by Ellis Marie
Me being here is a surprise?
“Wait, you . . .” I look between the two of them in astonishment. “You didn’t get Tracey to trick me here?”
At the mention of her name, Matt’s face darkens, pulling his brows together. My own heart races at the change. I’ve seen it so many times before but always directed at me. She disobeyed him.
“No, I didn’t. That was her own little idea,” he grumbles before stretching out his neck, the crack sends chills down my spine. “If it wasn’t for the tracker I had put in her car, then we never would have known you were here. Good thing I did too, or who knows what would have happened.”
Tracey didn’t set me up? She really brought me here to help?
Although I doubt she would do anything to help us now. She made it clear that she wanted to stay out of it.
I glance over to the coward refusing to look at me from the other side of the bars.
At least she didn’t take us hostage.
“No matter,” Matt sings, his furious demeanour disappearing in a blink. “Maybe she was trying to help us and this has all worked out for the best. I’ll just have to ask her later, perhaps go over the art of using a mobile phone. She sped off when she saw Luke and Carter coming towards her, so once they’ve caught up with her and they bring her back here, we can find out what was going on with her . . . little lapse in judgement.”
I know it’s not the right time to be caught up in high school drama and rivalries, but as he’s speaking, Kristie and I turn to look at each other with our faces mirroring the same look of astonishment.
For years, Tracey has tried to crush us, to lie to us, to embarrass us. How is it now that when she has everything in her power to actually hurt us, that she’s chosen to do the opposite? She actually treats the two of us like people for the first time in her life.
Kristie lets out a bark of laughter after a second, clapping her hands together as she takes in a deep breath.
“I must be going crazy, or you seriously p*ssed her off.” She laughs, looking pointedly at the boys. “Because I am in a world where Tracey helps Elle, and Cam is the one stabbing us in the back!”
She throws her hands up to the ceiling dramatically. “Make it make sense.”
“Would you shut the hell up!” Matt shouts, cutting off our moment of amusement. I want to slap myself when immediately my mouth closes and I drop my head down.
He doesn’t control you anymore.
“What are you going to do, you Nazi lookalike?” she throws back, moving her hands to her side like jazz hands. “Torture me like you said you were going to hours ago?”
At this, my eyes snap to Cam who looks as though he is made of stone. As my expression turns into one of disbelief, I see his brow twitch. I step up closer to the bars, my heart breaking with every second. He still doesn’t move while Matt mumbles something into his ear.
“You were going to let them torture her?” I ask, my voice shrill with confusion but he just grits his jaw more and he stays silent. “Kristie? Our best friend? You were just going to stand by while—”
“Of course I wasn’t!” he barks, cutting off my accusations. His chest is swelling. “I would never have let them hurt her. I’ve told . . . you they just want Trent.”
Is he that brainwashed? That naive that he truly believes that the people he’s working with aren’t violent and sadistic boys who have been given too much power?
I glance at Matt who’s now slightly behind him, the gleeful look in his eyes infuriating me even further as they slide to Kristie with a wink. His arrogance is insufferable.
“So what happened to Andy then?”
At my question, Matt’s confident façade drops. His eyes warn me not to continue. His expression turns cold, emotionless. Cam’s turns into one of confusion.
“Andy?” he asks with a frown. “Nothing. He’s fine.”
Oh, Cam.
I laugh, a pitiful laugh that makes my own skin crawl at the sound. “He’s dead, Cameron.”
Cam’s sweet eyes crinkle at the news, a horrified coat of white brushing over his skin. It’s so sudden that it’s as if someone has dragged the saturation down to zero on a photo of him—frozen, a shade of grey.
“He didn’t tell you?” I push, looking over to Matt. “I guess there’s plenty of things they’ve lied to you about then, because he was found hanging on the edge of the school property. Apparently, it’s a suicide.”
Seconds tick by. Cam’s face contorts as he deals with the revelation. Kristie whispers unintelligible words that sound like prayers, and I stand firm, unwilling to cave under the pressure of Matt’s eyes.
“Well, he was a bit low,” Matt says sweetly through gritted teeth. “Male suicide rates are actually pretty—”
“You killed him,” I cut in, my voice shaking with rage. “All he ever did was look up to you and try to impress you, and you killed him. For what? For trying to warn me that you were insane?”
“Andy, unfortunately, couldn’t see the good in what we are doing.”
“The good?” I laugh, watching as his hands begin to shake with every passing second that I speak over him, like a bomb waiting to explode. I push down the fear I feel at seeing it. Instead, I walk closer, knowing that although he has a calm demeanour, it’s a façade that he can’t hold on to for very long.
“You couldn’t handle that the one person your entire life that did anything you wanted was turning his back on you.”
“He was weak and didn’t have the strength to do what was necessary.”
“Right after I leave you, you start to lose your most doting minion. That must have hurt.”
“He was going to ruin everything.”
“Andy didn’t want people to die, and you’d already gotten him wrapped up in your sick and twisted game.”
“Anna, you’re walking on very thin ice. I would be careful what you—”
“My name is Elle, and I don’t give a sh*t about being careful, you pathetic piece of—”
“That is not your name and you will not disrespect me, Anna!”
I haven’t realised how close I am to the bars . . . to Matt, but as he screams, he reaches his hand out and shoves through the metal while wrapping his fingers around my throat. My breath is cut off as his grip tightens with his fingernails digging into my skin and no doubt leaving indentations in their wake as my cheek presses to the cold metal.
Spit flies as his anger breaks him, his eyes wild like an animal with uncontrollable bloodlust—a thirst for vengeance, for violence.
For me.
Before I can fully comprehend what’s happening, it’s gone again. I watch as he stumbles for a few steps, his back smacking against the wall at the other side of the hall.
Kristie’s arms wrap around me as I cough, leaning over with the force of it. My body feels rigid, like it’s preparing itself for the onslaught of abuse that usually follows.
Instead, Cam stands between us. His figure swells in size while Matt cowers a little, looking like a weak and timid rodent next to a lion.
“You don’t touch her,” Cam growls, a voice breaking through that doesn’t sound anything like the boy I have spent years with. It’s like a stranger’s—a dark voice that doesn’t suit his usual sunny demeanour, as though the words aren’t coming from him.
“Listen here,” Matt snivels. “If you ever touch me again, I swear I will—”
“No, you listen,” Cam cuts in, his voice flat. “We had a deal. She doesn’t get hurt and you don’t touch her. You try it again, and I won’t care what other plans you have. You’ll lose a hand, got it?”
A part of me screams with happiness at Cam’s words, the reality of him defending me, allowing me to believe that he really is still my best friend, that maybe this is all just a misunderstanding, but as Matt shuts his mouth and moves away from him, his arguments dying on his tongue, I realise that there’s only one way that Matt would listen to him.
And that’s if he truly believes that Cam is worki
ng with him. That he will help him to achieve some larger goal. Not to mention that Matt seems to be a little scared of him. That makes me wonder how right the pack is about rogues giving into their animalistic nature and how they eventually lose control.
Do humans not lose control too?
Matt lets out a shaky laugh, and my skin crawls at the way he heads for the stairs, nonplussed, like he hadn’t just been so scared that he could have wet himself.
“Good for you for finally finding your confidence, Reid,” Matt whistles, throwing a smirk back at all of us before he starts climbing the stairs. “Shame it took so long.”
He disappears out of sight but his voice still floats down, sweet like honey. “And very brave of you, considering the runt of the litter is usually the first to be killed.”
The door from above slams shut, cutting off the laughter that has begun and sinking us all into an uncomfortable silence. His words ring in my ear.
With Matt gone, the strength I have drops. My knees shake as the memories that flood through me at the touch of his fingers finally slice through my defences and crumble my refusal to let them scare me.
Kristie feels it and holds onto me a little tighter, pulling me back to the spot we had been sitting at previously as she begins to try and calm me down. She helps but they still prick at my head, knocking away any real strength with every flick of a tongue and sound of a deep breath in my ear.
I miss Trent.
My fingers automatically curl around my neck, looking for the pendant that has made its home on my chest, like a piece of me, but it’s not here.
Panic flies through me.
I had put it on earlier. Scarlette made a comment about how the shirt she leant me matched it perfectly. I’m sure I had it when I left school so . . .
“You took my necklace,” I whisper, looking over at Cam who hasn’t moved from his spot on the other side of the bars. “Is that the first thing you did before throwing me in here?”
He sighs at my accusation, his head falling gently against the metal with a clang. His powerful stance swapped out for one that seems to be filled with regret.
“Elle, I had to. That necklace was a way for him to control you, to make you—”
“You didn’t have to do anything, Cam,” Kristie butts in, her seething anger had previously been bubbling below the surface, but now, she just sounds exhausted and tired of his excuses. “As usual, you have no backbone and can’t admit your own faults.”
He doesn’t reply. Instead, he looks away from us. I turn away from him, choosing to stare at the grubby patch of floor beside my shoe instead of the painful image of someone who I thought was my best friend, watching me from outside the cage I’ve been put in.
“I’ll get you some water,” he mumbles, deflated and defeated. The only response he gets is the dripping of a pipe and silence before he walks away.
When he’s gone, I let out the shaky breath that I’ve been holding, and the tears finally build in my eyes. All strength I have is gone within a second. I lean forward onto my knees, creating a barrier between me and the situation that I’m stuck in.
I thought that I’ve gotten so far. I believed that I truly was past the fear and helplessness that Matt instilled in me, but here I am—shaking, breaking, falling apart with a single touch of his skin on mine. I feel myself getting pulled into the wormhole of my own anxiety, the darkness coaxing me into it like quicksand that drags me down.
I can’t do this.
“You know what,” Kristie announces from beside me, making me lift my head. “I don’t know what it says about my sanity that I find this all more reasonable than Tracey being nice to you.”
Whether it’s the absurdity of the statement or the fact that I kind of agree, I begin to laugh; the sound of it dusts away the cobwebs of pain that have started to grow over me. Kristie shrugs and starts laughing too, knocking her shoulder against mine.
“I’m just saying that if you had asked me which one was more plausible, I would have gone for Tracey being an undeniable b*tch and stabbing you in the back.”
“Yeah,” I sigh, shaking my head. “That does sound more realistic given her track record.”
“Right!” Kristie agrees enthusiastically, leaning back onto the bricks. “Out of all plot twists, that was not one I saw coming. I thought The Witches would be b*tches for life.”
At the use of our nickname for the three girls who used to plague my existence, I cringe.
“Yeah, we probably shouldn’t use that name anymore,” I say awkwardly, running a hand through my hair. “It’s a bit derogatory, isn’t it?”
“To what?” Kristie scoffs, looking at me as if I’ve gone mad. “To witches? Yeah, it’s probably quite insulting to be compared to those three snakes.”
Oh, you have no idea.
Watching Kristie laugh makes me realise that she still has no idea about the world that’s around us, about the creatures that we’ve always read about that we thought couldn’t exist.
“K, have you ever . . .” I hesitate, not knowing quite what to say. “Do you think witches could actually exist?”
By the look on her face, I already know her answer.
“Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?” she teases, peering at my face. “I know I said my sanity might be dwindling, but that doesn’t mean I now think we’re currently in a common room at Hogwarts.”
I roll my eyes at her answer. Of course, that’s her response.
“No, I just mean do you think that there could be people with extra abilities?” I try carefully. “I don’t mean cauldrons and broomsticks, but people who might be able to manipulate the elements or heal someone with the right ingredients?”
I think of what Mrs. Grenway said, that maybe Kristie could be a witch too. Maybe it was a joke, maybe she was just trying to be funny, but whatever her reason for saying it was that, I know at some level, I’m going to have to tell her about things.
She’s not actually stupid, despite how she seems sometimes. Explaining what had happened to her today will be pretty difficult without telling her about hunters, werewolves, and the secret war that’s been been slowly beginning behind closed doors. I don’t think she will quite believe that Matt had a psychotic break and someone persuaded Cam to listen to him.
She has to realise that there’s more going on.
“Yeah,” she answers out of the blue, making my eyes widen in surprise. “I think that last one’s called a doctor? Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?”
I sigh. Nevermind.
By the time Cam comes back with the water, Kristie has fallen asleep. In her words, ‘there’s nothing better to do’, and to be honest, I can’t exactly disagree.
As he stands at the door and tries to get me to take it, I ignore him as I continue to look down at my feet and hum a song under my breath that blocks out his voice.
He continues to try for a moment while I just get louder, my voice completely out of tune and singing the wrong lyrics, but I know that it’s helping to stop me from giving in. I expect him to give up and go away; that’s why when the door suddenly clangs and swings open, I look up in surprise. I follow his movements as he walks into the room, shutting the bars behind him before walking over to me. He crouches down and places the cup at my feet before stepping back and sliding down the wall on the opposite side.
So he’s staying then.
After a few seconds of trying to ignore the painful scratching in my throat, I sigh and pick up the cup. I snort when I realise what it is.
“Is this a paper cup?” I ask flatly, finally looking at the ginger boy who I would describe as—if I wasn’t currently dealing with the betrayal and insanity—bashful; an endearing, bashful expression is on his face.
“I was told not to give you an actual one in case you decided to attack me with it,” he mumbles, avoiding my eyes. “I thought I’d be on the safe side.”
“It’s not me that would stab you,” I inform him before motioning to our best f
riend on the floor beside us. “However, someone would take you out in a heartbeat for what you’ve done.”
It’s not a lie. Kristie definitely has a violent streak in her when someone really hurts the people she cares for, not to mention people who kidnaps her or locks her in a cell.
Cam snorts silently at my comment but nods, flexing his hands as he pulls his knees up into his chest. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
I drink the water without a word, the silence dragging out between us as I try to occupy my mind with anything other than the boy who’s staring at me as if he’s the one who’s heartbroken, but whether it’s because I can’t take awkward silences or because my anger boils up and over my self-restraint, I open my mouth.
“I guess this is why you didn’t use that ticket and go away with your mother then? So you could kidnap me?”
He seems shocked by my words and a little confused, as though what I am saying is completely absurd.
That’s rich.
“No, Elle.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t go because I needed to stay here and protect you.”
I scoff and roll my eyes, already regretting not just ignoring him.
“This is what you call protection?” I ask, motioning around us, “Abducting Kristie and trapping me in a house with my abusive ex-boyfriend, who’s also now a murderer? That’s a correct definition for you?”
Cam’s fingers thread into his hair, his frustration evident the more I dig at the situation.
Well, good. I’m frustrated, too, if you haven’t noticed.
“Look, Matt is . . .” He pauses, his teeth gritted. “Matt is a means to an end. Do you honestly think I would leave you here with him after all of this is over?”
“Well, frankly, I never thought you would do any of this so I’m probably not your best judge of character at the moment,” I snap, his words only making the heat in my chest roar. “And what exactly is your plan after this is all over? You mean, after you murder Trent?”
At the mention of his name, Cam’s expression changes. The soft look replaced by an adamance that seems set in stone. “Once he’s dead, you’ll see,” he growls. “Your head will be clear.”
