. Hayden and Ivy gave one another a concerned look before they both slowly exited the car.

Ivy closed the car door and jumped when she saw her boyfriend's reflection through the window. "LIAM!" Ivy called out as she almost accidentally hit her boyfriend.

"Sorry!"

"What are you doing here?" Ivy asked as Hayden continued on listening in on her sister's movements.

"I sent you like a hundred texts."

"I saw," Ivy bluntly states.

Liam stutters, "You saw? That's it?" Ivy sighed as she looked down into the ground in disappointment. "How could you not tell me that you're alive?"

"Eventually I would have."

"Eventually?" Liam asked, hurt.

Ivy nodded, "Liam, you weren't even there when I died. You practically left me for dead."

"You were dead."

Ivy rolls her eyes, "Liam, please just go."

Liam and Ivy turned to the building in front of them as they heard gunshots from inside.

They heard a snarling sound as they saw a creature with bright white eyes approaching from the inside of the building. The creature throws the gate in the direction of Hayden, Ivy, and Liam.

Liam tells the girls next to him to run. He grabs Ivy's hand and the three of them run away.

"HAYDEN, IVY RUN!" They hear Valerie screaming for the girls, causing them to run even faster.

"Why is there something always chasing us?" Ivy yelled in frustration.

✯☾✯

Hayden and Ivy stop in their tracks once they realize that they hit a ravine. Ivy held out her arm to stop her boyfriend from falling over, seeing he had managed to fall behind a bit.

"Jump," Ivy and Hayden tell Liam.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Liam, just trust me," Ivy said before grabbing Liam's hand and pulling him back. Then they ran to jump over the ravine.