Serial Killer - Moncrieff, JUDGE

I was smiling. It was the first time in what felt like eons that I wasn't forcing a smile on my face. Mare was sitting next to Kane, who had an arm wrapped around his shoulder. I was sitting across from them, doubled over with laughter. Marcy Jater had just swooped over to as Kane if he was single, prompting Mare to get up. Right before he could, Kane easily kissed his boyfriend on the cheek and told Marcy Jater to go back to screwing the baseball team. I was smiling.

"Ace, your phone," Mare says between giggling and I look down to the buzzing phone. It was my aunt. What did she even want from me? I didn't even think she had my cell phone number, to be honest. I roll my eyes and answer. It was probably something to do with dad again.

"Hello?" I ask and I could already hear the sniffling and sobbing coming from the device.

"Are you alone?" My aunt asks in her usual nasally voice, but more than usual. As if she'd been crying. Did another cat of hers die?

"No, I'm with Mare. What's wrong? Why are you crying?" I ask and I'm met with silence. I look up at MAre and Kane, who were both watching me with concern. I shrug my shoulders at them and spin my finger next to my head. This woman was crazy for calling me, even if I was only on a small break between classes.

"I think you should be alone when I tell you this," She continues and I sigh into the phone. I was running out of patience for her, not that I had any for her at all.

"Just spit it out, I have to get back to class soon," I sigh and rest my free hand on the table. Mare scooted away from Kane and was now sitting closer to me, leaning over the table in concern.

"I really think you shoul-"

"Listen, I don't have time for this, I'll call you back."

"Your parents are dead.," The smile from my face fades as she speaks. It was a joke. An April Fool's hoax. It was late May.

"If you were going to call me to tell me a joke-"

"Joint suicide. Three hours ago," My blood runs cold. I was at the house only four hours ago. Mom and dad had already left the house, or so I thought. It was impossible, it wasn't happening.

"They assume it was poison, but there isn't a solid lead for now. I'm so sorry, Acacia. They loved you so much."

"Where are you?" I demand and my aunt gives me the hospital address. She said I would need a code to get into the building but I was barely listening. If they loved me, then why were they dead? Why did I feel alone when I sped to the house and saw police tape all around? Why did I cry when I saw their purple bodies? Why was I the one who was left alive?

//

I wished I had passed out from the pain. I wished I had lost enough blood to die. I wished I had enough strength to open the door and run. I wished I had stayed out of Cranston. Lastly, I wished I had someone else to be here with me. It was sadistic, right? To want someone else to endure the pain with you? Just someone to talk to. I didn't want to talk to the monster walking around me. I wouldn't talk to him anymore.

"I'm angry with you, Acacia. Not one attempt to leave since your little suicide attempt and now this? Did you want to make me angry, was that it? You wanted me to give you no choice but to stay with me? Such an attention whore, might I say," I keep my head down and my eyes on my broken leg. I don't know what he thought a little bit of gauze would accomplish. The skin might as well be out and oozing with infection. I couldn't move my leg or else pain would erupt all up my side. If I tried, I could make the bone stick out through the gauze for entertainment. It helped distract me from listening to Jase drabble on.

"I gave you what you wanted, I gave you the option to stay. And you tried to leave me. Me. You won't find anyone else in this world who loves you more than I do. No one knows you as I do," That comment makes my blood boil. He knew material things, there was no way he could see inside my mind. Not like Mare and Kane. Not like I almost let Mrs.Lean see. Mare always knew what I wanted and always asked in case I didn't want those things.

"You're wrong," I quietly say and tuck my arms together. I was still there on the kitchen floor. Jase hand cleaned the glass up himself and wrapped my leg up. Nothing for the pain, just the floor, and my own thoughts. Jase frowns and keeps his hands behind his back. Today he was a little kid, with khaki shorts and a familiar "I Heart Alaska" shirt.

"I know everything about you; your blood type, your favorite things, your family. Name it and I know it," Jase seeths and proudly stares at me before turning his back and going back over to the counter.

"Do you know what I'm thinking?" I comment and Jase stops moving. He turns to look at me with a gleam in his eyes. He starts to say something and quickly shuts his mouth. Jase looks down and looks back over at me. I stumped him.

"You're. . . happy. Happy that you're here with me. In pain, because of your leg. But you know it was for your own good. You know how much I love you," I didn't have much else to lose besides my life, which was already slipping from my grasp. If my leg wasn't treated, I knew I would die. What seemed odd was that he wasn't treating it like the other injuries. Almost like he didn't know how to or maybe he didn't want to. I watch as his hand enwraps a kitchen knife and he turns back to the counter to chop something.

"You're wrong," I say once again and he stops. He looks at the wall, going into the space that made his eyes foggy and his mouth curl. This time, it takes him longer to snap out of it. Much longer. When he does, he frowns at me and crouches down on his ankles, swinging the knife in his hand around me.

"I know what you're doing. Trying to make me angry. It won't work. I won't hurt you again. Such a little masochist you are, always wanting me to hurt you," He chuckles and uses the knife to poke at my broken leg. I wince and curl my fists. How I wanted to punch him until he stopped breathing. Yet, I couldn't. I knew I couldn't.

Jase gets up and uses the knife to continue chopping. From my angle, I couldn't see what was on the counter; only the clock, the fridge and anyone who came down the hallway or through the kitchen door. The door taunted me. I knew where his key was. I knew he left at night or at least early in the morning. Everything was taunting me.

"Acacia, did you hear me?" I look over at Jase, who was snapping his fingers at me. He smiles when he sees me looking and puts his knife down.

"Do you want chicken or beef? I know you rather chicken but will eat beef from time to time," Jase asks and I shrug my shoulders. My back rubs against the wall and the bruises from me hitting the counters aches. Jase purses his lips and throws a bunch of things into the pot on the stove. Lovely.

"I think we should discuss our relationship, don't you think? It's rather odd for you to be so quiet towards me," Jase cheerfully says and stirs the pot. I watch as he adds some salt, pepper, and some other spice. If I didn't know any better, I would say it was motherly. It was sweet. But if it was sweet, my leg wouldn't be broken and my head wouldn't attack me at every given thought.

"You know I love you and I know you love me, but I'm starting to feel like you don't love me like you used to," I laugh at that and quickly slap my hand on my mouth to silence myself. Sure, I loved you for the second you weren't crazy. When was that? Never? As much as I hated to admit, I think there was a part of me that had grown attached to the quirky villain. Only a small portion. Jase shoots me a look and stirs the pot again. He pulls out one of the chairs from the table and swings his legs around it, grasping the back of the chair and putting his chin on the top.

"Do you hate me, Acacia?"

"I don't know," I truthfully say and he nods. His glasses were tucked on his shirt collar and he purses his lips. I watch as his mouth contorts from pursuing and into a wide smile and then an opened laugh. No, not a laugh; a maniacal laugh. I watch as he laughs and wipes fake tears from his eyes.

"You don't know? Well, my love, you must know. Do you love me? Hate me? Do you want me? Crave me? Desire me? I want you to talk to me like you would before. When you were all alone in that house and would talk to yourself. When I first brought you up from the basement. Just because I broke your leg doesn't mean I stopped caring; no, no, I care so much that I broke your leg to keep you with me. Now that I have you again, I want you to talk to me. Now, talk," I stare at him blankly and clench and unclench my hands. It wasn't that I couldn't talk to him, I just didn't want to. I didn't want him to think he knew me as he thought. Maybe the material version of me, but not the real me. I didn't want him to, either. I stay quiet.

"I asked you nicely, Acacia. Talk. To. Me. Talk to me. Not a hard command," Jase repeats, his words sharper and louder. I keep my lips sealed. It happens fast, how fast he is on the floor and in front of me. Fast how my lips were being squeezed between his fingers and how fast my eyes closed.

"I know those lips can work, baby, make them work. Talk to me," He squeezes my lips harder and I could feel his nails start to dig into the top part where the skin met the lips. I grip onto his wrist and try to pull them away, but he was relentless.

"Stop it, your hurting me," He pettily says and I dig my nails harder into his arm. I look down and realize I was digging into the same place I dug into when he dragged me into the kitchen. I use all my possible strength and dig into his arm. Jase yelps and rips his arm away from me, releasing me. I triumphantly watch as he holds his bleeding arm and then looks at me with an endearing look on his face.

"Well, well. Quite a little fighter. I love that energy, such a shame you waste it on me," He stands up and walks over to me. My face forcefully turns to the side at the harsh slap and the sound of skin hitting skin follows. My mouth falls open and I look back over at him, clutching his arm again.

"I hate you," I whisper and he looks down at me from his arm. He narrows his eyes and moves his head around the room, looking at random objects like he didn't know what was happening.

"What did you just say?"

"I hate you! I hate you more than anything in the world! I hate you more than my parents! I hate you so much! I want you to die! I want. . .I want. . ." I couldn't help the tears from coming down my face. I didn't want them to, but they poured from my eyes like a faucet. What I hated most, was that I was starting to hate Jase less and less. I deserved that slap, I would have slapped someone for digging their nails into me. I hated the fact that I hated him. I hated the fact I didn't love him. I knew that it would be better if I just loved him.

"I want to love you," I finally say and I watch his eyes light up like a child's. He leans back down on his ankles and brushes his hand across my cheek.

"Do you mean it, Acacia?" Did I? I didn't know what I meant. I wanted to leave this house, I wanted my best friends back. I wanted to be in the library. I wanted to be back in my room when it was raining. I wanted my life back.

"If you really mean it, truly mean it. . . Will you obey me? Will you stop this little facade and listen to every word I say?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to enjoy breaking you."