RED
Lia had helped Vanessa to get cleaned up. She no longer looked like she'd just been dragged through a pile of stones but it didn't change the fact that she looked miserable.
"Can I have a glass of water, please?" She said to Lee, her voice shaky and weak.
I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. As far as I was concerned, Vanessa had always been Skull's favourite lady.
Lee handed her a glass of water and I watched her trembling hands grip the glass tightly.
Lee nudged me.
"We need to talk" he whispered.
"Alright" I muttered.
"You guys go ahead. I'll be fine" Vanessa said, bringing the glass of water to her split lips. Lee and I left the sitting room. Tori and Lia were sitting on the kitchen counter.
"I know you guys have a lot of questions-" I said and Lia shook her head.
"Actually, we have tons of questions. Who is she? How does she know you two? How does she know that we're here? What if this is actually a trap?" She said, staring at me. She looked really tensed. I held her hand, rubbing small circles on her palm.
"Relax, Lia. Her name is Vanessa Jones" I said.
"A.K.A Red's clingy ex-girlfriend" Lee said, giving me a pointed look.
Lia frowned slightly, biting her lower lip.
"She worked alongside Lee and I at Scorpion's eye organization. We do not know how or why she's here. But, we can ask her" I said.
Tori sighed.
"So, you're totally cool with your ex staying with you? How sure are you that she's going to tell the truth?" she said, frowning.
"There's got to be some sort of explanation" Lee said.
Lia looked worried.
"What if it's a trap?" She asked.
"We'll find a way, I promise" I said to her, embracing her. She closed her eyes, resting her head on my chest.
****
"Who did this to you?" Lee asked Vanessa, watching her intently.
"Skull" She croaked, tears filling her eyes.
"Why would he do that?" Tori asked, frowning deeply.
"He asked me to find you guys. He knew you would take me in when you realized that I was badly hurt" she sighed
Everyone froze, the tension in the air had just increased.
"He wanted me to assassinate all of you. He sent me in with poison" she said and Lia gapsed.
We watched her as she took out four vials and placed them on the table.
"How did you find us?" Lee asked.
"I've been tracking you guys ever since you left Kevin's residence"
I stood up, pensive.
"How do we know that this is not one of your evil schemes. Why would you choose to disobey Skull? Why would you choose to help us?" I said, pacing back and forth.
"I wanted to do it at first but I couldn't. I'm sick of following Skull's order. He only cares about getting what he wants. He beat me up just because he wanted you guys dead"
We all stared at her, skeptically.
"I know you don't trust me but sooner or later, he's going to find out that I didn't get the job done. It means I'm on the run too" Vanessa said, wiping her tear stained cheeks. "I have nowhere to go to, that's why I came here" She said.
Tori picked up a knife and brought it dangerously close to Vanessa's throat.
"Tori, what are you doing?" Lia asked, eyes wide.
"If you ever think of betraying us, I'll kill you myself. Got it?" Tori said and Vanessa nodded slowly.
"I won't try anything stupid, I-I promise"
I still had doubts about Vanessa's presence. I've known her for years. She doesn't do anything that she wouldn't benefit from.
She looked at me and smiled at me, her eyes shining bright. She looked happy.
"Thank you for giving me a chance" She said.
Axel rolled his eyes and wheeled his chair towards his bedroom.
"Arch" he said to me when I walked up to him.
"Yeah?" I said.
"I do not trust her. She gives me the creeps"
***
DAHLIA
I was sitting on the chaise lounge, out in the front porch when Vanessa walked out and sat down beside me.
"So, you and Red, huh?" She said, looking amused.
I clenched my fist and exhaled slowly.
"Is it that obvious?" I said.
"Of course. You keep giving each other the look" she said. "What 'look' ?" I said.
"The 'I- adore- you look'" She said, grinning.
We were silent for a while until she said,
"It's so easy to fall in love with him. He's nice but he's got a bad boy exterior. He's gorgeous and he's great in bed" she said, smirking.
"What's it to you?" I said, struggling to calm down.
"Have you two never-Oh...." She laughed.
I glared at her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such a bitch" she said, sobering up.
"Yeah, next time you wanna talk, think about it first" I said through gritted teeth.
She was bad news, I could feel it.
I stood up and she followed me. "I said, I'm sorry. I just want us to get along" she said, following me into the sitting room.
"Look, I'm totally not in the mood right now. I'm sure Tori will like to hang out with you" I said, taking out a bottle of soda from the fridge. "She hates me" Vanessa said, her eyes downcast.
"Look, can we just start over? I know we started off on the wrong foot" she said and I heaved a sigh.
"Alright" I said, hoping I wasn't making a grave mistake.
Red walked in and plopped down on the couch.
He looked pale.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine" he replied, forcing out a smile.
"I'll just leave you two alone" she said and moved outside.
I placed a hand on Red's shoulder, slowly giving him a massage.
"You're really tense. Your muscles are so tight" I frowned.
He sighed.
"I'm just worried"
"I know but you have to take care of yourself" I said, pressing a kiss to the side of his face. He smiled and made me sit on his laps. He tucked my hair behind my ear and kissed me.
"I'm yours now, you know that right?" He said.
I grinned.
"I know. So, what are we? Friends with benefits? Friendly friends?-"
He placed a finger over my lips, his lips curved into a warm smile.
"We can never be just friends, Lia. We are more than friends. I don't know why I've constantly lied to myself about my feelings for you. But, I think I was wrong. I needed someone to love me for who I am. Someone I can lean on. I think I've found her"
I blushed hard, lowering my gaze. "I told you that I didn't believe in love but what I feel for you is overwhelming. If it isn't love, I don't know what it is. You're my better half, Lia and you have rocked my whole world" he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. His words ignited something in me. I didn't know I was crying until he said,
"Don't cry, sweetheart"
I buried my head in his chest. Who would've thought that I would fall in love with the person who was supposed to end me.
"I love you" I sobbed.
"I love you too, Dahlia Malone" he whispered, stroking my hair.
I closed my eyes, the sound of his beating heart lulling me to sleep.
***
RED
I do not know how long we slept but we were awoken by a loud bang.
"What the fuck?!"
Dahlia and I stood up immediately.
The noise had come from the kitchen. The gas cooker had caught fire and Lee had grabbed the fire extinguisher. When the fire was put off, Tori walked in to inspect the gas cylinder.
"There, someone did this. The pipe was punctured" Tori said, calmly.
"We can't be too sure-" Lee said.
"We know who's responsible for this. It's that bitch! She wants to kill us all!" Tori said, storming out of the kitchen with a knife.
We all hurried after her but we were a bit too late. She was holding the knife to Vanessa's throat, her eyes mad with fury.
"You bitch! You almost killed my boyfriend!" She yelled.
"I didn't do anything, I swear!" Vanessa cried.
"Shut up! Stop lying to me!" Tori hissed.
I started to feel really dizzy and the knife wound I'd gotten a few days ago at Kevin's basement began to throb more painfully than usual.
"Tori ,please put the knife down" I said.
She shook her head, pressing the knife closer to Vanessa's skin.
"Tell us what you did!" Tori yelled and I winced, the pounding in my head worsening.
"Please, I didn't do anything!"
"Alright, enough! Already!" I exclaimed and Tori slowly put the knife down.
"Red, please tell me you actually don't think she's telling the truth" Axel said.
"I think-"
My vision began to blur at the edges and the room began to spin.
"Arch?" Lia said, her voice sounding far away.
My knees buckled and I sank to the ground. They all shrieked and rushed to me.
"Hey, stay with me" Lia said, fear written all over her face. Slowly, I sank into a spiralling darkness.