|30|

•Charlotte•

The lightning devil was dead. Buried deep under the ground with not a single memory left. 

I fought Gabriel yesterday. It was after midnight when everyone came to see the fight. Two of the best fighters going up against each other. He was lenient with his punches though. He wanted a fair fight, so I gave it to him. We didn't stop, the cheering around us growing with every punch I threw. 

Everyone betted on me winning but I needed him to win. Gabriel had kicked my stomach, never going for the face but that was when I called it off. I fell to the ground, ending the fight in the silence that everyone watched. Michael had announced Gabriel as the winner and he had helped me back up. 

That was all it took for the cheers to start for him as he grinned at everyone, throwing his hands up in the air. I walked out with Ramon behind me. I took my mask off as he held my hand and we walked to my house. 

He wanted to stay with me, to check if everything was okay but I told him to go home because it was extremely late. He left after watching me walk into the empty house. 

I couldn't sleep all night so instead I had opened my Macbook that Lizzie had bought me and looked for houses close by that I could afford. There were many apartments that I liked, but I kept on scrolling, wasting time until the sun came up. 

I sat up in bed and pulled up my hair into a bun before getting out of it. I wanted to clean up today, to clean everything so I could go around to look at some apartments. 

Walking out of the room, I headed towards my dad's old room. I stood in the middle of the room thinking about one thing. 

I had no purpose in life. 

Every day I had woken up to care for my dad but what did I do now? What would happen if I found Logan and I killed him? Would I spend the rest of my life in prison? Would I be a runaway fugitive? 

I pushed the thoughts out my mind before walking out of the room and downstairs. On the way home from the Gym, Ramon and I had gone to the shop so I could buy food for myself. I had paid for everything as Adam apologised for my dad's death. 

Did I say thank you in return? Did I say it's okay, it's not your fault? There was nothing for me to say that would sound correct. 

I walked into the kitchen and towards the fridge where I pulled out the milk bottle. Today would be cereal. Rubbing my eyes, I groaned because my body was tired but my mind wouldn't allow me to sleep. 

Mary had texted me this morning at seven wondering if I wanted her to come by. I told her it was okay and I was going out anyway. Lizzie had asked me what I was planning to do today, and I told her nothing other than clean the house up. She didn't reply after that. 

The landlord, Tom had come by last night, saying he could extend my rent till next week but I said no. I gave him the money and he nodded at me before walking away. 

I sat down at the table, in the empty house where the silence echoed and ate my breakfast quietly. 

A knock on the front door made me look up and I walked out of the kitchen towards it. It was nearly eleven am and nobody was coming today. It was Saturday. 

I opened the door to see Lizzie  standing there with a big grin on her face. "I came to help you clean." She said walking into the house as I smiled at her. She was wearing a white shirt with blue overall on top. Her bare legs shined in the sun as if she had applied a tan last night. 

"So what's the plan then?" She turned to look at me as I closed the door. 

"Would you like to go apartment hunting with me?" I asked her and she grinned and nodded. 

"Are you going cheap or high end? Have you looked at some places?" She asked me curiously. 

I shrugged my shoulders as I walked towards the kitchen and she followed me. "Anything works for me." I told her as I sat back down on the table. 

She sat opposite me. "Have you thought about your plan next? Your future? Will you be going to college?" 

Lizzie was an over thinker. She planned a few years ahead because she liked everything to be perfect. I didn't mind her questions at all as I shook my head. 

"I think if I kill Logan, I'll be seeing prison walls for the rest of my life." I put a spoonful of my cereal in my mouth. 

"Well Ramon being in the Mafia, could get you out." She said to me, shrugging her shoulders as she picked up an apple from the fruit basket and sat opposite me. 

I told her my doubts were correct about them being in mafia last night. There was nothing I kept hidden from her. 

I shrugged my shoulders not replying to her as I ate silently. She turned to look at me. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?" She questioned. 

I sighed, trying to let out a breath. My throat was suffocating me as I answered her. "It's this house. I can't seem to breathe in it everytime I walk out of my room. It's like his presence is still here." I told her truthfully as she listened. "Every time I walk past the living room, I see it playing in my mind. I hear the gunshot every single time I enter the house. How am I meant to sleep?" I asked her as I pushed the bowl away from me. I was no longer hungry. 

"Come with me tonight. Stay at my house until we can find you a new place." She said to me as she took a bite out of her apple, a small smile on her face.

"I don't want to impose." 

"That's bullshit. You know my mom loves you more than she loves me." She grinned at me and I smiled as I nodded before standing up. 

"I'm going to start cleaning." I said to her as I walked towards the cupboard to pull out the cleaning supplies. "If you find any of the money bags, put them in my room." I told her and she nodded, standing up from the table. 

***

The house was spotless. Lizzie had worked on cleaning the downstairs area while I had started in my dad's room. I had stuffed all of his clothes and every single thing that belonged to him in brown boxes. 

There would be a day where I could look at them without feeling the guilt. 

I had taped the boxes shut and stacked them up in the corner of the room, before scrubbing the floors clean. Lizzie and I broke the half broken wardrobes and stuffed them inside her car so we could take them to waste sites. 

I could hear the music playing downstairs, more specifically One direction, as I pulled down my shirt. Picking up the black bag of rubbish I needed to throw away, I walked downstairs. 

We had finished cleaning and I went to have a shower. It was nearly four in the afternoon and I was hungry but so tired as well. My mind didn't want to let me sleep though. 

I opened the front door so I could throw the back in the bin when I noticed Ramon pulling up near my house. I threw the bag in the bin as he got out of the car. 

"Hey." I said to him as he walked up the stairs and stood in front of me. 

"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to my house? The boys want to take a day off and have fun. Want to come?" He asked me, a chuckle escaping past his lips as he heard the music. 

Lizzie walked towards us out of the living room. "Hey Ramon." She smiled at him, completely confident in talking to him now. 

"Want to come with us? Calvin is missing you." Ramon asked her and she chuckled and nodded, looking up at me. 

"Let's have a day to relax." She said to me in a gentle voice, as if she knew I needed a day off.

I could see it in Ramon's eyes. He didn't want to leave me alone, and if I went to his house, I could see the process of the search. 

I nodded and he grinned at me as Lizzie coughed loudly. He turned to look at her. "Yes, colourful girl?" He smirked as she rolled her eyes. 

"Let's say supposedly Charlotte was put into prison, would you be able to get her out? I can say the M word if you want me too." She asked as she crossed her arms and looked at him. 

Ramon turned to look at me. "You can put a thousand bullets in him, amore, and I won't allow anything to happen to you. I promise you that." The promise was genuine as I smiled softly. 

He would protect me. 

"Perfect. Let's get going then." Lizzie grinned at him as she walked back to the living room. I opened the door for Ramon to walk inside and he did, closing the door behind himself. 

"I'm just going to get my phone." I told him and he nodded, watching me walk upstairs. 

My room had been cleaned as well. I made sure I cleaned every spot behind the draws and folded every pair of jeans. There were money bags on the bed, from every corner of the house, we had placed them on the duvet. Over 50 bags. 

Picking up my phone, I pulled the duvet over the bags and hid them. Those would go towards an apartment and everything else I needed in life. It would help me settle for the next few years before I needed to find a job. 

There was so much in life that I needed to think about now and I didn't know where to start.

"Charlotte!" Lizzie called from downstairs and I walked out my room, closing the door behind me. Heading downstairs, I saw them waiting besides the door. I wore my shoes quickly, picked up my jacket and followed them out of the house. I locked the door and stuffed the keys into the jacket. 

"Ramon." Lizzie said his name as he politely opened the door for her and held onto my hand so I didn't walk away. "Do you know of any nice apartments that are close to our houses but not too expensive?" She asked as she climbed into the back of the car. 

Ramon nodded and closed the door to her before walking me towards the passenger's side and opening the door for me. "There's a few close to ours." He answered her as I climbed into the car. "Are you looking to move out?" He asked her and she shook her head. 

He closed the door and jogged around the car to his side and quickly climbed inside. "I'm looking for an apartment." I told him as he started the car and drove. "I want to see a few first before I pay for one." 

"Would you like me to show you some now?" He asked, glancing at me as he took a right. 

"I read online that I will need a booking to view the apartments." I told him and he chuckled. 

"If you want to see them now, just tell me. I can get Kyong to call them and tell them I'm coming." He said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was that easy. It was for him.

"Yes please." Lizzie nodded from behind and he picked up his phone and handed it to me. 

"Call him and put him on speaker." Ramon said to me. I unlocked the phone which had no password on it and searched for his contact. 

The phone started to ring as I put it on speaker.  Immediately he picked up saying something in italian. Ramon replied back in italian as I held the phone to him. The only word I understood was si, which he kept saying. Kyong ended the call and I placed the phone down, waiting for him to explain all of that in english to us. 

"There's five apartments that you can see now, if you want." Ramon smiled at me as he noticed the surprise in my eyes. 

I nodded. "Do I have to finalize anything today?" I asked him and he shook his head, taking a left as we arrived in the rich area. 

"You can take a look and if you like one, it's yours until you're ready to pay and move in." He said with a grin on his face as he drove straight ahead before slowing down a little. "I think the places are nice and it's six months for payment upfront first." He told me and I nodded as he parked next to a big block of buildings made out of glass. They were similar from the outside to the hotel we stayed in Italy. 

We got out of the car, Lizzie walking towards me as she tilted her head up at the big building. "My mom said this is a good place once. Luke had been living here first before he moved into our house to help pay for things." She said to me as Ramon walked towards us. 

"Come on. I'll show you the empty apartments." He said and we nodded, following him inside through the automated doors.

Ramon walked towards the lady behind the reception desk in the beautiful waiting room. The walls were a stunning beige colour as I looked around at the chandelier and the people that walked out of the elevators, laughing and smiling with each other. 

"Amore, come." Ramon called me as Lizzie grabbed my arm and walked me towards the elevator as Ramon headed there after getting three keys off the receptionist. 

"This is close to school as well and me." Lizzie said as we stood in the elevator and he pressed the button for the third floor. 

"And me." Ramon pointed out, winking at me as Lizzie laughed. 

I could see my appearance in the mirrored elevator. My curly hair was getting frizzy so I wrapped it up in a bun as I followed Ramon out of the elevator. 

There were five doors on this floor and he walked towards the end one, unlocking it with the key and switching the lights on as Lizzie and I walked inside. 

The first thing I noticed was the small living room. There was a brown couch placed inside with a bunch of cushions and in front of the tv. There was an open kitchen close by with black walls but the whole place felt suffocating with the small windows. 

Ramon walked me towards the two bedrooms and a bathroom but I shook my head. There was nothing I liked about this place. It was suffocating and staying here made it hard to breathe. 

"Not the one?" Ramon asked, noticing the frown on my face. 

I shook my head. "It feels suffocating." I spoke the truth. 

There was a smile in his face as he said, "I know which one you would like." Ramon walked out of the apartment, telling Lizzie and I to follow him. 

We did as he locked the door and we walked towards the elevator. We stood inside as Ramon said. "This is the new one that they have not rented out yet but if you like it, then it can be yours." He said as the elevator doors opened and a couple walked out, smiling at us before walking towards their door. We stepped into the elevator and Ramon pressed the button for the top floor. 

I didn't say a word as we waited besides him. His phone started to ring and he pulled it out of his pocket as the doors opened. 

"Si?" He answered the call as Lizzie and I followed him out of the elevator and towards the only door on the floor. He balanced the phone in between his shoulder and his ear, while he talked in italian and opened the door for us. He stepped aside, a small smile on his face as he switched the lights on. 

Lizzie and I walked into the apartment. She cursed besides me. This place was out of my budget. 

The white walls pulled in the sun that shone through the ceiling to floor windows. Black curtains draped against the windows, with a black steel staircase leading to a top floor where there were black railings blocking off the top floor. 

I walked further into the place, noticing the huge kitchen and the open spaced living room. A tv hung from the walls, with loud speakers besides it on the ground, in front of the black soft L shaped couch. 

This was completely out of my budget but I saw the view. 

Peace. 

In a trance, I walked towards the windows, ignoring Ramon talking on the phone and Lizzie running up the stairs. The view was spectacular. I was high above the ground, with buildings around us but it was the sky and the clouds that brought me peace. 

Not a single part of me felt suffocating. 

I let out a soft breath. 

"Charlotte!" Lizzie whispered my name loudly and I turned around to look at her, standing on the railings. "There is a walk-in closet." She gaped at me. 

A smile found a place on my face as I walked upstairs. Ramon winked at me, still on the phone as I glanced at him. I held onto the black railings and walked up the metal stairs towards the top floor. 

A big empty bookshelf was pushed against the wall with a big green plant on one side. There was a small black egg shaped chair in the other corner as I noticed the door opened to a room Lizzie was standing in. 

I walked towards it, pushing the black door open. There was a big Queen size bed in the middle of the room. The whole place had a black and white themed look to it and I liked it. It felt clean. No blood. 

"Look at this." Lizzie said with a big grin on her face as she slid open the black doors opposite the bed. It revealed a big walk in closet and the moment she stepped in, lights came on. I could see the glass doors to every cupboard which would give the room a neat look. There were shoe racks, and jewellery hooks. 

Lizzie did a little twirl. "Buy it, Charlotte. It has such a pretty bathroom as well. Imagine the sleepovers we could have in here." She sighed in bliss with her eyes closed, twirling a little. 

"What do you think?" Ramon asked behind me and I turned around to see him leaning against the door, looking at us. 

"I like it." I told him truthfully. 

This place was beautiful and the first feeling I got was peace. It waa a huge apartment, three times the size of the old house but it was magnificent. I felt calm, the rage inside of me disappearing in this place. 

"There's an extra room in there but it's empty. It can be used for anything the person desires." Ramon said to me, as he pointed over his shoulder to the other door. The door was opened and I could see the empty room. 

"What do you think?" Lizzie asked me as she walked towards me after closing the black doors. 

I looked at Ramon. "I don't have to decide yet, right?" I asked and he nodded. 

"I can show you the others." He said and I shook my head, glancing out of the window. 

"She likes this place." Lizzie grinned at me before looking at Ramon. "Can we go to your house now? I'm going to order pizza." She said, pulling out her phone. 

"Calvin has already ordered it and is waiting for us." He said and she nodded with a smile on her face as she walked out of the room, with her phone in her hand. 

"We should get some food." Ramon said, holding his hand out to me. I smiled softly before holding his hand and walking downstairs with him. 

We all walked out of the building after he gave the keys to the receptionist, and we sat inside his car. 

"We're going to watch movies and get drunk." Lizzie said behind me, in her seat and I glanced at her to see she was texting. I nodded and looked at Ramon. 

"Any news on Logan?" I asked, curiously. Where was he?

He frowned. "We went out today to find him. I got word that he is looking for you so I searched the area around you but there was no one there." He shrugged a shoulder as he drove up the driveway to his house. "We're close. I saw Cole there though."

"Did you get to him?" I asked as he switched the car off. Lizzie jumped out of the car as Ramon shook his head. 

"I shot the asshole but he jumped into a car. I have Alex hacking the security cameras on every road to see where the car went." He said and I nodded slowly. 

This was good. Logan was starting to mess up. 

I got out of the car and closed the door as Ramon walked towards me. He held my hand, as if needing to touch me before walking me inside. I saw Lizzie with Calvin as he walked her upstairs, muttering something to her softly. 

We walked upstairs and into a room, ignoring the men that walked past us and nodded at Ramon. He let me walk inside what I assumed was his room as I noticed Alex and Josh sitting besides the computer. Calvin and Lizzie walked towards a door that he opened and seemed to lead to a different room. 

"Hey." Alex and Josh waved at us without removing their eyes from the computer as Alex typed something in quickly. 

I waved back at them though they didn't see and walked further into the room. I walked towards the bed and sat down as Ramon closed the door behind himself. 

I saw it in the corner of my room. There was a huge canvas in the corner with a  picture of me more than half painted. Ramon noticed my gaze and he chuckled, walking towards the bed. 

He sat down on it as he took my shoes off for me and I lifted my feet up onto the bed. He took his shoes off as he said. "I was painting that for you but never got to finish it." He climbed into the bed as I moved over to make him room. 

"It looks really good." I told him truthfully as he leaned an arm over my shoulder and against the pillows as he laid down. 

Ramon patted the space next to him and I laid down besides him, as he wrapped an arm around me, holding me close. I closed my eyes as he asked. "Did you like the second apartment?" 

"It's your building, right?" I questioned back and he chuckled. I could feel his chest vibrating with the laughter. 

"Yes but I'll be fair with you. If you like it, it's yours and you can make a payment any time you want. If you don't, I can show you other places." He said, as I felt his touch on my arm, rubbing his fingers up and down slowly. 

"I think it's out of my budget." 

"It's not." He replied immediately. 

I simply nodded and kept my eyes closed as I leaned closer to him and let out a soft sigh. His body was warm as I let my mind wander off. 

I was safe here. I could sleep. 

Ramon moved his hand up and down my arm in a soothing manner as I felt tiredness overpower my body.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

Ramon is probably the nicest male I have ever made. Someone who has no baggage and accepts her in an instant.

On another note, I planned Broken Lie yesterday so that's interesting. Let me just say that that book is probably going to break you all but is it even a Farrah's book if she doesn't make you cry now?

We have exactly six chapters left on this book.