Pretty Little Liar (Aruani Element Shifter AU) ✔️

Four

The next morning, I got up as quickly as I could, got changed and ran over to Annie's house next door.

She was probably awake by now. I looked at my watch. Half past eight. Considering she never texted me last night, I came to the conclusion that she either forgot I was coming back that day, or she was out with her aunt and uncle doing something fun. I hoped to god it was that. She deserves it.

I stopped at the door, and knocked with a jolly beat.

Nobody answered the door. I hesitated, then tried ringing the doorbell.

That was strange. Their car was here.

"Hello? It's me, Armin. I'm home! Anybody home?"

Still no answer.

Maybe they went for a walk? Surely not this early. Maybe they were visiting relatives that weren't far from here? I don't remember Annie having relatives that lived nearby.

Then I remembered that it was a Sunday morning, and they were all probably asleep.

I tried to text Annie again. Then I tried knocking at the door some more. 

"Hello?" I said. I waited.

Then finally, I heard footsteps walking towards the door. Somebody unlocked the door, and it opened slowly.

It was Annie's aunt.

"Good morning Mrs. Black."

She stood, with only half her face showing, staring at the floor, emotionless.

"Is everything alright?" I asked. She looked up.

"I think you should go." Her voice was silent and croaky, as though she had been crying.

I stepped back, unable to comprehend what I was hearing.

"Where's Annie?" I asked, scared.

"Go away Armin. Now isn't the time."

"Why? What's happened!?" I said, becoming increasingly worried. "Where is Annie?"

She stared back down at the floor again, and let a tear travel down her cheek.

I remained where I was. She looked up again, and another tear fell.

"Please. Don't make this more difficult for us."

"No. Tell me what's happened," I cried.

She didn't say anything, but continued to stare at me, crying.

Then she let the door close, leaving me alone on the doorstep, quivering with half anger and half confusion.

I resorted to doing the only thing I could do. I started banging at the door, hitting it with all my might, screaming to let me in.

"Tell me what's going on! Where's Annie?! Please!"

When I fell to an exhausted heap on the floor, my head hiding in my hands, I started to cry.

Only because I was so afraid. Afraid that something had happened to her.

"Let me in!" I screamed. "Please!" I threw myself some more at the door, until I could no longer move. I leant against it, crying.

I don't know how long I was there, but the door opened again and I fell forward, straight into the house. I stood up, wiping my face and looking up at the couple in the doorway.

They looked pale and sick, as though they haven't slept for weeks. This is the first time I had seen them this close. Annie's uncle stared at the floor avoiding my gaze, while her aunt continued to sob.

"Where's Annie?" I asked again, my voice shaky and angry.

Mr Black looked up at me, his eyes red and sore.

"Armin, there is no easy way to say this..."

"What? What's happened?!" I asked, my eyes huge. I backed away slightly, in case I had to escape.

There was a deadly silence while Mr Black tried to gather up the words to tell me.

Then the words came out, and I wished that I had never heard them.

"Annie is dead."

Everything that happened after that was a hazy, forgotten blur. A strange, silent ringing grew in my ear.

I fell to the floor, my hand slipping off of the doorknob.

I heard Mrs Black's cries of utter sadness in the background. Everything went blurry as I stared, unable to gather my thoughts, on the floor.

It took an hour to set in, and by then I was a crying and screaming mess on the floor.

I distantly remember my parents by my side, the warmth of my mothers arms. I can almost remember hearing the story. I spent most of the day curled up in the corner, trying to snap out of this nightmare, and realising too soon that it isn't. After I had drained my whole body of tears, I just stared at nothing.

Everything reminds me of her. The beautiful flowers, the river that we sit by, the food that we share while we lie on the grass dreaming of our future. Even the bad things remind me of how thankful I am to have someone as amazing as her in my life. Now, when I look at these things, all I can think about is this day, and how utterly useless and painful my life is without her.

I can almost remember walking home. I was in my own bed, when I woke up screaming at three in the morning, having found some more tears to shed, I sat, with my legs held tightly to my chest, and forgot about that day.

The next day I watched through my window as Mr and Mrs Black put the remaining few boxes in their car.

They disappeared from my life, forever, along with my feelings of joy and optimism.