Lost Lies

I frantically pounded on the door, my breathing heavy from the run. Something clicked behind the door, and then the door swung open.

Michelle stood before me, her face smothered in a green face mask. Her satin red nightgown fell to her knees, her hair wrapped under a purple towel, and her nails were painted multiple colours.

“Why, hello there, Winter,” her African accent hummed in surprise. “You look worried; what’s up?” She asked, signalling for me to enter and follow her up stairs. “You look flustered, too.”

“I-I was running from someone. No, not someone – something,” I panted as we reached her bedroom.

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at me.

“What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“Did you just say ‘something’?” She asked in surprise.

I nodded. “Two angels, a vampire and an angel crossed with a werewolf; a ‘hybrid’.”

“Hush now, into my room; I can’t let my parents hear. You know they don’t like that stuff.”

Michelle ushered me into her bedroom, which was covered from floor to ceiling in souvenirs from around the world. She pushed the door closed behind us.

“Sit down, if you like,” she smiled, hurrying to her desk and then back to me, sitting down on the bed besides me. “So, you said you were running from two angels, a vampire and a hybrid?” She asked.

I shook my head as I said, “Correction: there are three angels and one is trying to kill me.”
Michelle looked puzzled as she asked, “Kill you? Why?”

“Oh, you know: fun.” I muttered sarcastically.

“Oh, that’s bad, that’s really bad. Erm, what-what do you want me to do about it?” She asked.

“Nothing; all I ask is can I stay here?”

“Why?”

“Because at home, two angels, a vampire and a hybrid are trying to keep me hostage in order to keep me safe, and I refuse to be locked up in a house with people I thought were my friends.” I grumbled.

“But wouldn’t that be for the best?” She questioned as she exited the room to go and wipe off her face mask.

“Nope,” I called. “I refuse to; first the police are trying to protect me due to an earlier incident -.”

“Oh God, I heard about that. How is he?” She asked, her tone both soothing and concerned.

“Fine, he’s fine.” I blew out a sigh as I lied. I couldn’t tell her he was on the brink of death. “And now my ‘friends’ want to keep me locked up in my own house for my safety. I’d rather die!” I continued harshly.

“Don’t say that!” Michelle called from the bathroom.

“Don’t say what?”

“Don’t say that you would rather die than be locked up in your own home.” She frowned at me as she re-entered her room, the face-mask now gone.

“At the moment, after what I found out, I don’t give a hoot.” I looked down at my lap, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

There was a knock at the door and I followed Michelle to open it. I hissed at what stood on the other side.

“Don’t let them in!” I snapped.

“Why?” Michelle asked, looking at me in confusion.

“Because they are the ones I was talking about.”

“‘They’ have names, you know, Winter,” Cara groaned.

“Well, at the moment, I disown you all; you’re all nothing to me!” I replied angrily.

“We’re doing this for a reason,” Alex spoke calmly.

“Doing what? Keeping me hostage in my own home?” My laugh was bitter with rage as a pushed past them.

I began to head someplace where they could never find me when a hand gripped my arm. It spun me around to face my assailant. I was pressed up against Danny, his eyes burning holes in my soul, and his fangs glistened in the fading sun.

“Now, I like to play fair,” he grinned, cocking his head slightly. “I also like to be in charge. Now, you’re going to be a good little girl and -.”

“Bite me, vamp boy!” I snapped, shoving him away. I turned and started to walk away.

“You think you’re something, don’t you?” He muttered bitterly.

“What did you just say?” I choked with anger, stopping midstride to look at him. In a blink of an eye, he was stood an inch away.

His breath sent a chill down my spine as his fangs snapped down once again. Our lips were a fraction apart and the scent of fresh blood floated into my nostrils. I felt something toxic running through my veins and I struggled not to invite him to bite me just to watch him lose control and kill me.

His lips brushed against mine as he whispered faintly, “You heard what I said.”

“And you heard what I said.” I said angrily, shoving him away from me. I turned to walk away, only to find Alex stood behind me. “You want to get involved now, dog? Why don’t you scuttle away with your tail between your legs, somewhere far, far away from me?”

Tears pricked my eyes. I felt betrayed; the people who I cared about had betrayed me. It hurt; it was killing me inside, the pain darkening my soul, everything that made me cracking and shattering. I never deserved this, but that’s how life is: I was just one of them unlucky people who had the likes of the mythical creatures on my back trying to kill me.

I felt strong, firm arms wrap around my waist, pinning me to their chest, my back to them, but I knew exactly who it was by the cold breath down my neck as Danny rested his chin on my shoulder. I struggled for a moment but finally let myself collapse in Danny’s arms. I began to scream in pain and fear. I was terrified to the core.

Everything began to hit me at top speed: vampires, hybrids, angels, werewolves, the fact that they truly existed, the fact that a fallen angel was trying to kill me for no reason; it all came crashing like a huge wave, threatening to take me under and drowned me, in its years of lies.

“Don’t cry,” Danny murmured softly into my ear. I could hear the terror and anger in his voice as he continued, “Myself, Alex, Cara and Evangelina will protect you with our lives, understood?”

I nodded.

“Danny,” I heard Cara call, her voice thick with dread. “We have a problem.”

“What?” He replied.

“I-it’s about Chris...he’s gone.” She choked.

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” I sniffled.

“As in – as in...,” Alex stuttered, struggling to get his words out.

“Just spit it out, dog!” I screamed, cutting Alex off.

“Chris is dead!” He yelled back and walked away in frustration.

I felt my breathing stop and my body went stiff. My whole body shut down, my world crumbling to ashes. My body became unresponsive to touch and sound. Everything was a blur, a whisper.
Danny turned me around to face him in a fast vampire move. He held me at arm’s length, his grip firm on my arms. He stared deep into my eyes, his face showing despair. He shook me lightly as he begged for response. “Winter, are you ok? Winter, look at me, Winter, please say something, anything.”

“Why me?” I whispered, but with Danny’s heightened hearing, he heard me anyway.

“What?” He asked puzzled. He shook me lightly again as he continued, “Winter, what are you talking about?”

“Why me?” I repeated.

“Winter, listen to me: you need to talk to me. Why are you acting like this?”

“Why me?” I screamed as loud as I could, tears rolling down my cheeks. I shoved away from him and ran for my life again, tears still streaking down my cheeks, my heart broken more.

I heard Evangelina shout at Danny to ‘do something’, but when I looked back, he just stood there, staring after me. Cara and Evangelina were arguing with one another, pointing after me. I didn’t look at where I was going until it was too late.

I stood in the middle of the main road, a car was hurtling my way. I froze, completely unable to move.

“No!” I heard Alex scream from the other side of the road as he dodged cars and lunged towards me, but it was too late.

The car hit me and I bounced up and over it in what felt like slow motion; my body was flung through the air and I hit the windshield of another car behind, which screeched to a sudden stop. I rolled off the hood and onto the floor in front of it. Other cars crashed into it, piling up into one another.

Usually when a car hits you, you are in pain and agony, or even knocked out cold or dead, but this blow to my body, these wounds that showered my skin, they didn’t hurt a bit. I blinked a few times, staring up into the darkening sky, my body twisted, but nothing broken. I lay where I was until I saw four faces crowd over me - Danny, Alex, Evangelina and Cara.

I pushed myself up, straightening myself out, and looked about to see a crowd had gathered, frantically dialling on their phones, looking scared and worried. People stood where they were as I pushed myself to a standing position and dusted myself off. I paused a moment as I looked at the mess of the piled up cars, their shattered windows and their crumpled up bumpers.

“Oh,” I whispered to myself as I looked at the chaos and the stunned people. I turned to look at Alex. “I-I...” I just couldn’t finish what I was going to say. A sorry would never cover the pain I’d caused him just five or so minuets ago, so I turned and walked away, my head bowed in shame as my life crumbled behind me.

My clothes were torn from the hit, clinging to my body with cold sweat.

Everything is going to be ok, Winter - just believe, I heard Alex whisper to my mind and then I felt a warm firm hand slip into mine and pull me to a stop, but I kept my head bowed, ashamed to look up.

Everything is going to be ok; we are all here for you, Danny murmured into my mind this time and a cold arm hooked to my broken one.

And that’s a full on promise; you’re our best friend and we all love you much, Cara and Evangelina said in sync to my mind as well.

They both stepped in front of me. I looked up and turned my head to each one of them, taking in their smiles and caring expressions. I knew I could trust them and smiled, but the sickening dread of the death of my boyfriend and the betrayal of my friends was killing me inside, yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t release any emotion. It-it was just gone.

Everything is going to be fine, just keep your emotions locked away, a sly voice whispered to my mind and a calm feeling washed over me, all dread flushed away down an imaginary plug hole.

I followed the voice’s command and shoved everything deep down, hidden far beneath the surface, locked away forever.

That’s a good girl, Winter; you will need all that anger soon, my darling.