William didn't know how long he'd sat by Adeline's bedside, waiting for her to open her eyes. The wound hadn't been as bad as he had thought, but it had still required stitches that left her unable to lie on her side; she really was stuck on her back until everything healed. Her ankle had been set with a cast, and as childish as this was, she'd opted for the glow in the dark wrapping, and this was set on pillows so it was elevated while she slept.
After stitches, there were bandages that needed to be changed at least once a day, and although it wasn't a hassle, it only made her feel helpless, as she couldn't really move or help much.
On top of having stitches and bandages, she was routinely given prescription narcotics to ease the pain. Since she wasn't human, the addictive properties of the drugs couldn't affect her. Well, the addictive properties may have not had an effect, but the drug's regular affects certainly did, in terms of putting her in a haze and numbing the senses.
"Ow…ah….wonder if-" she reached down over the side of the bed, hoping somebody had left her a blood bag or two. Instead, all her hand closed around was a note.
She smiled. She'd gotten used to these, day after day, for about a four days now. Most times when one of the boys came to switch her bandages or bring her blood, the drugs would have her knocked out, head to the pillow and the pelt at her side.
'Adeline –
You were asleep last I checked, so I figured I'd just let you be. You were actually smiling, like you weren't in any pain this time. Perhaps it's time we ease the dosage to a lower level and see how you cope. I'll be in later tonight to change your bandages again; it looks like the drainage is finally tapering off. You're healing quicker then everyone's expected. Just go back to sleep, doll. If you need me, you have to but say my name.'
She lightly rolled her eyes and laid back down, stroking the pelt, just wishing William had decided to lay with her. Since the first night she'd had her stitches, William had been reluctant to so much as hug her, fearing he'd injure something or put her in more pain than she already was.
Finding her phone on the bedside table, she smiled at the new text message, tucking the letter under her pillow with the others. She giggled softly as she realized the text were song lyrics, and once she recognized the song, she knew who had sent it.
"Seasons are changing and waves are crashing, and stars are falling all for us.
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter, I can show you, I'll be the one.
I will never let you fall (let you fall) I'll stand up with you forever.
I'll be there for you through it all (through it all) , even if saving you sends me to Heaven.
'Cause you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart. Please don't throw that away.
'Cause I'm here for you. Please don't walk away and please tell me, you'll stay, yeah, woah stay…"
It was part of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' 'Your Guardian Angel', and AJ immediately opened the keypad to reply.
"I'll stay. Always. Because you ARE my guardian angel; that I knew when I woke up in bed with your cloak around me the first time. xD.'
And with that, she set her phone down and sighed, hoping she'd drift off to sleep again. It was the weirdest thing, for all that had happened to her, to be back in her bedroom and able to lie on her side was all she wanted. And although she had finally been moved to the upstairs bedroom from the couch in the living room, she still found strength in the silvery pelt around her shoulders, for it reminded her she'd be able to turn into that form soon enough.
"AJ?"
At first, thinking it's her imagination, she glances around the darkened room, seeing no one.
"W- Who's there?" she calls shakily, unsure if she'd forgotten if one of the boys was supposed to have come up to check on her.
"Wow, that's a shame. You can't even recognize my voice."
AJ gasps as she sees the haunting figure of her best friend emerge from shadows of the room, seemingly appearing out of nothingness.
"Get out of here! You're not the real Lottie! Lottie's dead!" AJ shouts, pulling at her hair, tears welling in her eyes.
"But I'm not dead, AJ." Lottie says, ambling towards the scared hybrid. Launching into the girl's face she shouts, "I'm right here!"
AJ screams, terrified, not surprised when this send one of the boys bounding up the stairs, pounding on the door to her bedroom.
"I... I'm fine... j- just a nightmare!" She called, hoping whoever was beyond the door would go away. As soon as the pounding stopped, she continued to the 'illusion'.
"Please, I know you're just pretending to be my best friend, but just leave me alone."
"I am the real Lottie." Lottie hisses at her, "I'm in paradise, thanks to you, except, it's my personal hell. My parents are in hell, Gabe's still alive and-"
"See! You're not the real Lottie," AJ shouts, her finger pointing accusingly at Lottie. "Lottie broke up with Gabe."
"I didn't break up with Gabe you thick-headed dipshit." Lottie growls. "I told you that I did because I thought that maybe you could see the sacrifices I could make to stay your friend. Turns out, that was a wasted effort, because a girl that I thought would be there for me for eternity, for forever, killed me."
AJ opens her mouth to say something, but Lottie cut her off. "No, you don't get a chance to speak. Because I'm right in this case, and you're fucking wrong. You thought I was going to enjoy hell? Well in that case, I hope you hate it there. You need to rot there for the rest of eternity for the shit you did to me. I could control time, you fucker-"
"Then why didn't you stop me? You could have killed me and you could have walked away."
"And have sunk to your level? Note that, if that did happen, I would have moved your body. I'm currently in the middle of a forest rotting to you, thank you very much."
"I don't care." AJ hisses, "You betrayed me. I killed you because-"
"I died and let you kill me because I thought that would make you see the monster you've become. I never cared that you're a lycan. I wanted you to be a vampire. I really did not care all that much that William's a Dandie. I thought that if I died, you'd wake up from whatever hellish thing holds you and you'd be AJ again. My best friend, William's love, and happiest girl alive. But I was wrong. You're crazy. You're insane. You're a murderer."
"No, I'm n- not! I'm just... I was just... I... I... oh my god, what am I? I just... go away..." She mutters, biting her lip in an effort to stop more of the tears that were at the corners of her eyes, "Just go away... please!"
"Not quite yet. I've still got some things to say to you." Lottie says, walking over to sit on the bed, grabbing for the cloak that covered AJ's bandages.
"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!" AJ hollered, voice cracking with tears as she reached for the cloak, yelping in pain as her stitches tugged when she moved.
"No wonder they say he looks different when they go hunting. He never wears this anymore, and yet, you're so attached to it, and," Charlotte smiled, smelling it before dropping it just out of AJ's reach, "Yep, smells like lies. I mean, it's your own fault you're like this. William could've done so much better."
"Stop that! William loves me!"
"Think about it, he's a coven leader and you're just a smelly, wet dog."
"So you think that he would've been better off with you?" AJ hisses at Lottie, who laughs.
"You think I'm interested in William?" Lottie drags her manicured hand down the side of AJ's face, drawing blood before slapping her cheek.
AJ cries out, "You bitch!" before swiping at Lottie, but her hand goes right through the blonde.
"Oh, didn't I mention?" Lottie asks sweetly, leaning in threateningly close to AJ. Lottie's mouth was right next to AJ's ear.
"I'm dead. Because you're selfish and you killed me. Your best friend. How does that feel AJ? To know that you murdered the only person that ever cared about you. Your parents left you. Almost everyone you ever loved, left."
"They didn't leave. They were all killed! If you truly were my friend you would have known that!" AJ shouts.
"And since I am- well was your friend, I know that's a lie."
"It's not a lie, I swear! My parents were killed by the werewolf that turned me, then Remus took me in and he went and died in the Great War of London! I can't- so what if I've lost everyone close to me? Shutting down your emotions makes life easier!"
Charlotte scoffs, feeling her heart start to tear in two. "I don't know who told you that, but cutting off your emotions, acting like they don't exist, that's going to kill you. Don't you understand? Emotions are a natural part of life. That's what makes us human."
"Newsflash!" AJ shouts, angrily. "We're not human anymore! You're a dead vampire and I'm a hybrid between a lycan and a vampire!"
"And that's the difference between us, Adeline." Charlotte says sadly, standing from her former best-friend's bed. With her back turned to Adeline, Charlotte says the most callous words she can think of.
"I'm still human on the inside. You're just an empty shell of hatred and anger."
Charlotte begins to fade, her back to AJ while the hybrid clenches her fists, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm not! I'M STILL ME! I can't hate...and I'm not the vengeful kind...I just...what I thought was...oh, what's the point?!"
By this time, AJ was by herself, and having been thoroughly confused as to what had just happened, just laid there and cried.