My Beloved

Chapter 10

"Are you ok, Piper?"

Piper flinched, and looked up from her cup of hot Cappuccino. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" They were hanging at the café, waiting for Jessica to arrive. It was Saturday morning, and the girls wanted to have their girl time without their boyfriends around.

"I'm sorry. I've been whining about Rob so much. I must have bored you," Polly sulked.

Nicky let out a loud snoring sound, earning a glare from Piper.

"Come on, Pol, we're here to listen. That's what friends are for." Piper sighed. "But I really do think that you're better off without him. He was definitely cheating."

Polly made a face. "That wasn't what you said the other day."

Nicky rolled her eyes, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Well. Well. Well." Piper sipped her coffee.

For another half hour, Polly continued to rant about her ex, but Piper's mind kept revolving around a certain, raven-haired girl. It had been nearly two weeks since Piper and Alex talked to each other or acknowledged each other in class. She hated that it bothered her to see Alex and Sylvie together. It bothered her so much that Alex seemed unbothered at all as the girl was casual and open about her relationship with Sylvie. The school talked about the pair. Shocked, at first, but now had quickly grown familiar with them. Alex and Sylvie had become the 'hippy and cool' couple, glanced at and talked about by other kids, deemed as careless and free. It was everything that was opposite to what Piper was, the planned and proper. Kevin, however, was glad that Alex seemed to be doing her own thing and not messing with Piper.

"Are you even listening?" Polly grumbled.

Piper was snapped back to reality again.

Nicky chewed the straw. "Of course not. She's daydreaming about that dyke."

"What?" Piper frowned at Nicky.

"That," Nicky repeated, tilting her head at the direction of the counter.

Piper turned to look and saw Sylvie paying at the cashier, Alex standing behind. Alex was having the black coffee like the morning they skipped class together. Piper froze when Alex turned around, and their gazes locked. It somehow lifted her heart when Alex failed to move, stunned to see her. It was a simple gaze, but it was all Piper had hoped for. To be acknowledged.

"Let's go." Sylvie had been staring at Piper, her voice stern.

Only then that Alex looked away and followed her girlfriend out of the café.

"They're really dating," Polly remarked. It was the first time in days she had talked about something that wasn't Rob.

"No shit," Nicky said, rolling her eyes.

"You think it's real love?"

"They can legally marry now. Just like you and Rob. Only you and Rob boy aren't dating anymore," Nicky droned.

"Fuck you," Polly spat.

Nicky tapped Piper's shin with her foot. "Who do you think is top? Wanna watch them fuck?"

Piper's face screwed up in disgust. "Ew, Nicky, stop!"

Polly's gaze flickered between Piper and Nicky, eyeing them suspiciously. "Is there something I should know about?"

"Nothing. Nicky is just being an asshole that she is," Piper replied, hoping that her voice was steady. She shouldn't have anything to worry about. Nicky was just teasing. There had been no weird feelings for Alex. No funny thoughts and fantasies concerning Alex.

"Whatever you say, Chapman." Nicky shrugged.

Late into the afternoon, Alex returned to the mansion. She gave Sylvie an excuse of not feeling well, while in fact, she was just hoping that Piper would come home early. Bill was busy at this lab (or so he said), while Carol was out for a poker game (and a few drinks). Claudette was cleaning downstairs. It was a typical, slow Saturday afternoon.

The cougar entered the room closet and lied down in the corner, her paws clutching Piper's worn pajamas from last night. After seeing her master at the café this morning, Alex's suppressed disappointment surfaced, and she was overwhelmed with sadness. Alex had wished for nothing but to be able to sit next to Piper, to be one of her friends. Piper's lie about her still hurt her deeply. She wondered what Piper would think of her if she knew of her true identity. She wondered if Piper would like her a little more. Or, perhaps, Piper might just get scared of a freak being like her. No matter what Bill had said, Alex knew that she was born a strange creature.

The door was opened, and Alex's ears perked up, her eyes widened in excitement.

Piper's home!

Alex quickly moved towards the doorway of the closet, but halted when a tall figure entered the bedroom instead. The alcohol smell told her who it was before she even saw him.

Swaying on his feet, Danny moved around, humming a song. He was in his black jacket and a pair of soiled jeans. He even wore dirty shoes into Piper's room, muddied the carpet. Then he stopped by the wooden cabinet and pulled the top drawer out. He fumbled through the belongings, fished out some of his sister's jewelries and stuffed them into the pockets of his jacket. He whistled when he found some cash and stuffed the bills into the pockets of his jeans.

"W—what the fuck!?" Danny yelped when he turned around and saw the cougar in the room closet. He, then, slumped down on the bed, throwing his arms up in annoyance. "Fuck! Jesus Christ, you almost gave me a fucking heart attack! What the fuck are you doing in a house like this anyway? You belong in a fucking zoo." He groaned and rubbed his reddened face. "Or... or a backyard—hmm."

Alex stared at Danny's pockets. Those were her master's belongings, and she wanted them back. She took a step out of the closet, and Danny instantly tensed.

"The fuck? The fuck are you looking at? Go away. Get the fuck away from me!" Staggering, Danny moved for the door and clumsily exited. Alex followed him into the hallway, watching him tumbling down the stairs. He was too drunk to even stop, yelling some nonsensical words. Then he ran into the living room, shouting for help.

Curious, Alex followed Danny into the living room, but was suddenly met with a hard hit. The swing of the golf club narrowly missed her head but cut on her left shoulder. The cougar squealed in pain, trying to run away, but Danny chased after her, madly swinging the golf club. He cornered her and hit her several times. Alex couldn't bare the pain anymore and turned to leap at him, plunging him down on his back, the golf club slipped from his grasp. She bit down on his right arm. She could feel his bones cracked under her fangs, his blood flooding her mouth. Danny screamed at the top of his lungs. He kicked at her, trying to get her off him, but she was too strong.

"Al!"

The cougar snapped. She let go off Danny and looked up to see Piper standing in the hallway, horror in the blue eyes.

Piper rushed to her brother, helping him up. "Danny! Are you all right, Danny!?" On her knees, Piper pulled Danny away from the cougar, turning to look at Alex in disbelief.

Alex froze, stunned at the scared look on Piper's face. The unfamiliar look just broke her heart. What she feared the most had come true. Piper couldn't have loved her either way, human or animal. She turned and ran into the hallway. She heard Piper call out for her, but she didn't stop. She rushed into Bill's office, pushed the wall behind the fireplace open and slipped inside. Along the dark tunnel, she ran as fast as she could, forgetting to breathe. Tears welled up the green eyes, but they weren't from the physical pain.

"Dad! Dad, she's gone! Al is gone!" Piper turned frantically as she trekked deeper into the thick woods north of the mansion.

"What happened? Calm down, Piper. Tell me what happened."

"She attacked Danny, Dad. She bit him, and then ran away! I—I don't know, but she must have gotten out of the house somehow. She's gone, dad! I can't find her!" Piper kept rushing ahead. The sun was setting. The sky darkened fast.

"Piper, come home. Please, just come home."

"I'm heading north. I gotta find Al. If—" Piper panted. "If they found her wandering around, they might just shoot her, or—or send her away. I—I don't know! I have to find her, dad. I have to. I can't lose her." Her voice broke, and tears streamed down her face. She couldn't think anymore. She just wanted Alex back.

"Come home, Piper. I will find her, all right?" Bill sounded equally restless. "Piper..? Piper! Are you still there!?"

The line went dead.

Alex sat, shivering, on the old couch. She didn't know what to do with the bleeding wound. Her back pain was screaming at her. She could barely keep her sitting position straight. The kicks on her ribs only added to the difficulties she was facing. She was thinking about telling Bill, but didn't dare to upset him. He would kill her if he knew that she had attacked a human being, let alone his stepson.

Ring! Ring!

Alex glanced at her cell phone. It was Bill. She picked up the call, her hand shaky. "Yeah."

"What the hell happened!? Where are you right now!?"

"I'm at home."

"Piper just called. What's going on!?"

"Your son stole Piper's money, and he beat me with a golf club... so I bit him back," Alex said.

Silence.

Alex frowned, anger rising in her chest. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"I will deal with Danny. But right now I need you to find Piper. She's out in the woods, looking for you."

Alex halted, her heart in her throat.

"Find her, Alex. Bring her home," Bill ordered. His voice was calm, but Alex knew that he was anything but.

Cutting the line, Alex sprung up from the couch and rushed out of the house.

Cold.

It was so cold. The temperature dropped quickly after dusk. Piper kept shouting for her pet, a flashlight in one hand.

"Al! Al, come back! It's me, Piper...! Al, please!" Piper was scared, but she wouldn't give up. She could only imagine the chaos that if the authorities found Alex before she would, and at the worst, somewhere the cougar didn't belong. "Al, where are you!? Answer me, Al…! Al, come back!"

Piper eventually dropped to her knees, panting. "It's me... Please, come back..." Her voice was small, raspy and defeated. Her throat was dry and sore. Her foggy breaths worsened her vision in the dark. Tears rolled down her hurt cheeks, but they weren't from physical exhaustion.

Deep regret weighed down Piper's heart. For the first time, she was scared of Alex, although only briefly. Deep down in her heart, Piper knew that Danny was anything but an innocent soul, but she had put the blame on Alex first. What hurt her was that Alex could see through her. Without ever exchanging a word, the cougar had understood her more than anyone in her entire life. Alex saw her fear and distrust, and it hurt them both. Now, Piper just wished that she could take the moment back—before Alex would run away.

"Please... come back to me," Piper quietly sobbed, tiredly rubbing her eyes.

Piper wiped the tears away as she got up to her feet. She couldn't stop. She had to find Alex, no matter what. She trudged ahead in the cold and darkness. She trekked for another half an hour, and all of a sudden, she heard the rustling of grass behind her. She turned around, a smile on her face, but she saw nothing in the dark. At this point, her flashlight didn't help much, and fear suddenly gripped her. What if it wasn't her cougar, but other wild animals instead?

Fuck.

Piper spun on her heels, but crashed into an object—a body. She screamed in panic, backing away, but a strong hand pulled her back.

"Alex…? W—what are you doing here?" Piper panted. She felt a pang of relief to see another person, but was then struck by the ashen look on Alex's face. The green of her eyes was jaded, bloodshot.

Alex lightly turned Piper's flashlight from pointing at her face. "That's more like my question. Let's go."

With the firm grip on her hand, Piper obediently followed. "Wait. Wait. How did you know I'm here? Alex?" When Alex failed to answer, Piper decided to remain silent for the rest of the trek out of the woods. It was quiet around them. Cold and dark. But Piper wasn't as scared as she should be. She just focused on the taller frame in front of her. Somehow, she felt safer than she should. She just felt that everything would be all right.

When they finally reached the main road, Alex sent out a text to someone, but Piper couldn't see the name on the screen. She looked away once she realized that she was prying. She didn't particularly wanted to know if it was Sylvie.

Piper's phone rang, and she secretly thanked for the distraction. She pulled her cellphone out of the pocket and answered the call. "Oh, my God, dad, I—"

"I found her. Al didn't go very far. Everyone is safe. Everything is all right now, so come home, Piper."

Piper shut her eyes for a moment. Great relief washed through her. Al is safe. She's safe. Thank God! "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for finding her, dad, but—" Piper turned away from the taller girl, a hand cover her mouth, whispering. "Is Al ok? I saw her bleeding. There was a lot of blood. I saw her—"

"That was Danny's blood. Al is fine. But I need to take her to the ranch for a while. She needs to cool off."

Piper inwardly sighed in relief. "Ok. Great. Wait, is Danny ok?"

"Your mother took him to see Fig. He'll be all right," Bill said.

Piper frowned. "Fig is a vet. Why isn't mom taking him to the hospital instead?"

"Fig is a close friend of mine. I trust her. You don't want people to go around, asking how Danny encountered a cougar, do you?"

Her father's voice was stern, and all Piper could think of was her pet's safety and the assured stay in the mansion. Everything else was secondary.

"Everything is fine now. Come home, please."

"All right, I'm heading home," Piper said. She breathed easier now.

Piper looked up when the cold hand left hers. Only then that she realized that she and Alex had been holding hand for much longer than necessary. "Well, thanks for, umm, walking me back to civilization."

Alex growled. "You think that was funny? You could have been lost in the woods, freezing to death, or getting hurt and killed by wild animals."

Piper's jaw dropped. She was momentarily at a loss for words. She had to admit that she felt strangely comforted to see how much Alex, who was almost a stranger to her, seemed to genuinely care and worry about her. "You know what? You do have a point, but you haven't told me how you knew I was there. How did you just somehow find me in the middle of the woods?"

Alex instantly looked away. "I... I was trekking by myself, and then I heard some noises." She began to walk away. "You should go home. I'm going home."

Piper stalled in her pose. She was unsure of what to say next. She didn't believe Alex, but now didn't seem to be the time. "Alex, wait... Thank you. I really mean it. You're right. I could have been in serious trouble if you didn't find me. So, yes, I thank you."

Alex briefly looked over her shoulder at the blonde.

"And I'm sorry about lying to Kevin about you. I shouldn't have. I will tell him the truth," Piper spoke louder, hoping against hope that Alex would stop.

Alex did stop. She made a face, and turned around to fully face Piper. "Why would you do that?"

Piper edged closer to the taller girl, staring up into the green eyes, marveled by their cryptic familiarity she didn't know where it came from. "I want to prove that I truly want to be your friend. I was such a coward. I'm sorry."

Alex sighed. "Let's just forget about it. I don't want you to fight with him again."

Piper frowned at the dark patch on the collar of Alex's blue sweater. "What's that?" Piper reached out and lightly touched Alex's left shoulder, earning a sharp wince from the raven-haired girl. "Oh, my God, you're bleeding! Are you hurt!? Do you want to go to the hospital?"

Alex quickly turned and walked away. "I'm fine."

Piper rushed to Alex's side, holding Alex's good arm with both hands.

"Go home."

"After I walk you home," Piper insisted.

Alex briefly hesitated, but continued walking. Her resistance was weak, and that worried Piper even more. Piper tightened her grasps on her.

They continued their walk in silence until they entered the familiar neighborhood around the Chapman mansion. It greatly amazed Piper when Alex stopped just a block away from Piper's own residence. Within walking distance, an old, two-story home stood north of the Chapman mansion. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned, oversized tool shed. Piper had no idea how Alex could have lived so close all this time without Piper ever seeing her around before this semester started. They were practically neighbors.

Alex fished the key out of her pocket, her hands rickety, her face ghostly pale. After a few, missed opportunities to properly jam the key into its lock, Piper reached out and gently grabbed the key from the girl. She proceeded to open the door for Alex.

"Thanks." Alex's voice was barely heard. She entered her home and staggered up the wooden, creaky stairs.

Piper carefully shut the door behind her, glancing around in curiosity. It was dark and cold inside. Not a single picture frame. Not a piece of garbage on the floor. The house was furnished to the minimal, but with all the necessary furniture for a comfortable stay. There was a tiny kitchen, with a dinner table for two. A small living room was sectioned to the right of the hallway, offering an old TV and a DVD player, with a torn leather couch that looked awfully familiar. Next to the couch was what appeared to be a wooden, built-in closet. Piper briefly surveyed the first floor, noting the empty garbage can in the kitchen. There wasn't a used plate or a cup left in the sink. Either Alex was awfully clean and organized, or the girl didn't stay home much. She wondered where Alex's family was, or if she had one.

Piper carefully walked up to the second floor. On her right was a tiny space partitioned into a mini workstation. A desk, a chair, a laptop (the only thing in the house that didn't look ancient), and two tall shelves filled with books.

The bedroom was on Piper's left. Alex had left the door open, and Piper peeked in. Alex was lying on the bed, face down. Her shoes were kicked off to the plank floor, scattered. The slight messiness was the only sign of life in this house.

Piper knocked on the door. "Alex, are you ok?" Worries began to grip her when the dark-haired girl failed to respond. She approached the bed, and placed a hand over Alex's shoulder, shaking her softly. "Alex?"

"Hm... Pipes," Alex sleepily murmured.

Piper really liked the way Alex called her name. It had to be the soft hum of the husky voice. "Let's get you out of these clothes." Piper helped Alex to sit up and took the coat off. She was stunned to see the large patch of crimson on Alex's sweater. Alex had bled more than she thought. "I should call an ambulance or something," Piper said, her voice slightly shaken.

Alex's eyes opened briefly, and she groaned. "Don't."

"Of course, I should listen to you and let you bleed to death."

"I'll be fine... in the morning... go home…" Alex slightly shivered, but Piper didn't fail to notice.

"I'm not going anywhere. Now, right arm up." Piper carefully pulled the bloodied sweater over the girl's head, along with the bloodstained, white T-shirt. She removed the bras, and helped Alex out of the black jeans.

Eyes closed, Alex lied down again, her face sickly pale. She was now almost completely naked except for the black undies she had on. Piper observed the bloody wound on the left shoulder and the bruises along her ribs and back. Something terrible had happened to Alex, but now wasn't the time to ask. Piper bent down over Alex and touched the girl's sweaty forehead. Alex had mild fever.

Piper sighed. "I'll be right back."

Piper returned to Alex's house again with a medical kit and two bottles of Vodka she found in Carol's cabinet. Thank God, she needed a drink or two after what happened today.

Danny and Carol hadn't returned yet. Bill's van was gone, so Piper assumed that her father had already headed out to the ranch. She felt so relieved that he had found her pet. She trusted that Alex would be safe with him.

Piper was sitting on the edge of the bed. Alex's laptop was turned on, placed on the nightstand. YouTube was on, a video showing how to stitch a wound. "I saw my dad do it a few times on my pet, so this is what you get for refusing to go see a real doctor. Ok. You're ready? I so am." With the equipment in her hands, Piper grinned at the barely conscious Alex. She had had a few shots of Vodka before coming over.

It took Piper about twenty-five minutes to clean and suture the shoulder wound. She knew that her hands must be rough at times, but thankfully, Alex seemed to be deep asleep. Piper smiled proudly at her accomplishment. Comparing to Frankenstein, the stitches didn't look so bad after all. She pulled the blankets up to Alex's shoulders after she was done, and then cleaned up the mess off the floor.

It was already 9:42 P.M. when Polly texted her.

HarperP: Where are you?

ChapmanP: What did he say?

HarperP: Rob wants to get back with me. What should I do?

ChapmanP: Get back with him.

HarperP: I hate you.

ChapmanP: I got a bottle.

HarperP: You're my savior! I'm at home now.

ChapmanP: I'll be right over.

Piper put on her coat and gathered her things, ready to leave. She grabbed one of the Vodka bottles from the floor, and turned to look at the sleeping Alex. She bent down and observed the pale face. A smile slowly crept up her face as she watched Alex frown slightly in her sleep. She gently brushed the raven locks from Alex's face.

"Goodnight," Piper whispered, and left.

A/N: Thanks! Love y'all xoxo!