Life is Liz (LiL, #1)

Chapter 11: Late Night Activities

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Tina, once again. 'Cause there's this best friends moment which she is quite familiar with.

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They've promised that dreams can come true-but forgot to mention that nightmares are dreams, too. - Oscar Wilde

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I was running.

Running in the darkness. Someone was chasing me. I was running away. I heard footsteps. First they were slow, like the person was walking, but as I quickened my pace, he did too. I could see a shadow in the distance. A person. But I couldn't see his face.

I screamed from the top of my lungs, never turning around. Always the same words. "Help me! Please! There's someone chasing me! Please help!" I neared the person. It was a man. He was tall, had dark hair, and was well built. I could still hear the footsteps as I approached the man. "Please. I'm begging you. Help me!"

But the man just stood there and then he told me: "Run. You have to run." He held both my shoulders in a strong grip, making me gasp.

I was trembling and confused. But for some reason I said: "No, not before you don't tell me why!" And then the footsteps stopped and the man in front of me smiled mischievously at me. I was afraid and tried to get out of his grip, but he wouldn't budge. Then a second man appeared taking one of my arms in his strong hands.

I started screaming. Screaming at the top of my lungs. They turned me around, holding either of my arms, making me face the person I was running from. My pursuer. And what I saw took my breath away.

It was me. Hiding behind a tree or a bush, watching us with scared eyes. Why wasn't she helping me? Why wasn't I helping myself?

I was still screaming as one of them placed one hand over my mouth. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, princess. Now tell me, which would you prefer?" he whispered in my ear, his hot breath skimming my exposed skin.

Suddenly we were surrounded by people. There were my family. My parents. My aunt. My sister. Logan. Jo. I couldn't understand why they weren't helping me. They were just standing there, staring at us. At ME.

"Answer me, slut!" he yelled and took his hand away from my mouth. My vision got blurry and I let out a sob. "Look at that, the fat pig is crying."

Suddenly the man was replaced by someone else. Thalia. I looked up at her, it felt like I was six again. I felt so small under her gaze. So helpless. She smiled sickly sweet at me. "Missed me?"

The man on my other side suddenly grabbed a fistful of my hair, making me yelp as he pulled. "Now slut, would you please answer the goddamn question?!" he yelled into my ear.

"Which?" I sobbed. I was so confused.

"Why are you hiding?!" he pointed to my doppelganger behind a tree. "Why are you so selfish and aren't doing anything!? You're the most selfish and weakest person I ever saw on this goddamn planet!" he yelled into my ear once again, "You are running away! You are all but the opposite of brave!" And sure enough my doppelganger did exactly what he had said.

I ran away.

I sobbed and sobbed, letting the tears fall, not even trying to hold them back.

Suddenly all the people surrounding us started to yell at each other. I squeezed my eyes together. I couldn't take it anymore. "STOP!" I screamed over and over again until everything was silent. I opened my eyes again as I was pushed roughly against a wall. I yelped. Someone appeared in front of me.