Set five years after the mystery of 'A' was solved, a fresh batch of teens are settling into Rosewood High. With the small, quiet town seemingly back to the way it once was, a mysterious chain of events causes three new students to have their feathers rustled. Together they must unite to figure out who is causing trouble and who is transforming into Rosewood's new 'A.'
~ A For Ashes ~
Chapter Three:
Guilty
"So can I go tonight?" Cassie asks her tall grey-haired father who looms in the hallway.
"Definitely, but be back early," he replies, sorting through envelopes scattered across the floor under the letterbox. "You've got to be prepared for school in the morning."
Cassie nods and smiles. "Of course."
"And would you please feed Barb. I've got lots of work to do right now," her father moans, stepping into the kitchen with the letters in his hand. Cassie says and storms into the living room over to the black shelf where a small fish bowls sits. Inside a tiny goldfish swims around, opening its mouth which releases small bubbles into the water.
Cassie huffs, picking up the fish food box beside her and shaking the tiny pebbles inside. Barb scurries around in the small bowl, swimming down to the tiny pellets of food and slowly nibbling on them.
Cassie thinks back to the times in the pet store, ready to buy Barb when she was just six years old. Excited and ecstatic she was, but not now. Just sick of the fish. But she couldn't throw him away, at least she didn't want to. She couldn't just give away something that was so precious and close to her heart a long time ago. He was almost a childhood memory to her of some sort. But at the same time he is just an obstacle blocking her path everyday. Feed him, clean the bowl, repeat... She simply couldn't stand Barb.
"What do you mean I can't go?!" shrieks Olivia.
"I am not letting you go out partying with a bunch of fools you have only met yesterday!" her mother bites. "Besides, I'm not letting you have fun with alcohol spilling all around you."
Olivia lets her backpack slide off down her arms and onto the floor behind her. "There won't be any alchohol, Mom!"
"I don't care," her mother says. "You're grounded!"
Olivia's mouth drops open and she stutters on her words. "Bu-but... Why?!"
"Go to your room now, Olivia!" her mother yells. Olivia swipes her backpack up from the floor and storms up the stairs.
"You are the worst mother on earth!"
Olivia marches into her room and slams the door shut behind her leaving the entire house in silence. A frown fills Mrs. Johnson's face and she stands as frozen as a statue.
"Nice job," a man's voice whispers from behind her. She spins around and stares at a young brown-haired man slowly approaching her in his black suit. He reaches his hand out and she gently holds onto it. He pulls her forward and their lips press together for seconds before they pull apart.
"I grounded Ryan too... Neither of them will be allowed out of the house tonight," Mrs. Johnson whispers. "The date will be perfect tonight..."
"I do love a woman with sass," the man whispers.
Mrs. Johnson lets out a small chuckle which makes the man shush her. "I do love a man with charm."
Olivia whips out her phone and taps around onto the screen. Into her contacts, she presses the phone icon beside Jax's name and she stares out her window at the large tree outside.
"Hello?" Jax says as the call begins to play.
"Hey, it's me, Olivia," she says. "Listen, my mom won't let me go to the party-"
"You're not going?" he interrupts.
"No. That's why I was calling," Olivia continues. "I need someone to give me a ride."
"Thank god that positioning of that tree outside my window was perfect," Olivia pants jumping in the back seat of Jax's tiny red car beside Cassie.
"We better get out of here before your mom sees us," Jax says staring at her house before pushing down on the pedal of his car. The three of them speed off down the road ready for the party.
"I like your skirt," Olivia says. "The lemon color is beautiful."
"Thanks. I like your ripped jeans," chuckles Cassie.
"Ripped jeans. I'm so hipster and full of swag," Olivia laughs. "So have you two made up?"
"Well she has stopped moaning for a while so I guess you can say that," Jax says from the front of the car.
"Forget him," Cassie whispers to Olivia.
Within minutes, their car pulls up outside a small bungalo on a long street buzzing with cars and loud teenagers. They step outside onto the pathway and look at the house. Drunk students shrieking and roaring obnoxiously, cans of beer spilling in their hands, girls snapping selfies on their phones.
"This looks awesome!" exclaims Jax, walking across the grass towards the house.
"Oh my goodness.. I never knew it would be this crowded," says Cassie clinging to Olivia's arm.
"It's alright," whispers Olivia. "We'll be fine."
They walk inside the open doorway into a crammed hallway. Confetti covers the floor, passed out kids fill the stairs and burst balloons are crammed into ridges along the edge of the floorboards.
"Hey guys," says Josh coming towards them. "My parents are gone out of town for the night so it's time to have a good night."
"Who are these people?" a small girl asks approaching with a phone in her hand while she twirls her brown hair in her fingers, her honey-blonde highlights gleaming.
"Savannah, meet Jax, Cassie and Olivia," says Josh.
"Hi," Savannah says, Jax, Cassie and Olivia smiling. "I'm Mayor Croix's daughter. He was kind enough to let me out to this place for the night. Say hi to the camera!"
"What camera?" Olivia asks.
"Oh, the camera on my phone," Savannah continues, shoving her iPhone up into her face. "I like to record every second of my life. That way I don't forget things and I can keep my memories with me."
"Cool," says Jax, a little bit creeped out.
"Cool," Savannah repeats.
"You guys should head into the kitchen and get some drinks. We'll meet you later," Josh says, him and Savannah disappearing down a crowded hall leaving the trio alone.
"Well, let's do what he said to do," says Cassie. "I've been here a few times. I know where the kitchen is."
They all walk into the living room through crowds of teenagers when Olivia's phone rumbles. Keeping the same steady pace with Jax and Cassie, she quickly whips it out and reads the text message across the screen.
It's not safe to meet just yet, but it will be soon. -A
Olivia quickly tilts her head up just as she crashes into a tall blonde girl with a glass in her hand. The red liquid spills from the glass all over her white shirt and stains it. Everyone around them stop and stare, watching as the girl shrieks in horror.
"Are you kidding me?!" she yells at Olivia. "Oh bitch, I am going to fricken-" Her friend close by grabs onto her wrist just as she forms her hand into a fist and she yanks her back.
"She's a newbie at school. Leave her be," the brunette chirps.
"Come on!" Cassie orders, pulling Olivia into the kitchen.
The blonde girl tries to scramble towards Olivia while her friend pushes her back. "Oh you pig, I'm going to get you!"
Jax swipes up a glass filled with an alcohol of some sort and gulps it down. His eyes widen as the fumes pierce his nostrils and he lets out a cough. He grasps onto the kitchen sink and he remains still until the power of the drink fades.
"What's wrong?" a girl's voice asks. He looks up and sees a tall, black haired girl wearing a tight pink shirt right beside him. He looks at her from head to toe in shock at the size of her clothes, almost like they're for a seven year old.
"Jeez, I can almost see all of your cracks and crevices," he jokes, ready for the girl to be angry. But instead she laughs which makes him look at her in confusion. She reaches out and grabs his hand, pulling him through a doorway into a crowded hall.
Multi-colored lights flash over their heads and she orders him to keep sipping his beverage. His vision blurs ever so slightly as laughing teenagers squeal all around him. His eyes shut, and every moment they reopen he is meters ahead of where he previously was. Within seconds, he's contained by darkness being pressed up against a wall.
The black-haired girl has her arms wrapped around his waist and she smiles in his face. "You look so handsome."
Within seconds her hand slides in and out of his pocket, a flash of light shines into the small room for a brief moment and a door slams shut.
"Where the hell did he go?" Olivia asks.
"I don't know, but he was here before I came back to get you!" pipes Cassie. "There's barely anyone we know here. Sooner or later we're going to run into some trouble with no protection.."
"Jax is your protection?" Olivia asks while choking on her own laughter.
Cassie stares back at her with her cheeks flourishing with redness. "You heard nothing."
Olivia swipes up two plastic cups filled with fizzy cola from a tray on the kitchen table and hands one to Cassie. They both stand in silence, sipping on their drinks and staring at the people chatting around them. Suddenly Olivia's phone buzzes, a light flashing through her pocket.
She takes a deep breath, knowing what's to come, and she reads the message spread across the screen.
Down the hallway outside the kitchen. Last door on the right. Come alone. -A
She tucks her phone back into her pocket and stares out the open doorway leading to a crowded hall. She places her cup down on the kitchen table and begins to walk forward when Cassie calls out for her.
"Where are you going?" she asks.
"I was just, uh.. going to the bathroom," mutters Olivia. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Fine. But don't leave me here alone for too long," replies Cassie.
Olivia slowly creeps out into the hallway filled with flashing multicolored lights. She pushes through drunk teenagers splashing their drinks on the floorboards and she manages to catch a glimpse of a window at the end of the hall.
She dives out through a gap into an empty area of the hall: the very end. Two closed doors sit on either side of her and she gently twists the knob of the right one. Light shines through and her shadow spreads across the floor inside. Nothing but darkness. She hesitates for a moment but her gut forces her inside.
"Hello?" she calls out as the laughter of the party-goers begins to fade. "Who is there?"
She plunges into complete darkness as the door behind her slams shut. She leaps forward with fright, whipping out her phone which she uses as a torch to help her see.
"Who is there?! I come armed!"
A tiny click echoes and the ceiling lights ignite. The room fills with brightness showing a wide window with a single bed off in the corner. Drawyers sit open with shirts and underwear sprawled across the floorboards.
"Hello Olivia," whispers Josh as he slowly creeps towards her. "I'm sorry for-"
"Sorry for what?" she interrupts him. "Why were you sending me messages from 'A'?"
"I wanted to speak to you, but I was too afraid to.. So I talked to you as an annonymous."
"You said you wanted to drown me," she continues.
He runs his fingers through his dark brown hair and bites his lip, continuing to approach her step by step. "I may have gave your number to a few others.. I only sent a few messages."
"Okay, but why?" she asks. "Why did you send me the messages?"
He takes a deep breath and comes to a stop about two feet from her.
"Because.." he begins, his voice trembling. She stares into his deep brown eyes, hypnotized by his beauty. Like chocolate swirls they are. And that's why she doesn't push him away from her when he reaches towards her lips.
Within seconds they're on the bed whether she likes it or not. Not even she knows. But she's going along with it. The more they go on, the more she loves it. But the more guilty she feels. Guilty because of his friendship with Cassie.
Twigs snap as a darkened figure steps through the thick bushes. They come to a stop against the rim of the window and stare through the glass, trying to avoid their reflection. The only thing they're focused on is them.
They quickly pull out their phone and begin to record it all, watching it take place through their screen. The tops coming off. Under the bedsheets. Their black-gloved hands end up getting tired after a few minutes. But they don't stop. They keep recording and waiting. Waiting like their life depends on it.
Within minutes they finally have enough and pull their black hood over their head, place their phone into the pocket of their hoodie and walk away from the house party into the darkness of the street.
Author's Note:
Cliffhanger! And I kind of feel like you know what that cliffhanger was all about whether you knew who it was or not. In fact, not knowing who it is might have been the point ;)
Hello everyone! Welcome to Chapter 3 of A for Ashes: Guilty! Such an interesting one... Lots of important things happened that will come into play in the upcoming chapters, so any mysterious moments will be explained, don't you worry!
Whether you liked this chapter or not, please leave a review if you have time! I always love reading your support :)
And I'm super sorry for the delay! But you know why I was delayed? ...Because of Scream Queens. Yes, I am blaming the premiere of an awesome TV Show last night as the excuse to why I didn't update on a Tuesday xD
But do not fret, every Tuesday from now on will have a chapter! I promise!
So the party has started: Olivia and Josh seem to be, erm... Moving on ;)
Where the heck is Jax gone and who was that girl?!
And the big thing question, what was that ending all about?! Black hoodie... Black gloves... You know where I'm going with this, don't you?! :DDDDDD
Thank you all so much for reading, byeeeee! :D