One Mistake & No Survivors
Again, keep reading. Just keep reading. I gave you all another big cliffhanger just to keep you hanging on even longer.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. The girls belong to their creators. I only own the plot.
Chapter Twenty One
The Rise and Fall of Hope
Amanda's POV
We have been in Minnesota a week. Agent Gomez decided it be best for us to get out of Hollywood and enter hiding, so they decided to ship us off to Minnesota. We in a secluded cabin hidden in the woods just outside the boys' hometown. We were reassured that nobody would dare venture that far into the woods, and with all the snow Minnesota has, I highly doubt anybody would leave their houses in the first place.
The cabin is rather big for cabin. There were two stories, and we each received our own rooms. Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan had bedrooms upstairs, while Elena, Erika, and I had bedrooms downstairs. There was a kitchen downstairs, complete with a stove, dishwasher, sink, cabinets, and a table with enough chairs for all of us. There was a living room, with a sofa and recliner. The fireplace was burning constantly, provided heat in the room. Each bedroom had a bed, dresser, a writing desk. Outside, there were plenty of things to do. There was a swing set that was practically buried in the snow, but Carlos had managed to unbury at least the swings so we could swing high, then jump off and land in the soft snow. Kendall had taken it upon himself to build an igloo, where he and Elena often hung out during the day. Kendall, James, and Carlos tried to make us girls like the Minnesota weather, but even Finland, my homeland, wasn't like this. New York storms weren't anything near Minnesota's winter storms.
Something cold hits my cheek, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn my head to the side to see James peeking out from behind a tree, laughing to himself. I let out a huff and begin to walk towards him, but the waist high snow causes me to fall face forward into the snow. I push myself up and let out another huff.
"I hate snow." I declare as James joins me at my side. "It's official. It needs to melt away and never come back. I mean, there is just so much of it! I can't even walk. And it's cold."
"Well, that's why you dress warmer." James laughs, tugging at my black scarf. "Only an idiot would wear what you're wearing."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I question, crossing my arms across my chest. I have on a dark green parka and a black snow suit underneath. My gray newspaper boy hat rests perfectly on my head and matches my clothes. I'm wearing snow boots and I'm bundled up nicely.
"You need more layers, and maybe some earmuffs." James says. "Or you freeze. But I think you're learning that the hard way."
"I hate you." I say, pulling on my hat down more so I can cover my ears. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
James bends down and scoops up some snow into his gloved hands. "You're the spy here. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" He teases before blowing the snow all over my face. I let out a scream and jump forward, tackling him into the snow. We sunk into the snow. I was on top of James, and both of us were laughing.
"How was that for a spy?" I ask.
"Not bad." He replies, before we gently kiss on the lips. Elena begins shouting from the back door that its time for dinner. I get up off James and we trudge our way through the snow and into the warmth of the cabin. I hear the fire crackling in the living room as James and I remove our snow gear. James shakes his hair, and snow flies to the floor.
James and I take our seats at the table. We all have taken up chores around here to keep everything running smoothly. Elena and Carlos are in charge of dinner, as the two are excellent cooks. James and I are in charge of finding firewood, while Erika is in charge of laundry. Kendall is in charge of the dishes and we all pick up things around the cabin.
"Look who I got to come out of his room." Kendall says as he enters the room with a dead looking Logan. He sits Logan down at the table and we all try not to stare. Logan has locked himself in his room the whole week we have been here. At night, we can hear him crying. None of us dare disturb him though; we are all too busy mourning for Kameryn in our own time.
We are all trying to be strong for each other. I only cry at night when nobody can see me; I cry when my sobs can be muffled by my pillow. I haven't seen anybody else cry, but through my walls at night I can Elena sobbing in the room next to me. And that just causes me to sob even more. Kameryn's body hasn't been recovered yet, and the agency is beginning to investigate whether she actually died that night or not. When I was on the phone yesterday with an agent working on the investigation into Kameryn's death, he told me that they found traces of her blood, and that it was very unlikely that she survived that fall. As quickly as my hopes had been raised, they were crushed again. Something I had become used too.
"Do you want something to eat Logan?" Elena asks in this gentle voice that I had never heard her use. She sounded like someone trying to comfort a crying child. But with the way Logan was looking, he might as well be one.
He has these deep, dark circles under his eyes. His hair is a mess, like he had just woken up. His eyes look red to the rim and his nose is a little red too. He looks paler than usual a as he shook his head, Logan looks like he is dead.
"You haven't eaten in days." Carlos says. "You need to eat something."
"I'm fine." Logan says in this hoarse, raspy voice. It was probably from all the crying.
"Just eat a little something." James says from my side. Logan shakes his head and looks at Kendall. "Can I go back to bed?" Logan asks in this tiny voice.
"Sure buddy." Kendall says. Logan stands up from the table and leaves the room, leaving a trail of silence in his wake. We all stay still and listen as his door clicks shut.
"He's a wreck." Erika comments as she places a handful of French fries onto her plate. "I've never seen anybody so broken."
"Once this over, he will get back to normal." I say as grab a burger off a plate.
"If it ever ends." James mutters. I elbow him in the side and he gives me a slight glare. "Come on, Amanda. This thing has been going on for at least a month now. We're almost in February. Three people are dead-"
"Two are dead." Erika interrupts. "They haven't found Kameryn's body yet."
"She's not here though." James says. "She might as well be dead. Just because her body hasn't been found doesn't mean she is dead. There are countless people around the world who are declared dead and their bodies aren't even there to give proof. We all know there is no way Kameryn survived that fall, and we all need to stop pretending like she is alive, because we all know she isn't. Kameryn is dead, and you people just need to accept it!"
James slams his fist down all the table, and we all stare at him. Erika shoves her chair back and storms out of the kitchen, leaving the food on her plate untouched. Elena picks up her plate and tosses it in the trash, followed by Kendall. Carlos slips away from the table, leaving just me and James.
"I said the wrong thing, didn't I?" James asks, staring at the plate of burgers in front of us. I look at him. "You've always do that." I reply. "When will you ever learn to just keep your mouth shut for once?"
I get up from the table and leave James, who continues to still there all alone.
Erika's POV
The sun has just set as I step outside on the porch of our cabin. There's a soft wind in the air and snow flies off the surrounding trees of the forest. I take a seat on the porch swing, and gently rock myself back and forth with my eyes closed. I hear the front door open and close, but I don't open my eyes. Whoever it is sits down next to me, and I feel a hand get placed on top of mine.
"I'm not in the mood Carlos." I say.
"James was wrong, I get it." Carlos replies. "We're all mad at him. We're all just under a lot of stress. We had to leave our home and Kameryn is dead. We were all close to her. I feel like I just got to know her and then she was just ripped away from us."
"She was like my sister." I whisper. "It's so unfair."
"Life is unfair." Carlos whispers back. I rest my head against his shoulder, still keeping my eyes closed. "We can't change what happened." He says.
"You sound like James." I say. Carlos lets out a slight laugh, and I smile softly to myself. "Do you think she is still alive?" I ask.
"I saw her get shoved off that building." Carlos says. He pauses for a moment, and I feel his hand that is still on top of mine tense up a bit. "I watched her die. I have no doubt that Kameryn died that night a week ago. I just wish that we could properly lay her to rest."
"You don't think Ciri, Janessa, and Astoria have her, do you?" I ask in horror. I open my eyes and sit up, looking at Carlos with wide eyes. "You don't think they have Kameryn's body and are doing sick and twisted things to her, do you? Carlos, she is only a human being…" I break down in sobs, and bury myself in Carlos's jacket. He rubs soft circles on my back as I cry into him.
"It's alright Erika." Carlos reassures me in a comforting tone. "Everything is going to work out."
"Promise?" I ask. My voice is muffled against his jacket. "Promise." Carlos whispers into my ear. He kisses the top of my head and I lift my face away from his jacket. I wipe my eyes and Carlos stands up.
"Let's go inside." He suggests, holding out his hand for me. I take it and Carlos pulls me up off the bench. Carlos holds open the door and just as I am about to step inside, I see my hat lying on the floor.
"Go inside." I say. "I have to get my hat."
Carlos nods his head and slips inside, letting the screen door of the cabin slam shut behind him. I walk over to the bench a pick up my hat. I walk back to the door and just as I am about to open the screen door, I hear my name.
It was faint, but the wind carried the voice right to my ears. I walk down the porch steps and into the snow, looking for the source of the voice.
"Hello?" I call out. Nobody replies. With one last look at the woods in front of me, I go back up the steps and go back inside the cabin.
As I shut the front door, I hear my name again, and this time, the voice saying my name sounds like Kameryn's.