Chapter 13

Glaring at myself in the mirror I went over my outfit once again. Moving away from the mirror I locate my flats and slip them on. Tonight I'm going to the Halloween Festival with Preston, Aja, Tamora, and her brother Josh. Going to my shelf I grab my perfume, spritzing myself with it before putting it back. Hearing my front door open in the distance of my home, I exit my room quickly. The sound of two voices halt me as I come around the corner of the entryway of my home. My eyes focus on Lucian and who I can only assume to be his twin brother, considering their faces look the same.

There they both stood bickering back and forward, they didn't seem to notice I came around the corner to observe them. Pressing on, they both stopped and turned to face me. Lucian's seemed less than pleased, while Adrian's read the opposite. Adrian grinned at me as he leaned against my door that had been wide open all this time.

"Well, well, well, I see why you'd want to hide her away Lulu." He said as he approached me. Holding out his hand, he awaited me to place mine in his. Doing so, he planted a peck on my knuckle.

"It is so nice to meet you, Ms.?" 

"Neah Michaels." He quickly caught my last name. 

"Oh! You're Mr. Pierce's eldest daughter?" 

I quickly nodded, shifting my gaze to meet Lucian's. 

"So, tell me. How long has my brother bee-" Adrian started to say before Lucian knocked him in the back of his head. My eyes locked with Adrian as is frowned at him.

Adrian spun back around to face him.

He sighed as he rubbed his head, where hopefully a knot would form. My face grew hot as I shifted uncomfortably in my place.

"Must you always be so violent!" Adrian exclaimed. "So you wish she w-"

I abruptly cut him off, " I'll see you later, I'm going out with friends." 

I quickly squeezed between the two of them bolting out of the house. Cutting around the side of my house I quickly make my way to my car and get in. Reaching under the seat I feel around in a hole to find my spare key. After finding my key I start my car and make my way to the parking lot across the park that the festival is at.

Getting out my car, I lock it and shove my key into my jacket pocket. With my phone in my hand I feel it vibrate. I quickly unlock it and look at the message.

From: Lucian

I'm really sorry, I had no idea he would barge in and be so rude. Please don't take anything he said serious. He only does stuff like that to provoke people. 

Letting out a deep exhale I don't even bother writing back. Sliding my phone into my jacket pocket, I snap the buttons close so it won't fall out. Walking across the parking lot to the park, my hairs stand up on the back of my neck as an uneasy feeling washes over me. Ignoring it I walk faster. Before I know it I'm in the park by the fountain. Searching for my group, my eyes catch them over by a claw machine game.

Running over there, I join them.

"Look who finally showed up!" Tamora sang as she smiled at me. I'm quickly hugged by Josh.

"Hey Ne, how have you been?" He asked with his cheerful deep voice. 

"I've been great, how about you?" I questioned as he released me.

"Been amazing, this visit has gone over very well." He said as he moved over to Aja and squeezed her hand. She smiled at him before kissing him on the cheek. 

This entire time Preston had been focusing on the claw game. 

"So who wants to hear what just happened to me when I left my house?" 

 In sync everybody answered me, and I shortly began to glaze over it. 

"I honestly thought he was just kidding about having a twin brother, because sometimes he gets really sarcastic. I'd just figured somebody from his family would be nicer though."

Preston let out a sigh as the stuffed animal slipped through the claws of the machine.

Preston once again picked up the bear, "Well that's Lucian for you, nicest sardonic bastard I've met."

"You've got that right." Tamora said as she moved over to look closer into the machine.

"But he's never usually like that around me?" Stating as I rubbed the back of my head.

"I think I was in class with his brother when I attended here a few years ago. From what I picked up that guy is nothing but cynical. He even looked exactly like what Lucian does now at one point." Josh said as he rubbed his chin, before looking my way.

"I hope he's gone by the time I go back home. Lucian didn't like him being there any more than I did."

The bear slipped through the claws and fell back down into the piles of toys, resulting in Preston banging on the glass and shouting. 

"Calm down man, it's just a claw game. Those things are practically money stealers." Josh said as he stepped up and pulled him back away from the machine.

Moving into Preston's place, I slid my coins into the machine. In an instant I picked up the bear Preston was fishing for, and carried it over to the hole. Dropping it, everybody began to laugh except him.

Scowling at me he pointed, "I'm still going to beat you at another game!" He shouted, before grabbing my wrist and dragging me over to the skeeball machines.

Time flies as we play, at first he was winning. Then he started running his mouth and he fell behind a couple thousand of points.

As the game was closing to an end he wasted his last balls trying to get the high point holes, only to miss them. The tickets pour out of the machines, only my pile is a little bigger.

Preston pouts as he picks his tickets up. "Another day, I'll win." He says as he scoots off to the ticket counter to cash them in.

"What a sore loser." Aja mocks. I shake my head at her, before loosing myself in thought.

My memories wash back from when I was younger, how I'd go to the festivals at home. The first few years was with Dad, and then after that with Alix.  My eyes water as a shiver passes through me, instantly making me cross my arms.

"Come on Neah, don't fall behind." I'm called by Aja. Realizing my surroundings I run to catch up to them as they headed over to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. Aja, Josh, and Tamora were going through all of the vines look for the perfect ones. The cool fall breeze sifted it's way through the trees, and all the people attending the festival. 

The crowd wasn't too big tonight, there were at least a small handful of people. Sitting on the hay bale I watched my friends comb through all the pumpkins. I saw the interest in Prestons face drain away as Aja went over to the pumpkin he was going to pick. Sighing he shook his head.

Before long he came over and took a seat by me.

"Well it's good we have mutual friends. Maybe we can hangout in a group again?"

"Yeah, I had no idea you knew Josh and Tamora." I say laughing slightly.

"So let's talk about you."

"Me? Why would you want to talk about me?" Asking curiously I turn to face him more.

"Well tell me about yourself, for all I know you could torture kittens. Thus terminating the possible
friendship." He grins at me.

"Oh, why? You like kittens?" Trying to hold my face still, so I can look as serious as possible.

He begins to laugh making me break the face I was holding.

"Okay, I know you don't torture small helpless animals."

"It's not my preference, usually."

We continued to laugh for a few moments, before I glossed over just basic things about me and a small portion of my college life, not including drugs and Alix.

He paused for a brief moment before speaking.

"Well, that's certainly something." He said as he smiled at me once more.

Waiting, I watched him.

"Hm?"

"It's your turn, tell me about you."

He let out a sharp exhale,"There isn't too much, just some Nerd from Riverview who wants to be a journalist. Graduated at a normal time, started college a year ago. My birthday is in a few months, I'll be 19."

Before I could say anything Josh called him over, he appears to not be able to pick up a rather large pumpkin Aja wants.  

Going over to my group that was gathered around I decided to throw in the towel for tonight. I quickly hugged everybody and started my way back to my car.

I quickly shot Lucian a text telling him I'm on the way home to leave the door unlocked. Reaching my car, I began fishing my key out of my pocket as I moved to the drivers side door. 

Getting my key out I slip it into my car door and unlock it. As I pull on the handle, something is yanked in front of my face down to my neck. I'm abruptly pulled backwards to fall into the hard asphalt. My eyes lock onto the man as I look back. I reach up as fast as I can and proceed to scratch his face with my nails.   

He yells in agony as he lets go of what seemed to be a rope to touch the wounds on his face. Pushing myself off the ground I pull with the force of King Arthur to get my door open, grabbing my key in the process. Slamming the door shut I lock the car. 

My window shatters as the man punches through and grabs me by my hair. The car alarm sounds as he drags me back out of the car through the window. The jagged glass that was once my window cuts me as he lets go of my hair to let me fall on the ground. Trying to regain my strength, I pick up the biggest shard of glass that was left of my window and stab it into his leg. 

"You stupid bitch!" The man yelled as he kicked me. My car alarm was starting the draw attention, I could hear people yelling across the street. The man picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. 

Sprinting away from my car, I look up behind us to see Preston and Josh chasing after us.

The man begin to slow down as I heard a large door sliding open. He threw me with all his strength into the back of the truck. Sliding, my head collides with the wall first. My eyes search to see nothing, as the door is slammed shut. 

I'm washed over with dizziness as I fad out of consciousness.