Trusting Aden | ✓

zero: the beginning

zero: the beginning

"I don't get it, B, how can you believe utter bullshit?" I rolled my eyes.

"It's not bullshit, Lottie! I'm telling you, Amelia was taken by the ones from the old history stories," she whispered frantically. She acts as if they were real and they could hear us. Obviously not, she's being ridiculous.

"Belle, I am telling you, I know Lia better than anyone else and I believe she ran away. She hated her stepdad and her mom is drunk! What do you expect?" I exclaimed standing up. I have no time for nonsense or fairytales. Amelia's family is far from perfect with her dead father, drunk of a mother, and creepy stepdad. If I were in Amelia's shoes I would run away, too, but probably after graduation!

At my comment, Belle just sighed and rolled her eyes. She believed that creepy-crawly creatures of the night stole Amelia. As children, we were told the bad end of fairytales to keep us in line and one of the stories that we're told was one of vampires and werewolves. I grew out of believing that, but some did not.

For a relatively small town, you'd think that it'd be easy to find a 17-year-old runaway, but it's been almost 3 weeks. There's been no sign of her beside her school backpack that was left near the entrance of the woods, by her house. Belle, Amelia, and I all grew up in the same three houses all of our life; lined up together in a perfect line, 20-feet from each other, one after another. Every best friend's dream!

So for one of the ABCs to go missing, it was something unheard of. We've all been trying to find some answers as to where to went and why she left, but it's been a dead-end for all of us.

I heard Belle sniff and I looked up from my textbook to see her ice-blue eyes water, "No, B, please don't cry. I'm sorry I yelled at you, I promise we'll find Lia." I stood up and went to her, on the other side of the table, and hugged her. She sobbed in my embrace and held me tight, afraid to let go and lose me, too. Although I think her ideas are insane, she is still my best friend and I still have to protect her. As the oldest friend, I have to, it's my job. I'd do anything for them, so not being able to find Amelia really hurts.

"T-thanks, Lottie, I just miss her so much," she cried. I muttered an agreement into her hair and tried to comfort her as best as possible.

"Hey, I think it's best if we just wrap up our little study session and just go home instead yeah?" I asked. She nodded weakly and let go of me, to pack up. "We can always study another time, plus it's Friday, which means no classes tomorrow and no responsibilities!" I tried. I gave her my funny happy face trying to cheer her up and knew I succeeded when the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. I nodded, content with being able to make her happy.

I packed my textbook and notebooks into my bag and waited for Belle to finish. I only had books to study for Ancient History, whereas Belle decided to take the whole campus library to the county library. Unlike Belle, learning information and retaining it comes very easily for me. I only have to study for subjects that's don't interest me; although that's only if I want to get an A, if not, then without studying I could slide with a B-minus. Being smart is my little superpower and then goodness for it!

Once Belle put all of her books into her bag, I walked her out to her car. She has a great fear of getting taken by one of the mythical creatures she believes is real, so she, as President of the Freshman Student Council, has decided that a buddy system is put into place. Because we live in a small town, it's not too hard to comply with those orders, as it is only for everyone's safety. And although Belle and I live with each other, we took separate cars because I like to go on a little adventure sometimes, and driving someone or being driven by someone doesn't give me the flexibility to do what I like. Since it is not even 7-o'clock in the evening, I have decided to go for tea at The Bean Juice, the local cafe.

Because of the beautiful fall weather, the leaves are starting to fall and the sun starts to set a little earlier than usual, which means it's currently dark. Driving is such a peaceful time where I am relaxed and have the ability to have some me-time. But at night, it's not too relaxing or fun to be dillydallying while driving, so I have to be extra cautious.

I pulled out of the library parking lot onto the main town road towards the end of the town, where The Bean Juice is. The wind blows and the leaves fall, looking beautiful in the dark sky with the streetlights shining. The main road is very well lit, but the side street before the cafe isn't. The side street is a quite random street if I am completely honest. I think I remember my father telling me that it was being made when she was younger. Because it's such a new street, there are no houses or lights, just full of trees and land.

Feeling afraid, I roll up my windows and turn off my radio for full concentration. Not being able to see well, I turn up my high beams. Just as I do so, an animal runs in front of my car, causing me to brake harshly. I grunt at the force of my car breaking and quickly get out of the car to check for a body.

Being a daddy's girl, my dad always wanted to make sure I was always safe, so he told me to keep a metal pole near the driver's side door, on the floor. With the pole and my phone flashlight in hand, I walk out in front of my car to see nothing. I release the breath I didn't know I was holding and let my shoulders relax, thanking all the gods that I didn't hit anything and didn't kill any animal.

She walks back into her car and puts it back into drive. Smoothly, she takes off and continues down the street.

Follow her! You can't lose her, we just found her! he calls out, and I do. Running through the woods, I follow her car, feeling the wind blow past me.

Turning into a closed store's car lot, she opens the door, letting her beautiful floral smell out the car. Gimme, gimme, gimme, he called. I don't move and only watch her. Slowly, she walks to the entrance of the store, only to sigh in defeat and disbelief once she realizes it's closed.

I chuckle inwardly to myself as she walks back to her car, quickly leaving, and driving in the direction she came. Again, I run through the trees with more agility. Trying to find the courage to jump out in front of her car, again, to make her stop.

You're going to get us killed! You're lucky she stopped the first time, she may not this time, he reminded me. I shake my head and realize I'm being reckless. The forest is coming to the end as she makes a turn into a big, heavily lit main road. My inner battle of whether or not to continue following her or to just stop.

Quickly, I cross to the other side of the road where more trees stretch through the town. Following her scent, I come to an area full of buildings. Her scent becomes stronger, to where I realize, I smell her home. All of her things with her scent, I howl in delight as her car stops in the car entrance.

Without hesitation, she steps out of her car with a bag and her phone. I move forward in the shadows, accidentally stepping on a branch, crushing it underneath my weight. Her head snaps toward the noise I made and she inches forward ever so slightly, trying to find the source of the noise.

She looks at her phone and then flashes a light towards me. My dark fur blending into the shadows hides me perfectly, but my electric yellow eyes reflect the light. Jumping back, she quickly backs up and unlocks her apartment building, running inside without looking back.

...

The first few chapters will have some of Aden's/3rd person point of view, but not all of them.

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04/28