Golden Heart

(22)Torture

Warning: Mature Content for themes around self-harm, violence, strong language, drugs, alcohol and sex will be mentioned in the story.

Golden Heart

"This is the place we're staying at?" Alice asked skeptically as she got out of the old car, back into the cold. She was staring at the old house they had parked right in front of, standing right at the edge of the forest. It was abandoned and the windows were all boarded up, each one of them. The house looked like it was made for a horror movie, old wooden walls that looked like they were starting to rot and a way leading directly into the forest right behind it. The house was far away from town, though if you turned around you could still see all the houses in the distance. 

"I'm sorry princess but this is all we got," Liam said, giving her a light smile. It wasn't a genuine smile but more of a "I-know-you-normally-sleep-in-a-bed-made-of-money-and-gold." She didn't mind sleeping here, it just seemed weird to her that Liam had decided to choose this house as the spot to stay at. It wasn't far from town and if what Liam had said was true, that Brooks will want him too now, then staying in town maybe wasn't the best option. Though she had to admit, the thought of sleeping in that house sent a shiver down her spine. 

"Wouldn't it be better to leave town?" Alice asked quietly. She didn't know what Liam thought of her but it seemed as though he didn't like her a lot. Maybe it was best if she shut her mouth for now and didn't say another word. She didn't want to upset him. 

"It would, yes," Liam said and Alice looked at him in confusion. "But Brooks doesn't know of this place and won't come here either. No one comes here. Barely anyone knows of this place. I do though because I sometimes come here if I need some silence. He won't search for us here, I'm sure."

"Don't worry," Alice flinched a little at Ella's voice as she was suddenly standing next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and chuckling. "I don't want to stay here either but we have no choice."

Alice took a step aside, Ella dropping her hand and looking at Alice with a confused face expression. She seemed distant and even a little uncomfortable in the presence of Ella. 

"You have a choice," Alice said, a tone of annoyance in her voice that made Ella frown. "Why are you here anyway?"

Ella was a little taken back by how harsh Alice was being. She suspected she was still mad after Ella had acted like a complete bitch at that party, breaking her promise and doing whatever she pleased, not even bothering to call afterwards to make sure she had gotten home safely. Ella had had no idea how Alice had gotten home that night and hadn't even bothered to ask. She had been so angry at herself afterward. But she hadn't been able to bring herself to pick up the phone and dial Alice's number. She knew how stupid it had been of her to do so, making sure your best friend is safe was of course a priority but something had kept Ella from calling Alice, as stupid as it sounded. 

She suspected that it wasn't only because of the fact that Ella had acted like that but also because Miles was in danger and they hadn't done anything yet, she was now so on the edge and ready to explode if she had to. Maybe deep down she knew it was wrong of her to be so angry. Liam was now keeping her safe when he really didn't have to. And Ella was ready to put herself in danger as well by staying with them. She volunteered to sleep at a rotting, abandoned house in the middle of nowhere for Alice. But she somehow couldn't bring herself to apologize right now. Or even calm down the slightest bit. 

"I wanna help," Ella said in a quiet voice. "I know that it was wrong of me to act like that at that party and I'm really sorry. But this is more important now. This is a life and death situation so can you at least pretend to not be mad at me until this is over? Then you can go back to hating me as much as you want."