Breaking the Rules - COMPLETED

25: realisations

Keytlin~

The bad feeling doesn't go away. The feeling that something is going to turn out awfully wrong. I had this kind of feeling before, when Chris tried to force himself onto me.

"Keytlin, is everything alright?"

I stop biting on my nails and I look up to see Matt staring at me worriedly. Emily is curled up next to him, her head resting on his chest and sleeping. She's been crying a lot lately and I am worried. I've never seen her like this before.

"Yeah, I just - I have a bad feeling. I don't know why." My eyes fall on Emily, frowning. "What's wrong with her anyway? She's been so sad recently."

Matt sighs, carefully standing up without waking her up. He struggles to walk over to the armchair because of his cast on his leg so I help him. "Could you do me a favour and cover her with a blanket? She must be cold," he asks as he's sitting down.

"Of course."

I take a blanket from the cupboard on the right side of the room and throw it over Emily's petite body.

"We'll tell you everything when Emily wakes up and she agrees. I can't just force her to open up," he mumbles tiredly.

"You should rest Matt. You look too exhausted," I say, sitting down, as I watch Matt. Even though he's still pretty muscular there was something about him that makes him seem like he lost a lot of weight. Maybe it's the dark circles under his eyes or his slumped shoulders or how pale he is. "Have you been outside after the accident?"

Matt grimaces. "Not really. It's pretty hard to walk around with a rock on my leg. It certainly feels like that."

I laugh, he does too. Out of the corner of my eyes I can even see Emily's lips tug up into a smile.

My laughter dies down way too fast for my liking. "Do you think it'll get ever easier? Are we ever going to be the same again? Carefree?"

Matt chuckles. "I don't think we'll get back to the way we were before but honestly don't want to be the same anymore. I was fucked up, we all were. What happened made us stronger,  kind of. And Keytlin?" I finally look at him again and he smiles. "I don't think you want to get back to the way you were before either. You've turned from an anxious girl who was dependent on other people into an independent and strong woman who won't take shit from anybody anymore. So what happened kinda made us to better people. And I bet Nate will realize that soon too."

I smile at him. "Thank you Matt."

"And don't worry, Keytlin. There will come a time when everything is over and we can get back to our carefree selves."

It's silent for a long time before Matt asks "Why does it feel like we're saying goodbye?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

--

"They've really looked everywhere for them?"

"Yes, the attic, the basement, even in Mr Lawson's house. His basement was empty as well," Nate explains and suddenly I remember something. Something no one could know about except for me. Because I was present when they threw a carpet over the trapdoor in Mr Lawson's basement, not quite conscious but conscious enough to notice it.

"Wait, what about the trapdoor in his basement?" I ask. Nate's head snaps up from where it was buried in his hands and he slowly looks at me.

"What?"

"There is trapdoor in the basement," I explain slowly. "Mr Lawson hid it shortly before you came to safe me."

"Why the fuck didn't you say that before?" Nate exclaims and stands up, heading for the front door. Luckily Emily enters the living room before Nate could leave it and punches him on his chest.