Control » l.h

Chapter Seventeen

L U K E

I sighed, walking into the living room. I was pulling at my hair with frustration. "She's locked herself in the attic."

The three boys looked up at me. Calum still looked slightly confused. Ever since he told us he couldn't remember Jemma attacking him, we'd been trying to get to the bottom of his sudden memory loss. We were constantly trying to get him to remember even though he was probably getting a major migraine.

"Why?" Ashton wondered. "What happened?"

"That damn officer," I breathed, flopping down on the couch. "He made her mad because he wouldn't listen to her. You know she actually defended us?"

"After what happened?" Michael quizzed. "How?"

"The officer," I said again. "But I can't tell if she's mad because he wouldn't listen to her or because he made her admit she was grateful for us or both."

"Girls are weird." Michael shook his head.

"Should I go try and talk to her?" I wondered. I hated feeling helpless when it came to Jemma.

"No." both Michael and Ashton answered abruptly in the same breath.

"Let her sleep it off or something." Michael advised.

"As for you," Ashton continued. "We need you to help us with Calum."

J E M M A

No one would listen to me. Well, not no one, I guess. Luke and Calum usually listened to me. I couldn't say much about Ashton or Michael since I hardly ever saw them. I hardly ever left this room, honestly.

I thought maybe I could convince someone I wasn't crazy - I didn't need help. Why couldn't anyone except the fact I'm fine? Okay, I'm not totally fine but it's not like I'm about to go on a rampage anytime soon.

Wait, I already did.

I grabbed a book from the coffee table and flung it at the wall. I would've thrown the TV remote, but it would suck if I wanted to watch TV later. I huffed, plopping down on the couch angrily. Talking to Officer Wigg just made me feel even worse. I should've just ignored Luke and stayed up on the platform to read books in silence. But no, I had to try and save his ass because I felt bad knowing someone was going to die because of me. I didn't want to say I didn't care if they killed him - I did, but I didn't exactly want him staying in the same house as me either.

I laid back on the couch. I always got tired when I got angry or upset. Maybe a nap would help clear away my groggy thoughts. I hadn't slept since I woke up in the middle of the night. Sleep would be good for me. I closed my eyes and sighed. Sleep took me over easily.

~*~

I walked into an empty room that looked so familiar to me. I just couldn't put a finger on it. Someone attacked me from behind, bringing me to the ground. I knew I'd have bruises the next day, or even in a few hours. Their feet crushed my hands as they straddled my back, causing me to yelp out in pain. I couldn't see who it was, but I felt like it was one of the boys. They were finally going to kill me.

Fabric was brought around my neck as the person yanked as hard as they could, lifting my head up and back until I thought it might snap. I found it hard to breathe, my vision starting to become dark and dotted. I gasped and gagged, trying to get some air.

"Jemma!"

I jolted up, my eyes adjusting to the scene around me. My hands fluttered to my neck, but found nothing was there. I lifted up my shirt to see if I had bruises, but there were none. It all felt so real...

Luke, Ashton, Michael, and Calum surrounded me, looking at me with concerned looks. The door was hardly hanging from it's hinges. Luke must've broke it down trying to get to me. Was I really so loud they heard me?

"Are you okay?" Luke asked me, his blue eyes studying me. "You were screaming and then you started gasping like you were choking."

I didn't answer him. I just looked over all of their faces, making eye contact with each of them. For killers, they seemed incredibly concerned for me. Calum's eyes were soft, but with a hint of confusion; Ashton's showed more curiosity than anything; Luke's were full of 100% worry and concern; Michael seemed-

The room. It was Michael's. The room in my dream was Michael's bedroom. I cocked my head to the side as I squinted at Michael. He pulled his eyebrows together, not letting my stare go. Why did I dream about Michael's room? Maybe it was like I could see the future. Maybe that's where they were going to kill me.

"What?" Michael finally wondered.

"It was your room." I said.

"Jemma, we're not following." Luke shook his head.

My eyes flashed to him. "My dream," I clarified. "It was in Michael's room. Someone was killing me."

"It was a dream?" Ashton questioned. "We thought you were like, having a seizure or something."

"Your eyes were open." Luke told me.

I looked down at my lap before looking back up at Luke. "Have I done that before?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Wait," Ashton said suddenly. "Someone tried killing you in Mikey's room? In your dream?"

I nodded.

Ashton looked at Michael and Luke like he'd just made a huge connection. Mikey's jaw dropped as Luke's eyes got wide. The three boys turned to look at me. Calum seemed completely out of the loop just like I was.

"Tell us exactly what happened." Michael requested.

I glared at him, suddenly feeling angry again. Did they just expect me to do whatever they wanted because they kidnapped me? "Why should I?"

"Jemma this is important," Luke told me, looking intensely into my eyes. "Please."

I continued to look at him for a solid minute before sighing and rolling my eyes. "I was tackled to the ground and held there while someone strangled me with...something. I didn't see who or what it was. But I don't see why it matters, it was just a-"

"Do you even remember what happened two days ago?" Ashton quizzed.

I looked at him questioningly. "Two days ago?"

"No one told her how long she was out for?" Michael asked quietly.

Luke shrugged. "Never came up. Besides, she was really tired and upset at the time. It was the least of her problems."

"I've been out for two days?" I almost shrieked.

"Jemma," Luke said, grabbing my attention. "Do you remember what happened between you and Calum? In Mikey's room?"

I stared at the wall behind Luke's head, trying to remember. It was after I had found the basement, but before Luke put the rag over my face. Calum and I were...running. Around the house. I was running away from him. I had to get away from him. I had a knife. He called Luke. I hid in a room. A bedroom. I learned it was Michael's room from the picture on his nightstand. Calum burst in. I- I tackled him. And...pinned him down. ....And strangled him.

"So what," I shrugged. "I had a dream about what happened to Calum."

"From his perspective," Ashton pointed out. "You wouldn't know how he felt because you were attacking him."

"And what a coincidence Calum can't remember what happened but you know exactly what happened from his point of view." Michael added.

I squinted, looking between the two boys. "What are you saying?" I questioned slowly.

"I think you're different," Ashton stated. "Like Luke."