Chapter Seven – Realisation
I rolled from my bed stumbling to the bathroom after blindly grabbing some clothes, locking the door as I waited for the water to warm. I sighed as I stepped under the hot water, feeling the warmth from the water easing the tension in my body and easing the nightmare I'd just experienced from my mind. This nightmare wasn't an old memory, it wasn't even one of my usual nightmares, this one was entirely new in a sense that it had started the night after I found out Chase was alive. This one felt all too real and the fact it involved Reid, Caleb, Pogue and Tyler didn't help the effect it was having on me. Ms Kale's words still floated around my head, making me doubt everything as I tried to figure out were they relevant or not. I jumped almost slipping as I pulled back the shower curtain looking to the door as someone thumped heavily on it.
"Hurry up in there! Don't fall asleep. I want hot water too!" Kate whined through the door making me laugh turning off the water and stepping out of the tub after washing my hair. Drying off I pulled on my underwear brushing my teeth before pulling on dark crimson jogging bottoms and a slightly too big t-shirt. I opened the door rubbing at my hair with a towel, grimacing as I caught Pogue and Kate kissing.
"Oh...gross. It's too early. Pogue detach yourself from my roommate, please." Pogue smiled letting Kate go, watching her go into the bathroom. "I would ask how are you but I think I can guess." I smirked throwing my towel into the wash basket, trying to get my brush through my curls.
"And I'd ask who you were thinking about in English yesterday, but I think I can guess." He teased and I looked at him in my mirror before snapping around to face him.
"I was not thinking about Reid!" I hissed. "I wasn't!" I insisted as he chuckled deeply.
"I never said Reid. You said Reid." I rolled my eyes turning from him as I pulled my hair in to a messy ponytail, applying lip gloss and water proof mascara a moment later. "Do you like him?"
"No!" I groaned blinking as I practically stabbed myself in the eye. "No!" I hissed again as I saw his smirk. "Stop it. Pogue!" I slipped on a pair of flats getting more irritated by the minute as he continued to look at me with a suspicion that I was lying.
"I'm not doing anything."
"You're trying to unnerve me and it's annoying."
"So you do?"
"No!" I huffed crossing my arms as I flopped down on the edge of my bed facing him.
"Do."
"Don't." I repeated slowly, his smirk growing as he realised he was getting to me.
"Do so."
"I...don't!" I hissed grabbing my pillow and hitting him with it, letting out a omphf as I was hit back with Kate's.
"Do so."
"DON'T." We argued, bickering like children as we continued to attack each other with pillows. I let out a groan as I hit the floor after a slightly too hard hit from the pillow, Pogue's face floating above me.
"You okay? I didn't mean to hit you so hard." I kicked out my leg smiling as he disappeared from view followed by a loud thud next to me.
"I win!" I announced pushing myself on to my elbows slowly looking behind me as chuckling filled the room.
"You got floored by a girl." Reid burst into laughter as he stood with Tyler and Caleb in the threshold while Kate stood frowning in the bathroom doorway.
"What the hell happened? I left for ten minutes." Kate asked raising an eyebrow. "I could hear you in the other room."
"He started it!" I hissed pointing at him as I jumped to my feet to find him standing and pointing at me. "You started it!" I argued as we stared at each other angrily.
"You started it."
"No, you!"
"Whoa! Children!" Caleb laughed standing between us as we grabbed our pillows again. "God, you'd think you to were siblings the way you bicker." Pogue snorted as I rolled my eyes in disgust.
"Hardly."
"As if." We spoke in unison receiving laughter from everyone in the room but ourselves as we glared at each other.
"Right, I'm going for a swim." I huffed grabbing my bag and stuffing a towel and swimsuit in it before leaving them still laughing while Pogue pinned them with an irritated glare. Siblings! Seriously. Ugh, they can be so annoying! I sighed in relief as I crossed the pool room to the girls' locker room, changing into the navy one piece I'd grabbed before diving in to the pool, coming up and pushing back my hair as I let my body adjust to the cool water. I'd only swam a few lengths, enjoying the feeling of working my muscles when a strange feeling rippled through me. Finishing the length I leaned up on the side looking around, wondering if someone had joined me. It felt like someone else was here but after a quick glance around I found I was indeed alone. Shrugging off the feeling I went back to swimming. After three more lengths the strange sensation was still there and starting to creep me out. Pulling myself from the water I sat on the edge of the pool looking to the opposite end for a sign of someone but still found myself alone. I jumped letting out a pathetic scream, something from a horror movie, as a hand touched my shoulder. "REID! Jesus, Mary and Joseph! I could've had a heart attack." I yelled hitting out at his chest as I found him kneeling behind me.
"Sorry, darling. I never meant to scare you."
"Yeah, well maybe if you weren't creeping around for the last twenty minutes you wouldn't have." I mutter hugging my arms around me as I started to shiver slightly from the cold.
"I haven't been here twenty minutes, maybe five...but not twenty." I looked back at him to find him completely serious.
"It felt like someone else was here." I whispered frowning, my eyes scanning the room again.
"Come on, before you freeze to death." He smiled helping me to my feet, unzipping and wrapping his hoody around me before leading me towards the locker room. "What?" He looked surprised as I turned to him frowning as he went to follow me in.
"Girls' locker room." I smiled indicating the sign before smirking. "Not that I don't doubt you've been in here before but..."
"Don't worry, I'll be a gentleman. I'm just going to sit here, make sure no creeps get you." I smiled feeling my cheeks warm as I turned from him grabbing my clothes and locking myself in a cubical. Moments later I stepped out to find Reid still sitting on the bench facing me.
"Here." I smiled offering him his hoody back.
"Keep it, it's cold outside and you're already shaking." I slowly pulled my hand back, a little surprised by his sweetness as he told me to keep the hoody.
"Thank you." I slipped my arms into the hoody, trying not to focus on the strong scent of him the hoody held. He nodded avoiding my eyes as he lead the way out.
"Do you need to change before Caleb's?"
"Oh...I forgot. Yes, please." He shook his head leading me back to my room. "Don't worry, they'll blame me, I'm always late."
When we arrived at my room I disappeared into the bathroom taking a pair of black trousers and a cream silk camisole. Re-entering the room I tied my hair up in a messy bun blowing a few loose curls from my face before applying a light lipstick. I turned as I caught Reid watching me, a smile across his face.
"What?"
"Nothing. Ready?"
"Yep." I smiled tugging on his hoody and a pair of ankle boots following him downstairs to the car park. "So, is this your car?"
"No, it's baby boy's, we practically share everything, always have." He chuckled unlocking the car and holding the passenger door open for me. I watched him settling into the driver's seat and turning on the car, unable to help myself from wondering what else they shared.
"Are you admiring me, darling." I blushed turning from him to look at the dark road illuminated by the car's headlights. "I like when you blush. Especially when I'm the reason for it." I sunk lower into my chair as I felt what I would compare to a tornado start up in my stomach feeling my cheeks go redder. He chuckled as I tried intently to keep my attention on the road. I don't like him. I'm just warm and my stomach is only acting up because I'm starving. Somehow even I don't believe that. "We're here." I hadn't even realised he'd pulled up in front of Caleb's old colonial house or that Reid had left the car and now stood on my side holding my door open. "Don't be embarrassed, Belle."
"I'm not." I disagreed as he helped me from the car ready to head in when he didn't move to let me pass. "I'm not!" I stated more firmly crossing my arms hoping he wouldn't see through my lie. He did.
"You are." I bit my tongue averting my eyes from him. "You're beautiful when you blush." His whisper sent a shiver through me as he leaned closer, his breath warm against my neck. "Come on." He smiled taking my hand before pulling me up the steps knocking on the door once then entering.
"Hey." Caleb called heading towards us with a smile. "We've pizza in the kitchen. Oh, and don't worry about my mother. She'll disappear upstairs in a few minutes." I smiled following behind Caleb and Reid, taking the time to admire the house. Last time I'd been here my head was too wrapped up in Chase and Ms Kale to notice anything else. Entering the kitchen I smiled brightly at Tyler, Pogue and Kate turning to who I assumed to be Mrs Danvers jumping as a deafening crash echoed through the large kitchen and everyone turned to her. She stood mouth slightly open, staring at me while her hand was still raised cupping the glass that now lay in pieces scattered across the floor. "Mother?" She didn't move. She continued to stare at me and as she did I had the strangest feeling that I knew her...but I didn't. I'd never met her before.
"Isabel?" I bristled my back hitting the door as she whispered my name, the others looking at me as I stood frozen, unable to move and barely able to breathe.
