Strangers

Part 24: She Saved You

"Willow!" I opened the door of her house and walked inside. "Hayden?" she looked at me confused. "Something's wrong?" I nodded while closing the door behind me. "Yes, very wrong...", "What is it?", "Sit down, we need to talk" she sat on the chair and I sat opposite of her. "You'll tell me everything", "Everything about what? It's 8 am" I sighed "Yeah I know, I didn't sleep whole night and I couldn't wait anymore" she looked back at me "What are you talking about?" I looked around as if someone could be spying on us. "Yesterday while I was walking home I heard Jayden and Corinne talking, or better said, arguing..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Hayden, fights are normal in marriage and relationships" I shook my head "Hayden you're imagining-" before she could finish what she wanted to say I interrupted her "Willow, stop pretending!" she stood silent. "Why are you lying?", "I..." she started to talk, but no more words came from her mouth so I continued talking. "She doesn't love him, and you know that. We both know that" her eyes landed on the table then at me again. She doesn't know what to say. "She never told me that she do, so I doubted from the beginning and what I heard yesterday confirmed it. Tell me if I'm wrong"

She looked down for a moment, as if she's choosing the words to say then she looked me in the eyes "You're right. She doesn't love him..." I sighed, it was a sigh of relief though I don't know why I was relieved. "Then why she did that? Why is she with him?" she was silent for few minutes, I was so inpatient that I felt like I'm gonna explode. "Willow, if she doesn't love him why is she married to him?" she looked like she is thinking about saying or not then she finally spoke "Because of you" I felt numb again. "W-what? How can that be because of me?" this time she sighed. "That's why I told you to stay away...","But it doesn't have any sense. Why because of me?"

She sighed in frustration and pulled hands through her hair. "Because she wanted to protect you!" she made me even more confused. "I didn't need protection" she nodded "Yes, you did. After you two escaped, Jayden wanted to kill you..everybody thought he's gone, but he wasn't. He knew where you are, what you're doing, he knew everything. And he was planning to kill you...but she stopped him.","You're trying to say...","They made a deal, her life for yours..She ruined her life to save yours." I just sat there looking at her, trying to understand her words, not knowing what to say. Everything I believed for last five years was a lie. "She ruined future that you two should share" finally I was able to say something "And he knows that...That's why he is acting like that when I'm around!" she nodded "He thinks you're doubting in their love", "But there is no love between them! She doesn't love him", "Exactly, but he doesn't want you to find out" I stared at the wall behind her. "Hayden, are you listening to me?" she started waving in front of my face and I looked back at her "He did it on purpose... He knew she will save me! He thinks he took everything from me" then I realized what I said. I don't know for how long I was silent when Willow started calling my name. "Hayden...?" I looked in her eyes "He did take everything from me. Everything I had and cared about", "Don't say that", "But it's true" silence was ruling over the room for minutes that seemed like years.

I finally decided to talk again, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?", "Because I didn't know until you left, and she didn't want to tell me before because she knew I'd tell you and then you'd try to stop her..." I shook my head "No, I wouldn't try, I would stop her", "If that happened you'd be dead now" I didn't know what to say so I just nodded while looking at her. "Hayden, if he finds out that you know he won't hurt only you, he will hurt her too and..." I raised an eyebrow "And?" she stayed silent and her eyes were looking down. "Willow? Will he hurt you?" she shook her head "Then who? Hiccup, Astrid, Ruff, Tuff, Fishlegs?" she shook her head again "No..he will hurt a person who saved you when Corinne and you were trapped on his ship" it hit me like a punch in the nose "Wait, what? You know who saved me?", "No, but I know who does", "Who?", "Corinne..." I knew it from the beginning. She saw a person who saved me, but she didn't want to tell me.

"How do you know about it?", "She told me", "Then she is going to tell me too" I stood up and started walking towards the door, but Willow stood between the door and me to stop me "No! She mustn't know I told you" I sighed "I won't tell her how I find out" she looked back at me "She will know", "Come on Willow, move from the door" as I tried to make her move, the same moment I took a hold of the lock someone knocked on the other side. "Willow are you home?" her eyes widened. "It's Corinne" she whispered then yelled to answer Corinne "Yeah, just a moment!" suddenly she pushed me back "Go to my room and go out through the window" she whispered and I nodded "Thanks", "Don't forget to close the window behind you" it made me laugh. Really? The biggest problem right now is will I close the window?

As I entered in her room she opened the door for Corinne to come in. "What took you so long?", "Can't a girl have a little privacy?" she laughed nervously, Corinne laughed too "Okay, I just asked" I shouldn't stay and listen what they're talking so I didn't. I opened the window and jumped out. I made sure that I closed it properly so Willow wouldn't yell at me next time she sees me. As I closed the window I leaned against her house and slid down to sit on the ground. As I sighed of relief I heard a familiar voice "Hayden? What were you doing in Willow's house? Or better asked, why did you jumped through the window?" I frowned as I got up from the ground and started walking away "Mind your own business Snotlout" he walked behind me "What if I tell Willow about it", "Tell her", "Wait. Is this the game of the opposite?" I stopped walking and looked at him confused "Or she already knows?" he gasped "Are you two together?!" my eyes widened "What?! No! Shut up!", "Yes you are! If you aren't you wouldn't tell me to shut up!", "Snotlout either way I'd tell you to shut up. And I'm telling you, we're not together, go and bother someone else with your imagination", "So you really forgot about Cory" those words echoed in my ears. "Think what you want. I don't have to tell you about my life" that's all I said. I turned around and started to walk away while his words were running in my mind. Me forgot about her? I wish it could be that easy.