Chapter 26
Skylar stood defensively as she rolled her eyes at Elijah. "What the hell are you talking about?"
He held the picture up higher and pointed at it. "Next time when you take a picture of someone and you're trying to protect your identity... don't let your fucking tattoo be in the photo, idiot."
She tensed as she looked at the picture. "I can explain." She began.
"Oh, please do."
Yeah, please do. I thought as I crossed my arms and frowned at Sky.
"Someone made me. I got a letter threatening my family if I didn't do it." She said as her eyes watered. "They made me follow Aaliyah and take pictures. I couldn't risk saying no."
Elijah ran his hand through his hair and stood up suddenly, pacing the room.
He stopped walking and turned to Skylar. "Was the letter by someone who called themselves Bateman?" He asked.
Skylar shook her head in confusion and looked at him like he was crazy. "No, his name was Patrick. The guy who Aaliyah met online."
"Patrick?" He asked.
"Yes, she went on a date with him a while back but he didn't show. He started leaving her weird letters and shit though."
Elijah began pacing again as he closed his eyes. A few minutes later he kicked my bed and pulled at his hair.
"No, no, no!" Elijah yelled.
"What is it?"
"It can't be..." He trailed off in disbelief.
"Elijah, you're scaring me." She said as she hugged herself.
"That fucking bast-"
Before he could say anything about his sudden revelation, the lights suddenly went out. The room was now pitch dark and I couldn't even see the hand I held out a few inches in front of me.
We heard rapid footsteps creek on the floor and the next thing I heard was my bedroom door burst open and three loud gunshots being fired.
I hear Skylar scream as she began hitting something. "Please!" She screamed. "You said you wouldn't hurt me!"
I heard her screams come to an abrupt stop and silence ensued followed by a dragging noise out of the room and repeated thumps down the stairs.
The room was now eerily quiet and I hugged my legs to my chest. "Mom?" I called out.
"I'm here!" She cried.
A few moments later the power in my room turned back on. I looked at my mother who was cowering in a corner with tears streaming down her cheeks.
I ran off my bed to go to her but I tripped over something on my way.
I turned around to see what had caused my fall and saw Elijah laying on the floor bleeding out and coughing up blood.
Rushing to his side I applied pressure to where the gunshot wound was and sobbed uncontrollably. "You will not die!" I yelled.
John ran into the room and his eyes widened when he saw Elijah. "What happened?" He yelled.
"Call an ambulance!" I screamed.
He rushed to pull out his phone, calling 911. Since he couldn't speak to them he left the phone beside Elijah who looked at it in shock. Hopefully, they would come even though nobody was speaking. The only thing they could hear was Elijah's heavy breathing and occasional gasps.
John lowered himself down to Elijah's side, pressing a hand against another wound I hadn't seen.
Elijah's eyes widened as he felt the pressure. And he tried to look at what was touching him but I used my free hand to push his head back down.
"Just relax," I said in a shaky voice.
I wished more than anything that he could hear my words because he became tense. I didn't know much about gunshot wounds but I assumed that stress wouldn't be good at all.
I thought back to our relationship and remembered something we used to do.
It's worth trying.
I kept my hands firmly in place as I lowered my head to his. I kiss his forehead, his nose and finally ended on his lips and I watched tears spill from his eyes.
"Aaliyah?" He asked in a low voice. "I must be dying." He said with a small laugh that ended in him coughing up a load of blood.
You won't die here.
I wouldn't let him. The sound of an ambulance coming made me breathe a sigh of relief. I looked down at Elijah, whose eyes were still open but were fluttering closed every so often.
"Stay with me," I begged as I softly slapped his cheeks in an attempt to keep him awake.
I heard the door burst open downstairs and paramedics fill the room. They rushed down to his level and a woman held up a flashlight to his eyes.
"I'm going to need you to stay awake sir." She said quickly.
He closed his eyes once again and I sobbed as I reached for his hand. At the touch of my hand, his eyes snapped open and he looked in my direction.
"Hi." He said softly with a dazed smile. He lifted his weak arm to cup my cheeks and when he made contact with me I sobbed.
"No, no Elijah please stay with them!" I begged.
"But I want to go with you." He said slowly through teary eyes.
"You can't," I said sternly.
"She's right, son. You have a long life ahead of you." John said.
The paramedics tore open his shirt and attached him to some machine that monitored his heartbeat.
"I don't care..." Before he could say another word, the machine flat-lined I felt my heart shatter into a million more pieces once again.
I cried into my hands as the paramedics took out the defibrillator and placed them on his bare chest.
"1, 2, 3...Clear." His body jumped up with the electric impulse and I stared at the hopeless scene in front of me. This same thing had happened with John and here he was...dead with us.
"Wow. I've been gone three minutes this time. Maybe you all love me." My head snapped to the familiar voice and I looked at Death but what caught my attention was the person behind her.
Elijah looked at me and gave me a small smile and I got up and threw myself into his arms. He hugged me back and leaned his chin on my head.
"Aaliyah." He whispered.
Death snapped her fingers and the world around us completely froze. The paramedics on the floor were holding their equipment mid-air with their faces set in a serious manner. They looked like statues.
"We don't have a lot of time." Death said. "I can only freeze time for so long before shit gets messy."
"Time for what?" I asked. "Isn't he already dead?"
"Not quite." She said. "But he's pretty close, he needs to decide. Like, right now."
I glanced at her and back at Elijah who was smiling down at me. "Decide what?"
"If he wants to live or die." Death said.
I shook my head and looked back at her. "He wants to live."
"I don't." He said.
"You do." I insisted. "Elijah please, you don't want this."
"I want you." He retorted.
"No, Elijah. You have such a long life ahead of you. You have dreams that you still haven't achieved yet. You want to be a singer don't you?"
Elijah scoffed and shook his head. "I'm not going to be able to make it as a singer anyways, Aaliyah."
"But you can still try!" I yelled. "Where is the man that used to convince nightclub owners to let him sing for a couple of minutes, hmm? Where is the man who stayed up all night writing music and sending it to record labels?
That is the man I fell in love with, Elijah. The one who never gave up. Show me that's still who you are!" I yelled.
A tear fell down Elijah's cheek at my words but I continued anyway.
"We'll see each other again, Elijah. But right now I need you to fight for your life."
Elijah closed his eyes as tears streamed down his face. When he opened his eyes determination painted his features and he nodded at me.
"Okay." He said.
I smiled at him as I held in my tears.
"Promise me, I'll see you again." He asked.
"Promise me you'll never give up." I countered.
He took a deep breath and nodded. "I promise."
"I promise too."
"Okay great, time to go." Death snapped her finger and the world around us came back to life. The yelling in the room because loud once again and chaos ensued.
"You should be feeling a tug, Elijah, if you let yourself go you'll be back in your body." Death said.
Elijah gripped his side as he took in a large intake of breath. "I feel it."
Elijah walked towards me and cupped my cheeks as he pressed his lips to mine. My heart soared and sank at the same time at the bittersweet kiss.
He pulled away from me and grinned. "I love you, Aaliyah Monroe."
"I love you too, Elijah Grey." I couldn't help the words that spilled out of my mouth. It felt natural to say even though hours ago I believed he killed me.
He held my hand as he took a deep breath. "See you in a few years."
I nodded and squeezed his hand in support. With every electric shock that the paramedics placed onto his body, he winced in pain.
I suddenly remembered how we ended up here and I tensed as my head snapped to Elijah.
"Wait! Who is Bateman?" I asked.
His eyes widened in fear as he looked at me. "It's-"
Before he could say anything, he disappeared from my view, and the flat-line was now replaced with a faint heartbeat.
"You couldn't give me a few more seconds." I snapped at Death.
She shrugged and shook her head at me. "How stupid do you have to be? You practically have all the clues, piece it together as Elijah did."
I was taken aback by her bluntness and furrowed my brows. Gone was her usual sarcastic attitude and in its place was a serious attitude.
"You have a little over a month, Aaliyah, figure it out or there will be grave consequences."
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