The Voice

Like we had all agreed to, we went to the LA Café for a late night snack. I was a little surprised when Adam and his team came, too. So, it really just ended up being a lot of fun getting to know the competition a little better.

Emma was, in fact, a really cool person. She reminded me of Kiley in some ways, Madi in others. Then she had random Noah moments, so it was pretty cool to talk to her. Still didn’t beat the other three, but she was still a pretty neat person.

And then we played the waiting game. Getting back to the house was nice because I got to sleep in. I got to relax. Then comes Demi with her flunky, Brinley, and they have to swoop in and remind me that America doesn’t always vote based on what the judges said. Of course, they did this at a time when Niall wasn’t around. Just Demi and all the contestants.

You better believe Kiley and Madi stepped in to help, and Noah was a mediator of sorts. Of course, he was a bit biased, but he kept us all from killing each other. That’s for sure.

I had never seen Niall more pissed when he walked in and found Demi and I screaming at each other at the top of our lungs. Honestly, the look in his eyes made me hurt and upset. I hated that I made him feel so bad, so angry, but I had. The only part about it I regretted was that it hurt him.

That’s why I was only a little surprised when he snuck into my room that night, moving faster than he should be able to. I was a bit excited to have this time with him, but the look in his eyes told me that our conversation would be anything but pleasant.

“What the hell, Evie?” he hissed, eyes tight. His voice was too soft for anyone standing even right outside of my door to hear, much less anyone in a different room. “I leave for not even an hour, and I come back to find everyone going at each other’s throats. She’s my friend, Evie. You can’t change that.”

I gawked at him. “Really? How is this my fault?”

“I asked her what happened,” he informed me. “Before I start getting too upset, I wanna hear what you have to say. I’m sure the facts are twisted, and they’ll be twisted coming from you, too. It’s the way things go. One sided stories. I can, however, figure out what really happened tomorrow. For now, tell me. What happened?”

“I came downstairs to get some strawberry lemonade before I Skyped with Max and Dad, who is quite pissed at me, I might add,” I scoffed. “Apparently it wasn’t a good idea to use my wings as a part of my attire last night.”

His eyes were wide. “Those were real?”

“They’re usually bigger, but I put lots of hairspray and glitter to make them look fake,” I said, and
I shook my head. “That’s not the point. The point is, I went to get a strawberry lemonade. She was down there with Brinley and said, ‘You know, just because all the judges are wrapped around your finger doesn’t mean America will vote in their favor,’ and I said something like, ‘Well, we’ll just have to wait for Wednesday to see. By the way, no one’s wrapped around my finger.’ Then I—”

“That’s not true,” he interrupted, and his whisper sent shivers down my spine as his eyes immediately softened when they looked back to me. While I gave him a confused gaze, he placed his hands on my cheeks and rubbed them with his thumbs. “I am.”

It was really hard to be mad at him now, but I had to remind myself that he hurt me just now.
Coming in accusing me of being the bad guy here when he should know better . . . it hurt me. He didn’t ask my opinion before he got mad. He just got mad.

I kept my eyes low. “Are you? ‘Cause it seems to me like it’s not my finger you’re wrapped around.”

Like I hoped, that made him mad. It was easy to be mad at someone who was mad at me, so this seemed like the easiest road—to piss him off, too. We would fight, and maybe things would be done for my remaining time in the competition. Maybe things would be done for good. It was hard to accept, but if it was the best thing for both of us . . . so be it.

“Are you serious?” he asked. “Why can’t you understand that it’s not like that? That she’s just a friend.”

I shrugged. “I know that, but I’ve also seen plenty of friends wrapped around each other’s fingers. Like Max for example? As much as it kills me to think about, he’s in love with me. He has been since the first day we met, and he’ll do anything to keep me alive, to protect me. He’s wrapped around my finger, and I hate it. I hate anyone being wrapped around my finger because it feels to me like they have to do whatever I want to please me. It makes me feel like I’ve taken away the spirit from someone, and I hate it. I hate being the reason someone wakes up with a smile because at any moment, I could fuck everything up and destroy their lives. So please. Save yourself from heartache and back out now.”

His eyes were wide. “Evie . . . no.”

I took a deep breath and looked impassively at him. “That’s your decision, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I mess everything up.”

“Why do you want me to leave you?” he whispered, and the immense pain I saw in his eyes actually broke my heart. I think literally. “Is this a nice way of telling me you don’t want me around anymore, so you want me to get rid of you myself?”

“I will always want you around,” I said, and my voice broke. I hated sounding weak, and lately, that’s all I did. If I spent a week back at Prepot, they would fix the weak right out of me. I would be Audry again, and I used to think Audry was the weak one.

Everit was. She let herself feel and love. She let herself hurt others to make herself happy, and as much as I hated this, that’s exactly what I was doing. There was no guarantee that mating would make me immortal. There was no guarantee that I could survive Prepot. All of it was speculation and educated guesses.

So, in just an instant, it all became so clear. There was no guarantee, and the closer I got to people, the more people I would hurt stopping the monsters that created me.

I had to stop getting close to people . . . didn’t I?

“Then stop pushing me away,” he said back, voice just as raspy and choked as mine. I saw tears in his eyes, genuine tears.

You know, I was hurting him already. There’s a difference, though, in breakup pain and death of a lover pain. Dad hasn’t recovered. People recover every day from breakups, even from people they thought were the loves of their lives.

So breakup pain seemed to be the easiest . . . .

“I can see what you’re doing,” he informed me, sniffling a little as a tear rolled down his cheek. “It’s not gonna work. You know the mating thing is just speculation, and even if it changes me, that doesn’t mean we’re invincible. I get it. But you think for one second that stopping this before it gets too serious will make things any easier when you die? Then you’ll die with someone you left behind. No matter what, I will always be a person who hurts at your death. Nothing will ever change that because I’m changed. Forever. A part of me will always have a part of you. We’re connected now, Evie, and leaving me now won’t change that. Maybe I would’ve gotten over it before we got to know each other, but I know you, Evie, and you know me. We’ve begun the mating process, and leaving me now won’t solve anything. I’ll never be able to have kids of my own with anyone but you.”

“I told you I can’t have kids,” I sighed.

“Maybe not with a normal human, but if I’m just like you, how do you know?” he asked. “No one
knows anything when it comes to you, and soon . . . that’ll be me, too.”

I rubbed my hands over my face and took a deep breath before I tried to say anything. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re wrong. But I see your point. It won’t solve anything.”

“Thank you,” he murmured, and our argument was only briefly over. “Get some sleep, Evie. And please, whatever you do, stop. Maybe they started it, but I need you to just let it go, okay? You’ve got one more day, maybe with both of them, so just relax and don’t let them get to you. Just keep in mind that things might be better after tomorrow.”

“Or I could go home,” I reminded him. Of course he knew this was a harsh reality we might have to face, but I knew he wasn’t thinking about that right now. Yet I had to go and make him sad all over again. I felt bad about that, so I gave him a coy smile as I closed the short distance between us and pressed my lips against his. “You should probably get out of here before someone comes looking for you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night, beautiful,” he whispered, and his fingers softly rubbed my cheeks before he disappeared out of my room at his top speed.

Well . . . I didn’t realize how attractive it was to have someone who could actually chase me . . . and someone who could very well be as strong as me.

Hmm.

Notes

The lyrics are from Starlight by Tonight Alive. :3

Anyways, it's weird how quickly this story is going by. I have a couple chapters of the Tour written, but I really gotta pick up the pace! This story will be over before I know it. :P

Hope you guys enjoy. :) Let me know what you think!

Btw, you guys have been so awesome. <3 You rock. :D