Bad Boy's Queen

28; The Bad Boy's Ways

"Here, I made you some chicken soup."

I'm seated on my bed, my back resting against the headboard. "Thanks, mum," I croak as she puts the bowl on my nightstand. Then she stands and studies me.

She sighs. "You shouldn't have walked all the way back home. You know you could've called me, right?"

"I needed some fresh air anyways."

"If you're stressed out about what you're going to do after graduation, don't worry about it. You're free to stay here for as long as you like now that your brothers are going away to Uni."

She exits the room after opening my window blinds so I can watch the heavy rain. My mind feels like it's seconds away from combusting.

What was the point of Eleanor even sending that photo to me? It just seems absurd to me that she did it purely for her amusement. It could've been a scare tactic to remind me to keep going with the plan, but I have been scared since they kidnapped me already. Now I just feel unsafe in my own house.

Just yesterday night Eric promised me that he would leave my family alone for now. Obviously, he's not sticking to his words. When I said to leave my family alone, I didn't mean just him, I meant him and the rest of his cult.

If I don't talk to anyone about this soon, I'm scared I might just explode from frustration. My head is still throbbing a little from that time Eleanor punched me. That sprint from the bus back to my house didn't really help with the pain in my head either.

I gulp some water down and close my eyes. I just want to fall asleep and forget all about the hectic events that happened in the past week.

I dream of being in a white room with no windows or walls. There is nothing in the room except Hunter and me. Hunter is standing a few meters away from me, his face expressionless but still handsome.

He mouths something. I lean closer to see better. He mouths once more time and before I can register that he was mouthing 'help me', he falls to the floor, blood seeping out of a wound on his back. Standing behind him is Eric with a blood-covered knife in his hand. He smiles at me before grabbing Hunter and then dragging him away.

My feet seem to have a life of its own as they push forward. I have never run faster in my life before, but I stop when I realise that when I run, I'm getting further away from them. I call Hunter's name, but nothing comes out. Everything is dead quiet.

I sit up on my bed, gasping for air. There's sweat clinging to my skin and onto my pillow and blanket. I sit like that for a while, listening to the unsteady rhythm of the rain pattering against my window to calm myself down.

I wonder what Eric will do now that Hunter has lost. Maybe it seems selfish not to tell Hunter about what has been going on, but my family's life is at stake, and I will play Eric's game as long as he leaves my family alone. So far, though, he's not off to a good start.

As I'm showering I can't help but blame myself for not being able to stay away from Hunter all those times my family warned me I shouldn't get involved with someone like him. But then again, how could I have known it was going to end up this way?

When I am out of the shower it's just after noon so I grab the bowl of uneaten soup on my nightstand and make my way to the kitchen downstairs. My mother is packing her bag in the living room.

"Where are you going?" I ask her when she grabs the car key off the table.

"Hospital. Isabella had an accident."