Final Curtain

Nate's POV

Aric and I spent most of the night shooing drunken sorority girls or just plain flirts away. We were at a large frat party at NYU, making sure the new Order members didn't get caught selling. It was denigrating. Being Nolan's lapdog, having to answer and follow these clowns around as if we were their security detail. Nolan didn't show his face. Throughout the night, the thought of Ashley trapped and scared thrilled me. It was our trump card against the son of a bitch. I was going to milk Drew's old flame for every detail on Nolan. It was almost three in the morning when they decided no more saps would buy product.

We went our separate ways. We headed for Aric's less impressive car and they marched toward a van with tinted windows. It was silver. What was it with these people and the color silver? I asked Aric once he was driving us home.

"The Order started out as a cult. It was a religious thing, all about fanaticism. By the time I was born, it was still a cult, but not about religion. Or not as much. It was more about idealism in the founding families. People recruited into the Order went through excruciating training. Some survived, some didn't. Those who did, were happy to follow its leader and collect big sums of money." Aric cast me a disgusted look. "My father was quite the eloquent. When I was six, he talked me into killing one of our guard dogs. See, the bloody mutt bit me weeks earlier and I grew terrified of it. Vincent saw an opportunity to teach me, as he would say. He told me this: fear only wins if you let it. There's not a thing in the world that can scare you if you can kill it. Do you want that dog to bite you again? Then he gave me a handgun and pointed at the dog, saying: go on then, get rid of your fear."

I only asked why the Order was obsessed with silver, was what almost slipped out. I felt weirdly uncomfortable. I wasn't used to Aric being open about himself. He was opting to be vulnerable with me.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked at last.

"Because we're brothers." he eased the car to a stop. Fucking red lights. He turned to face me. "In case it isn't clear, I'm trying to make up for being a shitty absenty big brother."

I ignored the traces of humor, choosing to focus on Aric's tense shoulders. Doing this—sharing this—wasn't easy on him. Months ago, I would've exploded into verbal abuse and shout, possibly throw a punch. Whether because of Mel's influence or because I'd craved a family for so long, I held my temper.

"Did you kill the dog?"

Aric cocked his head. He'd expected me to blow him off.

"Yes." Aric smiled at me. "But back then I had rubbish aim, so, I missed—twice. Then the dog leapt at me and I shot it up close. Its blood got all over me and I puked my guts out." I pursed my lips, stifling a stray laugh.

We were on the move again. Silence fell over us like a blanket, it wasn't awkward like most times. I didn't feel a need to reach out and turn on the radio. I racked a hand through my hair. I had questions I wanted to ask. About his relationship with our mother, about our grandfather and any other family member we shared.

I glared at my window watching buildings fly by. I dragged my knuckles along the fabric of my jeans.

"Trusting people," I ground out. "Letting people in… It's hard for me."

A heartbeat later, "I'm patient."

My lips tugged on one side.

***

Aric walked in ahead of me. Anna emerged from the kitchen eating a hotdog. Her hair was damp, and she was wearing a baggy sweatshirt with COLUMBIA written on it and a pair of sweats.

"How goes it, luv?" Aric pressed a kiss to her temple as he walked past her.

"Oh, you know, I had worlds of fun cleaning up after the deranged bitch in your dank basement."

"It's not dank." Aric called, mock insulted.

Anna mouthed 'yes it is' to me, then chomped on her three a.m. snack.

"Was your drug-lord operation a hit?"

"It went smoothly." I told her walking toward the kitchen. Aric was plundering the fridge. He offered me a beer, but I shook my head. "How was Mel?"

"Fine, I guess. We ate dinner after you guys left and she disappeared upstairs. I went to attend Ashley." She made a face. Yeah, I knew she had to help Ashley get clean and shit, so I pitied Anna. "I went up there to shower and didn't hear a peep."

"She had to be knackered from our workout."

I grabbed a pop-tart and left Aric and Anna to their own devices. I was careful with the door. Still, it squeaked. The room was dark. With a click, the bedroom was shrouded in light. Melissa was sitting back, leaning on the headboard; her legs were crossed at the ankles.

"Huh," I took a couple of steps inside. "I thought you were asleep."

"No."

"Why are you sitting here alone? Anna's downstairs…"

"I heard her. I didn't feel like talking to her." Oh, something was wrong. "Can you shut the door?"

I blinked at her like a fool. I turned on my heel and shut the damn thing. I walked the remaining steps to our—my bed. For some reason, I asked if I could sit down. Mel gave a nod.

"Sweetheart…"

She shuddered, slinking away from my outstretched palm. I faltered. Did she regret the last few days? Shit.

"Don't call me that!" she hissed in a fit of mad panic.

I pulled back my hand, baffled.

"Sorry. I… I thought we were…" not good. "Getting somewhere again."

Melissa's lips pulled tautly together, like my words stabbed her through the heart.

"Nate it's not that—it's…" Mel's russet hair fell forward, shadowing her expression. I sighed, eyes flickering—then I frowned. Melissa had been decorating my wall with drawings, but when I'd left she hadn't been done and they hadn't formed any coherent image. She caught my questioning glare at the mural of shadows and tall silhouette. "Nathaniel."

I reached out again, knowing I wasn't the problem. She practically jumped into my arms and nested herself against me. She was freezing. How long had she'd been sitting here? I held her tight.

"Tell me what that means, Mel." Tell me why you look terrified.

"I want to. But I need you to promise me, Nate… I need you to swear. Swear you won't do anything stupid?" Her voice shook me. It sounded desperate. "Promise me, Nate. Please."

Right here and now, I would promise her the world and then some. I just needed to soothe her.

"I promise you, princess."

Melissa averted her eyes from mine.

"I drew those today. I was hanging them up—you saw me. After we ate, I… I came back and kept going…" Mel explained how she'd noticed they matched each other, that she reorganized them to fit together like a puzzle. "That's when it… it hit me." she stammered. "I was in a basement, tied up. It was after Logan burned me—"

"Who the hell is Logan?"

"He's with them." With the Order. Well, he wouldn't be among the living much longer. Not when I got my hands on him. "I was in pain. Scared. Then he came in… and I pretended I was asleep, but—he… he didn't buy it and…"

"Logan?" I asked quietly.

"Nolan." She spat with venom. Melissa heaved. She pressed her face hard into my shoulder. Like she wanted to disappear into me. I knew the feeling. "You guys didn't say my mother was raped. You let me think Vincent and her had a fling." She whispered.

A pit in my stomach grew icy-cold. She got that memory back?

"I can't…" Mel breathed into my hoodie. "It's… too much."

"Mel." I whispered hollowly. "Mel. Please—what the fuck is too much? What are you saying?" what are you not saying?

That's when I felt something wet seep against my arm. She was crying. It wasn't her usual fit, she was quiet, not making a sound. I thought that after Pacey… her glands had shriveled up, no more tears.

"Did he touch you?" I gritted. Melissa sniffled against the cotton of my sweater. Her hands grabbed me where they could. I was unmoving, simply holding her close. "Did he rape you?" There. Like ripping off a band-aid.

"No," the word was muffled, and I felt relief seize me. "I thought he would," she kept going. Slowly, Melissa shared everything with me. I told her she should've ripped his tongue out. She didn't seem to listen, going on. By the end, I didn't want to torture Nolan. I wanted to put a bullet between his eyes, nice and easy, and be done with that piece of trash.

I had never felt this level of disgust. I wasn't angry, I was furious, but strangely calm. I'd done a lot of things, treated people—not just women—wrongly. Abused them, mind and body. I knew it was twisted, nothing excused my past, no matter how much I loved Mel or how much goodness she saw in me. Drew was awful to me, so, I decided to share my pain and abuse, making others feel as I felt. But I had never once forced myself on a girl, not even once thought about taking a woman against her will. Because among all the muck that were my morals, some were intact.

Nolan would burn in hell.

"Say something." She pleaded.

I didn't trust my voice. Instead, I pulled myself to the center of the bed and leaned back. Melissa was curled in my arms, chancing a glimpse at my face.

"You're so strong," I told her, wiping a wet trail below her right eye. "You're beautiful. You're talented and smart." I massaged her scalp, keeping her gaze. "You didn't deserve this, Melissa—any of it. I wish I could snap my fingers and put your life back together. Before the dirty secrets about your family, before you knew about the Hive and what your parents did." I closed a fist until my knuckles became paper white. "I want to kill him. I want to kill him and be done with everything. I want to set us free."

Melissa regarded me with misty eyes. She was miserable.

"You can't though." That's why she'd made me promise. This was bound to set me off, it must've been part of Nolan's plan. But Melissa lost those memories. "Not yet."

"Not yet." I agreed. My fist dissolved; I felt circulation return. "Hey," wiggling a finger beneath her chin, I tilted her head. "Don't hide from me. You have nothing to be ashamed of, swee—" I stopped. One more thing the bastard ruined. "Princess. What happened means nothing, okay? Nolan is an asshole. He wanted to scare you—to mess with your head. I know it's not easy, Mel. But if you break he wins."

She rested her head on my chest.

"I'm cold." She admitted. I started to shift onto my side, lowering her onto the mattress, so that we could change and get warmer. "Nate?" I turned to look at her. Melissa uncurled a bit, half sitting. "It feels like I should be… I don't know. More angry? More… something. Mostly I feel a numbness."

"I know the feeling." It was the feeling that made you want to throw yourself in a shredder just for kicks, because nothing seemed to hurt anymore. Melissa hugged her arms, checking me out from under her lashes. I tossed the hoodie back in the drawer, grabbing my flannel bottoms. I noticed her stealing glances once I lowered my jeans. This once, I didn't tease her. I unstrapped the knife and holder.

"Here," I gave her the sweater she'd been sleeping in. I turned around to give her privacy. It reminded me of when we camped near the road. The first time she slapped me.

"Done." Mel was hiding under the covers when I whirled

I crawled in, keeping a healthy distance, not knowing what type of contact she'd be okay with right now. She inched closer, though.

"Distract me. Tell me about your… huh… job at the party?"

I shifted onto my back, draping an arm underneath my head. I twisted my head to get a look at her face.

"Nothing happened. The only threat were sorority girls trying to hit on us. I forgot how annoying they could be." She perked an eyebrow at that. A little grin materialized on my face, "They meant nothing, princess. Don't get jealous about nobodies."

"Like you weren't jealous about Jensen?"

My eyes narrowed at the mention.

"That was different."

"No, it wasn't." I opened my mouth to argue… "No. Really. I gave it some thought after coming to terms with my memory loss. The only reason why I was attracted to him, was because Jensen reminded me of you." Mel snuggled closer. My arm found its way around her waist.

Ah, in that case… thank you what's-his-face?

"Hey…" I hushed in her ear about my bonding moment with Aric, reminding her that even though Nolan was a prick, Aric was a good brother and she was lucky to have him. She drifted off in my arms, soaking in our mutual warmth, while I stayed awake for hours telling myself she was safe. Even though some bleary corner of my fucked-up brain knew this could push her into doing some very stupid shit.

***

I woke up to an empty bed. My heart shrunk three sizes.

"Mel," I said groggily, kicking off the sheets and blanket. What time was it? I had a fucking migraine. When did I fall asleep? All those questions chased me as I made it outside, into the hallway. I didn't hear anyone. I walked for the bathroom…

A squeaking noise came from downstairs. I ran there. Melissa shut the door softly, like she didn't want to wake anyone. Anna was with her. Mel eyed me through sweaty bangs. They were wearing running gear, breathing deeply. Melissa's cheeks and forehead were flushed pink.

"What's wrong?"

This woman would be the death of me.

"I woke up and you were gone." I deadpanned.

"Anna and I went jogging." I delivered a 'no shit' look. "We talked about it last night—I forgot to mention it." I walked down the last few stairs. "We were only gone for fifteen minutes—twenty, tops."

Anna unhooked her phone from its armband. She tinkered with it before the screen came alive.

"Seventeen minutes and thirty-four seconds." Anna declared.

Melissa looked proud, while Anna's face scrunched in disappointment. She was bummed about her leg still being on the mend. A ringing sound—that wouldn't be bizarre to hear at other houses—sent the girls into stillness. It sent me into action. Next to the staircase was a large abstract painting, I darted for it, edging it away from the wall. I grabbed the stashed gun. Safety off, I shoved past the girls. Anna was tugging Melissa up the stairs. I edged closer to the door, leaning my shoulder against it as I reached for the knob, finger trained on the trigger.

I peered through the pee-hole.

An annoyed grunt tore itself from my throat. I grabbed the doorknob with a harsh motion, imagining I was tearing Reed's arm off. He was wearing a long black coat and matching dark gloves. His eyes didn't miss the gun I quickly hid behind the door.

"Expecting someone else?"

"Obviously we weren't expecting anyone. Period." The statement came out bitter.

Reed walked in without invitation. I shut the door with more force than required. I stood behind my former Informant for a second. Stomaching Reed's presence was hard. Every time he came into my life, bad news followed. Holding the gun loosely, I stepped around him, standing by the staircase. Melissa was leaning on the banister and Anna was sitting on a lower step.

"Why are you here?"

"The better question is," Aric's voice—rough with sleep—came from above. His hair was a mess, but his eyes were quickly losing their bleariness. "How did you find it?"

"It wasn't easy. This house's under Jeremy Bentley. But I was able to hack into Nathaniel's cell phone." Reed spared me a glance. "You got it from us, don't be surprised."

"Jeremy Bentley?" Mel muttered.

"Everything I own is under aliases. Aric King doesn't virtually exist, luv." Or else the Order members who'd been taken in would've spilled his name and Aric would've been hunted down. This way, they could say his name, but he wouldn't be listed.

Reed slipped a hand into a pocket, producing a card with scribbles on it. He held it out for me to take. I eyed it wearily, recognizing the handwriting before snatching it and reading it.

"Your parents have returned from London."

"And what? Is the Queen dead?" Reed's eyebrows squared in distaste. "I just assumed they were planning on going through every monarchy rank."

"Your parents killed a monarch?" Melissa asked in disbelief.

"No," Anna and Reed said at once, far too quickly. I contained a smirk. Mel looked between us—incredulous.

"No." Reed repeated, hoping to dissolve Mel's mistrust and sweep the subject under a rug. "Your parents are here—in New York. They want to meet with you at the place and hour on that card."

"Why?" I was asking a stupid question. I knew why John and Susan wanted to see me.

"They didn't say." Reed countered smoothly, just as he was instructed to. "But maybe it has something to do with you asking me to mobilize a crew to do a cleanup job." And, you know, talking me into rejoining the Hive.

My brown eyes deviated from the card with the hotel and time table for my family reunion, just as Reed twisted around, walking for the door. I didn't bother asking what would happen if I didn't show up. My parents would use some strong measures to drag me.

After the door shut behind the Informant, Mel's voice floated from behind me, "Seriously... They killed a prince or princess?"

I couldn't hold in a chuckle.