✔ | PAINTED IN CRIMSON | T. SHARPE

TWENTY | UNLEASHED

❝Are we the hunters?
Or are we the prey? ❞

─────── 

TWENTY | UNLEASHED

"Really?" I began, still following her,"Is that what you want, what you want to do? Live as a parasite in another person's body?"

"If that's what it takes to be with Thomas, yes."

"You're sick," I muttered under my breath, she stopped walking and turned around, "this plan of yours won't work, nothing is like you think anymore, everything is different, this is not the world you remember." Lucille glared at me, clenching her jaw and taking a few steps towards me. For the first time I stood there without moving a muscle, not because I was scared, but because I didn't fear her anymore, I was done with her and determined to end everything right there, even if that meant I had to die. I looked straight into her pale blue eyes, "I'd love to see you and Thomas trying to figure out how this time works, this isn't the nineteenth century," I shook my head, a smile crossed my lips, "you'll regret stepping out of those rusty gates, you'll wish-" she slapped me.

"Stop it!" She hissed. I slowly straightened myself and faced her, "This has to happen, you can't stop us from being together." I heard her whispering to herself. I took a deep breath and wondered if Thomas was around, I didn't see him around, but I spotted the blonde mop of blond hair through the books.

"Nicholas," his name left my lips and I made my way towards him, not caring about Lucille anymore. He came down the library with clumsy movements and squeezing his eyes shut as touched his temple. As soon as my hands had contact with his I felt my eyes filling with tears, relieved to know that he was okay, "Hey . . ." my voice was only a whisper.

"Adeline?" He frowned and only then his eyes opened, "It's really you!" He breathed out, wrapping his arms around me, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone-" he gushed out.

"I'm fine now, don't worry." I buried my face in his neck, breathing his scent. I could feel how his body engulfed mine, making that home-like sensation come to me again. "We'll get out of this together," I whispered as I put the knife in the belt around his hips, "I know what to do."

"What are you-" Nicholas stopped mid-sentence as he led his hand to his back where mine rested on top of the knife. He looked at me, baffled. 

"It's the only way, don't hesitate, she won't." He nodded and I saw him eyeing my clothes, how blood stained them and my hands, which he took in his. I felt a lump in my throat as flashbacks of Josh came to my mind. The image of him being impaled played in my head again and again, "It's Josh's, she did it," he pulled me closer, holding me tight. I was about to tell him the rest when I felt the harsh grip around my arm.

"Get you nasty hands off him! He's mine!" I didn't have time to even release myself from her hand, she had already grabbed hold of my hair, making me cry out in pain. I could feel her burying her nails into my sculp, "Stay away from him!"

"Ahh!" I cried out when she buried and pulled out a knife in my leg with a swift movement, then throwing it away. Everything happened so fast that not even Nicholas could step in. I managed to straighten up and hit her a couple of times.

"You killed him!" I cried out, pulling from her hair and gripping her free arm in a somewhat weird position, I had already forgotten how they taught me in the self-defense lessons I took, it didn't matter at all, since all I wanted was to cause her pain, "You killed Thomas, you killed your mother!"

"Just like I killed your friend," she said, "he must be already dead, he didn't look well at all. I bet none of them made it to the town, the snowstorm is here," I looked into her eyes, "he must have bleed to death and your little friend, well, he must have froze to death and everything is your fault, you brought everyone here-"