"Beautiful creatures, you and me" –little mix
Chapter Theme Song: 'Monster In Me' by Little Mix
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Amelia: 2019 (four years later)
"Truth or dare, Amelia." Giselle reclined onto her palms as she smiled.
"Truth." I beamed.
"Okay...is it true that this is the worst birthday party of your life?"
Everyone chuckled and I sighed with a nod. "It's awful."
It was my first official birthday party since I had moved in with the McKays, and frankly, it'd have made it no different if I didn't have one. The house was thronged with mostly adults who took the opportunity to turn my day into a gathering of some sort. Meredith was unable to talk Mr. McKay out of this one as excelling in my studies had earned me the privilege for my fourteenth birthday. So why not just make it a knees-up and invite all my adult friends, right? That was what Meredith must have thought.
"You have us, Melia. It doesn't matter." Kanan smiled as he threw an arm around my neck, pressing his cold lips to my head.
A scoff came from across us, all wrapped in scorn and disdain. "But it would have been better if she was your real sister," Jacob remarked, and my heart plummeted once again.
Jacob Whitaker. The boy who broke my arm when I was eleven. I hadn't seen him since that day he injured me in my backyard. I wondered who had invited him, but then recalled that his dad was a life-long associate of Mr. McKay. See? Their day, not mine.
Kanan had a smirk on his face while he watched the boy on the other side of the circle. Jacob was simpering as well, looking more devilish and conniving than the last time I'd seen him. He and the triplets were slowly losing their baby fats, cheekbones slowly sharpening and arms slowly thickening. They were almost fifteen but appeared a lot older than their age.
Blatantly, I was the only one that puberty despised as I was yet be ridded of my baby-face. I razored it down to my gene as my father had seemed younger than his age. And maybe if I could see Adam right now, he would have been another attestation of that.
"You should shut the hell up; no-one wanted you here, stupid idiot." Khalil looked deadpan, and Keegan was only observing the hated boy with detached, lifeless eyes. Keegan got scarier each second, minute, hour that went by. He was even more mysterious now and quite harder to read.
"Doesn't fucking matter." Jacob shrugged arrogantly. "My father invested a lot of money into GROW-WE-KNOW-CHEMICALS. So I am entitled to be here. I am entitled to fuck with you all, and most definitely, fuck with your orphan-little 'sister' over there."
I looked down, and Keegan slid his eyes to me then back to him.
"Keep talking." Kanan smiled, his hand stroking my back.
"I will be the CEO of that damn company one day." The arrogant teen forked his long fingers through thick blonde hair. "And the first person I'll be ruining is your handicapped dad who only has one leg. Wait...what happened there? Did he sell his leg for fortune?"
"Stop it," Giselle said, but the boys were only watching him calmly, composedly, collectedly. They showed no sign of discomposure and I wondered how they managed to do that. Disrespecting their dad that way...I thought they would've lashed out by now.
Kanan chuckled and pulled me closer to his side. His pink tongue came out to sweep across his bottom lip. "Jacob...wouldn't you have to be alive to be a CEO?"
Keegan's lips twitched, and he lowered his eyes in...amusement? But still, the look in his irises seemed as though he knew something the rest of the circle did not.
Jacob looked at Kanan. "What are you trying to get at?"
"Your sister is not here tonight, Jacob." Khalil smiled and tipped his chin. "Que Dios esté contigo (may God be with you)."
Jacob's hazel eyes travelled among the triplets. And then he started laughing. Sharp, white teeth on grand display. The boys kept up their impassive, calm expressions and it was starting to befuddle me. Jacob was irritating and disrespectful and the things he was saying could've made the calmest of persons lose their sanity.
"Let's continue with the game," Giselle begged below Jacob's snickering. His voice echoed through the room like a drill, wheeling itself into the side of your head and prompting you to tick off.
Lose your cool.
Lose your shit.
It was like the dripping of a leaking tap or the knocking of someone's shoe, or something...something that got your eyes twitching and your teeth grinding.
I felt as Kanan stiffened next to me, and I turned my eyes to him. He was still smirking faintly, but the side of his face was ticking slightly. Only for a faint second though before it smoothed out again. Khalil had a ring on his index finger; it was silver with a Hebrew proverb carved around it. He got it from Mr. McKay for his fourteenth birthday, and he was now twirling it, playing with it quietly. Keegan...he was only staring at Jacob with a blank countenance. Nothing to describe there.
"Who wants to go next?" Giselle tried to soothe the tension. "Jordan, wanna go next?"
"Nah, sorry, gotta run. My mom needs me. You guys carry on." He got up from his spot on the carpet, smiling over at me. "Happy Birthday again, Amelia."
"Thank you, Jordan." I smiled as he left the room.
"Alright, let's spin again." Giselle reached for the empty Sprite bottle and rotated it. The boys were still glowering at each other when it landed on Jacob. Giselle looked disappointed as she sighed, motioning with a hand.
"Your turn, Rottweiler."
"I'd like to ask him." Kanan sat upright, removing his arm from around me. "Unless he's pussy and can't handle it."
"Pussy is your mother; Meredith." Jacob twisted his mouth in a shit-eating smirk.
Kanan laughed, ducking his head and shaking it. "Alright, mate." He looked up again, eyes bright and blue. "Jacob. I dare you...to dare all of us...to go into that forest."
He pointed behind him at the woodland in the distance. We were in the pantry and could see the dark clumps of trees through the huge open window. The curtain swayed in the wind, and I felt chills at how creepy the forest tended to appear at night.
Jacob's mouth lifted in a smirk. "You're a real fucking idiot. That is no shit for me."
Kanan clapped once and opened his arms wide. "Well, great. Show us."
Keegan scratched an eye while Khalil only smiled silently. I looked at Giselle, who was already looking at me.
"Alright. Let's go, girls." Jacob jumped to his feet, and I caught Kanan and Keegan exchanging glances. Then they looked at Khalil, and the smile was gone from Kanan's face. We all stood up and made our way downstairs, passing by the crowded living room.
"Giselle!"
Above the music, her mom, a beautiful lady with eyes as green as hers and curly dark hair called out to her. She was sitting with two other prestigious women at the spacious island. Giselle sighed as her mother had a habit of ruing the 'fun' things for her.
"Yes, mother?"
"Where are you going?"
"Uh..."
Kanan brushed past her and whispered, "Don't tell her."
"Uh...nowhere?" Giselle said it like a question. And her mother looked at her associates before motioning with her hand. "Come here."
"Ah, bollocks." She looked at me with a roll of her eyes before walking away.
I hated that she left as I would have felt better if she were around. She was a girl, and we would have been able to relate more. Of course, I didn't have to go if I didn't want to but maybe this was the only fun thing that'd happen on my birthday. Well, the boys were going to be there, and they had always been protective of me. I was fine.
I waited to see if Giselle would come back, but when she sat and sent me a hopeless gaze, I knew I was alone on this ship now. I nodded at her and ran to catch up with the boys.
Yousef was not at the door that night, and I remembered that he and Madonna had gotten the night off since it was a help-yourself party. The four silhouettes were already crossing the field when I had joined them, the cold night wind coursing through my black hair.
"This is crazy though, guys," I complained. "You don't even know what's out there."
"You could have stayed, Amelia." Khalil took my hand in his, our soft skins meeting. The moonlight shone on his eyes as he steered his face to me, his dark hair swirling around. "The dare was not for you."
"Stay and stare at my room walls? Nah, the party is creepier than the forest to be honest."
Khalil laughed, and I smiled at the sound of it. His voice had gotten so much deeper and richer. He was evolving into a ma...
No, Amelia. He's like a brother.
"You bunch of idiots should know that I am going to ruin all your fucking careers by the time I am seventeen." Jacob blabbered, and Kanan stared at the back of his head. "When you sons of a dark-headed bitch, takes over GROW-WE-KNOW, I will be taking over WEED-US-WHITAKER, and then I am going to pull down you handsome cocks one by one." Then he laughed, and I looked at Khalil whose face was dark. Not because of the night, but because Jacob wouldn't stop talking, I presumed.
We climbed through the hole in the fence that had gotten much bigger due to years of traversing. I looked back at the mansion that seemed a lot smaller now. Lights were on in different sections and I could almost hear the music and laughter from the people inside. I turned around to find Khalil outstretching his hand toward me. Jacob, Keegan, and Kanan had already gone ahead, their figures hidden by the tall, shadowed pines and dark beds of leaves.
"You alright?" Khalil's offer remained, and I placed my hand in his with a hum.
"Mm."
He stared at me for a few seconds before we began moving again. He pried away overhung limbs and led the way through the barely visible black trail, grass and weed sliding against my bare legs. The moon shone through a lattice of leaves, and I could see the patchy sky and glimpses of the stars through the tree breaks. The scent of tree saps and moss filled the air, and I took in the rich earthly smell.
Khalil's hand was warm, a juxtaposition to the coldness of the holt, and I clung to him as we moved further into the shadows. The forest was quiet, so quiet that I could hear the snapping of twigs at each step we made.
His white dress shirt was the only thing that could be seen in the dark. And the blue dress I was wearing only made my knees and arms cold. I heard Jacob's voice in the distance.
"How much longer must I keep walking, fuckers?!"
Khalil immediately stopped, the sound of breaking sticks resonating in the air. I turned my gaze to him but could hardly see his eyes as he was still facing ahead.
"Something wrong, Khalil?"
He turned his face to me, and I made out his smile. "No."
"Oh..." My eyes glided to the side, a sign that I was confused. "Then why aren't we walking?"
"Shh." He put his finger to his lips. "Do you hear that?"
I narrowed my eyes. "What?"
"I hear...birds. Baby birds." He continued. "Very close by here." He turned around and retrieved his phone from the back of his slacks. He turned his flashlight on and shone it in front of him, moving low bushes out of his way as he searched for the nestling.
I did hear them. They sounded very young too. I walked over to him. "They are probably with their mother. What are you planning to do when you find them, take them home?"
"No..." His breathing sounded labored and loud. He turned his face to me, and the light from his phone showed me his toothy smile. "Or maybe."
He continued his search and I scoffed. "Meredith will kick you out if you take them home."
He chuckled, and the sound of it was instantly followed by another sound. A stomach-ripping scream. Raw, guttural, so guttural that it made my body run cold. It was so disturbingly loud that even the birds got quiet. My eyes opened wide, and every limb and bone in my body became tautened.
"Khalil, did you hear that? Oh My God, the boys—"
As I was about to run off, he stood up and grabbed my arm. "Wait, Amelia."
"No..." I pried his fingers away, but he gripped me again. "Amelia, don't go."
"Let me go, Khalil." I shrugged his hand away and hurried through the forest. I heard him curse loudly before heavy footsteps began following me. I increased my pace in case he'd want to stop me, for whatever reason it was. The scream hadn't been normal, and I was so scared for the boys. They were like my brothers now. I had unknowingly developed an unhealthy attachment to them. I had subconsciously placed them into Adam's place. No-one could take Adam's place, but I put them there as a substitute. A place holder maybe? A way to cope.
"Amelia!" Khalil called, but it more felt like he wasn't calling for me. Weird right? It felt like he was saying my name as a warning...a code...a signal. But for what?
For this. I broke in my tracks, eyes wide, body numb, as I stared at the scene in front of me. Had it not been for the faint moonlight that bled onto the open lot, I would not have been able to make out that bloody heap on the ground. Kanan stood over what looked like a beaten body, fixing the black gloves that covered his hands. Keegan stood across stiff-backed, hands in his pockets, face unemotional. The boys were alright...but who was that on the ground?
A closer look at the mashed-out head caused bile to rise in my throat. Jacob...they killed Jacob.
What? No...
No, no, no.
But that shirt. The striped button-up now covered in blood.
Oh my God, no.
A loud scream came from me, tears frothing within my eyes. "AHHHH-WHAT DID YOU DO, KANAN?!"
His eyes met mine, and they were just as blank as his brother's.
"But he pushed me, Amelia."
A sudden hand gripped my arm and spun me around, enveloping me into theirs. I smelled Khalil's cologne, but the scent of blood outshone it as I gagged against his chest. "W-what...did you do..." I could barely get the words out as my brain struggled, fought, tore through every data it had ever collected to interpret what I had just seen.
Khalil hugged me tightly to him, and I heard Kanan's voice behind.
"Sorry, Amelia. You weren't supposed to see that."
I pushed at Khalil's chest. "Let me go! Let me go, Khalil!"
"Remove it." I heard him say. "Or cover it, Kanan."
I bit him in his chest, and he winced as I pushed him away. I turned around but couldn't stay on my feet and ended up falling on my knees. "What did you do..." Tears, almost the amount of Jacob's blood, dribbled down my face, my eyes already swollen as I dug my nails in the dirt. "Kanan...what did you do..."
Khalil bent and tried to grip my arms, but I shrugged him away. "Don't touch me! I hate you; I hate all of you!"
"Amelia, calm down."
"You killed him, oh God. YOU KILLED HIM!"
Khalil's palm clamped around my mouth, my body falling back on his while I tried to peel his fingers away, still screaming, "YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED HIM..."
"I promised him I would, Amelia." Kanan calmly said. "I promised him I would; so, I wanted to keep my promise."
My cries were muffled, my tears dripping onto Khalil's hand. I bit hard into his palm, and his face twisted in pain, but he refused to remove it. I sunk my teeth and tasted blood, and he flinched and released me. "Fuck, Amelia..."
"Oh my God...I hate you...I hate you...I hate you..." It was a chant, as I rocked my body back and forth staring at the red marrows of Jacob's head. "You killed him...you killed him..."
"Keegan will help me to throw his body in the lake," Kanan said. "Stay with Amelia, Khalil."
"Okay," Khalil answered. "But the lake?"
"It'd just be like he went for a swim and bumped his head on a rock or something." Kanan smiled. Smiled...
Keegan nodded.
I stared at them. These boys are mad...they are crazy...they are not sane.
Keegan put his black gloves on then reached for Jacob's feet. Kanan got around to his...unidentifiable head...and took his two arms. As they began pulling him, his head angled in my direction and I could see the rawness of his skull. Blood was oozing from it and pieces of his flesh were hanging out.
I gagged and bent over, everything I'd eaten the night before and that day coming back up. I cried as my stomach tightened. Khalil rubbed my back and I stiffened under his touch but couldn't say anything as I kept throwing up my entire intestine. My lips were dried from the wind, and I could taste sweat, blood, and bile in my mouth. Strings and strings of puke left my mouth to the point I thought I would die.
"It's okay, Amelia."
"Don't...touch... me." My body was shaking, and he cradled me into his arms, kissing my forehead. I shoved at his chest. "I want to go home..." My lip trembled. "I want Adam...I want my dad..."
"Shh...it's okay."
I almost choked on my own vomit and began to cough, but Khalil didn't let me go, keeping me close to him as though he feared I would have run away. Tell on them maybe.
"I want to go home, please. I won't tell. I want to go home..."
"Just sleep, Amelia. Just sleep. We won't go back until you're okay."
Blood and Jacob's minced head flashed before me. It was much more vivid than my father's cracked lips and sunken eye-sockets. And I knew this image, this gruesome memory would mentally damage me a lot more than my lost family ever did. The world became hazy, everything around me fell still. The oblivious birds were still crooning in the distance, crickets chirping naively. I felt the coming on of a fever and tried to free myself from Khalil. His arms only tightened.
"Let...me...go." I wasn't sure I was able to form words.
"Amelia please..." He whispered, cold lips pressing against my head.
I felt like I was being cradled by the Grim Reaper and the quaver of my body got worse. I just needed him to let me go. I just needed to go home. I should not have come. I should not have followed them.
I was out of it for a while. Fell asleep perhaps, or maybe went close to the gates of death. I didn't know but when my eyes flutter open again, two figures were breaking out of the bushes.
Kanan and Keegan were back, tugging off their gloves, putting on new ones, and using water they had caught in two old buckets to wash away the blood. It jolted me back to reality, and my swollen eyes started leaking again. I shoved at Khalil, and maybe he was tired because he didn't fight to hold me.
"You're a monster..." I tried to stand up, unsteadily walking over to Kanan. He threw the bucket down, tugged off his glove and caught me before I fell. I stared up at him with void, lifeless eyes...
Look what they did to me. They made me just as void...numb...emotionless as they are.
"I hate you..." Tears leaked from the corner of my eyes, and I closed them. "I...hate you."
Kanan sighed and cupped my cheek. "No, you don't, Amelia. You just need time."
My skin crawled and the shock from his words forced a raw, tired cry from the base of my throat. I thumped his chest with both hands, and my voice rang out again. "YOU'RE A MURDERER! YOU'RE EVIL!"
Keegan kept washing away the now diluted blood, and I began to attack Kanan's chest as though he wanted to bash my head in next. Jacob looked gruesome; his eyes had been pulping out. He looked unidentifiable. These boys are monsters...
"I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU GUYS ANYMORE! I HATE ALL OF YOU...I HATE YOU!"
"Amelia, calm down..."
"No...no..." I shook my head. "HOW COULD YOU BE SO CRUEL KANAN?!"
"Shh...look at me." He perched his forehead against mine, one hand holding me to him while the other vanished into his pocket. "You need rest, Amelia. Just some rest and you'll be alright, mm? Just some sleep..."
I shook my head. "N-no...don't touch me..."
"I won't. Just sleep..." He lifted his hand and sunk something pointed in a certain part of my neck. My mouth fell open in a shock, and he sighed with soft eyes.
"You'll be okay soon, Amie..."
I felt my system shutting down, my eyelids getting heavy. I couldn't keep on my feet and clung to his shirt. "Wh-what did you do to me...?" The betrayal...
"Giving you some sleep."
And that was the last thing I heard before my eyes fell shut.
~
Hey guys :) A tiny request, pleaseeee listen 'Monster In Me' by Little Mix as it is one of the main theme songs of the book. Love u!