What really happened to Winter’s mother.
I stared in horror at the being that stood in front of me.
His red eyes glowed, and the silver light washed over his face, making him look ghastly as he sneered.
“You know,” Dante said, smirking, “you would’ve been quite the accomplice, Amelia.”
“I don’t want any part of your psychopathic charade,” I snapped, gripping my fists tighter. “You murdered me for starters. Your own daughter. That, and you hurt my mother. Abused her. For YEARS!”
“What makes you think that, huh?” Dante tipped his head to the side, smile angling to the right. “Who told you these stories, Amelia?”
“My mom did,” I growled. “And she tells the truth.”
His lashes lowered, making me boil inside. “Ah... so,” he held out his hand to the woman who laid next to him, “she told you this?”
Mom was gasping, her eyes glistening with fear. I could tell what they said, Run.
But I wasn’t going to. Dante hurt my mother, and he was going to learn his lesson.
All the sudden, he turned to my mom, smiling like the devil he was.
“You told her that, huh? My very own wife betrayed me?”
He rose something... something metal... it took too long for me to recognize that it was a gun...
My eyes widened and I called out to my mom, running after her…
Boom.
I was too late...
Something cold consumed me as I froze in place, breaths straining.
“Now,” Dante said, blowing the hole of the pistol, “that problem is out of the equation.”
Gasping, I stared down at my mom who was still laying on the ground...
Blood dripped from the middle of her forehead onto the stone floors...
After a moment of shock, I called her while darting straight toward her limp body... Cried for her when I cradled her in my arms like a child in need of protection... but there was no response...
And Dante was laughing... I was crying...
I would’ve screamed in pure agony, but someone caught a hold of my waist... holding me up like I would’ve fallen through the ground...
She held me tight while Dante laughed, too busy to acknowledge the girl that held me...
“We have to go, Amil…” she whispered. “Come on, while he’s distracted.”
Sophia.
She had to pry me away from my mother, and covered my mouth so I wouldn’t scream at her. She whispered, “Evanescent,” and we both vanished from the abandoned hospital.
The world turned black, the living room of our apartment fading back into my sight.
Sophia had taken my arm before I collapsed and guided me to the couch, gesturing for me to lay down.
I had only known her for two months… and the trust was still building, but I willingly climbed onto the sofa after she sat down and rested my head on her lap.
She hummed some lullaby she sang to her younger siblings when they were scared, stroking my hair to calm me… Sophia told me the tune was made for her siblings because I asked her why she only knew that one song, and why she always sang it when I was scared.
“What should I tell Winter…?” I whispered in sorrow. “He’s going to tell her that mom killed herself… He did that with me when he killed me.”
“Amil,” Sophia said gently, “he was trying to intimidate you.”
“I know…” I responded, “but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier.”
She only continued stroking my hair. “Close your eyes.”
I shook my head. “No… you know what will happen. I’ll have a nightmare and wake up screaming. The neighbors will slam on the door again.”
“I don’t care about the neighbors,” Sophia stated boldly, though gently. “Now close those eyes.”
I sighed, not wanting to listen but ended up going against myself.
“Good,” she responded. “Now I want you to imagine an ocean.”
“I hate the ocean.”
“Then imagine a lake.”
“I hate the lake, too.”
She chuckled. “Then what do you like? Where’s your safe space?”
I opened an eye slit. “Here.”
“I meant in your head, Amil,” Sophia responded in amusement.
“Here,” I said again.
She only sighed. “What do you want me to do right now, Amil? I’m trying to help.”
“You are helping,” I responded faster than I meant. “Just being here helps. When Winter and I were separated, I felt like I had no one because Dante shoved all my friends away, you know? I had trouble connecting back with Winter, even.”
“Look at you two now,” Sophia suggested. “She was so happy to see—”
“That’s not what I meant, Soph,” I urged. “I meant I like it here…” I felt my cheeks heat a little, “with you.”
“Aww,” she responded, smiling slightly, “that was cute. Your cheeks turned red and everything.”
I turned my face into her lap. “Shut up. Don’t be mean.”
She chuckled under her breath.
“I think you came off as very shy to my sister and her boyfriend, though.”
“Yeah,” Sophia responded. “That’s always my goal.”
I looked up at her then. “You purposely do that?”
She shrugged.
“Why? Isn’t it better for you to not be shy?”
“Acting shy gives others a false sense of what personality you have,” she responded. “So when I’m attacked, I have a better chance of stunning them with my actual personality before killing them.”
I giggled softly. “I love how you said ‘killing’ so naturally.”
She was silent, just continued to stroke my hair.
“Anyway,” I said, “you acted very sketchy when you met me. At school?”
“I was trying to hook you,” she responded.
I blinked. “Why?”
“Because you were in danger. When you got home, your mom was in a meeting and your sister was in some club. You were all alone. I bet that day you would’ve died, Amil.”
“I did, though.”
“You’re alive now,” she stated.
“So I’m a zombie?” I said.
She chuckled. “I guess, yeah.” She grabbed a pillow and gently brought it down onto my face before taking it away. “Now go to sleep.”
“What was that for?” I questioned.
“Go—to—sleep.”
“Fine, fine.” I rolled over onto her lap. “Good night, Soph.”
“Good night, Amil.”
258Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjUyO5ryve
Author's note:258Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7BJD9fC2Y
Told you it'd get dark :p258Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Y9ELqeeI1
The fluff made up for it in my opinion258Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtPotLbUak
