A/N: Quick update to make up for the last chapter taking so long! Hope you like it! Thanks for the reviews once again!
Previously:
"What… are we Zach?"
Zach smirked for the first time in ages. "I don't like labels"
"Me either" I whispered.
"Then let's just say… I'm in love with you, and leave it at that" Zach whispered against my skin.
I blinked at him in surprise, and just as I was about to reply he interrupted.
"Go back to sleep, I'm going to be right here when you wake up" Zach urged.
"Do you promise?" I whispered.
Zach's arms tightened around me. "I'll hold you all night, I promise"
()()()()
"I guess we'll have to call my mum then" I sighed as me and Zach left the hotel, but Zach smirked.
"I may have a little more money than I let on" Zach grinned as he got a fifty dollar note out of his pocket.
I sighed in relief; feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest. I had another few hours until I had to tell my mum my father was dead. And that it was my fault.
"But Cammie, if I use this money to get us home, you need to promise me something" Zach's face was deadly serious.
"Anything" I replied immediately.
"As soon as we get to Gallagher, you need to tell your mum about your dad. No delaying it, as soon as you get back"
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.
()()()()
Everyone on the train was staring at me as I rested my head on Zach's shoulder. I couldn't decide if it was because of the blood that caked my body or the fact that a girl like me didn't look like she should be with a guy like Zach.
"Can we go in the back way?" I asked as we approached Gallagher.
Zach frowned.
"I'm not trying to put it off, I just… don't want people staring at me" I whispered as I looked down at my mangled body.
I felt Zach's hand tense under mine but he nodded.
As he pulled me through the corridors everyone stared at me anyway. They didn't even try to hide it. I couldn't see any teacher's around.
"That's her, the girl who ran away"
"Oh my god, look at all the blood on her"
"She shouldn't have bothered to come back"
I tried to keep my head down and ignore the whispers.
Suddenly Zach seemed unsure about everything too.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
I nodded and gave Zach's hand a firm squeeze as we got nearer and nearer to my mother's office.
Zach's hand ventured to my waist and he pulled me in closer.
"Zach I have to do this" I tried shrugging out of Zach's grasp but he held me tighter. "I know now, I have to tell her, It's now or never"
"I'll wait around the corner, I'll be right here" His voice was a whisper against my skin and I wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped up in his arms. I forced my body out of his grasp and gave his hand one last final squeeze before I made my way alone to my mom's office.
I got to the door and raised my hand, ready to knock, but my hand froze mid-air as I head the voices drifting through the door.
"It's your fault Rachel! Don't blame this on me! You sent Cammie away this is nothing to do with me!"
I quickly moved away from the door and pressed myself against the wall breathing deeply, knowing that what I was listening to wasn't meant to be overheard.
"Shh!"
I held my breath as the voices paused mid-sentence.
"I thought I heard…" my mom began to say.
"Oh Rachel, stop, there's no one there, you're just trying to change the conversation!" Aunt Abby raged.
"She's probably dead right now!" Abby shouted. "You should have told her the truth about everything, you shouldn't have let her seek revenge on Catherine; you know she isn't worth it!"
I swallowed. So they thought the same as Zach, I'd left to get revenge. They really thought I was that self-centred. I felt sick.
"You're supposed to be her mom!" Aunt Abby yelled. "Being a mom comes with responsibilities Rachel and I don't know why you even had Cammie if you weren't prepared to bring her into this life!"
"Abby, you don't understand… the only thing keeping me alive right now is the hope that Matt and Cammie are still alive…"
There was a chilling pause and I could hear my mom and Aunt Abby breathing deeply, tired out from all the arguing. I sank down onto the floor, straining to hear my mom's words as she said "Cammie was an accident"
I leaned closer against the wall, pressing my ear to it. I was sure that if Aunt Abby and my mom couldn't hear my hyperventilating they would certainly be able to hear my heart hammering… and that was before my mom's words sunk in and the tears sprung to my eyes. I strained to hear Aunt Abby's reply.
"Cammie… Cammie was an accident?" I heard Aunt Abby whisper in horror.
"Yes…" My mom muttered back, her voice had turned from one of anger to sadness. "Me and Matthew were young… careless… We were at the peak of our career. I was scared to tell Matthew, encase he left me"
"Jesus Rachel" I could imagine my Aunt sinking to the floor like I had.
"I… left for a while… I didn't come back… until I had Cammie"
"And…" Aunt Abby pushed.
"Matt was angry at first, but he fell in love with her like I did. It was a while before I realise the reason he was angry… because he knew The Circle could never find out, they'd take Cammie… just to get to him. So we decided we'd keep her away as long as possible, that's why she ended up in that boarding school… away from us… but it changed her" My mom gasped for breath.
"I never stopped loving her… never… but… she's changed… and when she gets back, I don't know how I'm even going to look at her…"
"Should you be listening to this?"
I jumped up frantically as I heard Mr Solomon's cold voice… but then concern filled his face when he saw the tears in my eyes… and the blood covering my body.
He knocked on the door, grabbing my arm as I began to turn away.
"Come in" my mom's voice was high pitched and frantic.
"Oh, hello Mr Solomon" she smiled at him weakly. Then her gaze met me.
"Oh… my god…" She gasped as she took in my bedraggled body. I looked up and met her gaze where about a million emotions were held in her eyes. I looked back down at the floor.
"Cammie was outside… I gather she overheard a… conversation"
Aunt Abby and my mom gave each other a look that was so quick I couldn't swear it had happened.
"I'll take you to the hospital…" My mom began to say.
"No" My voice sounded strange, almost as if I had the weight of the world constricting around my throat. "I want Abby to take me"
The tension in the room was unbearable, about to be made even worse when I told them my dad was dead. I opened my mouth… but then closed it again. The words just wouldn't form a sentence in my head.
"Okay… I'll take you now" Abby looked at Rachel awkwardly, and then dragged me out the room.
We approached the place where Zach was waiting for me. Abby's sharp eyes caught the look we gave each other and his whisper of "Are you okay?"
I nodded slightly and glanced up at Abby. Rage flickered in her eyes, her hand hovered near Zach, and for one horrifying moment I thought she was going to hit him. But then she placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you for bringing her back to us"
Zach nodded, but then looked at me, knowing I hadn't told them about my dad.
I shrugged in response and mouthed "I can't, not right now"
Zach looked slightly annoyed, but he nodded "I'll be in my room".
Aunt Abby watched as I was examined and bandaged in the hospital room. Her sharp eyes taking in all the knife marks, the sickening sight of where Catherine had carved my initials into my stomach and the bruises caking my ribs. I was absent mindedly tapping my foot against the floor, hugging myself and shivering occasionally, a motion that had nothing to do with the cold. Finally the nurse finished the bandages and left.
Me and Abby sat in silence for a while, we both seemed scared to look at each other.
"You can't tell me what?" She asked finally, making me jump.
"What?" I frowned.
"I saw what you mouthed to Zach… give it a break Cammie, I'm a spy, I know something's up, so spill"
I blinked twice at her honesty, something I couldn't claim to have.
"I don't want to talk about it"
She seemed suddenly angry. "We've been worried for days Cammie and you can't even tell us where you've been, what happened, why you left?!"
"You already know, weren't the bruises and cuts enough of a clue!?" I looked down at the floor. "You think I left to get revenge on Catherine, I heard all your messed up theories, so spare me the shit, you don't care where I've been or what I've done, I just want to be left alone" I staggered up from the bed and began to storm towards the door.
Aunt Abby grabbed my arm, letting go instantly when she heard my wince of pain.
"Not telling us won't help the situation, it won't help it go away" she whispered, as if she understood the position I was in. But she didn't. No one understood.
"Telling you won't help the situation either" my voice broke and I struggled to say the rest as I carried on walking out the door. "Nothing will help the situation"
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