Chapter 17
Chapter 17
I somehow managed to sleep well into Friday and I was grateful for the few extra hours.
Alec and Kade’s words swam in my head like hungry sharks.
They said I belonged to them, and for whatever reason the feeling was mutual. No matter how hard I resisted, some part of me felt they were mine. That the twins belonged to me.
I kept to my room most of Friday, only dare venturing out when I knew Melissa was at work. Frank was the biggest risk. S**t would go downhill instantly if he was awake.
It must’ve been my lucky day. As I tiptoed downstairs, Frank was snoring away in his recliner. I managed to grab another box of leftovers from the restaurant and creep back up to my bedroom. I couldn’t wait until I managed to get out of this h**l-hole. Sneaking around my own house was miserable. Constantly tiptoeing around, hoping I didn’t step on a land-mine.
My Friday was spent in complete solitude, and I was thoroughly enjoying it. Either Frank was completely unaware I stayed home from school, or he simply didn’t feel like bothering me.
Melissa left me alone the entire day, not that she made it her mission to talk to me. I texted back and forth with Tori a little bit, commenting as she gave me a run down on her day. Autumn and I texted a little as well, but it was mostly about what Autumn planned to wear to the party Saturday. While Autumn had a dress and heels picked out, I planned to take the comfortable route.
The remainder of my Friday was spent thinking about Alec and Kade. I wanted to resist the, but why did I miss them so much? Why did I wish they were with me?
I went to bed Friday afternoon, ready for another night of blissful sleep. Sleep was a break from the stress my conflicting emotions were bringing on me.
Unfortunately, tonight would provide me with little rest.
I woke in the middle of the night, sitting straight up in my bed as my heart hammered away.
A deafening c***h of lightning had ripped me from my strange dream. This particular dream featured Alec and Kade.
I was dreaming about a girl, a girl I had never met before. She sure seemed to know me. She was yelling at me, but I felt no danger from her. ‘Clean your d**n ears out and start listening to me’, she yelled. Followed by, ‘Quit fighting Alec and Kade, stupid. They belong to you.’
While it was an interesting dream, I couldn’t see it changing anything. It was simply a reflection of my subconscious, telling me what I wanted to hear.
While I found the intense storms quite beautiful, I wasn’t used to them. Moving to Georgia had exposed me to a whole new side of the weather.
I was used to the dry heat, and desert-like surroundings. Georgia was so green, so intense with it’s humidity and storms.
I shuffled out of bed and to the bathroom, walking over to the window once I came back to the bedroom.
The thick ledge by my window was probably my favorite thing about the small bedroom. I could squeeze right onto the ledge and watch the intense storms.
I kept my eyes trained on the forest, half expecting to see the two wolves looking up at me. Admittedly, I was disappointed when I didn’t see their familiar dark eyes. I wasn’t sure how long I saw on the window sill. The rain had gradually faded, leaving behind a wet afterglow on the forest and grass.
Once my legs and back were stiff from sitting on the windowsill, I trudged back to bed and hoped sleep would finally claim me.
I woke sometime in the afternoon. Peaking my head from my bedroom, I crept down the hall and into the bathroom. My shower was a total of four minutes, any longer would simply be a risk.
Melissa was home from work today, meaning I would have to be extremely careful when leaving my room. I applied the concealer to the fading marks on my neck, courtesy of Alec and Kade.
My dinner consisted of a couple granola bars I had leftover from a few days ago, and a tall bottle of water.
I worked on some overdue homework while lounging around my bedroom. By the time I was finished, it was nearly time for Autumn to pick me up for the party.
I wasn’t exactly looking forward to said party. I was simply going for Autumn, and the fact that Tori would be there only encouraged me further.
I texted Autumn my address and dug through the small pile of clothes I owned. I settled on a thin long sleeve shirt, jeans, and my usual beat up sneakers. My boot was large and uncomfortable on my foot, making me hobble unsteadily. Comfort over everything in my opinion.
Once I got the text from Autumn telling me she was here, my heart began hammering. I could only hope Melissa and Frank had went to bed early.
I opened my door slowly and glanced down the hall, only leaving my room after listening for several seconds. There was no way in h**l I was planning on jumping from my window any time soon. I crept down the stairs and nearly jumped out of my shoe and boot when I noticed Melissa and Frank watching TV. Neither one of them turned to look up at me.
I made it to the front door before Melissa dared to look up from the TV. I kept half my body out the front door, shielding my boot from view.
Melissa said nothing about me leaving so late at night, which I figured she wouldn’t She simply raised her eyebrow at me and turned her attention back to the TV.
I closed the front door behind me with a shaky sigh, and locked it before walking down to Autumns car.
Autumn wasn’t lying when she said she planned on wearing a dress. She had on a skin tight crimson dress, with a pair of black heels to match. Her chocolate hair framed her face in large curls.
“You weren’t lying when you said you’d dress comfortable.” Autumn chuckled, pulling out of the driveway.
I shrugged, “I’m probably not going to know anyone there anyway.”
Autumn’s gaze flickered down to the giant boot on my foot, “What happened to you?”
“Fell down the stairs.” I frowned. I had been telling the lie so much, it almost sounded convincing.
Autumn chuckled and shook her head, “Only you could break your foot falling down a flight of stairs.”
While Tori remained suspicious, Autumn believed my lie with no problem.
“Tell me about it.” I shook my head, “My clumsiness will be the d***h of me some day.”
“We’ll have to wrap you in bubble wrap to keep you safe.” Autumn chuckled.
I wasn’t sure who was hosting the party, but they didn’t live very far from me. We turned into a much nicer neighborhood than what I lived in and pulled up to a large house. The house wasn’t as big as Kade and Alec’s, but it was much bigger than my own.
Two stories and very wide, house sat at the beginning of the neighborhood. I could already hear the thumping music coming from inside. Kids stood around the front yard, and in clusters on the porch.
I hobbled from the car and Autumn waited for me patiently.
There were so many people inside, no one noticed when Autumn and I strolled in. Many girls were dressed much like Autumn, flashy dresses and short skirts. I had never been to a party before, but I felt under dressed.
Autumn’s crimson dress hugged her athletic body perfectly and I silently wondered if I’d look that good in a dress. My body wasn’t athletic by any means, but my stomach was technically on the slimmer side.
I felt beyond awkward trailing after Autumn half the night. This party was truly a testament to my conversation skills, meaning I had none.
Around thirty minutes into the party, I trudged into the kitchen. Bottles of liquor were strewn about everywhere. Avoiding anything with alcohol, I poured myself a cup of some soda.
I had been looking for Tori for the past half an hour, failing miserably at finding her. Instead of wandering the house, I pulled out the phone she had gifted me.
-Aurora 10:12p.m. Hey, where are you?
-Tori 10:18p.m. Home lol? Where are you??
I frowned down at my phone for several minutes. Was she not able to make it? Why hadn’t she let me know?
-Aurora 10:23p.m. I’m at some party with Autumn. She said you were coming too?
-Tori 10:28p.m. I never heard anything about a party? You sure she meant me???
I shoved the phone into my pocket, something unfamiliar and threatening swirling around in my stomach.
Maybe Autumn was talking about someone else, and I had thought she meant Tori.
This was partially my fault to begin with. I hadn’t mentioned the party to Tori at all this week, too wrapped up in my conflicting thoughts. I simply assumed she knew about it already and planned on going.
“Aurora right?” A deep voice caused me to turn.
I looked into a pair of bright hazel eyes. A guy around my age was talking to me. Sandy blonde hair sat on his head, long enough to graze his shoulders.
“Uh, yeah that’s me.” I frowned.
The guy was definitely my age, but I don’t remember ever seeing him before.
“I’m Carson.” The guy grinned, showing a perfect smile. “I’m in your first period class.”
“Oh.” My mouth popped open. I had never noticed him before. “Sorry about that. I never noticed before.”
“It’s not a problem, beautiful.” Carson grinned.
Normally butterflies would swarm in my stomach at the thought of talking to a guy as hot as Carson, but this time I felt nothing. Anxiety was still swirling in my stomach, and at the moment I just wanted to talk to Autumn.
“Um, I gotta find my friend real quick.” I mumbled awkwardly, “It was nice talking to you, Carson.”
I grabbed my cup of soda and walked back out to the living room, the last place I had seen Autumn.
Autumn was talking to a group of people. Three girls and two guys to be more exact. I tapped on her shoulder timidly, nearly cringing when their conversation came to a halt.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.
“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute.” I raised my voice over the thumping music.
Confusion flickered on Autumn’s face and she nodded. We walked over to the dining room, which had far less people than the rest of the house.
“What’s wrong?” Autumn frowned, noticing the look of worry on my face.
“You told me Tori was coming, right?” I pursed my lips at her.
Autumn nodded, “Yeah, I talked to her about the party last week.”
“I texted her and she said she never heard anything about a party.” I frowned.
Realization flashed in Autumn’s eyes, “S**t. I might’ve forgotten to mention it to her. Did you want me to take you home?”
I could see the reluctance in Autumn’s eyes, and I instantly felt guilty. Here I was practically freaking out that Tori wasn’t here. I could survive another hour or two. Just long enough for Autumn to have some fun before she took me home.
I drank the rest of the soda in my cup and shook my head, “No no, it’s alright.”
A relieved grin came over Autumn’s face, “You’re the best Aurora. I’ve been talking to this guy over there, and I think he’s into me.”
I chuckled along with Autumn, glancing over at the guy she was talking about. He was nothing special in my eyes, strutting the ‘bad-boy’ look as best he could. I couldn’t help but compare it to Alec and Kade. The guy was a kid playing dress up compared to the twins.
My stomach was still swirling though, despite my decision to stay at the party.
“I’m gonna head to the bathroom.” I nodded, “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Autumn nodded and gave me another grin, walking back to the living room as I trudged up the stairs.
My stomach wasn’t just swirling now, it was flip flopping in my torso. The feeling made me nauseous and a little dizzy.
I managed to find the bathroom with little issues and closed the door behind me. Splashing cool water on my face did nothing to make me feel better. Any sort of movement made my head swim and my vision blur.
Something was seriously wrong.
I was having difficulty forming coherent thoughts. My mind was only able to think of one thing at a time.
I yanked the phone from my pocket and stared at the shifting screen. The letters on the brightened screen were floating and swirling around my head. I could vaguely make out Tori’s name, but everything else was a blur.
-Tori 10:30p.m. Do you need me to come get you??
Autumn never said anything about a party??
Are you alright??
Aurora answer me.
Send me the address.
Hello???
I barely managed to shove the phone back in my pocket when another one track thought came to mind.
I needed to find Autumn, fast.
I flung open the bathroom door and walked out, but whatever was happening began to get worse. I couldn’t walk straight, and it was becoming harder and harder to stay on my feet.
The entire hallway was tilting, swirling into one big jumbled mess. I couldn’t remember which way I had come from, which way led to the stairs.
I picked a direction and stumbled down the hall, my hand grazing against the wall in a pitiful attempt to keep myself upright. My leg buckled from under me, and I fell towards the floor.
“I got you.” A familiar voice murmured, lifting me from the ground.