a phoenix in the fire » fillie

chapter 20 ↝ a loveless daze

I NEVER LOVED YOU, YOU WORTHLESS GIRL. UNDERSTAND THAT. EVERY TIME I HUG YOU, THE WARMTH YOU FEEL IS MY HATE FOR YOU BURNING THROUGH. DO NOT TEST ME.

Millie pressed her lips to his, softly and sweetly like Prince Charming's to Sleeping Beauty's.

Finn mumbled a response, and she giggled and ran into his closet. She slowed her breathing to muted little breaths. He crashed and fell out of bed. Millie clasped a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter.

"Millie?" Finn asked, dragging out her name. "Where'd you go?" He stopped in front of his closet, seeing her faint outline. He pulled the closet doors open abruptly, causing her to shriek.

Finn kissed Millie harshly and pressed her against the wall of his closet. It was dark and cool inside. The newfound heat of the moment rushed them on. He stumbled on a shoe box, accidentally smashing her against the wall. Millie squealed in slight pain.

"Uh-uh," she teased, keeping her lips away from his. "What's the magic word?"

Finn stood there, silent. He bit his lower lip, watching Millie. "No guesses?" He shook his head. "God, you're such a nerd," Millie finally blurted. She pushed back, kissing him harder. He dragged his lips down to her neck and pressed tiny kisses to her heated skin. Millie threw her head back, almost hitting her head on the wall.

When common sense finally hit her, she lost momentum and started to back away from him. "What brought this on?" Millie questioned, gasping when he bit her neck roughly. "Ow, Finn, what are- stop that!" She pulled away from Finn and rubbed her neck. "What's wrong? And don't lie to me. You know I can tell when a lie is told."

Finn pulled back from her and ran his fingers across the mark he left. Millie slightly shifted from the intimacy of the situation. He sighed and laid his forehead on her shoulder. Millie gently and comfortingly rubbed his head. Finn finally spoke. "It's the Noah thing. It doesn't logically make sense why he was kidnapped."

"Does a kidnapping have to make sense?" Millie asked. They sank to the ground as Millie continued petting his head. She grazed her fingers across his messy and tangled raven locks.

"M is meticulous. M wouldn't do this without a reason."

"I haven't received any threats since the carnival," Millie revealed. The carnival and kidnapping had been a week ago.

"What is M doing?" Finn murmured. He sighed and played with his fingers.

"I don't know, Finnie... but doing this isn't going to solve problems," she answered. Millie continued in a softer voice, "we need to be productive. Finn, I hope you know that if we don't find M," she inhaled deeply. "I will run away again. I will die in a sense. I'm not going to come back when I know it's not safe. If my 'death' can ensure the end of this harassment, I'll do it. I'll do it for you and for Sadie and Noah and Caleb and Gaten. So Finnie, I'm going to run away, and you won't be able to change my mind."

—

Sadie leaned her head on her hand, sighing. "Mom, you have to go to the doctor."

"I damn well don't have to."

Sadie glanced at her mother's subtle baby bump. At eight weeks, she was already starting to show. Her mom was a lithe woman who managed to look almost as radiant as she did before alcohol. She used to be a kind mother until Sadie's father lost interest in her. Stress from that turned into anger which was taken out on Sadie.