"Cameras," Scott reiterated, standing up as he did so. His eyes were glaring at Jake, reading him, watching every move he made. I stood as well, standing beside Scott. Thankfully the boring blue eyes had found a new target that wasn't me. 

Jake moved Jessie to the side, standing in front of her as if to protect her. He clenched his jaw, and for a moment, I thought he was going to punch Scott. Scott just stood there, adjusting his glasses as he stared up at the towering figure, unafraid. The afternoon sunlight cast rays through the window, a contrast to the scene in front of me.

"Keep out of it Preston," Jake spat, saying the last word sharply. He moved forward more, flexing his hand as if he were actually ready to punch him. Scott still stood his ground, crossing his arms and looking up at him. There was a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Is that your attempt at being intimidating?" he asked, and there was a glint of mischief in his eyes. Curiosity swarming just behind those glasses. Jake scowled, raising his posture, those boring blue eyes looking as if they were ready to burn.

I may be a lot closer to Scott Preston, but he still knew exactly what to say to get under somebody's skin.

"You want to see intimidating?" Jake asked through clenched teeth, menacing eyes which made me take a step back. His words were icy, it reminded me of when he had first confronted me at the door yesterday. How terrifying the looming figure had been. How much he had shaken me.

But Scott just stood there.

"Big words for someone who can't keep a consistent story," Scott was smirking, shooting me a glance, and I knew immediately what he was trying to do. At the same time I did, Jake seemed to realize, faltering slightly. He stood a small step back. It was a mistake to react like that because Scott immediately followed with, "Is there an issue Morris? Jessica knows, doesn't she?"

"Knows what?" Jessie stepped forward, and Jake frantically looked to me. Dread was all I could feel. Like cold water had been splashed in my face. Jake looked like he was stumbling for words, looking between myself and Jessie. Jessie turned to face Scott, crossing her arms as she said, "What do you mean?"

"You mean you haven't told her?" Scott's words were purposefully provoking, a sly smile on his lips as he continued. He took a step closer, making Jake step back again. The power he seemed to hold had shifted, now, he was looming over Jake. And I knew what he was going to say next, I knew what was going to happen.

"Stop," I stammered, taking a step forward. Scott's eyes darted to me, slight annoyance as I'm sure he had been relishing at the moment. I sighed, taking Scott's hand to try and move him back, "This isn't why we're here,"

Those boys were like two feral cats on a street corner.

"Right," Scott nodded, his gaze drifting to Jake who looked frantic, scared. Jessie was watching Jake, scrutinizing every moment. He had once held the power in the room, the strength, but now those boring blue eyes were switching between everyone in desperation, fear.

Jake sighed, before awkwardly sitting down on the armchair, slumping back into it. Scott delicately placed himself on the sofa, proud of how easily he'd beaten Jake. I sat beside him, and admittedly, it did feel quite satisfying to see Jake falter like that.

To my surprise, Jessie pulled up a kitchen chair to join the small circle, not returning to sit on Jake's lap. She had placed herself further away from Jake, staring at Scott with deep curiosity and intensity. I didn't need to look up to know that those boring blue eyes were looking at me.

"We have a proposition," Scott began, straightening up as he looked between the two. He adjusted his glasses before he said, "That it may be possible for Jessica and Rebecca to switch... to, in a sense, overwrite it,"

I guess it was becoming a reality that I would truly be overwritten.

Scott explained to them the vague process, blackmailing Noah, switching the code. How it had been done before with Alice, now Yasmin. He explained that we'd been given a code that could effectively do that. If all else failed, that Noah had blackmail on Evan. That nobody would rat out the other in fear of endangering themselves.

Hearing it out loud, it felt odd.

At one point, Jessie seemed to get lost as she scrunched up her nose and tried to focus. Jake, however, was focusing intently on every word that Scott said. But, when Jessie understood the reality of the situation, she jumped up, beaming, cutting Scott off from the middle of his sentence. 

"You mean I get to be with Jake?" she said, seemingly forgetting whatever had made her angry at him in the first place. Jake was smiling too, but it wasn't a full smile. It was one of those smiles you'd wear to be polite. Jessie ran over to him, throwing her arms around Jake.

"What happened to the cameras?" Jake asked Scott, clearly still annoyed with him, as if he was trying to fault his plan just out of spite. He tried to look behind Jessie who had blocked his view to see Scott's reaction. Scott nodded as if expecting Jake to ask the very same question.

"They don't actually record rooms," there was a curl of amusement in his lips as he said this, watching Jake carefully, "I said that earlier just for you to be quiet,"

In reality, the likelihood was that the cameras didn't record audio; no need, because if someone was doing something illegal it would show in their actions. At least, that had to be my assumption. Scott knew full well that there was an equal chance that the cameras did record this entire conversation.

But Scott just wanted to get on Jake's nerves.

"Then why cause a massive drama about it in the first place!" he began, and Jessie moved away from him. Jake stood up, frustrated. Whenever he reacted this way it made me jump. Scott delicately adjusted his glasses, not saying a word.

"I think it may be best if we discuss this another time," Jessie said, pushing Jake backward by his chest. Her hands trailed across it for a moment, making my skin crawl. Gently, she kissed him on the cheek. His entire aggressive stance relaxed.

But I still feared having to be in a room alone with him.

Everybody said their goodbyes, which resulted in stern glances between Scott and Jake. They really were like feral cats on a street, hissing and scratching. The moment the door closed, Jake turned to me, straightening up as if he were the more mature person out of the two of us.

"Don't," I said before he could speak, surprised I was managing to get a word out. Without caring if he was following, I made my way towards the elevator, pulling my jacket further over me. I knew what he was going to say to me. He was going to try and say to me the same thing that he did yesterday.

"Don't what?" he snapped, catching up to me. He crossed his arms, eyes burning as he followed me, "What was your game? Telling Scott?"

I didn't respond to him. I stepped onto the elevator and pushed our floor button, gritting my teeth as he stepped on with me. I could still smell that perfume, it seemed as though I wouldn't be able to smell anything else again. He tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator doors closed.

"I'm talking to you," he snapped, although some of the hostility had been dropped. There was silence as we traveled down a few stories, each number ticking by. The elevator doors opened and I stepped out. Before I could walk much further, he grabbed onto my wrist, "Listen-"

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, pulling my hand back, clutching my wrist to my chest as if afraid he might grab it again. I couldn't get rid of that smell of flowers. I glared at him, feeling my whole body begin to shake. I was raising my voice now, angry as tears pricked the backs of my eyes, "You don't get to touch me again. You don't get to grab me. You don't come near me. You stay far away from me Jake... You're sleeping on the sofa tonight,"

I walked forward, furious, pushing back tears. As I scanned my keycard to the door, opening it and walking inside, I was surprised to find that he didn't interject, didn't try and stop me. I was shaking more, fumbling to walk. Slamming the door behind me, I made my way into the bedroom.

I took out his uniform from the cupboard, still smelling those flowers. Their scent seeming to block every sense. I walked out of the bedroom, carelessly throwing his work uniform for the next day onto the armchair. He had come inside now, and all hostility had gone. He stood silently, watching as I stormed back to the bedroom.

I had to have a shower, and I found myself scrubbing violently in the water to try and rid myself of that dreadful perfume. Washing my hair three, four, five times, each time the smell lingering. When I had dried, I smelt the perfume on the towel, on my clean clothes. I smelled it in the hallway, in the bedroom. 

Whilst I had taken a shower, Jake had cooked something, leaving a bowl of it on the side table in the bedroom. It seemed to be some sort of pasta with a cream sauce. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of eating it, but my pained stomach could only be petty for so long. 

I ate the food, and was annoyed to admit that it tasted wonderful. I felt guilty for how I had snapped at him. But then I remembered how I had told him to stop, how when I pushed him, he wouldn't let me go. How fearful I had been. How suffocating it was.

That night, my dreams were clouded with memories, fading in with reality to a point where I couldn't tell which was a reality and which was a dream. 

In one, I had seen Marie. She was older than when I had last seen her. Her hair was cut to shoulder length, and she was there. She was real. When I ran up and hugged her I could feel her warm skin against mine, I could hear her laugh. I could see her freckles all in the same place as it had been.

"Becca, you're alive?" she asked, and I could smell dust and lavender on her clothes. She pulled me closer, tighter, tears running down her cheek.

Then, there was a gunshot. 

I saw blood trickling from her head, her body slump to the floor. I tried to grasp at her body but it crumbled, falling into bits of dust. But the sound was so loud it caused me to wake in a start. The gunshot. So loud that it rang in my ears even when I pushed off my bedsheets and ran into the kitchen.

And there Jake was, slumped over. Dead. A bullet through his head.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't muster any energy to run. When I screamed, no sound came. It was as if I was stuck in the mud and when I tried to run it slowed me down further. Panic and terror blended together as silent screams echoed in my ears.

But it was just a dream.

And then I was thrown back to The Furthers, resting against the shell of a car with Scott. Talking about who knows what. The rain, the pattering, and how loud my heart had been. He was there, one minute, letting me lean against him and hearing his voice talk quietly.

Then, he was gone, and panic set in again.

I was alone, and there was no roof over my head, the rain pelting down harder and harder as if it was trying to crush me. I couldn't breathe, suffocating, drowning. I tried to cry but every time I tried to breathe it would get worse.

I woke up to my watch beeping, tears rolling down my cheeks as I pulled my legs to my chest, beginning to sob.