The Werewolf On My Doorstep
I know, it took forever for me to get this chapter up and I'm so very sorry for that. I just couldn't concentrate on this and I had the hardest time figuring out what I wanted to write. There is only one chapter left after this and I am working on it now, so it should be up either tonight or tomorrow.
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Chapter 17: Going Home
My head is killing me when I wake up again, aching worse than a bad tooth ache. The world tilts on its axis when I try to push myself up from the chair, my stomach lurches and I sink back down into my seat. Momentarily dazed from the nausea swirling through me, I don't notice at first Nessa's unconscious body laying on the floor at my feet. That is, I don't notice her until my foot catches on her stomach and I fall face first onto the floor over top her.
“Nessa?” My voice sounds husky to my own ears, my throat dry and itchy from the lack of anything to drink. From where I am in the room the sky is pitch black out the window, clouds hiding the moon from lighting the shadows.
What the hell happened?
Last thing I remember was asking Trevor's father and my own why exactly they wanted Xavier and everything after that is blank. Something must have happened for my head to be pounding the way it is. They must have done something to Nessa and God only knows where Trevor is at the moment.
“Nessa, wake up.” I shake her shoulder, reveling in the drawn out groan she emits as she rolls over onto her back. “Thank god.” At least this way I know she's still alive, but it doesn't tell me what happened or how we both ended up unconscious in the same room when I'm pretty sure she was still in the basement.
“Wha-what happened?” She groans loudly, again, blinking bleary eyes up at me. “My head is killing me. Ari? Where's Trevor?”
“I don't know. Do you know how you got up here?” Staring around a pitch black room looking for anything out of place really isn't as easy as they make it look in the movies. In fact, its almost entirely impossible. The only thing I can make out is the odd shapes of, what I'm going to assume, is the furniture around us.
For all I know we're not even in the same house anymore. We could be half way across the country by now and Nessa and I would have no idea because we'd been out cold. Damn it, what the hell is wrong with these people?
What kind of person kidnaps a guy's girlfriend-if that's even what I am to Xavier-just because the guy's not human? What kind of father lets some maniac kidnap his daughter? Its so ridiculous! This is something Nessa, Eva, and I would be laughing about if it were in some stupid horror movie.
“Do I look like I know how I got up here? And where is here anyway?” Nessa sits up, pushing my hand off her shoulder roughly. “The least they could do is turn on the damn lights.” Grumbling under her breath about how 'inconsiderate' our kidnappers were she stumbled around me in a circle, before tripping over the chair behind me.
“Nessa, you're going to kill yourself doing this. Sit down.” If I didn't know any better I'd swear she flipped me off, but its so damn dark that I could be imagining things. “Did you just flip me off?” Why was it even that big of a deal?
“Maybe, but how would you know when its so damn dark in here!” She shouts the last part at the top of her lungs, blindly stumbling to find her way to the door. Or I think she was trying to make it to the door. “Hello! Is anybody there?! What the hell am I thinking? Of course there's someone there. You're just too big a coward to answer me!”
“Nessa! If they're too much of a coward to answer you then yelling isn't going to change anything!” The only thing her yelling was doing was making my head hurt worse. It already felt like it was splitting in half, did she really have to make it worse?
“Well, what do you suggest I do, huh? Sit there and wonder what they're planning on doing with us? Arianna, your father is in on this! How can you sit there so calmly when your father is trying to kill your boyfriend?”
“Calm isn't exactly the word I would use, Ness. And secondly, we already know what they're going to do with us. Well, me. They're not gonna hurt us, they want to use me to get to Xavier. They can't do that if they hurt any of us.”
Hurting Nessa or Trevor would only make me less cooperative, they had to know that. They also had to know that I wouldn't call Xavier to get himself killed just to save my own ass. So what was the point? Trevor's father had to know Xavier would have some kind of plan for this, didn't he?
Even in the dark I can see Nessa shaking her blonde head. She walks, hands held out in front of her, back towards me, stopping only when her hand bumps into the top of my head. “You don't know that. Sure, they said they wouldn't hurt me or Trevor if you did what he asked, but how do you know he's not lying? And even if you do cooperate they're going to kill Xavier.”
“I know, but what am I supposed to do? If I don't listen they hurt you and Trevor, if I do listen they hurt Xavier. I'm kinda fucked here, Nessa.” And not in anyway that I'd enjoy.
Xander said they had a plan, but he hadn't elaborated. How am I supposed to know which ever I chose to do won't mess with this plan? I'm lost and I really wish my dad wasn't helping the psycho so he could tell me what to do. He always knew what to do; no matter what problem I had, or how screwed up my relationship with him is, every time I needed advice my dad was always the one I'd go to.
And now I can't.
“So what do we do?” Nessa sits back down, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. “We can't just sit here and do nothing.”
“You think I don't know that? Nessa, if I knew what we could do I'd tell you, but I don't know.” I pause to bite my lip as I consider whether or not I should tell her about Xander being here. Do I tell her or am I supposed to keep quiet about it? “Ness, do you remember Xavier's brother?”
Nessa nods, her chin rubbing across the top of my head. “Yea, that Xander guy, right? He's hot, totally drool worthy, but what does that have to do with the situation now?”
I sit straighter, moving my lips to her ear, just in case there was some way we were being monitored. “He's here and he says they've got a plan.”
“What!” Nessa jerks back, hands cupping my cheeks. “Are you serious? You knew that and you're just telling me this now? What the hell-” My hand covers her mouth quickly, cutting off the rest of her sentence. Why did it have to be now that I forget she's got such a big mouth?
“Shut up! I didn't tell you because I was unconscious, dummy. Now will you be quiet?” She nods so I move my hand from her mouth, planning on telling her everything I know when the door opens and the lights come on.
“Are you two done cuddling or do I need to give you a couple more minutes?” Xander's dark head tilts to the side, eyes dancing with amusement as he watches us.
“Oh my god! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!” Nessa jumps up and runs at him, arms wrapping around his shoulders as she kisses all around his face. “You are the most beautiful thing ever!” She plants a kiss directly on his lips, shocking not only him but herself as well, if the way she jumps back from him as soon as she did is anything to go by.
Xander smiles widely, toothily at her. “Damn, I think I like her. Come on, we gotta get you two outta here before shit goes down. Otherwise Xavier is going to kill my ass.” Xander blushes when Nessa kisses his cheek before skipping out of the room.
“That simple? We just walk out of here?” Seriously? They went through all this trouble to kidnap us and its as easy as walking out the door for us to get away? Is it just me or does that seem a little off?
Xander shrugs, scratching the back of his neck. “They left a couple of hours ago to find my brother, since you wouldn't call him. Seeing as how they don't know who I am they left me here to watch the two of you. If you hurry, then yes, it will be that simple. But the longer you sit there and glare at me the less likely it is we'll be able to get out before they come back.”
Yea, make it sound like its my fault. Ass. Rolling my eyes, I accept his hand to pull me to my feet and walk towards the door, pausing with one foot in the hall. “What do you mean 'two of you'? Where's Trevor?”
“They took him with them.” He avoids meeting my gaze, eyes bouncing all around the walls.
“Where?” Trevor may be the son of the man who wants to kill my boyfriend, but that doesn't mean I want anything to happen to him. Especially not because of me.
He sighs, giving me a slight push forward. “I don't know where exactly, but your father seemed to think he knew where to look for Xavier. I wasn't in on that meeting because I was contacting my brother. Look, all I know is that he was alive when they left.”
Well, that was a good thing, right? At least I know he was alive a couple of hours ago, doesn't make me feel any better now. But its something.
“Where's Xavier?” My heels dig into the carpet beneath my feet as he pushes me forward and he groans.
“If you would stop being so damn stubborn and walk then you'd see!”
“I'm not being stubborn! You're being an ass!” His cheeks puff out as he takes a deep breath and as his eyes dart towards something over my shoulder he sighs, letting it out slowly.
“You're right, I'm an ass and you're a bitch. But thankfully, you're my brother's responsibility not mine.” He grins over my shoulder. “Good luck.”
Frowning, I turn and blink. “Xavier.” How long had it been since I'd seen him? A day, maybe two? God, it felt like forever and I almost couldn't believe I was seeing him or the person standing next to him. “Tessa? What are you doing here?”
My redheaded sister-in-law chews her bottom lip nervously, before giving me a little smile. “Hi, Ari. Um, I can explain all of this, but first we really need to get going.”
“Going where?” Without thinking about it I'd walked the space separating Xavier and I, and was wrapped in his arms. It was nice, it felt like coming home, but my mind was a whirl of confusion. What the hell was Tessa doing here?
“Home, love. We're going home.” Xavier kisses the top of my head, hugging me to him tightly. “All will be explained soon, but for now Tessa is right we need to get moving.”
“Wait, how do you two know each other?” What am I missing?
“Arianna, honey we need to go. I promise, Shawn and I will explain everything when we get home, but right now, please, trust me.” Tessa grabs my hand, tugging me forward. “We need to hurry before they get back.”
“But they have Trevor.” My protest fell on deaf ears as they ushered Nessa and I down the hall towards the top of the stairs. “Hello? They have Trevor!” Trevor and I have our differences, sure, but he's still one of my closest friends. His father's a crazy man, obviously, just because Trevor's his son doesn't mean he'll be safe with him.
Tessa sighs, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “Trevor's fine, I promise. Right now, we have about twenty minutes before they get back. Shawn's with them, he'll call if something happens.”
“Actually dearies, I'm afraid Shawn won't be calling anyone any time soon.” Xavier puts me behind him and Xander does the same with Nessa at the sound of Trevor's father's voice. I peak around Xavier's should and gasp at the sight of my brother battered and bloodied at his feet.
“Shawn?” Tessa whimpers slightly when Shawn's head lolls to the side. She moves forward down to steps before freezing when a gunshot rings out, the bullet taking out a chunk of stair by her feet.
“Stay right where you are and he stays alive. Anyone moves and Shawn goes night-night permanently. Got it?” Trevor's father smirks maniacally when she nods, eyes zeroing in on her rounded tummy. “You're pregnant? You forgot to mention that, Joseph.” He murmurs lowly, shooting my father a dangerous glare.
“Momentarily slipped my mind.” He swallowed nervously, flicking a concerned glance towards Shawn.
“Did it? Or did you purposely forget to mention it?” Xavier shifts in front of me when the attention moves from us towards my father and my hands grip the back of his shirt.
Whatever he's thinking I've got a feeling I won't like it.
My father's eyes narrow, flickering briefly, again, to my unconscious brother. “Now why would you think that? She's one of them, why would I keep her pregnancy to myself?” He puts his hands on his hips. “I'm trying to help you here, Mike. Do you think this is easy for me, knowing both my children are in love with those animals?”
Mike shrugs, the hand holding his gun raising slowly. “You tell me. You're the one protecting them. Tell me, old friend, where does your allegiance lay?”
“Right where it always has,” Shawn stands just as Mike's finger tightens on the trigger. “With my children.”
Mike's gun goes off as Shawn wraps his arms around the other man's, tossing him to the side. Blood instantly starts pouring out of the hole in my father's chest, gathering on his shirt. His eyes seem to go completely blank as he crumples to a lifeless pile on the floor.
“Daddy?”
Everything goes by in a blur after that, but I somehow find myself on my knees in a pool of my father's blood with his head in my lap. I can't stop the tears as they fall freely from my eyes, nor I can stop the sobs from wracking my body.
“No, no, no, no. Daddy?”
Part of me almost expects him to get up and say that he's okay. The thought keeps running through my mind that he'll wake up, that maybe I'll wake up in my bed to find this all had been nothing more than a dream. Only, no matter how many times I closed and opened my eyes, it never happened.
I wasn't going to wake up in my bed to a new day and my dad scowling at the pile of dishes in the sink. I wouldn't get to argue with him about boys or where I was planning on going to college, or what I'd be majoring in. There'd be no more awkward conversations over dinner.... or anything.
He just wasn't going to wake up.
A pair of arms circle my waist from behind and lift me away from his body and it takes me a moment to realize that the long, drawn out cry echoing around the suddenly quiet room is my own. Xavier whispers quietly in my ear as he lifts me into his arms, cradling me like a baby.
It isn't until he turns and I can no longer see my father's body that I realize that he's moving towards the front door.
“No, put me down. I'm not going-put me down!” I twist and squirm, trying to force him to put me down to no avail.
“We have to go, sweet. Xander's bringing your father, he won't be left behind.” He brushes the hair from my face, sympathy and tears shining in his eyes. “Let me take you home, love.”
“He was helping you.” My father wasn't a horrible person hell bent on murdering Xavier. He'd given his life to protect Shawn and I, as well as those we love.
Xavier nods, lips brushing across my forehead as he speaks. “Yes, your father was doing all he could to help us. He just couldn't tell you, love. You and your brother meant the world to him.”
Shawn comes up to stand beside us, a sad little smile crossing his lips. “Let's go home, Ari. Okay?”
Going home wasn't exactly what I wanted to do, but I didn't argue. Burying my head in the crook of Xavier's neck, I inhaled his scent and almost immediately fell asleep. The longer I slept the longer I could pretend like my father was still alive. I could pretend for just a little while, couldn't I?
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