Elder Brother Part 1

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"He-ey..." I heard a voice from far away, or at least it seemed far away. I didn't know where I was and could only see darkness in front of me. My ears were ringing constantly – the voice was too muffled to hear anything more. I furrowed my eyebrows, not even realizing that I had my eyes closed. "Hey!" Yelled the same voice from before, closer and more clearer.

I heard a faint snapping sound off to my side.

I slowly brought my hand up to my head as I blinked my eyes open. I blinked a few times, then looked at the boy that was to the side of me. I couldn't even tell his hair color or eye color. They had blended together...my head hurt.

God it fucking hurts...!

The area around me was constantly spinning and I was being shaken awake by this guy -- who the hell was he-?

What happened...?

I felt his hand come and slap me lightly on my cheek a few times – but the area was numb and yet somehow cold at the same time. 

All my brain had registered was pressure.

Where am I?

"Come on, get up!" His voice became clearer by the second and I blinked my eyes again as sound came flooding back into my ears all at once.

There was an annoying car horn going off and I realized that we had broken through the iron gates. The car had been totaled, but the job was done. The car served a perfect ramming tool to open the gates wide open. 

My head was resting on the horn, causing it to sound incessantly. I couldn't help it when I let out a groan, the killer headache hadn't been even slightly alleviated.

Raising my head, my arms searched to find the handle of the car door. My limbs felt as though they weighed a ton. My fingers scrambling around the metal frame of the door in a desperate attempt to find latch to open it.

I needed to get out of the vehicle – I needed to run.

Now!

"Whoa, hey! Let me help you!" He slung my arm around his shoulder and pulled me out of the car. The car door handle I had been looking for was nonexistent -- the door wasn't even attached anymore to the vehicle. I didn't know where it was or what had happened to it.

The middle of my forehead was swollen and bleeding from where my head slammed into the steering wheel of the car after the crash. My nose was also bleeding, profusely. It might have been broken but I couldn't tell for sure without looking in a mirror. 

I could feel the liquid dribble down towards my mouth from my nostrils. Some of the liquid seeped into my mouth, causing a distaste of iron to fill it. I let out a breath -- it was labored. I hoped that I didn't break a rib in the crash as well. I could feel a bruise forming where the seatbelt had prevented my body from flinging out of the windshield. 

"That was some fast and furious shit you did, girl."

I blinked slowly, but it was hard to focus on any exact thing.

We arrived at the garage of the mansion. There were an assortment of cars and I frantically raised the keys that I had collected to the set of cars. I kept pressing the unlock button on the small fob that was on the keyring.

I heard the successful sound of the car going off, sweet relief washed over me. I had found a vehicle that I could use. 

"Who's going to ram the gates?"

I clenched the keys in my hand. "I'll do it."

There was a loud thumping in the base of my skull that wouldn't stop

I didn't even have my driver's license – was this what it was like to get into a car accident?

Why did I offer to drive?

"Did everyone get out safely?!" Yelled another boy. I turned my eyes to them. They weren't familiar to me. I blinked again, this time narrowing my eyes at each individual person. Their faces were blurry, but they were getting clearer with each passing second. It made it hard to distinguish people since the colors blended together.

Concussion...I had a concussion, didn't I?

I took a step, but stumbled over my own two feet, causing the teenager that was holding me to him to tighten his hold. I placed my free hand on his chest to steady myself. I continued to breathe -- I needed to get out to the woods. 

I opened my mouth to offer my advice, but another teenager yelled out what I was thinking. "We should run for the woods!" I coughed, my throat feeling sore and scratched. I cleared it, bringing the hand that was resting on the teen's chest up to my throat to rub it. 

"Are you good to run?" Asked the teen that was holding me. I nodded slowly, even though I wasn't too sure myself. My entire body felt sluggish and I was doing well not throwing up. The area was still spinning slightly. I curled my toes tightly in my shoes to test out my nerves and muscles. 

"Come on!" He yelled, as gun shots were heard in the background.

Gun shots -- guns.

My guns...!

I vaguely remembered that I had two guns before I had passed out. Performing a quick look over of myself I discovered that they were missing. I gripped onto the boy's wrist tightly, drawing his attention over to me. "Whe-re..." I started to say breathlessly.

My ribs or lungs must have been injured in that crash.

I narrowed my eyes on the teen in front of me. I did my best to articulate my words as clearly as I could. "My-guns?"

The boy gripped my hand and pulled me into the forest, not offering an answer to my question.  We were both running, but I was barely able to understand what was going on, doing my best to not trip into hardly noticeable holes in the ground. Colors once more blended to each other. It was night, and the dark colors of the trees mixed with the exotic colors of the teen's clothing in front of me was enough to increase my headache.

"Eli has them," the teen spoke. "He didn't think a girl would know how to use them."

I was silent at that answer but was too disoriented to answer back....Or even think of a snappy response. Whoever this Eli was, I was positive that he didn't know how to shoot better than I did.

"Hurry up! We're going to get shot if we don't lose them!"

The teen pulled me again, and this time I felt us turning a harsh left. I wondered if my arm would get pulled out of socket from all the violent tugging that this person was doing to me. In my current condition, I doubt that it would even be the worst injury that I would have. 

We hid underneath some bush and a series of harsh, rushed footsteps were above us.

I kept staring in front of me, not able to identify a tree to a plant. I closed my eyes tightly before opening them again, but it did nothing to correct my vision. That crash must have given me a severe concussion. My pupil might also have been blown from the looks of things. I placed my hand up to my face and felt a few swollen parts on my skin.

After a few moments the footsteps disappeared and the boy looked over at the other group of faces.

"Let's go," commanded a voice. I noticed the familiar color of the shotgun and narrowed my eyes on the boy that took my weapons. I worked hard for that gun – that was mine.

Eli – that was his name...

He now had the safety of the group in his hands, and I had a feeling that he would completely botch this opportunity.

The boy that was holding me held me up and we continued along. I almost tripped a few times but the boy helped me as I stumbled. His grip never loosened while I couldn't tell right from left.

It didn't matter if I even had the guns -- I wouldn't be able to focus or shoot. Not with the way that I was...which meant that we were certainly and undeniably fucked.

I wasn't going to be useful at all for these people.

"Easy!" The teen that had me glued to his arm cautioned. "And careful," he reprimanded lightly and I glared at him. He didn't have the right to order me around just because I was a jumbled bag of directions. "Are you okay?"

I glanced off to the side but then was pulled into an unseen hole as the footsteps returned and a couple of shots went off. A face with long hair that tried to run was shot three times in the back. They, but I think it was a she, tumbled down the hill and away from where the rest of us were. The footsteps ran after her...I could see the black and silver armor that each man was wearing.

Bulletproof armor.

Shit.

I was now doubting that having two of the guns on our side would provide any protection at all.

My hand went back up to my face as I felt another terrible migraine spread through my upper face. I massaged it gently, but it did little to ease my suffering.

"How do they keep finding us?"

My eyes flickered to the bracelet on my wrist since my hand was still up to my face. Dread instantly washed over me as I stared at the metal. I blinked my eyes, staring at the bracelet, knowing what exactly its purpose was at that moment -- I was never going to get away from him to begin with.

I narrowed my eyes at it and pushed away the boy that was holding onto my other wrist. "Leave me," I wanted my voice to remain strong, but I could tell that it was sluggish. "Go and save yourselves!" It came out slurred, but based on the look on the boy's face – from what I could see from the haze was that he was frowning.

"No! You...!" He said while shaking his head. "You helped us. We can't just leave you!"

I pushed him away again, this time being more assertive.

"Go! Leave me!" I ordered in a hushed whisper, and the rest of the students all ran after that. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the cell phone. Looking up at the boy's blurry face I handed it to him. "Take this. Live..." He took it in his hands, and when his fingers brushed against mine...I couldn't feel anything on my fingertips.

The boy nodded as he took one last look towards me before reluctantly leaving me.

I turned to the bracelet at my wrist and spat at it. "Aidan-! Piece of...shit!" I whispered. I wanted it off my wrist, or I wanted it broken. I just wanted it off of me -- I didn't want him to know where I was at all times. My eyes grazed around the area, my eyesight becoming less blurry by the second. I found two large rocks in the area and placed my wrist down on the flatter rock on the ground.

No wonder he wasn't worried – he didn't have to be!

He was tracking me – this bracelet served another purpose.

How could I have not known-? Or even questioned its real purpose?

I shook my head, gripping the rock that I could hold tightly in my hand. I situated my wrist on the rock...this was going to hurt.

Good thing I already had a concussion – it would hopefully drown out some of the pain.

I inhaled and swung the rock into my wrist. A dull pain came from the spot, and I brought my arm back up and swung relentlessly at my wrist once more. My wrist began to pulsate and I could see blood from the bandages healing my burn from the night before. It even began to burn -- but I wouldn't let that stop me. 

I swung down again.

And again.

I lost track of how many times before a hand gripped the wrist that was holding the rock. It was gentle but rough at the same time. I could faintly feel the calloused bumps on the hand with the little feeling I had regained in my fingertips.

"Vienna." Dominic's voice called out. He walked in front of me and bent down. All I could see were his brown eyes. "You figured it out, huh?" His tone was sympathetic. It was misplaced for the strong, and cynical man. "Too smart for your own good..."

I noticed that he was looking intently at me. I slowly blinked, while he placed a hand under my chin. He raised my chin slowly, fully examining my face, before looking at my nose and forehead. "Concussion." He spoke dryly, his nose scrunching up as he spoke the one word. 

I could see nothing but his blurred brown eyes of concern.

"On a scale of one to ten?"

I continued to stare at him and then looked down at my wrist, but I couldn't even feel it anymore – it had grown numb, just like almost every other part of my body. I could see blood – the color red. That was all that I saw. I knew that it was now mangled and I might have shattered the wrist entirely.

"Vienna," he snapped his fingers, causing my eyes to dart over back to his.

"Are you able to answer me?"

I tried to find his face underneath all that brown but couldn't. Brown – brown overwhelmed me and I almost got lost inside of the color.

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to remember how to talk. I opened my mouth and silently spoke a number. Then, I did it again but this time speaking. "Eight...?" I questioned, not knowing how bad my own concussion was.

I felt his arms underneath me and he pulled me to his chest. I stayed there, not even putting up a fight.

Despite everything...I felt like I had failed again.

"I'm sorry."

I didn't know who I was apologizing to – it was probably to myself.

"You're not..." Dominic stated, holding me tightly. I could hear the remorse in his tone. He knew that there would be a punishment to my latest escape attempt just as I did. From the sound of his voice, I knew that it wouldn't be very good.

"But you will be."

....

....

"You always seem to be hurting yourself," Aidan's lecturing voice came from in front of me. My head was still pulsing, and the doctor had been called to the mansion to tend to my injuries. I was in one of the medical rooms in the mansion...I disliked being here.

Aidan was walking around like I hadn't shot him – the man seemed like he couldn't experience pain. It was as though he wasn't even human. I could see it though...the barely noticeable slight limp in his leg that he tried to hide.

He bled red just like the rest of us did.

There was a small sense of victory inside of me, but that feeling wouldn't last -- Aidan would make sure that it wouldn't last.

"Since you're still resting, Vienna, I decided to bring in some entertainment," He turned towards the large screen that was hanging on the wall, opposite of the bed. I blinked my eyes quickly a few times. My wrist was in a heavy cast. The doctor said that I had shattered it, but that I was on the road to recovery.

I was mostly on a large dose of pain relievers, which caused me to be tired more than anything else.

I glanced to the opposite side of the room as he flicked the screen on. Anything that he would consider as entertainment I was certain that I would not enjoy. "Vienna, look at the screen," I shook my head, disturbing the bandages that were wrapped tightly around my forehead.

Aidan appeared at my side, and he gripped my chin tightly in his hand. His fingers dug unforgivingly into my cheeks. I let out a whine as I rose my good arm to try and fight him off. I balled my hand into a fist, clenching my fingers into my palm in seething anger.

I hated when he manhandled me the most – treated me like a doll that he could move to wherever he liked.

"Leave me al-!"

"The body of Arianna Hopkins was discovered today, the fifth of March," my eyes shot over to the screen at hearing my name. I saw the local news anchor of my town – Jim Kenneth. My arm was still frozen in mid-air, and I slowly lowered it down to my side to rest it on the bed.

Jim Kenneth was frowning as he held his hands tightly on the desk. I could see his hands turning a faint shade of white. I went to school with his son, and luckily, his son had stayed home the day of the shooting.

"It is not a..." he was uncomfortable with delivering the news. "It's not a good day when a child of our community is found like this," he paused. He let in a breath before slowly letting it out. He was torn up about the news -- no, I wasn't dead. I furrowed my eyebrows, staring hard at the screen. I noted every twitch of his jaw as he was holding his emotions together. "Her father, Mayor Hopkins, had this to say:"

The scene changed and my father was standing in front of his office building. The stone steps that Bella and I would play on when we were kids were directly behind him. He was standing at the podium, and he looked like he was malnourished. His eyes were puffy, and they had dark circles under them. 

I could tell that he didn't sleep...he looked like the walking dead.

"D-Dad...Dad, no...!" I couldn't help the squeaks that came from my throat. There were tears in my eyes as I leaned forward, trying to talk to him. I knew it was useless, but seeing a familiar warm face after months of being away had taken its toll on my psyche. I wanted so desperately to reach out and touch him. I wanted that sense of comfort but knew that it was out of my reach. "Dad! Dad!!"

"My daughter, Arianna Hopkins was found only because a jogger had found a corpse in the agricultural pond," my breath hitched in my throat as I continued to listen, staring intently on my father's grieving face. "My daughter, Arianna Hopkins is dead because a...a deranged psychopath chose to end her life," I shook my head.

I wasn't dead.

I was right here.

"For a father to outlive his child is terrible. For a person, no..." He took a breath, I could tell that he was hurting. I was hurting, too, I never wanted to see my father cry. I didn't want to look but I couldn't look away. I would have lost a chance to see my father -- I needed to see him. I wanted him to reach out and hold me and tell me everything would be alright-!

"A monster to do this is unspeakable. It is inhumane. I-It is despicable. For...For my daughter," he took in a deep breath. This was hard for him. It was hard for me to watch. I was sure that Aidan was finding unbridled amusement with all of this. I kept my eyes glued to the screen, but couldn't contain the anger that was creeping up on me. 

Aidan did this.

"My daughter, Ari...Who had hopes and aspirations...for her," he took another pause. I could see that he swallowed. He swallowed down some of his sadness, but it was still painfully visible on his face. I clenched my hands the best that I could. "For her to b-be dead while she was still young...Her dreams will never be achieved. She will never be able to live again."

My father stepped away from the podium. He didn't have anything more to say. His secretary, Stephanie, placed a hand on the back of his shoulder and led him into his office building.

I was frozen on the bed. I didn't know what else to say or feel. I had known that my father would be worried with his daughters missing. I knew that he would be hurting....but, what Aidan had done was unforgivable – he had faked my death...

Jim Kenneth appeared back on the screen. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Our condolences for Mayor Hopkins and his family. The search for his missing daughter, Isabella Hopkins, continues. We will be praying that she is found and brought home soon."

The screen turned off, and I didn't know I was clenching onto the thin white sheet that was laying on top of me. I turned my head to Aidan, who was leaning on my bed with his hands, clearly enjoying the show. "What did you think?" His precarious attitude caused my blood to boil. "I told you that I would kill Arianna Hopkins, didn't I?"

"You..." I trailed, I shook

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