Aria's P.O.V.

"What do you want from me?" I screamed, pressing my back against the wall as Candace came closer. The bloody knife in her hand would explain the deep gash in my stomach as I struggled to breathe. My vision was hazy and my breaths were short, trying to cope with my lack of oxygen.

"I want Scarlett to feel my pain," Candace snarled, dragging to tip of the knife along my neck. I screamed, earning a punch in the teeth. I whimpered at the taste of blood pooling in my mouth.

"I haven't done anything." I coughed, wiping the blood from my mouth. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"So I can watch her cry." Candace shot me a smug grin, turning to a corner of the dark room. A dim light shone down on the corner of the room, revealing a girl identical to Candace.

"Please stop!" Scarlett cried. "Please don't hurt her!"

I gulped and cowered away when Candace whipped around, holding the knife to me.

"Kill her." Candace demanded, her eyes a crazy, psychotic blue. "Kill your dear Scarlett and I'll let you go."

"No," I spat. "I'm not going to do your dirty work for you."

Candace laughed, throwing her head back. Her body shook with laughter vibrating through her, as a different light shone in another corner of the room.

"Oh, Aria." Candace hissed venomously. "I've already done quite the bit of dirty work."

The light light became brighter, providing clearer vision to my eyes. My heart nearly stopped, and my bones felt weak. I collapsed to the ground at the sight, letting out a shrill scream.

In the corner of the room were two bodies hanging from the ceiling. Two small, bloody, lifeless bodies.

Nate and Nicolette.

I couldn't stop the screams, the numbness taking over my body. My body began to shake as tears erupted from my eyes. A knife was placed in my hand, Candace watching me with a deathly stare.

"Now then, you kill Scarlett, and I will let you go."

"Please, Ri. Just do it." Scarlett whimpered from the corner. "Save yourself."

I stood up, pressing my hands against the wall for support as I made my way to Scarlett. Save myself. Save myself.

I raised the knife, watching Scarlett wince, but just as I struck hard into Scarlett's chest, something sharp stabbed into the back of my head.

I screamed, dropping the knife, the last thing I heard being Scarlett's cries.

"Aria! Aria!"

---

Niall's P.O.V.

"Aria, Aria!" I shook her shoulders lightly, trying to wake her up.

Getting up to a pitch black sky and a squirming wife wasn't exactly the best wake up call.

I rubbed my eyes and squinted at the alarm clock on my night table, frowning when I noticed it was only one in the morning. Aria was in bed beside me, on the far end due to our stupid bet. We weren't supposed to make any sort of physical contact, but this was crucial.

"Aria!" I hissed her name again, shaking both her shoulders. Her eyes snapped open, warm tears pouring out from the corners of her eyes. Her body was shaking as she grabbed my shirt with both hands, pulling down to her body. She gripped my body tight, every part of her shaking violently. The wetness of her tears spread out my shirt as she sobbed into my chest at dawn.

"Niall." She whimpered weakly, her hands trembling as she gripped my shirt even tighter. "Niall, make it stop."

My heart broke heart broke at her words as she begged me to help her. I had not a clue what to do. All I could do was pull her up and hug her even tighter.

"You're okay." I whispered. "I was just a dream."

"No," Aria shook her head into my shoulder. "It was real. It was so real."

I tried not to cry, because it hurt so much to see her cry. I pressed my palm to the back of her head, pulling her closer to my chest. By now, her tears had soaked through my sleeve and were now on my skin. I squeezed her tight, hoping that it was comforting.

"I almost killed her." She cried. "I almost killed her, Niall."

"What?" I frowned, though she couldn't see me with her face buried into my shoulder. "Who?"

"Scarlett." Aria shivered, clenching the back of my shirt. "She was begging me to, to save myself."

I didn't know what to say, so instead I kissed her hair, cradling her in my arms.

"Candace killed the children, too." She spoke up a minute later, the tears in her eyes no less than before. "They were hanging... from the ceiling... she killed them!"

"Baby, that wasn't real." I assured her gently. "That's not going to happen."

"You dont know that." Aria sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "You don't know anything."

Aria pushed herself off of me and stood up, only for her knees to give in. I caught her just in time, letting her sink to the floor in tears. She hung her head low, her blonde hair shielding her face from me.

Much time passed before Aria's crying seized. She had curled into a ball on the floor, now just shaking from shock. I stood up from the bed and reached for her forearms, lifting her limp body.

"Come on," I coaxed gently. "Let's go downstairs and get something for you to drink."

Aria obliged, forcing herself up. I took her hand and held it tight, leading her downstairs without waking the kids. Leaving the kitchen light off, I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water, dropping a few ice cubes in as well. I also took a packet of Oreo's from the counter and sat down on the kitchen floor with Aria.

Aria sipped on the water silently, leaning her head back against the bottom cabinets as she drank. She seemed so shaken up. I hadn't realized that her nightmares could get this bad.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked quietly, not too sure what her response would be. Aria looked up, shaking her head.

"I'd rather not."

She took another sip of water and ripped open the pack of Oreo's, shoving one in her mouth. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"Don't apologize." I grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. Aria squeezed back, looking up at me. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine, pulling away quickly.

"This bet is stupid." She mumbled, resting her head on my shoulder. "I give up."

"Well I technically lost anyway when I shook you to wake you up,” I admitted, taking a iece of her hair and twirling in lightly between my fingers. “Plus, I don’t think I could have waited another da to kiss you.”

“I am quite irresistible, aren’t I?” Aria smirked lightly, wiggling her toes to entertain herself. I nodded, kissing her forehead.

“I have an ultrasound tomorrow...well today actually.” she told me, taking my hand and winding her fingers through mine. “We should bring the kids.”

“Nicolette would probably freak out and Nate would think the baby was an alien.” I snorted, picturing a terrified Colette and a dumbstruck Nate. “So yeah, let’s bring them.”

Aria giggled, sinking into my body. I cradled her broken self in my arms until she fell into a gentle sleep, wrapped and curled against my body. I scooped her up and brought her upstairs to bed, pulling the covers over her body before getting into bed myself.

At three A.M. I fell asleep with Aria in my arms.

---

Aria’s P.O.V.

Waking up to the smell of pancakes was absolutely mouthwatering. I was craving breakfast, or any type of food, really. I sat up and decided that last night’s experience was the past. Today was a new day. I wouldn’t let anything get in my way. Today was going to be a good day.

I got out of bed and headed for the showers, rinsing my body under the warm water of the shower. I cleared my mind of any negative thoughts, smiling a little wider when I remembered today was my ultrasound. Yes, today was going to be a great day.

After changing into jeans and a nice shirt, I picked up my phone to check for any missed calls or messages. There was one from Corryn, and what it said made me frown.

Corryn: Can you come over? Harry and I got into a fight.

I responded, wondering what the perfect couple could be fighting about.

Me: I have an ultrasound, but I’ll be there in two hours or so. Sit tight, you’ll be alright ;)

Corryn: Okay. Harry is with Zayn I think, so I’m free. I just really need you.

Me: I’ll always here. Don’t worry.

When I reached the downstairs, Niall had his back turned to me, busy flipping a pancake onto the black pan. He hummed softly, and I watched him creepily for a few seconds before tiptoeing over to him. I jumped on his back and he helped, dropping the spatula in the process. He whirled around, and I expected him to start tickling me, but instead he crushed his lips against my own.

I was shocked by his sudden action, but soon found myself getting lost in his lips. I hadn’t kissed him like this in five days, with a passion and hunger bouncing back and forth between our lips so strong, it felt as if we were one. His hands travels down to my hips, squeezing lightly as he tugged on my bottom lip with her teeth, earning a moan from me. He let go of my lip and smirked, slipping his tongue into my mouth to deepen the kiss. I flicked my tongue against his, running my hands up his back and into his hair. I tugged roughly on the brown roots, making him groan.

“Stop it,” he mumbled against my lips. “Don’t do that or I’m going to have to take a cold shower again.”

I blushed at his words, tugging harder just to provoke him even more. Niall growled against my lips, kissing me harder, more furiously. He began walking me backward until my back hit the cold metal of the refrigerator, then slid my hands under my butt and picked me up so my legs could wrap around his torso. Niall’s lips left mine to trail butterfly kisses down my neck. I craned my neck to give him more space, stifling a louder moan. I could feel the curve of Niall smiling against my skin, causing a grin to erupt on my face as well.

“Gross,” Nicolette’s small giggle interrupted our moment of passion. Niall set me down and Nicolette strolled into the kitchen in her cute puppy pajamas, Nate trotting along behind her. Both climbed into their seats and grabbed pancakes from the piled plate in the middle of the table, digging into the breakfast.

“Hey, your pancake is bigger than mine.” Nicolette frowned, looking at Nate’s pancake. Nate looked at his pancake and studied it carefully, then did the same with Nicolette’s pancake.

“No it isn’t.” he protested. “They look the same.”

“Nuh uh,” Colette shook her head, setting her fork down. “I want your pancake.”

Niall smirked, amused at their little argument. I myself was trying not to laugh, hoping that they wouldn’t end up fighting over a stupid pancake. Then again, little kids liked to fight over stupid things.

“Fine,” Nate shrugged. “Take my pancake.” He lifted his pancake off of his plate and dumped it on Nicolette’s like the little peacemaker he was. Nicolette grinned happily and gave her pancake to him, then happily began eating her own. I leaned over the Niall and cupped my hands around his ear.

“They have to be perfect next time.” I teased in a whisper. “Or else World War Three might just begin at our breakfast table.”

---

We walked into the hospital, and checked in, for the first time with Nate and Nicolette at our side. They were being unusually quiet, which made me absolutely positive that Niall had bribed them into being on their best behavior. Either that, or he threatened them. Whatever he did, I was absolutely grateful for. I don’t think the hospital staff would appreciate two loud kids parading through a hospital at ten in the morning.

When my name was called, the kids stood up without word, surprising me even more. I expected them to get all excited for hearing my name being called. I shot Niall a confused look. He just smirked and gave a little shrug, grabbing my hand to lead me to the waiting nurse.

Dr. Feingold must have been a wizard however, because she snapped the kids out of their trance as soon as the greenish blackish picture was projected onto the large screen. Nate and Nicolette gasped at the growing baby, beginning to whisper rather loudly among themselves.

“It’s an alien.” Nate hissed into Nicolette’s ear, his blue eyes wide.

“And it’s in Mum’s tummy!” Colette gasped quietly.

“Why is it green?”

“It’s an alien, Nate. Alien’s are green.”

“What is it doing in Mum’s tummy?”

“I think mum is an alien, too.” Nicolette hypothesized with her four year old logic. Niall snickered beside me, amused by their little conversation. Even Dr. Feingold was trying to stifle a laugh.

“That’s not an alien.” Niall broke the news to them. “That is your little sister.”
Nate and Colette gasped louder, stepping back as if they were frightened. “Is she going to abduct us with her spaceship?”

“No,” I shook my head. “You were in my tummy once, too.”

“Does that mean we’re aliens, too?” Nate wondered out loud, staring at the screen. “I don’t think I’ve got a spaceship.”

“Shh,” Nicolette nudged him in the side. “Maybe mum’s a bad alien and we don’t know.” Then she turned to me and placed her little hands on her hips. “How did the alien get in your tummy, mum? Can I have one?”

Niall coughed at the latter part of her question. “No,” he told her sternly. “Not until you’re thirty.”

I leaned over to Niall and whispered, “Niall, I’m not even thirty.”

“I don’t care.”

Dr. Feingold laughed at Niall’s fatherly comment, proceeding to tell us about the health of the baby. She explained that I should start to get more pain over the next few months due to the increasing kicks and turns of the baby. Dr. Feingold assured Niall and I that the baby was healthy and fine, even after all the danger I had put her through. I felt guilty, but happy all the same.

Niall took the kids home and I drove to Corryn’s house as I promised. I texted her that I was just leaving the hospital, and for her to expect me. When she didn’t answer, I assumed she was too soaked up in her relationship misery. It took a good ten or fifteen minutes to get to Harry’s and Corryn’s cute house in the quiet area of residency. I stepped out of my car and made my way up the cute pebble walkway, pressing my finger to the doorbell.

I waited for Corryn to open the door, expecting her to look tired and full of tears. When she didn’t answer the door, I rolled my eyes and rung the doorbell again, wondering why she had to be so dramatic. Then again, I was pretty damn dramatic too. Corryn didn’t answer, so I smirked and decided to be annoying. I began pressing the doorbell at a ridiculous pace, knowing she wouldn't be able to ignore me this time.

But she still didn’t answer the door.

I frowned and rang the doorbell again, knocking on the door as well. My heart began to beat a little faster when I put my hand on the door handle and turned it without a problem. The front door was unlocked.

Corryn always locked her door.

I stepped back from the front porch, thinking of all the possibilities. My hands began to shake and I made a run for my car, getting inside and locking my door for safety. I called Corryn’s number and hoped and prayed she would pick up, praying that she had just gone out and forgotten to lock her door. She didn’t answer my calls, nor did she answer the numerous texts I sent to her. I couldn’t resist shedding a few tears of worry, and soon I was sobbing quietly. I called Harry, who picked up on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“H-Harry?”

“This is he.” he answered. “Wait, are you crying?”

“Harry, something’s wrong.” I cried. “Something happened to Corryn.”

“Woah, calm down.” Harry cleared his throat. “What happened?”

“She texted me and told me to come over because she got in a fight with you.” I explained. “Only when I got to your house and ran the doorbell, she didn’t answer. Then I tried to open the door and it was unlocked. She isn’t answering her calls and I don’t know if it’s safe to go into the house.”

“We never got into a fight…” Harry gulped audibly. “Shit.”

I felt sick, really sick.

“You need to come.” I said in a mere whisper. “Hurry.”

“I’ll be there in ten.” he promised. “Don’t go into the house. Stay in your car.”

Then ten minutes that Harry took to get to his house were the longest ten minutes of my life. I finally spotted his black Range Rover pulling into his driveway beside my car. He got out in a hurry, pausing just so I could fall into step with him. Harry clenched a fist at the door, ready to throw a punch. He pushed the door open and everything seemed fine. All the furniture and houseware seemed perfectly in place.

Harry and I stayed together, searching the entire downstairs for Corryn. We searched every room and bathroom, every closet, every storage area. She was no where to be found. We headed upstairs, and the first thing I noticed was a vase shattered on the ground.

Clue number one.

Harry cursed at the sight of the broken glass, stepping over it and yelling Corryn’s name frantically. He looked like he was on the verge of crying, and I already was. I followed him as he looked through the guest rooms, finally reaching the last room in the house, the master bedroom that they shared. The bed was a little messy but other than that, it was perfectly normal. Harry sat on the edge of the bed in defeat, pulling out his phone. He dialed Corryn’s number to see if she would answer.

Not surprisingly, she didn’t. Harry kept calling her and calling her, while I wandered around the room, realizing we had forgotten the master bathroom. I switched the light on and screamed.

“Harry!”

He ran into the bathroom and burst into a shower of cuss words when he saw what I had been screaming about.

Corryn lay on the floor in a small pool of her own blood. Her brown hair was sprawled out, fanning around her pale face. Her shirt was soaked in the red liquid, the same red liquid that poured out of her mouth. I fell to the floor, drained of all my strength, grapsing Corryn’s cold hand. Harry kneels down beside her and held her face in his hands, kissing her pale lips.

“Don’t leave me, Cory. Don’t die on me.” he begged, pulling out his phone to dial an ambulance. Once he hung up after talking to the emergency service, he came back into the bathroom and glared at me, his normally bright green eyes dark and dangerous. He clenched his the and gulped.

"This is all your fault!" he yelled. "My fiancee is fucking bloody and unconscious and it's all your damn fault!"

And he was right.

I sat beside my unconscious best friend and cried. I cried so hard, and I couldn’t stop. I knew this would happen. I knew Candace would do this. She was so fucking insane, thinking that doing this to my best friend would tear me apart. And she was right. She was insane, and right. Because now all I wanted was to feel as much pain as Corryn had, feel as much agony as she had experienced. I looked up, trying to blink the tears away from my eyes when I saw five words written in Corryn’s blood on the mirror.

Don’t look for me again.

There was no denying it. I was the real criminal.

Notes

Oh wow. Oh god. Oh shit.

Corryn is hurt.

Normally I would say the author is cruel, but then I'd be calling myself cruel and though I'm pretty modest, I AINT THE DEVIL. So what do you think will happen to corryn: do you think she's going to die? Do you think she'll be okay? And poor Aria, feeling all guilty. Zayyamm this is getting intenseroony.

What even. That isn't a word.

Eh, guess it is now???

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