A/N
Dedicated to henryjackson2000
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***
She felt as if she was in a dream.
A nightmare, maybe.
Words were swirling around in her brain and she was able to grasp only four words.
Lysander had an accident.
And she knew that this was what Gabriel meant when he said that she was going to lose the ones she love.
It was his doing.
She faintly heard Isla repeatedly saying that he was going to be okay.
Was going to be okay.
Not okay.
And that realization terrified her.
She barely remembered Isla telling her that they were in the hospital and not to panic but somehow, her cell phone had slipped out of her grasp and it lay by her feet as she stamped on the accelerator.
She didn't remember how she managed to reach the local hospital without crashing in to another vehicle. It was as if she was in a dream, her body not being controlled by her.
And she remembered. She remembered people shouting as she almost crashed in to a black jeep. She remembered its colour.
Black.
Zena felt as if she was drowning. Drowning in a bottomless depth. The last straw she could hang on to, slipping through her fingers as she sank in a bottomless depth of freezing water and darkness. She felt as if invisible fingers were strangling her, her breathing choked, throat dry and sore with tears.
She stamped on the break pedal and the car jerked in to a halt. And she knew as if by a second sense that she had reached her destination.
Zena glanced at her fingers on the steering wheel. They were trembling. And it was a strange sight for her. She gripped the steering wheel so hard and pressed her face against it, breathing hard, knuckles turning white.
She was drowning.
Drowning in an endless darkness.
No one was there to help her.
When she finally pulled away, she could see the smear of blood on the steering wheel. Her fingers involuntarily reached up to touch her forehead that was slightly bleeding.
Blood.
Crimson against the black of the steering wheel.
Zena gasped, her hand moving to clutch her heart, lips parted as she struggled to breath.
An image flashed in front of her. An image of her sister lying motionless on the floor, her bloody lips parted.
Blood.
With a startled gasp, Zena pushed the door of her car open and stumbled out.
Her surrounding was in whirls to her. She didn't know what happened. It was as if she was walking in a dream. One second she was in the car park and in the next moment, she was storming in to the hospital.
Room 236.
That's what Isla said.
She remembered.
Zena dashed down the halls.
White walls.
She hated white walls.
Room 233.
Room 234.
She still wasn't crying, tears seemed to have frozen inside her.
"You don't cry just because you feel sad. You cry when you feel weak and lost. You cry when you feel as if you are drowning in an endless darkness and finally find someone to hang on to. You cry when you have a small hope and you aren't sure whether to live for it or not." They were the final words in Aubrey's diary.
Room 235.
Zena took a turn and then, halted for a second.
Room 236.
Isla was the first to notice Zena.
She was sitting on a chair in front of the hospital room, Ethan's head cradled in her lap as she soothingly ran her fingers through her hair. Ethan was staring at the closed door, eyes blurry with tears. Isla was worried. Not only about Lysander but also about Zena.
Max was pacing left and right, hands stuffed in his pockets. He stopped now and then to run a hand through his hair and mutter a curse under his breath. Emma stood a little ahead of him, leaning against Isla's chair, her worried gaze fixed on Max.
Henry and Mia stood together, softly murmuring to each other, their heads bent together. Every now and then, one of them would raise their head to cast a troubled look over the others.
Jake seemed to be the one who was struck the hardest. He stood in a corner, shoulders hunched together, head lowered, teeth sunk in to his lower lip. Isla could have sworn that she saw his shoulders shaking.
Blaze stood several feet away from Jake, his usual blank face etched in worry.
"Zena!" Isla gasped, her wide eyes fixed on the familiar girl who stood there, her gaze fixed on the hospital room door.
Ethan was quick to stand up, followed by Isla, all the others turning to look at Zena.
Zena stumbled forward, her brown eyes wide and filled with fear like a small child's.
With a start, Isla realized that was exactly how she looked like on her sister's funeral. Eyes wide with fear, looking lost like a small child, lips trembling.
And that image broke Isla's heart.
She was quick on her feet and she made a move to stop her best friend but Zena blindly slapped off her hands and barrelled toward the door.
"Zena, don't go in." Ethan warned but his words fell on deaf ears. Henry, pushed forward by his girlfriend, made an attempt to pull Zena back but she shoved him away, pushing past Emma and Mia, a single word repeating in her mind.
Lysander.
Her bracelet on her wrist felt as if it was burning on her cold skin.
Her eyes were blurry as she almost fell against the door but a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her, pulling her against a comfortable warmth.
That was when she realized that she had run straight in to Blaze who had moved forward to block the door, his arms tight around her as he pulled her against him, face twisted in worry and pain.
Looking up in to his blue eyes, Zena felt safe. She felt hope.
"It's okay." Blaze cooed, rubbing her back in a soothing manner, his voice surprisingly soft. "It's okay, Snow."
And that is when she finally allowed herself to cry, the long imprisoned tears breaking through all barriers, her shaking legs gave up, knees buckling under her weight. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, burying her face in the soft material of his shirt, her tears soaking it.
She had been drowning, darkness engulfing her. But in her non blood related brother's embrace, she saw a tiny spark of hope and strength.
She had been drowning. But he had lent a hand to her.
Zena's shoulders shook as she cried, painful whimpers escaping her lips, breaking not only Blaze's heart but also the others'.
Isla shoved her fist in to her mouth, tears flowing down her cheeks and Ethan gently pulled her against him, allowing her to cry in to his chest.
Henry looked away, a single tear trickling down his cheek and Mia wrapped her arms around him, comfortingly.
It was hard.
Hard to see the Queen cry.
The girl who had gone through a lot of pain, the girl they watched as she turned in to a hard rock.
She was once again broken.
***
"How is he?" Edward whispered to Henry, shooting a worried look at his friends.
He and Lily had arrived right then, receiving the message a little late.
"The witnesses said that there were a lot of blood." Henry said, his gaze fixed on Zena, who was still wrapped in Blaze's embrace, silently crying, Blaze gently stroking her head. "That is why the doctors are worried. It seems that Lysander's head had been hit. The treatments had been done but they are not allowing us to see him since he still hasn't received consciousness."
Edward nodded in understanding. "Poor Zena."
Henry sighed. "Lysander might not be in a critical situation." He said. "But the fact that he had an accident and she can't see him had shaken Zena."
***
It was almost four hours later that Lysander gained consciousness and all the eleven of his gang were waiting outside even then.
"The patient was lucky that he was immediately brought to the hospital." The doctor had said, his kind grey eyes smiling with the worried teens. "He had a somewhat large blood loss but it is clear that there were no severe damages. What we were afraid about was a brain damage or memory loss. But there has been no sign of either of them. But, he has been deeply wounded in..."
"Is he okay?" Jake had interrupted, clearly seeing how pale Zena had gone, her pale white colour a huge contrast to Blaze's tan arm wrapped around her as if to keep her rigid.
The doctor had chuckled with a small nod. "Yes. He is okay. He just received consciousness and I would recommend you not to exhaust..." His words were cut short as Jake and Max pushed past him and dashed in to the room, almost sending a terrified nurse flying.
Ethan went right after them, shooting an apologetic look at the old doctor, pulling Isla along with him. Henry and Mia were next, followed by Edward and Lily.
Blaze glanced at Zena who was leaning against his side, her trembling fingers white as she held on to his arm, brown eyes filled with relieved tears. Seeing that she wasn't making any attempt to go in, Blaze gently pulled her along with him as he walked inside, his hand never leaving hers.
"Lysander, dude! You look ridiculous in that dress!" Jake exclaimed with a chuckle as his gaze first fell on the said boy.
The said boy rolled his eyes. "Don't I know that." He muttered under his breath, his voice raspy. "Isn't it rude to mock at me when I'm lying like this?" He gestured at himself as he lay on the hospital bed, dressed in a pale blue hospital gown that indeed looked ridiculous on him. His head was bandaged, a cut visible on his jaw. An amused smile played on his lips but there were signs of exhaustion on his face, eyes dimmed.
"I'm surprised that you agreed to stay in that." Ethan commented. "Baby blue is definitely not your colour."
Lysander scoffed. "Excuse me? Any colour is mine. I look ridiculously handsome in whatever I wear." He said. "It's just.... This stupid dress doesn't bring out my manly pride. I feel like an old hag."
Max snorted and Ethan cracked a smile. It was good to have the old arrogant Lysander back.
"Glad to have you back, man." Henry smiled. "Though I wouldn't mind having to keep that beautiful car of yours."
"Ouch." Lysander mocked at the same time Mia hit Henry's shoulder. "Look who's speaking." She shook her head. "I swear this guy was as worried as he was when his grand mother was in hospital."
"And I hate my grand mother." Henry piped in, making all the others laugh.
"That says something, doesn't it?" Edward grinned.
"So, how are you feeling?" Isla asked, kindly as she stepped forward.
Lysander grinned. "Other than this stupid wire thing.." He waved his free hand at the IV connected to his other arm. "I'm doing perfectly fine." He turned to Max and gave him a sly grin. "Did you see that nurse with curly hair? She's hot, isn't she?"
Lily rolled her eyes and Isla chuckled. "Boys." She murmured.
Max's eyes lit up. "Yeah. She definitely was. I mean man! Did you see.... Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Emma who smacked him on the back of his head and looked quite proud of herself.
"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Henry demanded, arching an eyebrow, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Speaking of which..." His eyes searched for the familiar brunette for a few seconds and then his eyes lit up. "Oh there you are!"
Lysander's eyes fell on Zena who was pulled in to the room by Blaze, his arm still wrapped around her. Ethan who was closely watching his best friend, could see the sudden change in him as his gaze landed on his girlfriend. The way his eyes lit up, a lovesick grin appearing on his face.
"Aw come on, Zen." Lysander whined as she refused to meet his gaze and stood several feet away from him, leaning against Blaze.
"I might look ridiculous in this thing but it doesn't mean you can just hug and be all lovey dovey with old Blazey in front of me." He pouted, forcing himself in to a half sitting position with Ethan's help, and leant his head against the headrest. "I have feelings, love. Don't I deserve some affection after surviving the first road accident in my life?"
He didn't think that words would have that much effect on her. But somehow it did.
In the next second, Zena had dashed forward and flung herself half on him, half on the bed, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck as if she never meant to let go. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and inhaled his familiar scent of his favorite shampoo and rain, pulling herself on to her knees on the bed that dipped under her weight. And Lysander bit his tongue to hold back a wince as pressure was applied on the wound on his stomach and pain shot up his body, careful not to make Zena any more worried.
He wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her closer to him, careful not to strangle her with his IV tube or wire or whatever it was. Lysander buried his face in her hair and inhaled her sweet scent, reassuring himself that she was okay. He was okay. They were okay.
He had felt so lost when he first gained consciousness, waking up, staring at the white ceiling of the hospital room, surrounded by nurses and doctors, this weird wire connected to him, a heart monitor beeping so loud that it made him want to strangle himself with his IV wire.
The first thought that had come to his mind was... Zena.
Zena...
He had been so worried, knowing very well that she'd be shattered when she hears about his accident. He knew that girl a little too well.
And now, having her safely wrapped in his arms was the only strength that he needed.
He felt as if he could take on the whole world.
With her on his side.
A pained sob escaped her trembling lips, startling Lysander. "Zen," he said, concerned. He shared a look of understanding with Blaze over her shoulder and nodded.
"Come on guys." Blaze said, turning to leave the room, his eyes lingering on his little sister. "Let's give them some space."
And the others obliged, Ethan somewhat hesitant to leave his best friend but with one shove from Isla, he was on the move.
As the door closed behind them, leaving Lysander along with his Queen, Lysander gently pulled away from her, holding her at arm's length, green eyes boring in to her brown ones.
"Hey, Zen. It's okay." He reassured, his heart tightening at the tears shining in her mesmerizing brown eyes. "I'm okay, love."
"I was so worried." Zena whispered, her hand moving to cup his face, fingers gentle against his skin and he smiled as his bracelet on her wrist shone,catching the light.
Lysander chuckled. "I'm a tough guy, ninja girl." He said, squeezing her hand. "You are not in love with a weakling, you know. I can take one or two accidents." He flexed his muscles in his free hand for a second but hastily stopped as pain shot up him.
"Ow!" He said.
With wide eyes, Zena hastily climbed down his bed. "I'm so sorry. I hurt you, didn't I? Oh my god! I'm such an idiot! I can't believe I just hurt you! Oh, Lysander I'm so sorry. I'm so.."
Her rambling was cut short as he leaned up, gathering his whole strength and gently captured her lips with his in a short chaste kiss.
"Wha.." Zena struggled for words, a soft blush settling on her cheeks.
Lysander took her hand and gently pulled her in to a sitting position beside him.
Looking in to her eyes, he saw a strange vulnerability in them. A rare emotion for the well known Queen.
And it was all for him.
He didn't know whether to be flattered or worried.
"You didn't hurt me, love." Lysander murmured, bringing her hand to his lips. "At least, not more than it does to see tears in these eyes I love so much." He lovingly brushed his lips on the inside of her wrist, tracing the barely visible veins under her soft skin.
Zena felt another tear trickle down her cheek. Why did he have to be so darn perfect?
She knew no one was perfect. But he.... He was perfect...at least for her.
She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his bandaged head, careful not to hurt him and sighed in relief when he smiled like the love sick fool he was.
He got hurt.
And it was all because of her.
That is when Lysander's gaze fixed on her head. He frowned. How did he not see it before?
There was a cut on the top left corner of her forehead, a small smear of dried blood visible.
"What.. What happened?" He asked.
Zena shrugged, her hand moving to touch the cut and wincing as it hurt. "It's nothing much." She assured. "I just...banged my head on the steering wheel."
"And how, may I ask?" Lysander raised an eyebrow.
Zena smiled sheepishly. "I may or not have panicked when I heard you had an accident and may or not have banged my head on the steering wheel. I'm really okay."
Lysander chuckled, squeezing her hand. "Only you, ninja girl." He said. "Only you. And please take care of you, love. I'd rather strangle myself with this stupid wire than seeing you hurt."
She cracked a smile and nodded.
The door opened right then and in walked a young nurse dressed in her uniform, with a tray of some 'medical thingies' in Lysander's words, the others following her.
"We tried to stop her." Mia said apologetically. "But the woman just totally ignored us and barged in."
Lysander groaned as the nurse filled a syringe. "Sleeping draught?" He guessed.
The young nurse nodded.
"Listen, pretty lady," he started with a charming smile, obviously trying to flirt with the young nurse and persuade her not to give him the medicine. "Why don't you keep that thing away so we can have a... A nice chat."
Zena couldn't help the amused smile that slipped on to her face at his failure of attempts to flirt with the nurse.
The nurse pursed her lips together.
Lysander's smile didn't waver. "I may look utterly ridiculous in this....cute little gown but trust me," he gave her a wink. "You won't reject a second with me if you see me under other conditions."
The nurse scoffed. "I'm flattered but sorry, Mister." She said. "I don't ....go that way."
Lysander's eyes widened as realization struck him, causing him to groan in utter embarrassment and sink deeper in his bed as the others burst in to laughter.
Even Zena snickered out loud, her brown eyes very much alive.
"Damn it woman, I don't want to sleep." Lysander protested. "Is that too much to ask? Isn't this a bloody Democratic country?"
The nurse rolled her eyes and approached him. "Don't rebel, cupcake." She cooed. "Sleep tight and have a nice darling dream. You need rest."
Cupcake? He wondered. Seriously?
And as the needle buried in his skin, Lysander felt his eyelids suddenly growing heavier by every second.
He arched his head so that he was staring right in to a pair of warm brown eyes that reflected him in their depths.
He cracked a lazy smile.
He wanted to take her hand. He reached up but felt his hand heavy. Unable to move.
Darkness swirled around him and it didn't scare him this time.
He accepted it.
And as he drowned in the comforting darkness, the last thing he heard was her voice. Her soft laughter, ringing in his ears like a silver bell.
"Cupcake!" She laughed. "You aren't going to hear the end of this."
He smiled.
Her words sound promising.
Zena watched as her boyfriend drifted in to a deep sleep, subconsciously reaching up his hand to grab hers. She smiled, intertwining their fingers and watched as his chest fell up and down, listening to his heavy breathing that was rhythmic to her.
It felt so relieving to see him breath. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest meant the world to her.
"Well, you all can't stay in this room." The nurse announced. "Shoo everyone. Only one can stay if you want."
Ethan and the others shared disappointed looks. It was Blaze who spoke. "Zena can stay with Lysander." He said. "We'll wait outside."
Zena watched as the others strolled out, closing the door behind them and once again, the duo was left alone.
She gently stroke Lysander's hand, humming under her breath.
There were so many things going on in her mind.
She had to stop Gabriel before he hurt anyone else. But how?
How could she do it?
Her cellphone pinged, pulling her out of her thoughts. She frowned in confusion, wishing it was not that bastard. She pulled her cell phone out and checked the message.
It was from Ava.
"I did a back story research on that
Gabriel." It said. "He is a dangerous man, Zena. He has a criminal record!! Two attempted murders, one murder and drug trafficking. Code red!!!! You have to be careful."
Zena closed her eyes and counted up to ten in her mind.
It took her a moment to process all these things.
Gabriel was back.
Her father almost died because of him.
That bastard threatened Aubrey.
And then he threatened her as well.
He somehow caused Lysander's accident.
Lysander was hurt.
Gabriel was a murderer.
A drug dealer.
That means he had power.
He could kill Lysander if he wanted.
He could hurt anyone.
Zena clenched her fists. This was too much.
She took in a ragged breath and focussed on her phone's screen as she received a new message from an unknown number.
The word unknown was like a slap to her.
She opened the message and froze.
It was a photo of Alex, her brother. And it was a very recent one.
He was dressed formally in a black overcoat and trousers, his dark blue tie half undone, brown hair messy. The photo had caught the moment as he was opening the door of his car and the background was definitely the carpark of their father's company.
And there was another photo.
A young girl was smiling widely, not at the camera though, her eyes fixed on a point to her right, long hair cascading down her back, dressed in a pink skirt and a Tom and Jerry T-shirt.
Tiny, Zena recognized immediately.
And the third picture was of another girl. She was sitting in a cafe, black hair pulled in to a messy bun, sipping from a mug of coffee, her blue eyes fixed on the laptop screen in front of her, oblivious to the camera eye staring at her.
"Ava." Zena mouthed, her heart thumping against her ribs as she scrolled further down.
There were two more photos.
One was of Mia and Henry, the duo walking arm in arm in the busy street, a lollipop in Mia's hand, her brown curls dancing around her face.
She was dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a yellow crop top that said "Belongs in the mental hospital." Henry seemed to be explaining something really serious to her, eyebrows furrowed as she listened eagerly.
And the last picture was of Lysander and Jake, Jake's arm slung over Lysander's shoulders, a full blown grin on his face and Lysander was obviously trying to escape his grip.
To Zena's utmost horror, a red tick was drawn across Lysander's face in the photo.
And there were two texts following the photos.
"The game only began, little one. Time is running. What is your decision?"
Reading the first text, Zena felt fear gnawing at her.
Gabriel.
This was a mere warning. He could hurt anyone.
If he could send cameras to where they were, sending guns wouldn't be much difficult.
With trembling fingers she clicked open the second message.
"Is one life worth of all of them?" It said.
Zena felt breath leave her lungs for a second.
Is one life worth of all of them?
She knew what he meant.
He needed a bargain.
It was her or the people she loved.
A decision on who was going to survive.
Her or the ones she loved.
"No tricks. No police. Or I swear, you will pay in blood." Her phone pinged with the third text.
Decisions.
Your decisions carve your life.
She had to make a choice.
Her gaze fell on Lysander, his chest rising and falling.
She smiled sadly.
It was always them. Them over her.
Leaning in, she placed a loving kiss on his forehead, her lips lingering on his warm skin for a long second, hesitating to leave him.
Is one life worth of all of them?
Zena took in a ragged breath, her hand moving to caress Lysander's face. "I love you." She whispered and secretly wondered whether it would be the last time she would be able to tell him that.
"Who doesn't." Lysander sleepily muttered, making her crack a smile.
"You arrogant jerk." She smiled. "I seriously wonder how I fell in love with you."
Lysander smiled in his sleep.
It was almost as if he could hear her.
Zena buried her face in his neck, inhaling his familiar scent...maybe for the last time.
"I'm sorry." She whispered in his ear. "I love you."
With that, she pulled away, reaching her pocket and pulling out a silver jewellery from it.
She placed it on Lysander's pillow. "I'm really sorry. Please forgive me if possible."
She stood up and walked up to the door. Pulling it open, she stole a glance at him.
He looked so peaceful.
"Goodbye." She whispered as she walked out, closing the door behind her.
"Guys, I'm just going out to get a little air." She told her friends who were waiting outside. "Umm.. Ethan, can you stay with Lysander till I come?"
Ethan nodded.
"Thank you." Zena smiled and turned to face the others. "I want to be alone for a moment. Please." She added, seeing the looks on Blaze's and Henry's faces.
Both boys finally nodded in agreement.
Zena's eyes passed over the ten of them, lingering on Isla and Henry. Those two had gone through hell and heaven with her. And then there was Blaze. Her long lost brother.
This might be the last time she'd ever see them. And she wasn't exaggerating.
Gabriel was no joke.
She had a plan. But she wasn't hundred percent sure about it.
"Thank you." She repeated. "I'm grateful for all of you." She gave them a quick smile and dashed out.
Walking out of their hearing range, Zena hastily dialed his most recent number.
And he picked up within the first four rings.
"I knew you'd make the right decision." He said in his disgusting voice that made her skin crawl.
"Gabriel." She said through gritted teeth. "Where should I come?"
A/N
Want any further clarifications?
Gabriel threatens Zena to kill the people she love if she didn't come to meet him right away, alone and she refuses, knowing that would be walking in to a trap.
And when Lysander has an accident, she knows that it is Gabriel's doing.
Gabriel is also a murderer and a drug dealer.
Receiving more threats, Zena finally decides that her life is little worth when compared to the lives if all the people she loves.
***
🍁Tan ta da!!!!
My favorite chapter is yet to come!!
Three more chapters everyone.
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~Ash.🍁