Song - Female Robbery, The Neighbourhood
'Only those willing to walk through the dark night will be able
to see the beauty of the moon and the brilliance of the stars.'
~ Archbishop Socrates Villegas
Three months later
Juliette:
Three months.
Three months and not a word of Ariana's location, her mental state or if she's even alive.
Absolutely nothing.
I feel like everyone's forgotten she even existed. Ashton's playing the uninformed, but I know better. They know something. But they're not willing to share.
I turn onto my other side. The room seems colder without her. They tried to replace her - but this girl has nothing on Ariana. She's too pale - her eyes are dull and her personality is lacking. She's like a doll - somewhat pretty to look at, but cold and distant.
Fake. Imposter.
Ashton says I'm slowing losing my mind - but I feel like I'm the only person who still has one. Everyone else seems to be in another world. Like nothing is happening.
But they can't deny it - the halls seem empty and cold. The castle's lost its sense of life. The corridors don't echo with her usual sarcastic comments. Everything is dark.
An angelic light is missing. Ariana's missing.
I sometimes hear them trying to comfort him. He's the only one who understands - who feels the emptiness. Who can sense the lurking darkness ready to attack.
He's been locked in his room for days now. Only Ashton and Alex can speak to him. They say that he's not the same, that he's missing a part of his soul.
Alex seems distant. I can't tell how he feels. He doesn't speak much, either. He sometimes stares blankly into space; like the answer to some universally unknown question is suddenly going to appear before him.
I put my ear to wall. I can hear them talking.
"You need to get out. Maybe have a proper meal - get some exercise, I don't know - maybe go back and rule your country? You can't stay here forever. The people are starting to question your strength. They're asking if you're really fit to be king. You need to go and show them that you are." It's Ashton's voice. He seems furious. Why?
"For once, Ashie's right. You need to go and show them who's boss. If they fear you - maybe you could find Ari faster-"
"Don't you dare give her nicknames and think that you can claim her-"
"Excuse me?"
I could feel the tension through the wall. I knew this wouldn't end well. Even though they'll know I was eavesdropping, and it might not seem like it's any of my business - I needed to try and stop this.
If they started fighting - I could guarantee that one of them would be thrown straight through my wall. And then I'd have to wait for it to be rebuilt (I really like my privacy and I'd like to keep it) and I'd have to wait for my injuries to heal if one of them landed on top of me.
Or maybe they would land on The Imposter and she'd be out of the room for a couple weeks?
No. No matter how much I disliked her - I would still lose my privacy, and I knew that couldn't happen.
I sighed. 'Guess I've just gotta stop this,' I thought as I got out of bed.
Ariana:
The pearls were cold on my neck. My hair was loose. The dress was too tight. The heels were too high.
Why? Why haven't they tried to find me yet? I'm right here.
A hand slithered around my waist. A head rested on my shoulder. I looked up into the mirror.
Damian.
His eyes were too bright. His hair too dark. His skin too pale. A jawline so chiseled it could cut through glass. He didn't seem real. He was too beautiful to be.
He was like a doll.
"You look stunning." He whispered into my ear. His breath was so minty it burned my nostrils. I resisted the urge to flinch away. He scared me. He was cold, unreadable - I couldn't tell his emotions. I never knew if I'd upset him, but I'm sure I didn't want to find out.
"Why am I dressed like this?"
I was uncomfortable. This man had no boundaries. He spoke to and treated me like he knew me. Almost as if we were close. He had a timeless taste for fashion. He didn't speak in modern terms and no matter how long I'd spent with him - I still knew nothing about him.
"Why not? Beautiful people should be adorned in beautiful clothes - it only makes sense. You do not need to dress up for an occasion. It can simply be for fun. Just because you want to." He spun me around, held me close to his chest.
His cologne suffocated me. He kissed my forehead.
"Mon chéri..." He whispers - his voice low, barely audible.
"What does that mean?" I ask.
I fear him because he is unreadable - but at the same time, his aura comforts me. It's almost as if his embrace is uplifting, his eyes were hypnotizing.
These few months have been the first time I've truly felt safe.
"Do not worry - it is a term of endearment. A way of showing just how much you mean to me."
A blush spread across my cheeks. Lord - who have I become? Since when has a man made me blush? And by simply saying he cares for me?
I couldn't tell what his intentions were. He'd given me everything I'd ever wanted. He'd saved me from my kidnapper. He'd called me beautiful endearments that made me blush. He'd left me to my own devices - allowed me to wonder throughout the gardens, like I hadn't a care in the world.
All in all, made me feel as if this was our home.
But at the same time - he seemed almost cold. Unreadable. Distant. He treated me like he'd known me for years but at most times he appeared to be soulless...
How was I supposed to react to this man who enticed me? Who's existence threatened to pull me in deeper, to trap me like a butterfly in a spider's web.
And the thought that scared me the most -
what if I wanted to be trapped?
Hey guys!
I'm sorry for taking so long. 0_o
I really didn't have any inspiration or motivation to write this chapter - but then I was surfing Instagram and there were some really amazing MEP's and... yeah... They inspired me. >insert awkward derp face here<
Will Justin and Alex find Ariana? Will she fall for one of them? Or will she fall into the spider's web?
And what of Ashton and Juliette?
Will The Imposter be removed?
Honestly idk what do ya'll think? 0_o
Who do ship? I have some... plot twists (?) ready for ya'll... But I want to make sure I'm not going to upset anyone...
Stay safe kids <3
~ K