Shattered: A Dark Romance

I rip the gloves from my hands and pluck the ringing phone from my pocket, bringing the device to my ears.

“What?” I growl.

“That’s how you answer the phone for your father, hmm?” My dad’s voice lectures through the speakers.

“Yeah,” I grumble. “What do you need?”

“You’re mother wants to have a party tomorrow night. She wants you and Mik to come to celebrate this whole ordeal being past us now.”

Ordeal. Like this is just some hiccup that’s passing by. Not that a girl is dead. Another is broken. And I’m left scrounging up my dignity and putting the pieces back together.

“A party?” I scoff. “You really think that’s a smart idea?”

He grumbles on the other end of the line. “Yeah, Noah. And it would make your mother happy, so you need to get your girl and yourself over here tomorrow night. Got me?”

“Yeah, whatever.” I spit. “We’ll be there.” I jab the red button with my finger and stuff the device back into my pocket. I’m even more riled up now. The last thing I want to do is go to my parents house, let alone bring Mik back there.

“Fuck,” I smack my fist into the punching back, the knuckles cracking from the pressure.

Guess we’re going to another fucking party.

Halloween- One Year Earlier

EVERYTHING FEELS… DIFFERENT.

My body is heavy, each limb feels like it weighs a thousand pounds and moving them is unbearable. I don’t know what time it is, or what we’re even doing. The living room couch in the Bancroft estate is made for viewing, making the thing incredibly uncomfortable, but I’m too heavy to shift my position, so instead I stay.

When I close my eyes I fall deep into my subconscious. Everything here is cartoon like, I think I’m watching an animated show of my life inside the walls of my mind. It’s entrancing, I watch the figures move through my mind, unsure of what’s propelling them or where they’re going.

Suddenly they become angry, violent. They’re lashing out at each other.

“Mik?” It’s the sound of Noah’s voice that brings me back to the present, back to the living room. My eyes opening and taking in the sight of him. “You okay, baby?” he asks, his brows pinching in concern.

“Yeah.” I say, my voice is hoarse and my throat feels raw.

He nods, but the concern is still etched on his face. “Auden’s here.” He tells me, and I look behind him to see my baby sister.

She’s glistening with sweat and tears have rolled down her eyes, smearing the glittery eye look she had applied earlier. She hiccups on a sob when I look at her and then rushes in to hug me.

“Mik,” she cries my name.

I want to ask her what’s wrong, but the words don’t leave my lips.

The room becomes darker around me, and the cartoons come back, taking over everything in my line of sight.

Still angry, so fucking angry.

“Stop!” I shout, but they don’t listen.

“Leave me alone!” I try to no avail.

They’re chasing me, hunting me, and before I know what I’m doing, I run.

It’s Beckett who leaves first after Noah, leaving just Vaughn and Pax to hover over me with concern coating their features.

If I had any energy left I would go after them too.

Punch, hit, kick.