Faceless [H.S]

Lovebug. 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I woke up on the floor of my kitchen, with absolutely no recollection of how I even fell asleep there. The cold tiles were not comfortable, and my body was violently sore. I stretched out my limbs from my curled up position, slowly sitting up and looking around, trying to adjust to the sudden light coming in from the windows. I reached for my phone in my pockets, trying to turn it on when I realized it was dead. Shit. I rose to my feet and went to my bedroom, reaching for the charger by the desk by the window and plugging it in. Waiting for it to turn on, I decided to take a shower. I really didn't want to even think about last night but it kept replaying in my head. Liam. The shooting. The sounds... God. My heart felt like it couldn't even fucking function properly.

I stripped out of my clothes, letting it pile at my feet against the bathroom floor. I leaned over and I made sure to put the water on the hottest setting whilst I removed my ponytail. I removed my extensions, looking at myself in the big mirror above my sink. Christ, I looked terrible. My skin was dry, my makeup was crusty. I fell asleep with fake lashes and woke up without them. I had no idea where they were. My eyes were red, lips dry. My hair was also so short and dry, against my shoulders and needing some care.

I needed some care.

I finally got into the shower. The warmth of the water hit my exposed body, causing me to sigh in relief. My muscles loosened. I closed my eyes, putting my entire body under the shower head. It engulfed me entirely, and I could feel my body relax for the first time in a while.

I took this time to just enjoy the comfortability of my own home, my own time. I was so overwhelmed by everything around me, I forget to properly take care of myself. I washed my hair and cleansed my body in an array of vanilla scents before finally finishing, wrapping myself in a towel and walking back to the room, going to my phone. I went to my call log and saw a couple missed calls from Julie from last night.

I called her back quickly, anxiety coursing through me. The phone rang for a couple seconds.

"Hello?" She asked, voice low.

A calmness washed over me and I closed my eyes. "I'm so, so happy to hear your voice, J."

"Val," she said, suddenly. Her voice was louder, now. "Are you okay? Oh my god--"

"A-are you?" I asked.

"I, I mean I'm holding up," she breathed. "Last night was... a lot of people... dead... I just, I thought you were gone too. I didn't hear from you."

"My phone was dead," I explained. "I'm so happy you're okay."

"Me too, lovebug, me too."

I was so happy to know she was alive and well. It was the best news I had heard in a while.

"What's going to happen with the club?" I asked.

"I don't know, honey. Now it's a crime scene. Luckily enough I was one of the first people who escaped the..." She paused. I knew what she meant. "They arrested one guy, but I know there was multiple... they didn't get them yet. It's all over the news."

I sighed, putting my head down. "Fuck."

"Just relax and stay home. It was... a lot. I'm mortified. I don't even want to continue working if they do fix the club up. Who knows what's going to happen to Cloud Nine?"

The club was what I had, I couldn't lose it, too.

"Damn it," I sighed. "But you're okay. You're okay. That's good to me."

It was quiet.

"Valerie, just take time to take care of yourself. Don't worry about Cloud Nine... you always work so hard. Just cry, let it out, get drunk, sleep, do anything. Let yourself heal from what the fuck happened last night... time is what's going to heal us."

I laughed a bit. "I wish I believed you."

"You don't have to, but deep down, you know I'm right."

I smiled to myself. I could hear a sniffle from the other end.

"Valerie, life is so precious, you don't realize it until death is right there."

Her words made my body freeze. She let out another sniffle, letting me know she was crying. My heart sank. "I'm sorry," I consoled her. I never saw her break down like this, it made me want to cry, too. "Take care of yourself, Julie."

"You too, love you," she said.

"Love you too."

With that, we hung up. My nose stung, eyes quickly filling to the brim with tears... again. Fuck, I was on an emotional rollercoaster. I needed release, I needed to let out all of these emotions. I lay back on my bed, grabbing my pillow and gripping it tight as if it was someone beside me. I couldn't remember the last time I lay next to someone and felt loved and appreciated. It was probably with my sister. I missed her a lot. I never let myself think about Vivian, I always accepted that she just couldn't live with my father. She ran away from home when she was fourteen. That was the last I heard from her. No note, no message, nothing. I knew she couldn't handle the abuse our father put us through, I knew she was fending for herself, but fuck--she left me there. Left me there up until he was dead. Did she even know he was gone? Did she see him on the news? He was brutally murdered a year after she left. I found his body. God, he was demolished. Beyond repair. The news said that it was done by Faceless. How could it not be? I remember his body in that bed, his neck, his mouth.

I trembled, chills running down my back, sobbing. I hated my father, but I didn't want to see him like that. I was only seventeen.

And I wanted to hate Viv, I wanted to hate her for leaving me there. But I feel like it was all my fault. She was my little sister--she was waiting for me to do something. God knows I tried, I tried so hard. I fought back, I let myself take it... the rape, the fucking misery. So she wouldn't. I feel like I failed her. We used to be best friends. That was my partner in crime. I really wished in this moment, she was here right now. She'd probably laugh at me for being so emotional. She always found humor in our situations, I was always the stern one.

I shuddered in thought, my tears waterfalls. I couldn't even control the cry gripping me. I wanted this nightmare to end. I wanted to sleep and never wake the fuck up.

Naked and bare in my sheets--I cried and gasped until nothing was left in me.