The Fallen One

Chapter Eleven

Ned's words echo in my mind.

Why did you have to have sex with my sister?

What if things were different...

What if I hadn't poured Elise another drink?

What if I had never followed her to her bedroom that night?

My mind goes back seven months earlier.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Elise and Ned, happy birthday to you, hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray" the crowd sang.

Ned and Elise blew out the candles. She stood there so beautifully in her red dress.

I watched as she stumbled towards Blake and I. I had never seen her drink before.

Elise picked up a glass of champagne and squeezed my hand.

"Hey" I greeted my girlfriend.

"More please" she raised her glass.

"Uh I think she's had enough," Blake folds his arms.

What if I had listened to him?

I should have.

"Yeah Blake's right" is what I should have said to her, instead of pouring her another drink.

Elise would have nodded "of course, yeah"

"Can I make you a cup of coffee, instead?" I would ask.

"I'd like that" she would smile.

We would have sat in the kitchen for the rest of the night, exchanging embarrassing stories while drinking coffee straight.

Then she would be alive today.

That was seven months ago.

Today, she would be at school, in history class.

"Hey, Beautiful" I greet her with a kiss on the cheek as she stands by the lockers.

Elise turns around and smiles "Hi"

"How do you feel about getting ice cream after school?" I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me.

She smiles brightly, her green eyes filled with happiness and passion.

"Get a room" a voice cries from behind us.

Elise laughs, pulling away from me.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" She cocks a brow at Ned.

Ned smirks, throwing an arm over me. "Yeah actually, Chris and I have a date"

"Is that so?" Elise folds her arms, biting her lower lip.

I chuckle.

"Yeah we've got plans to get pizza" Ned sticks out his tongue at his sister then kisses my cheek.

"Get off of me" I roll my eyes, pushing him away from me.

"Call me" Ned winks, making me throw my plastic drink bottle at his face.

"You're both idiots" Elise laughs, pulling me close to her. "But you're my idiots" she lowers her voice then kisses my lips gently.

Completely captivated by her soft lips, I wouldn't be able to even see Blake standing right next to Ned — but Elise would.

She would pull away from me and smile at Blake "Hey"

Blake would look at me furiously and storm off in anger. If Elise were still alive, my brother would still be consumed by jealousy.

Ned laughs "what's his problem?"

"I'll go check on him" I announce, kissing Elise goodbye. I would find him outside by the football field. "What's with you, man?"

"Do you two have to go so hard on the PDA, all the time?" Blake stands with a clenched jaw, looking out on the field.

"We're dating, what do you expect?" I smirk.

He looks over to me in anger.

"Stop fucking touching her" Blake slams his palms against my chest, making me stumble backwards.

I recover fast "what the hell is your problem!"

What he responds with is completely incoherent due to how fast he spoke. He then shoves me again.

"She was always supposed to be my girlfriend, Chris" Blake cries, his voice so loud it almost deafens me.

He always gets this way when he hasn't slept in a while.

"When was the last time you slept? Three days?" I guess.

"So, what!" Blake screams.

"I don't think you know what you're saying right now, Blake, I think you need to sleep this off," I tell him.

That argument between Blake and I happened more than six months ago. It happened after football practice.

He didn't calm down after I told him to sleep it off.

Instead, he said, "fuck you!"

That argument ended with my brother punching me across my face and I ended up passed out on the floor for three and a half minutes.

"Chris" Jenny approaches me with furrowed brows and her book pressed against her chest. "Are you okay?" She breaks me out of my trance, bringing me back to the present.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jen" I assure.

"Are you thinking about Lissy?" She asks slowly.

I nod. Tears stream down my cheeks, making Jenny hug me without hesitation.

"Things could have been so different" I weep in her arms.

"I know," Jenny says hushedly. "But you have a baby, Chris...a baby, Cleo is proof that Lissy didn't die for nothing or in vain...Elise would want you and Cleo to be happy and not be dwelling on all the what-ifs...We both know what it feels like to feel unwanted and resented by our parents...Don't make Cleo feel that way when she gets big enough to understand what happened to her mum"

I sniff. "You're right, Jenny"

If I don't let this go now, my daughter is going to grow up feeling guilty for what happened to Elise. I rather die than let Cleo feel the way I did growing up.

Suddenly my phone buzzes from my pocket. I pull away from Jenny and scan the message that I had just received.

You have two unread messages from Calum Morgan.

Calum Morgan

Here are both Jason Sanders and Evangeline Sanders contact numbers and information.

Now leave me out of this.

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A/N

Dun dun duuunnn

Does everyone remember how in The Silent One, Chris was soo familiar to Evangeline? Well, you guys are about to get some answers ;)

This chapter correlates with chapter 22 of The Precious One which illustrates Elise's point of view of her sixteenth birthday.

Also, this book will contain a lot of time jumps so that way this story will eventually lead to the epilogue of The Guarded One.

Please let me know your thoughts and please VOTE.

Happy reading!!!!

- Rose xx