Munchkin

•Fifty Nine•

I lay on my bed looking up at the ceiling, pressing a heating pad to my stomach. Jace asked to stay the night so he had to go ask for spare clothes from my brother.

He walks back in eventually in sweats and a t-shirt.

"Turn off the light." I say, my eyes already growing heavy.

"Why?"

"I like the darkness."

He snickers and turns it off anyway before laying beside me, looking up at the ceiling. "So...we kissed." He whispers.

"Mhm." I hum a response. I knew this conversation would eventually come, but with everything going on I thought Jace would probably forget about the kiss. I shift my body to face his. His hands were on his stomach as he stares up at the ceiling. "Do you have anything else to say?"

He shrugs. "Not really." He turns his body to face mine. "Do you?"

"Jace?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think...we could actually be something?" I ask, scared for the answer.

He smirks. "What do you mean by that?"

"Like... actually be a real couple." He starts raising his brows up and down with a smirk and I giggle and shove him off. "Stop, I'm being serious."

"I don't know. Do you?"

After much thought, I place my hand on his left cheek and press my lips against his. He froze for not even a second before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer, I dig my nails in his hair. We release and I grin. "I do." I whisper.

He smiles and we cuddle up. "I could get used to this." He mumbles. He says other things but I'm too tired to process his words.

* * * * *
The next morning, I woke up still in Jace's arms. I tried to sit up but he only held me tighter, squinting at me with his one open eye. "Where are you going?"

"To start the day. My hip hurts," I rub on my right hip.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"When I'm on my..." I drift off. He nods in understanding. "I can't sleep on my back like I usually do because I'll get blood everywhere so I have to sleep on my side."

He nods with furrowed brows. He then looks around before cringing. "So, that's gross."

I nod and laugh. "Yeah. But it's a good sign though cause it means I can have kids."

"How many kids do you wanna have?"

Though it was a very odd question, I answer anyway. "Two boys."

"Really? And why boys?" He chuckled.

"Girls are way too much to handle. I want two little boys so that when we leave the house, I could be like 'Lets go crew'."

We both laugh at that.

"How many kids do you wanna have?" I ask Jace.

"I don't really care how many I have. I just want a little daughter." He cooes.

"That's cute." I smile.

"Yup. She's gonna be daddy's little princess." He places his hands on both of my cheeks. "But as of now, you're my little princess."

I smile at that and he pecks my lips before releasing and we both get up out of bed.

"I'm gonna go home and change. You wanna go get lunch later?"

I nod and smile. "Sure."

He leaves and I get in the shower. Afterward, I slide on some jeans and a simple white tee and white sneakers. Jace texted me saying he was outside and I head out and get into his car. He had on a black shirt, jeans and sneakers.

I was about to say something before my phone beeped and I open the message.

Unknown: so you think you're so smart for trying to get help?

Unknown: I thought we would keep this matter between ourselves but you trying to involve others was just a death wish

They send a picture of Connor in a pool of blood and my heart stops.

Unknown: NO HELP!!

"Mikayla, what is it?"

I show Jace the phone and his eyes widen. "Jace, we need to go help him!" I cry.

"Do you know where he lives?"

I nod and direct him to the street I had met him on awhile ago. I run out the car and realize I really don't know where he lives.

"Which house is it?" Jace asks.

I cry. "I don't know. But," I froze. What I was seeing wasn't real. It couldn't be. There were literally visible words in red written on a door in the distance. I point to it. "There!"

We both run to the door and Jace reads out what it says. "No help."

I try to open the door but it's locked.

"Maybe check under the door mat." Jace squats down to check beneath the mat.

"Jace this isn't a movie."

He stood and dangles the key before my face with a smirk.

"Well, don't just stand there. Open the fucking door!"

He does as told and I run in the house.

"Connor?! Connor?!"

I hear coughing and I quickly run in the direction in which it was coming from. Connor was laying there in his own blood on the kitchen floor.

I kneel down beside him and cry out, hodling onto his cheeks. "Connor?! Connor, open your eyes!"

He coughs again and Jace comes with a glass of water. Connor refuses the beverage by shaking his head and Jace places the glass on the island. "Yo, what happened?" Jace asks.

"You can explain later. Where's the first aid kit?" I ask, still worried for his life.

"The cabinet above the sink." Connor coughs out.

I quickly rush over to the cabinet and retrieve it as Jace helps Connor sit down on a barstool. I give him the water. "Drink it. You've lost a lot of blood." He nods and does as told.

I open the kit and use alcohol wipes to clear the dry blood all over his left arm. "This is gonna hurt." I rub an antiseptic wipe on his cut and he winces. I whisper an apology. I wrap his arm with a bandage and make sure it isn't too tight. "Now," I sit up after closing the kit, "what happened?"

Connor explains everything from the time he got home.

I groan, tears pricking my eyes once more. "This is all my fault. The two of you are getting hurt all because of me."

"It's not your fault. I know how dedicated you are to finding these people, Mikayla, but we need to take this matter back to the police-"

"No!" Connor stops Jace and we both turn to him. "Look at this." He shows us his phone. He'd been playing with it since he sat down.

Jace and I both read the messages.

Unknown: good thing little Miss. Perfect came to the rescue

Unknown: I'll accept that she's told you everything, I can't take that back

Unknown: BUT TAKE THIS TO THE COPS AND THEY'LL BE MORE THAN JUST BLOOD

Unknown: someone just might end up six feet under... 😂

"We can't tell the cops. And we can't tell anyone either." Connor says.

"It could get us all killed."