Not the best chapter. Sort of a filler but look for an important plot twist.

Merry late Christmas btw!

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Chapter 25| Crimson Water

"The past beats inside me like a second heart."

-John Banville, The Sea

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Mallory stirred in her sleep as she felt the bright sunlight on the back of her eyes. She snuggled deeper into the covers not ready to get up just yet. She lazily rolled over to the other side, only to be greeted by a light breeze.

Sunlight and air? Had she left the windows open, she wondered almost awake. The warm breeze tickled her face again. Turned out she had left the window open. Groaning and almost grudgingly she opened her eyes, and saw someone's face not three inches away from her own. Their lips almost touching.

In a millisecond, she shot out of the bed and screamed blue murder.

"What the..." Andrew woke up with a jolt. The chair he was sitting on scraped against the wooden floor due to sudden motion and he tumbled down to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" Mallory demanded inching away from the bed.

Andrew got up from the ground, groaning. He stretched his back and rubbed his shoulder which was sore from sitting upright the entire night. "That's a nice way to say thank you." He muttered picking up the chair and sitting on the bed.

"Thank you? What are you talking about? Why was your face right there?" she pointed near her pillow. "What happened last night?" she muttered.

"Excuse me for trying to sleep. You were the one who asked me to stay. You don't remember a thing from last night, do you?"

"D-Did something happen last night?" She asked timidly. "Between us I mean."

"Yeah, right!" he rolled his eyes. "That's why I was sitting on the chair and you were sprawled on the bed fully-clothed."

"Umm...Right." She muttered sheepishly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"So, now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my house." Andrew muttered. And for the first time Mallory noticed the bags under his eyes, he looked tired, dead tired.

"No! Wait."

He groaned. "That's exactly what you said last night. And look where we are now!"

"First tell me, what happened? Why does my head hurt like a bitch? It feels like I am run over by monster trucks." She rubbed her temples and suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Did you...Did you by any chance drug me?"

"I drugged you? More like you drugged yourself!" Andrew yelled clearly taken aback by the accusation. "Come here," he got up and tugged at her wrist, dragging her towards the bathroom rather forcefully.

"Look," he pointed at the floor where lay a yellow bottle with pills all over the floor.

Mallory inched closer to the bottle and bent down to pick it up. "They're sleeping pills. W-What? How?" Her eyes widened.

"You know you are not supposed to have more than a couple of pills, but last night you were going to swallow half a bottle!"

"I did not..." she said, her voice fading as she walked to the bed.

"Yes you did! I literally had to snatch it away from you. That is the reason they are all lying on the floor."

"Andrew." She looked up. "Tell me. Tell me honestly, what happened last night?"

• • •

(Previous Night)

"I need to go home, Ben." Andrew saw Mallory wiping off her tears. "I don't want to stay here anymore. I am so sorry."

"It's okay," her best friend replied. "I'll drive you."

"Are you insane? It's your birthday party. You can't leave your own birthday party. I'll be fine on my own."

"Mallory, you are much more important for me than a stupid party. And how can I even celebrate knowing that my best friend is probably crying herself to sleep?" Ben reasoned.

"I-I won't." Mallory replied, sniffing and wiping her nose.

"Shut up and let me take you home." Ben said leaving no room for argument.

"Let me." Andrew, who had been silent the entire time, said.

"Yeah right." Ben glared. "The last time you said that I found her in hysterics. So that's a big NO!"

"Would you two stop pretending like I am some kid? I am perfectly capable of driving myself!" Mallory said with anger. "And for the record, he actually helped me." She added glaring at Ben.

"Excuse me?" Ben looked taken aback and so was Andrew.

"Yes. He snapped me out. If he hadn't done it, I would still be here screaming and pulling out my hair. So, stop being an idiot and leave me alone!" She yelled in his face.

"Fine. Go. Do whatever you want." Ben shrugged offended by her outburst.

Andrew noticed immediate transformation on her face as her gaze softened. "Look, Ben. I am sorry."

"It's okay. Go." Ben said. "I'll get back to the party."

"Happy birthday again." She hugged him. "And so sorry...For everything." She said as fresh tears started seeping through her eyes. "Wow, I am really emotional today." She gave a wet smile.

"Thank you. And I'll call you tomorrow morning."

"Sure." She smiled and with that she made it to the stairs and straight to the parking of the house. Andrew tugged after her, not far behind.

"You know 1.3 million people die in road accidents every year." He said calmly following her.

"Andrew what do you want?" Mallory turned around.

"Driving while you are angry, sad, crying or emotionally agitated increases the risk of a crash by 9.8 times compared with model driving."

"Look, I have had a rough night," she uttered squeezing the bridge of her nose. "If you don't have any thing better to do than being an annoying encyclopedia, please leave me alone." She thrusted the keys in the keyhole.

"What I was trying to say is let me drive." He said stepping closer to the car.

"No."

"Let me drive, Mallory."

"Why the hell do you care? Haven't you done enough for the night?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Mallory, let me drive." He said expressionlessly, gently pushing her aside and sat inside the driver's side.

"You know what? Do whatever the fuck you want!" Mallory yelled and stomped to the passenger's side.

As Andrew twisted the key, he could see her putting her feet on the seat. Mallory's house wasn't very far away from her friend's and with Andrew's driving it was barely fifteen minutes. Five minutes into the drive, he looked at his companion who was shaking slightly looking around. It was quite clear to him that she was hyperventilating.

"If you're feeling claustrophobic, just say it. I cannot read minds you know." He said rolling down the windows.

Mallory chose to ignore it and continued staring ahead. Her breathing became a little more relaxed now. But even then she was quite perturbed. Even a little noise of horn sent her into jitters.

When Andrew pulled in her driveway she got out almost reflexively and brisk walked to her front door. She fumbled with the key as her hands shivered and shook. Andrew took them away and unlocked the door.

"Sit." He ordered and like an obedient child she took the couch. He went to the kitchen and scanned the refrigerator. When his eyes landed on a pack of juice he took it out and poured out a glass.

"Drink it." He gave the glass to Mallory.

She shook her head. "I-I don't want to."

"Sugar helps it when..."

"...you are nervous or scared. Yes I know." She cut him off. "But I don't need to drink some fucking juice!"

"Take a sip. You'll feel better." Andrew said massaging his temples. He was having a hard time controlling his temper. But he chided himself. It was all his fault. Maybe not all his. But he had a fair share in her outburst and that is why he was helping her. There was no other reason. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do! You are not my dad."

"All I am trying to do is help you. Least you can do is appreciate it!" He yelled.

"GET OUT!" Her voice boomed. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, RIGHT NOW!"

He sighed. "Believe me in any other circumstances I wouldn't have taken a second to do that. But right now, no matter how hard it is for you to admit but you do need me."

"No, you think I need you. But I don't!" She screamed yet again. "Everything was good before you came. But you ruined it. You ruined it all!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she angrily wiped them away. "I was doing just fine. But then you had to screw everything. With all those stupid gang members of yours and your fucking mind games."

"Why don't you go to your room while I fix you a cup of coffee?" Andrew tried to regain his composure.

"You know what? To hell with you and to hell with whatever you want. I am going to my room and when I wake up I don't want to see your ugly face around! Understood?" She sneered and stomped to her room.

"That was really harsh." Andrew found himself saying to the empty room. But strangely, he didn't feel as angry as he thought he should. Maybe because guilt is a stronger emotion than fury?

He shrugged and went to the kitchen making two cups of coffee. Five minutes later, he was carrying them upstairs. From inside the room he could hear faint cries and without knocking he entered. The room was a mess with pillows and bedsheet on the ground, her jacket and shoes were thrown away in one corner and the French windows were gaping widely making the room chilly.

"Mallory!" He called out placing the cups on the side table. "Mallory?" He moved towards the bathroom.

The light of the bathroom was switched on and the door was slightly ajar. He hesitated before going inside. "Mallory? Are you okay?" He asked again but there was no reply. So he decided to check on her. Opening the door a little bit, he peeked in.

Mallory stood in front of the mirror, now in her nightwear, which was a thin T-shirt and shorts. She was muttering something. As Andrew moved towards her, he noticed a yellow bottle in her hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked suspiciously.

"Look at this." She said as if she never heard the question. She placed the bottle on the rim of the basin and showed her hand.

"What?" Andrew looked at her puzzled.

"Don't you see it?" She said with frustration and put her hand under the running tap. "Look at the water. What do you see?"

"Mallory. Are you okay?"

"Yes. Yes I am okay. But you're not. Don't you see the water turning crimson. Look. Look closely. How can you miss it?!?" She said desperately.

"Crimson?" Andrew asked yet again and then suddenly the meaning of the words washed upon him like ice cold water.

Hands. Water. Crimson. It was certain that Mallory was hallucinating but why? For a minute, Andrew was transported back to time when he had witnessed the exact same scene. His bloodied hand making the running water crimson as he pondered upon his most recent prey. He shuddered feeling a little woozy at the thought of blood. But why would Mallory hallucinate about something like that? There could be only one reason.

He took in a sharp breath. "Mallory what did you do?"

"Nothing. I told you I didn't do it!" She said, a hint of desperation in her voice. She picked up the bottle again and took out some pills.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"They would stop it. They would stop everything. I'll be able to breathe better and numb." She inhaled. "They will make everything numb. No more emotions. No more worries. Just numbness..." She sighed dreamily like a drug addict talking about heroine.

"Are they antidepressants?" He inquired snatching the bottle away and read the label.

Benzodiazepine.

"No. No. Do not." He slapped her hand as she was about to chug them down. "They are not what you think." He said as the tablets came raining down both from her hand and the bottle which he dropped.

"How dare you!" Mallory said slapping his face second time that night.

"They are sleeping pills." He said with panic clear in his voice. "You can die."

"They are not. Shut up. Just shut up!" She cried and started punching his chest repeatedly. "Why are you making it worse for me? Why do you hate me so much?" She kept on bawling her eyes out and then suddenly sat down on the bathroom floor running a hand through her hair. "Why do you hate me?"

Quietly Andrew tugged at her arm and as she got up guided her to the bed. She kept on crying and wiping away her tears while Andrew went to her medicine cabinet and found the bottle of anxiety medicine. He knew them all too well.

He took out a pill and gave it to her with the now cold coffee.

"Five." She whispered.

"You want five of them?" His eyes widened.

She nodded.

He gazed at her for a second or two and then took out four more tablets. She chugged them down in one swift motion and drank the entire cup in a single go.

"Thank you." Mallory muttered getting under her covers as Andrew collected her cup and switched off the light.

The room was dark now except for the faint moonlight that entered through the open windows. Silently, he picked up the cups and was about to slip through the door when Mallory flipped the bedside lamp on.

"Andrew." She said. He looked back. "Can you stay?"

"I-I have to go." He replied awkwardly.

"No. Wait.." Her voice was a soft whisper in the eerie silence.

"I don't think I should." He said.

"Please..." She whispered yet again. Under the yellow light of the lamp he could make out the expression on her face. Desperation. Something shook inside him as he had a feeling of déjà vu. It reminded him of a some other girl from some other time and he knew he couldn't turn away now.

He sighed as he kept the mugs back on the table and pulled the only chair in the room, placing it right next to the bed.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"You should be thankful." He muttered leaning back in to the chair. It was going to be a long long night.

• • •

"Andrew?" Mallory waved her hand in front of his eyes. "Earth to Andrew."

He blinked repeatedly. "What?"

"What happened last night?"

"Nothing much. You came home. I drove you. You were taking wrong pills. You freaked out and asked me to stay for the night. Just the usual stuff."

"Usual stuff?" Mallory smiled wryly. "Care for detail?"

"Never mind." He said.

"Okay I guess." She shrugged even though she was curious but she dropped it anyway.

"I'll go now." He said getting up.

"No. No. Stay here. Rest for a while and then go."

"No. Thank you very much." He got up and stretched.

"Look at you. You look like a zombie. Do you really think I'll let you drive like that?"

"And who are you?" He demanded.

"A friend?" She smiled.

"We are not friends."

"Too bad. I think we are. So off you go; inside the covers now." She said. "It's still warm." She smiled.

"Fi-"

Suddenly the door of the room opened. "Smelly-Melly!" Jake's voice boomed but he shut up suddenly his smile disappearing as he saw his sister sitting on the bed with another guy.

His eyes narrowed. "What is happening here?"

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Vote. Maybe? ;)

Hi there!

Happy last week of 2016. I hope it was a good year for you and 2017 brings even more happiness for you and your loved ones! :)

So with this chapter another part of this story is over. Now you know almost everything about Mallory that there is to know. Keyword being 'almost'. Look out for more turns.  ;) My next focus will be Andrew. Especially his mysterious relationship with Emily. Which you all know, because I gave away way too much. *Sigh*

So, what do you think about the chapter? The next one should be ready soon, because...guess what? I already have half of it written. So, two back to back updates! (Hopefully) Exciting? :D

Anyway, so how was your Christmas? (The ones who celebrate it) For others, enjoying holidays? ;)

May God bless you!

-Ridhima