Chapter 29: ❝ don't get too close ❞

(unedited)

When you feel my heat,

Look into my eyes,

It's where my demons hide.

It's where my demons hide.

Don't get too close,

It's dark inside.

"Demons" –Imagine Dragons

It was still dark when I woke up.

I was also warmer than I should've been.

...And awkwardly enough, in someone's arms.

Well, shit.

I glanced up at Ashton's peaceful expression.

Yeah, this is awkward.

I inched out a little and grabbed my phone from beside the mattress. Three in the morning. I glanced around, eyes narrowing at the empty space on the mattress across from mine and Ashton's. Nathan was still there, but Keira was gone. Vanessa was still there, and so was Skylar, but Jacen was gone too.

Where were they?

And what could they have been doing at three in the morning?

Stop being paranoid, Lena. They're probably just in the bathroom or something.

I tried to shift, then realized I couldn't. Ashton still had his arms around me.

You should probably do something about that, Lena.

His left arm rested over the top of my stomach, a little below my chest. His right arm was splayed out along the bottom the pillow, my head resting on his shoulder.

Something tells me this was not completely his doing.

But I'd worry about the later, or not at all. It was weird enough as is. I had to do this carefully, or else I'd wake him and that would just be awkward. Knowing him, he might even claim that it was my fault.

I inched down so I was no longer lying on his arm, then gingerly lifted his arm so I could edge out. I froze when he moved, his breathing changing. "Ashton?" I whispered, glancing up at him. It didn't look like he was awake, his expression hadn't changed and his breathing had evened out again.

I lifted his arm again and edged out. This time, he did wake up. Thankfully, though, when he opened his eyes, I was already across the mattress from him. Which was really only, about two inches away, but whatever.

He glanced at me. "What time is it?"

I checked my phone. "Three-ten."

And there goes the bathroom idea.

Well, they could be having problems in the bathroom, or something, but I had a feeling that wasn't where the Winston siblings were.

"Where are you going?" Ashton asked as I sat up.

"Bathroom," I lied. "I drank too much last night."

He raised an eyebrow. "You were holding the same bottle the entire night."

Damn. Maybe he was more observant than I though.

"Just because I wasn't getting drunk, doesn't mean I didn't drink other things." I stood up. "Am I really getting a third-degree for going to the bathroom?"

He narrowed his eyes, but didn't protest when I walked out of the room. I headed into the hallway, where I saw a sliver coming from around the corner.

That was probably where Jacen and Keira were.

Or it's a psychotic serial killer and you just signed up to be the first victim.

My sleep-deprived conscience definitely wasn't a nice one. Then again, it could've been right, considering there was the not too unlikely chance that Keira or Jacen was the one killing people.

I tiptoed down the hall and turned the corner. Keira and Jacen were in the kitchen, speaking in harsh whispers.

"-serious, Keira, don't get involved," Jacen was saying.

"You have no idea what you're doing, Jace," his sister replied.

"I know more than you."

What the hell were they talking about? The murder-thing? Jacen knew about it, and I had suspected Keira did too but I had never actually been able to confirm that theory. If Keira did know about it, though, how much did she know? If Jacen knew more than her, then maybe she wasn't as involved as he was. Though, I didn't know how deep he was into it. Was she being controlled as well, or did the person doing it not know she knew?

...Or, was she the one behind all of it?

That wouldn't make sense, though, since Jacen apparently knew more about it than she did. Unless Jacen didn't even know who it was and had to do the person's bidding because of some kind of threat-

Just stop thinking and listen, I told myself. Or you'll drive yourself insane with all the possibilities.

"I know how to take care of myself," Jacen said.

"Then stop acting like an idiot," Keira replied. "I don't want you caught."

"I'm not going to get caught."

Get caught? Doing what? The killer's bidding?

Keira snorted. "I'm your sister, Jace. You're not fooling me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.

"You don't even care anymore, you want to get cau-"

"I want to get out. If it's by getting caught, then so be it."

"I'm not letting that happen!" I jumped at the sudden level of Keira's voice, then glanced back down the hall. I wouldn't be surprised if she had woken everyone with that.

"Stop it, Keira." Jacen voice was low and quiet, but deadly. Calm, but not serene. It was controlled, like the calm before a storm. "You messed it up enough the first time around."

"Jace-"

"She's dead because of you."

Who? Olivia? Or is there someone else involved and lying in a ditch that I don't know about? It wouldn't surprise me, the whole thing was a tangled, dangerous web with way too many layers and hidden trap doors.

"I'm trying to keep you safe," Keira said harshly, matching her brother's tone.

"I don't need protecting." Then Jacen stormed out of the kitchen. He was mad enough that he didn't even notice me beside the doorway, instead heading farther down the hall and out a set of sliding doors. I glanced into the kitchen quickly to see Keira leaning against the counter, fingers pressed against her closed eyelids. Then I looked back to where Jacen had gone.

I wanted to know what they had been talking about, but was now really a good time to ask? Either of them? I still had no idea why Jacen had been at Olivia's funeral, and how much Keira knew. They had clearly just had a pretty big fight, though I had a feeling it wasn't the first time.

What had Jacen meant, though? Why was someone dead because of Keira? The obvious idea was that she had killed the person, but then why hadn't Jacen just said 'you killed her' or something like that? If Keira had done something that had ended up in the death of the person... What could it have possibly been? And who had it been?

I heard footsteps coming down the hall, so I made a quick decision and ran down the hall and opened the doors Jacen had gone through. I stepped onto the backyard porch, glancing around as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. Jacen was sitting on the porch steps, his back to me.

"I don't want to talk about it, Keira," he said, without turning around.

I didn't respond.

"Or Ashton," he added.

Ashton? Why had he suspected that Ashton would be next? Keira made sense since he had just fought with her, but Ashton? They hated each other? Why would Ashton be coming out to talk about it?

After I stayed silent a second time, he looked back. When he saw me, he simply raised an eyebrow and turned back around. "You were next guess."

I stepped forward and sat down beside him. "Really?"

"No. But I should've known." He sighed. "You were eavesdropping, weren't you?"

I shrugged. "I might have overheard."

"And I'm guessing you have more questions than usual." He gave me a wary look.

I scoffed. "Everyone makes it sound so bad. At least I'm dealing with secrets and not drugs."

"I think they're pretty much the same," he said, glancing out at the forest behind Ashton and Nathan's backyard space. "You never escape either of them."

I blinked. "Are you still drunk?"

"No." He looked back at me. "I can be serious every now and then, you know."

"I know. It's just..." I paused. "Not like you to be so..." I trailed off, unsure of what to call it. Deep? Bitter? Sentimental?

"Whiny? Yeah, I'm not one for the pussy shit." He reached down and grabbed something from under the porch. When he lifted his hand, I saw that it was a bottle of vodka.

"And the asshole is back," I muttered.

He nodded at me and raised the bottle. "Cheers," he said, then tipped it back and took a large swallow. He winced a little, possibly at the taste or burn, then wiped his mouth.

"Why are you such a jerk?" I asked.

"Life talks at three in the morning?" he replied. "I thought we weren't that close yet, Elle."

I spun on him when he moved to take another sip, grabbing the bottle from his hands. "I saw you at Olivia's funeral. Why were you there?"

"I'm going to need the bottle, if you want to know the whole story," he said.

I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was actually telling the truth, or just trying to get his alcohol back.

"A drunken man's words are a sober man's thoughts." He raised an eyebrow. "I've been told I'm really chatty when I'm drunk."

I continued staring at him. "I don't trust you."

"You think that's news to me?" he replied. "Trust me, I'm very much aware."

"How do I know you won't be lying to me?" I asked.

"Well, you don't have that many options. I could sit here all night." He glanced at me, specifically, at my shirt. "But Ashton's going to wonder where his little girlfriend went."

"I'm not his girlfriend," I said through gritted teeth.

He ignored me. "He'll probably wonder if I killed you."

"And I thought you were a nice drunk," I remarked. He had been touchy, yes, but he had been a more playful, funny version of himself earlier tonight when he had been drunk.

He snorted. "That was tipsy. You haven't seen drunk yet." He swiped for the bottle and I let him take it. He was right- there wasn't much I could do. As much as I hated to admit, I didn't have very many -if even any- trump cards when it came to the Elite.

It made me feel like Oliver fucking Twist, begging for some scrap of information so I wouldn't end up in a coffin by the end of the week.

He took a large gulp of the bottle, then looked back at me. "What about a game?"

I shook my head. "I've learned not to play games with the devil."

"Harsh, Elle, harsh," he said, using Ashton's nickname for me in a mocking tone.

I shrugged, and stared at him.

"You know, I'm curious to know what kind of drunk you are." He held out the bottle to me. "Every sip you take, I'll let you ask a question."

The offer was almost tempting, but I knew better than to say yes. I was the worst kind of drunk, and a complete lightweight. I wouldn't remember half the things he told me, which would make everything useless.

I talked too much when I was drunk, or so I was told, when I had taken a couple too many sips of wine and champagne at one of the fancy parties Raine and Kaden had needed to attend. Thankfully, Devon had grabbed me and brought me home before I did anything too bad, but it was the last time I had gotten drunk, considering I remember vague blurs at best from that night.

"No." I stood up. "Goodnight, Jacen. Hope you have a nice pity party."

I headed towards the sliding doors but his next words stopped me. "Olivia was supposed to be mine."

I froze, and turned back to look at him. "What?"

"It's a long story," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "You sure you want to stand for all of it?"

I hesitated, then took my seat beside him again. "Sure you want to tell me all of this?"

"Are you going to try and talk me out of it now?" he asked, looking amused.

I shook my head. "What happened?"

"I met Olivia my first day as a freshman. She was on the Welcome Committee. She actually cared, you know? Wasn't just doing it for an extra credit like everyone else was." He paused, taking another swig from the bottle.

"So what? You've been in love with her ever since?" I asked.

"No. We were just friends. If even," he replied. "I ended up liking someone else, so we stopped talking."

"What happened to that someone else?"

He downed another sip of vodka. "They didn't like me back."

"Wow. Someone resisted the great Jacen Winston," I said. I couldn't help it. There had been so many times he had acted like he had the world at his disposal. And he did, to some extent, being who he was, but that didn't mean he had to have a pride the size of the Empire State Building.

He glanced at me. "Do you want to hear the story, or not?"

I nodded. "Sorry."

"The game started last year. Olivia was the first one."

Well, it was nice to know there wasn't another poor girl lying comatose or worse somewhere because of the Elite.

"I picked Olivia. She was supposed to be for me. I missed her."

"But she ended up with Ashton," I pointed out. "What happened?"

"Keira happened."

"Keira?" I repeated.

"She said no. She messed it all up. And now Olivia's dead."

So Keira had said that Olivia wouldn't be seducing Jacen. Did that mean she had control over the game, that she was behind everything?

"Because Ashton slept with her three times," I said. I knew he hadn't, or at least, Ashton had told me he hadn't, which I wasn't sure I could trust, but I didn't know if Jacen knew that.

He shook his head. "No, he didn't."

"What?" Jacen knew?

"Three nights, fucking at least once. That's what counts as three times," Jacen explained. "Olivia was with me the last night."

I blinked.

So Ashton hadn't been lying. Olivia hadn't been with him the last night. She had been with Jacen. "Why?"

"I thought I could fix it somehow," he said. "But she was already in too deep. Already liked him."

"And that's why you hate him?" I asked. "Because he took Olivia from you?"

He glanced at me, then took a large gulp of alcohol. Enough that it probably burned his throat on the way down. He'd wake up with a horrible hangover tomorrow if he kept going at this rate. "Seems stupid, huh?" he replied. "All over a girl."

I shook my head. "If you loved her..."

So maybe I had misjudged him. He had picked Olivia, thinking she would be with him, and that she would win the game, but Keira had turned that around. I wasn't sure whether it had been to be cruel, or if she had thought she was protecting Jacen, but either way Olivia had ended up with Ashton.

Ashton, who hadn't fallen for her, and caused her to lose, which had, of course, ended with her being dead. They had all played a part in her death, through choices, but I didn't know who had pulled the final trigger. Or, injected the final shot, to be more accurate.

"They were going to let her live," Jacen said, his voice cracking a little.

"They?" I repeated. Who was 'they'? Did he mean the one who was killing people? Wouldn't that be Keira if she had the power to change the game?

He shook his head. "That's where my willingness to answer questions stops."

I knew better to push it. But there was one thing that was bugging me. "What about Jenna? Why do you hate her so much, if she's Olivia's twin?"

Another shake of head. "She wasn't anything like her."

"Olivia?" Well, Jenna is a lot quieter than Olivia was.

"Instead, Jenna was just like the one I hate."

♡ the trouble with love ♡

When I went back inside after Jacen -understandably- asked to be left alone, Keira was still in the kitchen. This time, though, she was talking to Ashton.

What is with whispered arguments in the kitchen?

Ashton had probably been the one that I heard before I went outside to find Jacen. I had woken him up while I had been trying to get off the mattress, so he must not have gone back to sleep.

For the first time in forever, I didn't want to eavesdrop.

I was tired as hell, and my mind was still processing the fact that Jacen had liked Olivia. I didn't need anything else.

I stopped, though, when I heard my name.

"-Elena told me," Ashton was saying.

"I wasn't aware you guys were so close," Keira replied. I peeked into the kitchen. Ashton's back was to me, thankfully, and he shielded Keira from my sight, which meant she couldn't see me either.

What had I supposedly told Ashton that made Keira think we were close?

What were they even talking about at this hour in the morning?

Then again, I couldn't really judge since I had listened to Jacen confess his history with Olivia over a probably very expensive bottle of vodka. At three in the morning. Sitting on the Sinclair's backyard porch.

"Don't make any rash decisions, okay?" Ashton asked. "It'll be fine, I promise."

Well, it's nice to know I'm not the only one he treats like a little kid.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Ash," Keira said, sounding tired. And not just because it was three in the morning. Emotionally drained, something I had never heard from Keira Winston.

It's a night of surprises.

"I'm serious. And you know it'll hurt Nate," he told her. What were they talking about? This, combined with Jacen and Keira's conversation almost made me think that Keira was the one behind everything, but there was still that one piece that didn't make sense. Jacen had claimed to know more than Keira.

She sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I have to keep Jace safe."

"It might just make things worse."

"I know."

"Think about it, okay?" Ashton asked.

Keira must've nodded or something, because she didn't reply. Ashton moved forward and-

Oh god, please tell me I'm not about to witness Keira cheat on her boyfriend with his brother because telling Nathan will be like kicking a puppy.

No, they just hugged.

And I really needed to go to sleep. Being deprived of sleep was starting to make me paranoid and insane. I crept past the kitchen and back into the living room, lying down on my side of the mattress and wrapping the blankets around me. Some time later, Ashton came, and even though I was still awake, I feigned sleep because I had a feeling he would ask me where I had gone if he knew I was conscious.

I did manage to drift off, a while later, probably around four in the morning. But it wasn't much longer before I was woken up again. This time, it wasn't because I was too warm, this time the other side of the bed was cold, and Nathan was standing above me.

I glanced around, Vanessa and Skylar were still sleeping, but everyone else was up. "Where is everyone?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. I checked my phone quickly. It was just past six. Three hours of sleep. I'd be a complete zombie in class today.

Sorry, Kaden.

I looked up at Nathan and only then noticed his frantic expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's Keira," he said. "She's gone."

-- ♡ --

Teaser: "Why would Keira kill someone?"

QotC: Do you like, or hate Keira?

­