EXILE,
twelve

           SHE COULDN'T SLEEP. Whenever she would finally shut her eyes, the screams would wake her up. The images would cloud her vision. Dead, dead, dead. Anika, Quinn, Liv, Amber, Wes. And it hurt to think about it. All of them were dead.

It was safe to say that tonight was another sleepless night. Eden would probably lay on her back, looking up at her ceiling while she thought for hours. Eden liked to think. Her thinking would consist of her dreaming of an alternate world. A happy life. A life where Anika Kayoko was still alive. A life where Eden could trust Ethan Landry.

Currently, she's fiddling with the necklace locked around her neck. The cold material is slowly calming her nerves. Is she still nervous? Yes. Does she still want to cry for hours? Yes. But it's soothing. The freezing cold is soothing.

So when she stepped foot into her shower, she let out a soothing sigh. The freezing cold water ran down her body, water pellets ricocheting off of her body. Her hair is soaking wet, the water pressure cleaning out any blood. Her bloody clothes were discarded on the floor, still taunting Eden once she looked at them.

A raspy sob left her lips as she looked down at her body. Scars, insecurities, blood. Every little thing was setting Eden off. She couldn't look at herself anymore. She didn't want to look at herself anymore. Because whenever she looked at her figure in the mirror, she couldn't remember the old her. There's no innocence left.

Eden can't do it anymore.

CRYING doesn't work anymore. She just sobs, no tears falling out of her eyes anymore. Soon she'll just give up. Eden will finally accept that nothing is going to get better. Nothing will ever go back to normal.

Eden doesn't want to try anymore. She just felt numb. Felt numb as she lay in bed, staring at her blank wall. Felt numb when she thought of Anika's dead body. She can't do it anymore. Can't pretend this will work out. Because it will never work out.

She just wanted to be happy.

Until she heard that sound. The sound of her cellphone ringing. The vibrations of the phone made Eden's jaw tick as she looked down at her phone.

Unknown.

Eden already knows. This is the same number. The same person who hasn't left her alone. The person who is taunting her. Mocking her. Possibly the same person who teased Anika on that ladder.

Even the thought made her blood boil. So, she answered the phone, placing the device between her ear and shoulder. And when she heard the voice, she couldn't breathe. Her eyes went cold, her heart pounded, and her throat closed up.

"Looks like we're finally on speaking terms, huh?"

Eden let out a dry laugh. "I guess so." She replied, voice threatening to break. "Can't leave me alone, really?" Eden confidently spoke, closing her eyes as she waited for an answer.

Within seconds, she earned a reply. "I guess I can't." They said, voice sending chills down Eden's spine. "Glad you got the necklace back?"

"Fuck you." She growled, waiting for a horrid response. "You think you're so tough?" Eden laughed, shaking her head. "Cowards behind masks, fucker."

"Oh, so you want me to reveal myself? Show you who I am?" They taunted, laughing dryly. "Oh, sweet Eden, you aren't ready."

Eden's teeth gritted. "Did you kill her?" Eden asked, nibbling on her bottom lip.

The voice didn't reply. "Hm?"

"I'm talking about Anika. Did you kill Anika?" Eden asked, hands trembling.

A laugh. "And if I did?"

"Fuck you!" Eden cried out, shaking her head. "It's a yes or no answer, asshole! Did you fucking kill Anika Kayoko?" Eden shouted.

They went silent. "You don't get it, do you?" They laughed. "So immature, sweet Eden. You acted like everything was perfect when you were with her. You didn't seriously think that you could be happy?"

Eden felt her heart shatter. Anika was killed for no reason. None of it was fair. Life wasn't fair. The one person Eden could count on, was dead. And it was all her fault. All her fault.

"No," Eden sobbed. "You—"

"Ah, the look on your face."

Abruptly, the call ended.

And she finally could breathe. She didn't feel like her walls were getting closer. Eden could finally breathe again. She finally felt free.

So, she felt brave when she picked up her phone.

Eden
Can you please come over?
READ 9:34 PM.

SILENCE. Eden sat in silence, waiting for a knock on her door. She was possibly getting her hopes up. She's waiting by the door like a little kid. Because Eden doesn't know any better. She's just a silly girl. A silly girl who wanted him to come back.

It's safe to say, she didn't expect the knock.

"Eden?" The voice knocked once more, hushed and soothing. A voice that could put her to sleep. His voice. "I— I got your text."

She stood by the door, back pressed against it, while Ethan Landry's is propped against the outside of the door, his head lifted up slightly. On the other side of the door, Ethan Landry is waiting. It's like he'll always wait. Any sign from Eden is enough for him to wait.

Finally, she built up the courage to open the door that was forbidding them to finally see each other. They caught each other's gaze, then everything else went silent. Eden forced herself to look at him, barely meeting his gaze before she had to look away. It was like staring directly at the sun.

Eden likes to stare at the sun.

"I didn't think you would actually come." She whispered.

Ethan awkwardly rocked on his heels. "I didn't expect you to text me." He whispered back, watching as Eden held back a sob. "You don't make any sense to me, Eden."

"Will I ever make sense to you, Ethan?" Eden asked, noticing how Ethan twitched slightly. She nodded. "Come on, tell the truth."

He shattered. "No, you really won't, Eden." He grumbled, watching as Eden eyebrows lifted from their usual spot. "I— I want to know about you. I don't like the idea of just liking the idea of you. Eden, I want to know who you actually are. Because I don't care if it's messy."

She shook her head. "That's not what you want, Ethan." She lowly whispered. "It's too messy."

"We're messy, Eden. Both you and I. We aren't perfect. This isn't like the movies." Ethan stammered. "I don't care if it's messy, Eden. I want to know about you." He whispered, watching as Eden bit her bottom lip. "Because it's still you. I hate the idea of not knowing who you are. It's like I kissed a stranger."

Eden let out a silent laugh. "You're right."

"W—What?" Ethan let out.

The Miller girl grasped Ethan's wrist, leading him to her room. "You seriously want to know everything?" She asked. "There's no going back."

Ethan blinked rapidly. "No, yeah. I know."

"You know about the Woodsboro killings, right? Well, especially the ones in 2021." Eden asked, leaning against the wall. Ethan was standing next to her, in the same exact position. "I was apart of them." She quietly spoke.

The Landry boy nodded. "Take your time."

Eden's bottom lip slightly trembled. "Amber Freeman. That was her name." Eden paused. "I like to think that I was in love with Amber. But maybe it was just the idea of her." Eden looked down at her trembling hands. "I'm not familiar with the feeling of love. I mean, Cale's has multiple girlfriends, but that wasn't real love." Eden stammered.

Another pause. "When I met Amber, everything was different. I finally grasped the concept of love. Discovered how love was portrayed. And I liked it. Love was interesting, in my opinion." Eden explained. "So I fell in love with Amber. Sophomore year. Everything was perfect. We had our friends. The people we loved most."

Ethan's right hand reached for Eden's left hand, carefully intertwining their fingers. Such a cold touch. Eden's hands were warm compared to Ethan's freezing cold palms. It felt nice. Almost calming.

"None of them deserved that, Ethan." Eden whispered. "I don't know why he was so important to Amber. Why he was enough for her to kill of her friends. Why he was better than me. Because she was mine first. I taught Amber how to love. She taught me how to love." Eden seethed. "And it was all wasted. Almost three years. All of it was gone." Eden let out a dry laugh.

"He?"

"Richie Kirsch." Eden finally glanced at Ethan. At the same exact time he looked down at her. "He took everything away from Cale and I." Eden whispered. "Ruined my brother. Ruined Sam. Ruined every single person I love." Eden seethed. "He enjoyed it. Enjoyed what he did to Amber— A young girl. Somebody who had been happy!"

Ethan's face dropped.

Eden's lips parted. "I hate knowing that both him and Amber ruined everybody's lives in just a few days. Three days. Ruined everybody's happiness in three days."

"I hate admitting that they ruined my life. My future. A life I had been building up. I just wanted to be happy. And I was so dumb. So dumb for believing that Blackmore would cure my problems. It hasn't. Everything is just worse. Anika's dead. Quinn's dead. Who knows who's next?" Eden ranted, eyes glossing over. "I don't think I'm scared anymore."

Ethan looked down at her. "What?"

"I'm not afraid, Ethan. I'm only afraid of what they'll do to the people I love most. So I pushed you away. I forced you out of my life and I regret it. I regret ruining what we had. It hurt my heart when I walked away. Hurts me whenever I remember that you have a possibility of getting hurt." Eden looked up at him, fiddling with the necklace wrapped around her neck.

The Landry boy reached for both of Eden's hands. "I'm not afraid of getting hurt, Eden."

"No. Ethan, this will never work." Eden shook her head.

"I don't care, Eden!" Ethan blurted out. "It's us, Eden. Us. You and I." Ethan told Eden. "It will always be us, Eden. You can't just hide from me. Because you know, deep down, there is still apart of you that wants to keep this." Ethan quietly spoke. "It's us, Eden."

"Us?"

Ethan nodded, laughing slightly. "It's us. Until the very end, Eden. And I'll be saying this for the rest of my life, but I'm so sorry. For what I said about Cale and you. For how I insulted you guys just to get off a stupid suspect list. I feel bad for it. For not being there for you when Anika passed away. I feel so fucking bad, Eden."

Slowly, Ethan's hand traveled to Eden's cheek. He wiped away her stray tear. One that she had been hiding from him. He had immediately brushed it off of her face with his thumb. When his finger caressed Eden's cheek, she looked up at him, speaking with her eyes.

"Until the very end." Eden whispered back.

Slowly, Ethan's free arm wrapped around Eden's waist, bringing her closer to his chest. The girl looked up at him, trying to break the barrier between them. His forehead slowly rested against hers, his body towering over hers.

Eden slowly pressed her lips to his, feeling as his lips slowly moved against hers. When his fingertips met her lower hip, she immediately flinched. But when he smiled against her lips, she allowed him to rest his hands on her hips. It felt right.

Quickly, Ethan flipped Eden's body to the front of his body, her back pressed against his chest. He slowly brushed away her hair, giving him space to kiss the lower side of her face slowly. One more kiss. Then another. It was like he craving her. When he kissed her, he needed more.

When his lips first met her neck, she shuddered. Slowly melted into Ethan's touch as he caressed her hip. His lips slowly moved down her neck, stopping once they were blocked by the necklace. The same necklace he stole for her. The same necklace he stole from those film students.

"Take it off, please."

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked, voice making Eden's stomach erupt with many butterflies.

She nodded. "Positive."

Eden was slowly getting over Amber. She was leaving her girlhood. Accepting that it was over. She was accepting that Ethan was it for her. Amber was her past. Not her present.

Ethan Landry was in Eden's present life.

So, he slowly unclamped the two pieces of the necklace that was keeping it together. It rested in Ethan's palm as he stared down at it. Slowly, he placed it on Eden's desk, leaving it there.

Amber couldn't haunt Eden anymore.

Eden felt dizzy when Ethan met her neck again. Felt free when he kissed her tenderly. It felt perfect. So fucking perfect.

"So fucking perfect," He whispered against her skin.

Quickly, Eden turned around, connecting her lips with Ethan's. She moved her mouth against his slowly, smirking against his lips as he pressed his back against the wall. Smiled as she tugged on his shirt.

When Ethan threw his shirt on the ground, Eden's hands immediately roamed his upper body. Her lips finally connected with Ethan's neck, a feeling that was so fucking perfect. Such a perfect feeling. When his fingers flimsily reached for the buttons to her cardigan, he looked down at her.

Slowly, he unbuttoned the cardigan. When his fingers met Eden's bare skin, she immediately shivered. His cold hands had never explored these parts of her. He was able to run his hands down her body softly, feeling for any features that he had never noticed before. A pause once he felt the first wound.

Eden immediately pushed herself away. "No, no, no." She shook her head. "I can't."

Ethan slowly nodded. "You're okay." He whispered, stepping an inch closer to her. "We don't have to do this, Eden."

"I want to. So badly." Eden said, sitting on the end of her bed. Ethan sat next to her, glancing over at the girl. "I just get messy, Ethan."

"We're messy, Eden."

One kiss was all it took.

Then Ethan was hovering over Eden, elbow propped on one side of the bed. The other hand was tilting Eden's head, giving him space to suck on her neck. A quiet gasp left her lips, her hands immediately traveling to his tousled curls. She tugged on them slowly, noticing how he grunted lowly.

Selfishly, Eden crashed her lips against Ethan, pulling him closer to her. Their lips moved in sync, a perfect pace. Not too fast, not too slow. It was perfect. Everything felt perfect for Eden and Ethan.

Slowly, he kissed his way down her body, pausing once he saw the many wounds. When his fingers met the scars, Eden looked ashamed. Ashamed when he looked up at her. Ashamed when he smiled sweetly at her. Ethan's casual smile. Dorky and shy. But still charming.

"They're beautiful." He whispered, kissing the first one slowly. Eden squirmed at first, stopping once Ethan's hand met hers, squeezing it. "You're perfect, Eden." He whispered against her body, low voice sending an electric shock throughout Eden's body.

He kissed the next one.

"You like them?"

Ethan nodded slowly. "I love them." He looked up at her, before kissing the third one. The one along her lower abdomen.

Another kiss. Then another. Then she feels drunk. Intoxicated. She can't hold back anymore.

So she immediately brought Ethan's face back up to hers, pressing her mouth against his. She smirked against his lips, smiling once she earned a gasp from him when her mouth moved down to Ethan's jawline.

"Eden, oh—" Ethan shuddered. Slowly, his hand traveled to Eden's back, unclamping the clamps to her bra. The cover-up is discarded onto the floor almost immediately. "You're so perfect." He lowered himself to Eden's stomach. "Beautiful."

When his lips meet Eden's again, she knows she's safe. Knows that they'll be alright. Eden isn't thinking about Amber. She doesn't matter. She is no longer haunting Eden.

Because Eden's free. She is finally over Amber. She's abandoning her previous life. Doesn't care anymore. Woodsboro is in the past.

Because Eden's present life is with him. Ethan Landry.

Until the very end.

notes. yeah.

also, i wanted to clarify something. i am not supporting what jack did whatsoever, but ethan is a fictional character. ethan landry is just a character in the scream franchise. if you don't like jack anymore, you can imagine ethan as somebody else. i decided to continue this book just to finish it. since it is almost over, anyways.

also! this is a scream fic that doesnt revolve around just ethan! this is a book about eden AND cale. their life and how they're trying to be escape their past in woodsboro. so, this book isn't just eden and ethan anymore, but mainly the rest of the actual plot + my plot. this chapter has just been a goal of mine to finish.

once again, this is a scream fic. yes, it focuses on both eden and ethan, but it's a fic on both eden and cale. not just silly ethan.

and i literally need to finish this book so!