"The demons are back and stronger than ever, they are looking for a fight and this time I might just let them win."--K.C.W

[34]

Adam with my jaw hanging open. There is a sadness in his eyes, it's like he no longer knows what to do. My mouth sets itself into a grim line before I hesitantly open my mouth to speak.

"I need to go," I say, pushing Adam out the way. Adam quickly snakes his hand around my forearm and stares at me intently.

"You're not going anywhere, Prezioso, I can't lose the two of you..." Adam croaks out. I look at Adam, regret-filled in my eyes.

"Adam, I can't, I need to go — " Adam cuts me off by grabbing my waist and smashing my head into his chest. He – once again – buries his head in the crook of my neck. I wrap my arms around his hard torso and pull him closer, tighter as we both feel our friend slip before us.

There are times when I feel the burn in my brain intensify. I know I can't make any excuses; I own my own behaviour and I know that if anything were to happen to Lily, I won't be able to apologise.

I slowly back out of Adams' arms and smile sadly at him, rubbing my eyes with the tips of my fingers.

"They'll find her, right?" I whisper in despair. Adam shrugs his shoulders and closes the front door as we make our way down the hall towards my bedroom.

"I don't know..." he replies quietly before falling back on my bed and staring up at the ceiling.

A short silence elopes us both as the thoughts of both our minds taking control of our body; our despair and hopes the only thing that's keeping us going right now.

Everything is so sudden, yet, I made a promise to myself that none of my friends would get hurt and now, someone has Lily. I know it's them.

How much more obvious could they make it?

Suddenly, my phone begins to ring and I quickly bolt up from my lying position on the bed and answer the phone.

"Hello?" A croak into the speaker. A muffled silence is on the other end and I narrow my eyes in suspicion. I quickly pull the phone away from my ear and look at the caller ID.

There isn't one though...it's private.

"Hello?" I say again, repeating myself from before. Adam warily looks my way and gives me 'that look', the look that asks whether I know what's going on.

I numbly shake my head at Adam and hang up. It's probably some prank caller or something. Just as I do that, the phone rings again.

I huff in annoyance before answering it again.

"Look, whether I know you or not, can you please just leave me alone because I've had enough of this fucking sh — " I'm cut off by a scream.

Lily's scream.

My throat begins to restrict as my dark thoughts race each other in my head. I just want them to slow but they're getting faster by the second.

Soon, the panic inside me begins to rise and the familiar numbness begins to deepen as I feel my body fall back into the darkness of life.

The life I've grown to like.

"Isabelle?" I hear Adam yell as he takes the phone from my hands and hangs up, before grabbing my frail body and gently placing me on the bed.

"Prezioso?" He murmurs as he places a hand on my forehead.

All I want is a normal life. Is that too much to ask for? Imagine a life where I have two parents and I get to party all night long. Adam would prefer me so much more if I was like all those other girls. I'm not normal and that's not okay.

"Answer me..." Adam whispers softly. I stare lifelessly into his eyes before blinking a numerous amount of times.

"Adam, we have to find her. She's in pain and it's all my fault. I did this to her, everything I've done to protect her and yet, they still manage to hurt her. Why do people take joy in hurting me and the people I love? This is all my fault..." I ramble on.

I wipe my eyes with the back of my sleeve and abruptly stand up.

"We have to find her, Adam," I state with my hands on my hips.

Adam stares at me with his mouth open slightly. I shake my head and walk out my room, grabbing my shoes and jacket on the way out.

"Isabelle," I hear Adam yell from behind me. "Wait up!"

I suddenly stop, making Adam bump into my back. I launch forward but am stopped when Adam grabs hold of my hips and pulls me to his chest.

"Whatever the fuck is going on in your head, I need you to explain everything to me. Don't leave anything out because this is all important. I need to know everything, okay, Isabelle?" Adam says firmly. I nod my head before walking over to the couch.

I sit down and explain everything to Adam, from the encounter with David to the call I just received. Adam nods his head every so often, his eyes a darker colour as he takes everything.

"I see..." Adam breathes. I sigh and fold my arms across my chest.

"It's all my fault, Adam..." I breathe. Adam suddenly grabs hold of my shoulders and stares me intensely in the eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" He asks firmly.

"What?" I ask confused because of how random the question is.

"Did. He. Hurt. You?" He says emphasising each word.

"Well – uh...I'm fine, don't worry," I mumble. I hear Adam grunt before walking out the room. I know that this whole thing has been hard for him. I also know that - that was his last straw. He can't stand the ones he loves most getting hurt.

"Adam, wait!" I shout a few short moments later. I run out the room and into the kitchen where I know he's standing and waiting. Adams back is tensed, the rigid muscles showing through his white top. I slowly walk over to him and gently place my hand on his shoulder.

"Isabelle," Adam whispers. "I can't stand people hurting you. When you get hurt, I get hurt. When I hear you say you got hurt, it's like I'm getting hurt myself. I can't let you get hurt, Prezioso, you know?" He croaks lowly.

I nod my head softly and gaze into his eyes. "Yeah..." I murmur back.

A silence swallows us again, both of us feeling comfortable in each other's presence. We both want Lily to be okay, it's getting to the two of us. I can't imagine what the Harley family are going through, especially Nolan.

If I could just think of where David would hide someone, maybe we'll be able to find her – save her. I run my hands through my hair and huff in annoyance.

How I'm feeling now reminds of a time when I was young. Before my parents died.

David and I used to always go exploring. We were extremely adventurous and would find new places to play around all the time. There was this one place we found when we were younger, probably around the age of six.

We decided to run away from both our mothers as they always got caught talking if we were out of sight. We ended up in this massive clearing where there was an abandoned barn house. It wasn't that hidden but at the time, we thought it was the coolest thing ever.

As weird as the thought of two kids running into an old, abandoned barn is, it isn't as unsettling as you would think. The barn house was the place we would visit every week. It was a secret little freedom that no one knew about.

Well, no one we knew, knew about.

I freeze. Our freedom.

"Isabelle?" I hear Adam quickly ask. "What is it?"

My eyes widen as more and more realisation crumbles on top of me. A simple thought that could trigger such an important memory.

"Oh my gosh..." I whisper with a trembling hand over my mouth in shock.

"I – I think I know where Lily is..."

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