.o You Have a Sister o.
Cammie POV
"You never told your little girlfriend about your sister?"
Sister.
Sister.
The word echoed in my brain until it lost its meaning.
Zach had a sister. It couldn't be true. It didn't make sense. Yet, here was the proof standing in front of me. Just looking at the girl Zach called Alyson, you could tell they were related. Her face, while feminine, had the same bone structure as Zach's. She had the same posture, the same smirk. The only thing that was drastically different about them was the hair. Hers was a flaming, deep red- just like her mother's.
But the thing that disturbed me most was her eyes.
How many times had I looked into those eyes? I stared them down when I faced Catherine. I gazed into them when I needed their assurance, their comfort. I saw them in my nightmares, haunting me. I looked into them before Zach kissed me.
And there they were. Reflected exactly in this girl's head.
Zach's sister was wearing black pants, a deep red top, a black leather jacket, and some black, high heeled boots that, had this been any other girl, I would have demanded she told me where she got them. I could tell there were at least two knives and one gun on her belt. She was also wearing black and red gloves. Her hair came down in waves, framing her face. She looked like one of us. Mysterious. Intelligent. And, most of all, dangerous.
The girl smirked again, relishing in my confusion, in Zach's evident discomfort.
At least now I knew what his big secret was.
Didn't mean I liked it.
My brain was spinning, trying to digest the bombshell that had just dropped. I could only seem to put one coherent thought into words. "You have a sister."
I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded, especially when I was anything but. The only other time I remembered feeling this confused, shocked, hurt, and lied to, I had just found out his mother was the woman who had been haunting me for over a year, trying to kill me.
Turns out his sister had the same hobby.
In the far corner of my mind, the part that thought with logic only, without being fogged with emotion, everything seemed to click into place.
This is why Zach was the one to be singled out. This is why he was the one to get the notes, to be told only he could find them. This is why he was so secretive, why he wanted me to stay out of this, why he seemed so afraid. This was why he had apologized.
The girl standing in front of me responded to my statement faster than Zach could.
"Oh, I'm sorry, here," she stuck out her gloved hand as if she was a normal girl meeting her brother's girlfriend, "My name's Alyson. And I know who you are, Cameron Ann Morgan." I saw a flash of something gleam in her eyes as she said my name, but before I could identify the emotion, it was gone.
Three knives. Black and red nail polish. A soft laugh.
For the second time that day, a white-hot pain blazed behind my eyes. Images I couldn't name or make any sense of flashed through my mind.
Zach stepped in front of me, knocking Alyson's hand away before I had time to blink.
"What do you want?" He asked, his voice flat as a board.
Alyson sighed and put a hand over her heart. "That's all I get? You haven't seen me in almost a year, and all I get is 'what do you want?' I'm hurt, Zachy."
In a move so fast, I would have missed it if I'd blinked, Zach reached out and twisted his sister's hand back in a way that would have had any normal person yelling in pain. Alyson simply grinned.
"Don't call me that," Zach seethed. I'd never seen him like this. He looked like he was ready to rip her apart, yet all Alyson did was grin wider.
Zach put more pressure on Alyson's arm. If he put any more, he would break her hand. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"
Beside us, someone snorted. All of our heads whipped towards the sound. Until that point, I had practically forgotten the three of us weren't alone. The crowd that had surrounded us paid no more attention to us once the song ended- I couldn't help wonder what they assumed was happening- but my friends, the guys, and the other two girls were still standing next to us, silently watching. Until the blonde snorted, that is.
"Oh, come on, Zach. You know why we're here. That's why you're so scared," She said in a snarky tone. I wracked my brain for the name Zach had whispered. Evelyn.
She was taller than Alyson, and had more of an athletic build, like Bex. Her eyes were a stormy grey in her angular face. Her dirty blonde hair was cut into blunt layers, and her bangs stopped right before her eyes. She was wearing a deep green top that hugged her body, a brown jacket, and black pants with boots. Her five knives were not hidden in their place on her hip. She looked ready to kill. The way she stood made me think of a snake coiled up before attacking.
Zach didn't respond to Evelyn's comment in any way. But I could see in his eyes she had hit the nail on the head. Zach was on edge.
"I'm more surprised he's not asking how we're here," the petite, raven-haired girl- Clara- said. She was in a black dress with sleeves that hooked on her middle fingers and black flats. Her hair was down but pinned away from her face, showing her almost childlike features.
As I looked at the small girl, I couldn't help feeling that there was something- off about her. Maybe it was the dreamlike quality of her voice or the way her wide, blue eyes were wandering around the space just above Zach's head like there was something flying around above him. But she seemed strange.
In the part of my mind that wasn't still spinning, the pieces clicked. Alyson. Clara. Evelyn. ACE. One glance at my friends told me they had come to the same realization. That was when I realized Macey was still missing.
"Where's my friend?" I asked. All three girls smiled at my question.
Alyson twisted her arm, releasing Zach's hold, and stepped back. "Don't worry. She should be here in a few moments."
Beside me, Bex let out what sounded like a snarl. I was sure she would have attacked Alyson right then if Grant hadn't been holding her in place. The guys had hardly moved since the girls had appeared, but Grant didn't hesitate to grab Bex in an iron grip.
"Where is Macey?" Bex demanded.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Relax," she drawled, "she was just locked in a bathroom. I didn't even tie her up. I'm sure you Gallagher Girls know how to get out of a bathroom?"
I narrowed my eyes at the way she said Gallagher Girls- like we were a disease. The casual way she talked about abducting my friend made my skin crawl. Looking at Evelyn and Bex stare each other down I couldn't help wondering if there really was someone who could take Bex in a fight.
"Enough, Viper," Alyson said. Evelyn looked away. Bex seemed unnerved; no one had ever held her death stare, let alone returned it. It was like watching two alpha lions circle each other- only one would win the fight, and the winner took all.
Still holding Bex in place, Grant let out a chuckle. "You're still Viper? I thought you would have changed it by now."
Evelyn- or Viper- just rolled her eyes.
Clara let out a trilling laugh, and across from her, Jonas chuckled.
"You can't just 'change' your lifelong nickname, Cobra," Clara giggled.
Jonas laughed again. "He tried to change it to Greek God," he snickered, letting his arms fall from around Liz.
Evelyn raised an eyebrow and looked Grant up and down. "I don't see it," she said, while Grant feigned a heartache.
"That hurts," he said.
I was confused again. It was finally sinking in that Zach had a sister, and now the questions came flooding in. Why didn't Zach tell me? What else had he been keeping from me? Why was Zach so scared? But most of all, what did they want? Also, if these girls were so dangerous, why were the guys joking with them? I was getting impatient with the slowness of answers, and the joking way things seemed to have turned. Apparently, so was Zach.
I watched as he and Alyson rolled their eyes and groaned, mirroring each other exactly. It was then when I realized something that should have been obvious when Alyson first approached.
"You're twins."
Zach POV
Alyson and I both turned to Cammie. Around us, all of our friends' joking mood deflated as they remembered what was going on. It was just too easy to slip back into the way things were before everything changed. Before the inner war. Before we picked sides. Before we chose to go against each other. Before I abandoned them. Before- Cammie.
My sister- yes, my twin- smirked. Cammie said I had the world's most impossible smirk. She was wrong. Ally did.
Turning to Cam, I nodded slowly. I was torn on whether to be relieved or terrified that she knew my secret. I knew once the shock wore off, she was going to be mad. I was hoping I could keep the storm at bay until we were alone- or at least until ACE, as they've always called themselves, were gone.
My sister had no such concerns.
She turned to Cammie and chuckled. "So he really didn't tell you. Nothing at all? No hints at his past? This is going to be so unsatisfactory if you don't even know what my motives are!"
I could see the bait for what it was. I hoped Cammie could too. Confusion, hurt, and anger was evident in her eyes.
Eva was right. I knew why they were here. I had just hoped I was wrong. Before Cammie could respond, I hissed at my sister. "Leave her out of this."
Alyson turned back to me, her eyes cold as ice. "Leave her out of this? Like you left her out of this? We're here because of you, Zach. Not that you helped us to be able to be here in any way. "
I opened my mouth to respond, but Evelyn beat me to it.
"We were locked up because of you. I spent nine freaking months in Youngblood because of you and your little 'duty'! You're a filthy traitor! You. Left. Us."
Her words, even though they weren't at all the worst she could do, cut deep. I knew they would have to run when I left, but I never imagined they would get caught. At first, I thought they just went under the radar, like we'd planned. I had never dreamed they would be locked up.
Evelyn wasn't done though. She had been locked up, and now she wanted me to feel the guilt that was rightfully mine.
"Nine months in Youngblood. Do you know what that's like? Can you imagine what it was like?!"
I didn't. I had no idea what I would do if I was locked in Youngblood. Then I realized how much worse it would be for Eva. How it would feel after everything she went through. It felt like a stab in the gut, knowing what I put her through.
In the corner of my eye, I saw Grant take a half step towards her. I doubted he even realized he moved. Evelyn looked ready to lunge at me, but Ally put a hand on her arm, calming her slightly. Their eyes met for a second, and I saw the message loud and clear. 'Not now.'
Suddenly Clara's head shot up. "Behind the speaker."
No one had time to wonder what she was talking about. But I had already known what was coming before the knife went flying across the room. I glanced at Evelyn, whose hand was still extended from the throw. It seemed the nine months hadn't changed her deadly aim. We all stayed silent as Ally called out, "Why don't you join the party, Macey?"
I heard all three Gallagher Girls take in a breath as Macey came out behind the speaker, the knife stuck in the purse she was holding. I could tell the girls were worried, but they all kept their composure. They weren't used to being around ACE. They didn't know how they worked. I was surprised how little Evelyn's knife scene affected me. But then again, I'd trained with them, lived with them for over fifteen years.
I tried to read Macey's expression as she strode towards us, but she kept her face blank. Macey glanced once from me to Alyson, raised an eyebrow, and stood next to Cammie. "So, what are we doing?" She asked as if we were normal teens meeting here.
Alyson smirked at Macey. "Oh, they were just leaving," she said, pointing at all of us.
Evelyn looked at Ally in surprise. "But-"
"No 'but's'. I'm not doing anything until she knows exactly what we want," Alyson said, nodding towards Cam. Then she grinned, "Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon enough."
Bex took a step forward. "And what makes you think we're just going to let you leave?"
Clara smiled. "They do," she whispered, pointing at me and the guys. I glanced at Cammie, to see her expression, and only saw a blank face. This was going to get bad if I didn't get her away now. Sure she was going to explode once I got her to talk to me, but at least she would be away from my sister.
Bex wasn't convinced. "Why would they-"
"Well, there are two options," Ally cut her off. "You can follow us when we leave in two minutes and get hurt, or you can leave with them and get some well-deserved answers. Don't you think they deserve some answers, Zach?" My sister looked back at me, smirking again. I felt Cammie stiffen next to me. She wasn't going to be able to wait much longer before exploding. By the looks of it, neither were her friends.
"Or how about-" Bex didn't get to finish her threat; Grant had pulled her behind him and away from Eva, who looked ready to maim Bex.
"Fine," I said, trying to stop whatever hell was about to break loose. "We'll leave. You're right about the fact I owe them answers."
Alyson grinned. "Good. You go spill your guts. Then the real fun can begin."
"If you think I'm just letting you leave, you're wrong."
My sister laughed. "Fine, just this time. What do you want?"
"No tracking us, no bugging us, no following us. And if you contact any of us in any way, it's going to be me," I stated.
Evelyn raised an eyebrow, "Aw, Zach, are you getting paranoid?"
Alyson rolled her eyes but nodded, "Fine. We'll leave first. Come on, girls." She, Evelyn, and Clara took two steps back. "Oh, it was nice to see you again, Cammie!" Ally called before she turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Again? What did she mean again? As far as I knew, my sister had never met Cammie. I had made sure of that.
Grant, Jonas, and I shared and glance, then led the girls out of NightShade. They surprisingly followed us without a fight.
We made our way to the hotel in silence. Cammie walked stiffly beside me. I was afraid to look at her face. Bex looked ready to kill us. Liz, who had hardly said anything all night, walked timidly with Jonas. Her face was furrowed like it gets when she's cracking a difficult encryption code. Macey was walking ahead of us. From what I could see, she seemed that calmest out of all of us. That scared me.
When we got to the hotel, we made our way to my and the guys' room. I closed the door and turned the lock, then turned to face the storm.
Bex was still with Grant, leaning against the counter in the small kitchen area. Liz was sitting on the couch with Jonas. Macey was lounging in a chair, staring expectantly at me. But Cam was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, a hard glare in her eyes.
"You have a sister."
Cammie only said four words, but it made me crumble. I took a step forward, my eyes stinging, but she stepped back. "Cam-"
"You never told me you had a sister."
"I can explain."
"Explain what?!" Cammie screamed everything she'd held back in the club breaking free. "That you lied to me?! That everything I ever thought I knew about you was a lie?! That you didn't trust me enough to tell me?!"
It hurt. It hurt because she was right. I could have told her a long time ago. She deserved to know. I had been too selfish. Hopeful. Scared. I had never wanted to face my past. I'd wanted to keep her safe, but I hadn't been willing to pay the price. I had wanted the easy way out. Now it was time to reap what I'd sown.
"Cam-"
"What does she want?!" I'd only seen Cammie cry a handful of times, and it broke my heart to see the tears glistening in her eyes now.
"Gallagher Gi-"
"What. Does. She. Want?"
I took a deep breath and released the word that had scared me the most in the past year.
"Revenge."