HIDE

Chapter 21

Kayla's POV

Dear diary,
I've lost count. I don't even remember most of the days now. They always get mixed together. My memories are as if they were thrown in a blender. Anyway, I'm back in the same old room we have been in. The smell I've gotten used to. It doesn't even bother me anymore. Calum took good care of me yesterday. Or was it the day before? I don't even know. But after I had hurt myself he took me to his bathroom and got me cleaned up and bandaged up my knuckles. He really was sweet. But one question still bugged me. What happened to Nia?

I slid the small book into my ripped back pocket and rolled on to my stomach to get a better look at Aeris, Kira, and Alex.

Aeris continuously looked around the room with her eyebrows furrowed as if she was deep in thought. I could see her mouthing words to herself as if she she wouldn't be able to hear her own thoughts.

Only if she would squeak out a couple words, her voice being one of the tunes I missed the most. I was never a huge reading person, but ever since she started writing I have definitely gotten better.

"Hey, small child," Kira called in Aeris' direction, causing her attention to snap towards Kira. Her eyebrows raised, waiting for Kira to continue. "What's on your mind?"

She shrugged and took her bottom lip in between her teeth. She grabbed her notebook and scribbled down her thoughts rapidly, causing me to grow curious. She handed her notebook to Kira's shaking hands, due to her still being weak from Ashton.

Ugh. More like Ass Ton.

After Kira read over Aeris scribbles, she handed the bundles of paper to my bruised knuckles.

I can't stop thinking about Aniza. Like what did she mean when she was talking about us needing to leave soon? What does she know? Is Luke hurting her? Or is she just scared he will? All these questions won't stop and I want to stab myself in the eye with this pen.

"Okay. For one, I am not letting you stab yourself in the eye. Two, freaking out over what she said isn't going to help. We need to put clues together. Think of this as a puzzle."

"Okay, calm down Sherlock," Kira laughed lightly, then shifting her gaze to Aeris. "But she's right. You have to relax about this. Breathe."

The brunette girl nodded her head lightly, showing that she understood our worry. She reached out her dainty hand for the note pad and I obliged.

"Knock knock." Calum smiled lightly, peeking his face through the crack of the door and making his way in.

"Hi," Kira, Alex, I said in unison. I gave them all a look of amazement.

The brown eyed boy giggles lightly and sits down next to me and Kira. Breathing in, I took in his scent. One that I have come to know. I can't say that I necessarily "like" Calum. I don't know what he's capable of and I probably will never trust him.

Even though I don't like him, I can't bring myself away from the fact that he brings me a sense of security.

"I was bored and thought to spend some time with you guys, just to check up," He looked at all of us.

"Oh we are just great. Fantastic actually," Kira rolled her eyes and looked at the floor through her knees.

I expected Calum to react in annoyance at her sassy comment but instead sat on his face was a frown. "I'm sorry I asked. My apologies."

He really was a great guy. At least that's what he put off. If he wasn't, damn was he a good actor. I don't really know how but the amount of times I've been with him, I have been comfortable around him. I trusted him with a part of me no other man will ever have. Safe is not a word I would use to describe the way he makes me feel. I believe it's more so trust. Trust that he won't hurt me that bad. He won't hurt me until I'm a bleeding mess and can't breathe on my own. He won't cause me to beg god to take my life because that was better than being with the vamp boy.

Will he ever know how I feel? I hope not. There's a picture floating in my brain that if he understands my sense of trust in him, he will use it to his advantage. He will trick me. He will make me the fool I once was. A fool that I refuse to be once again.

"Um, so I've had time to get to know Kayla a couple times in the past but never really got a chance to properly meet the people who make her the happiest."

Alex scoffed at his comment, as did Aeris and Kira. "That was a crappy way to say that. You're the reason we're here."

"I know..." the brown haired boy took his lip between his teeth weekly. "And I'm sorry. But is this really so bad?" He asked with a hopeful smile on his squishy face.

"Um, are you serious right now?" Kira glared at him and her arms crossed over her chest, immediately wincing in pain. "This is the worst possible thing that could happen to us."

He looked over to me with curious eyes and I sighed loudly. "She's right, Calum. I mean, look at us?! We're starving, dirty, exhausted, and beaten." I motioned for Kira who was still covered with bloody wounds.

Hurt filled his eyes for a reason I would never completely understand. He took a moment to look at his feet as he took him plump bottom lip between his teeth.  "Yeah. Again, I'm sorry," He huffed and looked up at Kira. "May I check up on you?"

Kira nodded and watched Calum carefully. Once he approached her, he gently looked over her arms and face. The way he closely inspected her face caused me to move uncomfortably and look away from them in annoyance.

"Oh shit," Calum swore under his breathe. I focused my attention back on them in curiosity. "Who did this to you?" Calum's body tensed as he looked at a purple mark resting on her tanned neck.

"U-Uh," Kira stuttered with a red tint to her cheeks. "Michael."

"Fuck!" Calum threw himself towards the opposite side of the room, tugging his hair in frustration. "Not again..."

"Calum what's going on?!" I squeaked as I flickered my eyes back and forth from the two brown eyed people in the room. Well, I guess only one of them is a person literally but I don't feel like thinking that over.

"Michael's going to get his ass whooped, that's what." A growl filled the small room and left before Kira and I could ask any lingering questions.