Sawyer has not spoken to me for puking everywhere. He thinks it might be a side affect from the medication I've been taking for my rash bite thing.
"I said I'm sorry a million times." I whine as I follow Sawyer around.
"I have reason to believe you're throwing up on purpose." He deadpans and I know he's playing around but I pout.
"I'm sorry." I breathe out one more time.
"Amelia, I said it was alright." He says and I stop in my tracks.
"Amelia? Who is Amelia?" I question.
"What?" Sawyer feigns innocence.
"You said Amelia..." I cross my arms.
He slowly looks at me,
"I did?" He questions further.
"Yes, you did." I push further.
"No." He crosses his arms, denying.
"Yes." I counter.
I sit down at his desk chair. I look at him waiting for him to explain.
"Don't you have anything to do?" He questions. He's looking through piles of paper.
"Yes, listen to who Amelia is."
"It has something to do with our future. She's no one." He says and I'm left even more confused.
"That makes a lot of sense. So much sense. I'm glad we had this talk."
He leans over the desk and his face inches from mine, he gives me a quick smile, "Good."
I groan frustrated, "Sawyer. Why do we always have to do this back and fourth thing?" I complain. His attention is on an envelope he's reading.
"Hmm?" He asks and I look at him. I really look at him.
"You look different." I blurt out. He walks over to me and softly taps me on my shoulder signaling me to get out of his chair. I sit opposite him.
He doesn't hear anything I'm saying.
"Sawyer." I snap my fingers to get his attention. He looks at me,
"Yes?" He questions, surprised I'm still in his office.
"Please." I whisper.
"Not here." He says. He gets up from his seat and walks around to me. I roll my eyes thinking he's just going to leave but he extends his hand down to me. I slowly take his hand,
"Where are we going?" I ask, but he pulls me off the seat and drags me out of his office. We run to the garden and further into the woods.
We stop and he starts moving a pile of leaves. I stand there out of breath and confused.
"What are you doing?" I keep asking questions.
"Don't just stand there. Help." He says and I fall to the ground and just start pushing the leaves to where he's making a pile. I see a secret door flat on the ground.
"Is this where he kills me?" I whisper to myself.
"I need you alive. I see you still don't trust me.." he mutters almost irritated.
I glare at his words. I don't think he knows I heard.
He finds the door handle and tries to pry it open but it seems stuck.
"Need help?" I question, a little sarcasm, a little anger. He just glares right back and breathes in one last time and pulls the door handle as hard as he can. I can hear crackling or like the door is going to break.
He lets go and shakes his hands. Doesn't seem like the door is going to open anytime soon, so I just plop myself on the ground. I lie down, and rest my hands on my stomach.
I watch as he struggles and I can't help but laugh.
"Just let me help." I deadpan but he shoots me a glare and I lie back down.
"Fine." I mutter, rolling my eyes.
A few more grunts and hard breathing from Sawyer and finally he pries it open. I hold back from saying a smart remark and follow him down a winding stair case.
"What is this place?" It's a little dark and it smells like dirt.
Sawyer moves his hand along the wall when he finally feels something he stops. He flickers a light switch on and a bunch of lamps in a row turn on. It's dimly lit, almost feels like we're in a cave.
"Cool." I whisper. I walk ahead of him wanting to know what's down here.
I finally make it to the bottom and it's like a man cave. It's one large room with old furniture, a tv, and a foosball table.
"Why?" I question. They can have all of this inside their already large house, castle thing.
Sawyer isn't behind me but I still explore a little more. It's like a secret club house down here.
"We used to hang out down here as kids." Sawyers voice startles me. He starts removing the dusty white fabric from off the couches.
I realize that this is Sawyers safe place. He brought me to his safe place. The cliffs are Joseph's safe place.
I sit down on the couch as Sawyer kind of picks up.
"Haven't been down here in ages." He takes a seat beside me. I didn't think he would sit this close to me and I'm hyper aware of his leg touching mine. He's looking around, reminiscing.
"Hey, are you okay?" I softly ask. He snaps his head to me and he gives me a warm smile.
"Sorry, just remembering all the stupid shit we would do." He does a sad chuckle and I nod.
"Are you okay?" I ask again, he hasn't answered my question. He turns to me again, and I see sadness fill his eyes.
"You don't trust me..." I playfully say, copying his words from earlier.
"There's just a lot." He says. "I know all of this looks really bad, I'm just trying to get my shit together." He says. His eyes water and I'm not sure if he's angry or sad. He seems almost determined.
I don't know what to say to that. It seems like he has everything together. He looks like he has no problems in the world, but he does. I just don't know what it is.
"Remember how you saw us married?" He asks. I nod, not sure where this is going. He runs his hands through his hair. "So much happens." He repeats, and I furrow my brow, confused.
"What stuff?" I ask, he's scaring me.
"I try keeping you safe, protected. But nothing works."
"What happens? Do I die?" I question.
He shakes his head, "I can't." He croaks.
"Sawyer, it's okay. You can tell me." I grab his hand and squeeze it and he squeezes it harder.
"It's such bullshit!" He yells and throws a glass vase at the wall. It shatters everywhere and I stand up.
He stands up and starts looking around for something. "It isn't here! It isn't here!" He says as he opens drawers and cabinets. He's breathing hard and panicking and I just stand there and watch. He finally falls to the floor, angry. He's heaving and crying, he rubs his hands through his hair repeatedly.
"Sawyer." I squeak but he doesn't hear me. He rubs his crying eyes and looks down.
"Hey, Sawyer. Hey, look at me." I bend down right in front of him. "Sawyer." My voice raises and he finally looks at me. His eyes are red, I've never seen him so distressed. He can't even look me straight in the eye.
"Have you ever done something...." he stops and breathes out. "I've done some things." He starts breathing harder, almost going to cry again. I know he's wondering if I've ever done unspeakable things.
I spring forward and just hug him. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to tell me." I say, he pulls me into him and he sniffles into my shoulder.
"No. I have to." He croaks.
"Okay." I nod and I don't let go of him, I stay holding him.
"I tried fixing it. I tried. The world is fucked." He says and I hold him tighter. Traveling through time is dangerous and he's carrying the weight of what's going to happen.
"Why?" I ask.
"I don't know. The watch is fucking with my memory. But I know it's bad. It's really bad. It keeps replaying in my head."
I assume his brothers death but he turns to me and with this look in his eye I know it's more than his brothers death.
"You're scaring me." I let him know and he eyes me, like this is the last time he's ever going to see me.
"I lose everyone I love." He says, and I push him off of me.
"How?" My mind is racing and I'm not sure how to feel about this. "We have to do something. We have to." I start to panic, we can't just sit here and cry about it. I pace around the room and Sawyer pulls me back down to him.
"We're not giving up. I just need to change what's happening now." He says and I don't brace myself for what is coming. Sawyer looks broken and for the first time I see why he looks different, he lived a life time of Sawyers in that one year, figuring a way out of everything. He may look young but inside he's old and wise.
"Opal," he places his hand underneath my chin and brings me to look at him. Seeing him in pain is torture, I just want to take it all away. "I can't fall in love with you. I don't want all the pain that comes with it." He says bitterly.
I never knew words could hurt, but the moment he blurted out those words my heart shattered. All his pain and suffering he's blaming on me. Now I feel cold, and I pull away from him. I don't know how to process what he just said but it's ringing in my ears.
Selfish? Are we both being selfish?
"Opal." He whispers my name when I don't say anything for a long time. I blank out, my name only a muffle.
I slowly turn to him. The way he's looking at me now makes sense. He's looking at me like this is the last time.
I open my mouth but all I do is stutter. I don't know whether to cry or be angry.
I smile through the pain, "Didn't think you were capable of love." I shrug, nervously laughing. I can feel my hands shaking and I want to break down but I hold myself together.
Sawyer doesn't find what I say amusing. He looks slightly concerned with the way I'm acting. I pull further away from him and stand up.
I can't fall in love with you. More like won't fall in love with me. My ears are still ringing and I feel cold. Like I don't belong.
Is he putting the blame on me? Am I why the world is fucked?
"You know that something?" He asks. I turn to him, he's closer to me than I thought. His eyes travel all around my face.
"It was you." He looks down, pressing at the bridge of his nose. His jaw tightens. "I shot a gun at you. I hit you."
I move away from him.
"I did not mean to shoot you, okay. It was an accident." He tries to explain, but I'm not sure if I trust him. I don't know if die from him shooting me, or the context and I know trying to get it out of him will just cause torture.
"Why?" I question.
He looks away, scrunching his nose in anger.
"They were..." the rim of his eyes turn red, he can't even spit out what he wants to say. "They were going to take you." He says. I don't pry further with who "they" is. He was trying to protect me.
"Okay." I nod. "It's okay. Just know that I forgive you." I softly smile at him. He seems calm now, a little weight lifted from his shoulders. He probably is holding in all the guilt.
"What's it like in the future for us?" I question. "Like do I get taller? How many kids do I have?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.
"You definitely shrink." He says, answering only one question. "Am..." he shakes his head.
He was about to say Amelia but he catches himself. He met another girl. That's why he can't be in love with me.
My laughter fades when I realize this. He's never going to tell me who she is. Why would he?
He notices my behavior change, his jaw tightens and I know he regrets almost blurting out her name.
"I hope she loved you." I tell him. He looks at me slightly confused before he realizes who I'm talking about.
"Should we head back?" He questions and I look around this place.
"Is it okay if I stay here and live here?" I question.
"No. It's haunted. Dangerous, and you'd be scared all alone." He says and I snort. It's true I would be scared.
It's almost midnight by the time we make it back to the main house.
"Where the hell have you been?" Drew is rushing toward us but a guard man stops him.
"We were out on a walk." I shrug.
"Right, a walk. In the woods, at this time of night!" He shouts.
"We're okay." I roll my eyes. He's over reacting.
"We need to talk." Drew says and I nod. His eyes narrow in on Sawyer, "this is a private matter." Drew bites.
"Sawyer stays." I cross my arms.
"Family matter!" Drew comes right at my face.
"That's why he stays." My blood is boiling.
"Fine. I don't like Sawyer. I don't like you two alone and I sure as hell know you two were not just walking in the woods." Drew is calm but I know he's boiling.
I hear Sawyer snort and that sends Drew straight to Sawyer. Drew punches Sawyer right in the face and that's when Sawyer attacks Drew. I stand back, yelling at both of them to stop.
I don't want to get in between them but I have to try to stop it. There's only one guard and he calls in for back up.
I just try to push my way through both of them.
"Stop!" I yell and try to push Sawyer away from my brother but Sawyer easily pushes me back and I'm slammed against the sliding glass door. My back hits it first before my head crashes into it and I fall to the floor. I feel like I can't move.
Sawyer is by my side in seconds.
"You fucking asshole. Look what you've done." Drew continues to bait him.
"Are you okay?" Sawyer whispers into my ear. I pull away from his hold and nod. I'm angry with both of them.
"Just stop fighting. I care for the both of you and seeing you two hating each other is hurting me more than anyone." I spit. I'm not leaving my room until the both of you figure your shit out." I push past them and run to my room.
"Like hell." Drew says the same time Sawyer calls after my name.
If it takes weeks for them to be nice to each their so be it. I will stay in here.
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Hey!!! Hope you enjoy!! I'm doing a double update so the next chapter will be posted tomorrow :p
Love y'all 🤎