It was a Friday.

I had been camping out in Jett's flat for four days.

We still shared the bed, but I was getting used to it. The more time I spent with the people in Jett's social circle, the better I slept. I couldn't remember a time before it where I had slept so well. It was weird, but it was a good weird. Sort of refreshing, actually.

Later in the morning, I had stationed myself in front of his television, watching some mind-numbingly bad series about teen angst in a school environment.

After I had left home, I basically skipped out that part of my life. Though, according to the on-screen depiction, I hadn't missed much. It was a zoo of self-conscious, self-loathing kids that didn't understand the meaning of the word 'friendship'; just some sort of twisted power base, hierarchy crap. I guess it was better than being ripped apart from the inside out, but it made for a very entertaining show.

Jett was out, again.

What he did was his business; I was just the free-loader loafing on his couch, eating his food, and sleeping in his bed.

And sending away his guests. Someone knocked on the door.

I cursed.

I had reached an interesting plot twist. So far, the lead had accidentally walked in on the dishy boyfriend making out with the school nerd. He was a surprisingly attractive boy (but then again, most people on the little, square tele-box are relatively good looking - even if Jett's TV wasn't little and square. Mine used to be). If I was still living with my family, my mother would have screeched at me for watching something so 'indecent'. It looked pretty decent to me, but then again, mother and I had a conflict of opinion in almost everything. Her's was illogical most of the time, but it was what I was used to.

In the world outside of my ongoing thought process, I opened the door, standing face to face with that auburn haired boy. Carter, I think that was his name. "Hey, Jade."

"Jett's not in, Carter."

"A 'hi, Carter' would have been nicer - but we can work on that." I frowned as he pushed past me, stealing my space on the couch. "You didn't strike me as the type of girl who liked this sort of thing."

"It's an interesting take on life."

"For some people, they aspire to live like that." He pointed at the screen, now wearing a scowl to match mine. "Turning their lives into an over-dramatised soap opera. It's sad."

"Thanks for the insight." I sat down next to him, still sulking because he had taken my space. "I'll remember that when I tune in for tomorrow's episode." This being said through a mouthful of cornflakes.

"Whatever floats your boat." He grinned, watching me with an arched brow. "Just got up, did we?"

"This is my lunch, actually, which you rudely interrupted." For the third time, he ignored my grimace, relaxing further back into the couch. "Did I tell you that Jett wasn't here, or did you simply forget?"

"I'd say I was waiting for him, but that would be a lie." Carter said as he grabbed the remote and put the large screen on stand-by. I was about to protest, but he continued talking. "I actually came here to stop you from becoming a couch potato. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me."

"I'd take offence, but I'm nice." That made him laugh.

"Finish that, and I'll take you somewhere."

I tried not to scrunch my face in distaste, but it was hard. "What if I don't want to go anywhere with you?"

He looked at me, unblinking, for a moment or so, before the smile returned. "Why, my pride would be hurt! Am I really such terrible company?"

"Yes."

"You're not even trying to be nice." He got out of my seat, finally. Because I could, I stretched out across the couch, shutting my eyes and trying to visualise sleep.

"No. I'm not." I said. No niceties, no hesitation, no nothing. "I'm tired, and I want to do nothing and waste away. You don't have to make it your business to correct me. Let me wither."

What I was not expecting was to be yanked to my feet. "See? You're just begging for my help. Come on."

"It's raining." I pointed at the storm through the window, trying to prove my point - as if that was going to make any difference.

Obviously not. "I know."

"You have a car?"

"No." And he seriously thought that I wouldn't mind walking in the rain? No. What bothered me was that he assumed that I would want to. Who does that?

"We're walking." It wasn't a question. If it had been a question, I could have expected a simple yes or no answer. But Carter wasn't going to say no.

"Maybe." I scowled. Carter smiled. If he was going to turn this into a battle of wits, then he had picked a fight with the wrong person. "I don't remember you being this difficult two days ago. You were quieter... you seemed - I don't know - less of a challenge."

"And now I'm the bitch you wish you'd never met. It's always the way, isn't it?" Carter was still smiling. Stupid Carter. "I hate that you think that you can push me around because I'm a girl, and that you think I'll be docile and cutesy because 'that's what girls do'. Not all girls bend to your every whim, Carter. I don't bend. I break and I shatter and you get hurt too."

"You'll come to love me eventually."

"In the eventuality of never."

"Now that's being mean." He said, no longer smiling. I was vaguely happy that the dopey grin was gone, for all the good that it would do me. If he decided he didn't like me now, it would probably make my stay here less comfortable. Whatever. I didn't care enough to bother with common ettiquette. I was hardly popular beforehand, so who cared if I couldn't be buddy-buddy with everyone here, too? Not me.

So, somehow, I ended up walking down the street with him, contrary to everything I stood for. Or maybe the only thing that was damaged was my stubborn pride. Well, at least I didn't have to be happy about it.

And, somehow, he thought that buying me a coffee would make me more agreeable. It gave me something to focus on, but I wasn't going to start warming up to him because of it. Anyone in the world could buy me coffee - and the majority of them would suggest we drink it indoors, instead of trudging through muddy forests while still carrying the container.

Yeah, I'm a good girl. I don't litter.

Carter had done a really good job of boring me. I spent the first few minutes wondering if anything would be better than slipping on wet foliage. My idea of a pleasant stroll had never been torrential rain accompanied by thunder claps and episodes of lightning. "You could at least try to smile."

"There's no point." I sighed because I wanted to sit down, but there was nothing to sit on. "I'm not going to pretend that I'm enjoying this just for your benefit."

"At least you're honest." Carter shrugged, but he looked far from happy. Fan-fucking-tastic. "I guess I'm no good at entertaining your type, and I'm sorry for that." He was now marching on ahead, leaving me standing in the rain like the idiot I was. "There's a chinese place where we can get take out about a mile or so from here. If you want we can go and get something proper to eat. Cornflakes and coffee hardly counts as any meal."

"Carter, I don't know what kind of girls you hang with - but buying me food will not appease me."

"Then what will?" Whoa, bitch slap! Way to spring one on an unsuspecting civilian, I thought, staring at him as if he had actually slapped me.

What did I want to do? Did I really think that I would enjoy it if I went back home and mooched on Jett's sofa? Surprisingly, no, I didn't. I could think of absolutely nothing I would enjoy doing. Well, then what do I normally do?

Oh, shit. I forgot. I never did anything.

It's a horrible thing to face, that realisation where you figure out that everything you do is created out of hatred, out of fear and out of trying to prevent the inevitable from happening. What did I have now that I had freedom from the monsters? I would always break rules and suffer the consequences. Now there weren't any rules to break, I was just being difficult because I could. Because I loved to test my boundaries - see how far they could stretch... at least, I had come to live like that, because when I thought there was nothing left for me, I let go of everything else that made me who I was.

And because of that, I had probaby - possibly - stretched Carter a little too far. "Look... if you think I'm annoying then I'll go. There's no point in me wasting my time here."

"Don't...!" Before I could stop myself, I had fisted his parka, using all my strength to keep him with me. Feeling how very much stronger he was made my grip loosen a fraction, it made me hesitate. Not because I was shocked, but because if he decided to hurt me, it would be a hell of a lot easier from a closer distance. "I'm sorry. You've been trying your best to be nice, and all I've done is throw it back in your face."

"And you've only realised this now?"

"No." The rain wasn't letting up, my hair was now plastered to my face. The sweet smell of damp pine mingled with the sound of droplets shattering against every surface it touched. "I think I knew as soon as I decided I wasn't going to cooperate."

"So what? I just accept your apology?" His hair had turned dark brown from the downpour, his face set. "Let go of my jacket, Jade."

Uncertain, I moved closer, staring up at him through a wall of falling water. "I'm sorry, Carter. I mean it."

"You're an ungrateful, spoiled brat." I admired his bluntness. It sort of lost it's appeal, though, when I noticed his eyes were glinting with an edge of hurt. That was my fault.

"I know."

"You think that because you're new here, that because you have a dark past and your scars are still healing, it makes you special. You think it makes you better than everyone else. Jett's too nice to say this to you: but you're not, Jade. Not even close." I faltered, stumbling backwards and landing on my backside on sodden earth. There goes a perfectly good pair of jeans. "Did you ever consider that some of us have pasts we want to forget, too? That, perhaps, you aren't the only one with deep wounds that haven't healed yet?"

It took me a while to figure out he was waiting for an answer, to which all I could say was: "I didn't" and "I'm sorry".

Carter's eyes didn't leave mine for a few minutes. Long enough that the dampness from the ground was starting to soak through the denim and into my underwear. From an outsiders perspective, they might have thought he was searching for something; sincerity, maybe.

Whatever it was, he found it, because he offered me a hand and helped me to my feet. Something told me that, if he hadn't, I might still be sitting in that spot on the ground, soaking wet, covered in mud and very, very lost. "I'm not going to lecture you, Jade; however, one thing I will tell you is that keeping your past, your pain and your regret locked up will only prevent you from moving on. Let it go."

"I'll survive, Carter. I've managed for this long, haven't I?" Maybe it was something I said, but his eyes darkened. It could have been the lack of light, or even my imagination, but it was what I thought I saw.

"What happened to you, Jade?" A long-forgotten part of me tried to push it's way to the front, tried to break down the walls I had built. It was the part that craved someone to console me, to make it all better, to protect me. But what could Carter do?

I had escaped, but I wasn't free. I was still living in the shadow of my past.

And just like that, like a faint breath - a whisper - I heard him. I felt him. Felt the hollow darkness that had been lurking inside me as his voice filled my mind: "I'm coming for you."

"Heath..." I gasped, eyes wide with a terror that had been waiting to crawl its way to the surface. Only until I felt Carter's hands on my shoulder, only until I saw the anxiety in his eyes did I realise that I was shaking. I was trembling from an omnipresent chill that crept through the warmest of jackets, the brightest of fires and the dryest of deserts.

"Jade?"

"Take me home." I whispered, pressing my eyes shut to suppress the cloud of black. As pitch black as a night without stars. Pitch dark. I tried to corner it and chase it back for long enough, long enough to forget about it for a little while. "Please."

The sensation of hot water drumming against my skin was relaxing, but the goosebumps were still there. The water should have been scalding, though I still felt cold; so I turned the tap off, wrapping a spare towel around me.

Jett spoke through the door as I pulled back the shower curtain, "are you alright? You've been in there for a while."

"Fine. I'm fine" I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear. I hadn't realised he had got back, so I kept my voice down to hide the surprise. I didn't want him thinking I was jumpy, did I?

As soon as I looked up, my eyes caught my reflection. I stared back into a tired face, edged with fear. I didn't want to walk out of the bathroom looking like I had seen a ghost but there was nothing I could do to make the expression go away. So I thought, better not make a big deal out of it. Carter will have told Jett anyway - if he asks, he asks. There is nothing I can do.

Jett was sitting in the living room, with Carter, reading the newspaper. "You don't look fine." Was the first thing he said, gesturing for me to come over and sit beside him. I didn't really want to, but it didn't look like 'no, thanks' was an option.

Carter looked on edge, and Jett was angry. I hadn't seen him angry before - but there's always a first time for everything.

"What happened in the forest?" Jett asked slowly. It was supposed to be placating, but it wasn't working. As soon as he said it, I tensed up completely.

Shaking my head, I walked away towards the bedroom door. I couldn't tell them. "I'm sorry, but I'm not ready for this."

"It's not a matter of whether you're ready or not." Jett wasn't just mad, he was seething. I tired to ignore it, but he got to his feet and caught me by the wrist.

Yesterday he had been playing - today he wasn't even trying to hide his strength, and my God was he strong.

"You're afraid, Jade. I can smell it on you - and I know it's not our fault because I thought it was disappearing. I thought it was going away." I wanted to ask how he could even smell something like that, but he carried on talking before I had the chance. "Whatever you're keeping from us is still very real to you. We can't help you, Jade, until we know how real this really is."

I looked at him, I tasted the words on the tip of my tongue and couldn't keep them in; it was as if they had a mind of their own. "I never wanted your sympathy or your protection, but for some reason you care, and make it your business, and it is confusing the hell out of me."

"Why? Why the hell do you care about me? I'm just some random stranger that you found and tried to fix. I'm a nobody. I was ready to die! And then suddenly I'm here, and I..."

I had said too much. I could see it in both of their faces. Telling people you are ready to die isn't a normal topic for casual conversation - even if this wasn't casual. It was too much information and way too soon, and I regretted speaking as soon as the words had left my mouth.

Jett started to move towards me, but I caught sight of an image on the front page that made my hairs stand on end. He stopped when he noticed the change in my behaviour. Surprisingly enough, He was very perceptive, although, right at that moment, perceptive was so not what I needed. "What's that...?"

"Oh... this?" Carter picked it up, skimming through the article with a scowl on his face. "Some chick got murdered in her appartment a few hundred miles away. Why?"

I let out a deep breath, and held out my hand. A few hundred miles away. It sounded safe, but I wanted to be sure. "I want to see the picture."

"Are you sure?" Jett was watching the both of us, namely me, with something I didn't understand. Curiosity? No. Maybe? "It's pretty gory."

"... I'll be fine." I mumbled. I've seen worse.

What I saw on the paper, however, was much cleaner, much neater than my few experiences with death. It almost looked sexual. "But that's not the interesting part." Carter took the paper out of my hands and flipped the page. It was hard to make out the image on the other side at first, but when I did, my heart nearly stopped. "They think it must be some sort of serial killer - the only problem is, they havn't figured out who his next target will be."

Jett snatched the paper, looking between the image and my stony white expression.

I couldn't even breathe.

"What does this mean, Jade?" He shook me, searching my expression for anything that might give me away, anything that might explain the state I had gotten myself into. "Say something!"

All I could do was stare at the floor, not seeing it, just the writing painted in blood. The blood of another victim.

'I'm coming for you.'

A/N: DUNDUNDUNDUN. Cue scary music.

sorry for the late update, I have been busy, but I hope you like it still. I would be so sad if I had ruined it for you guys :'(

THANK YOU FOR READING! xxx :D :D

And a big, big thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I normally reply to all of them, but sadly, I can't reply to unsigned reviews *sniffle*. I'm just chuffed that you went out of your way to post your thoughts and opinions. It always makes my day to know that people enjoy my jibber-jabber.