Bex had a flair for the dramatic, and apparently, there was no exception when it came to running into a burning building. "Just give me a few more seconds," she said into the wireless earbuds in my ears.

After Bex connected to my phone, and I found a set of wireless earbuds in the safe room, Bex was ready to lead me into the fray and find my brothers... well almost.

"And done!"

As the safe room door opened before me— leaving Natalie behind to serve as an extra set of eyes on the screens for Bex— not only was I greeted by heat, ash and smoke, but a sudden loud sound blared all around me.

It took me a moment to realize what was going on, and when I did, my mouth fell open before I managed to pull my dress up over my nose and mouth to keep the smoke at bay. "Are you serious!" I hissed as I registered the music blaring all around me.

"What?" Bex replied far too innocently in my ears. "We need mood music for our mission. And Laurence's house has FAR too many speakers imbedded into his house for me to just let them go to waste!"

Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes began to play, the guitar a sinister warning banner, the drums a call to war.

"The sound should cover your movements," Bex added.

I began to move through the house, the singer's words serving as a mantra as his voice filled the air. 'I'm gonna fight em off.'

"How's Laurence doing?" I asked quietly as Bex instructed me to duck behind the kitchen island as Derik moved past.

"I'll patch you in so you can hear the camera feed," she replied and suddenly Laurence's voice filled my ears.

"Why are you doing this Carter? What could have possibly pushed you this far?"

"You really don't know?" Carter replied, the sound so filled with disbelief and rage that it left goosebumps rising on my arms.

"I don't Carter. That's why I asked."

"I was invisible!"

"I was grieving Carter," Laurence replied, his tone surprisingly soft.

Carter laughed. "No, I was invisible long before that. You were the golden child. Always doing the right thing. Mom and dad were always asking why I couldn't be more like you. I did everything I could to get them to care about me. But I couldn't be you. They had you and didn't have room for anyone else."

Carters voice broke briefly before he carved his words with anger again. "So I became the opposite. They only noticed me long enough to make my bad decisions disappear. I break something, dad writes a check. I set something on fire, dad covers it up with excuses and more checks."

The pause that came after that was long. And for a moment as I continued past the kitchen, I thought they were fighting again, but Carter continued, his voice sounding so fragile that I nearly stopped moving. "Then dad got sick and no one bothered to tell me. Dad was dying and no one told me."

"They wanted to protect you," Laurence said, his tone filled with anguish.

"I should have been told. I was an ass to dad and he was dying! And no one told me!"

Laurence's voice grew softer as Carter's grew louder. "I know. I wanted to tell you but—"

"—mom didn't want you to, I know. But that doesn't change the fact that you were chosen to carry on everything they chose to love more than me. They died and you got everything. You got the company, you got their love, you got to know what was going on with dad, and I got nothing."

There was a loud crash and a thump. Someone groaned and fear coated my insides as I sprinted, no longer able to be stealthy, needing to do something to help someone. Needing it now.

Carter continued talking, and I could picture him standing over Laurence, battered and bloody on the ground. Carter played dirty. Something Laurence didn't do. I could picture Carter's eyes beginning to gleam as he took in his older brother, finally broken before him.

"Bex, lead me to Laurence instead. He's alone. I need to help him."

"Keep going," Bex insisted.

"Bex! He needs help!"

"Trust me, Lily."

I heard a loud set of clacks in my earbuds as Carter continued talking. "So now I am going to break everything they loved... starting with you." Carter let out a humorless laugh. "You've made it easy, pushing every potential ally away. Isolating yourself. You thought you were protecting others, but you were just harming yourself. I'll break you, and then I'm going to do the same to Royal Fashion."

"It's Royal Winters, actually," a new voice said. "Why is it so hard for some people to remember the name. It's a perfect fit for an ice queen." 

I sucked in a breath. Allie.

"Laurence isn't alone," she added, her signature heels making loud purposeful clacks as she walked toward Carter.

"You really need to stop breaking such pretty things Carter. It's unseemly." I heard a clump of heels and I could imagine Allie kicking them off as she stood before Carter. A pair of knuckles cracked, Allie getting herself ready.

"I heard you've lost your edge, Winters," Carter said, attempting to hide his surprise. "You don't throw punches anymore."

She chuckled darkly. "Only on special occasions. And you sir, are quite special."

I was so distracted by the sound of Allie crashing into Carter, a wild scuffle that sent my earbuds crackling with the force of the sound, that I missed Bex's warning, and skidded to a stop a moment too late.

Derik was further up the hall. He had found me. "Hello secretary. Looking for that pretty boss of yours? There isn't much left to find I'm afraid."

Laurence's bloody face, the sound of his body being hit scratched across my mind and it took a moment to shove it away. I needed to get past Derik to get to my brothers and he knew it. 

Running wasn't an option. 

I straightened, taking up a fighting stance. Fear and determination warred inside of me. I had people to help, but Derik was a ruthless person. Someone I wasn't sure I could beat. It wasn't lack of confidence in who I was as a person. It was a realistic concern, planted in the reality of how we each spent our free time. He hurt, I created.

He assessed me. "I knew you weren't harmless. Your ex-boyfriend is an idiot."

"Something we can agree on," I replied, kicking off my heels like Allie had done, hoping it would help. I suddenly wished I had payed better attention to my brother's fighting lessons. I hadn't expected this. Any of it.

"But you wont surprise me this time," he said, his eyes slowly going down my body, his predatory gaze making me clench my fists tighter. "You are weak."

The words were intended to hurt. Something that would have worked months ago, but now they bounced off of me, harmless.

"I'm strong," I replied, moving to the left. He mirrored my movements, still assessing.

"A pawn."

"A pawn who found Natalie," I supplied. "A pawn who took you down."

His eyes grew darker, enraged but still he managed to keep himself calm. "That was luck."

"Care to see how many more lucky shots I get?" I asked, remembering Natalie's words. Derik thrived off fear. He didn't know what to do when someone didn't respond with it in his presence.

Derik glanced around the hall, looking for a weapon. Whatever he was planning, he wasn't going to let it end quickly like he had with Laurence.

I spoke to Bex softly, hoping Derik wouldn't see the movement in his moment of distraction. "I can't get to my brothers. Derik has me blocked."

"Don't worry, I have backup coming. They should be getting to your brothers any second."

"What? Who?" I hissed as Derik pulled a large painting off the wall, tearing off the canvas and breaking the frame in half to use as a club.

Great.

"Prism, Lavender, Laliana and Em."

"WHAT? The girls?!?"

"I called them the moment you ran into that house. There's a window into the room your brothers are being kept in. I'll patch you into their feed."

A moment later I heard Lavender. "Sharp shooter? You okay?"

"Lavender, what are you doing? It's dangerous."

She snorted. "You're the one who ran inside the place. We're just breaking a window, untying a few guys and helping them crawl out. You take care of yourself. We've got you."

My heart swelled with gratitude, making me croak out my next words. "Thanks, Lavender."

"I got you girl. Now go kick that Derik guys ass."

I had forgotten Derik in my relief for my brothers and realized my mistake just in time, ducking as he swung the broken frame at me. 

He slammed it down in a second swing and I managed to roll out of the way. He swung again, not giving me a moment to recover and with my second roll I hit the wall, cornered as he swung again. Wood splintered as it came crashing down.

But it missed.

His surprise was as clear as mine, the club now halfway across the hall, Delle standing above me, death in her eyes. "Got a call from Allie," she said by way of explanation. "Told me there was a fight happening that I just couldn't miss." Then she jumped at Derik, sending him stumbling backward as she kicked him square in the chest with both feet. Delle landed in a couch, eyes on Derik, calculating her next move.

Allie may have been born with a temper, an itch to punch, but Delle had taken that same thread several steps further and turned it into a terrifying skill. 

Delle, the human lie detector, ex-detective, had trained for years to protect her sisters, and she seemed all to happy to take out one of those threats now. If Derik wanted to see Royal Winters burn, Delle would shove him straight into the fire of his own making.

"You!" Derik growled rubbing his chest where she had hit him.

She smirked. "Missed me? How was jail?"

"Not my taste."

"Good. It'll make it that much more satisfying when I put you back inside."

Derik looked nervous for the very first time, and his pause gave me a chance to get to my feet, taking up a fighting stance beside Delle.

I heard Lavender over my earbuds talking to Jack. The girls had reached my brothers. "Nearly got you out of the binds. Stop squirming!"

"You're making it worse," Jack grunted in response, irritated.

"Would you rather I leave you here."

Jack's silence left Lavender muttering about stubborn, ungrateful Autumns boys.

"Are you alright, Finn?" Prism asked, her voice coated in concern. Finn's response was too soft for me to hear.

I heard Bex over the line next. "Well hello Will! You look a little tied up!"

"Aren't you supposed to be our eyes and ears outside," Delle said icily next to me, clearly patched into the conversation I was listening to. 

Derik stared at both of us, confused as we had a half sided conversation with people who weren't there.

"And miss out on Will owing me FOREVER for saving him? Not a chance! Can't miss out on the heroics," Bex said with far too much glee, rubbing it in Will's face.

"Thanks for the save," Will muttered, sounding completely irritated by the turn of events.

"Say it loud for everyone to hear."

"Save it for when we're free," Sam replied. There was a sudden shuffle and Sam's voice became clearer. "Lily? You okay?"

"Yes,"I said, unable to keep a smile off my face, even as Delle launched at Derik to buy me a moment. "I'm right behind you. Get out the window."

"Get back to the safe room," Sam ordered. "Everyone has backup. Just get to safety, okay? Promise me."

"I promise," I lied. I had no intention of going back to the safe room. Not until I knew that Laurence was okay. Not until I could get Delle to come back with me. I refused to leave anyone behind.

There was a pause as Sam considered my words, trying to decide if I was lying. "Okay. I am going to trust you. See you out here soon."

Then the conversation switched back to Carter and Laurence. 

There was shouts, swears and crashes. I couldn't tell who was winning. But my focus shifted as a loud crack filled the air above me. The building seemed to be coming apart, groaning and creaking.

Derik dodged past Delle and I was forced back to the present, ducking low and ramming my shoulder into his stomach as he began to go for Delle from behind.

He fell, taking me with him. 

We rolled, his hands grabbing for any part of me that he could get a grip on. Hair, dress, arms, legs. I grew wild, clawing at him whenever he managed to get a hold of me. We slammed into the wall, a painting falling down, hitting us and blocking out the world. 

I wiggled free, jumped to my feet, and slammed the frame down on top of him, keeping him on the ground. I did it again and again and again, screaming with so much rage that the world vanished.

I forgot about the fire, about my family, about Laurence, about my friends. All that was left was rage and fear and a need to survive. I was fighting to save myself because in that moment I understood how deeply I wanted to live. How deeply I wanted to continue to grow and love and strive to be better. And I wasn't going to let Derik take that away from me—

Through the haze of red I heard Bex shout in my earbud. "LILY! YOU GOTTA MOVE! THE TOP FLOOR IS COLLAPSING. YOUR BROTHERS ARE SAFE! GET BACK TO THE SAFE HOUSE NOW!"

"Laurence!" I argued.

"He's fine!" Allie shouted over the line, sounding exhausted. "GO!"

Delle yanked me away from Derik who was still on the ground, unmoving under the frame and pulled me down the hall toward the safe room. 

There was a loud crash behind us, flames enveloping the hall as we ran. It became hard to breathe. My skin grew hot, my dress smoking and I knew I was moments away from becoming a matching set to the ash that was the future house.

As we turned the final corner toward the safe room, Natalie stood in the doorway ushering us inside. "GET IN!" 

We dove as the hall blew apart behind us. 

It took all three of us to slam the door shut and then we stood their in utter silence as the house fell down around us with a deafening roar.

---

Thank you for reading chapter thirty five! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to your reading list to know when the next chapter drops!

UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!

Did Laurence make it out okay?

Will Lily, Natalie and Delle make it out okay?

What happened to Carter and Derik?

Have you ever heard the song that Bex played while Lily went looking for Laurence and her brothers? If not, check out Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes below! 

https://youtu.be/KcZ73FRFLzY

What will happen next?

CHAPTER QUESTION - If you could meet any Season Girl in real life, which one would you want to meet?