𝘅𝘃. 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀

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THE HALL WAS DEATHLY QUIET. The sounds of heels echoed.

The light was only a singular band, seeping from a gap in the bars.
The woman in front of him was young. 
The woman in front of him was old.

The woman in front of him was dangerous.

"So," her voice was eerily calm—her posture, straight and relaxed.
Her eyes, half-lidded, almost as if tired. And yet no tire was in them.
None when they struck into his.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" she placed down a file, the soft thud deafening in the silent room. His every breath was a drum beating harder and harder. His blood pounding in his ears. Senses all alert.
Alert of her.

How could it feel so threatening when someone simply leaned over and linked her fingers, propping her elbows on the table? Gold boring down onto him like a drill on his flesh.

Her words were sharp and emotionless, "Tell me," The woman was old, the woman was young, the woman was dangerous.

The woman in front of him was me.

"Tell me all about Arlene Amira Grambs."



·······•✦•······


[ AVERY ]

Avery was going to happily commit homicide.
She was happily going to commit homicide. 

Turns out, Arlene was a real sneaky escape artist.
And by sneaky, Avery meant, painstakingly quiet. 

While the others had been arguing, Arlene had woken up. What possessed her to get up, open her window, and jump from two stories above the ground, not even god could tell Avery. Like a cat, Arlene had landed feather-footed onto the ground. Keep in mind, this is a girl who just woke up from surgery

Not a single person noticed Arlene slip away from the estate. Not Oren, not his guards, not the Hawthornes, the Laughlins. No one. The only way they found out was because a lucky reporter had spotted Arlene exiting the gate and, taking a BMW some-model black bike and driving away.

Where to?
The police station.
To the man who shot her.

The moment Avery stepped out of the SUV, she stormed into the station. This was causing a scene. But let Alisa deal with the scandals. Payback for talking to Libby like that. Oren hot on her tail, they were about to go to the senior inspector but they didn't have to.

The little she-devil was right in front of them.
Her hands folded over her chest, her weight against the wall. In her black turtle-neck sweater, combat jeans and Converse she god knows when changed into, Arlene looked nothing like a girl who had been shot just yesterday, undergone surgery, and jumped from two stories high.

"You are fucking grounded." Avery didn't swear much. But some people just got that reaction from her. Some very special people.

"You do realize I'm the older sibling, right?" The laid-back attitude, the facade of indifference. Avery was very familiar with what Arlene was doing because she had done it so many times herself. Lying. Living in a delusion that everything was okay.

"Well," Oren spoke sternly, walking up to her sister, "you're grounded."

"Can my bodyguard ground me?"

          

"No," His eyes narrowed, "But John Johnathan Oren can."

Avery doubted bringing a smile to Arlene's face was the reaction those words were meant to elicit. But they did. And Avery's eyes couldn't help but be blunt at the beautiful curve of her sister's lips. "Why did you do that?" She asked as she walked up to her. "No, scratch that, are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Arlene cocked her head, raising an eyebrow.

"Hm, let's see," Avery gave her a tight-lipped smile, "I don't know, maybe because you jumped out of the window, several feet high, after waking up from surgery after getting fucking shot?"

"Ah, yeah about that," Arlene gently lifted her sweater and undershirt, only up till the previously mentioned wound, "I think my body got a system update."

The region of the gunshot, where there was supposed to be a fresh stitch...
Was nothing but a sliver white streak. A single scar and maybe some redness.

"How is that possible?" Avery murmured, her eyes widening and brows furrowing. 

"Dunno," Arlene's voice was distant and lost. This wasn't Avery's Leena.

"Does it hurt?" Oren asked as gently as he could.

"I'll survive," Arlene pushed off of the wall and stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"Not what he asked," Avery fell into step with her sister as they made their way back to the car, doing her sister a favor by letting the super healing topic go. For now. Arlene sat Avery in the front and laid her legs in the back seat. She ignored Avery's little shoot back, leaning against the door and looking outside.

The car began and Avery caught Arlene sitting up straightened for a moment, before relaxing. Following her line of sight, Avery's eyes were met with a man. 
All blood flowing in Avery's body drained completely.
"Oren stop the car."

"Oren don't stop the car," Arlene said nonchalantly. Avery shot a pointed look at her back. Oren decided to listen to her and parked the car on the side of the road. Avery practically threw open the door and ran outside.

Arlene didn't follow.

Frantic eyes scanned every corner. Every single one.
But like a ghost... he was nowhere to be seen.

"Come back, Avie," called her older sister, "there is no point. Can't catch a ghost in broad daylight, can you?" 

Avery leaned over the window, "That man, he—"

"He's the one who shot me. And is out of jail." Arlene closed her eyes, tilting her head down so Avery couldn't see the expression on her face, "I know."



·······•✦•······

A FEW HOURS EARLIER


The light was sharp in my eyes.

My body felt weak. Every movement I made, felt as if a thousand needles were inserted in me all at once. My ears were ringing and the outside yelling didn't help much. I managed to get up on my feet and my hands went to my wound. 

The events still so fresh in my head.
The paparazzi.

My threat. 

My lie.
The gunshot.
Me jumping in front of Grayson.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐓 𝐏𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐑 ⋆━━⋆ 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘸𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦Where stories live. Discover now