{Thursday, September 9th.}
Dare's (POV)

"I'm sorry, sir. All we have is that one room with the two twins available right now."

Alex stares at the man behind the desk, a unmoving, stern glare that could possibly curdle dairy.

Glad I'm not on the receiving end of that.

So after we'd left the scene of the crime back there in that old abandoned hotel, Alex walked us around a few other streets, taking us as far away from there as possible within the span of a hour.

And now it's nine something P.M. My feet are killing me, my eyes keep fluttering in exhaustion, not to mention they feel like they have ten pound weights on them.

I hate feeling this way!

Now we find ourselves in a small, dingy cheep hotel that's sandwiched between two other buildings in the poorer part of Manhattan, NY. Because that's all we can afford.

Alex had asked about two separate rooms next to each other - guess he doesn't trust me not to disappear or something even though I'm the one who chose to stick with him. Not the other way around.

But apparently there's only one room available at the time. Something about maintenance and a busy week.

Who would've guessed for such a stale little hotel. Business must be booming for them.

Maybe they'll wisely decide to spend those earnings on a new redecorating expedition....More like re-do everything.

So now Alex is staring at the poor man - Josh as his name tag states, behind the desk in the small room you walk into from outside. Poor Josh only shriveling at the glare like a pumpkin out in full sun.

And I suddenly get the sense that Alex is about to turn and hightail it out of here.

Oh no, I am not walking anymore tonight! I'm putting my foot down for this.

I turn my head to completely face Josh, plastering a smile across my lips. "We'll take it." I tell him, immediately getting a relieved grimace from Josh as I take the spotlight from Mr. 'Intimidating' off him.

Speaking of him, he turns his head to his left so his eyes now rest on the side of my face from a foot away.

I quickly give him a, 'we're not leaving' look. Only for him to look away in irritation.

Josh writes something down in a large notebook, turning around to grab a key off the back wall as Alex slowly counts out the correct sum of money.

Alex quickly slides the cash across the desk, snatching the keys Josh has dangling from his finger over the desk without a word before turning and heading down a hallway.

I watch his back as he walks away, noticing the way his posture now has a slight stoop in it. One that was definitely not there earlier.

He seems extra tense after that fiasco in the old hotel, extra snappy like he's at the end of his rope and can't hold on much longer. Irritated and antsy.

Or the rope is about to break.

Giving Josh a apologetic smile that probably looks more like a grimace, I shrug my backpack further up my back, walking towards where Alex has now disappeared.

I suppose one of the upsides of getting a room in a cheep hotel is they apparently don't care if you look like teenagers.

Works for me.

Turning the corner, I spot Alex at the end of the hall leaning against the worn wall with his back as he runs his right hand through his hair. Face angled down to the floor.

I continue my walk down the hall, and he immediately straightens up as he catches the sound of my feet on the old carpet floor, pushing off from the wall.

Giving me a quick glance, he then inserts the key into what I'm assuming is the correct door that he matched up with the number on the key.

The door opens with a creek, like something out of a horror movie. He steps inside, and I follow along behind him, flipping the switch on as I pass the specific area on the wall.

The room has a faint musty smell to it, only adding to its 'cheap' charm.

Two twin sized beds sit in the middle of the small-ish room, their heads back against the side wall on our right, at least seven feet of space between them. A lamp sitting between them on a bedside table against the wall.

There's a little stand over in the far corner, a small box tv on top of it with a old looking sofa in front of it. A halfway open door sits to the left, undoubtedly the dingy bathroom that comes with the room.

Alex shuts the door behind me, his eyes scanning the room as his back faces the door.

I blow a long, tired breath out, frowning as I look the room over myself once again.

Shrugging, I walk towards the 'supposed' bathroom. "It's so...homey." I dryly joke as I peak inside the room, almost wincing as I prepare myself for anything that could possibly be in there.

Hm, could be worse. At least there isn't a body in the tub.

It basically looks like your average bathroom. Except older and in-need of a good clean up job.

Yeah, that's definitely a roach I just saw.

Containing the shudder that wants to run down my back, I step inside without a word, shutting and locking the door behind me.

I need some clean up time here. All this running away hasn't exactly been the cleanest of things.

Deciding I'd rather not bathe in water that could potentially be sewage water, I simply change out of the clothes I'm wearing, pulling my favorite pair of whitewash jeans out along with my pink tie-dye t-shirt to switch them out with. Slipping my feet out of my shoes, I then replace my socks with a fresh pair.

I come prepared.

Finishing up with a few other normal bathroom things, I then reach down to zip up my backpack as I prepare to leave.

And it's only been seven minutes. Beat that!

My hand pauses halfway through zipping the top up as my eyes land on a small picture that must've been pushed to the top from all my rummaging.

I slowly pick it up, delicately holding the bottom left corner between my thumb and pointy finger as I lift it up to face level.

A void seems to suddenly open up in my chest as I look over the familiar facial features of the woman in the picture, the thumb of my left hand gently brushing over the smiling child next to her.

A ghost of a smile grows over my own, and I let a slow, unsteady breath out as memories begin to flicker in the back of my mind.

I abruptly look away as my eyes suddenly begin to grow warm, a pressure building behind them as they push to let my emotions out.

Breathing in a shuddering breath, I replace the picture back in its correct pocket, zipping the zipper completely up before standing up from my crouching position.

Running the knuckle of my right pointy finger under both of my eyes a few times, I draw in a few more deep breaths, straightening my shoulders as I stand before the door.

Don't dwell on it. It doesn't do you any good.

Opening the door, I carry my shoes and backpack out from the bathroom, my eyes immediately scanning the room for the only other presence that should be in here.

Alex stands to the side of the large window - those plastic shades across it, in the back wall that faces out front, eyes focused outside as he leans against the wall.

I yawn, rubbing the back of my head as I drop my shoes and backpack at the bottom of the bed closest to the door, claiming it as mine.

Frowning at myself for being such a wimp, I take a seat on the edge of the bed, facing Alex as I look down at my lap.

"Um, so I suppose I owe you a thank you for saving me from getting the top of my head smashed in by a really thick looking pole back there." I mutter just loud enough to get it across the room, rambling on longer than I think is necessary.

I feel his gaze land on me, my eyes locked on a short piece of thread on the seam of my pants as my fingers absentmindedly play with it.

"So yeah," I glance up, looking at his impassive face - meeting his unflinching dark brown eyes head on.

"Thank you."

The room goes silent - though it was before, only the sound of the city life outside evident.

Staring into his eyes, I suddenly find myself second guessing him as something abruptly begins to seem highly...wrong about them. Eerie almost.

Something's not...right.

He looks away, his eyebrows furrowing slightly like he doesn't understand why he just did something. He gives me a small not in acknowledgement, his attention zoning back in on outside.

Standing watch I suppose.

I purse my lips, a spark of curiosity growing inside. Expanding like a wildfire.

Ignoring my thoughts for the moment, I spot the clock sitting on the bedside table between the beds, the time; 10:01 P.M. Highlighted in bold red letters.

I'm beat.

A thought suddenly hits me, my back straightening as I look back over at Alex.

He was hit in the back with that pole.

"Are you okay?" He immediately gives me a questioning glance, not understanding my question.

I roll my eyes. "You were hit in the back with that pole, genius." I can tell I irritated him with my favorite nickname. "Are you okay?" I repeat, probably sounding like someone trying to talk to a unresponsive four year old.

He stares a second longer. "I'm fine." He stiffly replies, straightening himself up further against the wall as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

I give him a disbelieving look.

I stand up. "You should probably ice it anyway, it'll help for sure. You take your jacket off and I'll go ask the nice guy at the desk if they have any ice -"

I'm cut off, my feet pausing from halfway to the door.

"No." Alex harshly interjects, making me turn to look back over at him. "I said I'm fine." He dismisses, turning his head back to the window.

"Go to sleep. We're leaving early in the morning." He reminds me, flicking the main light switch off in the wall behind him - they have it in two places apparently, flooding the room with darkness except for the small lamp between the beds.

Oh yes, his bus tickets he managed to obtain after the old hotel incident.

We'd walked by one of their buildings and Alex had simply walked inside and bought two tickets to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - seeing as that was the closest place they were going, like it was nothing.

Told you it payed to have someone with a older face around.

So now we have to be five blocks away from here at seven o'clock in the morning.

Yippie!

I scowl over at him, trying to mask the hurt I oddly enough felt for practically getting yelled at by him.

Why should I care if his back swells up like a camels? It's his own stubborn fault.

"Fine." I mutter, walking back over to the bed. Tearing the comforter - that surprisingly doesn't seem too nasty, back from the pillow before I climb in. "Good night." I snap in announcement before pulling the comforter back up so it covers my head like a two year old that's having a temper tantrum.

What? I'm a little miffed here.

That silence settles back over the room, and I stare into pitch blackness as I evenly breath in and out. My mind on anything except sleep at the moment.

Besides, could you sleep if you were in a room - by yourself, with a guy you know practically nothing about? Though it is my insistent self that put me in this predicament in the first place. Sue me.

He might be a good guy - might. But I ain't trusting him that much.

Besides, I'm a little too curious for my own good.

Six minutes goes by in a blur, not a movement to be heard except my own breathing that hits the quilt above me with each breath and my heartbeat. A uncomfortable heat growing inside.

I bite my lip, slowly turning so I'm laying on my right side. Not making a sound. I then pull the cover down to just below my eyes, peeking out like a child on Christmas Eve night.

I spot Alex's shadowed form still up against the wall by the window, his body only a black silhouette as he stands outside the small ring of light.

Impatience begins to wear on my conscious as he just continues to stand there like he's going to do that all night long.

I gently squint my eyes together so I appear to be asleep as he abruptly looks away from outside the window, his hands coming out from his pockets as he quietly rubs them up and down each arm. I mange to slow my breathing just as his gaze lands on me, pausing there a few seconds as he seems to contemplate something.

Pushing completely off the wall, he slowly walks the couple feet towards the sofa, using his right hand to ease himself down onto it as he sits down. He perches himself on the edge of the cushion, the right side of his face in direct line of my vision. The light now bouncing off his features.

And that's when I suddenly notice a thin sheen of liquid - sweat, across his forehead, his hair damp at the front. There's a paleness to his skin, flush.

He wasn't like that before. Right?

He leans forward over his knees, his back slightly arching as he places his elbows on his knees. Laying his face facedown in his open hands, his right leg begins to bounce as his fingers repeatedly rub the top of his forehead.

Like he doesn't feel good.

A bump on the back shouldn't look like this, should it?

He continues to bounce his knee, the movement only growing faster as his face stays tucked inside his hands.

He abruptly stands up from his seat, quickly walking past the sofa and the other bed as he heads towards the bathroom. His footsteps as quiet as a mouse despite his obvious urgency.

Urgency for what though?

He firmly closes the bathroom door, and I immediately deflate, letting a long needed breath out I'd been restraining to just small wisps.

There's immediately the sound of running water from the shower, no other noise heard over it.

So he's brave enough to face the water. Kudos to him.

I rub the top of my head, wondering if the saying, 'don't let the bed bugs bite' might be too true for me tonight.

Yuck. Don't think about it.

I abruptly catch the sound of the toilet flushing no more than a minute after he'd turned the shower on, making me re-question my hypothesis.

Maybe he's a talented multi tasker?

Okay.....Don't even go there.

The water continues to run for a whole five minutes at least, and I find myself beginning nod off despite my resolve to stay up.

Who needs sleep anyway?

I restrain myself from jumping as the door suddenly pops open, the water apparently having turned off without my knowledge.

Hehe. Me apparently.

He walks out in his same attire - obviously seeing as he doesn't have anything else...which is kinda suspicious to me, but I'm just going to say he was undercover and his cover was blown and he had to make a quick escape with only the clothes on his back - that stoop in his posture as he slowly walks towards the sofa.

His hair lays slightly damp on his head, the front hanging down in messy strands over his forehead. Signifying that he must've taken a shower.

He resumes his seat on the edge of the sofa, this time clasping his hands behind his neck as he hangs his head low over his lap. His back rises and falls with each large breath he's apparently taking, his foot back to bouncing.

What's with him?

My eyes begin to close on their own accord after watching him for a whole five minutes, his position practically staying the same besides a few adjustments he makes with his hands and head.

And that's when I begin to do that thing where you fall asleep but then you halfway wake up whenever there's movement in your field of vision.

I subconsciously watch him lean his back back against the backrest, resting his head back on the top of the sofa as his hands come around to wrap around his stomach. Foot tapping away.

He gets up at some point, expressing his restlessness as he begins to walk back and forth in a small strip of carpet. Hands up at his head as he repeatedly runs them through his hair and over his sweaty face. Often pausing to rest his forehead up against a wall as his arms wrap around his stomach. Peeking through the window every other minute.

He shuts himself in the bathroom a few other times, all within a span of at least three hours as the time undoubtedly ticks to somewhere around one A.M.

My eyes unconsciously crack open as he once again walks out from the bathroom, passing the foot of my bed before walking over to the far end of the other bed. He takes a seat on the edge of the mattress, resuming that position where he bends his head over his knees a minute before he makes a move to take his jacket off.

He slowly pulls his right arm out before tugging his left arm out, running his left hand over his face in a symbol of his tiredness before tossing the jacket over on the sofa a couple feet away.

I vaguely register the fact he's now wearing a white short sleeve t-shirt, the fabric stretched over his broad back - that's facing me, as the light casts eerie shadows over the bare skin of his arms.

Waiting a few seconds longer, he then pulls the comforter back from the two pillows, slowly settling himself down so he faces away from me. Then he pulls the comforter up to his shoulders.

Then darkness.

*Three and a half hours later*

I'm torn from my nice dreamless sleep as something abruptly awakens me for some unknown reason, my mind completely blank as-to why I woke up.

About to drift off again, my eyes snap open as a sharp - yet quiet, noise rings out from my right.

My head immediately moves to look over in that particular direction, eyes only widening as I spot Alex.

He's practically thrashing around in bed, his chest rising rapidly as his breathing escalates - almost to the point he's only inhaling. His head is pushed back in the pillow as his face scrunches in pure terror, a piece of me somewhere wilting at how defenseless he suddenly looks compared to earlier.

Sweat mats his hair to his forehead, practically streaming down the sides of his face. His eyes are scrunched together, his nostrils moving with each desperate breath. His arms lay tense on either side of him, occasionally jerking up when his face tightens. Automatic reaction.

A...nightmare?

I slowly sit up, my eyes not leaving him except to quickly glance over at the clock: 4:17 A.M.

He continues to thrash every few seconds, his breathing sounding painful even to my own ears as he stays stuck in that oblivion somewhere between conscious and sleep.

What do I do?

Helplessness grips my chest, my right hand coming up as I unconsciously bite my nails like I do whenever I get stressed.

I've never been in this type of predicament before. Do I wake him up? No, I thought you weren't supposed to wake them....Or was that only for sleepwalkers?

My left hand tugs on a strand of hair as I watch him, and I suddenly find my body moving before my mind even realizes what I'm doing.

I quietly walk to the side of the bed six-ish feet away, staring down at his thrashing form.

His breathing comes out like hisses through his clenched teeth, making him practically choke on each breath as his nose and mouth try to unsuccessfully work at the same time.

His lips suddenly begin to move, desperate sounds leaving them as his bare arms abruptly tense, hands grasping the mattress cover. The comforter halfway off his body by now.

A bout of grief hits me as his face once again forms one of pure terror, his head tilting back in the pillow.

"N-No." He chokes out, his voice raw and strained. "They....didn't..DO a-anything." His voice rises, his desperation growing.

My hand slowly snakes forward towards him through the air, my eye stuck on his now trembling jaw.

"Don't h-hurt them!" He pleads with so much sorrow it strikes my own heart like a knife. Sharp and painful.

My hand touches his left shoulder.

"No!"

I gasp in surprise as his hand suddenly snaps out and grabs me around my neck, pushing me down towards the mattress.

Alex is suddenly - somehow, standing over me with his left hand firmly gripping the front of my neck as his right fist sinks down in the mattress beside my head with the weight of his body. My back somehow flat against the mattress as I stare up at the disheveled Alex.

   It appears he must've swung his body around me as he was pulling me down, ending with him standing over me with his feet planted on the ground where I originally stood as I lay defenseless back against the bed. Completely flabbergasted.

I hardly even saw him move.

He leans over me, staring down at me from merely a foot away as his nostrils flare with each quick breath. His facial features completely obscured as his back shields him from the light.

My own hands grasp at his death grip around my throat, that gagging sensation almost taking over me from how hard he's squeezing my sensitive neck.

Does he not realize it's me?

I draw in a breath, finding it frighteningly hard just to do that small, more than daily chore.

"A-Alex." I choke out, resorting to grasping at his wrist and pulling.

My eyebrows furrow despite my predicament as I suddenly notice something strange about how the skin around his wrist feels.

I notice the weirdest things at the weirdest times. Honestly.

There's this narrow indent - like a line, that goes around his wrist in a full circle as far as I can tell.

What-

I catch the movement of his eyes widening - despite the shadow hanging over his face, in realization as his rational mind seems to finally kick in gear.

He abruptly lets go, pulling back so he stands completely up. I immediately grasp at my throat, delicately holding it as I take in some much needed breaths. A couple choking sounds leaving me as I work to refill my lungs.

He steps back, the right side of his face illuminating as he steps next to the light. I watch as his face fills with fresh horror as he gazes down at me, his arms moving so they're folded over his chest. Hands rubbing his bare upper arms in a nervous tick.

I meet his stricken eyes, and he takes another hesitant step back - like he's still bringing himself completely back from wherever he was.

I stare up at his face, abruptly realizing I'm not staring at the face of the stern, serious Alex I've know so far.

No. This is the face of a vulnerable child.

"I-I'm sorry." He stutters, glancing away from my face as he takes another small step away. Eyes flickering everywhere but at me. Filled with shame.

I lean up from the uncomfortable position against the bed, working my throat as I attempt to say something.

Anything to help ease the sudden guilty expression that's fallen over his face.

But before I can even muster a word, he stiffly turns to his left, quickly walking towards the bathroom door with unsteady feet before he disappears inside. Shutting the door and locking it behind him.

The room stays dark.

I shakily stand up, rubbing my own hands up and down my arms as I face the dark bathroom. A sliver of worry leaking up in my mind.

What just happened?

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A/N

  Oh wow, would you look at that. I actually updated twice this week! Boo ya!! 👊🏻

  So yes, I updated more this week. But that's because I've kinda decided I'm just going to write what I feel like at the moment instead of forcing myself to write a chapter for each of my books every week. Because apparently that was just stressing me out and I just wasn't enjoying it as much.

  So now I'll just be updating whatever book I feel like writing a chapter for at the specific moment and when I'm available. Which apparently is this book. (I think I really just want to get Alex back to the Brown's lol.)

   Be happy!

  Questions:

  1.) So now that you've been inside Dare's head a little more, what do you think of her now compared to when she was first introduced two chapters ago? Has anything changed?

  2.) What's with that picture she was looking at?

  
  Alright, I've got a lot planned for Dare and Alex. So stay tuned!

  And yes, the next chapter will be in Alex's POV. We're not forgetting you ALEX!! 😘

VOTE FOR MORE!! ⭐️⭐️

Next Update: Hold onto your hats, because it could possibly be this week! (Very slight chance, but we'll see.)

Maggy