Chapter 8: Shadow of Evil..Or not?
That same afternoon, Newt went home with a huge question mark hanging in his head. He wanted to believe Leila, but he didn't like the fact that she had lied to him? Or had she? When he got home, he ran to his room and immediately started playing his guitar, writing really depressing songs, and soon he became frustrated and started playing notes at random and eventually the afternoon ended with him smashing his guitar up with a chair. He kept bashing his head against a wall until he had a headache. He was in serious need of anger management.
At 8pm, he went again to Leila's with Cory. They were all in their tent watching a DVD.
"What the hell was that?" Leila said, looking at a shadow outside the secured tent.
"I don't know. It's coming closer." Meena said, then screamed.
"Calm down. I'll go see what it is." Max said, stepping outside.
"You're so brave." Meena said, Leila rolling her eyes.
"Hey man, what're you doing here?" Max said. He was glad that it was only Newt and Cory.
"I wan't to speak to Leila." he said.
"Well, let's have some fun with the girls first eh?" he said. "Let's scare 'em a bit shall we? Shake thinks up a little."
"Awesome." Cory said.
"NO!" Newt said. "I just want to speak to Leila."
"Well it's your loss mate." Max said. Newt walked off.
The girls sat inside the tent. They could see the branches of the large ofld oak tree hovering over the top of their tent. There was the sound coming from what they thought was the tree.
"What was that?" Meena said.
"Relax. It was just an owl." Leila said. She then heard a really deep sound.
"That was NOT an owl!!" Meena screamed.
"Okay, that wasn't." There was a light flickering outside the tent and then Meena heard what she didn't want to hear.
"Th-that-w-was.." She stuttered.
"BEAR!!!" They both yelled together. They were jumping around in the tent trying to keep themselves safe and didn't want to be attacked by this "bear".
"CALL ANIMAL CONTROL." Leila screamed to Meena. "CALL ANIMAL CONTROL!!!" The girls started to scream uncontrollably. They piled all of their stuff around the edges of the tent and they thought that this would stop the "bear" getting in.
"Wait a sec." Meena said.
"What?"
"There are no bears in Washington. And I wonder where Max went." There was total silence outside the tent. Meena unzipped the tent, only to find Cory and Max standing there with a giant branch.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Meena screamed.
"Having a bit of fun." Max said. Meena was screaming so much that Max ended up running up the road with her chasing him. Leila stood outside with folded arms and a look of thunder on her face.
"I'll just..be...going now..."Cory said.
"Yeah." Leila nodded to him. All the lights of the houses nearby were turned on and people came outside to see what was going on. Leila and Max's parents came outside.
"What's going on? We leave you two outside for a few minutes and then the freak show comes to town." Her step dad said.
"Sorry, it was Max's fault."
"Don't you dare blame your brother. We all know that he's the only innocent one in this family. Besides, he's not even around. You can't blame him." He said.
"Look, honey, you know what boys are like, disturbing the girls. Max should take some of the blame." Her mother said.
"But what would he do to upset them? He would never do anything like that. I know my son. Who would have helped him?"
"True." She said. Leila stood there open mouthed as if to say "WHAT? HE PLAYED IS PART IN THIS!!"
"Inside, Leila."
"But -"
"Now." Her mother insisted. Newt showed up. As soon as they were about to go through the door, police sirens went off. A van soon arrived after. It was the animal control. Max showed up, with Meena.
"Holy -" Max was about to say. Meena covered his mouth with her hand.
"Max, do you have anything to do with this." His father said. Leila looked at him, innocently.
"Actually, I do." He said. "I caused it all. I'm really sorry." He apologised. He wasn't the normal teenage boy. He was sympathetic and always stood up and was there for his step sister.
"Thankyou." Leila mouthed at him. "Meena, you rang animal control?"
"Yeah, I rang them when you were blocking up the corners so that that stupid "bear" couldn't get in." She said, looking at Max.
"Maximus Adam Dewitt. I'm incredibly disappointed in you." His father said. Max rolled his eyes.
"Sorry guys." He said. Leila hugged him.
"It's okay. JUST NEVER DO IT AGAIN!!"
The police were taken care of and everything was sorted. Meena and Leila went back to enjoying their evening. Newt pulled Leila back by the shoulder.
"Well, hi." Leila said. "You missed a great show. Looks like the blood has dried up." she said. He didn't laugh.
"What's wrong?" She said.
"We need to talk." Newt said, dragging her aside.
"What's up?" she said.
"You that's what."
"What about me?"
"Who are you?" he asked her. He sounded incredibly stupid. She laughed.
"I mean, who are you really? Max told me he was your step brother. What's going on Leila? Why haven't you told me?"
"It's really hard." she said, with a tear in her eye.
"Don't you trust me?" Newt said.
"Of course I do. I just hate bringing it up."
"Bringing what up?"
"The fact that Max isn't my real brother. It's too hard to say, you probably won't understand how hard it is for me."
"Well I can try."
"You really want to know?"
"Yes."
"Positive?"
"YES!"
"Okay, well, around 10 years ago, I remember being in a car crash. From that, the only memories I have are seeing a white light, a huge fire and in an ambulance there was a body on a stretcher." She said, and broke down into tears.
"Gosh." Newt said. "But what does this have to do with Max being your 'step brother'?"
"I was just getting to that." She sighed. "That body on the stretcher..."
"Go on."
"Was my dad. He died half an hour after being rushed to hospital. It was the most awful moment of my life. Until now."
"Why is now awful?"
"I hate having to bring it up. Ever since, I've pretended as if I was part of their family." She said, referring to her step father and step brother. "My mother soon got married, to a politician, who, as you know, is now the PM."
"Oh." He said.
"I know, when I found out I was getting a new family it broke my heart.It was too painful. I wanted a brother or a sister, but I didn't think I'd get one that way."
"I see."
"And ever since, I've been competing with Max. He always had all of the attention."
"Leila why didn't you tell me?"
"I don't know. I was afraid." she said. He laughed. She stared at him as if to say "this isn't a laughing matter."
"Of what?"
"I was afraid that you wouldn't like me if I didn't have a stable background." He didn't know what this meant but he acted as if he did.
"Lei, you really thought that?" He said. She looked at him sideways.
"You know that you can tell me anything. I won't say anything to anyone. I promise."
"Promises are made and just as easily get broken."
"Not any that I make. I've always kept mine."
"Can I get that in writing?" she said. He smiled.
"I'm sorry that I never trusted you earlier."
"It doesn't matter anymore. In fact, I came here to ask you something different." he said.
"Yeah?" she said.
"I'd like you to be my girlfriend Lei. As in properly cause -" he said, rambling on nervously, thinking she'd turn him down.
"Absolutely." she said.
"ALRIGHT!!"He said, wanting to high five Leila. She laughed.
"Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow then." she said. She went up to him, not knowing whether to hug him or kiss him or what.
"Yeah. Okay." He said, and grabbed her arm, pulling her in for a goodnight kiss.
"Okay," she said, that always works she thought
