Her Escape, His Safe Haven

Chapter 57- I Just Wanna Go Home

Athena's POV

"D-did I kill her?" I asked with a scratchy voice.

"What?" Eli responded not losing the giant smile. 

"I shot her. Is she dead?" I asked again. 

"Let me get you some water." He told me before turning towards the pitcher on the side table and pouring me a glass of water. "Here." He helped me get into a sitting position, being careful of my injury as her did so then he handed it to me and I slowly brought it to my lips savouring the cool liquid as it soothed my throat.

"Thank you." I smiled at him and gave him my now empty cup. "Now tell me." I demanded.

"I don't know baby girl. I don't know anything about her. I was focused all on you. I don't know what happened." He said apologetically. "Tell me please. What happened?"

I sighed and nodded my head before  looking down at my hands in my lap. "I couldn't focus in class so I asked to use the restroom so I could clear my head. I was walking through the hallway not paying attention to anything and I was shoved into the lockers. She loves doing that." I semi joked. "She pulled out a gun and I froze on the floor. She told me that her dad and Kyle were friends so she convinced her dad to bail him out. She wanted him to kill me. When that didn't work, she stole my meds thinking I'd go crazy or something and hurt myself. She didn't expect me to be doing better. She was at the restaurant that dad my mom told me everything. She really really wanted me gone. I think something was wrong with her. She didn't look.. healthy." I struggled to find the right word. 

"Wait, she broke into our home?" He asked appalled. I nodded and he grimaced. "I think we need a new alarm company." He grumbled. 

"Yeah maybe." I agreed. He gestured for me to continue my story. "Someone must have seen us in the hallway because the lockdown alarm went off. I took that distraction to run. I don't know why I went into the bathroom, but she followed me in there and shot me. God that hurt. I fell to the ground and she came to stand over me. She lifted the gun to my head to finish the job, but my adrenaline must have been pumping. I kicked the gun out of her hand and I managed to get it before she could. She screamed and ran at me with a crazy look in her eyes. I closed mine and I shot. I don't know what happened after that." I finished.

"How are you feeling?" He asked and I took a moment to figure it out.

"I don't feel any pain or anything Eli. I'm good." I smiled at him. 

"I'm gonna get a nurse okay?" I nodded and he walked to the door calling for someone to come in. I don't know why he didn't just press the nurse call button, but whatever.

"Athena, how are you feeling?" She asked when she came into the small room. 

"I'm good." I smiled and she nodded. She proceeded to check my vitals and examine the wound on my side. 

"Everything looks good. Are you hungry?" She asked with a warm smile.

"A little." 

"I'll have someone bring you something to eat." 

I thanked her and she left the room. "I'm so happy to see you awake like this. I was really scared." Eli said when we were alone again. 

"I was scared too." I told him truthfully. "Nothing else is gonna happen right?No one else is gonna come out of the woodwork and try and kill us again?" I asked him praying he'd reassure me that it was over.

"No, baby girl. Nothing else is gonna happen. No one is gonna hurt you again." He kissed my cheek. "It's all over, okay? I promise." 

I let out a breath of relief. I believed him wholeheartedly. I should have expected Beatrice would come back at some point. Maybe not as demented as she actually was, but I shouldn't have thought I'd heard the last from her at Homecoming. I should have believed her when she said she'd be back.