Chapter 18

Lucas Michael Avery, my childhood started with him, it shouldn't have surprised me that even into my teenage life he'd still be such an integral part of me. Honestly, my could life ended with him too.

If this was a normal story he'd be the popular jock, or maybe just the bad boy who has a little bit of a problem with the law but secretly a sweetheart. I'd be the childhood best friend and we'd end up together. This isn't a normal story.

You shouldn't fall in love with someone who had been classified as a sociopath. It's not healthy. It's toxic, blood boiling, DNA changing, Harley Quinn creating toxic. I might have just followed Harley's lead and jump right into that vat of acid. At least that way I too could become just as crazy as he is.

Or maybe just by being near him I was marinating in the acid. Slowly losing my sanity.

But what do I know about healthy?

My body felt heavy as I walked through the cold building. The air was damp and my lungs filled with what I could only image was black mold spores, that was how dilapidated the building was. I continued to walk through the building. I couldn't believe she lived here. After all I had grown up watching her, her beautiful smile, her bright eyes. Who didn't love her? I know I had.

I stopped mid stride and notice a familiar figure. One I knew all too well. One who I couldn't stuff my feelings down for. Even if he couldn't return mine, I would love him. Through anythi ng. Even if it killed me.

"Lucas?"

"Yes Candy Cane?" His voice calm, collected, with no emotion behind it.

"Is that-" I couldn't finish my sentence. I wasn't sure how to. I stepped around him and I stared down numbly at the bloody figure I could barely make up. Her face was absolutely mangled. The tips of my fingers were stinging, a rush of noiseless sound filled my ears, I could feel hot bile spill from my mouth, cascading on to the concrete floor.

Her face. If that is even what you could call it anymore. Her eyes were swollen shut, her mouth half open into a permanent scream, her cheek bones crushed into themselves. Her jaw didn't look like it was attached to her face anymore, her nose had clearly been broken. You wouldn't have been able to even tell who she was by looking at her.

I touched my neck softly while looking at her black and blue throat. I remembered the feeling of hands wrapped around me, preventing me from breathing. I was gasping for air now. Tears were streaming down my eyes.

How the fucking hell did I end up here?

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Earlier

"Candice!" Tinsley called. It had been a few days from the last of our conversation and she seemed to have finally forgiven me. Everything between her and I seemed normal enough. Or as normal as she could be. "Did you know tall dark and homicidal hasn't been in school for the last few day?" I frowned at her and didn't say anything. "I was wondering if you knew where he was? Off on a spree killing?"

I still didn't respond. I HAD noticed he had been gone lately. He was also very noticeably absent from my bed. It make me both suspicious and lonely. I would never admit to which one I felt more of.

"Why the hell would she be keeping tabs on that freak? It's been quiet and uneventful since he's been gone. Why mention 'he who shall not be named' and start chaos for no reason?" Tony said from next to me as he swung his arm around my shoulders.

"Because he's the hottest thing on earth besides lava. And even then when he stares deep into your eyes he gives lava a run for its money!" She said with a huge smile on her face, arms swinging in the air animatedly. She looked like a child who was exaggerating their walk. "God all the dirty things I'd do to that boy. Honestly! I have no clue why you don't jump his bones every chance you get!"

"She has taste that's why! I don't understand you. Daddy issues?" Tony mocked her. I sighed I know they loved each other but I couldn't figure out why they constantly had to get the last word with one another.

Had to be some form of sexual tension.

"I haven't heard from him in awhile." I didn't elaborate, I didn't feel the need to.

Tinsley stopped walking and turned around to look at me."I don't understand, hasn't he been shacking up in your bed every night since he got released from gen pop?"

"I'm pretty sure he was in solitary confinement for awhile." Tony said, his arm still around my neck. "Or at least that's what the rumor was."

Lucas had not once been held in solitary confinement, from what he told me he was the 'model prisoner' hence the early release. But his smile had told me he just didn't get caught. He had done some shady things in prison, just someone else had been blamed for his actions. Shocker... "Either way," I rushed "He doesn't always sleep in my bed and lately I haven't heard from him." With that I freed myself from Tony's arm and ran to my next class desperate to think of anything bu Lucas Michael Avery.

After class I was a bit cationic.  Where was Lucas? I had to find out. I found myself at the Avery's door step.

"Hey Mrs. Avery is Lucas here?"

She smiled awkwardly, not seeming willing to talk about it. I frowned, Marsha Avery was a prim and proper lady. It could not have been easy for her to find out her golden son was who he was, especially after Catherine became what she was. Both her children ended up being the exact opposite of their mother and father. Marsha and Michael were kind, caring people, but weren't exactly the most flexible people. Old school was the term, she wore pearls and stayed home, dad was a high paid attorney who no doubt was the reason Catherine stayed out of jail and Lucas got a fairly light sentence for what he had done.

Marsha had always been unwilling to talk about Lucas when he was locked up and they came over for dinner. She would never mention him and when she did it was always in the past tense like what he did never happened. Even though my mother wanted to shower her praise onto him every chance she could. Michael wouldn't even talk about him. When Lucas was released they still never mentioned what happened, only again talking about him as if he was still the perfect golden boy, not the sociopath he had been.

"Candice, it's good to see you. No he's not home. He'll be away for a few days with his grandmother." My frown deepened, his grandmother was dead.

"Oh." I couldn't let her turn me away. I needed to get into his room. "I lent him a book the other day. Is there anyway I could take a look in his room and grab it?"

"I can grab it for you." She said immediately.

No way in hell bitch. "No it's okay." I said pushing my way through the door "I know your busy. I'll go look I'll be quick!" I rushed passed her and up the stairs. My heart was beating quickly. I hadn't heard her following behind me.

I practically ran to the door and whipped it open.

HOLY SHIT. Was al I could thing. As I looked around the once familiar room I couldn't even believe it was the same room I had spent hours in with Lucas. It was nothing like the childhood room I remembered. There was a queen sized bed with a white comforted against the wall to the left. There was a dresser on the opposite side and wooden boards nailed on the windows. And that was it. The closet was completely empty not a single stick of clothing or a hanger hanging.

He must have had more stuff in his prison cell.

His bedroom used to be a giant mess, filled with books, CDS and clothes thrown around the room like a hurricane pasted through it.

Marsha and Michael truly didn't mess around. I walked in and touched his bed, I don't know why it matter but the bed was so cold. I knew he only ever slept in my bed but still. I walked over to the dresser and opened the drawers. Clothes were perfectly folded. I wanted to dig through them but I felt a presence behind me.

I turned around slowly, and even though I felt someone there I still jumped just slightly when I came face to face with the blue eyed woman who was currently staring me down. "Did you find anything?" I stumbled back and the drawer closed automatically as my hands braced the self. Marsha was uncomfortably close to me.
"No I didn't." I said with a smile.

She smiled back at me, her bright ocean eyes staring through me. Her brown hair matched her sons, but was slowly turning grey. Her face clearly had once been beautiful but years of stress was starting to wear on her. No matter how much plastic she injected in her body I could still see it. "Well," she said "I think its best you leave. I don't feel comfortable with you in here while Lucas isn't here. You know invading his privacy. I know you understand."

"Of course." I walked around her and started my way down the hall. I stopped halfway to the stairs. I looked at the pink door the coloring fading from the sun. "How's Catherine?" I asked.

She smiled at me, her eyes empty. "She's doing well in Boston." That was it. That was all she said.

"Oh." As we walked down the stairs she didn't say anything and I followed her lead. As I got to the door she stepped closer to me so I stepped back out onto the porch.

"Well see you on Friday." With that she slammed the door in my face.

Well that was a waste of time. As I walked back towards my house I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I looked at the caller ID, it was an unknown number.

I knew I shouldn't have answered that phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hey there Candy Cane." I froze. Only one person in the world called me that. And the voice on the phone was most definitely not him.

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