Home is not a Place

16• Burnt Alive

VANESSA

I sit on the same bench I sat on yesterday when I watched Ethan and his crew combat each other, but this time, I stare at an empty gym. I mean, a few people dot the place here and there, but Ethan and his crew are nowhere in sight.

Is it bad that the first thing I think is that they have forgotten about me?

They could be injured or in trouble, and yet I think of myself. I'm so pathetic.

I rub my arm subconsciously. How would I know if they are in trouble? There's nobody to ask, and I'm definitely not going to talk to my father.

I guess I'll just wait it out.

I awkwardly remain seated, watching a few people jog on the treadmills. My mind soars with the possibilities. What if they've been kidnapped? What if they're in a hostage situation? What if they're all hurt, or worse?

I mean, I don't know them that well, but I don't want something bad to happen to them.

Maybe, Drake, but none of the others.

I smile at that thought, just as someone familiar exits from the hallway where the shooting range was located in. I recognize the woman's auburn hair, pretty freckles, and gray eyes. She's the doctor who saw me when I was a Popsicle, and she is the one who saw me crying in the bathroom. My two best moments. Yippee.

And now she spots me while I'm all lonely-looking, sitting on a random bench. She smiles at me from across the gym, wearing an outfit similar to mine. She has on leggings and a long-sleeved shirt, but while my hair is braided down my back, hers is in pigtails on the sides of her head. I couldn't pull the look off, but she does.

"Hey." She plops right beside me as if she and I are best friends. "How are you doing, Vanessa?"

"I'm okay." I reply honestly. "Could be better, could be worse. How about you, Aubrey?"

Her smile widens when she realizes I remember her name. "I'm great, actually. The best I've been in a while."

"Really?" I see that in her excited gray eyes there's more to the story. "How come?"

She lifts up her left hand, showing me that there is a dazzling diamond ring on her finger. I swear it must cost a million dollars with the big jewel that resides in the center of the band, and just seeing it up close makes my stomach roll. "Holy shit. You've got a sugar daddy?"

Aubrey tosses her head back and laughs. "You're hilarious. My fiance isn't rich, but he did buy me this." She flinches back, holding her hand to her mouth. "It's so weird calling him my fiance."

"When did it happen?" I ask on, just passing the time while I wait for Ethan. The more time that passes, the more I want to call the police and ask if any dead bodies have been found.

At least I have Aubrey to keep me company.

Last time I saw her, I was in tears and lying my ass off to get her out of my hair, but when I'm not in the middle of a mental breakdown, she is fun to be around. Plus, her country accent cracks me the hell up. "Well, yesterday he took me to my favorite restaurant, and he booked the whole place up so that we had it all to ourselves. I honestly thought that he was just being romantic because it was our fourth anniversary of being together, but he fooled me. He wanted to make the night as special as I am, he told me."

"Sounds like a keeper." I reply, not knowing what else to say.

"He is." Her radiant smile has me wishing I was in a relationship. "Anyway, enough about me. What about you? Are there any men in your life?"