Hating Archer [WATTY'S 2017]

Chapter Twenty-Six- The Past

“I was seven years old when it all happened,” I sat on the bed with my back facing him. The room was completely silent and all I could hear were my intense heartbeats and soft sniffs, “My parents weren't in town for three days and that was the day they would return. Dad was on a business trip and my Mom left the previous day to take care of the clients. Our aunt, who was baby sitting us at that moment, was around twenty-five and invited over her boyfriend.”

I remained quiet for a few seconds when I heard footsteps behind me. The bed next to me dipped and I looked at Archer as he placed his hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile.

“I had three little sisters, twins and a two-year-old. I also had a little brother, but he was sleeping in his room. Of the five children, I was the oldest and loved them all so much. But little did I know that that night I would lose my entire family in just two hours! My aunt's boyfriend, he turned out to be the most evil man I've ever come across,” I cried, “He tied my aunt right in front of us, and us being children, we were afraid of the gun he was holding. He then taped her mouth shut and looked at us. I still remember the evil trapped in his eyes...”

I looked away from Archer. Come on, Tris, you can do this, I told myself.

I took a deep breath and continued with my story, “He pushed my siblings to the floor, demanding them to stay where they are. He then turned to me, grabbed me by my hair and screamed at me to get all my parents' money for him, or else he would kill my siblings,” I released a shaky breath, “I was just seven-years-old, I didn't know anything about where my parents kept their money. He gave me ten minutes for every sibling's life, and I ran around the entire house, looking for something that was valuable to my young eyes,” Archer's grip on my shoulder tightened, “Time felt like seconds, every minute seemed so short as I ran around, crying so my siblings wouldn't lose their life because their sister is so useless,” my voice cracked, “Suddenly I heard a loud noise coming from the kitchen. I ran downstairs to the kitchen where he kept my siblings and lost it when I saw my two-year-old sister on the floor with her eyes closed, lying in her own pool of blood. I was frozen to the floor. I didn't know what to do. I heard a loud thunder and screamed as I cried. He was talking to me, hitting me, demanding me to give him something valuable, but I didn't know anything!”

I looked up at Archer and the look in his eyes was unreadable. It was as if he was feeling the pain I was feeling.

“When he saw that I wasn't responding to anything he said, he killed the rest of my siblings right in front of my very own eyes. I was so shocked and my heart tore apart at the loss I caused. My younger bother, Jeremy, he woke up due to the loud sounds and ran into the kitchen, asking what happened, but he didn't even last. I still hear his screams before the bullet went right through his skull, killing him instantly. He turned on the gas in the kitchen and then dragged me out to the living room. My cries, begs, and screams meant nothing to his ears. At that moment, I saw my parents walk in the house and Mom immediately went into the kitchen. She didn't see me and the man standing in the dark. I tried calling them, but his hand was over my mouth and his gun at my head. I heard my mother scream and that made Dad run to the kitchen. Even he failed to see us hiding in the dark.”

“Tris...” Archer tried talking, but I wasn't done yet.

“He turned on his lighter and threw it in the kitchen before running out the main door, leaving me behind. Fire roared in the kitchen and I heard my parents scream and run out. They tried extinguishing themselves, but the couch caught fire and soon everything else did too. I tried to help them, but the toxic smoke eventually knocked me out. The storm outside couldn't even take out the fire,” I looked at Archer, “In one night... I watched everyone I loved die... I saw my sidings getting shot and then my parents being burned alive right in front of me. Their screams will forever be something that will haunt me my entire life. The man escaped and the next day I woke up in my Dad's friend's house. They decided to adopt me and that was the last day I was known as Rianna Vaan Delogh...” I cried heavily, “I've spent day and night to find the man that destroyed my life, the man that scarred my young soul. And now I have him. Will Trinton,” I looked at Archer and saw tears in his eyes. I cupped his face, “I do have feelings for you, but I was scared... I thought you hated me and that's why I hated you back. But since you helped my with that panic attack, it has become impossible to ignore the feelings I have for you...” I wiped away the tears off his face, “Believe me, Archer, I'm only around him so I can found out more about him and destroy him the way he destroyed me.”

“Tris...” he breathed out, but I cut him off once again.

“I know you wouldn't want to be with someone who is to be a murderer and I completely understand if the feelings you have for me dies. I'm just really thankful you liste—”

Before I could finish my sentence, Archer took hold of my face, and crashed his lips against mine. I was shocked at first, but soon started kissing back. My arms slithered around his neck and I was just starting to enjoy it when he suddenly pulled away. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, wondering why he stopped kissing me.

“Don't even think about sparing that son of a bitch. Fuck him up, Tris,” he said before connecting his lips with mine again.

Don't worry about that, Archer. Will Trinton won't even see it coming.