Chapter 18

I was waiting to shit my pants. It hasn't happened yet, which I was shocked over. If my anus doesn't do the job, my heart might. Something was going on in there. My heart was pounding fast and hard, as if it couldn't contain the power rushing through it. I felt as if I might even throw up with each minute passing. Because with each minute passing, we were getting closer to entering Jan and Mike's house. I had a terrible feeling about it now. I wasn't as excited as I was terrified, ashamed, and worried.

I was gone for three years and they had no idea what happened to me. I can imagine that didn't just cause distress because they cared. The idea that they might genuinely despise me became more prominent.

Jackson had followed Francis in his car until we arrived here. I forgot how beautiful 'here' was. When we pulled in, my eyes took in the familiar property despite it getting darker. The long winding driveway and the nature around it brought back many memories. Then the area opened up to the sight of the big blue house. It was out in the middle of the woods and it was private like I remembered. However, taking in the place was the last thing on my mind now.

I stood in the garage after getting out of the truck with Luke. The garage was already open when we pulled up. Francis parked his car outside in the driveway. Then he moved one of his parent's vehicles out by his. It made room for Jackson to pull into the garage. Safety came first; we didn't need this truck to be seen.

Francis shut the garage door as we made a game plan. It was agreed that Luke, Francis, and I go in. Jackson was to stay out here and watch Carter until things... simmer down. The family will already have a hard enough time accepting I'm here. They didn't need Jackson and our tied up buddy being dumped on them all at once too.

After that was established, Luke sighed from where he stood next to me and Francis outside of the driver's side door. His eyes moved from where Jackson was still sitting in the truck to me. Those green eyes turned heavy. He just... stared at me. I did not expect to see that degree of distress and anxiety.

"You alright?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what to expect when we go in with you," Luke told me, his eyes glancing to Francis. I could see him offer a similar expression. I am sure that throughout the years, there have been many mixed emotions over me. Both Luke and Francis knew that.

"Well, we are going to find out. They deserve an answer about me - and it ought to be from me."

We didn't waste any more time. Francis went through the door and into the house first. He was going to let everyone know someone was here to see them. Luke and I followed a few yards behind him down the long hall. It was familiar to me after all this time, this long hallway. I knew it reached another hall and connected to the kitchen. I recalled that the kitchen opened up into the dining room, which was where the whole family was. A whole family that wasn't prepared for this.

Taking a shaky breath, my eyes on Francis's back in front of me, I started feeling worse. Luke walking beside me, I moved my arm up and wrapped it through his. I wasn't ready for this but I needed to be.

When we reached the entrance of the kitchen, we stopped behind a wall there. By now, I could hear warm chatter between everyone in the other room. When Francis didn't stop like we did, he walked into the kitchen and spoke.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm really late," he said, his voice a little more distant. I could tell he stopped in the kitchen and was looking over the counter to the other room where Jan, Mike, Shannon, and Brooke were.

"Did you get the snacks daddy?" I heard a little girl's voice, one that sounded slightly older from what I could remember.

"No, I'm sorry sweetie. Something came up," he said, his words more serious and aimed at the others.

There was a long silence between them. Until a voice spoke up that reflected the complimenting attitude of the person talking. "Well...? Speak up. What is it? Food's getting cold so sit down and eat," I heard Mike say.

Francis said nothing for a moment. From where Luke and I stood, hidden behind the wall, I could feel the tension in the air grow. "I ran into someone who wanted to see all of you," he said, his own voice on edge. I'm sure that was enough of a sign that something was up. "Luke's here too. I'm going to take Brooke upstairs." His voice turned lighter when he aimed his words to his daughter. "We can talk and play a game if you want. How does that sound?"

"Yes! I'm full anyways," she said, oblivious to the thickening air. I heard a chair scrap on the floor and could assume Brooke stood up. I heard Francis start walking again and knew he and Brooke were heading to go upstairs. There was silence throughout the house besides their footsteps retreating up the steps. What Francis did was for the best. Brooke didn't need to experience her family's unpredictable response.

I felt that was our cue. Unlike me, Luke found the strength to take the first step. I was guided slowly from behind the wall and into the kitchen. Eyes wide, I took in my surroundings. Mainly the counter top that overlooked the dining room. I couldn't see them over it yet but knew they were looking towards me. There was silence between them as they sat, waiting, hearing our footsteps approaching.

Luke's arm tightened as we moved closer. With each slow step we took, I felt more vulnerable. Then, I was close enough to take in everyone. Luke guided me even closer until we stood beside the counter, overlooking the full dining room table. My eyes scanned over them. It made my insides feel paralyzed.

Mike sat across from Jan on the right side of the table, arms folded on the table next to his plate. His casual position didn't match his widening eyes. They were bolted on me and unmoving under his raised eyebrows. He was frozen in place. Blinking a few times, he just stared, unable to comprehend what was going on.

Shannon repeated those same facial reactions from where she was sitting beside him. She froze with wide eyes too, staring at me. Unlike Mike's flat lips though, her jaw dropped. Along with that, I noticed that she raised a hand up to her mouth in shock. I believe I heard an audible gasp from her. It was nothing like Jan's reaction though.

Jan was the closest thing to a mother I ever had. She and Mike even approached me on that subject before, letting me know she wanted to be that figure in my life. She was so loving and it showed instantly. The shock was present in her features, like her husband and daughter. It only lasted a second though because after a moment of taking me in, she was the opposite of frozen. It was heartbreaking.

Jan's eyes never left mine but her gasp rung loud in the air. She sucked in a deep breath as her eyes pierced mine painfully. Then, she let out a cry in the next second. Her elbows dropped hard on the table and propped her hands up. It allowed for her to bury her face into her palms as she begin crying hysterically. Her slim body slumped forward as she sobbed. Jan couldn't keep her face buried for long though. She shot her head back over to me, needing to see me. Those light and loving green eyes of hers were redder and shedding tears. She stared at me as one of her hands moved down to her stomach, as if she was holding herself up.

"Thank you," she cried out in a broken voice. Whether it was to me, herself, or to the heavens, I do not know. All I knew was that my heart was at the back of my throat, wanting to choke me. My breath was fast and ridged like hers and I was having a hard time not crying. My stomach started shaking as I watched Jan jump up from her chair. She stood there, staring at me as she cried into one of her hands. Then, she strode over to me. In the next shaky heartbeat we shared, she threw her arms around me and started to cry harder.

Instinctively, I held onto her hard. Jesus, it felt so wonderful too! She felt like my mom, the one I never had. I hugged her tightly to me and bit my bottom lip, breathing hard. I knew there were still so many mixed feelings and thoughts but the dominant was clear. I felt so loved.

We held each other like that for a long moment until she moved back slowly. Her sobs calmed by now but her eyes still produced tears as she searched my eyes. This time, almost in awe and curiosity. "You're home," she whispered in astonishment.

"I'm so sorry," was all I could say. It was all I could think after seeing her response. I always knew they cared but never really faced what they must have went through.

I noticed Mike was now standing and facing where me and Jan were. His eyes looked a little red too. He stayed strong though and took a shaky breath. Swallowing, he nodded and reached for me. He pulled me into a tight embrace and held me close. And just like Jan, he felt welcoming. Like home and like a dad I never had.

"Well hi kiddo," he said in a loving and emotional voice, making me smile and hug him tighter to me.

"Hi Mike," I said, voice breaking. I bit my lip and tried shoving down the hard lump that was growing in my throat. When he broke away from me, and wrapped an arm around his wife, I noticed Shannon was still seated at the table, staring at me like before. Only this time she wasn't as shocked, but rather conflicted.

Eventually, Shannon did stand up and come over to me, offering me a hug. However, I was uneasy over how closed-off she appeared. She felt stiff when hugging me and looked uncomfortable. I knew that a part of it had to do with her still being caught off guard by this surprise. But I knew the main part was Francis and Luke's reason for being cautious. They didn't know what the reactions would be, which was now clearly understandable. Shannon was upset with me and for several reasons I could tell.

It reminded me of what my job was here at the Prenta house. I needed to provide answers, no matter if I am welcome or not by everybody. I needed to tell them what happened and is happening. I realized another part of this though involved getting answers. Way more than I expected. Way more than I needed or could handle too I eventually found out.

***

I don't know how long we have been sitting here in the living room together talking but it's been a while. After all, there was a lot that needed to be exchanged between us. That's why the moment we sat down together, I didn't waste time. My words rushed out as if in pursuit of being heard. It was relieving to tell them everything like I did with Francis.

Everyone was silent as I explained. I was seated next to Jan and Luke on the couch. Mike was sitting across from us on the other couch. The furniture angled inward, I met everyone's eyes to stress my point. When my gaze found Shannon, who was sitting in a comfy chair, it was hard to speak. She held a menacing look on her face. Regardless, I didn't stop speaking. I needed them all to know what happened, what was happening, and why I couldn't come home until now.

The words were instinct to speak. So as I did, it gave me time to take in everyone. It made things a little more painful. Three years can have a massive impact on your appearance. Luke was proof. The same went for the rest of his family I noticed.

It looked as if Jan aged a lot in three years. She still had the sweet smile and pretty brownish and blonde hair. However, there was a fair hint of grey now. I could see there were significantly more winkles around her face too when I spoke. It didn't make her any less beautiful than what I remembered. The same went for Mike. Last I saw him, his brown hair didn't have as much grey as it did now.

Shannon looked about the same. The only difference was that she was a little less curvy. Her face thinned out too but she was still beautiful with her light brown hair matching her eyes. Wish I could say otherwise at the moment. I didn't like complimenting someone who was starring daggers at me while I was speaking.

I told them everything, told them the truth. I figured my explanation would make her lighten up but it didn't. After I finished, she spoke first. "So... Luke was never there for some girl. He was still looking for you," Shannon said, voice void of emotion. It brought back what Luke said before. He would tell his family that so they wouldn't worry about why he kept going to Connecticut.

Luke jumped in and nodded. "That was my excuse to all of you. I said I was going there to see a girl. Really, I went to Connecticut because that was the only place I felt at least a little peace on the matter."

She didn't say anything else to that. Luke's words seemed to have made her even more upset. Jan reacted differently to hearing everything I said. Turning my head and glancing to her, I saw more tears were evident on her face. "This entire time, you were stuck. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for all you went through," she said, wrapping her arm around me. She glanced past me to Luke and took a deep breath. "Lucas told us everything after you left. About Clare, that you had no mental issues.... I'm sorry we didn't know. That we couldn't know," she said, looking back to me. Her eyes were very genuine. "I wish I could have helped. I wish to help now. I'm willing to do anything to make sure you don't get hurt from the people that are after you."

"Even more, I wish you two," Mike jumped in, looking between me and Luke. "Wouldn't go after the issue. I don't like that you came back to Ohio for that reason," he said. I understood that especially. Hearing that we planned to go in and get answers from a dangerous source... it sounded scary.

"We are tired of running," Luke said to his concerned dad. "She is tired of hiding. We want it done. Plus, as we mentioned, we have help from her guardian."

"Yes, but why is he in the garage? You both need to eat," Jan said to us. "Bring your friend in. I'm sure he is tired and hungry too."

I sighed. This was the only thing I didn't tell them yet. That we had a man we were keeping prisoner. "You see... there is someone he is watching. We uh...." I glanced up to Luke, who pursed his lips. He cringed before I said it. "We grabbed someone who tried to kill us. Tied him up and took him with us."

The only reaction I got from Shannon was a groan and a humorless chuckle. Mike and Jan stared at us for a long moment with similar expressions. "Excuse me?" Mike said in a dark voice.

Luke jumped in. "I thought it would be a good idea. We got answers from him. That's how we knew to come here."

Nobody looked happy about that one. "You guys are off your fucking rocker," Shannon said loudly, taking a deep breath.

"Listen, I know this is all a lot to take in," I said, aiming my words mainly to Shannon. Her reaction to everything was unsettling the most to me. "We are leaving as soon as we can. Like I said, we are here for supplies. Personally, my main reason was to give you all an answer. You deserved to know and--"

"We deserved an answer. But you had no right in coming here," she said with a hard voice. "You had no right bringing all this bullshit with you."

Mike and Jan both shot her hard glares. My focus was on her completely though. I hated that she felt that way but understood. Or so I thought.

She got herself under control and just shook her head. However, she was done sitting here. She got up and headed upstairs. It made me raise an eyebrow. Yeah, I would need to talk to her. I cared about her a lot and would want to hear all she has to say to me. Right now though, there were other things to face.

"Forget about that," Luke said instantly, looking nervous. "She's fine."

"I'm going to want to talk to her later," I insisted.

Jan sighed and spoke up. "She's probably just upset over everything. She doesn't want to see you guys get hurt. Especially after all we went through to find you and make sure you were safe."

"Can you elaborate a bit on that?" I asked her. Luke let me in on how he put every ounce of energy into finding me. I didn't know much of what happened though when it came to his family though.

She swallowed and glanced quickly to Luke before speaking. "We did everything we could. You were huge news and we used it to our advantage. Luke took care of most of it but we tried. I always had faith that you were okay."

I smiled to her, happy to hear that. But not only did her words make me feel guilty. It made me want to know more. Three years and that's it? I knew there was a ton that she wasn't saying. I didn't push though and respected if she didn't want to go there.

"I am safe. Thank you for all you did. Your efforts and love," I said, swallowing thickly and nodding.

"Of course, dear. You are still family. I'll be happy to tell you more," she said, patting my lap. "But right now, I would like to see you both eat something," Jan insisted from where we sat next to her. She got to her feet and smiled down to us. "I would also like to meet the gentleman in my garage."

"And by that, she doesn't mean this 'prisoner' you dumbasses took," Mike clarified.

I nodded and smile softly. "I'll go get him. Do you think you can get Francis? Have him watch Carter?" I asked Luke.

He nodded. "Yeah. When you get Jackson, tell him not to be an asshole to my family," he said, getting up and heading towards the stairs. I got up too and walked towards the garage.

Having this moment alone, even just walking to the garage, was needed. I took in hard and heavy breaths. I knew explaining all that I did would weigh on me and it was.

I was thankful they took it all so well. I was thankful I had that chance to tell them everything. I was thankful most of the family was understanding. That didn't mean I wasn't worried. Concerns flooded my head. Tonight would be busy with preparation, dying hair, catching up more. I was anxious to talk to Shannon most though. From her disapproval as well as Jan's brief description of what happened while I was gone, there was a lot more left to be said.

A few minutes after I got Jackson, he sat down with me and Luke at their long dining room table and started to eat. Mike and Jan sat with us, talking to us more. They seemed very fascinated by Jackson especially. Part of it could be because of his peculiar personality. His tendency to make himself right at home was amusing and interesting too. The only thing that could have made this better is if Carter joined us, strapped into one of the chairs.

"You folks know how to live," Jackson said, getting up and going to the fridge. He grabbed the milk and poured himself another glass before taking his seat next to me.

"Thank you," Jan said, smiling. She continued to watch him with curiosity as we ate. Steak and potatoes were what occupied our plates. I wanted to give Jan a big hug for that. It was like she knew I was coming!

"It's very nice of you to take us in. Your son is quite the character. I wouldn't have blamed you if you kicked him out along with us," Jackson said in a nice voice, which helped the burn of that insult.

Mike didn't seem fond that Jackson was talking about Luke that way. He still cracked up though, finding the level of humor there. Looking to Luke who was sitting next to his parents and across from me, I saw him offer Jackson a scowl. Taking a bite of my steak, an amused smile reached to my face. Luke's scowl left when he caught my eyes. Seeing how much I was eating, and how quickly, he smiled slightly in amusement back to me.

"I heard you have a nice collection of weapons or supplies we could maybe use," Jackson continued more seriously, looking towards Mike. He took another bite of his food, chewing as he waited for a response.

Mike nodded, raising his eyebrows. "It's not like I have a lot. But I have more to offer than what you have right now. More importantly, I have ammo for you which is what you will need. If you folks need a car too, we will offer you one. I will let you have anything. I just want her and my son safe," Mike said, looking over to me before back to Jackson.

Before Jackson could respond, I heard a noise reach us I didn't expect. I knew Francis was out in the garage but I assumed Brooke was occupied upstairs. I guess not anymore. I can't complain about that, especially at hearing how excited Brooke sounded.

"Albany!" I heard her scream out from the other room. Her feet pounded on the floor as she came running from the stairs. We could all hear her race through the living room and then, she entered the dining room where we were.

I hadn't seen her in years. I noticed a significant difference instantly as my head turned and eyes found her. They widened as I took in the pretty little girl. I stood up on instinct at the same time.

She always reminded me of my little sister. The soft blonde hair she possessed was still long and beautiful. Her eyes were a bright blue and, when they met mine, I could see the age in them. She was still a little kid but grew a lot in height too. The moment she saw me, she smiled brightly. It showed a few of her teeth were missing. I can only imagine her father gave her a pretty penny for those.

She ran over to me and gave me a big hug. Her head rested against my stomach and it made me smile widely. I laughed lightly and knelt down instantly, wrapping my arms around her. I couldn't believe her reaction. For some reason, I half expected she wouldn't remember me.

"Oh god," I breathed, hugging her. Man, she reminded me so much of Emily, even more being this close to her! I instantly pushed that from my mind; I was feeling emotional enough as it was.

"I haven't seen you in forever!" she squealed, jumping up and down against me, still holding onto me.

I bit my lip. "It sure feels that way."

After she settled down a bit, she sat down with us. Grabbing the seat between me and Jackson, she pulled herself closer to where I was sitting. It was very flattering. Her eyes were on me and full of life. It made me feel antsy, seeing her attention on me. Jackson however looked more annoyed by her upbeat voice and excitement.

Brooke didn't know how to respond when seeing Jackson though. She was so focused on me at first that it took her a bit to notice the man on the other side of her. When she did, her short rambling stopped.

"Who are you?" she asked, not at all shy.

Her uncle Luke from across the table gave an answer. "He works for me."

"No, no, no," Jackson said. He turned and faced Brooke. Though she was just a little girl to him, he didn't want her thinking Luke was right. "Your uncle is just kidding. I am Albany's friend."

We all knew Jackson could have come up with something better. Brooke didn't seem to care. She just shrugged and turned back to face me, just as excited as before. Her smile was wide and happy, just like her eyes.

"I have so much to show you! Tell you! I am so glad you are back. Daddy told me you were down here and he had to calm me down. I just wanted to run down here and give you a big giant hug! He challenged me to wait for as long as I could."

I chuckled and smiled down to her. She always was such a cute kid. I didn't forget how close she and her father were either. What was also becoming more evident was her nature in saying whatever came to her head. Turning back, I took another bite of my steak when she spoke.

"Oh! And daddy got me a puppy. He's a little bigger than Jack though. Where is Jack anyway?"

I had to stop mid-chew at her question. My eyes widened from where they froze on my plate but I wasn't worried. After all, I had an excuse. Raising my head and turning to my left to stare down at her, I was about to answer. Unfortunately, Jackson answered first.

"He died. He was killed," he said nonchalantly, making my heart tumble. Ugh no! I told Luke that my little pup was staying with a friend for a reason! Eyes shooting over to Jackson, I then found Luke's. His gaze was wide and met mine, not understanding.

Jackson didn't even look to her when he answered without thinking. Swallowing his food, hearing the silence between us all, he looked down to Brooke. For the first time in a long time, he looked sorry and sympathetic. I can imagine it had to do with the terrified look on Brooke's face. My sorrow and sympathy was aimed only to Luke. I didn't want him hearing that!

My eyes found Luke again. He looked confused, worried, and even more saddened. Jack was my little buddy, given to me by the man I was staring at. Jack was precious to me and was special for many reasons.

"Killed?" Brooke asked in a cracked voice.

"Um, yeah," he said in an uncomfortable manner. Good. I wanted Jackson to feel bad and uncomfortable. He couldn't just keep his mouth shut or lie, could he? Jackson got some sense back when he explained. "He somehow got out of the house. He ran into the street and got hit by a car." Jesus, that didn't sound much better than the truth! But how else was he going to say my dog was killed? With love and happiness? Well, he really could have just said we had to put him down.... "We found that the screen door was broken and that's how he got out."

I knew Luke was unsure if he should believe that or not. Didn't really matter when the point was he now knew Jack was dead. That's why it was a relief after our dinner was over. I got the chance to speak to Luke before I needed to go upstairs and dye my hair.

"Hey," I said softly, pulling him away and into the dark hallway. I let go of his arm after I towed him away to speak to him privately. I stared up into his blank and closed off face, my stomach rolling. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I didn't want you to know what happened to Jack. He was so important to us both."

"Is that really what happened?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. The man who broke into my house to take me killed him. It was so brutal and disturbing. He cut into Jack several times then placed him in the middle of my bed. That's how I found him."

Luke's composure dropped. His lips parted and he let out a rough breath. Eyebrows raising, he blinked and shook his head. "What the fuck?" he whispered, closing his eyes. It disturbed him too but also clearly made him very upset. "My 'private investigator' never told me about that."

Those last words drew my attention from that awful memory. Luke hired a man to check up on me and make sure I was okay. That's how he learned that I was in trouble again. It wasn't that surprising though that he didn't tell Luke. If I showed up at a scene like that and saw there was a dead man in my house, the dead dog might not have seemed that important or relevant.

"Why would he bother when I disappeared and there were dead bodies on my property?" I said, making that point.

Nodding in agreement, he continued with the terrible subject. "I understand why you didn't tell me. It's just very upsetting."

"Exactly. It's hard to even think about. Jack was the best; he was my little buddy. I still can't thank you enough for him."

He smiled at the memory of that Christmas morning. His eyes weren't hiding at this point. They were sweet. "Of course. You needed him and he needed you. It felt so good to give him to you."

After talking for a bit more about that, I felt much better. It was one less thing I needed to keep in check since he now knew the truth. Of course, now Luke and I could share the sorrow of that little dog's departure from the world. The only person that was having an issue with it now was Brooke. Thanks to Jackson, Jan had to take her aside and explain it in a better way.

Now that was out of the way, we had to get ready. My objective was to get my hair dyed, which would be painful. We weren't talking a lighter brown or even strawberry blonde like the first time. Nope, pure dumb blonde now folks.

It led me to grab the Walmart bag from the car. I said hi to Francis and Carter in the process, then headed back inside. I moved to the upstairs bathroom because I knew it may take a while. When I went inside and sat down on the chilly floor, I opened the plastic bag. It made me raise an eyebrow instantly.

Jackson bought the box for blonde, which was good. It was what I needed. What was unexpected was seeing another box in there. It wasn't for blonde hair, but rather brown.

Getting to my feet, I walked out of the bathroom and towards the stairs. "Jackson!" I yelled so he could hear me. It took him a long moment (probably on purpose) for him to respond and come upstairs to see what I wanted.

"What do you want? Mike was about to show me the supplies and guns he could give us," he said in his deep voice. Staring down at me with a slightly annoyed expression, he crossed his arms and waited.

"I'm dying my hair. But what's with the brown dye? I only needed blonde."

He rolled his eyes. "What do you think will happen after you have blonde hair for a while, genius? You can't have the same hair color for too long if you are recognized."

I never thought of that, of dying my hair back to brown after blonde. It was honestly a good idea. Obviously, if I am recognized, I can't keep that hair color for too long. It's why I was dying it right now.

I nodded and scoffed. "That's actually a really good idea."

"That's why you need me to survive," he said in a bland voice, patting my shoulder before turning around and heading back downstairs. I went back into the bathroom to get this over with. This was going to make me feel even less like Albany. Then again, wasn't that kind of that point?

It took way too long. It probably had to do with the fact that I was dreading the results. I had every right to after I looked in the mirror once I was done. I was now blonde and I hated it. Beyond the dumb blonde jokes, it really just was not suiting. I would have to keep it straight too, which made me look even more unlike me. At least it would do the job and it wouldn't be permanent.

It flowed down and past my shoulders, highlighting my brown eyes. Scowling and taking a deep breath, I turned away from the mirror and cleaned up the mess. My next objective for the night took my attention away from my hair and other worries. Because now, I wanted to talk to Shannon.

After I was finished with everything and flicked off the bathroom lights, I turned down the hall and towards where I knew her old room was. Staring into Luke's old room as I walked, it looked the same. Everything did for the most part as I moved down the dark hall. The chatter from downstairs faded more when I reached the door I wanted.

I knocked and went inside after I received no answer. The bedroom was lit by a bright lamp on the dresser across from the bed. And on the bed, she was laying there on her stomach. A book was in her hands, opened. Shannon stopped reading upon me entering, eyes on me. Her expression showed anger and sadness. There was also a good dose of sympathy on her face too.

"Hey, do you mind if we talk?" I internally cringed; I sounded too caring. The blonde is already infecting me.

She took a deep breath and pursed her lips. Shutting the book she was reading before I walked in, she sat up on the bed. Not looking happy, she nodded anyways and gestured for me to come in.

"Nice hair," she muttered under her breath as I came in and closed the door behind me.

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes, walking in and closer. I took her in more from where she was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Her thick hair looked a little messy from where it rested around her shoulders, her make-up a little smeared as well.

I sat down and pushed myself up on the bed, facing her and sitting in the same fashion. I got right into it, my eyes on hers. "Do you at least understand why everything happened? Why I was gone and couldn't come back?"

"I do," she nodded. She swallowed and ran a hand through her hair. "I am sorry for how I acted because I know that you didn't have a choice in everything that happened. That doesn't mean though that I can't be upset. I can't help it."

I licked my lips and lowered my eyebrows. "Trust me, I'm upset by it all too. I get why you are upset with me and I can't blame you. I hurt you and your family--"

"You hurt Luke. That is why I am pissed. You hurt him and now, there he goes, following you again and helping. I love you and care about you. But what you did to him... I can't help but think he needs to stop helping."

"I know that--"

She scoffed and shook her head. "You know nothing. Nothing. You think you understand the pain he went through? If he told you anything, it was probably nothing. You have no idea what you did when you left. You destroyed him in so many ways. You have no idea. It damaged him, broke him down, worse than you can seriously imagine. And because it's so bad and he didn't tell you, I will. We deserved answers and I am so happy we have them. Now, it's your turn to get some answers."