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Nothing in life remains good forever, in fact even if things seem good the likelihood is it will all come crashing down around you eventually. Occasionally life may give you the good things, the only reason that it does is so when life gives you those bad times; you really suffer. My life before Luke was normal, but now the old life I had is just all one wrecked memory. Those times in my life would never be recovered, and the bad side of it all was that the horror was here to stay. I'd never be that same person, and life would never be the same again.

I'd learnt the hard way that this was the harsh reality, life definitely was not a bucketful of sunshine and even if it ever seemed to be in the future - I damn well sure would know it would not stay that way for long. Life is a constant roller coaster of ups and downs, one moment you can be on a high; enjoying life and all the wonderful opportunities that it offers you. The next you will come tumbling down into darkness, hating every breath you take and praying, hoping your final one will be just around the corner. Dying seems like the easiest route, all the pain; would finally fizz away along with the life you left behind.

My hand dug into the cabinet, pulling out a glass bottle of crystal clear liquid. Dying may not be the only option, but drinking sure was. Quickly I poured myself a shot, knocking it back all in one go. As the scolding hot scorched down my throat, nothing else mattered beside the toxins that were now pumping there way through my body. This was not my first glass of alcohol this morning, it was one of many.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Hunter's voice appeared, before I knew it he was beside me; snatching the liquor bottle out of my hand, and placing it back in the cupboard.

"Sleeping? What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" I joked, my voice tinged with sarcasm.

His face scrunched up, his eyes fluttering shut. "Drinking isn't the answer to this. We need to go to the police station-"

I laughed, shaking my head. "I'm not going."

Hunter stepped back, creating a distance between us that I weirdly enjoyed. "What do you mean, you're not going?"

"I do not want to go, so I am not going. Screw that into your skull Hunter."

Hunter stepped forward, wrapping his arms around me and attempting to hold me close. My hands gripped onto his chest, before harshly pushing him away causing him to stumble across the kitchen.

Hunter's eyes widened, his body limp as he regained his balance, "Why are you being like this?"

"Being like what?" I laughed, enjoying the sense of relaxation that had suddenly over taken me.

Hunter's gaze captured me, his black pupils dilating as he searched my body up and down. Uncomfortably I tugged my dressing gown together, tying it the red piece of ribbon into a bow.

"You're drunk." Hunter stated, each crease of his face crumpling with worry.

"So what if I am?" I yelled, grabbing the half full bottle of vodka back out of the alcohol cupboard.

He scoffed, rushing towards me once again. "It's 10am in the morning Grace, and you are hammered!"

The sound of my nails tapping against the glass filled the room, each second the grasp I had on the bottle was getting tighter. Alcohol saved me from the whirring mess that filled my mind, and all I needed and wanted was to be alone.

"Just do me a favour, and leave me the hell alone!" I screamed, running up the stairs and flinging my body onto Hunter's guest room bed.

Hunter had made many attempts over the last few days to get me to go down to the police station, but he had failed. Everybody knew Luke had been released from the police station, pending investigation. The police had assured Hunter over the phone that they were trying to find witnesses that could confirm my case, but so far nobody had come forward. I knew people in my year at school had witnessed Luke being abusive, but of course nobody wanted to grass him up. Leo promised he would vouch on my behalf, he'd witnessed Luke attempting to murder me. But so far, he was the only one who would be willing to testify against him in court.

For the rest of the day I stayed in bed, binge watching soap operas and watching Christmas films. Even though Christmas was months away, somehow it filled me with some form of hope. Just for those 120 minutes the movie played, I smiled. Hunter had knocked on the door every hour, asking if I was okay and if he could come in. Of course I said no, and refused to unbolt the door. When I was inside this room, the outside world did not exist; as long as I stayed in these four walls, Luke could never hurt me.

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A nudge to my ribs made me jolt upright awake to see Liam's contorted face. How long was I asleep? What time is it? I could only hope I hadn't slept my whole evening away, I had plans to watch more Christmas films. My head began to pound, making me regret the large amount of alcohol I'd consumed earlier.

"We need to get you out of here!" Liam whispered in a serious tone, rushing round the room grabbing my clothes and thrusting them into one of Hunter's old tattered backpacks.

I blinked, trying to come to some sort of understanding as to what the hell was going on, "What? Why?"

He ignored me, continuing to pack all my coursework folders and homework books into other bags. I felt clueless, confused even; none of this made sense.

"Liam!" I yelled, it had only been a few minutes of feeling anxious but it was enough to make me petrified. My anxiety was already through the roof at the minute, and the unknown always sent it onto overdrive.

Liam rushed over to me, placing his palm tightly over my lips. Every bone in my body froze, I knew Liam would never hurt me but this was not normal behaviour for him. I mumbled screams between his fingers, suddenly feeling desperate.

"Shhh, it's okay Grace." Liam cooed, his lemon fresh breath brushing against the skin on my neck. "Calm down and I will explain."

Could I trust Liam? Or was he trying to hurt me just like Luke was? If I had learn't anything from all this, it was that you never truly knew anybody enough to trust them one hundred percent. One day the person you love could simply just snap, and that would be it; the abuse, the hatred it would be the beginning of the end. Sometimes I wondered if I'd set myself up for the fall, did I push Luke to far to know that eventually he would snap? Maybe this was all my fault, and I had been in denial to believe so.

Amongst all my thoughts, my breathing had slowed and I weirdly felt calm despite Liam's calloused hand still placed over my parched lips. The bed beside me dipped, Liam's scent lingering in the air; he was now beside me.

"Now don't freak out, but Luke is downstairs with your Mum." Liam whispered, grabbing my hand and placing it in his.

Suddenly my heart sank, my sanctuary was not as safe as I believed it to be. Liam got in, despite the bolt on the door. Luke could've done just the same.

"W-What?" I gulped, Luke was one floor below me; breathing the same air as me once again.

Liam began to draw soothing circles on my palm, "I'm sorry if I scared you, but I needed to make sure you stayed quiet. Hunter told them you are not here-"

"But I am here!"

"No shit Sherlock!" Liam chuckled, ever so quietly amongst the darkness of the gloomy room. Just a few hours ago this house seemed so bright and full of potential, but now the devil was amongst the bricks - it seemed morbid, like a house out of a horror film. All that was missing was some misty fog, and some screaming bats and it would be exactly that.

Liam stood up, his panicked eyes glistening from the white moonlight reflecting in through the transparent glass. "We're going to climb out of Hunter's bedroom window, and go to my house. Hunter and I are going to keep you safe, we promised you we would. And I never break a promise."

A single tear began to trace itself down my face, along with a sudden love and adoration for Liam and all he has done for me ever since we became friends. Despite the fact we were never that close, now it felt like we were closer than ever. Bad situations truly do bring friends closer together, I loved Hunter and Liam so much for having my back through all of this.

Without another thought I tugged on my converse, tying them into a perfect bow and grabbing as many bags as I could take. Liam had never said we had little amount of time, but I could sense it necessary to rush; Luke and my mother would soon fathom out the masquerade Hunter would've put on and the two of them would be flying up the stairs to find me.

"Chuck the bags outside, extra weight will not aid to help you climb down." Liam instructed, tossing the backpacks down to the grass of the back garden.

The bags landed on the solid ground with an almighty thud, instantly filling me with anxiety. I peered over the window ledge, noticing there was no ladder in sight.

My body twisted anxiously, my eyes connecting with Liam's. "How are we, you know... getting down?"

Liam pointed towards the guttering, how on earth we were supposed to trust flimsy piece of plastic to get us down to the ground was beyond me. Before I knew it Liam was outside the window, slowly gliding himself down like he was in a fireman in a fire station. He made it look so easy; Liam was fearless. Nothing and nobody could ever frighten him, I'd often found myself wishing I was as brave as him.

Finally Liam's two feet swiftly connected with the ground, his chin lifted towards the window; his eyes full of hope. It amazed me how he had such belief in somebody as pathetically hopeless as me.

"Just jump, I'll catch you!" Liam yelped, his voice barely audible from the height difference.

"You want me to jump?" My eyes widened, my mind began to whirl to try calculate the measurement of the drop that was ahead of me.

Suddenly loud muffles appeared in the corridor outside the bedroom, along with thudded footsteps. What was the alternative here? Be face to face with Luke, or jump out of a window to a possible death or fall into Liam's arms. Without a doubt I would choose the latter.

I swung my legs across the window ledge, putting my life in the hands of the brown haired boy beneath me. We'd come along way, and done some crazy things over the years; but this about topped it all off. The cool summer breeze brisked across my face, my body flying through the air; gravity was now in charge of my fate. For a moment I felt invincible, I felt as if I was flying; on top of the world and carefree.

My eyes slammed shut, I was praying Liam would catch me or maybe all of this could all be just one huge dream.. Yep that would be great. But it wasn't, and I knew that as soon as I felt Liam's strong, biceps wrap around my torso.

"You can open your eyes Grace, you're okay." Liam held me close, reassuring me. Beneath the many layers of camouflage clothing he was wearing, I could somehow feel his heart beating vigorously against his chest. Until now I had never realised how strong Liam was, sure I knew he worked out in the gym three times a week but I never knew he had the ability to catch a girl weighing nine stone from a window.

Luke's loud voice boomed in the above window, "Where the hell is she?!"

Within a matter of seconds Liam and I grabbed the bags, and each other and sprinted towards the alley down the road. We needed to get to Liam's house, once we were there I knew I'd be safe.

After all it isn't the place where you are that can make you safe, it's those who surround you. I knew Liam would go to all costs to protect me, and anyone who knows Liam can tell he's not a force to be messed with. Liam was dangerous when he wanted to be, I had no idea to what extent but I was beyond grateful that somebody like him was on my side.

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A/N:
First of all I want to apologise for the lack of updating this book, I've been going through some tough times and I needed some time to finish this chapter. But here it is! ❤️

- How do you feel about Grace's behaviour during this chapter?
- Do you think Liam will look after Grace?

Also Happy Halloween to all my readers! Hope you have a safe and spooky night.👻🎃