Hey guys! I am so so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been dealing with a lot of stress, so I'm afraid I haven't had time to write. Any ways, I hope you enjoy the story!
Chapter 11: What Happened?
The next thing I remembered, was lying in a soft bed, feeling more tired than I ever remembered. I got up slowly, rubbing my head and groaning. I looked around, wondering what was going on, what happened. Looking back in my memory, I wondered what had happened. I remembered getting home with Daniel, seeing him meet Arsenio, and then a huge heaviness on my soul, but what had happened after that? The last thing I really remembered as Daniel reaching a hand out to me and screaming the word… Alana? Elena? Did he just mix up some letters? Or am I hearing wrong? Or was he really saying Alana? And where the hell was Arsenio in all of that mess?
I shook my head; I needed some answers, and the best place to get them was to go to the sources themselves. Standing, I leaned against my bed, waiting for the dizzy spell to go away before finding a hoodie, zipping it up, and going to find out where I was. I was in a house I didn't know, but walking around, I recognized it as Arsenio's. Did Daniel and Arsenio take me here while I was sleeping?
Walking around, I heard angry voices. Curious, I went up to them. Peering inside the room, I found Arsenio and Daniel there, arguing while standing on opposite sides of the room. What were they talking about?
"I can't believe you even considered it!" Arsenio was yelling. His face was red with anger and his eyes showed it clearly as well.
"I wasn't thinking properly!" Daniel yelled back, trying to defend himself.
Arsenio scoffed, "Wasn't thinking properly? What is there to think about? Alana should have died years ago, and what do you tell her!" Alana? What? Alana was dead; how would Daniel talk to her? How does he even know her?
"I had to watch her die!" Daniel screamed, "I had to watch Alana die, and I loved her! You killed her, Emil! Don't lie and say you didn't! How dare you lecture me!" I could feel my heart break at that statement; he loved Alana? Wait; was he the best friend Arsenio was talking about before? What's going on damn it!
I was torn between wanting to show myself to them and hiding myself just so I could hear more. Finally the first one won over, and I stepped out into the doorway. "Daniel. Arsenio."
Arsenio spun around to look at me, eyes wide, as Daniel gaped at me, pale. "What did you hear, Elena?" Arsenio asked slowly.
I was pale and felt sick myself. I ignored his question and moved towards the couch, right between them, and fell into it, hugging myself tightly. For some odd reason, I felt cold, and tired as hell. I was missing too much of my memory; what was going on, damn it?
"Elena, are you all right?" Daniel asked, walking up beside me.
He reached a hand out to me, but stopped when I lashed out, "Don't touch me!" He took his hand back, looking hurt, and I felt horrible. He was only trying to help, and I screamed at him. Man, what kind of girlfriend was I? I held my head between my hands and curled myself into a little ball. "I'm sorry, Daniel; I just don't know what's wrong with me. I'm tired, I'm cold, I'm sick, and I can't remember a single thing. What happened? The last thing I remember is you and Arsenio seeing each other, then this crazy pain in my head and fainting… And what's going on? And how do you know about Alana, Daniel?"
Daniel froze at that, "You know about Alana?"
"I know Arsenio loved her, and I know that she died, but how do you know her, Daniel? Hell, why don't you all just tell me what happened since I fainted?"
"Yes, Daniel, why don't you tell your girlfriend what happened?" Arsenio hissed, his eyes spewing fire at Daniel.
I glanced at him, "And you, Arsenio, what are you even doing here?"
He gave me a quick glance before his glare landed back on Daniel, "Your parents insisted that Dad and I come for dinner, but when I got here, I found you gone, so I figured I'd stay until you came home before leaving so I could wish you good night. However, when you got home, I found you with him."
"What do you have against Daniel, Arrsenio?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself, Elena? I'm not the one that was about to betray you."
"Betray me?" I gasped, spinning hurt eyes to Daniel, "What is he talking about?"
Daniel was glaring at Arsenio as if he could kill him just with his eyes, "I don't know what he's talking about."
"LIAR!" Arsenio roared, clenching his fists and stepping in front of me, separating me from Daniel, "Tell her the truth, Davide, tell her what she's missing! Tell her what you said to Alana, tell her what you promised."
"Who is Davide?" I asked, confused by Arsenio's ferocity. What was going on with him? What was wrong? He'd never been like that before, so why now? What had happened while I'd been out of it?
"I am Davide," Daniel spat through clenched teeth, "Who are you to lecture me, Emil? Unless you're forgetting, you are the one that ended Alana's life, not me."
Huh, was Emil Arsenio? What was up with all the false names? Which was the real name? What the damn hell was going on damn it?
"I have every right to lecture you! Just look what happened while Alana was here! Look what you promised her even while knowing you had a girlfriend whom you just told you loved!" What? What did Daniel tell Alana? Hell, how would he even tell Alana anything? Alana was dead for crying out loud!
"I-," Daniel started.
"Stop!" I screamed, rising to my feet. My face showed anger, annoyance, and confusion. "That is enough! Both of you just shut the hell up already!"
"Elena-," Arsenio started.
I glared at him, putting all my anger behind my words so they dripped venom, "I. Said. Shut. Up." He shut up. "Good," I said curtly, before sitting back down, "Now, I want to know what happened, and I want to know now. If you leave anything out, God help me; I will murder you where you stand."
Daniel stared at me, whereas Arsenio just looked pondering, amused, and almost proud. "You're nothing like Alana, Elena," Arsenio said, smiling lightly, "You're so much like her, and yet, not at all."
I raised an eyebrow, "Don't beat around the bush, Arsenio; I want an answer out of both of you."
He kept smiling, his eyes soft and apologetic, "You'll definitely get an answer out of me, that I promise, but your boyfriend I'm not so sure of."
I looked at him, wondering if he was implying what I thought he was implying. I turned on Daniel, "Please tell me what's going on."
He raised an eyebrow at me. His eyes showed me nothing of what he was feeling, and it scared me. I'd never seen him so… cold before. Unconsciously, I shifted away from him and moved towards Arsenio, seeking him. Daniel clearly noticed my motion, and his eyes grew darker, "Why don't you ask Arsenio, Elena? You clearly seem to like him so much."
Arsenio wrapped a protective arm around me, and glared at Daniel while I winced at his hidden accusation and then lashed back, "You're scaring me Daniel!"
He sneered at me, "Very good Elena, you actually understood my intent." I blanched some more, and he moved in on me, "I thought we were getting along great, and then I find you here with this filthy piece of shit." He flung his last words at Arsenio, who just tightened his grip around my shoulders. "What am I suppose to think?"
I almost screamed in frustration; we were getting absolutely nowhere with this! "Damn it Daniel! If you're not going to help me then just get out!" I kneaded my temples slowly, trying to ignore the headache building in my skull. "Please, I just need some answers! I'm not cheating on you with Arsenio, and I have no intention of doing so! Please, you either help me or you don't! If you don't, get out already; at least let Arsenio give me the answers I'm looking for. Please, Daniel."
At the end of my words, I heard a door slam shut. I let out a long breath and looked around the room; Daniel was gone, and with him, part of my heart. Why had he done that? Why had he acted so harsh? He'd never done it before; always been so sweet, so why now? What was going on with him? Did I do something to make him mad? What happened while I was out of it?
I turned to Arsenio with a pleading face. He just stared at me sadly, his eyes apologetic and somewhat tortured. Why was he tortured? What had happened in the time when I had been out of it? I gripped his shirt, and he wrapped his arms around me automatically. If I'd been thinking, and not freaking out, I would have said that the position was very intimate, which it was. He pulled me close to himself and stroked my hair gently, not speaking. For the moment, that was enough; I just needed him to be there with me, to remind me that I wasn't alone in the mess, and that I could trust him.
It hit me in that moment how much I'd grown to trust him in such little time. We'd only known each other for what, a few weeks, and already I'd grown to trust him more than even Chloe and Winsey. I looked up at him, and found his eyes closed, his chin resting on the top of my head. He looked so peaceful I almost felt bad about changing all of that.
I stared up at him, until he sighed and gave up the pretense of sleeping, staring right back into my eyes. "Are you sure about this, Elena?" he asked, as if he could read my mind.
I nodded slightly, small enough that I thought he might not notice, so I spoke as well, "I need to know, Arsenio, please."
He let out a sigh and pulled away, relaxing on the couch and staring off into space. For a few heartbeats, I feared he would not speak, until. "It all started when I first met Alana…"
