Control » l.h

Chapter Seven

L U K E

I would've killed that guy on the spot. I would've strangled him and then revived him just to kill him a second time. Him and his friend were scum for trying to take advantage of a poor girl like that. If it was anyone else who tried to stop me, I wouldn't. She didn't understand that moments like that was why I needed her. She could get me to stop. She could get underneath my focus and anger like no one else could. It was something only my mother could ever do. But I haven't seen her since the day I snapped.

Jemma had already fallen asleep in my car. She was stirring slightly, but she wasn't thrashing or screaming like before. I didn't know what he dream was about last time, I figured it would've been better to not ask questions about it.

We pulled back into the long, twisting driveway. It was practically pitch black outside now and it was hard to maneuver even with the high beams on. I'd always lived in the woods. I felt I needed to seclude myself so I wouldn't cause harm to anyone else. But that was the thing. Even when I never meant to, I always did.

We finally reached the run-down house. I had found it a couple days after I ran away. It was abandoned and absolutely disgusting. I managed to fix it up with the help of a couple friends of mine, though. One of them also has a place we could stay if we ever had to leave. We'd be living in his attic, but that's better than nothing.

I got out of the car, shutting the door as quietly as I could. I went around to Jemma's side and opened the door. I could only imagine how cold she was in the outfit she'd chosen to wear. I unbuckled her before putting her arm around my neck. I lifted her up and brought her to the front door. Managing to rest her on my knee while still supporting her back and head as I unlocked the door. She subconsciously fisted the front of my t-shirt as I put my arms under her legs and carried her inside, kicking the door shut behind me.

I carried her up the stairs and into my room, kicking the door open and laying her on the bed under the covers. When I tried to straighten back up, her hand still clung to my shirt. I pried her fingers off and continued back to the bathroom with some sweatpants, but as I closed the bathroom door, I heard her scream.

J E M M A

I was alone. There was no one to save me from this. I had run away from Luke and he wasn't going to find me. If he did, he'd be too late already. All I could do was try to fight with the last bit of energy I had.

I gripped the man's shirt who was now on top of me. I managed to claw at his skin, but he pried my hands off and pinned them to my sides. I was defenseless. So I screamed as loud as I could. I didn't scream for Luke this time because I knew I had lost him already. I just yelled, pushing the last bit of air from my lungs.

"Jemma!" Luke's voice yelled, my eyes flashing open to meet his worried ones. He sighed once he saw I was awake. My throat felt raw. "You were screaming. What's wrong, are you alright?"

The passed two nights in a row, I had been woken up by Luke because I was having a fit in my sleep. In both dreams, Luke wasn't there like he was supposed to be.

"The men," I breathed, my voice raspy. "You weren't there."

"It's okay," he told me, smoothing my hair back. "It was just a dream. I'm going to go change now, but I'll be back, okay?"

I nodded, pushing myself to sit up against the headboard. He walked to the bathroom, gripping his black sweatpants as he went. I decided I should change while he was gone. I found the pair of sweatpants he had given me the night before and put them on after taking off my own bottoms. I tossed them into the closet like he had done before. I kept the shirt that I already had on before getting back into bed.

I began to doze off until the door slowly opened, letting light from the hallway in. Luke walked in with two boxes of Chinese food. He sat next to me on the bed, handing me a box and a fork.

"It's chicken lo mein," he informed me. "I didn't know if you used chopsticks either."

"Not at all." I said, shaking my head.

We ate in silence for a few minutes, the only contact between us were our arms that brushed as we ate. The silence was nice, though. But of course, I had to be the one to ruin in.

"So, before when you told me that you needed me," I began slowly, staring into my box. "Was that why?"

"What why?" he asked. I had a feeling he knew what I was talking about, but just wanted to hear me say it.

I looked up at him. "Because...I-I can c-control you?"

I was right. His face broke out into a smile and he looked down into his food. "Yeah," he nodded. "The only other person who was ever able to get through to me was my mom. And somehow, you came along and managed to do it. You were a complete stranger, but after that, I wanted to know you."

"Oh, is this how you usually pick up girls?" I asked, a smile forming on my face.

He chucked at my comment. "No, not usually. It's just you. I figured you'd just run away if you ever saw me again. It was the only thing I could think of. I am sorry."

"It's okay," I sighed. "After what happened today and tonight, I'm glad you did. The depression will take time, but for now, I'm content."

He gave me quizzical look. "Are you just saying that?"

I looked into his eyes. And I surprised myself. I found no regret anywhere inside me. I could be dead. I could be back in a hospital. I could be lying on the street in the cold, just waiting and hoping to die. But because of him, I was alive and safe and warm and he wasn't going to let anyone change that.

"No," I stated. "No, I'm not."