Disclaimer: I don't own the Gallagher Girl Series. All rights reserved, inc. copyright, goes to Ally Carter and Disney Hyperion, I also don't own any pictures I may/may not use (I get them off of Google Images). No copyright infringement intended, all rights reserved to said creators. No money is being made.

Warnings: language, violence, mentions of character death, AU

Notes: Thanks so much for the feedback, the favorites, and the follows! I appreciate it! Thank you Lanoon, Sunniva Steiner, miaadventure, L, and GallagherGirls13BYE for your review, you'll find your response at the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy this chapter! So, I'm thinking this story would have around 10-15 chapters depending on my muse. It's my first story and I haven't really planned it out as much so please bear with me and stay patient. I'll take any advice to make anything better or change some things with a smile, I'll put in all your accounts but I won't change my style of writing or anything to please you. Sorry for the short rant.

—dreams

Chapter Six

Death Has A Gun In Her Hands

Cammie

People of Roseville murmur to themselves.

"Isn't that the little girl who was kidnapped during her Christmas break from Gallagher Academy?" a teenage boy asks boldly.

"Why, of course," Catherine responds. Her smile makes my stomach churn but it makes other males swoon with lust. "I should know."

"Yeah, it was on the news everywhere," someone else says. "They've pronounced her dead, though."

There were gasps of shock, though I was sure it was common knowledge that "I" was "dead". Murmurs rise from the crowd but Catherine clears her throat, gaining their attention easily. She sighs, cocking and reloading her revolver. I hear police sirens and EMT's in the distance.

She tuts.

"She's not dead," Catherine announces.

More gasps of shock rose and I hear Liz scream, "How do you know?"

Heads and bodies turn to one of the smallest in the sophomore class. Liz's face is borderline murderous, which is quite scary for someone her size and so intelligent. She was normally sweet, innocent, and an angel. It was terrifying to see her look like the devil. Her hands are balled up into fists, and she glares at Catherine.

Macey is still on top of me, her breath tickles my ear. She isn't letting me go, won't let me move, won't let anyone see a speck of me.

Catherine's grin widens impossibly. Her voice was soft, almost delicate. "Why, Miss Sutton, I should know because I was the one who took her."

The response was immediate. People screamed, clutched at their little ones. Others began to look for exits, some cursed, some began to look violent. Others screamed at Catherine, calling her obscene names.

She just chuckled at it all.

"She's escaped me, you know." Catherine continues as if nothing is wrong. "Clever little thing. She's the only person to ever escape me. I will miss this little game we're playing though. Don't you just love a good round of Cat & Mouse? I sure do. I'm here to get her back."

"No way!" yells someone from the crowd. "Even if she was here, which she isn't, why would we tell you?"

Policemen arrive, as do people from the hospital, ready with first-aid and gurneys. The policemen get out their own guns but Catherine's men stop them with better versions. Smartly, they pause. A news van enters the scene with a reporter and a cameraman. Of course this was big news; this was a small town we're talking about.

Catherine shakes her head, smiles as if everyone in the shopping center were mere children and she the only responsible, coherent adult. "You see, she is here. She's going incognito underneath another name, obviously. She has a new look, too." Catherine says.

I wonder what she's doing.

Has she grown too cocky? Is she planning something? Is she going to kill everyone in Roseville? Is she going to brainwash me to kill someone I love, someone I'm close to? Why was she giving so much information away? Why spend so many years keeping the Circle of Cavan under wraps just to blurt it out to the world?

"W-What's her name?" a girl my age asks. She has dark hair and a very pretty face, and she reminds me, fleetingly, of a little girl I met in the park when I was little, a girl named DeeDee, I think. I also remember meeting a cute little boy named Joshua.

Catherine smirks lethally.

"Penelope Smith is her new name."

The people of Roseville don't gasp or cry out in shock but the students from Gallagher and Blackthorne do. I can't pinpoint where Grant is from my position on the floor.

Macey's voice is a whisper in my ear.

"…C-Cammie…?"

She's looking at me, eyes wide. I stare back, panicked. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Cammie," Catherine says in a sing-song voice. "Stop being naughty. Don't make me come get you."

My heart thuds painfully. My mind whirls. But I knew I had to stay calm. Everything was riding on this moment, this now. I would never get a second chance to get away from Catherine. I'd either be brainwashed immediately once kidnapped again or I'd be in a coffin, six feet underneath the ground.

Macey's eyes fill with tears.

There was a cry of rage emerging from the crowd.

"You! It was you!"

Aunt Abby and Joe Solomon charge through the crowds and towards the open space surrounding Catherine.

Abby's face is furious. "You're the one who took my niece!"

There was a smirk. "I just said that, dearie. Keep up with the program or am I going too slow for your wittle mind?" she pouts.

Abby screams with rage, lunging for Catherine's throat.

Many things happened instantly, then: Catherine cocks her gun Abby's direction, in the middle of her temple for immediate death, and pulls the trigger, Joe Solomon chokes out a loud "No!" about to lung, people scream and try to escape, and Macey is suddenly pushed against one of the walls of Blending, and the door to the door is slammed open, the glass shatters, causing attention, and there's a flash of red hair colliding with the black hair of Abby's as she's pushed in another direction.

Adrenaline pumps vigorously through my veins so I don't feel the agony that spreads over my side just yet. However, red bleeds through the white blouse of my uniform. I don't collapse to my feet, not yet.

The smile widens.

"Ah, Cammie, I was wondering when you'd show up. Aw, look at you. Valiantly rescuing your Aunt from her death." Catherine's eyes zoom to my wound. "Too bad you took the hit for her." She then raises her gun again. "I'll just make it quick, okay?"

The prospect of death always brought chills up and down my spine but I was never afraid of it. I embraced that aspect of life, death. Whenever something comes to life, it will have to die eventually. I wanted to die during my years with the Circle, with Catherine and Dr. Steve. I wanted the pain to end. I wanted a way out. I wanted my sufferings to pull a spectacular cease-fire.

"Cammie…" my Aunt breathes.

"…Cammie…" Joe Solomon whispers, staring in astonishment.

"Cammie!" Bex and Liz scream at the same time. Their feet pound against the street as they run. Bex doesn't even hide her British accent.

"Cammie! Cammie!"

Macey was shrieking as well.

"Cammie!"

Grant's voice roars above everyone who was chanting my name. "CAMMIE!"

I was embracing the thought of death as the blood kept soaking my torso, as the pain slowly trickled and registered in my system. Catherine was staring at me, at her gun, with her head cocked to the side, as if she were a small child examining a new toy and processing their abilities to play with.

"Oh, Cammie, I grew a soft spot with you, you know." Catherine tells me. "You were always so submissive, so subservient. Whatever I told you to do, you did without a question. You didn't even complain when we made sure you'd never speak again!" she threw her head back, laughing. "Oh, those were the days. We had much fun these past seven years but I'm afraid they're going to have to come to an end. Goodbye, Cammie, say hello to Francesca for me."

Francesca…the name whispers in my ear. My breaths shifts, my knees and entire body tremble. The pain is blinding, unmovable. There is water in my lung. I begin to cough out blood. Everyone is too flabbergasted to move, to think, to do.

Francesca Pellegrini was another child Catherine kidnapped. I don't know why, though, except for the fact that her parents had deceived the Circle in some way. She became my closest friend, my little sister given the fact that she was only six. She stayed with me for three years. however, on her ninth birthday, she never returned. She disappeared.

They took me to her tombstone when I was being stubborn one day. I kept vehemently refusing the knowledge of Francesca's death. I wouldn't believe it.

I was at her grave for three hours, the better half of it spent on scratching the ground where she was buried, clawing at the stone. I screamed that it wasn't true, that she wasn't dead, that she was an angel therefore she couldn't die. I had turned fourteen that day, and it was the only time I had ever spoken since my captivity.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I shook with pain, aggravation, exhaustion, and sobs.

Death raises the gun.

People scream, lunge, shout, cover childrens' eyes and ears…

Death pulls the trigger…

My world goes black and silent.

Reviews

To Lanoon

Thank you for the extensive review! I love questions! You've probably already found out about Catherine exposing Cammie; there's a reason for why she did what she did. Don't worry, I'm writing snippets of the chapter ahead of time so I can easily publish it for you guys so you won't get too antsy waiting. Thanks for the reassurance!

To Sunniva Steiner

Aw, thank you for the review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did when I was writing it!

To miaadventure

Thank you! You probably already know the answer to your review. Thanks for reading!

To L

Thanks for the enthusiasm, and the review!

To GallagherGirls13BYE

Haha, lol. Sorry that my cliffhangers wound you in such a way. sorry for the temporary loss of sanity. Hope you liked this chapter!