Perfect (Rewrite)

Chapter Twenty Seven

Knock, knock. Who was at the door? Chloe opened it and invited Melanie into her room. "What time is it?" She asked while letting out a yawn; then she rubbed her eyes and squinted at Melanie's figure, shoulders hunched over.

A bruise was on her cheek and tears were running down her face. "What happened?" Chloe asked frantically. She helped Melanie onto the bed and then rubbed her back in the way David would.

"I woke up like this," Melanie answered. "And a note was beside my bed."

"What note?" Chloe asked, searching Melanie's expression for clues, but she wasn't giving any off. What was she talking about? She couldn't tell what was going on. "What are you talking about?"

Melanie took a deep breath and pulled a small ripped piece of paper out of her pocket. She handed it to Chloe and then waited for her to read it. The two of them locked eyes, and then Melanie nodded towards the piece of paper, egging her on.

"Right," Chloe replied, slowly unfolding the remnant. Four words, one sentence, it completely changed everything.

This is Chloe's fault.

"What does it mean?" Melanie asked, and then Chloe turned to her. Her tears had slowed, but she was on the verge of breaking down again.

Chloe didn't want to upset her, she was trying her best to figure this all out. To figure out what the key was for, what this place was for, why they were all here. It was harder than it looked; the answer was nowhere to be found. A key that opens nothing and people trapped in a place for no good reason.

Melanie nudged Chloe, but she didn't respond. "What does it mean?" She demanded; no answer was spoke, at least, not aloud. There wasn't one, not a correct one, not yet. "Fine, don't tell me." Melanie stomped out of Chloe's room, leaving her with the note to think about everything, leaving her with her own thoughts to worry about, leaving her alone with Jacob who was waiting in the door frame. Why was he always lurking around the next corner?

"What do you want now?" Chloe asked before folding the note up and placing it under her pillow for safe keeping. As far as she was concerned, its contents were none of his business.

"What was that all about?" Jacob asked; he joined her on the bed and looked around the room. "Nice place you got here."

Chloe looked to him and then back to her pillow. Her eyes fell to the floor before asking, "What were you really doing downstairs last night?"

"I could ask the same thing of you," He replied. "But I won't."

"I already told you," She retorted, answering anyways. "I thought I heard something." For a moment, their eyes crossed, but it didn't last long.

"Really?" Jacob asked, smiling at me crookedly. "I was down there all night, and I didn't hear a thing."

"Strange," Chloe answered. Jacob shook his head as he walked out of the room, leaving her alone again. This time, there wasn't someone else waiting at the door for her, instead there was a whisper.

"Tick tock," He told her. "Your time is running short."

"Please," Chloe replied, a tear streaking her otherwise dry face. He needed to hear this, really hear this. "Don't hurt them."