Chapter Eleven

"A r e you okay?" I said, walking in to the room and shutting the doo lightly behind me. The bathroom was huge. It had two stainless steel sinks, a large shower that you could probably fit 5 people into and a massive bathtub. I paused by the edge of the bath as Scarlett looked up at me.

"Go away," she mumbled. Her mascara had run down her cheeks and her nose was red and splotchy. She sniffed.

I placed my hand on her back, and sat on the rim of the tub. She tensed under me but I didn't take notice.

"Tell me what's wrong," I said softly, as she stifled a dry sob.

"You're not my therapist," she grumbled, before pulling the plastic curtain shut to hide herself from me.

I snorted, ripping the curtain open again. "Yes. I'm not. But I am a stubborn girl who needs the toilet. So you tell me what's up then I can pee unless you want my urine all over you."

She glared at me, but her eyes were wet with tears. She looked at the ground. "Do you think I'm a bad person?" She hiccuped.

I frowned, placing the palm of my hand on her back and rubbing in circles. "I don't think you're a bad person-"

"Tell me the truth!" She hissed angrily, and an unwanted tear slid down her cheek. My heart felt a pang of sympathy for her. She must've felt so insecure and possibly guilty for what she had done.

"Well," I said slowly. "It's not that you're a bad person, it's just our personalities clash sometimes." I continued to rub circles in her back and she sniffed again. "Umm... you can be very narrow minded at times - with the whole humans thing, and your... how do I say, possessiveness doesn't help."

She threw her arms in the air hopelessly. "That's the thing!" The tears started streaming down her face. "I'm not narrow-minded because I want to be - it's just what I've been taught my whole life. And me being 'possessive' over Gabriel," she snorted, and wiped her nose down the sleeve of her arm. "I don't even like like him. He's like my brother, and I'm really protective."

"Oh my," I breathed, leaning over the tub and wrapping my arms around her in a comforting hug. I wrinkled my nose and slightly choked the smell of alcohol, sweat and her perfume mixed into one in my nose.

"He likes you," she continued. "I can tell. I wouldn't hate you two if you got together." She paused and I felt the dampness of her tears on my shoulder. "You smell nice," There was a slight slur to her words. "Like vanilla and apple." Definitely Drunk.

"Okay," I drew away and stood up fully, stretching the newly attained cramps in my legs. "Let's get you home." Scarlett stood shakily to her legs. I took one look at her clouded sapphire eyes and cocked my head to the side. "How many drinks have you had?"

She blew a raspberry and waved the question away. "Ya know - few jello shots, maybe one or two beers, a cocktail..."

"Alright," I said, feeling a little flustered. I wrapped a rebel curl of dirty blond hair around my ear and held out my hand to her as she stepped over the bath rim. "Let's get you home. Can you remember where your house is?"

"I'm not stupid," she said quickly. "It's on Acre Drive. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and she leant into me steadily.

"Let's get you home then," I drew her out of the bathroom, my bladder's need to pee seemingly forgotten, and I slowly led her down the stairs. No one paid heed to us, even when Scarlett almost fell down the stairs, and starting flirting with a random human.

I swept my eyes across the people and spotted Harlow on a couch by herself, calmly sipping on a lemonade and she amused herself viewing the drunkards.

"Harlow!" I said loudly, pulling Scarlett over to her.

Harlow's lips twitched into a grin. "Hey Aidan-" her eyes landed on Scarlett, who was leaning on me heavily and seemed almost unconscious.
"-Ew. What happened?"

I gave her a look full of desperation. "Drunk Scarlett happened." Harlow wrinkeld her nose but I pretended to ignore her. "-Look, can you help me get her home?"

Harlow looked me once over, her eyes not betraying anything. "Okay, but you owe me one,"

I smiled in a relived grin. "Thanks."

We headed outside to her car and I pushed Scarlett into the back seat. I was on my way to the front seat when I spotted Gabriel making his way towards us.

"Leaving so soon?" He teased, booping me lightly on the nose. My eyes widened and my cheeks went red.

Harlow - praise her soul - jumped in to save me from looking like a dumbass and gestured to Scarlett. "Duty calls."

His eyes lit up curiously. "Chaperones, nice."

I opened my mouth to try and think of a witty pun, but Harlow was already pulling me into the car. "Yes, gotta go, talk to you Monday!" I was still in a daze, only half aware of clipping my seatbelt in and Harlow hitting the exhaust.

I put a hand on my chest to try and all my racing heart. "Close one," I chuckled. She smiled but kept her eyes on the road.

"Like I said, you now owe me two." I rolled my eyes at her teasing tone, cracking my knuckles nervously. "Where did Scarlett say she loved, anyway?"

"Acre Drive," I frowned. "Think it's on the edge of town."

Harlow nodded and we followed the GPS down and around town, but when we reached a long, dark driveway, I hesitated. It was dark, the clouds were out so there was no moonlight, and no streetlights either this far down the street.

"Welp," I sighed, opening the door and swinging my feet out. The satisfying crunch of gravel against my tennis shoes wasn't enough to make me ignore the chill of the wind as it whipped around me. It felt a little... off. I didn't know how to describe it.

"Come on, Scarlett, get your drunk ass out of this car," I said, swinging open her car door.

"Pee is stored in the bladder." She giggled, pressing against me as I helped her out of the car.

"Well done Sherlock," I shot Harlow a bemused glance. "Let's get you home then."

Harlow let Scarlett lean on the other side of her as we stumbled up the drive way. Gravel snuck into my shoes' poking at my feet and my cheeks were pink with cold.

Everything just seemed out of place all of a sudden. The sky was dark, and the warm glow of Scarlett's big house seemed ages away. The air was tense and thick, the only sounds I could hear were the laboured panting of my breath and the crunch of our shows on the gravel.

"Yeesh- how far is this bloody drive-" I said, then my exasperated complaint was cut off by a loud, stomach-churning roar filling the air. It made my ears ring and adrenaline burst inside me. I stumbled in surprise; letting go of Scarlett and tumbling to my knees. I barely registered the stones digging into my knees as I spun around to see what had made the noise.

Appearing to be running up the drive, was what looked like it should have sprung out of a fairy tail.

It was a boar-like creature, standing at 8 foot tall, with a glinting axe in one hand. It had long, winding horns like those of a ram, and an ugly, huge snout. It was dark, but I could see small, evil pig-like eyes.

Icy strands of fear shot through my veins and I sat frozen on the ground. I couldn't drag my gaze away from the creature. Beside me, Harlow felt for my hand and squeezed it tight.

"Minotaur!" She gasped, and the blood drained from my face. My intestines did flips inside my stomach and I felt bile urge at the back of my throat. We had done a little on Greek Mythology back at my old school in Louisiana, and all I could say was that this was no angry puppy we were dealing with.

As it came closer, my adrenaline boost rushed in and I stood shakily to my feet. I helped Harlow up without taking my gaze from the Minotaur but then I thought about Scarlett, who was still lying on the gravel.

"Shit." I muttered as the Minotaur drew even closer. Harlow reacted quicker than I did: she rushed towards Scarlett and threw her over her shoulder with an incredible act of strength.

"Run!" She yelled at me, turning and sprinting up the hill. What the hell? Harlow couldn't lift a stack of books with those string bean arms - let alone a person. "Aidan - what are you waiting for?" She screamed again.

The desperateness in her voice snapped me from my daze and I look of behind her, pushing my feet into the ground in a hope to go faster. The Minotaur let our another blood-curdling roar behind us, and it rattled me to the bone.

My legs were aching by the time we neared the house, my chest heaved. Once we reached the door, I pounded on the wooden slate with my knuckle.

"Let us in! Let us in!" I screeched, my voice higher by three octaves. I glanced over my shoulder at the Minotaur, it was only a hundred feet away now. "Fuck." I muttered.

I was out of ideas - then I thought of something so suddenly it drew the breath out of me.Then time seemed to slow down. Wait. I used the electricity on Gabriel, and it hurt him slightly - what if I summoned enough energy to hurt this beast? It was a long shot, but I was swilling to take the chance.

Harlow had dropped Scarlett and began throwing rocks at the beast, far bigger than I thought she could ever lift.

What did I do to summon the electricity? I asked myself desperately. The answer was on the tip of my tongue, but the Minotaur was on me already, and I had to dive out of the way as it swung it's club where my head used to be. The rock club hit a flower pot and I screamed as soil splattered everywhere.

"Harlow!" I screeched, barely missing another hit as the Minotaur swung at the gravel. "Call Lee!" She nodded out of my peripheral vision and dive behind the house. At least she'd be out of the way.

I fell to the ground and started desperately crawling away from the beast as it prowled towards me.

"Saint." The creature said, so lowly and quietly I almost didn't pick it up. I felt a flash of confusion, but that was cut off when it came closer, clutching the club. My hand felt something hard under neath it and I grabbed onto it, realising it was a piece of broken pottery, and threw it at the Minotaur with all of my might.

It let out a screech as the pottery was flung into its eye, and started thrashing wildly, making me scramble out of the way.

Electricity... electricity. Command. That's it! I closed my eyes momentarily as I drew the electric energy into my body. It buzzed and throbbed to its own heartbeat, and seemed to be oozing with a power I couldn't control. It filled my whole body, leaving it tingling like mad. Finally, when I felt the electricity about to over-flow, my eyes shot open and I thrust my hand out, coming with it a mighty bang and a bright flash of light, almost like a lightning strike.

It hit the Minotaur square in the chest, and he screamed tremendously, as if he was in the upmost pain imaginable, then he fell silent, falling limply back into the gravel.

"...Is it dead?" Harlow said timidly, emerging from her hiding spot beside the house. I walked over to the fallen body and peered at it's face. One of its piggy eyes had a scar running down the middle, plus countless bruises and burns scattered its face and neck from what we could tell.

"What the hell..." I muttered, then it's eyes shot open again.

"Kill the Saints!" It roared with so much intensity i had never heard before.

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