Chapter 40
Lucas and Jason's car was parked in the forest, and I was completely shocked that no one tried to take it for the week they've been stuck with me inside the house.
Jason offered to take the driver's seat, seeing as though he had so much adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Both Lucas and I sat in the back seat. Originally, I planned on being there myself so I could sleep, but Lucas being Lucas protested and said he would be there with me.
When the car turned onto the street, I glanced at the screen by the dashboard and noticed how long we'll be driving before we reached back home.
Closing my eyes, I rested my head gently on Lucas' shoulder â but not too hard. I didn't want to put too much weight on him.
But when I woke up after what seemed like a few hours, my eyes fluttered open until it focused on the seat in front of me. But it was sideways.
I quickly began to realize that I was lying down on the seat. Before I was able to move though, I felt something under me shift, and I winced, already knowing what situation I was currently in.
My gaze shifted up, and I immediately saw Lucas' icy blue eyes glancing outside. From my worm's eye point of view, I saw his sharp jaw line and high cheekbones.
I must have kept my eyes on him too long because when he finally looked down, he smiled before raising his eyebrows. "I can feel you looking at me, Hope," he chuckled.
My neck began to sting painfully as I sat up.
While rubbing my neck, I noticed it was still pitch black outside while we were driving down a long road with trees covering both sides.
"Where are we?" I whispered, looking to Lucas, who only sighed before replying.
"We're almost at my house. Just a few more minutes," he explained, and I slowly nodded before looking into the darkness.
The only source of light was coming from the headlights.
"Lucas I don't feel comftorable being here," I looked at him, and his eyes softened when he noticed the panic in my eyes.
"My dad's probably not even home. Don't worry."
I shook my head and looked out the window to see Lucas' massive three story house come into view. "Why didn't we see him in the house we were locked in?"
Lucas shrugged unknowingly. "Probably because he isn't part of it as much as he used to. He has a job which takes up enough of his time."
I nodded my head in understanding as I watched as Jason pulled up into the driveway before putting the car on park.
Jason was the first to get off of the car, followed by Lucas. When he was standing straight, he turned back to the door and opened his hand, indirectly offering his hand to help me out of the car.
"Thanks," I smiled softly as I pretended that his touch didn't burn my skin.
The three of us walked up to the front of the house before Jason rang the doorbell.
In seconds, the front door was thrown open, revealing Lucas' former nanny and current cook, Sadie.
Her face lightened up in seconds when she spotted the three of us. When her eyes finally settled on Lucas, she glared.
"Lucas Scott. You disappear without a word for a week. What do you have to say for yourself?" She asked with raised eyebrows as she held her hip.
"I'm tired, and I want to go to sleep," he stated, moving around her before entering the inside of the house.
Jason and I both smiled in her direction before following Lucas inside of the house.
"I feel so dirty," I admitted with a cringe as we all walked up the stairs.
Lucas eyed my attire once before looking at me once we reached the top of the stairs. "A bathroom is attached to your room," he said, reminding me that I have my own bedroom in his house.
Since Jason's room was on the opposite side of the house, we separated, and Lucas decided on walking me to the front of my bedroom door.
"Goodnight, Hope," he whispered, and my eyes slowly looked up, seeing his icy blue eyes softening when they met mine.
"Night," I smiled before heading inside.
When I turned on the lights, I rushed to the dresser to pick up some clothes I left here before heading to the connected bathroom.
After twenty minutes under the warm water, I felt the rush of cold air once I left the shower.
I quickly dressed into long pajama pants and a black tank top before rushing to the bedroom once more, hoping to see some sort of house phone here.
Alas, there wasn't.
I slipped into the silk covers and turned off the lights that were above the headboard, however, I couldn't help but sit still.
My eyes roamed around the room, and my heart started to increase rapidly in fear by being alone in such a large space.
After sitting in darkness for what felt like hours, I slowly stood up on my own two feet before slowly walking out of my bedroom and into the dark hall.
Once I've passed by a few doors, I stood in front of Lucas' bedroom before slowly cracking the door, immediately facing the darkness it holds.
The only difference from this and my room is that Lucas' familiar smell caught my attention.
"Hope?" Lucas called out roughly as he sat up from the mattress.
I quickly shut the door. "Hi," I whispered with a chuckle as I slowly walked to the edge of the bed.
Lucas shuffled closer, letting me see his face and icy blue eyes in the moonlight.
"What's wrong?" He asked as his brows furrowed.
I cleared my throat before looking away from his intense gaze. "Can... can I stay with you tonight?" I whispered shyly.
When he hadn't responded in a while, I looked back to him to see his eyes locked on me.
"Sure," he responded shortly after before shifting to the side, giving me enough space to sleep next to him.
"Thank you," I smiled softly once I was comfortably sitting on the bed.
Lucas didn't take his eyes off of me the whole time. "Are you okay?"
"I... just didn't want to be alone," I confessed pathetically, and he wrapped his arms around me slowly.
"It's okay. Let's just go to sleep," he whispered, and I slowly nodded. My heart dropped in my chest as he removed his arm off of me before falling back, landing his head on the pillow.
I did the same seconds later, staring at the ceiling in silence.
"Hope," Lucas whispered. "Do you want to go back to school?"
I cringed at the thought of catching up to a month worth of information. "Maybe on Wednesday. I can't imagine going tomorrow."
"We don't have to go if you don't want to," Lucas commented, and I shook my head as a small laugh left me.
"We can't just forget about school. Winter break is next week. I have two weeks to catch up before projects and exams roll in," I said, and Lucas nodded in understanding before turning on his side to face me.
I followed along. "I'm probably gonna leave tomorrow morning," I confessed.
"Why?"
My lips tipped up in a smile. "Anna and Lauren. I'm gonna see them tomorrow," my face dropped when another thought passed through me. "And I want to talk to my dad."
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I woke up the next morning wrapped in Lucas' duvet, however, I refused to open my eyes, knowing that I'll never fall back asleep when I do so.
What did grab my attention though, was the conversation starting by the other side of the door.
"Do you actually think he did it though?" Jason hissed, and I heard Lucas' muffled sigh.
"Yeah. But how do I tell that to Emma? She thinks that Anthony was lying," Lucas responded.
My eyes widened as I slowly stood up from the mattress carefully so the bed wouldn't squeak.
"If you think her dad killed her mom and sister, you should tell her," Jason said cautiously.
Lucas responded a few moments later. "I know."
Without wanting to hear anymore, I opened the door and walked passed them as I made my way to my assigned bedroom.
I heard Lucas cuss under his breath just before I went inside my room before locking the door shut.
After brushing my teeth and dressing in leggings and a baggy tee shirt, I rolled on some black socks before heading out of my room, only to face Lucas, who was leaning back on the wall across the door.
He pushed off the wall right when he saw me, stepping forward so he was only a foot or so away from me.
"Do you really think he did it?" I whispered as tears threatened to leave my eyes.
Lucas noticed how I was inching away from crying, but that didn't stop him from slowly nodding with his face scrunched up as if he was in pain.
I sighed and closed my eyes before a sigh left me. "What's gonna happen now?" Lucas asked.
My eyes slowly fluttered open, and my lips tightened in a smile. "I'm gonna go visit my dad," I tilted my head to the side. "Jason's gonna take me."
Lucas nodded before standing next to me. "Let's go then."
We both walked downstairs and I found Jason standing casually against the wall patiently. When he saw both of us approaching, he smiled before pushing himself off the wall so he was standing straight.
"Ready?" Jason asked, and I nodded right when I landed on the last step.
Lucas tossed him his keys, and Jason caught it with ease. "Take my car. You can bring it back later on," he said and Jason smiled.
"Thanks man," he replied before looking to me. "Let's go?"
After nodding, we both walked outside to the front of the house, but before I stepped foot into the passenger seat, I looked over my shoulder to see Lucas' eyes on us, and I couldn't help but look at him for a little longer.
"Come on," Jason said, turning on the engine, and I gave Lucas one last look before going inside the car.
"Are you guys ever gonna be together?" He asked after a few minutes from driving.
I sighed as I looked out the window. "Probably not at this rate."
Once I said my prediction, the rest of the ride was silent, except for the soft music playing in the background.
As we were getting back to town, tears dared to fall as I watched streets I was so familiar with pass, and I thanked fate for letting me escape that house.
"You gonna be okay in there by yourself?" Jason asked softly once he was parked in front of my house.
A shaky breath left me as I began to nod. "I'll be okay. I'll come over to your house when I'm done."
"Okay, good luck, Em," he smiled, but I could sense his worry before I left him alone in the car.
The front door was open when I pressed my finger down on the door handle, and my eyes widened at his recklessness.
My eyes widened, shocked that the first floor was completely clean, however, the smell of alcohol threw the atmosphere off.
As my brows began to furrow, and I looked around the house, trying to find where he could possibly be located.
However, my feet stopped when I saw light escaping the cracks from the basement door. I bit my lower lip before standing in front of it.
My hand hovered over the handle before slowly opening the door, only to hear nothing but silence.
My feet slowly walked down the carpeted steps. I watched as my dad came into view every step I took, but when I noticed what he was doing, my eyes closed briefly.
Once my eyes opened again, I completed to walk down the rest of the steps, and dad was completely oblivious to my presence here.
Right when I was behind him, I watched over his shoulder that he was drawing his thumb up and down on the picture frame, which contained a family photo of the four of us on vacation before my eighth grade graduation.
On the other hand, he was holding a glass of whiskey.
"Dad," I breathed out, and I watched as his thumb froze and back tensed before he slowly looked at me with glossy eyes.
"Emma," he breathed out, and I moved around the couch until I was standing in front of him before taking the open seat next to him.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry," he began to cry, tears streaming down his cheeks, and I eyed the almost empty bottle of whiskey on the table before watching him chug the last couple drops of alcohol in his cup.
Slowly, I grabbed the cup out of his hands before setting it on the table. "Why are you sorry, dad?" I asked worriedly, and he suddenly looked nervous.
"Because you had to be alone, by yourself for almost a month of course," he sniffled before shifting his eyes so he wasn't looking at me.
"Dad... why are you really sorry?" I whispered, hoping it's not because of what I think it is.
He shook his head as his jaw began to clench. "I told you. Because you were taken from me. I didn't watch you close enough."
"Did you know he was my dad? The hunter?" I asked harshly, and he slowly nodded.
"Yes."
I sighed and looked off to the distance. "Where were in June, dad?" I asked suddenly, and I noticed him sucking in a large intake of air.
"I was home, of course. Why are you asking sweetie?" He tried to reply calmly, but I heard his voice wavering.
"Dad," I warned. "Be honest with me. Please."
I noticed his armor cracking, and the more it did, the more my heart dropped.
"What he said about you is true, isn't it?" I asked slowly as my hand went up to cover my mouth in shock.
Tears dropped from his cheeks, and my eyes closed at his silent confession. "Oh, my God."
I looked away from him as tears spilled out from me. "You did it, didn't you?"
"Did what?" he choked out, and my head whipped towards him as a hard glare took its place on my expression.
"Just say what you did!" I shouted in demand, and he cried harder.
"I didn't mean to," he started. "Please, please forgive me," he begged, and my eyes closed shut as tears continued to fall.
I couldn't stop it as much as I tried.
"What, happened?" I demanded with a clenched jaw, and he released a shaky breath.
"I was so lonely, Emma. I was so lonely," he hiccuped. "You all were gone, and I was alone."
My jaw clenched, waiting for him to continue. "I went to come back for you. All of you. But when I got there, your mom... she said you all were better off without me," he said as a shaky breath rattled him.
"A few days passed, and I was driving to your house once more to try to see you and Jessica, but as I was nearing the intersection, I saw your car driving straight," he began.
"I cut off a lot of people before going to the lane to turn left. I wanted to do a U-turn. I wanted to follow you and try to talk to all of you. As a family. But..." he choked on a sob.
"I turned too early. And I hit the driver's side," he confessed.
"Not just the driver's side. The back seat too, dad!" I cried. "I was supposed to sit there."
"I was supposed to sit there," I softened my tone. "Jessica should have won our rock-paper-scissors game. I should have sat back there so Jessica would be alive."
Dad shook his head. "No. Never wish death upon yourself. Never."
"And then you left. You didn't take responsibility," I looked down to my lap, and closed my eyes tightly.
"Why?" I asked with a clenched jaw once I looked back up. "Why didn't you confess?" I asked, not bothering to control my tears anymore.
His gaze roamed around my face before settling in my eyes. "So you wouldn't look at me like that," he whispered softly as a single tear trailed down.
I shook my head as I began to slowly stand up on my wobbly legs. "I'm staying somewhere else," I stated.
Before I reached the stairs, I turned over my shoulder, looking at him one last time. "You want to make things an ounce better? Confess."
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I went to Jason's house after my conversation with my dad, just like I told him.
Before I did, however, I grabbed the largest bag I could find before shoving as much clothes as I could into it.
When I finally went inside, I cried on Jason's shoulder for what seemed like hours before Jason's offered for me to shower, suggesting that it would make me feel better.
As if.
My dad killed my mother and sister.
My dad isn't really my dad.
Adam and Fay are dead.
And Jasmine's still roaming free.
For fuck's sake, can my life get any worse?
After my shower, I changed into shorts and a loose tank top before heading downstairs to see Jason resting his head in his hands.
Deciding to keep our mind off of our shit life, we chose to watch a movie, however, halfway through, a loud bang came from the door.
After a few seconds, I registered it as an extremely loud knock.
Before I opened it, I checked the time to see that it was only 3.30pm.
Licking my lower lip, I slowly moved off of the couch before standing by the front door, only to see my two best friends standing in front of me with almost tears in their eyes on the other side.
In seconds, I was enveloped by their strong hold, and I treasured this moment.
Especially with Lauren hugging me? This moment was priceless.
"I miss you so much Emmy," Anna whispered, slowly moving away from me, but keeping her hold on my shoulders.
Lauren stepped back and looked at me with astonishment. "I can't believe you're okay."
"But I am," I smiled softly, but she shook her head.
"Emma. You were gone for a month. Not a few days. I thought..."
A tear slid down my cheek and I roughly swiped it away, already sick from crying.
Without another word, I wrapped my arms around Lauren, and in that moment, she wrapped her arms around me as well.
Once we pulled away I looked between the both of them with a smile I haven't used in what felt like years.
"Why are you looking at us like that?" Lauren asked, slightly creeped out, but I couldn't help but laugh.
"I just miss you guys," I whispered, grabbing each of their hands before slowly guiding them to the couch. "And I have way too much to tell you."
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Over a month had passed since the three of us returned back home.
Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. When I got to school on Wednesday, I was given a long lecture by the principal about how I can be expelled but I managed to come through.
Following that, was a literal pile of work from each class that I had to complete after winter break.
My dad ended up confessing to the police, and they notified the police in Vancouver before charging him with five years in prison.
Of course, I couldn't have lived in my house by myself â one of the reasons being was that I was a minor.
Daniella, Jason's mom, thankfully came through and offered a space in her house for me to stay in until I'm off for university.
So, dealing with homework and making sure the sale of my house is finalized... it's a lot to take on for a sixteen year old.
It's now February, the first Friday of the month.
Our last exam was a few days ago, and today was a P.A. day before the second semester started on Monday.
Currently, Lauren and I were sitting on the couch in Anna's living room while Anna herself was yelling at her brother for something else he did.
"Please, we all know you're a pig, Jacob!" Anna shouted from the bottom of the stairs.
All we heard was a scoff in response followed by loud stomping upstairs. "Whatever Anna. If I wanna shit in your bathroom, I will."
"Then flush the toilet!" She cried in agony, and he laughed.
Her jaw clenched as she turned to face us. "I can't wait for his ugly face to leave," she grumbled as she took the seat between Lauren and I.
"You love him," I sang with a smile, but when my sweet, innocent Anna glared at me, I knew I was pushing my boundaries.
I cleared my throat before furrowing my eyebrows. "Did you get your second semester schedule emailed to you yet?" I asked as I dipped my hand into the bowl of chips on the coffee table.
Lauren shook her head. "Nope," Anna chirped, and I sighed.
"School starts in three days, we should get our schedules any day now," I said, and Lauren suddenly lifted her head off from the cushion.
"We're riding together, right?" She asked, and I shrugged pathetically.
"Yeah," I said, but on the inside, I wished that Lucas could pick me up so we could have some alone time.
All of my winter break, I hadn't seen him around Jason's house once, and when school started in January, it was as if nothing had changed between us.
We weren't friends, nor enemies. We just were neutral.
Now, I can only wish he will look at me the same way he did when we were trapped in the hunter's house.
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"Honey, wake up," Daniella said softly on the other side of the door, and I slowly rubbed my eyes before letting them open.
Once I saw the baby blue walls around me, I turned so I was on my stomach before stretching my arm out to grab my cell phone from the nightstand.
8.00am.
I slowly got up from my position in bed before heading to the linked bathroom to brush my teeth.
Before I went in, I made sure to peak inside so I wouldn't have to worry that Jason was inside.
Yes, Jason's favorite person is sharing a bathroom with him. Of course, it was against his wishes.
He's already been made aware of how long I spend in the bathroom when I want to.
After the coast was clear, I made sure to get ready quickly before returning to my room to get changed into sweatpants and a tee shirt.
I miss the comfiness that sweatpants hold.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Daniella was lecturing Jason on not using magic in her household, and I sighed, remembering the conversation Jason and Daniella had when we got back.
Although I don't want to go into details, I'll just say that the two hour conversation was filled with tears and hugs.
"Catch," Jason said suddenly, and my eyes shifted quickly as I watched as everything went in slow motion.
The hash brown he tossed in the air was going in the complete opposite direction.
Knowing what he was doing, I threw him a quick glare before using telekinesis to bring the hash brown into my hold.
"Emma," Daniella hissed once I took my first bite, and I looked at her with wide eyes.
"Sorry," I chuckled just as a honk rang outside the house.
I grabbed my school bag quickly before looking back to both of them. "See you after school," I said over my shoulder before walking out of the house with my running shoes on.
Lauren's car was parked on the road, and both Anna and Lauren were inside the car, waiting for me anxiously.
I briefly glanced at the for sale sign that's posted in front of my house before walking in the direction of her car.
"How's it like living in the Valentine residence?" Anna asked once I slid into the back seat.
I shrugged as I buckled into my seat belt. "Good. His parent's are really helping to make everything go smooth for me."
Lauren looked to the overhead mirror and smiled before looking back to the road. "I'm glad everything's going well with you now, Em."
"I'm glad too," I breathed out as I watched the houses pass by.
Anna created a conversation and Lauren chirped in here and there but my attention was filled with school.
Why do I feel like something unexpected is gonna happen?
In a matter of minutes, we were parked out front of the school before exiting the car quickly.
The heat made my skin sizzle, and I wished that it was slightly cold like it would be up north on a February morning.
"What do you have first again?" Lauren asked as the three of us walked next to each other inside the school.
I quickly went to the app that held my mailbox before clicking the recent mail that's been sent to me. "Biology. After I've got dance before lunch," I explained, and Anna immediately pouted.
"We don't have a class together," Anna sighed, and I shook my head.
"That's not true! We have parenting last period together. The three of us," I reminded them, and they slowly nodded.
Once I looked back down the hall, we continued our steps so we were standing in front of the staircase.
Right when we got to the second floor, I rushed to my locker to remove the binders from my bag that I would end up needing for classes after lunch.
"Oh," Anna said. "Hottie nearby, Emmy," she whispered.
Lauren sucked in a harsh breath. "But he's got a girl," she shrugged. "She's pretty cute."
My brows furrowed as I shut my locker before facing the same direction they're looking at.
However, when my eyes found the pair of twins, my heart dropped in my chest as I remembered that they weren't just any hottie's for me.
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I have a few chapters left until the finale, but it won't be finished until the middle of December.
I hope you lovelies enjoyed this chapter, it was way more longer than I expected!
Now, what do you think is Emma's relationship with the new students in their school?
Do you have any current ships?
Let me know! (I may or may not crush your dreams)
I'll see you lovelies in the next one xx