Okay so this is a long chapter but I couldn't split it as there wasn't really a good place where I could. Happy reading! (P.S. See if you can spot where the cover image scene is in this chapter)

Chapter 12

The next day was hazy for me. I slept most of the time because I was so weak. I remembered Luc's family driving us to the station and seeing us off- not all of them, just Pascal and Emily, Luc's parents and his sister Amélie. Pascal and Emily's five children were at home with Arnaud and Fleur, the eldest couple. A wheelchair had been found for me and the handprints were mostly covered by long sleeves, sunglasses and a hat. It did look like I had a big birthmark on my face though.

I don't know how Luc managed to get me in the wheelchair, as well as both our cases, around the stations, but somehow, we got back home, where Winifred was waiting anxiously for us, obviously already in the know. I held up my hand and looked at her seriously.

"Before you say anything, it was my fault and mine alone. Please don't blame Luc, he already blames himself enough as it is."

Winifred just shook her head, helping wheel me into the sitting room. "It's Marcus' fault," she said simply, before calling Caleb in.

Maggie followed him, looking worried, came over and gave me a hug, whispering in my ear that she was sorry she hadn't seen a vision for the attack.

"It's alright," I told her weakly as I was lifted onto the sofa by Luc. Winifred did not look happy as she looked me over; in fact she looked murderously angry. I remembered Luc telling me that her husband had been killed in an echoling and I realised how close I had come to being killed myself. Looking around, I saw all the faces looked more than angry. Maggie and Caleb kept exchanging looks and my Significant's face was dark with anger. I rested a hand against his cheek to calm him down, but he didn't look much better.

"Alright, Anna girl," Winifred began. "This is gonna hurt, so Caleb is gonna have to hold you down as well as Luc." She got herself ready, positioning her hand on my ankle, the lowest mark on my body, and nodded Luc and Caleb. Luc knelt beside the sofa, his upper body laid over me and his hands holding my arms down, whilst Caleb held my legs tightly in his arms. I swallowed and gritted my teeth. Here we go.

"Ready?"

I took a deep breath. "Ready."

Each time Winifred removed a mark, I struggled to keep my lips tightly locked so a scream wouldn't escape. Luc was in agony with me, hating that I had to go through all the pain, but there was no choice. I had to have the marks off; I was too weak with them. After every mark that was removed, Luc rested his forehead against mine and kissed the corner of my mouth briefly. Eventually, there were only the ones on my neck left. They would hurt the most. Luc and Caleb repositioned themselves so I was even more secure in their grasp and Winifred looked hard at me.

"You ready, brave girl?"

I gave a short nod. In slow motion, I saw Marcus' face solidify as the memory began. I couldn't stop the memory of his face as he throttled the life from me, or the feelings of hate that came from him and the terror that came from me in those moments before I lost consciousness. The pain that came from removing the last offence mark broke my resolve and I uttered a short cry before locking my lips again and squeezing my eyes shut.

Once it was over, I opened my eyes and realised that I had been thrashing around so much that Caleb was only just hanging on to my legs and Luc was gritting his teeth as he held me down. I opened my mouth to apologise but Caleb waved me off, telling me that I couldn't help it. He had done the same with Maggie, when she had first been attacked by Marcus.

I felt exhausted, but not drained like I had when the marks were taking my energy. I was just weary from all the drama of the past couple of days and the flailing about just now. Luc scooped me up in his arms and carried me up to his room to sleep. I protested that it was only just past lunchtime, but he cut me off, insisting that I sleep and that he would stay with me. Well, it was true that I hadn't had much deep sleep last night, despite being so weak.

So I fell asleep, comfortable in the arms of my Significant, once again. He thought he wasn't worthy of me? He was far better than I ever could be- I wouldn't have forgiven my family as easily as he had. He thought he was weak? He was stronger than I could ever be. He had endured his grandfather's abuse, he had lived life on the streets, and he had witnessed the death of his grandfather, his cousin who was practically a sister to him and her Significant. He was amazing. He was mine.

…...…...…...

I woke up the next morning, amazed at how refreshed I felt. I was practically the opposite of what I had been yesterday. There were no blemishes on my skin, caused by a certain heinous person, and I was no longer exhausted. I couldn't believe that I had slept right through yesterday afternoon and all night without waking up. I was also feeling really alert, not like I had just slept for 17 hours straight.

My phone beeped at me and I shifted in Luc's arms to reach it. It was a text from Dad.

Do you have any idea when you'll be back? Mum's gonna be home in 2 days if you wanna see her?

I suddenly felt really guilty. I had practically abandoned my dad for the past two weeks and I could tell he was upset, even though he didn't mention it. I decided to lie to him to make it a bit easier. Unplanned trips were not really my thing and dad would definitely get suspicious if he found out I was going to London for a week just after I had got back from France. Not to mention it was with unspecified friends.

Not yet but I recon I'll be another week at least… when's mum going again?

I also found a text from Lillian, asking if I wanted to come round. The guilt redoubled as I realised that not only had I abandoned Lillian, I had and would have to constantly lie to her.

I took a deep breath and decided to tell her at least some of the truth. I had to come clean about Luc. Fingers hovering over the surface, I thought hard about what I was going to say.

Hey! :D Sorry, been away in France… back today so we could go cinema if you're up for it? :) I'm away again tomorrow and I also have a confession to make but I need to do it in person… xxx

Her reply was quicker than I'd ever seen her reply.

Yoyo! :D How was France?! I didn't even know you'd gone! Who with? :) How about 'Guardians of the Galaxy'? I can do the 2.15 showing? I NEED TO KNOW! Who is it? I'm very impatient now… I'll get popcorn if you get tickets? Xxx

"Wow, she's quite excitable!" Luc murmured from behind me.

"Not really, we just text really strangely to each other- and talk for that matter- and we kinda need to know every little detail of each other's lives… it's a weird relationship," I replied, smiling. We had met when we were 11 and had been best friends ever since. I texted a quick reply to Lillian:

Sure! I'll tell u about it later, it was great tho. Is it ok if I bring someone along? Don't ask who- it's a surprise! And bring your bf… Laters! Xxx

I turned my phone off so I wouldn't see any more of her curious questions and be tempted to tell her the truth and put it on the bedside table, before rolling onto my back and sighing.

I felt Luc's arm curl around me and I snuggled into his side, resting my hand against his chest where I could feel his heartbeat and mine, both slightly accelerated.

"So what do you want to do today then?" Luc asked, covering the hand on his chest with his own and rubbing circles over my knuckles.

"Stay in bed all day with you," I mumbled, turning my head so it was nearly buried in his shoulder. Luc gave a small chuckle and lifted his arm to stroke my hair, playing with the strands, before rolling over slightly, where he promptly lost his balance and fell out of the bed, nearly pulling me off too.

Once I had regained my balance, I saw him look up from the floor to see me trying to keep my laughter in at the sight of him with his tousled hair and sprawled on the floor with a grumpy expression. It didn't work, because I suddenly lost it when I saw his facial expression and began laughing.

"Meanie," he muttered as he got up and glared at me. I began to giggle again when I saw his pout, which made him look very cute but still very funny at the same time.

"Laughing at my misfortune," he placed a hand over his chest and looked hurt, but I just laughed again.

"Come on; let's go to the park or something, it's warm today."

After yet another amazing breakfast of crêpes, we walked to the park, hands swinging between us. Maggie had put her foot down, insisting that she come too to be our bodyguard, in case Marcus decided to turn up. Whilst having a babysitter wasn't ideal, I realised that it would be a bad idea to go without protection and I agreed, although grudgingly.

At the moment, Caleb and Maggie were sitting on a bench together, most likely having a mind conversation. I was on the swing, rocking gently using my feet, before I felt the seat being pulled back and I was given a big push. I yelped at the sudden change in speed but laughed when I saw Luc pushing me with a grin on his face. He pushed me higher and higher until I got to the point where you can't go any higher because the chain's lost tension and you thump down on the seat on the way back down.

Swings were my favourite part of a park- when I was young I always felt so free and I almost felt like I could fly. Today was no different- with my boyfriend swinging me and the dark clouds above... it was the happiest feeling.

I shivered once and looked up to see very dark clouds descending on us. I jumped off the swing midair and we made our way over to where Maggie and Caleb were quickly packing up the remains of our picnic. A summer storm was on its way and I heard an ominous rolling boom of thunder, closer than I would have liked. We were going to get wet, I realised.

"You guys go back, we'll head straight for the cinema," I called to them above another rumble from the sky. Maggie protested, shaking her head.

"What if Marcus comes for you again?"

"Marcus won't try anything in broad daylight, not with so many people around!" I objected, gesturing to the fleeing people. They both eventually agreed and then we scattered. Why had I not grabbed a raincoat? I should have known the weather would turn bad.

Luckily we managed to run through the doors of the cinema just as the torrential downpour began, having only got a bit damp. We collected the tickets and got a hot chocolate to share from the Starbucks in the cinema whilst we were waiting for Lillian. I was running through the scenarios in my head of what to tell her when I felt Luc's hand brush mine under the table.

Don't worry about it, he told me, his serious eyes locked on mine. They had a dark brown tint to them in the subdued light coming through the windows. Lillian will be fine. She's not going to stop being your best friend because you got a boyfriend. She's bringing hers, he pointed was true…

But what if she sees that we're different, that our relationship is not exactly conventional? Lillian knows me so well. She knows it's not like me to rush into a relationship with practically a stranger. What if-

Stop worrying, Anna. Even in his mind, his accent wrapped around my name like it was the most precious thing. I shivered involuntarily at the sound of it in my head and was immediately embarrassed at my reaction. I dropped my head, my cheeks reddening. I thought I was over this whole embarrassment thing.

Hey. He squeezed my hand to make me look at him. Don't be embarrassed. I don't want you to ever feel uncomfortable around me.

How did I manage to get this guy? He was so sweet and-

"Anna!" Lillian's voice was quite close and I jumped at the interruption of my thoughts.

"Lill!" I replied and jumped up to hug her tightly. We had only seen each other a week and a half ago but it felt like so much more because of everything that had happened in-between.

"So who's this?" she asked as she pulled back and eyed Luc warily. Here we go.

Let me talk first.

"Um, this is Luc. He's French. Luc, this is Lillian," I began and Lillian took his hand, greeting him warmly.

"Um, Luc is…" I gulped and blinked a few times, taking a deep breath to gather my courage. Luc took my hand subtly in his own and I felt a little calmer so I was able to get the words out. "Lill, Lu-Luc is… my boyfriend."

Lillian stood still for a moment, her mouth slowly opening in surprise. It lasted so long I was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Lill? You going to say something?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. She shook her head to clear it, before a huge smile broke out on her face.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" She jumped up and down a couple of times before pulling me into another hug, squeezing the life out of me. I still didn't let go of Luc's hand, giving him an amused look over her shoulder.

Eventually, Lillian pulled back with a big smile on her face, just as Ben, her boyfriend, walked up with several big tubs of popcorn.

"Hey Anna," he smiled at me and shook hands with Luc and greeted him.

"He's Anna's boyfriend," Lillian told him pointedly, earning her an exasperated look from me.

"Good luck!" Ben told Luc, laughing when I huffed in objection and glared at him. "Well, he needs warning!" he protested, still smiling.

"Hey! Don't be mean about me!" I complained and made a face at him. I smiled suddenly, realising that I had power.

"What?" He asked warily, seeing the new glint in my eye.

"Oh nothing, just, you know…" I fanned my face with the tickets we had. "…it's hot in here, right?"

Ben narrowed his eyes at me. "Fine," he rolled his eyes and I grinned in victory. My threat had worked.

"But I still have the popcorn."

"Damit Ben!"

…...

It was still raining when we came out of the film, two and a half hours later. There were mini rivers running down the street and the downpour showed no signs of abating. I wouldn't have been surprised if there were flash floods, it was raining so much. Lillian and Ben had walked as well, but unlike us, they had brought raincoats, so were okay. It had been a warm day so I, on the other hand, was wearing a grey chiffon strappy summer dress with small white spots and sandals with a cardigan. Not exactly ideal rain weather. Lillian lived in the opposite direction and a bit further away so headed off pretty swiftly, hugging me tightly and whispering "I will call you later!" ominously in my ear and leaving Luc and I to prepare.

I decided to put my cardigan in my shoulder purse, since it would get wet anyway, and grimly surveyed the greyish haze outside. I also slipped my sandals off since they would get soaked as well and held them in one hand, looking over at Luc, who was staring intently at the rain outside with a strange expression. I saw in his mind that he was thinking of a similar rainy night, two years ago. The night he lost them.

Hey. I'm here. I took his hand gently in mine and squeezed it tightly, wishing I could do more to heal the hurt and anger in him. A hand squeeze and a shot of calm, that was all I could offer.

"No," he whispered, taking his eyes off the driving rain and looking at me with the same intensity. His phone buzzed but he ignored it. "You are all I need. You don't need to do any more than be here." As long as I have you, I'm okay.

And all I need is you.

How the heck had I managed to get this guy? I knew I had said that a lot and I probably wouldn't ever stop saying it, but it wasn't like Luc would ever believe he deserved me.

I loved the rain. I used to change into shorts and a t-shirt, run out into the garden and just stand there, letting myself get soaked, arms outstretched. When I watched the Shawshank Redemption, I was amazed that I hadn't been the only one with that idea. Now, I laughed as Luc pulled me along with him along the pavement, heading for home. There was no-one else on the street, they were all hiding in shops or wisely staying at home, but I caught the curious eyes staring at the soaking barefoot girl laughing in the rain.

We were very close to home now and had slowed down to walking in the suburban maze of houses. A rumble disturbed the splash of the rain and our footsteps, indicating the start of another storm. The thunder grew more frequent, although the lightning was nowhere to be seen, and the rain, which had slowed a little a few minutes ago, began to pick up again.

We were on the path that connected to Luc's street when I heard footsteps. Probably someone running from the rain like us, but would have been the first person we'd seen actually in the rain rather than in a building. I turned my head for a split second and saw a flash of silver. A watch? I turned my head and let go of Luc's hand, slowing down. In that split second I saw Marcus raise the gun to point at Luc's chest and, as if in slow motion, his fingers begin to squeeze the trigger. Luc turned at my cry and saw him a second after I did. I saw his eyes widen as he realised that he couldn't escape.

But I was already moving. I pushed Luc just as the bullet fired from the gun, surprisingly loudly. As I fell to my knees on the wet pavement, I felt the hard metal bury itself into my flesh, leaving a trail of heat in its wake- but it certainly did not hurt like I expected getting shot would feel.

It was strange how I my senses moved from one extreme to the other- through blurry eyes, I saw Luc sprinting towards Marcus as he fled, but clearly saw the pain, fear and, most of all, anger, in Luc's eyes. The bullet that grazed Luc's arm, not slowing him, came with no sound, but the sound of Luc crashing into Marcus, rolling them both over, seemed louder than the thunder. I couldn't smell the blood I knew was pouring out of my chest, but I could smell the distinct smell of petrichor- rain on dry ground, ground pressed up against my face. When had I collapsed completely? The ground was soft under my face, a pillow, the rest of my body floating, weightless.

Maggie leaned over me, her mouth moving, but my ears couldn't make out the words. When had she got here? Caleb was shouting and helping Luc pin down Marcus. Luc's shout was now roaring through my ears. "I've got her- help Caleb!" his wild eyes, fixed on me as he collapsed to his knees beside me.

Then, I felt it. I realised gun shots hurt. A lot. His hands were shaking as he took off his shirt and pressed it down on the wound in my chest, trying vainly to stem the flow of blood. Rain- or was it tears?- dripped from his face. But it was useless; I felt the bullet in my heart, or at least, very close to it.

How can you shoot a heart when it belongs somewhere else?

"There's something important… I need you to know…" I whispered through the haze of pain threatening to take me. I had to stay awake, just for a few seconds. I needed to stay alive for just a minute longer.

"No! You don't have to say this now, it can wait, just save your strength," Luc choked. My breathing was rattling in my chest and I couldn't draw breath. I slowly, reached out to touch his face and I told him the one thing I knew I couldn't die without saying.

I… I love you.

He smiled sadly, holding my hand to his face and looking into my eyes.

And I love you. I loved you the moment I realised you would be mine. He stroked my cheek and brushed the tears away with his thumb. I dimly felt a tingling sensation in my veins, going hot and cold. I vaguely wondered if this was what it felt like to die.

No, we're ascending!

He stared into my eyes, hope burning brightly in his.

Just a few seconds. Not now, don't you dare give up on me!

I tried to tell him that I wouldn't, not ever, but my hand fell from his face and my eyes shut without my consent, trying to pull me into the blackness. I held onto the sound of his voice, reassuring me and telling me to hold on, keep going.

And then, just as the darkness was closing on me, I felt it.

The bullet deep in my chest was moving.


Please don't kill me! Also please keep commenting, it really helps motivate me, even if it's just a few words.

See you next time! :)