The Black Coyotes Pet

25.

I was running.

Running back.

I don't care if I got in trouble anymore I needed someone and I needed to feel like I was some kind of someone to anybody. I couldn't be lonely anymore. I needed them, I wanted them. It wasn't my fault they fought over me and quite frankly I didn't care if they did. I liked the attention.

I was lying to myself for too long.

Quinn was only trying to correct my bad behavior and he wasn't mad at me.

It was three days and three days was too long to be away from them.

My vision blurred and tears clouded my eyes but once I saw the house where I came from it went away. Quinn was at the front door smoking a cigarette but he was there nonetheless. I stopped in front of him dropping to my knees. He didn't look the least bit surprised. "Quinn I'm-." He pressed a hand gun to my head. I winced but sighed. His hand was trembling but his face was straight and I couldn't tell what emotion he was feeling. "Three days three fucking days. You..." He groaned out of frustration. "I'm sorry." I said softly, tears rolling down my cheeks as I looked up at him.

"You really think that's going to work with me now?"

I shook my head.

"No you're-."

"Quinn what're you-?" Someone stopped behind him but I kept my focus on him and he kept his on me. "What's going... Quinn no no no no." I recognized the voice being Chase's. I looked down. "Go ahead do it." I told him but I wasn't trying to egg him on or anything. My voice was flat as I looked up to him. "It's okay. I don't... I don't have anything to live for if you don't want me." The gun clicked and I held my breath. There was drowned out sounds of Chase's retaliations and the others trying to calm him and Tristan trying to reason with Quinn. I sucked in one last breath. "It's okay." I closed my eyes.

The gun went off and I gasped. I heard the bullet ping off the side of the van.

I looked behind me then at Quinn.

Was he crying?

I stood up. "Quinn are-." Before I could mutter the last part of my sentence out everything went dark around me.

——

"It's not like we can just go to the emergency room."

"No but..."

"We can't leave him there either.... it's my fault."

"No it's not. You've been upset about your father and you have every right to be because we've had an eye on them for so long and we're this close to getting them. Then they just up and disappeared. It's okay Quinn. It really is."

"No Tristan it's not. I've... I almost killed him. I almost killed an innocent person and I..." There was a long pause. "I'm just as bad as he is."

"Don't compare yourself to him. Look at me. We are the good guys. Okay... Quinn? You were angry, you have a right to be angry."

"It's... it's been a week almost two and he's..."

My eyes fluttered open a tiny bit and I rubbed my eye.

"He's awake." They both said looking at each other. I coughed a bit. "I'm... I'm sorry Quinn." I rubbed my eyes. He climbed up next to me. "It's okay." He kissed my forehead. "It's... okay." He repeated. "I'll go get the others." Tristan smiled softly at us.

We nodded.

"What... what happened?" I asked confused about the conversation I heard. "You spiked a fever and were in and out of it for a few days, then you just... fell asleep a couple days ago and we were afraid you wouldn't wake up." He pushed my hair back. I groaned and curled up. "What's the matter?" He asked. "M- my he- head hurts...mm really bad." I replied.

"Hold on." He got up and went down the steps.

A second later Chase came running in the room and the twins came just a second after. I was holding the back of my neck still curled in a ball. "Kitten..." he said softly. "H- hi Ch- Cha- Chase." I stuttered from the pain. "What's the matter?" He sat on the edge of the bed. "My h- hea- head hu- hurts." I looked at him. "I'll be oka- ok- o- okay though I- I- I- th- think."

Tristan, Quinn, and Gunner came upstairs.

"Here." Quinn handed me a pill and a water bottle. I sat up, well tried to but then Quinn and Chase had to help me. "Tha- thanks." I said panting a bit. I took the pill and drank the water. It was hard at first and I almost gagged it back up but I settled myself down and got it down eventually.

It was a few minutes before the pain actually went away.

"All... all better." I said looking around the room. "Um... Andy... Andy's making us all dinner." Tristan said. "Oh your sister?" I tilted my head. He nodded. "Oh can I meet her?" I looked at Quinn. He nodded. "Come on." He held out his hand and I placed mine in his.

My legs felt a little wobbly and tingly as I got up but I shook it off. They also had cuts, scrapes and bruises on them but I must've been cleaned because there wasn't a single speck of dirt or mud on me like I thought there would've been. I was also in different clothes. Ones that actually fit me.

I suspect Quinn did it all and I'm glad. Not that I wouldn't like or want it to be any of the other boys. It's just... I don't know maybe I trusted him more or something.

As we reached the kitchen I saw a lady with the same wavy darker brown hair as Tristan. She was tending to something on the stove, humming to herself. Although she seemed nice, I've learned I can't trust many people while I'm here and I kind of regretted wanting to meet her after I had thought about the other times I've met the boy's friends. So, I latched onto Quinn and kind of hid myself behind him. "I change my mind. I don't wanna-."

"You guys could've said something instead of watching me like a bunch of creeps." She said with the same accent as Tristan and turned around. She has a kind smile and a soft face with the same freckles that Tristan has. You could tell they were brother and sister.

"What're you hungry?" Her voice was kind of loud and she definitely had more energy then her brother. "Well... yeah." Chase said. "But uh..."

Andy looked at me and smiled. "Oh hey so you're the famous Elliot they've been talking about."

"I gu- I guess." I sallowed thickly. Quinn brought me out from behind him. Andy looked at Quinn and Quinn looked at me. "Uhm... he hasn't had very good... um experiences with strangers in the past. So, I apologize."

"Ah I see. That's okay. I don't really like meeting new people either." She smiled at me. I forced a smiled back at her and clung back onto Quinn. "Okay... we'll be in the living room." Quinn patted my back.

We went to the living room and I sat on Quinn's lap with a blanket over my lap. I looked at Chase who looked he was deep in thought. Then to the twins, then Gunner, then Tristan. They all seemed exhausted.

"Quinn." Chase suddenly said. "Hmm?" Quinn said still spacing out. "Can I... talk to you... somewhere else?" He looked at Quinn. "Yeah..." he sighed and got up placing me to the side of him. I looked over at the other end of the couch at the twins and crawled over to them. I wanted and needed to be close to someone right now. "Hi kitten." Liam smiled tiredly as I laid myself across their laps on my back. "Did you guys... do a job or something recently?" I asked confused. The shook their heads. "Chase has been having really bad episodes recently and nothings been helping so we've been taking turns watching him." Levi yawned. "Hopefully it'll be better since you're okay again." Liam smiled and hugged me to his chest. I giggled.

Quinn and Chase came back into the living room. Chase was beaming from ear to ear like someone pushed the life back into him. I chuckled at seeing him happy. Chase was the kind of person that could either bring the whole room down or make a person happy by just looking at him.

"What're you so happy for?" Tristan chuckled. "Quinn is going-." Chase started but Quinn put a hand over his mouth. "Let's not right now." Chase nodded still smiling.

"Did you guys just not work because of me?" I asked. "There was nothing for us to do." Tristan shrugged. I highly doubt that but if that's what they wanted me to believe I'll believe it.