Francesca Romano

Chapter 54 | Bow and Arrow

Francesca's point of view.

Cold. Wet. Bear foot. My eyes flickered open to see trees all around me. My head was killing me. I tried to pull my hands to rub my eyes but I was tied. Zip tied. I looked at my hands and tried pulling but it was too tight. It was dark out, only the moon shining down. I knew this place. Piedmont woods the lake shouldn't be too far out. I stood up and leaned against a tree trying to find out where I was exactly. The main streets should be near, opposite side of the lake. "Good you're up." I heard steps come up from behind, until someone walked in front of me with a hood on. "I know your voice." I said trying to look under the hood as she pulled in back and posed with her hands in her hair. "Gabby." I sighed. "Gabriele." She corrected me. "Bitch." I said back through a laugh.

My laugh was cut short as she punched me in the mouth, dropping me to my knees again. I lifted my bound hands and pulled my wet hair out of my face as I looked up to her. "No more jokes, tonight's your last night getting in my way." She pulled gloves out of her back pocket and as I looked closer I noticed a bow and arrows strapped to her back. "I used to practice Archery. Fun times." I leaned back against the tree as she just stared at me. "So where's the apple to place on my head." She bent down in front of me and pulled my hair with her gloved hand and forced her face close to mine.

"I'm going to kill you. Stop acting like I won't." I laughed in her face as she let go. "Maybe you will kill me, Gabby." She turned around and pulled off the Bow from her back. "Kill the girl, get the guy right?" I asked, wiping my lip. "Exactly. I get the guys." I lowered my head thinking about what she just said. "Guys? You want a King as well?" She scoffed. "Who wouldn't? Marry Reid because of love, and King will follow, give me all the money and protection I need." I couldn't help but laugh which ticked her off more, she landed another punch. I hung my head low, trying to keep awake, a grin couldn't help but plaster my face.

"That is so stupid. I mean good plan, if the girl wasn't me. I have King, and we both know Reid follows King. I mean Reid let you walk home to a different city, and you think he loves you." I lifted my head to see water brim her eyes and she fixed the arrow to sit right. "You're nothing but his jealous whore." She aimed for my chest. "So say you kill me, then what?" I shrugged. "Bury you far away." I slip out the blood from my busted lip. "And when I don't come home? Let's say the boys don't want to find me, fine. You think my mom and brother will stop? My mom has their parents on some sort of friendship leash, so Enzo and Andrea will help find me, Then King follows, then Reid." She didn't say anything, leaving me to carefully look around. Not long before I noticed the woods moving. The reflection of the woods moving on the face of the lake. "I'm still going to kill you." She said pulling back the bowstring, I sighed and stood up.

"Shoot." I could tell she was scared as I moved closer to her, ready to run away behind her. She was shaking so I took the opportunity to push the bow and arrow out of her hand and run. My feet were already in pain from just a few steps on rocks, mud, thrones and sticks. I could hear her running close behind me but I didn't stop running.

Before I Knew it I felt a sharp pain in my stomach causing me to fall and trip into a ditch. I could hear her still running so I rolled over onto my back quickly but I screamed as the arrow pushed through from my back side. I quickly cover my hands over my mouth. Tears came from my eyes. She slowed down and moved closer to me. I panicked and carefully pulled a rock from the ground and threw it the opposite direction from me and listened as she ran away from me.

I took slow steady breaths and placed my bound hands down around the arrow holding pressure. I slowly stood up and climbed out of the ditch. I didn't see her but I still took careful steps towards the water. I could hear the cars speeding past a few feet of trees and a wide lake. I looked down at the arrow and pressed harder as blood kept pumping out. I dipped my feet in the water and the water was cold. I had no choice but to run, as I heard Gabby's steps approaching me. The water was deep but shallow enough for me to run through. My hands never left my sides as I was soon scared of bleeding out. My heart was thumping in my chest. The salty water cascaded around me as I pushed through, my feet touching everything at the bottom of the lake.

By the time I made it to the other side I was so tired but didn't stop, I kept running through the mud until I saw an open road. I ran across it to the sidewalk but tripped on my own foot, falling face first. The arrow had shifted back inside me. I screamed in pain as I rolled to my side. Each breath I took now hurt like a stab to the throat. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I was done fighting. I'm done hurting.