The Death Kiss (Nanowrimo)#wattys2017

Chapter 20: James Wilson

I was sitting at the back seat of the police car. My mind was making up terrible stories related to the bad scenario in which I was caught, right now. What would Mom and David think if they found out? I was worried about Adrian too. He was charged of a murder. Though I knew, he would get out of this mess but I felt bad for him. I sat quietly, watching the police officer's eyes in the rear-view mirror. She was looking at me now and then.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Lily Christensen. I swear, I haven't done anything..."

"I know, you haven't."

"Then why are you taking me to the police station?" I asked.

I watched her green eyes smiling as she looked at me in the mirror again.

"Who said anything about the police station?" She smirked.

"What do you mean?"

I watched her green eyes turning into dark brown ones. I recognized that face at once.

"Gabriella?" I gaped.

She took a sharp turn towards a small road, while the other police car went straight ahead.

"YOU? What do you want from me?"

"I just need to talk to you. You need to know something..."

"What will you do to Adrian? Where are they taking him?" I panicked.

"They are taking him to the police station. Don't worry about him. There's something important that I want you to know."

She stopped the car at the edge of a blind-ended street. She turned her head back, towards me. It was like my reflection was staring back at me.

"What do you want me to know?"

"He's not Adrian Jonas Wagon." She spoke as she handed me a photograph.

It was a torn black and white photograph of a young man. At the edge of the photograph was written the words.

"With Love, Adrian Jonas Wagon."

"What is this?" I shook my head in disbelief.

"Lily, he's not Adrian. He's not my husband. I don't know why he's telling you that story. Though whatever he's telling you is the truth, but he's not that person."

"You're lying!"

"Why would I lie to you? I came to get my pendant back from you, but I saw this man in your room. He called himself Adrian but he wasn't the real one."

"Why would I believe you?" I questioned.

She shrugged," It's upto you. I thought, you should know the truth atleast. I'm not the enemy here."

"Why was he arrested?"

"He was caught on the camera talking to stella in her apartment the night she died. He was seen assaulting her, but later he found the camera and broke it. She died afterwards. He was the last one to be with her, before she died."

"Stella was the witch who turned him into Grim Reaper."

"I know, honey. I asked Stella to do that for me. But later I came to know that Adrian was never turned. Stella killed him. She kept lying to me about it, but I found Adrian's grave few weeks ago. I forced Stella to tell me the truth, and she told me that when Adrian came to her, she took advantage of his misery. And killed him, completing a spell that could turn her immortal."

"I don't understand."

"I don't blame you for it. But this man, isn't who he says he is. He might be the ghost of James Wilson, a pyscho murderer who had been on run for many years." Gabriella said.

"No, he can't be a ghost...."

"Don't reason with me by saying that you have slept with him. And you do know, how much 'solid' he actually is." She laughed.

"No, I mean why would he lie?"

"I don't know. I just came to warn you about him. I thought, I owe this to you for getting your bestfriend killed."

"Why you needed my pendant, Gabriella?"

"This was the last thing Adrian gave to me before I decided to seek revenge from him. I thought, I hated him. But the truth is, I was in love with him but I couldn't realize earlier. When I came to know that somebody has my pendant, I was so happy..."

"But why?"

"Because I thought Adrian was searching for me. I kept in hiding for so many years because I was afraid to face him. I knew, he would hate me if he came to know of my betrayal."

I saw tears sparkling in her eyes. She rubbed them away at once. I ignored her tears and asked," Why haven't you asked Stella about this unknown man who claimed to be Adrian?"

My heart was broken into thousand pieces. I was praying that Gabriella's story would be nothing but another dirty trick to separate Adrian from me.

"I have asked her. She told me that she kept lying to me about it. There was no one who turned into Grim Reaper. It was just a story. I was so angry at her, that I decided to attack her. But she was so powerful. I had to go away in hiding to save my own life."

"Then why do you think that Adrian, I mean, Whoever he is, tried to kill Stella?"

"May be, she knew his secret.. but I don't know much."

"He would vanish away from Police custody." I said in "Matter-of-'fact" tone.

"Just hope, he actually loves you. Because if he escaped, they would come looking for you."

"But I'm innocent..."

I thought about the night, Chase and I went following Adrian into that building. What if we were caught on Camera too? If Adrian vanished away, I would be the one who would be in big trouble. They would catch Chase too. I was lost in my thoughts when Gabriella spoke again.

"Look Lily, I am not your enemy. For sake of being a look-alike, I advise you to stay away from him. He's dangerous. Take care of yourself till I find a way to kill him."

Adrian's voice echoed in my mind that he was immortal for everyone else but not me. I was at the verge of telling her Adrian's secret but I remained quiet. Gabriella was equally as manipulative as Adrian was.

I nodded," Thank you."

I was in love with Adrian and the thought of him being somebody else broke my heart. I wanted to talk to him about it. It was strange but I was worried about him too. What would he do at the Police Station? Would he risk himself to save me this time or not?

Gabriella started the car, and the engine roared loudly.

"Let's drop you home."

I kept thinking about whatever Gabriella had told me. While, she kept staring at me now and then in the rear-view Mirror. May be, she wanted to see my expressions. But I knew, I was so numb that there was nothing on my face, just a blank plastic expression.

Soon, I was standing at my door step at exact 12am.