Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved.
.::Treacherous: Chapter Nineteen::.
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“Lilly! Drake!”
I bolted through the mass of trees that was creating a barrier between us. I’m pretty sure I heard Alex mutter ‘where’s the fire?’ but I wasn’t paying any attention to them, because my best friend was currently leaping out of the car (that had yet to come to a stop) with the same large grin on her face that was on mine.
We leapt at each other into a body-crushing hug. I squeezed her thin figure to me, her familiar strawberry scented hair washed through my nostrils.
“I’ve missed you.” I said with a small smile as I pulled back. She grinned even further, if possible, and looked to the side to smile at Drake.
My eyes widened further as they took in her appearance. Gone were the long luscious locks of golden hair. In its place were dark brunette locks, shortened to just below the cheek. She looked so much like Alice Cullen from Twilight. It was uncanny. I felt the internal shudder as I mentally referenced Twilight.
Lilly linked her fingers with Drake who was looking at her with a horror-stricken expression.
“Could you maybe wait until the car has stopped moving to leave the vehicle?” Drake asked sarcastically. Lilly giggled and shrugged innocently; as if she hadn’t just threatened her own life because her common sense flew out the window.
I shook my head in amusement, “c’mon guys, the others are waiting.”
They followed me, this time at a normal humane pace, through the throng of trees, fallen bark and half-dead grass, until we found our campsite.
When everyone came into view, it was as though they all silenced. What was with everyone and the mention of these two?
Carter stood first, like the trooper he was. “Drake, buddy, it’s good to see ya’.” He said with a grin. They did a man-hug, before he moved to Lilly who looked up at him with a timid look.
“You too, Lilly, it’s been a while.” He pulled her in for a quick embrace and I watched as a look of surprise etched across her angelic features. He pulled back and examined her new haircut. “The hair suits you.” He commented, and just like that, everything was back to normal.
I let out an air of breath when Alex, Liece and Tristan stepped up and smiled, hugging and shaking hands. It was a cute sight. Hunter sat idly beside Jason and my eyes flickered to them just in time to witness an exchanged weary look.
After the little episode last night, everyone had begun to skirt around me, and began to do things that were really starting to piss me off. First of all, Alex wasn’t his usually cocky, energy-induced self this morning when he woke up. He offered to make me coffee, which I don’t even like – to which he apologised profusely – then offered non-burnt pancakes and a hot chocolate. Liece’s hug that morning lasted a lot longer than usual, and her eyebrows scrunched up the way I hated. A look of sympathy. I could see it hidden behind everyone’s smiles and it honestly made me feel sick at the sight of the expression.
Leon had disappeared into his tent and had never left. Tristan told us he didn’t want to participate in anything and that really frustrated me. We were all here to have fun together. Even though I knew for sure that Leon only snapped at me because I’d hit a nerve with my question, so that was fair; but the idea that someone had told him that secret was a bit unsettling. And another thing: how did he know in the first place? Did Jason spill the beans to him? Did he dig around into my past to find my story? I honestly didn’t know, and the idea that my background was so easily founded, unnerved me quite a bit.
“Okay everybody, listen up!” Tristan put his thumb and forefinger between his lips and let rip a loud whistle, cutting all of us off midsentence. “Drake and Lilly are going to drop off their stuff. Then first on the agenda for The Best Camping Trip Ever, is hiking. So suit up, lets go!”
I internally groaned. Hiking? It wasn’t really up my alley.
I fell to the ground dramatically. Lilly rolled her eyes before leaning down to drag me back up.
“Come on, Avery, there’s not much further to go now.” She said encouragingly and I groaned, because I knew I’d have to walk more.
“How is walking a hobby? Yeah, okay, lets go hiking, hiking. This isn’t hiking. Hiking is exploring, this is testing your skills in walking through dead grass and fallen tree branches.” I rambled, stomping through the grass and slapping a large leaf away from my face. “I mean, yeah, I want to go on an adventure, but I pictures something out of Alice in Wonderland, not something like this.” I comments, slapping another large leaf, only to have it fly back at my face. I sputtered and fell backward in shock. I heard laughter rumble from behind me and turned to glare and Hunter, Tristan, Carter and Alex. I grumbled as I pushed myself back up and lightly touched the red mark I’m sure was beginning to mark my chin.
“I hate you all.” I mumbled, continuing to stalk off. Lilly and Harmony were at least trying to hold in their giggles, but Drake and Jason weren’t even paying attention, they were in a heated discussion.
It was so weird, ever since Lilly and Drake had turned up it was like Jason didn’t want to touch me. Usually he was incredibly sweet and I loved it, but all day he’d been so distant and conserved, I felt like I’d done something wrong. Maybe he was mad at me for upsetting Leon? I sighed as I pushed through the large leaf once more, this time making sure it wouldn’t fling back into my face. Lilly fell back in step next to me, frowning.
“Are you okay?” She asked, looking up with a bite of her lip.
I shrugged, “that leaf is no match for my amazing strength.” I joked, but she shook her head with a small smile.
“No, I just meant are you okay? You had your thinking face on, but you looked kind of sad. What’s up?” She looked up at me expectantly.
“I don’t know,” I sighed loudly. I peaked behind me and saw that everyone was pretty far behind us. Jason was still in a hot conversation with Drake, his face was taut with anger. I turned back around. “Well, first things first. Jason and I are together.” I said, waiting for her to squeal or something equally as girly. But when I heard nothing I looked next to me to see her smiling.
“I’m glad, you look like you deserve some happiness in your life, Avery.” She said sincerely, and I almost felt the need to cry.
“Thanks, Lil.”
She didn’t miss a beat. “So what’s the problem then?”
I tucked a stray curl behind my ear. “I don’t know, its weird, I mean, ever since you and Drake turned up its like he doesn’t want to touch me. Actually, he hasn’t even spoken a single word to me.”
Lilly frowned and bit her lip. “Drake’s done the same thing. It’s like their avoiding us.”
“Should we talk to them or something?”
Lilly shrugged and ran a tired hand along her face. “God, all I want to do is sleep.” I nodded in agreement and stopped walking. We both looked behind us…and saw no one. Our heads whipped back to look at each other with a look of horror.
“Where the heck did they go?” Lilly asked, looking around us, trying to catch a glimpse of the guys. I followed suit.
“I don’t know.”
Lilly looked to me. “Do you know where we are?”
I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut. “How is it even possible to lose them? They’re so loud.”
Lilly cupped her mouth. “Drake!” She yelled and her voice echoed around us. A bird loudly leapt from a tree and flew away, startling us.
“Jason!”
Another fear of mine: the darkness. I was never one to be outside, on the street or in a freaking forest at night, there were just too many things that could go wrong.
I turned to Lilly with wide eyes. “Lilly…”
She shook her head and brought a hand to her forehead. “It’s fine, we’ll keep walking and – oh! Do you know where the camp is? Like North or what ever?”
“Uh,” I narrowed my eyes at her. “I’m pretty sure Carter said something about it being North, but I can’t be too sure.”
Lilly’s eyes lit up as she whipped out her phone. “I have a compass app!” She exclaimed and unlocked her phone, bringing up the compass. “Okay…North is this way.” She said, walking into a general direction that I thought was the complete opposite, but continued walking behind her anyway.
At least ten minutes had passed, and I knew we were completely lost. I grumbled as I stomped through the leaves and cursing the world for making campsites so far away and forests so darn big.
“Wait.” I shouted and Lilly halted. “Your phone, do you have service? We had service at the campsite.” I said excitedly, thinking back to when I used Liece’s phone to text Jason that I was alone. Lilly’s eyes lit up as she scanned her phone.
She tapped a number into her phone and shoved it to her ear. A loud rumble erupted from above our heads and I watched with wide eyes as the first drop fell to the ground.
“No way…”
Lilly ran for cover under the trees, protecting her cell phone with all her might as she waited for an answer on the end of the call. After another five attempts of calling Drake, and eventually giving up, I realised he wasn’t going to answer. It was almost pitch black now as we sat under the barely dry cover of the tree.
I shivered, moving closer to Lilly as another round of thunder and lightning blew through the night sky.
I squeezed my eyes shut and blew out a breath. “I hate my life.” Another round of thunder had Lilly and I squealing and pulling each other closer. “Lilly, give me your phone.” I commanded. She was shaking as she passed me the wet device and I typed in Jason’s number.
It rung twice before it was answered, “Hello?” Jason answered, his voice was a bit loud and out of breath.
I let out a breath of relief. “Jason, oh my God.” I sniffed, even though I wasn’t crying.
“Avery? Avery, where are you? Jesus, it’s freaking pouring out here and–” He was cut off by another round of thunder. “Fuck! Where are you? Lilly’s with you right?”
“Yes, she’s here. Jason, I don’t know where we are.” I said tiredly.
“Okay, stay on the phone with me, Drake and Alex are with me, we’re coming to find you.”
“Okay.” I looked over to Lilly to see her lips had a blue tinge to them. It was so cold, and the fact that Lilly and I were wearing only a tank top of knee-length shorts did not help.
“Avery, are you in a very green part of the forest, or does it look dead?”
“Uh,” I looked around, trying to see into the darkness around us. Suddenly the sky lit up with lightning once more, and I caught a flash of deep green grass on the floor. “It’s looks really alive and stuff. I don’t know, we’re surrounded by really green grass. Why?”
“Okay,” he said, but he didn’t sound relieved. “You’ve walked off the campsite’s territory. It’s all wild out there, just be careful, we’re about five minutes away from where you might be.”
“W-wild? As in like snakes and bears?” I asked timidly. Another fear. I looked over at Lilly and her lips trembled from the cold.
“Maybe, I’m not sure Avery, but just keep focusing on me, don’t close your eyes. Make sure Lilly doesn’t close her eyes either, you might not–”
He cut off, and this time it wasn’t because of the thunder. I looked to the cell phone and cursed it. It was dead, since the battery had died. I passed it back to Lilly, before crossing my arms over my chest, trying to stay warm.
“Lilly,” I said her name because I wanted a distraction for both of us. She looked up through tired eyes. “This hasn’t really been a good camping trip so far, I can tell you that.” I joked and she looked confused.
“What else happened?”
I contemplated telling her. She didn’t actually know that my parents had died yet. But Lilly was my best friend, and though I didn’t want her sympathy, I didn’t want to leave her out of the loop any longer.
“First, you should know that when I was thirteen, I witnessed the… the uh murder of my parents.” She gasped but I didn’t stop talking, though I could feel the emotion swelling up my throat. “Anyway, so we were playing truth or dare yesterday in the tent since it was raining, and I decided I’d choose Leon. All I did was ask him where he came from and he yelled at me, telling me it was none of my effing business.” I said and Lilly and furrowed her brows.
“Odd.” She commented.
“Well, it was just that. After Jason yelled at him for it, he said he was sorry and told me to ask another question, I just asked for his middle name. So after that he chose me, and he just had this look in his eyes, this malicious look. He asked how my parents died, he even asked with a freaking smile, the looney.” I said, trying not to let this conversation effect me, though in actuality it hit me like a tonne of bricks.
“Leon’s always been quite reserved and kind of weird, I guess. Personally, I’ve never spoken to him. But I do know he’s had a pretty messed up past.” Lilly commented. I looked up sharply.
“What happened to him?”
She shook her head, “I’m not sure, all I know is something happened to him.”
I nodded, “right.”
More thunder erupted from the sky and I jumped, though Lilly kept still.
“Lilly?” Nothing. “Lilly?” She moved her head slightly as she pushed a piece of damp hair from her forehead.
“S-sorry.”
Pounding footsteps resounding around us, and my eyes widened. Lilly and I crushed our bodies to the trees in hopes to stay hidden. A beam of light cut across the ground in front of us and I held a finger to my lips, trying to hold my trembling body still.
Someone spoke up, “Dude, maybe they’re back at camp.”
“They have to be here somewhere, and she would’ve stayed where she was since I said we were almost there, also I think her phone died.” That definitely sounded like Jason. Though it was hard to understand him, or hear him for that matter. I looked back at Lilly who was looking at me questioningly. I nodded.
“Jase?” I asked shakily, though quite loud, to be heard over the rain. The beam of light whipped in our direction and Lilly and I held a hand in front of our eyes to block it out.
“Avery?” He asked and I momentarily forgot about the light enough to look up into Jason’s shadowed face. “You’re alright.” He breathed and rushed over to me. He placed a hand under my arm and helped me up. He took off his leather jacket and put it over my drenched shoulders. “C’mon.” He said, and I noticed Drake walking beside Lilly, a hand on the small of her back and a jumper thrown over her shoulders. Alex walked beside us silently with the torchlight.
Deciding now was a good time; I grabbed Jason’s hand and dragged him back, so we were slightly behind the group. Jason pulled his hand from mine and shoved them into his jean pockets.
“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” I asked, dropping my hand limply to my side. Jason sighed and shook his head, keeping silent. “So why aren’t you even talking to me? You haven’t spoken to me, kissed me or touched me at all today; you won’t even let me hold your hand, Jason. What’s going on?” He ran a rough hand through his hair and exhaled.
“There are still some things you don’t know yet, Avery, and I’d rather keep you out of that part of my life.
I shook my head and stopped walking, even though I was freezing cold and drenched in rainwater. “Are you telling me there’s more secrets? I thought there wasn’t anything else between us, Jason.”
He stopped as well and his eyes shot to my own. “I’m trying to keep you safe, Avery.”
I felt my face fall and I could tell he saw by the way his saddened. “So, what? You’re breaking up with me because of my safety? What if I don’t want it? I can protect myself.”
“This is bigger than you.”
I threw my hands up, “everything is! Everything in my life is bigger than me. My own problems, your problems, May’s problems, Lilly’s problems! All of them are bigger than me, but I still tackle them. I don’t want you doing anything alone Jason; I’m here for you. I want to be with you.”
He seemed conflicted for a moment before sighing and slumping his shoulders. He smiled a small smile and brought a tender hand to my cheek. “Well, I guess I did work hard for this.” He said, gesturing between us and I nodded tiredly. His eyes grew concerned. “I’m sorry, lets go.” I crossed my arms over my chest and Jason slid his warm arm around my shoulders. This was so much better.
We reached the campsite in about another ten minutes. The rain was pelting down now and Jason and I hurriedly entered our tent. I shrugged off his jacket and kicked off my shoes. Jason kept his back to me as he got changed, so I did the same sliding off my wet clothes. I pulled on a loose shirt after pulling on my bra, and quickly changed my underwear, before searching for a pair of sweats. Realising after a minute that I didn’t even think to bring my favourite grey sweats, a pair of pants were flung in front of me.
“Need some pants, I see?” Jason said so casually as I burned a bright red. I snatched them up and slid them up my legs as quickly as I could. I pulled the drawstring as tight as they could go and spun around.
Jason was stood there before me, clad in a pair of boxers and no shirt. He was biting his lip and watching me carefully and I walked toward him slowly.
“I’m sorry.”
I shook my head as I made my way to him and placed a soft hand on his bare, toned chest. “Are you ever going to tell me, Jase?”
He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. “I want to tell you everything, baby, but doing that means you’re involved, and I don’t want you involved. Please, just drop it, for me.” He said, so sincerely, I knew there was no way I was going to not drop it.
“Okay, I’m sorry too, for pushing you.”
He grinned. “I’m glad you’re pushy, or I wouldn’t be able to do this anymore.” He leant down, not giving me the chance to respond before covering my lips with his. I pulled back after a minute.
“Hey, you don’t get to insult me then kiss me.” I frowned mockingly and he grinned even further.
“I’m the man in this relationship, whatever I say goes, babe.”
This time it was a real frown. “Don’t call me ‘babe’, Thorn.”
He saluted me. “Yes ma’am.”
We both laughed and I – with great effort – pulled him down onto the mattress. He followed with an amused grin.
“Well, I must say Miss Hall, you are quite persistent.” He grinned again and I laughed. It only occurred to me then that I was still shivering. Jason looked to my lips, but unlike his other reaction (kissing me) he frowned. “Holy shit, Avery, your lips are blue.”
I brought a finger to my lips on instinct, and realised just how violently I was shaking. “Well, it is a bit cold.” I commented and Jason let out a humourless laugh as he scooted closer to me.
“It looks like you’ve been stuck in freaking Antarctica or something for the past month.”
I rolled my eyes at his comment, but moved closer to him as he pulled the now wide-open sleeping bag over us.
“This hasn’t been the best first camping experience for you, has it?” He asked rhetorically as he pulled me into his arms.
“Not really, but you being here makes up for it.” I said like the cheese ball I am. He grinned down at me and placed a feather light kiss on my temple.
“I could say the same thing.” So maybe almost getting hypothermia had actually done some good.
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Hello everybody! I feel so horrible, I was supposed to upload this last night, but I didn't have time to finish it, I'm so sorry!
So, yeah, this is some confusion to do with Leon, but that will be cleared up soon. Also the enquiries of why Avery's aunt and cousin haven't helped her out are also going to be answered in the upcoming chapters.
Anyway, so I've decided to be less lazy and to bring back the spaces to make it look more awesome... haha, okaayyyy
Thank you for reading, please vote and comment, I'll take anything I can get!
Peaccee outoototuotututut.