“So Embry, senior year, exciting, what are your plans for after school?” Indigo questioned, sitting back in the armchair adjacent to the couch Noah and I were on. Sebastian mingled around the room, every now and again throwing looks my way while Evelyn pottered in and out.
Swishing the water in my glass around, I sat leaned into Noah’s side participating in a conversion with Indigo. “Well, I-I guess I haven’t given it much thought, with everything going on, it never really seemed like the most important thing” as soon as the words had left my mouth I felt my eyes widen.
Oh sh*t. She is going to find out about Noah in jail and then Noah is going to be mad at me and then I’m going to die. Yes, I’m 100% going to be brutally murdered. This was not in the plan to get Indigo’s help.
“Well I’m sorry to hear that, is everything okay?” I could feel Noah stiffen beside me, my head felt fuzzy and my sweat glands were working overtime. I could sense Sebastian’s smirk as they all watched me about to crash and burn.
“Yeah, no, everything’s fantastic, it isn’t even a big deal I don’t know why-, well it-, I-, well-, ehm, my dog died” my cheeks were most likely a deep red as I gave a little nod to make my lie seem convincing. “Yeah, Buster, my dog, he got hit by a car and, ehm, yeah” chewing on the inside of my cheek I avoided eye contact with her at all cost.
I really thought I was a better liar than this. “It’s just a touchy subject for her” Noah reassured, side-eying me as his hand rubbed my arm up and down. “Yeah, of course it is” her smile was calming, enough to make me forget about grieving my imaginary dog.
Light conversation between the siblings carried on, I no longer trusted myself to talk. “I’m sorry” I whispered to Noah while Indigo had gone to top up her drink, “hey, don’t worry, nothing is going to ruin this night plus I know how hard it’s been on you ever since Buster passed” he teased as he hit his shoulder into mine.
My lungs opened up with relief as I playfully rolled my eyes at him. A scoff was heard from Sebastian’s direction before he strutted out of the room. “Noah, Embry, dinner” Evelyn’s voice called out.
Taking the seat beside Noah in the dining room, I found myself across from Indigo, Sebastian across from Noah, with Evelyn and James at either end of the table.
I still couldn’t find it in myself to make eye contact with James, the dinner started quietly, small chatter as there always seemed to be in this house. “So Indigo, it’s nice to have you back” Jame’s retorted sarcastically, taking a bite of his food.
“I’m here for Noah, James” she spit back. I could feel my stomach knot up with the tension in the room, Noah seemed unbothered, Sebastian amused as always and Evelyn looked disappointed.
“Surprising considering how you have such a track record for abandoning your family” he remarked. “YOU kicked me out” their tones were slowly becoming shouts. I balled my dress in my hands trying to ease the anxiety that was eating away at me.
“Because you choose that girl over your own blood” he stated, “well, the real reason I came back father, was to let you know that me and that girl are getting married”. My jaw was dropped as I took in the scene in front of me. “Indy, that’s amazing congratulations” Noah cheered through the tightness in the air. “I will not have some sort of f*g under my roof, get your crap and leave” his voice boomed throughout the room.
I watched stunned as Indigo’s eyes filled with tears, looking to her mother for some sort of back up but Evelyn simply kept her head down. My heart broke at the look on her face as she stormed out of the dining room and left the house with a bang of the door.
“Nice going, father” Noah’s voice was full of agitation. “Well, I apologise for that Embry, I hope I didn’t ruin your special night,” his tone was back to normal as he continued his meal. “It-its fine” I mumbled, no longer having an appetite.
No one spoke for the rest of the meal, too afraid to suffer the same fate as Embry. “Do-, do you think she will be okay?” I murmured to Noah, “she’ll be fine, we probably just won’t be seeing her for a while” he weakly smiled.
God, no wonder Noah turned out messed up if this is what he was dealing with at family dinners. “Well, Noah, I’d say it’s a good time for you to show Embry her surprise” James’ face lit up as he spoke and just like that my gut feeling returned tenfold.
“What surprise?” I questioned, lifting myself from my seat and taking Noah’s outheld hand. “You’ll just have to wait and see” he sent a wink in my direction, the hostile energy from Indigo and James’ argument seemingly disappearing. “Okay, wait, close your eyes” Noah beamed excitedly. I couldn’t help becoming excited with him as I shut my eyes and let him put his hand over them.
I could hear shuffling around me as I walked blindly with Noah’s guidance. We stood still as the air moved around us, were we in an elevator? The little ping proved my theory to be correct, “okay, when I lift my hand you can open your eyes, gosh you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this” there was a slight shift in his voice.
It seemed almost dangerous, but no, that couldn’t be right. Feeling the lack of weight on my eyes I slowly opened them.
I really wish I hadn’t.
I stumbled back in shock, “N-noah” I whispered. We were in the basement, but it wasn’t just us two, there were four bodies hanging from the ceiling just the way I had been when he branded me. Every time I swallowed I felt like there was a golf ball in my throat, my now watery eyes looked up at Noah. I was back to looking at the face that grinned as his initials were burnt into my shoulder, the one who stabbed an injection into me knowing I feared them with my whole being, the one who had convinced me he was better.
“They’ll never come between us again” he stepped towards the four bodies who were quivering with fear. “I-I don’t understand” I wanted to move, I wanted to help them but my body refused to, I couldn’t do anything but just watch.
“You don’t recognise them Embry?” My head shot to the side where James stood with Sebastian, I hadn’t even noticed them before too distracted by the blood and bruises. “Oh god” my shoulders heaved up and down trying to inhale air, no matter how many breaths I took it wouldn’t reach my lungs.
I did recognise them, it was the officer who arrested him, the judge and I remembered that girl from the jury. The fourth one I wasn’t quite sure of, the face was swollen and covered with blood. My confusion must have been evident as Noah grabbed the man’s chin roughly forcing him to look at me.
“K-keith?”
“Ding, ding, we have a winner” my eyes followed Noah as he strolled around the hanging bodies in a daunting manner. “Noah, you don’t have to do this, I’m not going anywhere, not this time, they aren’t a threat anymore” the desperation seeped from my voice. I couldn’t be the cause for another death.
“Always trying to play the hero little bug, but my darling, you’ve never been anything more than the victim” his malicious grin sent shocks down my spine. His hand teasingly reached for the bat laying up against the wall, it happened in slow motion and then all too fast.
He was pummeling it full force into the torso of Keith. “Noah, stop” I screamed making a move towards him, all it took was a nod from Noah for Sebastian to grab ahold of me.
His screams of agony were inescapable, I could see the blood splattering against the floor and walls. Struggling in Sebastian’s grip, I cried for Noah to stop. Keith’s head now hanging down, “you’re going to kill him” I wailed, pushing against Sebastian’s arms.
“That’s the plan” his predatory grin never left his face as he dropped the bat, pulling a knife out of his pocket. Trailing it along Keith’s jaw he leaned in closer, “don’t worry, I’m going to save you for last.”
“Hmm, who’s next Embry?” His gaze was piercing as tears ran rampant down my face. I felt defeated. “Please don’t do this” I whispered as he stalked over towards me, his bloody hand cupping my cheek causing me to recoil from his touch.
“Happy anniversary, my love” he held my head still as he placed his lips against mine. My sobs rebounded off the walls as he walked over and continued to beat another senseless. My mind was too panicked to think straight.
It was the cop welcoming his death as I spoke up, “I’ll do anything, Noah please.” He slowly turned to face me, putting a halt to his cutting up of the poor man. “Like what?” he grinned. “I-I” my eyes darted around the room trying to think of something.
“Hmm, I guess not then” he spun back around, swiping his knife across the man’s neck. My scream was silent as my weight became too heavy to hold, Sebastian let me fall onto my knees as I clawed at my stomach, trying to hold myself together.
James and Sebastian stayed quiet, watching Noah’s eyes gleam with excitement at the blood and death in the room. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Embry, the floors all dirty, look, you’ve ruined your pretty dress” I followed his gaze to my dress and felt the vomit rush up my throat at the blood soaked fabric. Scurrying into the corner, my dinner spewed all over the floor.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I actually think it looks a lot nicer like that” he maniacally laughed, now starting on the woman from the jury. This time his choice of weapon was a hammer, one swing to the woman’s head and she was already gone. “See, I always keep my promises little bug” he made his way over to me and crouched down to my balled up figure. Swiping his thumb under my lip, I was assuming he was getting rid of the vomit that dripped down my chin.
“We’ll never be apart again” his words were threatening, they were another one of his promises. “Now, where were we?” he clapped, leaving me on the ground.
Think Embry, think. “N-Noah, wait” I croaked out, “i-if you stop, we can, we can live together forever, I promise, I’ll never try to escape, I’ll be happy with you” I pleaded sitting up on my knees.
“Answer one question for me Embry, full honesty, look me in the eye and tell me you weren’t going to use Indigo as an escape route from me” his eyes were manic.
I could tell by the drop in his features he already knew the answer. “I told you I knew you better than anyone else” he sadly smiled, returning to his psychotic state of mind. Approaching the judge he had picked up pliers from somewhere, the screams were unbearable to listen to.
Before the man fell unconscious with pain, Noah had a gun against his temple. Struggling onto my feet, I didn’t know what else to do if this didn’t work. And I really didn’t know what I would do if it did.
“N-noah” I forced my voice to be cheerful, I may not have been the best liar but I could act. “I’ve realised in the past day or two that I don’t want to keep running from the fact that we’re soulmates, no amount of me avoiding it will make it stop. And you doing this, well-, it shows how much you care about me, how you’re willing to do anything for me.”
Sucking in a shaky breath, I let a gentle smile take over my features. “Growing up, I always felt like with my parents, it was their work and then me, I mean heck they left me for work the day after they found out you had been released. But you, you make me feel like I’m your first choice, you make me feel like it’s only us in the world.
And you getting these people for me was probably the greatest gift I could have gotten for my anniversary because it shows how much you love me. But, they are from the outside world, and I want it to just be us, I don’t want to be thinking of anything else but you and this, them, I’m human so it’s bound to occupy my thoughts. B-but if you let them go, we can forget about them, we can forget about the shitty past year and we can be together”
Coming to a stop beside him, I grabbed onto his hand, I needed this to work, it has to work.
“Look, what I’m really building up to here is”
Deep breath. Deep breath.
“Will you marry me, Noah?”