Addy sat in the corner of her room, reading the book she so desperately thought would give her answers. She was halfway through and didn't feel any different. It was Monday afternoon, and she had started it in the morning. It was the original copy of the book. She had stolen it from Lydia after their Eichen House visit, once she and Stiles explained what the book was supposed to do.
The book was written to make memories resurface. The Doctors were so powerful they could make you forget if you had an experience with them. They would mess around with your memories, the memories you had of them. Addy needed to know if they were messing around with her brain, or worse.
All Sunday she had stared at the book, debating whether or not she should read it or not. She wanted answers and she wanted to know if the Doctors had done something to her, but she was scared she would be left with nothing and wouldn't be able to remember. Then again, she was terrified to know if they did do something to her, or more importantly what they did.
Her phone kept ringing with texts but she was too intent on reading the book to answer. The dings of every texts eventually got drowned out. The book itself was confusing and the distractions were not helping her case. Addy had to often reread pages, sometimes more than once. It was why she was only halfway done rather than being finished.
Brayden had left that morning, really early at that. Addy cried. He cried. Their mom cried. Her big brother was grown up and off to college to do something important with his life. He argued that being Addy's big brother was the only important thing he wanted to do with his life. That made her cry even more.
She didn't want him to go, she needed him to. She needed him to be safe from everything, and she needed to not have to worry about him. Brayden didn't heal like her, and because of that he was in more danger than she was.
It was the fact that Addy wasn't going to see him every day that made her sad. She loved her brother with everything she had, and she was scared that they were going to lose that relationship they shared when he left. They were best friends.
Brayden had promised to at least text her every day, and they would try to Skype every weekend. He had told her not to worry about him when she was in danger. He had made her promise that she wasn't going to get herself in trouble and that she was going to protect herself before anyone else. Least to say, she never promised him anything.
Addison sighed as she started from the top of the page she seemed to be stuck at for the past ten minutes. Her thoughts kept skipping over everything that's been happening and it was hard to stay focused. She probably could have just taken a break, but she was too stubborn to set the book down. She feared if she but the book down she wouldn't be able to pick it back up again.
It wasn't until she heard a knock at her front door that she finally got up. Her bones cracked and popped as she stood up. She almost fell with the first few steps she took. It had been hours since she moved from her spot. Addy tread down the stairs and opened the front door.
"Nice pajamas," Liam snorted. She was wearing her My Little Pony short shorts and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt. Addy glared at him but opened the door wider for him to come in.
"What's the real reason you're here?"
"I've been worried about you," Liam admitted as he followed her up the stairs. He knew her house just about as well as he knew his own. "You haven't really talked to anyone since Eichen House."
"It's only been a couple days," she shrugged, sitting cross legged on the bed. There had only been two times when she had fully ignored Liam Dunbar: when her brother kicked her out, and right then. It wasn't anything he did; she just needed time on her own.
"So that's why you have eleven texts from Scott that you haven't even bothered looking at?" Liam held up her phone. She shrugged again. He sighed and set her phone back down. He hated when she was like that, it wasn't very often she was; but everyone was a wreck when she was. "Is it because your brother left?"
"I'm not ignoring you. I'm just enjoying my alone time."
"Liar," Liam denied. Addy was ignoring them. She hadn't talked to any of them that day, and she had skipped school altogether. Her absence sent them into worry and Liam was voted to go and check on her. He was the only one that was able to talk some sense into her or at least get answers. "I just want to help."
"I know you do."
"Then let me!" Liam shouted, his hands flew up into the air. For a single moment, a millisecond, Addy thought that he might hurt her. The time was so minuscule that no one would have noticed, but he did. He took a breath before kneeling in front of his girlfriend, regret running through his veins. "I love you Addy. I just, I just want to help you."
"I don't need any help! I need answers! I'm not going to get them while you're here!" Addy matched his previous tone, jumping up. Her hair hadn't been brushed yet, so when she ran a hand through it, it got caught which frustrated her more. She took a deep breath and slid on the floor next to Liam. "Sorry, I'm just stressed. I'm just trying to figure this out."
"Hey, it's okay." He grabbed her hand. A sweet kiss was placed on her lips, and before it went any further, he pulled away.
"I love you too." Addy smiled, kissing him yet again. Her voice was much more calm, but she retold what she had said to him earlier. "And as much as I'd love to continue this, I really need to finish finding answers."
"Fine, but seriously. Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything, okay?" Liam gave her a look. Addison nodded and pecked his lips a final time before standing up. He gave her a reassuring smile as he left her room.
Addy snuggled back in the corner of her room and continued the book. She didn't understand most of it. It was pretty much just stories of previous people who had experiences with the Dread Doctors. Most of them were horrifying and unforgettable. Did Tracey have to go through all of that? Did the others?
There was so much brain poking and prodding and other things Addy didn't even know what they meant. The more she read, the more she got into it, and the more curious she got. It was nearly seven o'clock when she finally finished the last page. Addison set the book down on her night stand an shakily stood up. She had been sitting for so long her legs fell asleep.
She was just about to yell if Brayden had made supper when she remember he had left. It hadn't even been a day and she already missed him like crazy. Addy sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed. It was going to be tough without him around. She relied on him for almost everything, and now that he was gone, she had practically lost her backbone.
"I take it Brayden left?" Scott leaned against her door. She nodded and watched as he sat down beside her. He grabbed the book from the table and flipped it around. "How long have you known?"
"For a while, I guess," Addy muttered. She had a suspicion about herself for a while, and she didn't think anyone but her knew. Apparently Scott figured it out. She wasn't overly surprised. Scott was good at reading people, a lot of the time he knew something before they even knew.
"And?"
"And what? What is there to it? I'm probably one of them. I'm terrified that I'm gonna spontaneously combust and silver shit is going to come from every part of my body. What else do you want me to say?" Addy snapped. She still wasn't one hundred percent sure, but it was such a high chance that she was one of them. She was a chimera.
She was some man-made supernatural creature. Not even man-made; the Dread Doctors probably weren't even human. She was nothing but a freak.
"Hey." Scott placed his hand on her knee. "I promised you before that I'm going to protect you, and I'm keeping that promise."
"I'm just rattled about all this."
"It's alright to be scared. I would be too. You've got to promise me that you'll tell us – or me at least – what's going on, okay? Don't ignore us again." He glanced over to her phone.
"I will, I promise."
Scott left soundlessly after that. It was kind of early to go to bed, but Addy's eyes were sore and she was wiped. Sleep was needed, and it shortly came. Unfortunately, it was filled with nightmares.
)( * )(
Addison was on edge all day, starting from when she woke up. The nightmares that filled her sleep seemed so real. It was the same one as before, with the Dread Doctors above her. It was just bits and pieces, and she barely even remembered what happened, just their faces.
The floor was cold as she made her way out of bed. She didn't notice. What she did notice was the quietness in the house with Brayden not being there. Addy grabbed her phone off the counter as she popped in a piece of toast.
Her mom was out yet again, but she wasn't surprised. Addy loved her mother, but she wasn't there for her for most of her life. She understood that they needed money to keep the house and pay the bills. They needed her to work those early and late shifts to get the money they needed to keep living, but she would've appreciated it if she could sit down and eat breakfast more often with her entire family.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Bray," Addy said. She tucked the phone in between her shoulder and neck as she poured a glass of juice.
"Oh, hey Adster. What's up?"
"Just getting ready for school, you know, the usual."
"Oh, I get it. You're just missing me already." Brayden snickered from the other line.
"No, actually, I just wanted to let you know that it's so nice and quiet not having you and Luke here. And that I'm taking over your room so me and Liam have somewhere to make out." Addy held back a laugh. She really did miss him.
"I will still come back there to beat the shit out of him, werewolf or not." That time she really did laugh, and then nearly screamed as the toast popped out of the toaster. She slapped on some peanut butter and sat down at the table.
"Don't worry. We wouldn't do that in your room."
"Addison..."
"Sorry, gotta go! Bye, love you, miss you!" Addy rushed out, hitting the end button on her phone. She really did need to get ready, and she really didn't want him asking about everything. School was the last thing on her mind, but she needed to go. Her grades were slipping from her again, and she needed to keep them up.
She arrived at the school only to be met by Theo. His energy disgusted Addy. She was tired and barely had enough energy to stay on her feet. Theo easily caught her as she nearly tripped over nothing. "Are you always clumsy or...?"
"I'm just tired." She yawned, pushing herself away from the werewolf. A coffee was set in her hand, which made her even more confused. Addison looked up at Theo, who smiled at her.
"You look like you need it more than me." Theo shrugged. He had only taken a few sips out of it because of the heat and knew for a fact that Addy would be able to drink it.
Addy smiled gratefully at him. She really did need it. "Thanks. I really should be heading to class, though."
"Yeah, see you later Ads." It was the first time he had called her that, and she wasn't a fan. There was just something about the way he said it that made her uncomfortable. Addy shrugged it off and made her way to her locker, where Liam was.
"Hey." She pecked his cheek before doing the combination on her locker.
"Hey," Liam said, barely looking up from his locker. Addy noticed his quietness and grabbed his hand, making him face her. Was he still mad about yesterday?
"What's up?"
"Nothing," he replied, grabbing a single binder from his locker. He closed it and faced her. The jealous part of him couldn't remain silent, and he explained how he was feeling. "Why do you always smell like Theo?"
"What?" She was baffled by the question. Addy looked at him with curiosity, he never asked anything like that before. Liam was never the jealous type before, that was freshman year and before Theo Raekn arrived in Beacon Hills. He never had reason to be jealous, no guy ever tried to make a move to her when they knew that she was dating him and that her brother played on the lacrosse team.
"I mean it. You always smell like Theo. Yesterday when I was over too, just like right now."
"I wasn't even talking to him yesterday. And he gave me a coffee this morning," she argued. The hallway was generally empty, with only a few students at the other end. Addy could feel the tension rising between the two and it was probably a good thing that there were only a few people in the hall.
"Yeah?" Liam crossed his arms. "What else, huh? First it's a shirt and then a coffee?"
"What the hell are you talking about, Liam? It's just a coffee – his coffee, actually. He saw how tired I was and gave it to me!" Addy whisper-shouted. She didn't need more attention from the few people already staring.
Liam looked furious. He was furious. "You're always around him! We don't even know him, Addy. Why the hell are you trusting him?" he mimicked her tone. He didn't want to fight with her but things were just spiraling out of control and he couldn't control his emotions like he wanted to. Not to mention that there was still some tension from their small argument earlier.
"Because he earned it, okay? He was there when I asked him to be! Stop being a jealous asshole," Addy snapped. She slammed her locker shut and started walking away. She half expected Liam to follow her and half expected him to stay angry and go to his own class.
She figured he was really angry as she got to her class and Liam wasn't there when she looked back.
)( * )(
"Look, Addy. I'm really sorry. Okay? You're right. I'm a jealous asshole, and you have every right to be mad at me, but I'm really sorry."
"You're right. I should be mad." Addy shrugged past him. It was the end of the day, and she hadn't talked to Liam all day. She had done it before, and it wasn't that hard to do it again. While she was up at the front again, Liam was in the back of the class. In the morning, both of them had anger rolling off of them. In the afternoon, he was trying to talk to her and she straight up ignored him.
"I know," he sighed, defeat filling his voice. "And you can stay mad at me. I just really, really need you to come with me."
"Go where?" she sighed, pausing down the hallway. He grabbed her hand, which she easily pulled away from. The hurt look on his face didn't faze her a bit. Addison was pissed at him, and she had every right to be.
"Sinema." Liam held his breath, waiting for her response. Addy clenched her jaw. She was mad at him, and he wanted her to go to a club? No way. "Please Addy. Look, call me an asshole, a douchebag, punch me in the face, whatever; just please?" Liam begged, trailing behind her. Stiles was going to give her a ride home since she didn't feel like walking.
"I don't want to punch you in the face, Liam, or call you an asshole. I want you to leave me alone." Addy pushed past him again. She just wanted some time to be able to think about how she was feeling. She wasn't going to give in, Liam knew that, which was why he dragged her into the janitor's closet. "Liam, let me out of here."
"No. Not until I get you to forgive me." He blocked the door. He wasn't going to let her leave until they were good again. Neither of them could ever stay fighting for long. "I'm sorry for getting mad that you were with Theo. You're allowed to hang out with who you want. Just don't go kissing whoever you want."
"I don't want to go kissing other guys."
"Girls?"
"I might just take up that offer of punching you if you continue talking," Addy joked.
"I love you." Liam placed his hands her hips. He knew she had forgiven him just by the thick tension being lifted when she didn't move away from the contact.
"I love you too." Addy pulled him close by the hair and crashed their lips together. She felt like she was in every high school drama there ever was. Making out in a janitor's closet was something she never really pictured herself doing. She had to admit, though, that Liam was just such a good kisser that almost she forgot where she was. He pulled away, barely, and brushed his lips against hers.
"So you'll come with me?"
"Why do you want to go anyway?" Addy sighed. She wasn't in the mood for any sort of loud music, horny teenagers, or the smell of sweat.
"I need to give some more money to Hayden," Liam explained. He was going to pay her back the two hundred dollars, and pay Addy back too.
"Fine, but we're not staying to do any sort of dancing," she agreed. Liam eagerly nodded his head and pulled her out of the small room. The halls were clear of students. Everyone was already on their way home. "Why didn't you just give it to her at school?"
"I may have forgotten it at home, and I know she works there every night so..." Liam grinned sheepishly. Mrs. Dunbar insisted that Addy stay over for supper. She didn't really want to. She just wanted to go with Liam to give the money and then go home, but she wasn't going to be rude and say no.
It was never quiet when Addy was over for dinner. Liam's mom and her always seemed to keep up a steady conversation, and it was always something different. That night it was about Brayden moving off to college. Liam could sense how sad she really was about him leaving. It was funny. Most of the time, little sisters would be glad their brother was leaving.
Brayden and Addy had a different relationship. Mrs. Dunbar had never seen two siblings care for each other as much as they did. It was sweet.
After supper, Liam and Addy left to the club. Since Liam was a few months older than her, he already had his license and a beat-up old car. It was better than what Addy had, which was nothing. She plugged her phone into the speakers, and the first thing that played was Twenty-One Pilots.
"You like them?" Liam asked, nodding towards the speaker system. He had heard them before, a few times actually, and enjoyed their music.
"Love 'em." Addy nodded. Her music varied as they drove. Liam didn't know a lot of the songs, but he still found himself tapping his fingers along with the beat.
"What's on your mind?" Liam asked. He couldn't take the silence anymore and had noticed that Addy was the reason behind it.
"Hmm? Not much," she sighed, leaning against the window.
"Did you figure out what you needed to figure out?"
"I guess. It's kind of complicated." Addy changed her position and sat cross-legged in her seat. She wasn't going to tell Liam, not yet. There needed to be more time for it to settle in. Thankfully she didn't need to come up with another excuse as they pulled up to the club.
They were able to go in through the front door that time. The sign out front read 'ALL AGES NIGHT.' It made it easier for them to get into the building. Addy gripped Liam's hand as they weaved through the crowd, looking for Hayden. It didn't take long with Liam's werewolf abilities.
"Forty-three dollars." Liam held the small wad of cash out to Hayden.
"I said I don't want your money," she snapped.
"You said I owe you two hundred." Liam held the money out once again.
"Liam, forget it–"
The power suddenly turned off, leaving only the glow sticks as a source of light. The loud music soon became cheers from the people around them. It was definitely something to experience.
"Perfect." The couple followed her to the back where the power box was. Liam called her name a few times before she finally stopped.
"I gotta be honest, Liam. If you're trying to be a good guy, I really don't care," Hayden snapped. She flicked a switch on the box and glanced back at Addy. She could see how he was a good guy, to his girlfriend at least. She could see how he treated her like a princess just by the way they held hands.
"I'm just trying to make up for sixth grade."
"Nothing will make up for sixth grade." Hayden tried pushing up the lever that would turn the power on, but it seemed to be jammed. "Come on."
Liam saw her trouble and reached up to push it. Addy felt the jealously in her rise as he placed his hand over Hayden's. She knew she shouldn't have felt that way. She had just gotten mad at Liam for being jealous over nothing. Plus, the two hated each other. She had no reason to worry.
"You want to keep hating me? Go for it. You said I owe you two hundred, so here's forty-three more." This time, Hayden took the money from him.
)( * )(
Word count: 3880
July 11, 2016
this sucked my apologies
I just about watched the whole season of Young Justice yesterday and i'm full of regret RIP