As Time Passes By

Chapter eighteen: blood and travel

"Elle?"

A voice startled me awake, making me drift off to the land of dreams.

My neck and face were sweating like hell, as if I had a fever radiating off my body. But no, I'm mentally and physically fine.

I titled my head up, realizing that we're still in the airport, waiting for our flight.

"You're sweating like hell, Elle." Layla blurted as she wiped out my sweats with her scarf.

Even when there is air conditioning, my body is just as stubborn as stupidity. I pinched the bridge of my nose before sitting up straight and chewing my gum that was sitting on my mouth ever since I fell asleep.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse with sleep.

Layla's eyebrows furrowed as if she was disappointed with something. But it isn't disappointment, I'm sure.

"Layla, you can't hide from me–"

"Noelle, can you please tell me about this?"

She pulled out my phone, which was unlocked to messenger, revealing millions of chat bubbles from Noah.

I raised an eyebrow, not even trying to look at what he chatted with. I don't want to see or read what he kept sending me; not on this time.

I took my phone and placed it inside my purse. I chewed my gum once again, which smelled like my saliva.

Disgusting as fuck.

"Elle.." Layla patted my back as she spoke. She knows, stupidity. She knows fucking well.

"Layla, if you want to keep me safe or whatever you want to do with me, I'm fine! I'm proud of myself being this way!" I spoke up, my voice almost betraying the lies of my nature.

I'm not proud of being this way, I want to be.. me once more; no worries, no love, no care to the world.

Layla sighed before rubbing her cheek.

I mean, she's the oldest out of all of us even if Giselle and her are both sixteen. She has the most responsibility when it comes to us; the heiresses of the Nichols.

Even when she isn't actually the oldest, God only knows where the hell Shea is. I never knew her, nor I ever seen her face. The first but the one who failed to be Nama's perfect sucessor.

After thirty minutes, our plane finally came.

"Finally!" Giselle came out of nowhere with a hint of tiredness in her voice.

When I realized all my cousins, including the boys, were all behind Layla and I. Ridiculous.

I rose from my seat and rushed over to one of my favorite dudes; Liam.

He's crazy as hell out of six of the other boys that were like his minions even when we're all just cousins in one surname.

"How are you, man?" I asked as we did the same handshake we invented since we were ten.

"Three years passed, and you still know this." Liam chuckled, his voice betraying a british accent.

I frowned when I heard his voice. His accent had transformed, not like before that he betrays nothing but a filipino accent.

Well, not gonna lie. He had been staying in England for a literal fourteen years and he just visited Philippines a month ago so he could explore his real country.

We got to the boarding gate after 30 minutes of standing in line with an annoyed expression on each of our faces.

As we got to the plane, it was surpringly empty. Did the people die?

"Did you kill the people here, Liam?" I asked, my voice clear on confusion and a demand of answer.

Then, Miki came running between us before her arms snaked behind both of me and Liam's neck.

"Nama booked the entire plane for just the twelve of us to relax, and enjoy our asses off." She said before pushing us to our seats which was random.

Liam and I looked at each other, confused and shocked at the same time. "Well, have fun." Miki patted my head before sitting on her own seat at the back, leaving me and Liam have a moment of silence.

Eventually, we started chit chatting about our life being crap shit but I never mentioned him about how Nama forced me to love someone and I fell harder than I broke my nose when I tried to scooter on a long staircase and ended up in the hospital with several broken nose bones. But hey! My nose is still perfect.

Timmy

This day is shit.

Shit. Fucking, crappy shit.

Noah got fed up badly and eventually started breaking things like a maniac.

Right now, I'm currently trying to contact Noelle while June tries to calm Noah down even when he almost hit him with a vase.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Noah roared in anger at June when he tried to take his hand to his which just made Noah even angrier.

Calling Noelle was no use.

She probably got her device on airplane mode since this was the day she was leaving. And Noah doesn't even know.

Right now, June and I had to be fuckin' caution and alerted from all the flying things Noah would throw. Or even a bullet would be possible.

"Noah, calm down–"

"Timmy, how the fucking hell would I calm down?! She hadn't answered my calls and messages for almost 3 fucking days!" Noah yelled before flipping the table off with extreme pressure.

His madness betrays no lies; he was fucking for real. I have never seen the heir of the Armstrongs being such a maniac just because his girl wasn't answering him. But I'll be serious, they're not even together.

Then, he grabbed a gun. You heard me; a fucking gun. I gulped my saliva hard that it could hurt my throat from the pressure I added.

June stood there, frozen in terror as his breathing kept hitching on thinking the worst-case scenarios.

I didn't take hesitation and grabbed June to run outta there.

"We're gonna die!" June cried as we ran to the great halls of the Armstrong mansion; trying to find Noah's mama or even just his sister to calm him down.

We reached his sister's room and banged the door hard enough to make it echo the entire hall. The door opened, and June got on his knees with his eyes spilling tears while I just looked at the scene unfolding infront of me.

"Naomi, please! Your brother is going crazy!" June cried while his breathing hitched from all the sobbing he entered while we ran.

Naomi's eyes widened slightly as if she had saw a demon behind us.

I turned around, shocked from what I saw. In fact, Noah was there, holding not a gun, but a dagger; his wrists was bleeding like hell and he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Noah!" I yelped my last words before he eventually came crashing to the ground, his wrists bleeding like hell.

Naomi, June and I ran to his side after a second of him crashing down.

My hands were shivering as I covered his wounds, trying to stop the flow of the warm blood.

This dude is going crazy over Noelle, I'm sure..