She hates him. He despises her. It was the way things worked, it was as simple as the bond they shared. But when a dare is taken and the two spend the night in an abandoned manor, secrets come out and relationships are formed, even if it's not in the best of ways.

Chapter Fourteen

"Ally? Ally!" Austin wraps his arms around my waist and I jump, feeling how cold his hands were. Then I remember. Christmas was rapidly approaching, with winter not too far behind. Something to look forward to, I guess. I glance back at the two bloodshot eyes and notice that they're gone, worrying me a little bit more. "Why so jumpy?" Austin whispers, his husky voice becoming a drug to me. I gulp.

"N-nothing. Your cold. Let's go inside," I mutter, avoiding his narrowed eyes.

"Uhm... are you okay, Alls?"

"Never better,"

"Well- okay. Hey, I got these for you," he hands me the bouqet of roses and my uneasy mind softens. "I didn't know what to get you. I-I mean, mom and dad bought stuff and I didn't want to feel rude or anything, but I knew you liked flowers so I got those instead. I've never exactly done this before, you know? I do -"

"Austin!" I laughed, cutting his rambling off with a small kiss. "It's fine. I love the flowers!" he lets out a sigh that he didn't know he was holding, momentarily becoming nerve-wrackingly unconfident.

We walked into the kitchen, where dad was busy preparing the food and Mike and Mimi were chatting whilst pouring wine in everyone's glasses- mine and Austin's excluded. Austin went to go help dad with the food when I felt my phone vibrate. Excusing myself to no-one in particular, I stepped out into the hall and answered the call, putting it on loud speaker.

"Hello?"

"Where were you last night?"

"Who's this?"

"Dallas."

I could feel my heart sink. Dallas. My boyfriend- or, now, my ex-boyfriend. "Oh. Hi."

"You didn't answer my question," he urged. I could hear the tension in his voice, the tone of anger simply trying to coil away from the situation. "Where were you last night?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Our date, Ally," he mumbled, frustrated. "Remember? I asked you a week ago and you said yes. Then you cancel at the last minute. Seriously, Ally, what the hell's wrong with you?!"

The pace of my heartbeat quickens. I want to hang the phone up, but then he'd go all crazy and might even pay a visit just to check if things are alright. His obsession in a simple relationship is just too much to handle, sometimes. "Nothing's wrong with me, Dallas. I just think..." We need a break? We need to part? Which one of these is the right thing to say? "We should see other people." Nice going, Ally.

There's a silence over the phone. Then, I can hear something break in the background. It's loud, since he's on loudspeaker, but I still don't hang up. "You're going to regret this, Ally."

I swallow the lump in my throat, pained to hear those words coming from someone who's uncle owned a smoke factory. "Bye, Dallas."

Sighing, I turn around to walk back into the kitchen, but I crash unwillingly into a tall, muscular built frame that catches me from falling. "Woah! Be careful, Dawson!" it's Austin, smiling. "I heard what Dallas said."

"How did you-" I stop, remembering the loudspeaker option. "Oh. Right."

"And don't worry," he winked, slipping an arm around my waistand pulling me towards him. "If that son of a bitch -"

"Language, Austin." I warn, but not in a strict manner.

"Alright, sorry. But I won't let him do anything to you, I promise." I hugged him after that. His embrace was warm, different from his chilly hands, and it calmed both my body and my mind.

"Food's ready!" yelled Dad, startling both of us. We sheepishly jumped apart and walked into the kitchen.

We sat down, Austin making sure that we sat together (unlike every other year, where the closest we sat was him on the long side of the table and me on the other). I felt his hand wrap around my own, his touch eliciting sparks that roamed up and down my arms like the butterflies exploring my stomach.

The food was delicious, even though it was made by an unexperienced cook (my father) and a cocky teenage boy (my boyfriend). We finished eating and sat in the lounge, Austin and I cuddled close to each other on the red loveseat. Dad was looking through the book shelf, muttering something about an album and fun times. I didn't get what he was talking about- until he pulled out a huge photo book filled with my embarrassing baby pictures.

My eyes widened in horror. "Dad!"

"Yes, honey?" he smiled innocently, flipping through the pages. I tried snatching for the album, but it was too late. Within seconds, the whole Moon family was cooing over my least favorite picture (a two year old me with ice-cream dribbling down my chin and a terrible, grey pinafore outfit that my grandma had picked out from a local hospice shop).

Dad shifts through some more photos, until a certain one catches my eye - a little me in the middle of a bright green field. "Wait! Dad- go back to the last picture." I command, quietly. He obliges and hands me the photo. I beckon Austin to come over. "Look at this," I placed the picture in his hands and point at the girl in the background. "Look familiar?"

"Oh my god - That's... that's creepy."

In the background, grinning evilly and clutching a black haired doll, is Mayday Warwrick.

"How old were you here, Ally?" he asked. I contemplated, looking at the birthdate.

"Five."

"And how old was May when she got murdered?"

I swallowed air. "Five. But, whats that got to do with anything?"

Austin shook his head. "No clue. But it's a connection. Because look," he points at the trees surrounding the meadow. "This looks like the exact place her house was built. There's even a building behind those trees- the department store."

I take a deep breathe and step back. "I think... I think, I need some air." I shove past him and open the door, stopping when I hear him following me. "I need some space."

I stand on the patio, shivering, staring at the cold skies and basking in the freezing temprature. I clutch myself. "May!" I yell, furiously. "May Warwrick!"

I hear rustling in the distance. I don't even have time to freeze in fear, so I make my way over with an infuriated attitude. The sound is coming from the bushes, so I pull the twigs and leaves away.

Right there, in front of me, is May's amputated head.

It's grinning. Her curly blonde locks are full of life and volume, even though May herself isn't. Her eye's are bloodshot, springing out from their sockets like a loose plug from the wall. Her teeth are dangerously black and stripped of enamel. Her mouth is cracked and dry, a few sores on the corners of her lips and her gums bleeding enthusiastically. I scream and jump back, covering my mouth with my hands.

That's an image no-one in this world should have to encounter. Yet somehow, I have to do something about it..

Oooo,things are gunna get SCAREYYY! And thanks so much for reviewing! Wow... 200 reviews already, and this is only like what, the fifteenth chapter? You people/chocolate ice cream lumps are frikking amazinggg. And yes, I said amazinggg. Three g's. Owh yeah.