After You Left

Chapter 18

I stare at the mansion, my hand rests on the car handle. “Should I help with your bags Mrs. Hammet?” I flinch at the nickname.
 
“No it’s fine, thank you for coming all the way here with me.” I say with a nod, the driver whose name is Lucas nods back.
 
“Mr. Hammet helped me a lot, anything for someone he cares for.” Lucas  says kindly.
I give him one last smile before getting out and swing my bag over my shoulder, the few steps to the door seem long but take very few seconds to reach, before I knock the door is opened and I am instantly being squeezed in a hug by Liv.

"Oh my God, you actually came, I'm so happy you're here." Liv says excitedly.

I squeeze her back. "Thought that it would be better if I came to help you guys with the whole problem you guys had."

Liv pulls away, her face streaked with tears.

"Why are you crying?" I ask worried and I hug her again, Lic chuckles.

"I'm 2 months in, my emotions are slightly everywhere." Liv says, it takes me a moment to register her words before I squeal excitedly. "There's a surprise for you, come on!" Liv says smiling and drags me inside.

She takes me to the kitchen where Drew and James along with 2 girls and a boy I have never seen before yell a "surprise".

I smile and hug Drew and James who apologize again for the other night, the other people in the room introduced themselves, a girl with honey blonde hair and eyes as blue as the ocean, 17 years old says her name is Alexa, the boy was the exact splitting image of the girl, twins, Alex and the other girl also 17, eyes as dark as a stormy sky with straight raven black hair, she has the same features as Davina and him, Thalia.

Liv mouths a "I'll explain you later", I roll my eyes and we start eating the welcome home cake.

"I want to kiss you towards the edge but not let you finish and you become a mess while begging me to let you finish, I want to take you against the wall, I want to feel you in the shower, I want to place you in a jacuzzi and be inside you, I want to play dirty with you." His voice was sensually low.

It's been nearly a full 24 hours since I've left.

"You good love?" Drew asks with a tap on my shoulder, I put my smile back on.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired." I turn to Liv. "I seriously could use some sleep."

Liv laughs. "Of course Lea, anyways this is after all still your house, get some rest." I smile and leave the kitchen, each step is heavier than the other as I get closer to the room, I turn the knob and my heart stops.

Memories flood in and I shut the door and slide down it bringing my knees up to my chest and hugging them.
The walls close in, my lungs stop functioning and everything feels wrong, I shouldn't have come back, I'm not ready to be here.

My phone rings and I take it out of my bag, another call from Dylan, I hesitantly pick it up and place the phone against my ear.

"Oh dear God Lea, I'm sorry, please don't shut me out, I never meant to hurt you." Dylan says panicking, a sob breaks out of me and I hear his own breathing stop. "Lea what's wrong? Talk to me."

"It's too much." I say sobbing and trying to get my breathing to go normal, the sky is dark out, the windows are blowing in icy cold air, a shiver runs through me. "I can't breathe."

I hear movement on the other side of the line. "Just listen to the guitar alright." And he starts playing, I can't focus on it a lot.

The guitar flows gently through me and I let it be my anchor, I let my lungs breathe slowly and the walls stop closing in on me, another sob breaks out of me.

"I'm sorry Lea, I didn't mean for it to go like this." Dylan says calmly from the other side.

"I just wish you had told me about it Dyl, I was supposed to ask you to come with me here, I wanted you to be here with me." My voice breaks slightly.

"What happened?" Dylan asks worried.

"They had a surprise thing planned, everything was great." I say with a sigh and a hiccup. "It's too overwhelming here."

"Did you eat anything?" Dylan asks worried.

"Some cake." I say and get up, I see white dots for a few seconds and I hold on to the door for support.

"You're lightheaded aren't you, get some food Lea, I know it's hard to be there but just know that he'd be proud of what you achieved." Dylan says worried.

A knock on the door gets my attention.

"I'll call back, I promise." Dylan says assuringly before cutting the call, I wipe away my tears and shuffle the duvet before opening the door, a maid is standing there causing me to frown.

"I have been told to hand you this." She hands me an envelope before walking away, I frown as I turn the envelope over but there's no name, I open it.

"Let the games begin"

I turn the letter over again but there's absolutely nothing else on it.

Than Liv comes rushing in, her face full of panic. "Have you seen Connor, he was supposed to be with the babysitter but she said that you had asked for him."

I frown. "No I haven't see him, what's wrong Liv?"
She starts to hyperventilate. "We can't find him anywhere." She says as tears run down her face,

I grab her shoulders. "Breathe, we'll find him." I say confidently and we head off opposite ways, I open every door I come across.

I open the last door of the halls that is the farthest from everything, it's too dark and the moment I get in I see movements before I'm being hit on the head with something and I feel something wet trickling down the back of my head before the world turns upside down and blackness takes over.