Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I own no part of The Covenant (2006) apart from my OC's and the developing storyline.

Chapter 11

Collateral Damage

Skye was in the girl's showers.

She'd avoided talking to the girls as they walked back to the dorms for fear of them bringing up Pogue and was quick to announce she was going to shower as soon as they got back to their rooms.

Once inside she stripped off her clothes and laid them across the bench outside her cubicle. Apart from her the showers were all empty. Most people had probably made their way to the dining hall or off-campus for dinner.

Skye looked at the clock on the wall, making a mental note of the time, it was 6:37 pm. She would have to be quick.

She stepped into her cubicle, pulled back the shower curtain, and turned on the water. It came crashing down onto her skin, engulfing the whole room in steam. She stood there for a minute just taking it in. In all the commotion of the afternoon, Skye failed to realize just how sore her muscles were. Maybe she did overdo it at practice, it was the most logical answer. After all, the alternative was not something she was prepared to entertain.

She soaped up and rinsed off and was all but done in under 15 minutes. Just as she turned the water off, Skye was hit with a sudden breeze sending shivers down her spine. She turned around quickly and yanked open the curtain, not bothering to hide her modestly while she reached out for her towel. Once she was securely wrapped up, she stepped out of the cubicle and looked around. Something was off. All of the windows were closed so where could the breeze have come from? She began gathering up her things when it happened again, only this time the breeze felt like it…lingered.
"Is someone there?" Skye called out. She felt stupid just standing there expecting someone to answer her.
"Paranoid much." She mumbled to herself quietly, making her way to the exit. She reached the double doors to the hallway but neither would budge.
"What the…" She whispered, dropping her things so she could grab onto the door handles with both hands. She pushed and pulled as hard as she could but they still wouldn't give. She could feel the panic beginning to rise in her chest.
"C'mon c'mon…" She pleaded. Suddenly, the doors flew open and she went toppling out, straight into someone.
"We gotta stop meeting like this." A voice said, chuckling. Skye was too concerned about her towel falling to realise who it was. When she finally looked up, Chase's face smiled down at her.
"I am so sorry!" She laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. "I swear to you, I am a normal functioning part of society that doesn't get stuck in bathrooms and have random nosebleeds!"
"I'll believe it when I see it." He joked. "It's a good thing I was walking by or who knows how long you would've been stuck in there."
"You're honestly a lifesaver." She said while carefully bending down to pick up her things.
Chase couldn't help but try and sneak a peek but Skye was too fast for him, already getting back up.
"Again, I could think of worse people to bump into." He repeated his words from their run in earlier in the day.
She smiled. "Well, you'll have to let me repay you somehow."
"Sure, I can live with that." He replied, returning the smile.
Skye suddenly became very aware of her lack of clothing, but not because of Chase. He was actually surprisingly easy to be around and didn't make her feel self-conscious once during their entire encounter…even though she was wearing just a towel. "I should go. But if you're not doing anything later, we're all going to Nicky's for a bite to eat. You should come, my treat."
Chase nodded his head. "Sounds good. Meet you there at…?
"Eight." She said, already starting to walk away in the direction of her dorm room.
"Eight it is, see you there." He called out, turning in the opposite direction.

"You look like you're in a better mood," Sarah said as Skye walked into their room.
"Yeah…guess I just needed a shower." She lied, not wanting to make a bigger deal out of what had just happened with Chase.
Sarah was wearing a red floral tea dress with fishnets and black Dr. Martens- sweet but sexy. Skye nodded approvingly. "Nice outfit."
"You don't think it's too much?" The blonde asked, examining herself in the mirror.
"Absolutely not. You look perfect. I'm sure Caleb would agree."
Sarah smiled. Even though she wouldn't admit, she was really hoping he would. Just then, her phone started buzzing. Speak of the devil she thought seeing the caller ID. "Hello?"
"Hey, I'm heading over to Nicky's and was wondering if you needed a ride?" Caleb asked.
"Should you be driving?" Sarah replied, her forehead creased with concern.
He chuckled. "I got the all-clear, don't worry. I'm good I promise."
"Okay, well as tempting as that is, I'm gonna get a ride with the girls. But I appreciate the offer." She said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Anytime…By the way, is Skye there?"
"Yeah, just a sec." She said before handing the phone over. Skye took the phone and placed it between her ear and shoulder as she sifted through her wardrobe. "What's up?"
"How you feeling?"
"You were there Caleb, you heard Nurse Patrick say I'm fine." She said, rolling her eyes knowingly.
"I know I know, just checking." He said sheepishly. "Listen, just a heads up. I'm pretty sure Madison will be there tonight…with Pogue."
"Ah…" Skye replied, immediately feeling a pit forming in her stomach. "Is it a date?" She asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"Skye, I-" He started but she quickly cut him off. "Actually, it's okay. You don't have to answer that…thanks for the heads up anyway. You're a good egg, Danvers."
Caleb felt bad. He could hear the sadness in her voice even through her jokes. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you soon."
"Yeah, see you soon." She repeated and hung up.
"Everything okay?" Sarah asked seeing the look on her roommate's face as she handed the phone back. She had a pretty good idea what the conversations was about once she heard Skye mention the word 'date'.
Skye offered her a weak smile. "Nothing I didn't see coming." She said, trying to sound upbeat.

Sarah didn't push her for more…not that she needed to.

"You know…" Skye began. "I've barely been back 5 minutes, yet I've somehow managed to land myself in the infirmary twice, make a 'frenemy' AND fall for a guy who, get this- I broke up with him!"
This was Skye's second rant of the day and Sarah couldn't help but give her the look.
"Oh God, you're giving me the look!" The brunette cried.
"No no no…well, yeah but not because I feel sorry for you. You said you've fallen for Pogue."
Skye's eyes went wide with realisation. "Fuck…you can't tell anyone. Especially not Annie!"
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Sarah laughed.
"I'm serious…" She pleaded. "I can barely get my head around what I'm feeling and the last thing I need is-'
But Sarah stopped her before she could finish. "Skye…" She said, grabbing her hands and looking her directly in the eyes. "I promise you, I will tell no one."
This seemed to appease her but she still had a glint of worry in her eye.
"And don't forget, it's not been all bad. I mean, while all that was happening, you also found your way back to four best friends who adore you."At this Skye smiled.
"I mean it, the way they all look out for…friendships like that don't come around too often. Which is why you should just be honest with Pogue about how you feel."
"I can't, that would just make things worse." She protested.
"Then how are you gonna ever move on?" Sarah asked almost bluntly. "You can't keep torturing yourself like this Skye. You're just making things harder on yourself."
"God, what kind of idiot falls for someone after a month." Skye huffed.
"The human kind." Sarah offered.

They slipped into a contemplative silence for the next few minutes while they resumed getting ready. Skye put on a black ribbed bodycon midi dress with buttons all down the front, and her favorite black and white Vans.
"You look great." Sarah complimented her but she was too busy fussing with the clasp on her choker necklace to hear her roommate. When they were about to leave, Skye finally spoke.

"Okay…" She said thoughtfully. "I'll tell him."

Pogue was in the weight room mulling over the events of the day while he completed his third set of bicep curls, Meek Mill's 'Going Bad' blaring through his headphones.
After walking Skye to the infirmary and almost immediately being ushered out by Nurse Patrick to wait with the others, he gave up just standing around. It's not like Skye would ever be honest about what was going on anyway.

He thought back to the night at the gym and the look of terror in her eyes, it had plagued his mind every single day since it happened. That's when he became suspicious that she was hiding something. Skye had never been very good at keeping secrets from him, even as kids. Under normal circumstances this wouldn't have phased him, he wasn't the type to get attached. But with Skye everything was different. Ever since that day she walked into Nicky's, the day she walked back into his life, he's felt drawn to her somehow, like there was some invisible force always pulling him towards her. He wanted to fix everything that was wrong, he needed to.
Fucking idiot, he thought, mentally scolding himself for thinking like an overprotective boyfriend, they were barely even friends anymore.

His phone buzzed, disrupting his thoughts. He watched the screen illuminate and a message pop up. It was Reid, several messages later and one of his friends finally replied.
She's all good man. Foul mood though, Coach benched her. Where are you?
Pogue chuckled as his thumbs quickly set to work replying. Part of him almost felt glad he didn't stick around…almost.
He scrolled through the contacts list on his phone and stopped at Skye, his finger hovering over the call icon below her name. He stood there for a few seconds considering his options- call Skye and make things worse? Or don't call Skye and make things worse? He was screwed either way.

Just then, Reid came strolling in followed closely by Caleb and Tyler, effectively deciding for him.
He slipped his phone into the pocket of his basketball shorts and removed his headphones, wrapping them around the base of his neck and fist-bumped each of his friends.
"Skye asked for you. Why'd you bail?" Tyler asked him.
Pogue sat down on the weight bench, guilt swelling in his chest. "Don't start, Ty."
"Pogue, buddy…" Reid said, clapping his hand on Pogue's broad shoulder. "You are royally fucking things up with her."
"Reid…" Caleb warned.
The blond threw his hands up in defense, he meant no harm.
"I think we have bigger things to worry about." Caleb continued.
At this Pogue raised an eyebrow, looking at each of them. "What's going on?"
Caleb let out a long breath and began explaining. By the end of it, Pogue had the same worried expression on his face that Caleb so often sported. "This makes no fucking sense!"
"There's something else…" Caleb said. "A few days ago I was on my way home and I…I saw a darkling."
"What?!"
"Why didn't you tell us?!"
"Who would send you a darkling?!"
They all fired their questions at once, Caleb wasn't sure who asked what.
"I didn't want to say anything unit we were all together. But there's more…it was in the form of that dead kid they found at the Dells."
Reid looked scared, they all did. "This just went from 0 to 180 real quick man!"
"What the fuck are we supposed to do now?! Nothing good ever follows a darkling Caleb!" Pogue got up and began shouting. "And we can't just go to the elders with this shit!"
"Keep your voice down," Caleb cautioned, shooting a quick glance at the door. "We'll go to our dads like we talked about."
"Okay, and then what?" Reid asked.
"Isn't that the whole point of us going to them in the first place?" Tyler countered.
Reid rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Hell, I'm just gonna say what we're all thinking. This darkling shit has changed things and Caleb's only 3 weeks away from ascending. What if they decide this is too much for us to handle and take our powers away?"
"There's no way…they wouldn't do that." Tyler replied, not sounding all that convinced.
"Look I'm not saying we shouldn't speak to them…but maybe, we just hold off for now." Reid knew he was being selfish by asking but of the four of them, he was used to being the asshole.
Pogue shifted uncomfortably. "A lot can change in 3 weeks." He said, looking to the oldest for the final word.
Caleb looked at his friends, his father's words echoing in his head. "You're part of a brotherhood now, son. You share an unbreakable bond unlike any other. From now on it is your job to watch out for them."

"Fine…" He finally decided. "We'll wait."

Skye could feel her heart beating through her ears.

Her palms were sweaty from gripping the steering wheel tightly as she and the girls circled around outside Nicky's trying to find a parking space.
"There's one!" Annie pointed out from the back seat next to Alex, but Skye drove straight past it.
"Yo!" Annie shouting waving her hand in front of her best friend's face. "That's the second one you've missed."
"Shit, sorry. I'm just distracted." And she was. Skye couldn't help overthinking what she was about to do. She pulled back the gear stick and reverse smoothly into the vacant space.

They all got out, Annie a little less gracefully than the others. "Oww! Stupid… I was not built for small cars!" She complained, having trouble maneuvering her long legs out of the back seat and bumping her head on the roof of the car in the process. "Seriously, I call permanent shotgun!"
"Fine by me," Alex said. "I'm just glad I don't have to walk everywhere."
Sarah chuckled. "I should have my car back from the shop next week so Skye won't have to be the only one driving us around anymore."
"Well, I call permanent shotgun in your car too," Annie replied, stretching out her legs.
Skye rolled her eyes. "Serves you right for wearing those."
Annie looked down at her black four-inch high ankle 'sock boots'. "What? They're cute and they go with my outfit." She'd paired them with khaki green slim fit cargo trousers and a black polo-neck bodysuit.
"You know you're gonna be taller than Tyler in those." Alex pointed out.
The blonde's eyes went wide and Skye laughed. "HA!"
Growing up, Annie had always been 'the tall one' and for the most part, she didn't mind it, except when it came to guys. "Quick swap with me." She aimed at Skye. Despite the four-inch difference in height, they were still the same shoe size.
"You're kidding right?" Skye asked. She could see the panic taking over her face. Kidding she definitely was not. "Okay, you're giving me the crazy eyes. Relax, I think there's a pair of chucks in the back."
Annie was already searching through the trunk. "YES!" She called out, spotting the black and white Converse.

Once she was done swapping them over, the girls made their way inside. Annie's shoe dilemma had almost made Skye forget about the conversation she intended on having with Pogue.
She opened the door to Nicky's and was immediately hit with the sounds of excited chatter and loud music. Tyler spotted them from the foosball tables and waved them over.
"Hey." He beamed at Annie, giving her a peck on the cheek. Her cheeks burned bright red. "You look great…you all do." He said, quickly correcting himself after seeing them all eye him and Annie up. To their right, Caleb and Reid were locked in an intense foosball match with…Chase.
Fuck! Skye though. She had completely forgotten about inviting him, their earlier encounter popping into her mind. It was her turn to blush when he looked up and winked at her.
"What was that?" Sarah asked her.
"I kinda invited him…" She confessed nervously. "It was before I decided to talk to Pogue."
Speaking of Pogue, where was he? She craned her neck above the sea of bobbing head.
"He's not here yet." She heard Tyler say. He was looking at her, a knowing smirk on his face. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and turned in the direction of the bar. As she walked over, it suddenly made sense why the dorms were so quiet earlier. It seemed all of Spencer were currently packed into Nicky's like sardines.
Skye managed to find a spot at the bar, squeezed in between two guys she recognised from the swim team.
"What's a girl gotta do to get served around here?" She called out cheekily to Nicky who was running between the bar and kitchen like a headless chicken.
The large man frowned when he saw who it was and purposely walked right past her to serve the next person.
She gaped at him. "Ruuuuuude."
"There you are." She heard a familiar voice say as a hand came to rest on the small of her back. But it wasn't the voice she was hoping for.
"Impeccable timing." She said, raising her voice so Chase could hear her over the rest of the room. "What are you having?"
He leaned in close to her ear. She could feel his warm breath on her neck, it was unsettling. Her earlier feeling of ease around him had taken a turn. "I'm easy. Whatever you're having."

Just then, the door opened allowing a breeze to sweep through the room. Shivers quickly spread across her skin as she watched Pogue walk in with Madison…holding hands. Her eyes met Pogue's; his face was stony. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and turned back around to see Nicky eyeing both her and Pogue knowingly. A deep furrow had set into his brow bone. "Thought I warned you'll not to be idiots."
Skye smiled. "Not him, just me this time."
His face seemed to soften at this. "You want an ice cream float?" He offered her.
She stuck her bottom lip out and shook her head making him chuckle. "Okay, what'll it be then?"
Skye ordered a round of burgers and fries for the table, turkey for herself, then made her back across the room to her friends. They were all seated around two round tables pushed together. She and Chase took the only two seats left, right opposite Pogue and Madison, neither of whom even so much as batted an eyelid at them as they sat down.
Skye on the other hand, couldn't help but look. They were sitting so close Madison was practically on his lap. She was wearing a light pink bustier top and a pair of high-waisted light wash jeans. If Skye didn't dislike the blonde so much, she would have complimented her on the outfit.
"Hey, you okay?" Chase asked, putting a hand on her knee.
"I'm good." Skye quickly replied. She wasn't sure what to make of it, he'd seen her in nothing but a towel a mere hour before yet the weight of his hand felt foreign and uncomfortable.
She looked at Sarah with pleading eyes. "Game of foosball?" The blonde suggested.
Skye shot up impulsively. "Yes!"
"What was that about?" Sarah asked once they were far enough away from the table.
"I er…just wasn't prepared for that," Skye mumbled, dropping the tiny foosball into the middle of the table.
After five minutes of Skye scoring, Sarah threw in the towel. "Wow… you're as bad as Annie." She joked.
Sarah just shrugged her shoulders. "So…when are you gonna tell him?"
Skye looked over at Pogue. "Maybe if Madison ever detaches her tentacles."
"Down girl." Her roommate chuckled.
They heard a whistle and saw Reid on his feet waving them over. "Food!"
Skye's stomach started growling as if on command. "Oh, thank God!" She said, pulling Sarah with her.

They got back to their seats just as their burgers and fries were being set down. She took a bite out of hers and immediately spat it out, a revolted look on her face.
"Charming," Madison mumbled but Skye ignored her.
Tyler, Reid, and Caleb looked at each other. "Pickles." They all said in unison.
"Dammit, forgot to order mine without." She sighed, already starting to pick them out.
"Whoa whoa whoa…" Chase protested. "You're messing with the integrity of the burger!"
"You like them that much, you eat them." She said.
Without hesitation, he stabbed each discarded pickle slice with his fork and gulped them down in one bite.
"You make me sick." Skye teased. They laughed as the rest of the group watched on, some amused, some confused, and one very irritated looking Pogue.
"So, what is this, a date?" Reid asked, he couldn't help himself. Alex aimed a kick at him under the table but he dodged it. "What I'm just asking."
Skye was quick to answer. "No, just a thank you for helping me out earlier."
"With what?" He continued to pry.
She opened her mouth to speak but Chased beat her to it. "I was walking past the girls showers earlier and I heard someone trying to get out. The door was stuck."
At this, Reid perked up even more. "Were you naked?"
"What? No, of course not!" She denied, nearly choking on a fry.
"There was a towel-" Chase started saying with a smirk on his face but Skye was quick to interrupt. "I was fully covered thank you very much!"
"Awfully convenient you just happening to walk by like that, what with the boy's dorms being in a different block and all," Madison commented. "You're a lucky girl, Skye."
Now that Skye really thought about it, Madison actually had a point, despite her implications. Skye hadn't even thought to question what he'd been doing there.
"Right place, right time." He shrugging his shoulders modestly.
At that point, Pogue had heard enough. He pushed his food aside and got up, a little too abruptly taking Madison by surprise. "Lost my appetite." He noted before walking off.
Caleb got up to go after him but Skye stopped him. "Wait, Caleb. Let me."
He sat back down and Skye followed Pogue out the back door to the alley behind the bar.
This was it, her chance to tell him everything. She just hoped he wasn't too pissed off to listen.

"Hey." She said.

Pogue was standing outside with his hands in his pocket and his back to her. The alley was dimly lit and the wind had picked up. Skye wrapped her arms around herself as she approached him. "Hey…" She said again, stopping just behind him. He didn't turn around immediately, she was almost tempted to reach out and pull on his hair like she did when they were kids. He always hated that.
"What do you want, Skye?" He asked with his back still turned.
"So, you're not gonna even look at me anymore?" She countered, her voice breaking ever so slightly, but it was enough to make him turn around.
Skye gave him a weak smile; her long hair swept to the side by the wind. His face was as cold as it was when he walked through the door earlier.
"God, please don't look at me like that." She practically begged.
"Like what?" He replied.
"Like I'm a stranger." She said quietly.
Pogue continued his icy stare, not giving anything away. "Shouldn't you get back to your date."
"It's not a date, I told you. Which is more than I can say for you and Madison." Skye bit back, instantly regretting it. She wanted so badly just to touch him. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair."

He stayed quiet and Skye took that as her cue to keep going. "Look, I didn't follow you out here to start another argument. I don't even know how we got here and I'm sick of feeling like I'm always fighting you. I know all of this is my fault and I'm just…I'm sorry for all of it." Her voice was shaky and she was trying her hardest to hold back the tears.
Still nothing from him. "Are we ever gonna get passed this?"
"You were right." He finally replied.
Skye was confused. It wasn't the reaction she was expecting. "About?"
"Us just being friends." He said coldly.
Her heart dropped. "Oh…"
"We should get back inside." He said, already walking past her to the door.
"Pogue, please…let me just-" She pleaded but he was already gone, leaving her in the alley alone. It took a few seconds for the tears to come streaming down. Pogue's reaction was far worse than anything she had imagined in her head.

She heard the backdoor creak open again and turned expecting to see Pogue, but it was Sarah. Skye quickly wiped away her tears but her roommate didn't have to see them to know she'd been crying.
"What happened?" She asked.
"This was a mistake. I should have just left things alone." Skye cried, her tears betraying her again.
"Oh Skye, I'm so sorry I pushed you into telling him. I really thought you two could work things out." Sarah apologised.
Skye let out a breathy laugh but there was no humour in her voice. "That's the thing, I didn't even get around to telling him how I feel, he didn't let me get that far…God, you should have seen his face. I didn't think inviting Chase tonight would…I think it's really over…"
Sarah empathised with Skye; she was no stranger to heartbreak herself. She reached into her handbag, rummaging around for a tissue. She found one and handed it to Skye. "What can I do?"
"You can help cover for me. Don't really feel like going in there and facing everyone. Especially Pogue and Madison." Skye breathed, wiping the last of her tears away.
"You don't have to worry about that, they took off," Sarah said.
That didn't take long. Skye thought. "Whatever…I'm gonna head back to the dorms. You and the girls okay to get a ride?"
Sarah nodded. "Sure. Text me when you get back, okay?"
"Okay. I'll see you later." She said, making her way to the car. She took the long way around Nicky's rather than walking past her friends inside. She didn't feel like having to explain herself to anyone.

On the drive back, Skye thought about Pogue and everything they'd been through in such a short space of time. The first time she saw him again after 9 years, that night at Nicky's, she still felt a pull in her chest every time she thought about the way he looked at her.
Their first kiss in her secret hiding place…and their second in her dad's Range Rover…and their last behind Nicky's. It was almost Shakespearean the way things had unfolded over the last couple week, one minute they're kissing and Pogue's reassuring her that he didn't care about everyone knowing about them, and the next he could barely stand to be around her. The very same place she associated with such happiness now made her feel the exact opposite.
Then there were all the arguments, all the smalls ones that erupted into so much more. It felt like they'd lived a whole year's worth of a relationship in a month. It was complicated and intense, and she wanted nothing more than to have it all back, to have him back.

Before Skye knew it, she was back at Spencer. She'd driven all that way and could barely remember it…scary. She'd just locked the car when something yellow caught her eye. Tucked away at the far end of the parking lot, underneath a tree was Pogue's Ducati. Surely, he would've known that Skye might see it. Maybe he didn't care…maybe it was his way of saying they were over, once and for all.

Madison's room was on the floor below hers. She thought about walking past, just to check.
"C'mon Skye, don't be that girl." She whispered to herself, looking around to see if anyone was watching her. "Fuck it." She needed to know.

It was a short distance to the second floor. Skye looked at each of the door numbers as she walked by. 283…284…285…286. Bingo! The light was on, Skye could see it glimmering through the gaps around the edge of the door. She leaned in closer to try and hear them. At first, all she could make out was the TV, it sounded like a music channel. And then she heard them, the unmistakable sound of heavy breathing and lips smacking together. "Oh, Pogue…"

Skye immediately backed away from the door and threw her hand up to cover her mouth, stopping herself from crying out. What did you expect?
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry… she thought all the way to her room, scared someone might see her. Once inside, Skye didn't even bother turning the light on. She took off her shoes, crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her head, and for the second time that night, she cried her eyes out, this time until she fell asleep.

It was dark, Skye opened her eyes expecting to see her roommate in the bed beside her but the blonde was nowhere to be seen. Odd…maybe it's still early she thought, looking at the digital clock on her bedside table. The bright red numbers told her it was 3:03 am.

She sat up in bed and looked around for her phone. The screen lit up at her touch but there were no messages from Sarah or anyone else for that matter. Skye was surprised that not even Annie had checked in.
She quickly texted both girls then tossed the phone on her bed and went into the washroom, her eyes felt crusty from falling asleep in her makeup. While washing her face, Skye wondered where Sarah could be, Caleb still lived at home so there was no way she would have gone back there, his mom would have a fit. Maybe she crashed with Annie and Alex, but that didn't make any sense either, their room was less than two meters away.
They couldn't all still be out; it was only the first week back at school and not even Reid would risk sleeping in. Could she have gone back with someone else?
Skye looked at herself in the mirror, her face now clean and dry. She frowned at the thought of Sarah even looking at another guy in the same way she does Caleb. "Nah, there's no way." She whispered to herself.

She stripped down to her underwear and put on an oversized t-shirt before getting back into bed. A quick look at her phone again still showed no response from her friends. She hoped they were all okay.
There was a slight chill in the room but she couldn't work out where it was coming from, the windows were all closed. A sudden shiver ran down her spine and out of nowhere, a hooded figure appeared in the corner of the room closest to the door. Before she could even react, the figure was on top of her. The back of her head hit the pillow hard, it bounced off and a searing pain shot through her neck, feeling almost like whiplash.

It was happening again.

She couldn't move or scream as the figure on top of her continued to push down. Her heart was racing so fast it was beginning to hurt. The figure moved, shifting its weigh as if it knew where she was most in pain. It suddenly felt like someone was kneeling on her chest. She shut her eyes tight and prayed that someone would find her, that someone would help. She thought about her parents, Annie, the rest of her friends…Pogue. Please…help me. Pogue.

Just as the image of his face pooped into her mind, she felt something grab onto both of her arms, something warm. The pressure on her chest began to disappear and her eyes flew open. There, under the bright light of her room, hovering above her with a terrified look on her face was Sarah. "Skye, it's me, you're okay…"
Skye's eyes darted around the room looking for the hooded figure. It was gone. Relief spread through her body like a wildfire. She sat up and hugged Sarah, sobbing into her shoulder. "Shhhh it's okay, I've got you. Breath Skye, you're okay, you're safe."
She kept repeating this until Skye eventually calmed down. "I'm so sorry you had to see that." She felt both guilty and embarrassed. How was she going to explain this away?
"Hey, there's nothing to apologise for," Sarah assured her. "Here, have some water." She said, handing Skye a glass.
She took a few sips then passed it back. "No, I should have warned you when I moved in. They're night terrors. I haven't had one in a while…I thought they were finally over."
Sarah knew she was lying. After all, it wasn't her first time seeing it, but she didn't want to upset Skye even more by pointing that out.
"I'll go to Mrs. Perkins before first period and ask if I can move to a single room," Skye said.
"No way. I don't want you too!" Sarah began to protest. "I won't tell anyone if that's what you're thinking."
Skye could see the hurt flash across her roommate's face. "It's not that. What if it happens again?"
"Then at least you'll know I'm here to wake you up. We'll deal with it." Sarah said firmly.
"That's the thing, you shouldn't have too!"
"Skye, I'm not just your roommate, I'm your friend. And believe me, I don't scare that easily."
The brunette's heart warmed hearing her say that. "Not true, you should have seen your face." She teased. "But, thank you…means a lot. And just so you know, I only ever get them when I'm really stressed, the night terrors. At least that's what my doctor said when I first started getting them."
"Do you think…" Sarah started to ask but stopped herself. "Actually, never mind."
"Do I think what?" Skye pressed her even though she was sure what the question would have been.
"Do you think it had something to do with Pogue…about what happened with him?"
Skye thought back to what she heard outside Madison's room. "Maybe…probably. When I got back from Nicky's I saw his motorbike in the parking lot so I walked by Madison's room and I…I heard them…"
Sarah didn't need her to finish that sentence to know what she meant. She wiped away the tears rolling down Skye's cheeks and hugged her tightly. "What you're feeling right now, all the hurt, it won't last forever. And then one day you'll wake up and it'll be like a distant memory. I promise you."
Skye nodded her head and wiped away the last of her tears. "Yeah…"
"We should get some sleep, we've gotta be up in a few hours," Sarah said, crossing the room to turn off the light before getting back into her bed.

Skye lay awake in bed listening to the steady rhythm of Sarah breathing. After what seemed like hours, she got up and went into the washroom. Once inside, she stood there just staring at herself in the mirror, confused.
If it was just another night-terror, if that's all it really was, then why did she have no makeup on and how was she in her sleepwear rather than the dress she wore to Nicky's…why did the clock on her bedside table read 3:03 am…and why was there a large purplish bruise forming in the middle of her chest?

Help me…please…help me…Pogue.

He woke suddenly, sweat dripping from his forehead, his hair matted to his face. The blonde girl next to him was still sound asleep, seemingly undisturbed by his abrupt awakening. His heart was pounding. That voice, it sounded like…
His phone started vibrating, interrupting his thoughts. He knew before even picking up who it was.
"Where are you?" Caleb asked, not bothering with any pleasantries.
"Dorms." He replied.
"Did you feel it?" The older boy asked. Pogue could hear the worry in his voice.
"Yeah…strongest it's ever been." He said.
"I'll see you at Reid and Tyler's in 10." And with that Caleb hung up.

Pogue carefully slipped out of Madison's bed without making so much as a sound. By now, he was well versed in the art of making a clean getaway. It had become somewhat of a talent, almost like a thief fleeing the scene of a crime without leaving behind any fingerprints.
He got to his feet and looked around for his clothes, currently sprawled across Madison's dorm room floor. He managed to locate everything but his t-shirt. It suddenly dawned on him where it was. He looked at the sleeping blonde and let out an annoyed breath, she was wearing it. Fuck! He'd have to go without it, no way was it worth waking her up and suffering through the inevitable awkwardness.

Pogue quickly got dressed and grabbed his phone and bike keys from Madison's bedside table. The time on his phone showed 3:08 am, he was almost certain no one would be walking around outside at that time to question his attire. He pulled on his leather jacket over his bare skin and headed for the door, throwing one last glance at the sleeping blonde before shutting the door behind him.

On his way to Reid and Tyler's, he thought about last night...and Skye. Seeing Chase all over her was the last straw for him. He wasn't going to stand around like a wounded puppy while she moved on, so he beat her to it. Madison may have been a means to an end but she was also fun. Actually, a lot of fun.

He reached Reid and Tyler's dorm room and barely knocked once before the door flew open to reveal a sleepy-looking Reid on the other side.
"Dude…the fuck are you wearing?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, where's your shirt?" Tyler asked, walking over to his wardrobe and tossing Pogue a t-shirt.
Pogue threw it on and collapsed into a nearby armchair. It was tight but better than nothing. "…Madison's." He said, hesitating for a second.
Tyler and Reid shared a look. "Oh…when we saw your bike parked out front, we figured you were with Skye." The youngest boy said.
"Nah, that's uh...that's over, man. For good this time." Pogue said.
Reid nodded his head knowingly. "Explains why she took off then."
"What do you mean?" Pogue asked, confused.
"She left right after you. Didn't even come back inside." Tyler explained. There was a harshness to his tone.
"Got something to say, Ty?" Pogue asked, sensing the shift in his voice.
"Just wondering whether you planned on telling Skye about Madi-"
Pogue's jaw twitched. Tyler had crossed a line. "I don't see how that's any of your fucking business." He barked, getting in his friend's face.
Reid jumped up to get in between them. "Whoa, let's just chill out."

The tension in the room was palpable. In their near 18 years of being best friends, brothers, they'd never once come to blows over a girl. Caleb's bursting through the door couldn't have come at a better time, and seeing him was enough to make them forget about their issues, for the moment at least.
"Jesus, you look…" Tyler said, going over to their friend who looked ready to topple over.
"Like shit." Reid finished.
"There was another darkling…on my way here," Caleb said, sitting down on Reid's bed. His skin was ghostly pale. "Something's different…something's changed. Whatever it is…it's starting to hit a little closer to home. Someone is messing with us."
"Yeah, no shit. Two darklings?! What was it this time?" Reid asked.
"Sarah," Caleb replied.

An eerie silence passed through the room, they were all thinking the same thing. Darkling's at best were a bad omen, but the appearance of one as Sarah made one thing clear, whoever it was that had it out for them, they were willing to use the people they cared about to do it. First Sarah…but who next?
"From now on we keep a close eye on the girls." Caleb continued. "They're just collateral damage to anyone coming after us."
"How are we supposed to protect them when we don't even know what we're protecting them from?! Tyler asked.
"You don't think I know that, Ty?! I don't see anyone else offering up any suggestions. We can't afford to keep going in fucking circles, not anymore."
"This makes no fucking sense. Why is all this happening now?" Pogue probed, clearly frustrated.
"I've been thinking about that too…all of this started when someone new got into town. Maybe it's just a coincidence…and maybe it's not."
Tyler's mind automatically went to Skye. He looked at his friends, trying to calm the panic erupting inside him. "Who do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Pogue snickered.
"Chase," Caleb answered the questioning looks on Reid and Tyler's faces.
Tyler felt relief spread through him. The boy in question hadn't even crossed his mind.
"I knew there was something off about that guy," Pogue said.
"Bullshit man…" Reid aimed at him. "We all know the reason you can't stand the guy is Skye."
"Whatever, he's bad news. I can feel it."

Tyler fought hard not to roll his eyes, his anger towards Pogue would have to take a back seat. For the time being, they had bigger things to worry about. "So, what do we do now? We can't just follow the girls around 24/7. And what do we do when they start asking questions? Some of us aren't that good at lying." He couldn't help getting in that not so subtle dig.
If Pogue had caught on to Tyler's barb toward him, he didn't make it known.
"I've thought about it and it's actually not that complicated." Caleb began to explain. "We all have at least one class with one of the girls, Skye's has practice with us three times a week. Ty and Reid will probably eat dinner with them most days as well. It's the best shot we've got at keeping them safe until we figure out what's going on."
"What about the rest of the time?" Reid asked. "Ty's right, it's impossible for us to keep an eye on them all day every day."
"We can figure that out as we go along, take it one day at a time," Caleb said.

No one said anything but the other boys all nodded in agreement. It wasn't a full proof plan by any means, but it was the best one they had. For now, anyway.

All the makeup in the world couldn't cover up Skye's puffy and slightly red face. On top of that, she'd developed a headache currently working Its way from the right side of her temple to the left. All signs pointing to her crying herself to sleep the night before if it wasn't already obvious just by looking at her face.
"Stop stressing, it'll just make it worse. You can barely see." Sarah assured her.

The two girls were in their dorm room, getting ready to leave for the morning assembly in the auditorium. As seniors, they had to be in attendance at every single one during the first week of school.

Skye slipped on her all-white Vans over the knee-high socks she had on. Looking at herself in the full-length mirror she shared with her roommate, it was a wonder the school still forced them to wear these uniforms. The socks, crisp tight white shirts, and short(ish) high-waisted plaid skirts were straight out of a perv's wet dream. That together with the unusual amount of makeup she chose to put on in an attempt to hide her swollen eyes made her look like she was trying too hard, in her opinion, anyway.
"I'm serious, stop obsessing. Your eyes aren't even that bad. In a couple of hours, they'll go down and you'll still be left with all that makeup on. So, enough with the concealer."
Sarah made a good point, one that Skye hadn't realised. "Shit, you're right." It dawned on her. "Maybe I should take it all off."
"No, that's not what I meant. You look good, maybe a little too good for a Tuesday morning." Her roommate teased, but it did nothing to subside Skye's worries. "C'mon, we should leave now if we want to make it in time and not be stuck with seats right in front." The blonde urged, practically pushing Skye out of the door before grabbing their backpacks and locking their room door shut.

"Boo!" Someone whispered into Skye's ear, startling her.
"Dammit, Reid! It's too early for your shit." She groaned, swinging her backpack at him. She hadn't noticed him and Tyler outside their room, waiting by the looks of it. "What're you guys doing here?" The boy's dorms were in a different block.
"Oh, ya know, we were in the area…" He just said.
Skye shot him a suspicious look, locking eyes with him. "Riiiight…" Like that explained anything.
The sound of Alex and Annie's door opening broke her concentration. A smile erupted on Annie's face when she saw Tyler. "Hey, this is a nice surprise."
"We were in the neighbourhood." He shrugged. His face taking on a slight pink tinge around the cheeks.

Skye couldn't help but snort at Tyler's words. It was like they'd rehearsed it. Annie's eyes immediately went to her best friend and her smile quickly turned into a frown. The makeup was the first thing she noticed.
"What's wrong?" She asked, approaching Skye.
"Nothing, I didn't sleep all that well." The brunette said. "Honestly, I'm fine. Can we not do this right now." She continued in a low voice so only Annie could hear.
The blonde leaned down to kiss her best friend on the cheek. "Fine, later then." She promised, before walking ahead to link her arm through Alex's.

Tyler joined Skye as they lagged behind their friends on their way to the auditorium. He fixed her with a concerned look, similar to Annie's. "Not you too." She said to him, suddenly feeling the lack of sleep catching up to her.
"What? I didn't say anything."
"No, but your face did"
"That's probably because you look kinda hot."
"Shutup." She mumbled, nudging him with her shoulder. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, listening to their friend's chatter, far too excitedly for this early in the morning Skye noted, as they continued to trail behind at a leisurely pace.
"I saw Pogue's bike here last night when I got back…he was with Madison." Skye blurted out, making sure to keep her voice low enough for just him to hear. She wasn't sure why she did it, just that Tyler felt safe. After all, he was already the keeper of one of her biggest and darkest secrets.
"I know." He admitted, his expression full of understanding.
"He told you?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Yeah." Nothing more, nothing less.
Skye nodded, blinking back the tears pooling in the corner of her eyes as if what she'd heard last night was just some figment of her imagination. "I'm so stupid." She muttered.
Tyler wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned into him. "Pogue's a fucking idiot."
A breathy laugh escaped her lips at that. "You don't have to do that. He's one of your best friends."
"Yeah, he is. But he's still a fucking idiot."
She laughed again. "Thanks."
"I got you." He winked at her.
A warm feeling spread through her chest. He may have only been trying to make her feel better, but she appreciated it, nonetheless.

They reached the huge auditorium, and both felt the glare before they saw it. Seated in the third row from the back were Pogue, Caleb on his right, and Madison on his left. His hazel eyes boring a hole into Tyler's arm around Skye's shoulders. The others were already making their way over to them, but Skye couldn't bring herself to follow. Who the fuck does he think he is? She thought and just like that, her sadness quickly turned to anger. He had no right to be looking at them like that. Even if Tyler wasn't like a brother, it would still be none of his goddamn business. Or had he forgotten who was moaning his name last night?
"You go." She told Tyler. "That row looks a little cramped to me."
"Fuck that. C'mon." He said, taking her hand and leading her to two empty seats on the row below their friends. It took everything in her not to turn around and glare right back at Pogue. Instead, she met Madison's eyes. The message in them clear as day. I won.

She hadn't given much thought to how things would be between them moving forward, but if that brief interaction with Pogue and Madison was anything to go by then that was just fine. Fuck them both. Skye could play that game just as well.

"Okay, talk," Annie said, plopping down next to Skye with her lunch. So far it was just the two of them sitting around a large table in the dining hall. They'd just come from their history class with Caleb, who disappeared soon after when his phone started ringing. By the look on his face before he excused himself, Skye figured it must have been his dad.
"About?" Skye asked, feigning ignorance.
"Don't give me that, I know you better than you know yourself. You know exactly what about."
Skye rolled her eyes. "You do not."
"Layla Skye Ryan, stop deflecting!"
"Damn bitch, no need to full-name me." She scoffed, feeling personally attacked by her best friend. "It's nothing really. Pogue and I talked last night, and we're done, okay. And yeah, I allowed myself to feel shitty last night but that's over now. So, no more wallowing and talking about it. Time to move on."
Annie watched Skye pick at her food and scroll through her phone like it was nothing. But she knew better.
"Hey, look at me." She cupped the brunettes face in her hand forcing her to look her in the eyes. "If you don't wanna talk about it then I won't push you but just know this. You are a fucking queen and if that asshole is too stupid to see it then he doesn't deserve you anyway. You got me?"
Skye couldn't help but laugh. Such an Annie response. "Yes, ma'am…And I might not be his biggest fan right now but he's not an asshole. Never has been."
"I know. But I also know you'd never say it yourself, so I did it for you. Sometimes it's okay to be pissed and say those things even if you don't mean them. That's why you have me. You can always come to me, Skye."
"God, I love you." She replied. Annie always knew just the right thing to say.
"Yeah, yeah."

Her mood had slowly improved as the day went on. Probably because she'd been avoiding Pogue and Madison every chance she got. Luckily, they didn't have any classes together until the end of the day and if she saw either of them in the hallway, she'd duck into the restroom or hide behind some lockers. Was it childish? Absolutely. Did she care? Not in the slightest.

Unfortunately, Skye's inner peace had been short-lived and rapidly faded away as Pogue and Madison approached their table. In their defense it wasn't just them, they were joined by the rest of their friends. But it didn't matter, her mood had already gone to shit. Her palm itched to wipe the self-satisfied smile Madison had on her face as she sat down directly opposite her.
"Hey, girls. Wow, Skye, you look really pretty today." She had the audacity to beam at them.
Skye fixed her with the sweetest smile she could muster. "OMG, thanks!" She replied, a little too happily. I know your games, bitch.
"What's wrong with your face?" Reid asked, sitting next to her.
Her face immediately relaxed, and she stuck her tongue out at him, then went back to scrolling through her phone like her inside weren't crawling. How was she going to do this? Madison had implanted herself into the group and she couldn't very well force her out. Especially not when it looked like she was trying to make an effort, fake or not. It'll get easier she reminded herself of her roommate's words. She looked across the table to where Sarah was sitting and sure enough, the blonde was gazing right back at her, giving her a reassuring smile and a wink. Skye suddenly got up and gathered her belongings, deciding that the easiest way to not have to deal with the shitstorm of emotions currently plaguing her would be to avoid the causes of said shitstorm.
"I'm out." She declared.
"You've barely touched your food. Where are you going?" Annie asked, frowning at her.
"Don't have much of an appetite. See you in Physics." She cast her eyes toward Pogue who hadn't even acknowledged her since their stare-off that morning, but he was clearly too engrossed with whatever Madison was saying to even notice her leaving. Get used to it she told herself.

This was just the way things would be from now on, no matter how much it hurt her already damaged heart.