Tradition Comes Third

Don't Break

Author's Note: Severe thunderstorms in my town, so my shift at work got cancelled. Just means more time to write!

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 I felt a tug on my arm. My eyes felt as if they were glued shut, and I struggled to open them. Ava was stirring in my arms. She rolled onto her back, and let out a yawn. She stretched her arms above her head. I slipped my arm over her stomach, and rested my cheek against her head.

"Hunter," she mumbled as she rolled over to face me.

Her hair was tousled, and her eyes were closed. She placed her hands against my chest. Her blue eyes slowly opened, and she let out a gasp. She pushed herself away from me.

"What is that?" she asked.

I propped myself up on my elbow, and looked down. My clothes were covered in blood. It had spread to my sheets, and had soaked through the back of Ava's shirt. Streaks of her blonde hair were now dark red.

"We're okay," I told her.

"Hunter." Ava's voice wavered. "What happened last night?"

Ava was sliding herself further away from me. I reached out, and she swatted my hand away.

"My Dad had Chris in the shed," I said.

"The guy from the parking lot at school?" she asked.

I nodded. Ava bit down on her lip, and I could see her eyes start to brim with tears. She shook her head.

"Please, Hunter," she said. "Please tell me you didn't."

She pushed herself off of my bed. She scurried across the floor until her back was against my wall. I jumped off of my bed, and ran over toward her. I hadn't put my glasses on, so I squinted to try and see her better. Ava had her knees up to her chest. One hand was over her mouth trying to hide her sobs as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Tell me he's not dead," she said between sobs.

I nodded. "He tried to kill you."

She shook her head. She wiped a tear off of her face. I reached out to move a strand of hair out of her face, but she grabbed my wrist.

"Don't let them break you," she said.

"No one is breaking me," I told her.

"Yes, they are! You just killed somebody."

"Ava, he hurt you. You're safe from him now."

"You're turning into one of them."

Ava let go of my wrist, and cupped my face with her hands. She pulled me forward until her forehead was resting against mine. Her eyes were wide, and I watched a few more tears slip down her face.

"Please, stay sane for me," she said softly.

"Ava, I'm okay," I said.

"You just killed somebody, and then crawled into bed like it was nothing," she said. "They got us so tired that it's warping the way we think."

I looked down at my blood stained clothes. Last night almost seemed like a blur. Dad had Chris hanging in the shed, and told me to kill him. I couldn't remember killing him, but I remember Dad telling me to protect the family.

I grabbed Ava's wrists, and pulled her hands away from my face. I kissed her before sitting up straight.

"We're getting out of here," she said.

"I know," I said. "Don't worry. We're going to be okay."

There was a knock on my bedroom door before it opened. Mom peeked her head around the door. I stood up, and Ava wrapped her arms around herself, and buried her face in her knees. She slipped into the room, leaving the door open a crack.

"How are you two feeling?" she asked.

"Mom, why are you letting them do this to us?" I asked.

Her face went pale, and she opened her mouth to speak before biting down on her lip. She tugged at the neck of her sweater. I looked over my shoulder to see Ava peeking up at us.

"I know this all seems crazy," she told me. "I remember when I first met your father, and it took me awhile to get used to it."

"Were you kidnapped?" I asked. "Were you taken like Carrie was?"

"Of course not," she said. "I told you that all of that evil stuff was Tommy."

"Only Tommy? Dad taught me how to kill someone last night."

"He is trying to keep this family safe."

"This family is nuts!"

The door creaked even further open, and Dad stepped into the room. He was rolling the sleeves of his shirt, so that they ended at his elbow. Mom took a step back, and blocked herself behind Dad.

"I heard yelling," he said. "Is everything good here?"

"Yeah," I said. "All is good."

Dad nodded his head, and shifted so that he could see Ava curled up on the floor behind me.

"Ava, get up," he said. "Julie is going to help you get cleaned up, and change the dressings on your back."

Ava grabbed onto my desk, and pulled herself up onto her feet. She hastily wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. She took in a deep breath, and walked by me. Mom stepped out from behind Dad. She slipped her arm around Ava's shoulder, and walked down the hall to Mom's room.

"Hunter, go shower and change," he told me. "Meet me downstairs for breakfast after."

"I'm not hungry," I told him.

My joints have stopped aching, but there was still a dull pain in my stomach. I hadn't eaten anything since the bag of dry cereal Ava and I shared the other night. I would love to have breakfast, but I knew there is going to be a plate of meat waiting for me at the table.

"I know you and Ava are," he said. Dad walked to the door. He stopped, and looked over at me. "Being stubborn won't get you two anywhere."

He left my room, and I went over to my closet. I grabbed a pair of jeans, and a sweater. I picked up my glasses off of the nightstand, and slid them on my face. I dragged my feet down the hallway to the bathroom. When I walked by Mom's room, I could hear her shower running.

I reached into the shower and turned it on. While the water was warming up, I peeled off my shirt and dropped it on the floor. I reached into my pocket, and pulled out the pocketknife had given me. I set it on the counter, and I could see Ava's dried blood on the blade. I set my glasses down beside the knife. I undid my pants, and then stepped into the shower. I scrubbed all of the dry blood off of my skin, and out of my hair.

Once I was finished, I ran the towel through my hair to try and dry it. I got changed into my new clothes, and dropped my bloody clothes into the hamper. I put my glasses back on my face. I looked down at the knife, and slipped it back into my pocket. I ran my fingers through my damp hair to try and flatten down my curls.

I went down the stairs to the kitchen. Leah and Emme were by the stove cooking breakfast. I could hear the eggs frying in the pan, and my mouth was watering. Dad was sitting at the counter, and there was a plate in front of him. There was paper towel over it, but I knew it would be a plate of meat. I could see Jared and Taylor playing a card game at the table in the dining room.

Mom walked past me, and over to the counter with the other girls. I felt Ava curl her fingers around my arm, just above my elbow. She had a large T-shirt on, and a pair of sweatpants that were rolled up, so that she didn't trip on them. Her wet hair was braided down her back.

"Are you two ready to eat?" Dad asked.