Forever

Five

Allison's POV

I exit the tattoo parlor and run a hand through my ponytail. I look down at my wrist, welcoming the slight pain left over from the constant jabbing of needles.

Remember.

A constant reminder of the fact that I need to be careful. That I need to remember all that has happened in order to stop it from repeating.

Ehh, enough with all this sappy crap. Now I want to do something fun!

I look to my left and notice a park about 20 meters down the road. It has giant green trees and a few cherry blossoms. Small shrubs line the gaps between the trunks, blue and purple flowers littered amongst the leaves.

I smile to myself and begin walking towards the peaceful area, watching as a few children on scooters ride down the paths.

I sit down on one of the park benches, the serene atmosphere calming my jittery nerves. I sigh quietly and lean back against the wooden back support, closing my eyes briefly.

"There you are!"

I open my eyes and groan loudly in frustration. I run my hands over my face before looking to my left to see my old friend.

"Freya."

She frowns and slaps my arm. Hard.

"Don't 'Freya' me Alice! It's been 4 months since you ran away from me, when will you get it through your thick skull that the vampire bastard won't kill me? I'm like, way to pretty."

I frown and roll my eyes in disbelief.

"I'm not thick headed, I'm keeping you safe."

"Keeping me safe would be sticking close to help defend me if he does come. Not abandoning me in the middle of winter so I have to track you down all over again. This is the 3rd time this year."

"That time I went grocery shopping does not count. And I still don't see the problem. You're not my mother and I don't have to listen to you."

"I'm not your mother. But I did know her. Stop being such a brat and take that stick out of your arse, Alice."

I scoff and stand up, walking down the path away from her. I hear the patter of her feet as she follows me.

"Alice."

I ignore her and keep walking, glancing to my right as she comes up next to me.

"Alice. Aaaaalliiicceeee. ALICE!!!"

I stop and slowly turn to face her, a murderous glare frozen on my face.

"Shut up Freya. I'm kind of not welcome in this city so if you want to kill me, by all means, keep screaming my damn name for everyone to hear. I'm sure it will end well for the both of us."

She goes silent. I start walking again, quickening my pace. I glance back to see the redhead still standing there, looking down at her bracelet. It sparkles in the sunlight, not a hint of its age visible.

"You don't need to be so harsh. I'm never going to leave you Alice. I'd like to think I'm your best friend. We're stuck together until the end."

I nod once, and advance towards her, stopping just short of her.

"I'm sorry. It's just been so stressful with Julian and-"

"Wait wait wait. Who the fuck is Julian?"

I frown at her language choice and cross my arms.

"Julian is the guy I've been staying with. Werewolf, immortal, handsome. You get the drift."

It's her turn to frown at me as she grabs my shoulders so we are at arms length.

"Alice. You know that's dangerous business."

"He's not like them Freya. He's nice, and he's given me a place to stay."

"And what does he expect in return, huh? Have you even thought of that Alice? Jesus, after last time you'd think you would learn."

I bristle at the thought, violent memories flashing up in my mind. Screaming, blood, shots being fired. It's all so vivid, so surreal. My breathing becomes shallow, my head lighter than a cloud.

"Freya." I whisper, watching as the ginger girl turns towards me with shock. She desperately reaches for me as I collapse. I see the look of fear on her face, her worry evident in the creases on her forehead. She smiles down painfully at me, my eyes struggling to stay open.

"It's okay Alice. I've got you now. You're safe."

You're safe.