An hour had passed since Raven's initial and panicked arrival. It took her a little bit to calm down, but her cries finally subdued and she was able to explain everything that had happened to us.
She stifled a quiet sob, her eyes still bloodshot and red. I didn't want to press her too much, but I knew we had to get answers somehow.
"Raven? Do you think you're ready to tell us what happened?" I asked quietly, afraid the way I worded it was a little impatient and ignorant for her feelings.
But, surprisingly, she nodded fervently. "Yes. I've had enough of a breakdown, and this is an urgent matter." She said, her voice shaky and still a little broken.
She inhaled quietly before beginning to explain, "it all started last night. Avery and I were getting ready to go to the theatre for a date. I'll spare you the, ahem, other details, leading up to it." She murmured as she looked down. "Anyway, we were driving up in the car, and everything...it went by so fast. Avery was singing along with the song she was playing when suddenly we got hit out of nowhere. The car rolled over maybe three times and I got knocked unconscious for a little while. But I remember one thing. I regained consciousness for a few seconds, and...I saw him. He stood above us and he was holding her. He came down and just said, 'Tell (Y/N) she's next.'"
I sighed softly as she finished telling us. There wasn't much to go off of, but given Raven's state, now wasn't the time to stress her out. I looked at Jaren and he seemed just as stressed as she was. I exhaled once more and treaded to the other room. Before reaching, however, Raven mentioned one other thing.
"Wait, Dakota said something else." She says suddenly, "he said that all of this could be stopped."
"How?" I ask.
Raven frowned, "if you went with him. Which is absolutely out of the fucking question."
I turned to face Jaren again and it seemed to worry him even more. He didn't really offer much choice.
"I need to think for a bit. Will you be okay?" I asked her.
Raven gave a quick grin, but it soon faltered. "I'll be fine."
Jaren turned to join me but I frowned at him. "I need time to think about this alone, Jaren. I know you want to help, but...I need to think through this thoroughly."
He frowned momentarily before nodding. He soon went over to offer Raven some water, to which she gladly accepted. Truth be told I had no idea how she got here. The mindless thoughts continued running through my head as I shut the door behind me in my room. Slowly, things piled up and seemed to get more stressful.
I needed to assess the options. If I stayed here, Dakota would only keep coming back for my friends and family. But then I considered the other option too. If I went with him, I'd save everyone else except for myself. Frankly, I didn't enjoy the idea of having to go back with him, but if it meant saving everyone...?
But they'd never let me. Was I really going to give up everything and everyone I loved just to go back to the world that I've been running from all this time?
"Yes." A voice in my head echoed. I sighed, knowing I was now at war with myself, and it was only getting worse.
Was I sure there wasn't an alternative? There had to be. The police were already looking for him as it was, so why couldn't we play him into their hands?
What if there really was a way? I stood up from behind the door and grabbed a piece of paper from the desk and quickly jotted down some concepts, then narrowed them down into more realistic scenarios.
"This entire fucking scenario isn't realistic. Just go for one he'll fall for." The voice in my head rang again.
For once I decided to listen to my head. I knew Dakota better than most people, so I knew exactly what he would and wouldn't do in a given situation. By the time I was finished I had taken a good look once again over the "plan".
Now it was time to actually convince everyone else that this would work. Hopefully. I took a deep breath and opened the door gently. The second I opened it, Jaren and Raven looked at me immediately.
"So, what did you decide?" Raven pressed.
"I've made a decision. One that'll help everyone." I begin, there were mixed expressions on both their faces. "I'm going back with Dakota."
It was at that moment where their expressions dropped almost instantly.
"YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?" They said in a very similar matter.
"I have a plan, calm down! Hear me out. Yes, I'm going back with Dakota, but I'm not going quietly." I say.
Jaren and Raven exchange looks before turning to me again.
"The police are already on lookout for him, right? Well, here's the plan. I go with him, but I make as much ruckus as I possibly can. I'm talking full on troublemaker. The police are bound to show up eventually right?" I explain.
Raven examines me for a moment, "well, it could work. But the guy is a fucking psycho! What makes you think he won't shut you up or something?"
"He won't. Because you'll be coming over for a visit every day." I reply.
She raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I didn't consent to this shit. So what am I doing exactly?"
"I'm gonna make a deal with Dakota that I won't go quietly unless you come over every couple of days. Dakota isn't very bright but he's not stupid either. He knows damn well what you're capable of, and he knows that if he sees anything out of the ordinary you'll tell." I say, Raven smirks and nods.
"You're on some crackhead shit for thinking this is a good idea, but I'll do it." Raven chuckles.
I smile and turn to Jaren, "and you? What's your opinion on this? You've been pretty quiet this whole time."
He sighs, "this is dangerous, (Y/N). And I know you know that, but...just be careful, okay?"
"So, you agree with all of this?" I say, a little surprised at the fact he had agreed.
"I don't agree with any of it, but I know that he's not gonna stop coming for us, and for you, if you don't do something about it." He frowns.
I pull both Jaren and Raven into a tight hug. We pull away moments later.
"Okay, one last thing, I'm going to tell the police about what I'm going to do. That way they'll know if you give them a heads up." I state, both of them nod and we all come to an agreement.
Raven smiles softly and hugs me once again. "Get back Avery for me, please?" She whispers.
I hug her back tightly and nod, "don't worry, chickadee, I'll get her back for you. If Dakota wants me back, then goddamn it he's gonna get me."
-
hi i've had writers block for a while and it doesn't feel great hahaha. anyway couple of things.
1. updates will be slower because school is starting and im entering freshman year of university. i'll have a little time on my hands but i'll be using most of it for editing videos on my youtube channel.
2. speaking of my youtube channel, im going to start uploading videos bi-weekly so if you want to subscribe then my link is in the bio of my profile
im gonna be posting some school tips soon so stay tuned uwu
anyway good day loves and have a good school year!!
love u
xoxo
-liza
