sᴇʟғɪsʜ~ʟᴇɢᴀᴄɪᴇs {slow updates}

THIRTEEN

I wake up in the exact same position I'd fallen asleep in, sitting up I look around confused was I dreaming or had I just woken up after everyone else. The hall was completely empty, "Kai?" I call out confused, "Hope? MG? anyone? Shape shifting dream demon you here?" I step towards the door tentatively before I see something on the ground.

"Kai?!" I drop the bloody knife suddenly and take off running, "Kai, oh my god!" She's pale and looks lifeless as she lays on the ground her hands clutching her bloody stomach. I step towards her and she flinches making me stop. "How could you have done this?" I feel my own face pale at her words. I did this? No I couldn't have. I would never.

"Wat are you talking about, I- I didn't do this." I try taking another step towards her, "STOP! Stay away from me!" My face falls at the pure fear on her face but I nod and step back. "I'm so sorry Kiara, I love you so much and I would never ever hurt you."

"That's a lie." I jump at the new sound, it's the hag she's stood behind me. "You want to hurt your sister." I shake my head at her words. "I don't." I reply. "You do, and you feel guilty but you want her power, you crave it and you will kill her to get it." I shake my head once more as I ignore the poisonous words, also ignoring how my eyes burn at the sight of my sister dying on the ground.

"You're defective, with no real power of your own. You walk around like an addict desperate for a hit. You're jealous of your perfect sister and all the power that she poses. you want it, you need it, you crave it. You will take it because you're no better than your greedy father. You know this is how it will end."

I glance down at my hands for a moment crying as I see the blood staining them, I don't want this, I never want this. "You don't know anything." I say as I think clearly, "This isn't real, I'm not a monster." I assure myself before turning to the hag.

"You don't scare me."

"I don't need to, you're scared enough of the monster within." Her words hit me for a moment before I shake my head and quickly reach forward to grab her.

I shoot up from the ground looking around to see the others doing the same. "Kai." I try to comfort her as she shoots up but then I see it, she flinches away from me, fear in her eyes. Just like in my dream, she was scared of me. I feel a pit in my stomach knowing our worst fears were the same, knowing she was scared I would hurt her for her power.

I get up and back away wordlessly as she realises she wasn't dreaming anymore, "Arabella..." She calls out weakly but I've already moved across the gymnasium. I look around for Hope but I don't see her.

But I do see MG and he sees my face so without saying a word he wraps an arm around me and lets me hide my face in his shoulder. He doesn't say anything but he holds me and rubs my back as the boys converse.

"I grabbed the monster, like MG said, but I-I don't know if it worked. And where is Hope?" I lift my head and turn to the others at Landon's panicked ramble.

"She was in my dream, and then, I don't know, she was gone." Rafael says making my brows furrow, why the hell was he seeing Hope in his dream?

"Wait. Wh-What was Hope doing in your dream?" Landon asks Raf who looks panicked. "The usual, just being a badass." He was lying I could tell, the fear and guilt on his face let me know. He liked Hope, and of course he did why wouldn't he?

At that moment Hope and the demon come crashing in mid fight, "Pretty much like that." Rafael adds to his lie. Stay back, guys, I got this." Hope assures us all before jumping and tackling the demon to the ground. I begin to worry once it begins choking her but Uncle Ric runs in with a crossbow and arrow. He throws the arrow to hope and shouts eyes and so she snaps the arrow and stabs the demon in the eyes making them pour with blood before it turned to dust.

***

"You alright?" I look up to see it's MG, he looks down at me in concern but I nod, "fine." I shrug before looking back down my at my book. "Yes?" I ask looking back up once he sighs, "Come on Bella, you would not be studying right now if you were ok."

"She's scared of me," He looks confused, "We had the same dream MG, Kiara is just as scared of me as I am. I know that she loves me but her worst fear is that I'd hurt her. I can't face her and my mom is still out, Hope is happy with Landon and Jed is... Jed. I think it's better I don't run to him every time I feel sad and so I'm alone."

He sighs again and sits beside me, "You're never alone, you have me Arabella, always." I smile at him as he wipes my eyes and nod before leaning my head on his shoulder. "I love you Milton, Lizzie doesn't know what she's missing out on." I say making him laugh slightly. "Love you too AP." My nose scrunches at the nickname he knew I hated. "I thought we agreed to never use that nickname again." I say looking up at him making him shrug.

"You throw Milton around enough to deserve it."

"MG? Do you think I would give in and take Kai's power?" He shakes his head without missing a beat, "never, I don't think you'd ever hurt her, we've all seen the way you always put her before yourself. You're a good person Ari have more faith in yourself."

"Thanks MG, now if you excuse me I've got find somewhere to crash for the night."

"No more studying?" He asks, "nah I've done enough."

***

"Oh hey." I jump slightly after bumping into Raf, I had decided to just crash in my cousins room cause I knew they wouldn't care.

"What are you still doing up? You do remember we still have our exams tomorrow?" He asks, "I know, I was just doing some last minute studying, why are you up though?"

"Can't sleep." He shrugs making me nod, this was awkward. "Hey are you ok? I didn't have time to ask at the time, but you looked really shaken up once you woke up." I nod, "no I'm fine, I know we all saw some awful things but I don't know I just can't get it out of my mind?"

"Was it your dad again?" I shake my head, "no, no it wasn't him, it was something else. I don't really feel like talking about it." I shrug feeling as though I didn't need to speak about it after my talk with MG.

He nods and then neither of us say anything, "well I'm gonna go, need a good nights rest for the test tomorrow and all that." I say about to leave when he suddenly latches his hand around my wrist and pulls me back into him before kissing me. 

"I'm sorry." He says shaking his head after letting me go. "It's ok." I say looking up at him to see he was already looking at me. 

I think a small part of me knew that he wasn't as into me as I was him and that he was only kissing me to try and rid himself his feelings of hope, but in that moment I didn't really care because it was nice to pretend to be wanted.