Forced Affection

There standing in front of us was Skye Matthews and her posse of evilness. The boys were frozen in spot, so was I – hoping that if we stood still, they’d just keep walking through and not stop to acknowledge us. Rae sat there completely confused – unsure of why we looked so afraid of them all.
‘I don’t get it’ Rae whispers as she leans further down the bench to where Nathan and Lucas were now standing completely still.
‘Don’t move. They can smell fear’ Nathan mutters back, refusing to move. I stand completely still, not moving an inch, my hand frozen with the knife in it. Believing every word that Nathan had said, there was no doubt in my mind that they could smell fear and if we moved they’d spot us.
‘Seriously? This is ridiculous’ Rae says jumping off the counter. As soon as she moved, the other girls stopped walking and finally acknowledge our presence.
‘Fuck’ Lucas mutters. I tend to agree with him.
‘Oh what do we have here?’ Skye asks as the girls following her all glare at us. Well I feel that they were just glaring at me, they didn’t really know Rae and well they still wanted to sleep with Nathan and Lucas so some of then gave a flirty glance at the boys.
‘Skye, ladies. Great to see you all’ Nathan says putting on his charming voice acting all macho. I move for the first time, place the knife down ever so gently and take a step towards the door, but I don’t turn my back on the evil.
‘Nathan and Lucas, what have we told you, if you lie with dogs you’re going to get fleas’ Skye says as she glances at Rae and I. Rae takes a step back, looking shocked, but that doesn’t stop her.
‘Yeah, that’s why we got them away from you. Guess the fleas were little blood suckers’ she says. I mentally hit myself and her! Why must she instigate them, we’re at Arianna’s luncheon. I was trying to be good.
‘Well glad to see you finally found your forte Rae, taking others seconds. I was taught to give my leftovers to the needy’ Sky smugly replies as the girls behind her snicker. I sigh and take a step closer to Rae and put my hand on her arm to hold her back. The boys remained silent; Lucas kept glancing at the door – probably trying to decide when it was best to sneak away.
‘Oh Skye, glad to see you were taught something – because I guess you missed the lesson about keeping your legs closed, I mean with those tight clothes and loose habits’ Rae said ever so sweetly. I gasped and tried pulling Rae further back. I could not cause a scene today, and that meant Rae couldn’t either!
‘Well at least guys want me’ Skye replied smugly. Before Rae could even open her mouth and say something she’d regret since she was dating Skye’s older brother. I stood in.
‘Just drop it. Rae, walk away. You’re better than this’ I say looking at my friend. Rae glares at Skye and opens her mouth ‘don’t’ I say before she can say anything. I turn around and look at Skye. The anger begins to boil up again.
‘That’s enough Skye, just let it go. You’re not proving anything by standing here and trying to outwit someone. How about you and your friends just run along and we’ll leave you alone as well’ I say to them, hoping for once in her life that Skye would be a decent human being and just walk away. But I hoped for too much.
‘Oh Hallie, you say leave us alone like we’re scared of you and your bunch of renegade hunters. Believe me we’re not’ Skye says smugly as she glanced at one of her friends and laughs like she knew something I didn’t.
‘Ok Skye’ I respond maturely as I turn around and try to push Rae out of the room. If they weren’t going to leave, then we would. I was not going to cause a scene. I was going to get Rae out of here, leave the boys, hide away and avoid any chances of Leo. Today was a strategic retreat, and that didn’t worry me at all. I was not looking weak, I was being diplomatic and mature I convinced myself as I tried to make Rae leave with me. Rae continued to glare at Skye, but before I let her say something Skye had opened her big mouth again.
‘I mean look at what we did to your brother and uncle, there really is no need to be scared of someone like you, is there?’ Sky responds smugly, trying to get a bite from me. I’m not proud of what I did next, but it was necessary. All my maturity, strength and tolerance disappeared just like that. They were gone as soon as she had mentioned my brother and uncle. I didn’t have to think twice, I didn’t really have to think at all – I just acted. I was going to finish this once and for all.
I turned around faster than anyone was expecting, and I was in front of Skye in a blink of an eye. I didn’t consciously have to think about any of my movements, they were all natural. My fist was clenched shut, I leant back just enough to gather momentum and speed – I swung back and hit Skye fair and square in the middle of the nose before Nathan had even gotten to my side. Skye fell back onto her friends with enough force to knock the two she fell onto over as well. Three were on the ground and that wasn’t going to stop me. Skye grabbed her nose and screamed out in what I can only assumed was pain and maybe a little of anger as blood spurted out everywhere – there was an obvious bend to her once perfect nose.
But none of that stopped me, all I saw was red – how dare she commend what the Circle had done to my brother and uncle, how dare she ever mention their names from that dirty home-wrecking mouth of hers. I was about to step forward, with my still clenched shut fist that now had traces of Skye Matthews blood on it to hit her again, and again and again. I had no plan on stopping at all, until she was sorry. But none of that went to plan, before I could even get in my second punch someone had grabbed me around my waist, lifted me back over their shoulder and ran out the kitchen door. Naturally I would assume that someone would have been Leo, but that wasn’t even a possibility anymore.
Nathan put me down once we had reached my room in less than a couple of seconds. But refused to let go of me – he still had his hand wrapped firmly around my wrist. I took a deep breath and then let it out. Nathan stared at me mouth wide open, before closing it and then opening it again. I unclenched my fist and tried to calm down but then I thought back to what Skye had said and the anger returned just as quickly, I clenched my fist and tried to pull away from Nathan to go back down there to teach that bitch a lesson. But finally Rae and Lucas caught up to us running into the room and breaking the silence of what probably only lasted merely minutes but felt like hours.
‘Holy crap that was awesome’ Rae says as soon as the door shuts behind her.
‘Did you see her nose? Or hear the crack? That ain’t ever gonna be straight again!’ Lucas says just as excitedly as Rae. But none of them could calm me down. I was still out for blood, and what I had gotten wasn’t enough. I pushed Nathan off me, or at least attempted to as I wanted to go back down stairs and give that Skye Matthews a piece of my mind. There was no way she could get away with this!
‘Oh no you don’t! You’re confined to this room now. Lucas go get Arianna and show them what happened, don’t let them just take Skye’s word. And make sure someone helps Skye’ Nathan says as he steps up into the leader role and orders Lucas around. Lucas nods and leaves immediately ‘Rae, you and I are keeping guard. And do not commend Hallie on her efforts of hitting Skye. That was not necessary’ he says as he stared furiously at Rae. He was emitting complete and utter control – there was no way Rae would disobey him now. But it had little effect on me.
‘Wasn’t necessary? Did you hear what she said?’ I snap at Nathan as I give him my angriest glare and try to pull my wrist away from his hold.
‘Hallie, what she said was completely uncalled for – but you know as well as I do that she was only trying to get a rise out of you. She has no idea who attacked your brother, or the severity of her words’ Nathan calmly reasoned. Never in my life would I expect Nathan to be the voice of reason.
‘That is no excuse, and you know it’ I say as I still try and get my wrist out of his grip.
‘Hallie, please stop fighting me. Skye was out of line – but I can’t let you go back down there. You overreacted’ Nathan says again. I glare at him but say nothing. I turn to Rae and give her one pleading look.
‘Trust me’ I say to her. She closes her eyes but sighs. I glance at Nathan, he looks confused. But before he can say anything Rae reacts. She jumps at Nathan to attack him, the moment she catches him off guard he lets go of my wrist to defend himself. I take my chance and run from the room.
And even though all the anger is still there, and there is nothing more I want than to go down and attack Skye again – something stops me. It hits me. And I can’t breathe. There was just one person I needed right now, one person that would understand and protect me.
I race downstairs, past the kitchen and the commotion – I see a crowd of vampires I can’t recognise, I hear voices, screaming, whispers and I can feel people stare at me. I even felt someone try and stop me, I don’t know if they were friend or foe, someone else called my name. But none of them were the touch, voice or comfort of Leo. None of them made me stop. I ran to the front door, threw it open as I sprinted out it. I needed him, but more than that I wanted him.
I stopped dead in my tracks. I didn’t need to move any further off the stairs to see that he was no longer here. His black Porsche was nowhere to be seen. I shook my head and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. I’d finally made a decision, came to my senses, was willing to open myself up to him and he wasn’t here. Naturally. Just My Luck.
‘He left just after you assaulted Miss. Matthews, he assumed you wouldn’t want to see him’ a voice said from behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Jensen, Leo’s cousin.
‘Oh. Did you speak to him?’ I ask as I still stare at the gate, and not turn around to face Jensen, I didn’t want him to witness me like this. Being weak in front of Leo, for Leo, for us was one thing – but showing weakness in front of his competitive cousin was not an option.
‘No, I just overheard him speak to Uncle Craig. Would you like me to leave you alone? Or get you anyone?’ Jensen asks sweetly. I shake my head.
‘No thanks. I’m fine now’ I say as I sit down on the steps and watch the gate, hoping that maybe Leo would forgive me and come back, but that would be a miracle and I didn’t seem to have any of them left.
‘Hallie, I know it’s not much constellation. But I think you’re incredible at what you’re doing? And well I think Skye got everything she deserved. Sorry for your loss, I don’t think I ever said that’ Jensen said quietly, before he turned and walked away. I’m glad he didn’t stay – I didn’t know how to respond to what he’d just said.
I sat alone, on the steps for a couple of minutes before I heard voices and steps behind me. I stood up quickly to defend myself, but hopefully just to leave without any more drama. But I would be so lucky. I was faced with Lilia Matthews leading Skye out to their car; her arms were wrapped protectively around her daughter. Sure I was still pissed at Skye, but I knew now wasn’t the time to react. Not again anyway.
Mrs Matthews glared at me but didn’t say anything, nor did she approach me. Skye looked at me and started crying again as she grabbed her nose and I could see the blood on her hand.
‘Happy at what you’ve done?’ Mrs Matthews snapped after what felt like an eternity of staring at me. I glanced around to make sure no one was near before I took a step closer to the both of them. Skye looked frightened and clung to her mother, but Mrs Matthews remained firm.
‘Happy? I wouldn’t be happy until I knew your daughter was dead or had gone through the same pain I had and then felt a little remorseful at what she’d said. But I know Skye is incapable of any feelings other than self-gratification. So before you accuse me of being the cruel one, I’ll give you something to think over. If I see Skye or yourself near my family or me ever again it will all be too soon and I will not hesitate to take a stake and ram in straight through that cold empty spot where your heart should be. Because I could never be happy knowing that filth like you had murdered my brother and uncle purely because of this marriage you heartless bitch’ I say ever so coldly that even I was afraid that I had let go of all my emotions and allowed the pain and anger take control. Mrs Matthews looked afraid and grabbed her daughter closer, Skye whimpered and they glanced at a person behind me. Fuck, I thought. I’d checked to make sure no one was around, I was going to be in shit if Craig and Arianna ever found out the threat I’d just given their friends.
‘You heard her. I think you should leave as well Lilia, because right now if Hallie attacked I would not stop her at all. Not after what your daughter said, that is unforgivable’ Craig said in a tone so calm and devoid of emotion that condemned nothing but authority. It was scarier than anything else I think I had ever heard I probably would have wet myself if I’d been in the situation and Craig was not defending me. Lilia or Skye didn’t hesitate or speak. Mrs Matthews nodded before turning and leaving immediately.
‘Hallie, I’m here if you need me. We all are. Including Leo, would you like one of the cars?’ Craig asks me sounding supportive as he approaches me and gently touches my arm. I flinch from his touch and I’m unsure of why.
‘No. I don’t need a car. And I still don’t need Leo. I’m not running after him because one jealous female made a careless remark in which she couldn’t predict or comprehend the full consequences. I don’t need Leo to protect me, he is merely a formality in this pathway to peace’ I answer Craig calmly. I sound convincing, but it does little to make me believe my words are true. I flat out lie to myself and deny the feelings I’d just realised, but it this time I wasn’t going after Leo and I didn’t need him to chase me. We weren’t a fairy tale ending, we were reality.