A/N
POV change in this chapter....
"VOTE COMMENT AND FOLLOW FOR NEW UPDATES ON NEW BOOK!"
Adara POV
I guard walked me in and his voice boomed through the beat up mansion making my head throb.
When their footsteps echoed against the floor and I saw them collect at the top of the stairs I let out a breath of relief and my eyes drooped. I motioned at the guard to let go of my arm and I took a seat, right there on the carpet.
The guard tried to grab me, but Michael stopped him and sat down next to me putting a hand on my head and pushing it so I could lean it on his chest.
"I've got you", he sighed wrapping his arms around me pulling me closer into his cold chest and I shut my eyes enjoying this moment and finally being able to take a deep breath. A foot massage would be nice too.
"You saved us", he whispered to me while he carried me gently running his fingers through my now grossly red hair.
"Ha," I laughed- after I almost killed them.
He offered to carry me and I was too tired to pretend to object, but ultimately let him carry me so I cut to the chase and just let him, he grunted while he carried me and I pretended I wasn't offended, he brought me into the lab that was now somewhat cleaned up from its previous state and put me on a table so that Ashton could clean my wounds and bandaged them up.
They weren't too bad, some cuts and bruises.
"She can rest up in a bed upstairs for now", Ashton said and something about how he said 'for now' made me worry. Not worry too much though, I was thinking more about the bed than I was about the 'for now'
I didn't question it. I wanted a few moments where I could pretend everything was fine and I could sleep until I physically could not sleep anymore.
"Here I'll walk you", Michael said and I held up a hand up.
"I'll be okay"
"Adara"
"Michael- I just walked for miles I think I can handle this"
"But-
"I don't feel like fighting with you right now! God damn it- leave me alone for five minutes! I'm- I'm not your girlfriend"
I put a hand to my mouth not from regretting what I had said or from regretting my harsh tone, but because I had just said it to Michael's face in front of all of his friends and because I was exhausted and didn't want to deal with personal feelings and emotions right now. I was easily irritated right now and I had forgotten how much I relied on my alone time to keep me sane until I was forced to constantly be around people. I hadn't masturbated in weeks and I would have to deal with my period soon, I shook my head and jumped off the table.
"Ashton-" I sighed and wiped my greasy forehead.
"Where's the room?"
"Guest room is the first red door upstairs", He said and I pretended the color red didn't piss me off. I was seeing a lot of red lately.
When I started to head out of the lab I tried not to notice how everyone seemed to stare and I pushed my hair off my shoulder self consciously.
I slowly ascended the stairs my hand bracing the railing the entire way.
I nearly burst into the room and didn't bother to admire it I just slammed the door behind me and fell face first into bed. I wanted to shower so badly but I was so tired- so tired. I ran my tongue on over my teeth and groaned, the voice in my head wouldn't let me sleep until I brushed my teeth so I groaned and moaned the entire way to the bathroom and brushed my teeth with the crappy toothbrush and oddly not minty toothpaste that was set out.
Then I buried my body into the covers and stretched out my sore legs.
I stared up at the brown ceiling and suddenly I wanted to cry, more than anything, more than I did while walking, so I did. I didn't know why I was crying, I never cry, the exception to when I sobbed and begged the universe to take me back to my old life, I told myself that that crying didn't count. I cried while I thought about how Michael held me, I cried because I yelled at him for caring about me. I cried because I hated how I couldn't figure my emotions out and how Michael cares for me, but I couldn't stop thinking about how Calum looked at me while we were tipsy and I was sat up on the kitchen counter. Maybe I was crying because I was so ridiculously weak and tired and now that I was finally safe, or maybe because this pillow was so soft.
-
"Hey Adara"
I opened my eyes, I didn't want to but I did, it was Calum leaning over me and I smiled.
"You gotta get up"
"Okay"
I wanted to ask why didn't Michael wake me up? Why was I being woken up in the first place?
I shut my eyes enjoying my currently peaceful setting and Calum nudged my shoulder.
"Come on- I'm up so you have to get up"
"Ugh, come on Calum, you're telling me you'd rather be up and doing things instead of getting into bed with me and sleeping," I teased lifting the comforter and motioning towards the empty spot in the bed.
"As compelling as that may sound...." He joked.
"Oh come on that sounds like there's a but coming"
"But-"
"No! Come on," I whined then yanked his arm until he tumbled sideways onto me.
"Five more minutes," I said hugging his arm against me and he gripped my bare thigh- he glanced up at me and I raised my eyebrows- the last time he looked at me like that-
Calum reached to grab my jaw and I craned my neck away from him-
"I haven't brushed my teeth-
"I haven't either" Calum chuckled leaning in and whispering like it was a secret.
"In that case" I shrugged- I grabbed his chin and kissed him, I pushed myself up and went to straddle him but-
"Calum have you seen my bag?," Michael barged into the room, the door was ajar so makes sense why he didn't knock, because if he would have knocked we all could have avoided this very awkward situation.
Calum snapped his hands off of me and I rolled away from him while tugging my shirt down- he stood up and cleared his throat.
"uh Ashton wants us down stairs," Michael looked confused- I was confused too.
"Get showered and dressed you can sleep again later", Calum said running his hand through this hair and I sighed sitting up in the bed and waving with an awkward closed mouth smile and crawled out of bed once Calum walked out the room and Michael shut the door behind him.
The clock on the wall read 1:30, which meant nothing to me because I don't know what time it was when I went to bed.
I stood up my knees cracking and I groaned.
"Yikes", I said to myself stretching my arms over my head and rolling my neck, I threw open the curtains ready to embrace the 1 pm sun shine, but instead I was met with the dim shine of the moon
Really?
I shut the curtains. I don't need that kind of darkness in my life right now. A dark cloud was already following me around and I needed some sort of sunshine, metaphoric or literal I would take either right now.
I moved as slow as I could taking a shower and let the cold water hit my back until it didn't feel cold anymore.
"Adara!", Michael yelled and I paused from drying my hair and I walked over to the door and cracked it open.
"Yes?", I said pulling my bath towel closer to my body.
"oh um- you almost done?", He asked and I nodded.
"Like 10 minutes okay", I said and he opened his mouth to talk, but I shut the door and locked it before he could give me something to worry about or mention Calum and me in bed together this morning.
I told myself I would move slow and take way longer than 10 minutes just to annoy Michael, but something inside made me move with urgency and I found myself only taking 10 minutes to be dressed and ready.
I swung my backpack on, it contained little of what I had originally packed plus some stuff I've collected on the way. Cheap motel lotion was better than no lotion.
I nearly skipped into the lab, but slowed my pace when I was going towards the boys.
"Finally! what's your definition of two minutes Adara", Ashton yelled and I looked at Michael, he looked away and scratched his head.
I rolled my eyes and stood next to Calum.
"We have to leave here asap, they found out about it", Ashton said.
"Michael why didn't you tell me it was an emergency!", I yelled.
I could have skipped the blow drying, but my hair was such a ugly color the least I could do was make it a better shape.
"Well- we don't really know that they've found us- I mean you've killed so many of them so I assume they'll be coming after us."
I mean you've killed so many of them
Their limp bodies and images of men gurgling blood while they burned returned reminding me what happened while I had blacked out.
Great, another thing to haunt me.
"That's the only good thing that came out
of this", Michael laughed and the boys laughed with him.
I knew their intent was to kill us so me killing them was the right thing to do. Right?
I wish I didn't feel guilty.
It's like my mind was split in two and when I was angry I was a whole other person, like the hulk, but the hulk is way cooler.
"My guys watched them take like ten bodies out of here", Ashton said and I looked at him, horrified.
"Ash, maybe shut up," Calum said mumbled under his breathe-
"Huh?"- boys, always so clueless and barbaric.
I killed that many.
"I killed so many", I whispered.
"It's okay- they're the bad guys", Luke said.
How could I forget? I was taking a nap and blow drying my hair like a normal person after a day at work. I had forgotten why I was so exhausted in the first place- from killing people.
"She's just in shock, give her some time", Ashton said.
"I'm not in shock! Did you see what I did to those people!", I said looking at them with wide eyes like I couldn't believe they were backing up my actions.
"Yes we did and-
"I'm a murderer"
"No Adara-
"I am, I killed people so I am a murderer.", I said making hand motions with each syllable to add emphasis and they just stared at me, no denying that.
Michael took a step forward and I took a step back.
"No", I said holding a finger up.
"I can't stay here anymore- I'm losing my mind"
"Adara where would you go?", Michael said no seriousness in his words, his tone dull and annoyed. I recognized the tone anywhere, how my mother would talk to me when I threatened to run away.
Emo phase.
"I could have killed you back there", I yelled.
"But you didn't", Michael said.
"You saved us"
"I killed so many"
"They deserved to die"
"NONE OF THEM- none of them deserved to die", I snapped- Did they deserve to die?
The guards in the room pointed their weapons at me while my body tensed with anger and I quickly calmed myself down watching them in disbelief and amusement while Ashton tried to discreetly motion for them to back down.
"What? Are they afraid I'll kill you?" I scoffed
"Adara- it's not like that", Ashton said.
"Yes it is Ashton", I said.
"They're just, on edge", Ashton said cringing at his choice of words as they left his mouth, Calum elbowed him I put a hand on his arm and took a step back.
"This lord person- you can take them out, but I can't kill anymore people just because they're under her spell", I said.
"None of those people deserved to die, they just don't understand what they're doing"
The lord had controlled and manipulated all these people, no one would voluntarily want to be on her side.
"All of this- was interesting- and I'll never forget you all, I won't, I've grown to love you guys", I said with a nod agreeing with my words while I said them.
"Adara please", Michael pleaded taking a step towards me, but I put my hand out making the guards shuffle forward.
I chose to ignore it.
"Don't follow me, don't try to find me, don't try anything", I said.
"I'll try my best to disappear, tell as many people that I died after I helped you escape, say that whatever those people injected me with killed me and you found me dead on the side of the rode or something, spread that rumor, not the rumor that I'm something special, even have a funeral if you want to", I said to them tying my hair back and chuckling. Laughing at the thought of being free from this life maybe I'd go to New York? London? Japan?
"You are special Adara, I've never seen anyone like you before you have so much more power than you think you do, I can help you control it", Ashton begged.
Something in my head told me that was the scientist in him begging his rat to not run away, not my brother wanting my presence. A friend wouldn't mention how powerful and how much potential I had while trying to convince me to stay.
"Good bye", I said swallowing hard trying my best not to cry, turning around and walking away. Ashton grabbed my arm harshly while I turned and I gasped-
"You can't just walk away from us"
"Ashton-
Calum yanked him away from me long for me to jog away.
"What are you gonna do ash? Tie her up and force her to stay?"
"Let her go, she's not stupid she can take care of herself"
I had my chance to cry and it was over I had to be strong and emotionless if I ever was going to survive on my own.
I was out the door when a hand grabbed my shoulder, I was spun around and I was about to tell whoever it was to just let me leave, but a pair of lips pressing against mine stopped me from saying anything.
It was Michael, he had managed to halt my thoughts for a second, for a seconds I wished I could be that girl that could kiss a boy and have a relationship, but I was walking out on these boys and a kiss right now has a meaning behind it that it shouldn't. I kissed back for a second then I came to my senses and pulled away just as fast.
"You don't get to kiss me"
"You don't get to kiss me to make me stay"
Michael stared at me with hands hovering next to my face and I shook my head turning away looking around at the parking lot and ran towards one of Ashton's motorcycles I stole the keys to way before I had even fully considered leaving.
My heart hurt for Michael.
But I couldn't let my life and the life of others be in danger because I have a crush on a stranger I met at school.
As I drove away I forced myself,
Not to look back.
-
-
-
Michael POV
"Michael, we have to head out soon", Ashton said walking over and placing his large hand on my shoulder.
Calum tossed me a box and I barely caught it, looking at him angrily then down at the black hair dye and I looked at him questionably with a raised eyebrow.
"Your hair sticks out like a sore thumb", He said blatantly and I let out another breath looking down at the black hair dye immediately thinking about Adara when she had dyed her hair black.
Her hair was red, it looked nice on her.
But, she's smart, maybe she's dying it right now.
"Bathroom is back there, don't take too long", Ashton laughed throwing a towel at me, what was up with people throwing shit at me.
"You know Luke's hair is blonde too", I huffed, Luke was like a sky scraper with giant blonde quiff I don't see how I was the one that had to dye my hair.
"I did", Luke's voice spoke and I turned around to see a brown haired Luke walking out the bathroom shaking his hair with a towel.
"What Michael? No jokes about how my
Mother wouldn't approve ", He laughed patting my shoulder.
"Come on I want the old Michael back"
"Too bad we can't get Adara back," Calum muttered and I looked over at him in disbelief
"Whoa- Calum," Luke said putting his hands up.
"Don't act like a fucking sad puppy Michael, man up, you weren't the only one that cared about her"
"I knew it," I said throwing the box to the side and angrily walking up to him and pointing at his chest.
"You were in her room this morning and don't think I don't see how you look at her "
"You don't own her Michael! She's not yours!"
"I brought her here! After I helped her by the way! I didn't bring her out here as a gift to you"
"She's not an object Michael"
"You're an asshole, Calum. You know what I meant."
"No-"
"Calum, she doesn't like you- I'm sorry if you've got a little crush"
"Michael!" Ashton yelled.
Calum held a hand up to Ashton.
"Oh- Michael. I'm so sorry, but you might be the one with the little crush here because she completely forgot you even existed while I had her on top of me in bed this morning while you were playing house boy for Ashton. Oh yeah! And when I had her spread open on my kitchen counter-
With that I swung at him- landing one solid punch on his jaw before he swung back and punched my cheek, Luke and Ashton stepped between us and pulled us apart and I shook my hand and cursed.
"Michael bathroom," Ashton yelled and pointed.
"I'm surrounded by fucking children!"
I rolled my eyes grabbing the box I tossed aside and headed into the bathroom staring into the mirror at my blonde hair and bruised cheek.
"Fuck!"