This chapter may seem cliché to some of you so I apologize if it does.
Chapter 23
Nights after nights I have nightmares. It's always the same one but it changes each time. Each time Caleb kills me in a different way. I end up screaming and Rebekah or Elijah come in but they don't help as much as Harry does. Since the conversation the first night and Rebekah telling me Caleb won't stop coming after me until I'm dead, the nightmares have been getting worse. Before the nightmares never went as far as me picking an object to end my life but now I do. Only each time there's always a different object replacing the last one I choose.
When I finish getting dress I head downstairs for breakfast. Before entering the kitchen I hear Elijah talking on the phone.
"She's been having nightmares ever since you've brought her here Harry." Elijah says. When he says Harry all I want to do is take the phone from his hands so I can talk to Harry and hear his voice.
"What did you do to calm her?" He asked after a while.
There was a pause before he talked into the phone again, "Well, there's no way I'm climbing in bed with her and I don't think Rebekah would do that either."
I hold back laughter from Elijah's statement. "Do you think you talking to her will help?"
Yes.
"Put it on speaker." I hear Rebekah say.
When I hear Harry's voice I feel calm and happy. "No, I don't want her calling me, she'll just make me take her back here."
"Harry, she wakes up screaming at one in the morning," Rebekah comments.
"Yeah Harry just talk to her." I hear Niall in the back ground.
When I hear Niall's voice I walk into the kitchen. "Can I talk to them please?" I say getting Rebekah and Elijah's attention.
Elijah keeps the phone in his hand. Rebekah sighs in annoyance grabbing the phone from Elijah's hand and handing it to me, "This better shut you up at night."
"Harry?" I put the phone up to my ear after turning it off speaker.
"Cat what's wrong?" He asks.
"It's the same nightmares Harry," I say, "Only they're getting worse."
"How worse Cat?" Louis asks. Obviously they're all in the room and it's on speaker.
"He ends up killing me."
"Who ends up killing you?" Elijah asks.
"Caleb." I say to Elijah. Rebekah and Elijah glance at each other
"How often do you get them?" Annabelle asks.
"Every night since the crime scene." I say.
"Did Rebekah or Elijah say anything to you about him?" Harry asks.
I look at Rebekah in front of me and decide not to tell her that her words are causing it.
"One second," I say to the phone.
"I'll be right back." I say to Rebekah and Elijah and they nod. I walk back up the stairs to my room with the phone.
"I told Rebekah about him wanting to kill me. And she said that once he has his eyes on someone he wants dead he doesn’t stop until the person is dead." I say.
"There Rebekah and her mouth for you." I hear Zayn say.
"Cat why did I send you there?" Harry's voice comes onto the phone.
"For my safety."
"Exactly. I wouldn't bring you there if you weren't safe." He says.
I nod but then I realize that he can't see me. "Ok."
"And you're going to be okay. You're not going to have nightmares anymore alright?"
"Okay."
"We miss you." I hear Louis say. It shocked me that Louis said it. He always seemed distant from me.
I feel a smile tug on my face, "I miss you guys too."
"We have to go Cat, we'll talk to you soon." Harry said.
"Bye." I say and then they hang up.
I exit my room and head to the kitchen again. I hand Elijah the phone and sit down with Rebekah at the table.
"Sorry about waking you guys up at night." I say quietly.
"It's alright." Elijah says.
"Easy for you to say, I don't like getting woken by screams." Rebekah says which makes Elijah glare at her. "My brother must of really shaken you up?"
I just nod.
"He didn't used to be that bad," Rebekah starts, "I always looked up to him as a brother. He wouldn't let anything happen to me. One time, my father he uh, started yelling at me. He was about to hit me but Caleb took the hit for me."
"Rebekah, he'd probably still do that." I say.
"No he wouldn't he doesn't care about me anymore." She said. This reminded me of my brother and me. I thought he would never forgive but he did.
"Rebekah, you and I have a lot in common." I say.
"You had an abusive father? And a mother who only cared about herself?"
"Well, no. But I mean the whole brother situation," I say, "My younger sister died in my hands. She got into a car crash and died and I didn't. My brother turned against me and said he would never forgive me. Before Harry dropped me off here we visited my family and he forgave me. He realized that my younger sister being dead wasn't my fault."
"My brother isn't like that. He doesn't forgive that easily." She says.
"You don't know that until you try." I say.
She looked like she was going to say she would try but her facial expression changed, "No I'm not talking to him."
I give up on trying getting her to talk to him. Elijah puts a plate with a large stack of waffles on it and sits down with us. We eat and make small talk.
Living with them wasn't bad at all. Elijah was fun and sweet and very loyal. Rebekah has her moments when she's rude and mean but most of the time she's very funny and nice. I can tell that family is very important to them, which is what I like most about them. They care so much about each other.
"Where are Kol and Finn?" I ask.
"They're in different places right now. Kol is in California I believe and Finn is in New York."
"Why did you guys decide to stick together?"
"I gave Rebekah my word I would protect her." Elijah says.
"From who?"
"First it was our father and now it's from Caleb." Rebekah says.
"But he knows you guys are here doesn't he?" I ask.
"Yes but if he ever does decide to show up at this door. I gave my word to my sister and now Harry to keep the two of you safe. And I always keep my word." He says, "And if that means I have to kill my brother to keep the two of you safe, I will."
I know that when he says I'll keep the two of you safe he means Rebekah. Rebekah is his sister I just met Elijah. If he had to choose between his sister and me, there no doubt he would choose his sister. As for me, I'm just someone who is dragged along.
The phone rings stopping our conversation. Elijah goes to pick it up.
"Hello?" He says. It takes him a minute to reply to the person on the other line. "Alright thank you." Elijah hangs up in a hurry.
"Cat and Rebekah, you both need to hide." He says in a rush.
"Hide? Hide from what?" Rebekah asks worried.
"Caleb. He's here." He says, "Rebekah you know where to hide, take Cat with you."
"How do you know he's here?" I ask.
"I have people around the city," Elijah says, "He's on his way here."
"Cat, come on let's go." Rebekah says grabbing my hand. We run out of the kitchen towards the stairs.
There was a pounding on the door, "Brother, I hear you've stolen my Cat" I hear Caleb's accent.
Rebekah and I stop in our tracks. "Girls go now!" Elijah yells from behind us.
"Hiding my sister and Cat are we now? Good luck with that, I know every inch of this house." Caleb yells loud enough so we can hear him from inside.
"Cat, come on!" Rebekah tugs on my arm. I run and follow her up the stairs.
"We aren't going to help him?" I ask her as we run down the hall.
"He knows how to take care of him." Rebekah says.
"Rebekah, no! Elijah is going to get killed." I say stopping.
"Brother, I believe it would be best if you open this door so I won't have to ruin it." I hear Caleb.
"No! Cat let's go now!" Rebekah yells at me.
I give in and follow her to Elijah's room. I haven't been in his room but I don't have time to look around since Rebekah is pulling me into his closet. Rebekah shuts the closet door and then pushes clothes revealing a square piece of wood that didn't match the rest of the closet. Rebekah removes the wood to a room.
"Get in!" She whisper yells at me. I do as I'm told and crawl into the hole. Rebekah follows once I'm in. She pushes the shirts on the hanger back so they are covering the wood. She put the wood back so it's covering the hole. We must be right under the entre way because I can hear everything from downstairs.
"Have I not made myself clear I need Cat?" Caleb says.
"So you can kill her? I pretty sure you made yourself clear." Elijah argues.
"Then why don't you give me to her?" Caleb asks.
"I gave my word that I would protect her."
There was a pound sound which sounded like someone being thrown against the wall.
"Let me go!" Caleb grunted through his teeth.
"I'll let go if you leave!" Elijah yells.
"I will not leave until I get what I want!" Caleb yells louder than Elijah.
"And what is it you want? To become father, because you're acting exactly like him!" Eligjah yells.
I expected Caleb to yell something back but there was another pound sound and glass breaking. I hear Elijah groan in pain, meaning Caleb did something to him this time.
"Do not compare me to Father!" Caleb yells.
"If I have to beat you as father would beat you, to remind you about you're humanity and to care I will!" Elijah said.
I hear someone kicking and someone falling to the ground. Then there were the sounds of punching then more sounds of someone falling to the ground. Then silence came after hearing someone fall.
"You are beyond pathetic Elijah." Caleb says cruelly.
"Well, who's more pathetic? The one who wants to have his family back a happy family if I may add, or the coward who can only see the world through his own fear?"
"I haven't cared about anything for years? Why on earth do you? You had a rough past with father and grown to fear him to."
"Well, because I've failed you," Elijah says, "Because the first time our father laid a hand on you, I should've struck him dead. And I made a promise to you; Always and forever. We will be family for always and forever. Family above all. That’s what you, Rebekah and I promised.
There was an evil chuckle coming from Caleb, "You are a sentimental fool."
"Perhaps," Elijah begins, "But I have the rest of our family on my side haven't I?"
"I know you want to protect Rebekah but what made you decide to protect Cat?" Caleb says ignoring Elijah’s statement.
"I gave her my word for one reason," He says then there was a long pause before he continued, "And the more important reason is, she's you're daughter."
"Daughter?" Rebekah and I both whisper yell.
"Daughter!" Caleb yelled.
"Remember Isabelle Miller?" Elijah spoke.
"No," Caleb said and faded out.
"Yes, that night 23 years ago you we're both drunk and you got her in bed. You got Isabella pregnant, Caleb. That young girl you are trying to kill is your own flesh and blood."
"You’re lying! How do you know that she's my daughter?" He yelled.
"I followed you for years and years after the four of us runway. I had Finn stay and watch Kol and Rebecca as I followed you around picking up you're mess. While you went off having sex with other drunken girls for nine months, I found out that Isabella was pregnant. I heard her having a conversation with her friend over the phone. She was saying that she hadn't had sex with Adam ever since they had Cat's older brother and the only time they did try for a baby after they had Cat's brother it didn't work. Then you show up and have sex with her. The problem is she was to drunk that night that she only remembered having sex with a man. She didn't if know the father’s name of the baby she was carrying. So she went on with her life fooling everyone that it was hers and her husband’s baby, not knowing who the real father was. She could’ve had blood samples to figure out who the real father of Cat was but she didn't want to tell her husband that she cheated on him."
I hear what sounds like a vase smashing on the floor. "No! No! No!" Caleb screams. Each no he said got louder and louder. "She cannot be my daughter!" He said but only it sounded like he was crying when he screamed it.
"So what kind of father are you going to be? Like the father you had growing up or a better one, one that she will appreciate?"
"Where is she?" He asked calmly but it still sounded like he was crying.
I look at Rebekah and she looks as shocked as I am.
"If I bring her down here, you remember our promise; Family forever and always. She is part of our family now so that promise applies to her."
"I won't hurt her." He says.
I hear walking up the stairs and footsteps coming towards Elijah's room. At this point I don't know what to do. I'm too shocked to move or say anything.
The man who is trying to kill Harry, Zayn, Liam, Louis, Niall, Annabelle and me is my father. The man who killed Harry's mom and dad, Louis best friend, Niall's father and killed Anabelle's and Zayn's sister is my father. The man who I shot and almost killed is my father.
"Rebekah what do I do?" I finally speak as footsteps come closer to the closet.
"Cat, you save him. You can be his hope. I know that family means a lot to you too, so go and meet your father." She smiles to me.
"That man tried to kill me." I say.
"He's tried to kill all of us and that’s why he needs saving Cat and I think you can save him."
There was a slight knock on the square wood in front of us. "Cat I need to talk to you." Elijah says.
I look to Rebekah, "If he tries to hurt you Elijah will stop him. Don't worry."
Elijah removes the square and smiles to me. "You heard our conversation didn't you?" I nod not knowing what to say.
"Would you like to meet you're real father then?" He asks.
I nod even though I'm scared out of my mind and frankly everything seems to be a blur because I'm so shocked. I crawl out of the small dark room and floor Caleb out of his room, down the hallway and the stairs where Caleb is.
He has tears in his eyes and looks scared. It's an emotion that I have never seen from him. Seeing him like this put me into mixed emotions. I felt like crying for multiple reasons; I'm meeting my actual father but he is a killer.
"Hi." I say, I feel tears filling up in my eyes.
"Did you know?" He asks.
I shake my head, "Thinking you would be my real father would be the last thing I would actually think. I mean you're out to kill me."
Your could tell when I said that it hurt him, "No, I won't kill you."
"But if you didn’t know I was you're daughter you would've killed me wouldn't you?" I ask but he didn't respond. He looked down at his shoes meaning it was true.
"I'm sorry." He said.
"What makes you think a simple apology will make up for what you did to me, my friends, and their families? And the innocent people you killed?" I ask.
"It doesn't but I just hope you'll give me a second chance. We can start over and," He fades out not know what to say.
"And what?" I ask.
"I'll be a better father. I know that your other father hasn't been for there for you for a long time. So let me step in and be a proper father."
"Will you leave Annabelle, Harry, Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Louis alone?" I ask taking his offer into consideration.
"Yes." He says, "I won't do anything to them."
"Do you promise to stop killing innocent people and try and be like Elijah? Actually good?" I ask.
"I promise."
"And do you swear on your life you will not ever hurt Rebecca, Elijah, Kol or Finn while you are alive?"
"I swear on my life." He says.
"Fine you can be my father," I say then pause, "But I will never be your daughter. You'll have to earn that and my god that will be hard after what you have put me through; so many nights of nightmares, being scared out of my mind, having thoughts be put into my mind about being killed by you. You have a lot to make up so good luck with that." I say.
It seemed like every word I said to him was knifes thrown into him. He looked beyond hurt and disappointed in himself.
"I mean what got into you when you killed so many innocent people? What was wrong with you?"
What he said caught me off guard; he had put his poker face back on. "Curiosity killed the Cat."
I think back and thought about what I just said. It didn't sound like me but at the same time I knew that that was me talking. But then I realized that I'm done with everything that has been thrown in my face. And I decide that that confident bitch that just spoke is the side of me that I am going to keep. That old afraid Cat wasn't there anymore. That Cat is killed.
"Maybe the Cat is supposed to be killed," I say, "That Cat was killed to reveal her true colors."
I am beyond happy with this Chapter.