"Maybe there's more we all could have done, but we just have to let the guilt remind us to do better next time."
― Veronica Roth
The gnawing guilt in my stomach woke me. Clouds of disorientation and remorse floated over me as my heart beat irregularly from the loss of adrenaline. Tears blurred my vision of amber and onyx as tingles crept its way from my forehead, down my spine, to my fingertips as an unknown force held a tight grip on my neck bringing me closer to Death's Door. This sensation was unfamiliar; a nervous breakdown.
Celeste Beaumont never broke under pressure.
Until now.
I was weaker now that Daemon has laid his dark mark into my soul. I didn't know the reason of his motives and I honestly didn't want to figure it out, but knowing will give me and my friends an advantage in this morbid game of his. He threatened my friends and my family, the people I loved the most in this world. I had no choice. Our past encounters had left me shockingly calm, that now I'm suffering the aftermath.
Rough warm hands caught my chilled ones and Angelo's face was the first thing I saw as I rose from my bed. Since when did he get here?
As if reading my mind, he replied. "Ted called, I came as soon as I can."
"You've been having nightmares again." He added.
They weren't nightmares. They were real. I wished these nightmares would only stay in the dream world. Instead, an image of Daemon's raw icy gaze, my wish, and the heart piercing screams of my friends; a reminder of what I have done caused a stubborn tear to escape my eye.
"Where were you when I needed you?" I whispered my voice hoarse.
Angelo's eyes met mine. "I'm sorry." He remained silent after that.
I cursed myself for appearing weak, but after what happened with Daemon, I could no longer put up this façade of calm and strength. Pushing myself off the bed and sitting up, I whispered, "I had no choice." Then I spilled everything. The first time I met Daemon, the apples, and my wish that doomed Brittany, Ted, Daniel, Summer, and I to play Daemon's game. Angelo embraced me, stifling the sobs that wracked my chest. Everything I was saying didn't make sense, yet he whispered comforting words that everything will be alright.
Once I calmed down, Summer, Ted, and Daniel sat together at the foot of my bed while Brittany sat on the small worn couch across my bed, her legs crossed. All of them reminded me of lifeless paper dolls crumpled in exhaustion. Their screams of agony, the desperation of their voices were evident from the weary eyes that gazed at me rimmed with red bags underneath.
"He knows all of our darkest fears, Celeste," Ted murmured as he stared down on his hands.
Summer wept silently as Ted wrapped his arms around her while rubbing her back up and down. Brittany rolled her eyes and sauntered her way towards me.
"It was all your fault." Brittany said her voice slightly above a whisper.
Her doll like face was marred with the wrinkles her frown caused. Rage seethed within her brown eyes.
Unbelievable.
How could she put all of the blame on me?
Still leaning on Angelo's shoulder I mustered all the strength left inside of me to answer her.
"I warned you not to eat those apples."
"It was you who brought them here in the first place!" Brittany replied, her voice rising.
"Who asked you to eat two of them in the first place?" Summer mocked.
"Shut up!" Brittany screamed lunging at Summer.
"Now is not the time to put the blame on one person." Angelo cut in as he pulled Brittany away from Summer. She yanked her arm away from his hold before turning to me.
Opening my mouth to speak, I didn't expect what was coming.
A sharp sting of betrayal. It prickled the skin of my left cheek mocking me with its fake friendship as the force that Brittany's slap snapped my head to the right.
"You got me into this mess," she said gritting her teeth.
I gulped, the knot growing larger in my throat preventing me to speak.
"Fix it."
Before I could speak, she turned on her heel and left the apartment with a loud slam of the door. Crap, more tears are coming out. I wiped them away with my sleeve.
A small hand touched my shoulder. "But Celeste, we didn't go to the Nether Realm." Summer said.
Her words froze me to the core.
Daemon lied.
I was foolish enough to think he would be fair. He would do anything to have the game end his way. If Daemon could lie to me, how will I know if he can keep the end of his bargain with the rules of the game?
The gravity of my situation settled on me like a dark cloud. I needed to get out of here. The guilt has been eating me in this cramped apartment was choking and suffocating me. When I turned around, my friends were gone; I only saw Ted, Summer, and Daniel sitting on the couch flipping through local TV channels lifelessly.
"Celeste, wait!" Angelo called out from my room.
I was gone. I laced my running shoes quickly and headed outside the door. A scuffle behind me signaled that Angelo was right behind me.
I broke into a sprint, the cool wind laced with the pungent scent of cigarette smoke caressing my face softly just like the way Daemon caressed mine. I shook my head from thoughts about him. I should not think about him.
Running past the liquor store near the rundown apartments I lived in, the buildings passed by me in a blur. I lost myself through running that the minute I stopped, I didn't know where I was. Chicken scratched graffiti on the buildings of the street I stood on signified that I'm in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
It was weird, but I felt at ease when I should be feeling fear creeping down my skin. I slowed down to a stop when I felt eyes burning into the back of my head.
A group of intimidating men stood before me. They have intricate tattoo designs of snakes and feathers that reminded me of Daemon's. However, the similarity ended there. Unlike Daemon, all of them had a black star tattooed below their right eye.
My confidence and security left me. What do I do? I turned to look for possible exits. There was the street to my right. I could just jay walk and walk across the other side.
Wait.
No.
More of the tattooed men appeared behind me and I gulped in fear as I saw them brandish silver scythes from their coats. All of them from both sides sauntered their way towards me. Like an idiot, I stood there, stuck on the ground. I dashed for the other side of the street when the tattooed men backed away from me in fear as they lowered down their scythes.
I collapsed on the ground, in the middle of the road, too afraid to stand up.
"Celeste!" a voice called out.
I turned my head to look for the owner of the voice. I cried in happiness when I saw it was Angelo. The question that haunted me as to why the tattooed me ran away are forgotten when he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly.
"Please don't ever run away like that. I don't know what I'll do if something happens to you."
"I don't know what's going on, but we'll get through this together." He murmured into my hair.
I relished the short moment that I'm safe with my best friend, because things are going to get so much worse.
A/N: Hey everyone! I'd like to thank each and one of you who have voted and commented on Enamored as well as add it to your reading lists! :) My first book has reached 1,000 reads! I truly appreciate each and everyone of you! XD I've been sick lately but in the next upcoming chapters, I'll be updating frequently so stay tuned! :) What do you think will happen next? What did you guys think of Brittany? Please don't forget to comment and vote! See you guys next Friday! Also, shoutout to these amazing authors for supporting my story since the beginning! PlushCollector , JocelynNicole_ , Mad-Alice-x