Salem

✨Chapter 8✨

Because who better to see you running out of the woods in your grey and blue undies than a guy who goes to your school and two guys you just met.

Nice.

I look to my right and I see Jonas standing at the edge, just behind a tree, I can see him, but I don't think the boys can.

His hood must have fallen off when he was running, and I could clearly see his face. His dark brown hair clung to his dark face, now glistening in sweat. I could see him snarling at me, like the rabbit just got caught by a little girl, now the wolf has no supper.

"Ellie?" I looked back at the boys in surprise, I had forgotten they were there. By the time I turned back to Jonas he had disappeared.

"Ellie, are you okay? Do you need a lift?" Ben was already halfway to me as he spoke, already taking his plaid overshirt off.

"Here, jump in," I throw his overshirt on and buttoned it up as fast as I could, then sliding in the back next to him.

"Alivia's house, please," I croaked, surprised to hear my own voice, surprised even to feel the tight feeling on my face from the dried tears I don't remember crying.

"W-what happened? Elliot...?" I turn to face the back of Percy's head, he was driving with Marco shotgunning.

"They were going to kill her...and then they heard me...a whole group of them, they said something about holy ones and protection. It's like they were praying to something, but..." My voice trailed off and I put my head in my hands, heaved a deep sigh. We didn't talk for the rest of the ride.

"We're here." Percy unlocked the door and Marco walked me to the door.

"Ben's shirt," I began unbuttoning the shirt, but he stopped me.

"Rather keep it, are you alright, though?"

I shook my head and hung my head low.

"I don't know what happened, but if you want to talk about it..."

"I'll be fine,"

"ELLIE!" Rowan ran up to me and grabbed me away from Marco, her wild chestnut hair bouncing around as she looked at me with frantic eyes.

"What happened?" Scarlet asked as she and Liv rounded the corner to the front of the house.

"El...?" I turned to her and the tears started pouring out.

I vaguely remember Marco smoothing down my hair and Scar directing me inside.

After that everything is a blur. Mostly because of the tears filling my eyes, but also probably because Scar had her arm over me the entire night.

The girls sat up with me all night while I cried and tried to tell them what happened.

Eventually at three in the morning I calmed down enough to tell them what happened.

Scar looked down at her lap, while Rowan and Liv simply looked at each other.

Scarlet removed her arm from me to play with a loose string on her pajama pants.

"Ellie..." Liv began, looking to the others for support. "Are you sure of what you saw...?"

Don't they believe me?! I saw someone nearly get killed! Once I left they probably slaughtered her like a bloody lamb!

I felt pure white rage bubble into my body.

I struggled to keep my voice even as I spoke. "Do you think I'm lying?"

"No-"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure you didn't just misunderstand what you saw?" Scarlet murmured, not even looked up from the hem of her pants.

"Maybe it was the dark? You said your torch went out-"

"I heard them!" I suddenly burst out, the tears falling rapidly down my cheeks.

"Please keep your voice down, my parents are sleeping."

"NO!" I roared, my voice was hoarse from not speaking, crying then yelling.

"I HEARD THEM CHANTING, I HEARD HER SCREAMING! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO KNOW THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST HEARD SOMEONES LAST SCREAM FOR HELP BEFORE THEY WERE MURDERED?!" My head hurt from all the yelling, but I wasn't done.

"What is going on in here?!" Alivia's mom burst in, she looked scared and angry at the same time.

"I'm going home." I said flatly, packed my bag and walked out, Alivia's mom let me out, not even offering to drive me home.

I didn't live too far from her, but that didn't stop me from looking over my shoulder every few seconds. I avoided the woods completely.

"Are you doing alright, young lady?" I looked up, my heart thrumming against my chest. It was only a cop popping his out out of the station.

I nodded my head, but then the realisation kicked me.

"Actually, no, may I speak to someone in there?"