On Wednesday’s We Write

There’s a mixture of excitement and nervousness that’s flowing through me. I can feel my stomach twisting and turning with nausea. I look down at my feet to make sure that I’m standing correctly. There is a right and wrong way to stand–after all, you have to get the best pose. The one that doesn’t make you look stiff or unapproachable.

I raise my head and flick it to the side to remove some hair that had fallen from my face. As I look at flashes that are pointed toward me, I do everything I can not to squint. If I squint, it’ll surely ruin the results. I raise my eyes as much as possible, trying to gaze at the flashes as best as possible. For a few moments I keep my face straight to get a few blank shots. Then I move on to smiling and interacting. I walk towards the rope, making sure to keep my smile as I do so. The voices grow louder, but still continue to be muddled together. 

“Y/N! Y/N! What drew you to play the role of Sister Megan?” one reporter is shouting as loudly as she can while stretching her arm out past the red rope. I look into her eyes and prepare to answer her question, well aware of the camera’s eyes, “Well, she’s complicated. At first she seemed like the kind of character you understand and know, but as she develops she gets more complex.” 

I smile at her, prepared for the next question that she’ll ask me, “And what about your co-star Nicholas Alexander Chaves, how were you able to get such amazing chemistry with him considering the context of Sister Megan and Father Charlie’s relationship?” There are the questions about the male co-stars. She did such a good job with the first question too. “It was something that came naturally to us,” I begin, “Nick and I obviously had to get comfortable with each other and throughout that process we learned we had a natural chemistry with one another. I think when you can experience something like that in real life, it makes the acting easier.”

And with that, I want nothing more to do with the purple carpet. Nick and I had obvious chemistry on screen and while that did translate into our everyday lives, I wanted to keep our relationship professional. Even though he is very gorgeous and funny, we need to get through filming before I can even think of pursuing anything with him. It might not even turn out the way I want it to. That idea alone makes me hesitate at the idea of dating him. 

I take a few steps back, ready to take a few more pictures and continue on with this premier. I turn sideways and look over my shoulder to give one of those classic modeling poses when I see Nick behind me. He’s in a gray plaid suit and a white button up. A simple look, but handsome nevertheless. His eyes glance over toward me and his face shows a bashful smile. He’s looking at me like he knows exactly what I’m thinking. I can feel my heart betray me, thudding against my ribs in a rhythm that’s far too obvious. My body stiffens, not from the cameras now, but from the way Nick walks toward me. Slow. Steady. Like he’s not just walking, but closing the space between us with intention. He stops just a few inches away, close enough that I catch a hint of his cologne over the heat of the lights. I can hear the murmurs in the crowd growing louder, shifting like a tide.

"Hey," he says, casual, low, just for me. It feels intimate somehow, despite the hundreds of eyes on us.

I manage to smile. “Hey,” I reply, hoping my voice doesn’t crack under the weight of everything I’m not saying.

His eyes scan my face for a second longer than they should—lingering on the curve of my smile, the tilt of my head. “You’re killing it out here,” he says, and his voice is proud, not performative.

I nod toward the reporters. “They’re sharks tonight.”

Nick chuckles, that boyish kind of laugh that makes it impossible not to smile back. “Then I guess we’d better give them something to bite into.”

Before I can ask what he means, he gently places a hand on the small of my back and turns to face the cameras beside me. Flashes go off like a lightning storm. The photographers erupt. Someone shouts, “Wait—Y/N and Nick? Are you two…?” Another yells, “Are you confirming something tonight?”

Nick’s smile doesn’t waver, but I can feel his hand subtly pull me just an inch closer. My body stiffens again, this time from heat, not nerves. Every instinct tells me to pull away, to preserve the boundary we swore to maintain. But I don’t move. Instead, I glance at him, and he meets my eyes.

“You okay?” he whispers.

I pause. Breathe. Then nod. With that, he leans in, just enough to press a soft kiss to my cheek.

Gasps ripple through the crowd, like a match lit in a dry field. I laugh, not because it’s funny, but because it feels like relief. Like the thing we’d been tiptoeing around for weeks has finally cracked open.

Nick grins as he steps back. “Sorry,” he says under his breath, though he doesn’t sound sorry at all. “It felt like the right time.”

I look at him, really look at him, and all I can do is smile. “You’re lucky you’re charming.”

He winks. “I know.”

Y/N walked over to Bella’s desk and pulled open the first drawer. Nothing of value in the first drawer. She opens the second drawer, nothing but books and papers about the supernatural. Finally the third drawer held what she desired: Bella’s journal. It’s nothing too flashy. Had it been anyone else that found this journal, they would have thought it was a simple notebook, but Y/N knew that it held more power than that. Y/N quickly grabbed the journal from the drawer and raced to her room, making sure to close her bedroom door on the way. 

She sits on her bed and flips through the pages, some of them boring and romantic. But there’s one entry that catches her eye:

“March 20th, 2005

I knew something was wrong the second I stepped into the ballet studio. The room was filled with mirrors and smelled faintly of dust and memories—this was where I used to dance as a child. But now, it was a trap. James had tricked me, using a fake video of my mom to lure me here.

Before I could react, he was already there. Calm, confident, and terrifying. He spoke casually, as if we were just having a conversation, but every word he said felt like a countdown. He wanted to hurt me—to break me—because it thrilled him to hunt something Edward cared about.

I tried to run, but it was useless. He was too fast. His strength was beyond human. The pain came quickly as he threw me into the mirrors, glass shattering around me, slicing my skin. Then I felt the worst of it—his teeth on my hand. A burning fire began to spread through my blood. I realized what he had done: he bit me.

Everything after that blurred. I screamed. I thought I was going to die. But just before the darkness took over, Edward and the others arrived. I heard fighting and voices, but I was slipping away—burning from the inside. I begged Edward to let me go, but he wouldn’t. He made the impossible choice and sucked the venom from my bloodstream, saving my life.”

An ice cold feeling flooded Y/N’s bloodstream. 

“What the fuck.”

Y/N had spent an hour going through Bella’s journal. It contained everything from when they had arrived in Forks to when Y/N had her accident. This was even more unbelievable than what she had experienced in the woods. None of this could possibly be true. Vampire and werewolves, those things didn’t exist. Bella had never been a writer and the idea of her having such complex fantasies–unimaginable. 

Her mind was racing with all of the information from Bella’s diary. What should she even do? She thought about what she should do for a few moments before reaching over to her nightside table to grab her phone. She searched through the contacts before finding the one she wanted and pressing the dial button. 

“Jake, can you come over”

Within a half hour, Jacob was knocking on the front door of the Swan house. Y/N raced downstairs, almost tripping as she did so, and swung open the door. The sight shocked Y/N. While, yes, it was her friend Jacob in front of her, his appearance was much different than it had been a week ago. Jacob, instead of being the small framed boy, was taller and his arms were much thicker. 

“Woah, Jake, you know that steroids are really bad for you right?”

“Yeah, yeah, ha, ha,” Jacob faked amusement while pushing through the doorway. “So, you wanted me to come over?” his lips curled up into a smirk.

Y/N grabbed his hand and started dragging Jacob up the stairs, “Come with me.”

When they reached her room, Y/N thrust the diary into Jacob’s chest. “I told you something was going on with the Cullens,” Y/N sat on her bed as Jacob flipped through the journal. 

Jacob looked amused as he read sections of the diary, “What are you talking about? This is great writing. This isn’t yours is it?”

Y/N looked puzzled, “What, no, Jake, don’t you realize what this means?” A confused look grew on Jacob’s face the longer he tried to figure out what Y/N was looking for. Y/N groaned in frustration, “I was right! All of those things I saw in the woods, they’re true. Well, I can’t really believe that it’s true, but Bella doesn’t write like this. It’s too detailed to be fake. Plus, from what I can tell, the man I met in the woods is Laurant, this creepy vampire that’s in this rogue gang. Edward killed one of them and now they want to kill Bella, but he got confused when he met me. Bella’s been looking into those weird murders and disappearances around town, she thinks it might be werewolves.”

“Okay, okay,” Jacob closed the diary, threw it on the bed, and pulled Y/N up from her sitting position. “This is obviously a story that Bella made up. This is fiction.”

Y/N shook her head violently, “No, Jake, everyone’s been telling me what happened in the woods was a dream, but this proves that it might have actually happened.”

“Y/N,” Jake's voice became stern and his hands moved to hold her upper arms, “you need to let this go. This isn’t good for you.”

Y/N sucked her teeth then hung her mouth open, “But, it’s,”

“No, stop this. Please, let this go.” Y/N closed her mouth and searched Jacob’s eyes for anything but aggression. “You’re not gonna let this go are you?” he asked. 

“No, not even a little bit.”

It was from that moment that Y/N’s relationship with Jacob changed. Jacob became distant, ignoring Y/N’s calls and even telling Billy to lie for him about where he was. It was a drastic change for both of them. Y/N felt lost. Her best friend was beginning to disappear from her life. 

As the weeks went on, she had heard whispers around town about Sam Uley’s gang. Y/N wondered if Jacob had gotten caught up in that crowd. No one knew much about them, but they were always marketed as people you should stay away from. They were all beautiful and strong which made them intimidating. Jacob had mentioned them once or twice throughout their friendship, but Y/N hadn’t been concerned Jacob joined the gang until his sudden changes in behavior. 

The entire situation didn’t make any sense to Y/N. Yes, he started acting strange once she pushed the subject of the Cullens, but there had to be something else going on. No matter what their arguments were about, he never would have left her.

After days of waiting for the situation to make itself better, Y/N decided that she would fix it herself. She took the keys to the truck and made her way outside. On her way to Jacob’s house, she thought about all the things that she would say. There were so many ways to approach the situation, but which was the right one? If he wasn’t in a gang, then he could get offended at the suggestion. If he was in a gang, they would get him in trouble for telling her. She’d have to decide soon. 

She pulled into Jacob’s driveway, still unsure about the decisions that she was making. While knocking on his front door, she thought about turning around, but she couldn’t, not when she was so close to the answers. 

“Y/N,” Billy answered after opening the door. 

“I need to see him.”

Billy’s face was covered with annoyance, “He’s not in.”

Y/N took a deep breath and pushed past Billy, “I’m sorry but I really need to see him.”

“Y/N,” Billy said sternly. 

As she swung open the door to Jacob’s room, she quickly learned that Billy had lied to her. Jacob was in fact in his house. He was asleep in his bed, arm hanging over the side. He looked so relaxed as he slept. Y/N couldn’t help but want to wake him up. As she went to do so, she realized that he looked even different than he had when they last saw each other. He looked even stronger. His muscles, exposed because of a muscle tank top, were beautifully highlighted by the sun peaking through the window. 

Then, Y/N’s fears became reality. Voices could be heard from the woods. When Y/N looked towards the direction of the sound, she saw the people she didn’t want to see: Sam Uley, Jared Cameron, Paul Lahote, and Embry Call. Adrenaline ran through her body and her breathing increased in speed as she rushed out of the house. 

“What did you do,” she yelled sternly towards the boys. “What did you do,” she approached Sam and with all the strength she could muster pushed her arms against him.

“Hey!” Jared yelled back.

“Easy,” Sam replied as he looked towards the other members of his pack. 

“He never wanted this.”

“What did we do?” Paul asked, his voice filled with venom and his shoulders puffed up, “What did he do? What did he tell you?”

Sam tried to mediate, “Both of you calm down.”

“Nothing, he tells me nothing because he’s scared of you!” The only response that Y/N got was a series of laughs from Paul. Anger overflowed Y/N’s body and without a second thought her fist was flying towards Paul’s face. 

“Too late now,” Embry joked. 

Paul started to vibrate with anger and his breathing became erratic. His muscles were starting to flex in a way that Y/N thought they might be contorting. She had never seen anyone get this angry and almost regretted punching him. 

“Y/N, get back. Paul, calm down now,” Sam placed a hand in front of Paul. Growls started to emerge from Paul’s throat as anger surrounded him. 

Y/N took several steps back as Paul’s body fell forward. Before her eyes, she watched as Paul turned from a grown man into a large wolf, similar to the ones she’d seen in the woods. Y/N wasted no time in turning around and running back towards the Black’s house. Every other step she looked behind her at the sight in order to confirm that it was still happening. Her heart pounded and her nerves ignored every other sense besides the ones that were aiding her escape.

“Y/N!” Jacob yelled from the porch. He jumped over the railing and ran as quickly as he could. 

“Jake, run!”

The two were close to colliding before Y/N fell to the ground. As she fell, Jacob leaped into the air and he too transformed into a giant wolf. Y/N’s mouth fell open as her heart continued to pump quickly in her chest. The wolf, Jake, growled at the wolf that was once Paul. It was while looking at the two fight that Y/N realized that she had seen the reddish brown wolf–Jacob–before. He had been there. He had been in the woods when she almost made a vampire’s dinner. 

The two wolves continued fighting until they both ended up rolling into the woods. Sam started to follow them before turning to Jared and Embry, “Take Y/N to Emily’s.”

Despite hearing the direction, Y/N wasn’t going to follow suit. She had no reason to listen to Sam’s instruction. She hadn’t joined his gang so she was under no obligation to listen to him. As Jared and Embry made their way toward Y/N, she quickly rose from her position on the ground and ran towards her truck. 

“Y/N, wait!” but she didn’t wait. She continued to run towards her truck, fling open the driver’s side door, put the key in the ignition, and throw her truck into reverse. By the time she had done this, Jared and Embry had approached. “Y/N, please, let us take you to Emily’s,” Embry begged, “It’ll all make more sense then.” 

Y/N’s voice shook as she spoke, “No, I just want to go home. Please, just let me leave.”

Embry looked to Jared for approval. The two nodded at each other then at Y/N. “Just,” Embry sighed, “wait for Jake to explain everything to you. Don’t,” he looked towards Jared, “tell anyone.” 

Y/N nodded her head and made her way out of the driveway. Looking in the rear mirror, she could see Jared and Embry watching her leave. 

When she returned home, she ignored both Charlie and Bella as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She layed on her bed and stared out the window as she contemplated what just happened to her. Everything was true. What had happened to her in the woods really happened. Vampires were real. Werewolves were real. Did this mean that every supernatural entity that they tell you stories about was true? 

She laid there watching the sky change color as she sorted through her mind. She thought about all of the things that had happened to her and Bella while they were in Forks. Now, with this new information, she started thinking about things differently. When people were getting killed a year ago, were those  vampires or werewolves? Were the Cullens dangerous? Was Jacob dangerous? 

She considered these questions until there was a knock on her door. Uninterested in who it was, she remained laying on her bed. Despite her not answering the door, it still creaked open. With her back facing the doorway, she was unsure who was entering her room but assumed it to be her father or sister. 

“Y/N,” oh how wrong she was. She turned her head to see her friend Jacob Black in her doorway. He stood with a shy look on his face, barely able to make eye contact with her. 

Y/N remained silent and faced back towards the window. In response, Jacob sighed and walked to her bed. As he sat down he said, “I know you're probably really mad.” 

This caused Y/N to roll her eyes, “Mad, no Jacob I’m furious. How could you lie to me?” Y/N sat up and faced her sorrowful friend, “I tried to tell you what I saw and not only did you try to convince me I was dreaming, but you were there!” 

“I did it to protect you!” Jacob’s face was covered in pain, his emotions overwhelming him. “If I told you then you’d be in danger. We’re not supposed to let outsiders know about this stuff.”

“So when I basically told you that I knew what was happening you decided you still needed to lie to me?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Isn’t it? I could have gotten killed. That’s dangerous enough. So now that I’m starting to get in danger it makes more sense for me to not know?”

“I’m still learning to control myself.” 

“And I have and always will trust you to not hurt me, Jake. But now, I don’t know if I can trust you to not lie to me.” 

Jacob’s eyes were filled with sadness. His body was tense as he looked at the girl in front of him—his best friend. They were always there for each other and he didn’t want this to be the reason they couldn’t continue their journey together. “Y/N, you have to understand,” Jacob sighed, “I care about you.” 

“If you cared about me then you wouldn’t have lied to me.”

As he walked through the streets, he looked at all the rundown buildings that had been lazily made when the Isle was first created. He hated it. They had no style. Because they were put up so quickly, they lacked any sort of charm. They were all the same: brick walls and wooden roofing. In the sunlight, the buildings look infinitely worse. Yet, there was one building, rather the window of a building, that was glowing. It was as if the sun had concentrated in that one spot. 

Once focused on the window, Harry realized that sitting upon it was a girl. He was taken aback by her appearance. She was truly gorgeous. Her cheeks were plump yet her features were sharp. Her eyes, even from his sight down on the street Harry could tell, were big. The feature that surprised him the most, however, was her hair. Her hair was jet black and looked to be as thick as oil. But it wasn’t the color that had caught his attention, it was the texture. The girl had whimsical curls that framed her face and fell down her shoulders. Her beauty was not to be debated. 

As Harry looked up at her, the girl began to sing. 

Green finch and linnet bird

Nightingale, blackbird

How is it you sing?

How can you jubilate sitting in cages

Never taking wing?

Outside the sky waits

Beckoning, beckoning

Just beyond the bars

How can you remain staring at the rain 

Maddened by the stars?

How is it you sing anything?

How is it you sing?

It was in that moment, after hearing her angelic voice that Harry let his curiosity get the best of him. He scanned the surrounding infrastructure and decided that he had to meet this girl. Whoever she was, he was certain they were destined to meet. So, He used a combination of loose brick and exposed poles to make his way to the window. Once he had entered the girls field of vision, she jumped up, rushing to close the window. 

“Wait, please,” the words came out of his mouth as quickly as they could. To his surprise, the girl paused at his words. Her eyes were even more beautiful than he had imagined. They were big, round eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. “Could I come in?”

The girl looked at him, thinking about her answer with a hesitant look on her face. After a moment of consideration, she nodded in agreement. She took a step back, opening the window more as she did so. 

As Harry stepped over the windowsill, his eyes rotated around the room. Hanging from the ceiling, sitting on the floor, rested on tables, and mounted onto walls were dozens of plants. He couldn’t be sure what kind of plants they were, but there seemed to be a little bit of everything. A majority of the plants were just green, but there were handfuls of flowers sprinkled in between the leaves. Harry was shocked. On an island that was gray and lifeless, he couldn’t imagine that someone was able to grow this much life.

“Did ya grow all of this?” he asked. 

The girl nodded. 

Harry walked closer to the girl, her body stiffened at the closing proximity. “What’s your name, lass?” he tilted his head as he asked the question, curiosity building in his body. 

“Y/N.”

From there, a beautiful friendship came about. The two could spend hours talking to each other about everything ranging from their favorite colors to their parents. It was learned quickly that Y/N was unable to leave her home, even when her mother wasn’t home. Y/N was the daughter of the infamous Mother Gothel, the kidnapper of Rapunzel. It appeared that even though Y/N’s situation was far different than that of Rapunzel’s, her mother still forbade her from leaving their home. Because of her lack of access to the front door, Harry continued to enter through the window. 

“Do you ever think of leaving this place?” Y/N asked as the two layed in the middle of her floor, staring at the beautiful plants above them. 

Harry looked at Y/N and furrowed his brow, “Well, yeah, all the time.” He looked back toward the ceiling, “Me dad is always talking about the places he used to travel to before we all got banished to the Isle. I think about where I might be if I weren’t stuck here.”

Silence filled the room.

After a few moments, Y/N spoke, “I dream of getting out of this house.” For a second, Harry felt bad. He wanted to leave the Isle, yet he hadn’t considered the Y/N didn’t even have the option to leave her house. “I wish there was a way for me to get out,” she said with a sigh.

Harry shot up from his horizontal position, “That’s it!” He stood fully and grabbed Y/N by the hands to pull her up. “Ye can come with me! I come in here every day through ye window. That’s how we’ll get ye out!”

“Harry, no, it’s too dangerous out there for me.”

“Oh, come on, I’ll be with ya the whole time. Ye can stay with me and me father!” Y/N considered the pirates opinion. Could she really do this? “Please, lass,” he begged. 

“Okay,” she giggled with a smile on her face. 

The next day to Y/N’s surprise, Bella walked into her room, "I'm going to find the meadow. Want to come along?"

Y/N was taken aback by the question. Firstly, what was the meadow? Second, why was she asking? Bella's major depressive episode had greatly affected the relationship between her and her sister. The two rarely spend time together, even less time than when Edward was around. Now in his absence, something that should have increased their time together, the two seldomly spoke to one another. Even though there was a cloud of confusion filling her thoughts, Y/N replied, "Sure," and gathered her things "how far away is it?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. I just have to find it again."

The two searched the woods for what felt like hours to Y/N, but the urgency that filled Bella's words and body language made Y/N refrain from requesting to turn around. She wasn't even sure that they would find their way back to their house. How were they supposed to when Bella didn't even know where this meadow was.

"What's so important about this meadow?"

The question made Bella pause for a moment before continuing her steps through a patch of trees. "It's the one me and Edward used to go to." She said it so plainly. As if this hike was worth the reasoning.

"Seriously? How are you still thinking about him? He left you, Bella."

Bella turned around, her hair flicking behind her head as she did so, "It's not like that--"

"Well it sure seems like it," Y/N's expression was one of stone. Her features were stiff and her lips were bonded tightly together. The two stood in silence, both not knowing what to say to the other. They stood for a few moments before Y/N's mouth opened and released a sigh. "You know, Bella, you can find this meadow on your own. I should've known it had something to do with Edward. When is anything not about him." With that, she turned on her heels, not interested in whatever her sister had to say.

As she walked, she thought about their lives, about when they lived with Rene. Oh, would she give anything to get that life back. It wasn't perfect--if anything it was exhausting. Having to care for Rene and the household was a chore, but Bella took care of most of those affairs. Y/N took on some of the more calm tasks like dishes and laundry, while Bella worried about rent and the whereabouts of their mother. No this life was not perfect, but at least it was a life without Edward in it. Since his entering their lives, Y/N had lost her sister. Of course not in the natural sense, but in the way that meant a greater deal to her. Sometimes, she thought regrettably, that Bella would be dead instead of being with Edward. Dramatic? Yes. But nevertheless true. Her sister was alive, but her absence left an empty hole within the household, not one that went unnoticed by Y/N and Charlie.

It was in the middle of her thinking that Y/N stepped out of the forest and into a degraded area of grass. What was once most likely thriving was not dehydrated and wilted. Y/N walked further into the field, curious about the sudden change in terrain. She reached down to feel the grass. No water at all, she thought.

"Bella." Y/N's head shot towards a voice in front of her. Standing about 10 yards away from her was a man, tall in stature, with dark brown dreadlocks flowing over his shoulders. "I didn't expect to find you here."

Y/N slowly stood and felt an uneasiness due to the mysterious man in front of her. "Bella is my sister."

Within seconds the man was 5 yards closer. This made Y/N's heart race as her eyes widened in surprise. Was this real? she thought. Maybe it was something she'd imagined. After all, she had been walking in the woods for some time.

"So, you should be familiar with the Cullens then, no?" Y/N slowly nodded at the question. "I went to visit the Cullens, but their house was empty. I'm surprised they left Bella behind. Isn't she a short of pet of theirs?"

Y/N's voice started to clog her throat as she talked, "Yea, I guess you could say that."

The man started to walk slowly around Y/N, still keeping his distance. He mimicked a predator stalking his prey. "Do the Cullens visit often?"

Something within her bloodstream told her to lie, "Yeah, they visit all the time. I'll mention that you stopped by." Even though she hadn't a clue who this man was, she would be telling someone that she'd run into him.

"But they are far away, no?"

"Why do you need to speak with them?"

As he answered her question, the man stepped closer to Y/N, quickly closing the gaps between them, "I came as a favor to Victoria."

"Victoria?"

"She asked me to see if Bella was still under the protection of the Cullens. She sees it only fair to kill his mate considering he killed hers." He widened his eyes and at this point he was close enough to Y/N for her to tell the color of them. They weren't like any other color she'd seen in a human. They were bright red. But that couldn't be true, they had to have been contacts. Yet, what he was saying made him seem like the product of pure evil. Is this what evil looks like, tall and handsome with red eyes? "But, Victoria wouldn't mind my killing you. You being Bella's sister and all. You're so mouthwatering, just like her."

Y/N raised her hands in front of her while she pleaded, "Please don't."

Then, before she could blink, the man was in front of her, close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. He put his hands beside her face, almost cupping her cheeks with his palms, "No, no, no, no, shhhh," he comforted "I'm doing you a kindness by killing you quickly. Victoria plans to make Bella's death slow and painful. And if she makes the same mistake I did--then well, we can imagine how that will go."

“Please,” Y/N made one last weak attempt to get the man to reconsider. She didn’t even fully understand why she was here, yet she was going to die? This wasn’t making any sense. Her body filled with adrenaline as she moved away from him. She turned her body so she could run back the way she came, but the man tripped her, leading to her fall towards the dry grass.

It was then that a grumble came from the woods to the left of them. The trees shaked as the face of an enormous wolf emerged. 

“I don’t believe it,” the man said, astonishment circulating around his words. 

The monster drew closer, bearing its teeth at the man. Both Y/N and the man stood shocked as several other wolves followed what now seemed to be understood as their leader. The beast lunged and erupted a growl from its throat. The volume was unimaginable to Y/N’s ears. It was the most beautiful yet terrifying noise she’d ever heard. 

Quickly, the man swiveled on his feet, wasting no time to run from the pack. Y/N opted out of this implausible circumstance. She struggled to crawl up to her feet as she ran toward the forest. Before she could make it in, she turned her head to where the wolves had emerged from. It was then that she saw a gorgeous wolf. Its hair was a reddish brown and its eyes were the color of the earth. The wolf, instead of running towards its pack, approached Y/N. Their eyes met and there was a familiarity to them. She couldn’t quite place it, but Y/N felt like she knew this wolf. Again, another impossibility. Before she could make the choice to run away, the wolf quickly turned away from her and towards the direction that other wolves had run in. 

“What the hell,” Y/N’s mind was clouded in confusion. How was Bella connected to all of this? And the Cullens, how are they involved? Instead of sticking around to ask more questions, Y/N continued her trek into the woods, her feet carrying her as fast as possible. Her forehead was starting to get saturated in sweat and her lungs were fighting against her attempt at escape. 

As she continued further into the woods, Y/N got more lost. She had to depend on Bella knowing where this meadow was to both get there and go back home. Now, she was clueless and the sun was starting to set. The jacket she had grabbed was only meant for light breezes. It was no match for the cold brought along by the March weather. 

The night grew darker and colder much quicker than Y/N could have imagined. She had expected to find home by now, but found herself lost within the dark forest. Her teeth chattered against each other as her hands moved up and down her arms in an attempt to warm herself. As she walked her movements were stiff. Her legs burned as she stepped over rocks and branches. 

At one moment, while she was still wandering through the forest, Y/N had lost hope. All of her energy had gone into figuring out how to leave the dreated forest and trying to figure out what was going on with Bella. All of the walking had exhausted Y/N’s resources. She thought, just for a moment, I’ll take a nap. Then I’ll find my way home. She then lowered herself to the ground, finding a tree to lay comfortable against. Just a little nap, she thought. Then, she fell into a deep sleep.

It wasn’t until hours later that she was located. Charlie had the whole town of Forks looking for his daughter. Y/N, who didn’t have a clue that so many people were looking for her. She didn’t even have a clue when she felt strong arms wrap underneath her knees and shoulders.

The arms were warm and hard. Y/N’s head fell towards the body of the person carrying her. The muscles in her body were aching as the person took each step. Her eyelids fluttered open to see a shirtless chest in front of her. It didn’t seem to be the man from earlier which brought her relief as she closed her eyes once again. 

When her eyes opened some hours later, Y/N found herself in her room. The sun was beaming through the windows as birds chirped. Y/N lifted her head to look around her room. Sitting next to her was Jacob Black. His head rested on her bed, his eyes were closed. His body rose and fell with each breath he took. It was a beautifully peaceful sight. Despite the exhaustion still coursing through her body, Y/N felt comfort at the sight of her friend. That feeling was removed upon the remembrance of the woods and what had happened. Y/N reached her hand to place it on Jacob’s shoulder and the boy sprung up almost immediately. 

“Y/N!”

“The Cullens!”

As they looked at each other, Jacob’s face hardened and his eyes looked away from Y/N then quickly back. “The Cullens?” he asked. 

“You’re never going to believe it!” Y/N’s words were rushing out of her mouth as quickly as she could allow them. “There was this man in the woods and he was talking about the Cullens and Edward. Edward killed someone! Then the man wanted to kill me because I’m Bella’s sister or something, but before he could these huge wolves came out of nowhere and went after him!” 

Jacob’s eyes widened as the girl spoke. His mind was racing with an explanation of these events. Despite that being exactly what happened, he could drag her into all of this. Even with the Cullens gone, it wasn’t safe, at least for now. “Y/N,” he said with caution, “what are you talking about?”

“There are these people that want to kill Bella because of Edward–because of the Cullens! We have to tell Charlie,” as she stood to sit up Jacob pressed her back down. 

“No, we don’t need to get Charlie,” he sighed, “None of that happened. We found you in the woods after you got separated from Bella. It must have been a dream.” Y/N racked her brain. This couldn’t have been the explanation. If it had been a dream, why did it feel so real? “I’ll let Charlie know you’re awake. Maybe we can hang out once you’re feeling better?”

Y/N nodded slowly as she watched Jacob exit her room to retrieve Charlie. As Jacob left, Y/N thought about what happened. There was no way that she had dreamed of all that happening. Although it was outrageous and she had barely believed it was happening at the time, you don’t dream like that. You aren’t able to feel the hands of others or experience fear so clearly. At this moment, Y/N decided that there was something bigger going on. There was a secret that she needed to uncover. 

Who was the man in the woods?

Why did he want to kill Bella?

Did Edward really kill someone?

How is Jacob involved?

All of these questions she would soon seek out the answers to. 

As they ran down the stairs, the voices of the smallfolk became more clear. They were shouting about food and conditions. Their voices were filled with rage. Each and every one of the smallfolk that surrounded the Sept were either screaming or throwing their hands in the air. Some of them were expressing their anger in both ways. 

Unfortunately, the queens couldn’t avoid the railings that hundreds of smallfolk were pressed up against. The only way down those stairs was to pass by the railings. As they raced down, a man raised his hand. In his hand was a fish. He hurled the fish toward the women, yelling, “Tis the Queen of Fishes,” as he did so. The fish, not properly aimed, landed on Y/N’s face, covering her with the thick, slimy liquid that covered and filled the fish. Y/N raised her hand to her face, wiping some of the goo off, gagging as she did so. 

They all continued down the stairs, weaving through the crowds of people and enduring their insults. It wasn’t until they reached the wheelhouse that they were truly safe. Even then, the carriage shook from side to side, continuing to be rocked by the flocks of people rushing by, some of them stopping in an attempt to enter it. Alicent, Helaena, and Y/N all sat in the carriage, holding their breaths, wishing for the chaos to stop. It wasn’t until the carriage pulled away that the sounds of screaming faded away from them. 

Aemond had been in the throne room discussing how to attend to Rhaenyra when a panicked knight approached Aemond. “Your grace, there’s been an incident.” Aemond raised his eye from the table, staring daggers at the knight. “What could be so important as to interrupt me?” he asked, his voice dangerously low. “Pardon, your grace, there was a violent incident–a riot–while the queens were at the Sept.” Aemond raised from his chair and approached the knight. A scowl was edged deep into his features. “Sir knight,” he said mockingly, “you ought to be more specific with your reports, seeing as there are multiple queens and a princess you seem to be forgetting.” The knight’s stature got weaker as he was disciplined by the Prince Regent. His brow started to sweat and his armor felt as though it was getting tighter. 

“The Princess Regent, you grace, she was part of those who were attacked.”

The air was tense. After being given the information from the night, Aemond raced to his Princess Regent’s chamber. The knight indicated that she hadn’t been injured too poorly, but it wasn’t something Aemond wouldn’t believe until he’d seen her with his own eyes. Upon entering her chamber, swinging the door open violently as he did so, he saw his Princess Regent surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting, each of them trying to help the Princess. Y/N stood, leaning against the end of her bed. Her breathing was staggered and tears were streaming down her face. The ladies-in-waiting attempted to help her by loosening her corset, but Y/N wouldn’t let any of them near her. Aemond approached them and dismissed the ladies-in-waiting. They seemed reluctant knowing that their princess was in such distress, but being given orders from the Prince Regent, they didn’t dare argue. 

Aemond shifted toward his princess as the ladies-in-waiting excited the room. He laid a hand on her shoulder which caused her to swing her arm against his, releasing his grip from her. Aemond was taken aback, his face reflecting one of shock. She’d never shown such rejection toward him. 

“Love,” he moved so that she could see his face more clearly, “what’s the matter?” He of course was aware what had happened, but he couldn’t understand why she had been reacting in such a way. He had been told she hadn’t gotten hurt. Yes, it was a riot and the timing of them being at the Sept was inconvenient, but he hadn’t expected such a visceral reaction from her.

“They,” she started then stopped, moving a hand to hold her stomach which was now filled with nausea. “What happened?” Aemond asked, hoping that she’d answer him. “I don’t know,” she cried. This obviously hadn’t helped Aemond any. He realised then that the information that he seeked wouldn’t come from her unless she calmed down. “Alright, why don’t we take the corset off, yeah?” She shook her head violently, not wanting to be touched. Aemond sighed, “It’ll help you breathe. Will you let me help you?” He moved a piece of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. He then, once again, took hold of her shoulder. Instead of holding it there, he twisted her body to face her bed, allowing for her to put her hands against it for support. Aemond reached for the strings of the corset while her body still shaked. Y/N’s head tilted down to look towards the stitching on her comforter. The tears that had been streaming down her face were now falling onto the thick cotton fabric. 

Once Aemond had undone the corset, he asked, “Would you like to sit down?” Y/N thought for a moment before spinning to put her back against the bed. She then sank to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. This was new for the both of them. For Aemond, he’d never seen his wife in this state before. For Y/N, she’d never expressed this much emotion in front of someone she cared so deeply about. They were, after all, still figuring out how to be husband and wife. Now they had the additional responsibility of being Prince and Princes Regent, a title that was sprung upon them.

Aemond joined Y/N on the floor and the two sat in silence for some time. To the two of them, it felt like hours, but it had been mere minutes. While they were beside each other, Aemond gazed over at his beloved, but she kept her stair towards the floor. Her breathing had begun to sound and feel more regular. Despite this, tears were still pouring down her cheeks. 

“They threw a fish at me,” she said softly, “They’re starving.”

This is when Aemond broke his gaze toward her and looked toward the ground, “That was Aegon’s doing–the starving I mean.”

“Does it matter whose doing it was?”

“I suppose not. There isn’t anything to be done now. We haven’t got the resources,” his tone then shifted from one of logic and reason to one of anger, “Besides, had then been so starving, they wouldn’t be throwing their food at the people who matter in their economy.” He looked back up at Y/N, his face showed a tinge of irritation. He reached toward Y/N’s face with his hand and twisted her head so he could see all of her. As he examined her face, he noticed that the right side of her cheek was more red than the left. He assumed that this had been the spot she’d been hit. He leaned in and kissed that cheek. Y/N gave him a light smile in return, but then it quickly faded. “But what about the people?” she asked. 

After mostly everyone had left, the few that were remaining huddled by the TV watching yet another Jamie Lee Curtis movie. Randy had carefully selected the best of her films and prepared a glorious night filled with horror and popcorn. Unfortunately, a phone call had interrupted Randy’s movie night. 

After a short conversation Randy turned to the group, “They found Principal Himbry hanging from the goal post in the soccer field.”

“Well come on let’s go check it out before they rip him down!”

It was gruesome really–the reaction these kids were having to the death of their principal. The thought of all the blood and guts made Y/N’s stomach churn. She looked over to her friend Carol who was sitting next to her, “I’m not sure I’ll go.” 

By now, the group of boys were drunkenly throwing themselves outside to their cars, “Come on, Y/n, it’ll be fun. Everyone else is going. We probably won’t be able to see much anyways. If we’ve heard about it then it’s only a matter of time before all of downtown Woodsboro is posted in the parking lot.”

Y/n entertained the idea for a moment. Carol was right. By the time they got there the police would probably be blocking their view, “Okay, let me just tell Stu.” She stood from her seated position on the couch. Carol rose as well, however she took hold of Y/n’s arm, “He’ll never let you go. I know my brother wouldn’t. Let’s just go, everybody’s going to be leaving if they haven’t already.”

Y/n looked over to the kitchen before turning back to Carol. 

“Alright.”

The scene had been disgusting to say the least. Even by the time Y/N and everybody had shown up, Woodsboro Police were unable to clean everything up before Principal Himbry’s guts were being showcased to the entire town. Everyone living on the same street as the soccer field had gathered outside of their homes spreading the grim details of Principal Himbry’s death. When the group arrived, all exciting energy had deflated and everyone who was drunk had suddenly turned sober. They had only meant for it to be fun and games. None of them could quite grasp what they were seeing. So, almost as soon as they had arrived, they left. 

“You can just drop me off at the end of my road,” Y/n instructed the senior who had been driving some of the kids around. Truthfully, she couldn’t remember his name. Not with everything she’d just seen fogging up her mind. 

“Are you sure?” Carol asked. 

Y/n nodded as the car rolled to a stop, “Yea, wouldn’t hurt to clear my head.”

The walk calmed Y/n down and let her control her breathing. She’d have to explain to her brother where she’d been and she wouldn’t be able to do that if she couldn’t breathe. She also didn’t want him to know what she had seen. If he ever found out that she left the house with a bunch of random people in order to see their dead principal,well, he’d kill her. 

She spent the walk trying to not worry about Stu, but that only worked so well. Especially when she walked up to the house and realized who was sprawled out dead on her front porch. Her breath hitched in her throat as she walked past the front fence and toward her house. Both Dewey and Gale Weathers lay together on her porch, blood covering both of their faces. 

“Shit, shit, shit, shit,” Y/n whispered as she walked past the two of them. Her eyes started to fill with tears and she wanted nothing more than to turn around and never return, but she couldn’t. She had to find Stu. If he was still there–still alive–then she couldn’t leave him here. Even if she was too late to save him, maybe she’d be able to be with him in his last moments. 

Thoughts of panic were scattering throughout her mind as she went to push her front door open. She hesitantly took a step forward and in that moment came face to face with Randy’s body. Blood was pooling around him, staining the wood flooring. A cry left her as she raised a hand to her mouth.

“YOU BITCH!”

Billy. 

He was yelling from the living room. 

He sounded angry–no, enraged.

Had he not sounded so furious, Y/n most likely would have walked straight into the living room to meet up with Billy. He was almost like a brother to her. Stu and Billy hung out all the time meaning Billy was always lounging in the Macher house. But Y/n’s focus wasn’t on finding Billy. If anything at this moment she wanted to run from him. Something about the situation seemed off. Multiple dead bodies and an angry Billy didn’t seem like a place where Y/n wanted to get trapped. At least if she went through the kitchen the front door would be easily accessible. 

As she entered the kitchen she saw Stu perched up against the kitchen counter covered in blood, “My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me,” he cried and dropped the phone onto the counter. 

Y/n gasped as she knelt down to her brother's level, “What happened?”

Stu looked shocked to see her. Honestly, he’d forgotten about the variable that was his sister. He couldn’t find her when he’d been combing through the house so he figured he wouldn’t have to worry about her, thinking she’d run off with her friends, “I thought you were with Carol?”

“I was,” Y/n paused trying not to tell him about what she’d seen, “she wasn’t feeling good so I came back early.” She looked down at her brother's wounds. He was obviously in extreme amounts of pain. She doubted if he’d even be able to get up, “What are we gonna do?”

Stu looked Y/n in the eyes. It was at this moment he realized something. 

She doesn’t know.

He reached to grab her hand, “Help me up.”

She did as instructed but struggled because of Stu’s dead weight.

“It’s Billy,” he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and began guiding her toward the front door. Just then, commotion filled the hallway outside of the kitchen. 

“What do you mean?” Y/n looked to her brother for clarity.

“Billy’s the killer.” 

Y/n’s body went cold and her face became pale.

As quickly as the commotion had consumed the hallway, it dissipated. The only sound left was someone gasping, no doubt running out of air.

“Say hello to your mother.” 

The sentence was chilling. Quietly spoken, yet laced with hatred.

“Come on, we gotta go,” Stu ushered Y/n toward the hallway but she hesitated.

“No he’s right there.”

“Either we attempt to leave no or we stay here and let him find us.”

That was all he needed to say. The pair then headed toward the hallway where not only Randy was dead but now Sidney. Billy stood above her. He seemed to be enjoying what he had done

“We’re almost ready for the sequel,” Billy whispered as he looked toward Y/n and Stu.

In any other horror movie, Y/n and Stu would be sprinting out the door. However, with Stu’s wounds, they’d never make it. If Y/n were to leave Stu then she had a possibility of survival. Even then that possibility couldn’t even be calculated because it wasn’t possible that she’d leave her brother with a killer. But there was something about what Billy had said that Y/n found odd. 

We? 

How was there a “we” in this scenario? 

Everyone had left the party and the only one that Y/n couldn’t account for was Tatum. 

“These days you gotta have a sequel.”

Y/n turned her head to face her brother. His eyes were locked with Billy’s and his expression was different then it had been. Instead of being in pain, he almost looked like he was excited. 

No. No. No. No. 

Her eyes widened as she looked at Stu. His hand gripped her shoulder so hard that it reminded her of the times when they were little and they used to roughhouse. 

“Stu that hurts! Stop or I’ll tell Mom!”

“Go ahead and tell her, I’ll only make your life hell!”

“Please stop–OW!”

“Stu?”

In a split second Billy was in front of her, fully trapping her. He thrust his knife into her abdomen bringing her full attention to him. She cried out and her knees buckled beneath her. Billy’s dark eyes were staring into hers. Stu then pulled her shoulder toward him and brought his lips to her ear. 

Y/N hadn’t been there that night. She wished she could have been there so she could have prevented this from happening. Not like she would've done anything anyways. There wasn't anything anyone could have done. At least, not in Chrissy’s case. For Chrissy, her fate was inevitable. Vecna had decided. No one could have possibly foresaw her death. For others, though, it was possible. Y/N just needed to help Dustin and his friends find Eddie.

Dustin had sought Y/N out, being Eddie’s girlfriend and all, but she was unaware of his whereabouts. She wasn’t even aware Eddie was in trouble. Despite the news stories, suspects had yet to be released. Eddie’s name was seeping into households but hadn’t yet made local news. The minute Y/N was made aware that Eddie was hiding from the whole town, she helped narrow down Eddie’s whereabouts. Eventually leading them to Reefer Rick’s. Y/N hadn’t been there often, once or twice when Eddie needed to pick up some ‘supplies’. 

“Hey, look over here,” in front of Max were dozens of candy wrappers, soda cans, and beer bottles. 

Robin peeked over her shoulder, “Maybe he heard us, got spooked, and ran.” 

“Don’t worry, Steve will get him with his oar!”

“I know you think you’re funny but considering everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times,” Steve continued thrusting the oar into the contents under the tarp, “personally, I don’t find it funny in the slight–” 

Before Steve could continue his dispute with Dustin, a figure shot out from under the tarp and lunged toward him. Dustin and Y/N stumbled backwards and nearly tripped over each other while Steve was pushed against the wall, broken beer bottle now centimeters from cutting into him. 

“Wait! Wait! Wait!”

“Eddie! Eddie!”

“Eddie, stop!”

Eddie had this look about him. His body language was defensive and his eyes were drilling into Steve’s skull. 

“Eddie, please!” Y/N pleaded. The second Eddie heard her voice his head snapped in her direction. Even so, he was still on the defensive. His frantic eyes whipped back to Steve then to Y/N again. “It’s me, baby. It’s Y/N,” she held her hands up as she moved slowly toward Eddie and Steve. Steve’s eyes were panicked as he looked at Eddie. The entire town was convinced he viciously murdered Chrissy and now here he was with a broken beer bottle to the neck. “That’s Steve, he isn’t going to hurt you, right, Steve?” Y/N’s voice was quiet and calming but it was noticeable that anxiety was coursing through her body. 

“Right, yeah,” Steve’s voice was much shakier.

There was a slight quiver in Y/N’s voice as she continued, “Steve, don’t you think you should drop the oar?”

The minute Steve released the oar it dropped to the floor knocking over various objects that were crammed into the shed. Eddie stiffeded and held onto Steve tighter, still not releasing him.

“He’s cool! He’s cool!” Dustin yelled.

“I’m cool, man. I’m cool.” 

Eddie’s face scrunched up, “What are you doing here?”

Y/N continued moving toward her boyfriend, “We were looking for you, Eddie. We want to help you.” 

He looked toward Y/N, his grip on Steve loosened slightly. He looked at her unsure. The two had been through so much together, yet the events of the night had proven to him that anything can happen. The impossible can become possible. Maybe once he told her the truth about what happened they could figure it out–move on. Now, it was just as probable that she would turn her back on him and he would remain broken. 

“You know Dustin, right? These are his friends. They asked me to help look for you.”

“You know Robin,” Dustin interjected, “from band. This is my friend Max. The one who never wants to play D&D.”

“Eddie, please,” Y/N spoke softly. She was almost close enough to touch him. Her arm was still reaching outward, a desperate attempt to calm him. “We’re on your side, baby. We swear.” 

“Yup we swear!.”

“Swear!”

“Swear, swear, swear!”

Eddie's face stiffened as he contemplated what his next steps were going to be.

Y/N had finally gotten close enough to touch his arm. The second she made contact, Eddie snapped away from Steve and settled himself against the same wall he’d pinned Steve to. He slowly sank down to the floor where he could sit. His eyes and expression were blank. Y/N had never seen him like this. All the life and happiness that always radiated from Eddie was now gone. She knelt down to him, placing a hand on his knee. He briefly glanced toward her then looked back to the floor. Y/N looked sadly at him then down to the broken bottle in his hand. She slowly and gently grabbed the bottle from his hand and set in on the ground. Eddie’s entire body was shaking and his now empty fists were clenched together. 

“Honey, we just wanna talk, okay? We just wanna know what happened.”

Eddie sniffled as he looked toward Y/N, who was now surrounded by Dustin and Robin, “You won’t believe me.”

“Try us,” Max said. 

He glanced at Max then back to Y/N. He was still hesitant.

Y/N reached to put a hand on his knee and started rubbing her thumb back and forth in an attempt to comfort him, “I’ll believe you.”

“She wanted something stronger than what I usually hand out. I don’t bring that stuff to school so I brought her over to my place. I went into my room to get it and when I went back into the living room she had this look on her face–this blank stare. Her eyes were glossed over and almost white. I just kept shaking her to try and get her to wake up but she didn’t. Then she just lifted up into the air and she just, like, hung there, in the air, and her bones,” Eddie struggled to continue, “uh, she–her bones started to snap. Her eyes, man, it was like there was something, like, inside her head, pulling. I-I didn’t know what to do, so I ran away. I left her there.” He looked around the room at everyones expressions. Out of everyone, Y/N looked the most surprised and scared. She wasn’t aware of everything that had happened at Hawkins. She didn’t know the truth. To her, this was crazy. It almost sounded made up. There was no way this was real, except the expression on Eddie’s face told a different story. The expressions and the way his voice pinched told the truth. Genuine fear was radiating through him.

“No we don’t think you’re crazy,” Dustin reassured Eddie. 

“Don’t bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds!”

“We aren’t bullshitting you.”

“We believe you.”

Y/N still hadn’t said she’d believed him. How could she? This was crazy–truly crazy. 

“Look, what I’m about to tell you might be a little difficult to take,” Y/N and Eddie, both their faces covered with confusion. 

“Okay.”

“You know how people say Hawkins is cursed? They’re not way off. There’s another world, a world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes, it bleeds into ours.”

“Like ghosts and shit?” Eddie asks.

“There are some things worse than ghosts.”

Now things were officially off the rails. Eddie and Y/N sat next to each other in the shed while the others stepped outside. They knew that something was off about Hawkins, but they never could have imagined that things were this bad. But now, they knew the truth. Everything about last summer at the mall and Will’s disappearance, all of it was laid out in front of them. To Y/N, it was still insane. There was no way that any of this was still happening. To Eddie, it was a confirmation that everything he’d seen was real. 

The two sat together, shoulders touching. Their breaths were heavy. Eddie's eyes were swollen and drooping from the lack of sleep. Y/N’s heart raced as she thought about their future. 

“I believe you,” she said, eyes not diverting from their gaze. “I never told you that.”

Eddie looked over at her. Even though she hadn’t really seen anything, it looked like she’d spent hours running just like he had. Her hair was starting to get frizzy and the makeup was starting to rub off her face. She was blinking slowly, almost as if she was trying to keep from falling asleep. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to you,” Eddie apologized.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Y/N moved her body to face him. She reached her hands up to connect with Eddie’s face. “I love you and we’re going to get through this,” she placed her forehead against his.

He let out a sigh of relief, “God, I love you so much.”

“What do you say we go catch some monsters, Eddie The Banished?”

“I’d say that if you’re ready, I’m ready.”

“Together?”

Y/N grabbed ahold of Billy’s hand from the passenger's seat, “Where were you?”

“What?” he questioned. 

“You were gone for most of the party. I didn’t see you until you wanted to bail.”

Billy thought for a moment. Honestly, he thought that Sidney and Tatum would keep her entertained so he wouldn’t have to worry about her asking this kind of question. 

“Oh, sorry, Stu was dragging me every which way telling me about some new horror movie he watched.”

“Oh,” Billy didn’t like how quiet she got. It was the kind of quiet that told him that she didn’t believe him. 

“Are you okay?” he asked while glancing over at her. 

Y/N retracted her hand from his before answering, “Well, it’s just--no it’s stupid, nevermind.”

At this point, sweat had started to gather on Billy’s palms. How the hell was he going to fix this? Y/N’s house could be spotted from down the road. Usually, that would be a good thing in situations like this. For Billy, however, it just meant that Y/N would get out of the car left with suspicions. He couldn’t have that. 

When the car reached her house, Y/N made quick moments to exit the car, throwing out a lazy goodbye. Billy reached over before she could and took hold of her wrist, “Wait, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s a lie and we both know it.”

She sighed, there was no way she was going to be able to keep her feelings a secret. Billy knew her too well. 

“Sidney was gone for most of the party too,” she whispered. It was almost inaudible and Billy barely caught it. He was smart. He knew exactly what she was insinuating. 

“I didn’t hook up with Sidney.”

Y/N looked up at him, her eyes turning glossy, “It’s just--you were gone the whole time. Then she was too. I know you two got together in the past--”

“I’m never going back to Sidney. She was just a quick fling.”

“Okay.”

And with that, Billy pulled out of the driveway and Y/N walked up her driveway.

---

The scene had been gruesome to say the least. Blood had been splattered across the walls. When the authorities arrived, they had found Y/N crying over her mother, clutching the phone in her hand. Blood had absorbed into her jeans and coated her hands.

Naturally, Dewey had been among the hoard of police cars that gathered in Y/N’s driveway. Originally, when he approached her, she was inconsolable. Her words were squished together by her increased rate of talking along with the amount of tears and saliva that gathered in her mouth. Dewey’s heart shattered into a million pieces the moment his eyes met hers. She looked different—changed. Her eyes were sparkling, but not in the way that most would perceive as beautiful. They were laced with hurt.

Sitting at the police station had been the most agonizing part of the entire situation. Waiting for what seemed like hours. In a dingy, smelly police station filled with people who claimed they knew exactly what Y/N was going through. But they didn’t, no one knew exactly what was going on through her mind. 

“We can’t get ahold of your dad. Is there any other number we can try?”

“No.”

“Is there anyone else you want us to call?”

“Billy, Billy Loomis.”

---

Once Billy had received word to head down to the police station, he knew that everything was intact. Normally, the average person would be concerned about that kind of call.

Not Billy.

Billy wasn’t normal.

He knew there had been no suspicion thrown this way. At least not yet. He still needed to get a few things into place. 

Immediately on arrival at the station, Billy was rushed to where Y/N sat in a chair, left to grieve. Once Y/N caught sight of Billy, she rushed towards him. That’s when Billy knew that everything had truly fallen into place. At this point, Y/N was his alibi–at least the kind of alibi he wanted for now. 

“What happened, Baby?” he asked softly, acting blissfully unaware. 

Y/N sniffled and wrapped her arms around Billy's waist, which he gladly returned, “She’s dead. Someone killed her.”

Billy tightened his grip around her and placed a hand on the back of her head, pushing her closer to him, “Who?”

“Mom,” she cried. 

“Oh, Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”

The two embraced each other for what felt like hours. Standing in the middle of the police station, the two were able to hear the panic spewing out of various officers. Everyone was already concerned over Maureen Prescott’s murder. It shook the entire community. No one had expected something like this to happen a second time. 

“Billy, I have to tell you something,” Y/N spoke into his chest.

Billy pulled away and gripped her shoulders, “What is it?”

“I think I love you.”

“I think I love you too.”

“What the fuck, Billy!” Y/N rushed to Randy’s side. He was groaning in pain as he rolled over. 

Billy had a sadistic look across his face, “Corn syrup, same stuff they used for pigs blood in Carrie.”

Sidney quickly stood from her position next to Randy, “No.” She stumbled toward the kitchen, running into Stu on her way, “Stu, help me please.”

Stu grinned, pulling a voice box from his front pocket and raising it towards his face, “Surprise, Sidney.”

Y/N slowly stood from her position, “Stu?”

Sidney forcefully pushed Stu out of her way, entering the kitchen. Despite her efforts to navigate the house, Billy rushed past Y/N and entered the kitchen through the opposite entrance. Stu then grabbed Y/N’s arm and dragged her into the kitchen, cornering both her and Sidney. He then tossed Billy the voice box. 

“What’s the matter, Sidney? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Now, the end is nearing. Both Sidney and Y/N were now officially cornered--over, done for. The probability of escaping is slim to none. The girls are pressed up against the counters while the boys are covering either exit, which is narrowed by the island. 

Y/N looked up at Stu who was now positioned just a few feet away from her, “Why are you doing this?”

Stu drew closer to her, “It’s all part of the game, Y/N”

“Called, guess how I'm gonna die!” Billy interjected. 

“Fuck you,” Sidney hissed. 

“No, no, no, no, we already played that game, remember?” Billy, who was handed a knife by Stu, sauntered over to Sidney, much like how predators would approach helpless prey, “You lost.”

Stu returned to his place in front of Y/N. He looked into her eyes. For a moment, she hoped that the person--the partner--that she once knew was still there. She hoped that there would be a sliver of the relationship she cherished and defended. Instead she was met with cold dead eyes that were accompanied with a clown-like smile. 

“It’s a fun game, Y/N. See we ask you a question and if you get it wrong,” Stu twisted the gun towards Y/N’s face making her recoil, “BOO-KA--you die.”

“If you get it right,” Billy explained, “you die.”

Sideny shook her head, “You’re crazy both of you.” Her voice was weak and shaky. 

“Actually, we prefer the term psychotic,” Stu interjected. 

“You’ll never get away with this,” Y/N stated. Her voice had betrayed her much like Sidney’s had. 

Stu laughed as he raised his hand to Y/N’s cheek. Initially, she leaned away from his touch. After all, Stu had been accountable for everything. The death of Casey Becker, Steve Orth, but more importantly

Randy. 

Everything in her mind was telling her to stay away, escape the darkness. Don’t feed into his horrific game. But then, as quickly as she was reminded of the horror around her, she thought of all the times they’d spent together. The countless nights where Stu comforted her. The many hours the two had spent watching movies. They had been together for so long that she didn’t know anything else anymore. 

“I love you.”

“Really?”

“You’re a dick.”

“I’m joking.”

“So?”

“I love you, loser.”

“Will we be together forever?”

“Maybe.”

“What do you mean maybe?”

“Well, anything can happen. Maybe one of us will get in a car crash or end up being a part of a story worthy of a movie.”

“But you don’t think we’ll break up?”

“No, I don’t think we’ll break up.”

  “Oh no?” Billy paused, “Tell that to Cotton Weary. You wouldn’t believe how easy he was to frame.”

“Watch a few movies, take a few notes,” Stu leaned into Y/N’s ear, “It was fun.” The way his voice varied in tone it was psychotic, like he was having the time of his life. 

For a while, the two went on about their motives. Sidney and Y/N listened in on their boyfriends psychotic ramblings. Y/N’s world was crashing down, reality was setting in. Everything they’d been through was a lie--it had to be. The things that she was hearing was a well thought out plan to get back at Sidney’s mother for ruining Billy’s parent’s relationship. Stu, obviously, wasn’t aware of that part. It almost made it worse. He truly didn’t have a motive. His entire mindset was solely based on following Billy--helping Billy. He had been targeted. There must have been a day when Billy realized what Stu was. In turn, he used it against him, even if Stu didn’t realize it. Billy used Stu like a puppet and in the process of carrying out his master plan had ruined the town of Woodsboro. 

“Oh, oh, this is the greatest part,” Stu ran to place the gun on the kitchen counter, “You’re gonna love this we’ve got a surprise for you, Sidney. Yeah, you’re gonna love this one. It’s a scream, baby! Hold on a sec, I’ll be right back.”

This would have been the perfect time to run. With Billy having his arms wrapped around Sidney, Y/N could easily escape out the front door. The opportunity was there, but she couldn’t take it. Her feet were glued to the floor and her body refused to move. It was stupid. Her only chance to get out of this nightmare and here she was, panicked and unable to fight.

“Was that true, what Randy said about you and Casey.”

“The part about how we dated?”

“No, about how she broke up with you for Steve.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. Randy’s just trying to start shit.”

“I’ve heard other people mention it too. Tatum just the other day--”

“Who gives a fuck about what Tatum says. She lives and breathes gossip.”

“I’m just telling you what people are saying.”

“Since when have you cared about what other people are saying?”

“Well, I don’t it's just--”

“Do you trust me?”

“Huh?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Dissociation. 

For those who experience it, it’s a complete mind fuck. For a brief moment, you don’t feel like you. You aren’t in the room you’re standing in and your mind isn’t in your body. 

For Y/N, it wasn’t until Sidney frantically shook her shoulders that she was able to come back to reality. Then, she frantically looked around her. She didn’t have a clue as to what was happening. Eventually, Sidney had to move on. She couldn’t wait for Y/N to realize what was happening. Her only chance was to get her dad to safety and come up with a plan. So, that’s exactly what she did. She took her dad and went to the opposite entrance to the kitchen. They snuck around the corner but beyond that, Y/N didn’t see where they went. 

“Shit.”

“What?”

Stu stumbled into the kitchen, blood pooling out of his wounds. 

“Where are they,” Billy whispered. 

“Where are they!” Stu screamed into Y/N’s face. Her body was pressed further into the counter by Stu’s almost dead weight. He was getting weaker. He grabbed her face with one of his hands, smearing blood across her face. 

“Where?”

Stu coughed up blood before replying, “I don’t know, Billy, but I’m hurtin’ man.”

“Stu?” Y/N asked. Her voice was surprisingly soft and steady. They looked into each other's eyes. She could see the pain radiating through his body. He could see the love seeping through her skin. He was curious how that was possible. After everything he’d done, did she still love him?

The ear piercing ringing of the phone broke through the silent room.

“Should I let the machine get it?”

Billy walked over to the phone and breathed out, “Hello.”

“Are you alone in the house?”

“Bitch, you bitch, where the fuck are you?”

“Not so fast we’re gonna play a little game. It’s called guess who called the police and reported your sorry mother fucking ass!”

Stu had wandered over to Billy. By this point, he had grown so weak that he needed the counter to keep himself upright. 

“Find her you dipshit!”

“I can’t, Billy. You cut me too deep. I think I’m dying here, man,” Stu cried. 

Billy handed him the phone, “Talk to her. Talk to her.”

  “Oh, will you drop it, Randy!”

“I’m just saying maybe consider the possibility.”

“Why? Why do you think Stu had anything to do with it?”

“It makes sense, okay.”

“Sure, it makes sense to you. Someone who obsesses over horror movies and is in love with Jamie Lee Curtis.”

“Hey, don't hate the horror movie game. There’s some truth to that shit.” “Okay, Randy, show me your degree in criminology then I’ll believe you.”

“Look, I get it. You don’t want to listen to me out of fear that I’m right--that your boy toy is a psychotic slasher. 

“God, you’re so annoying.”

“You still love me! Admit it!”

“Y/N, baby, where’s Sidney?” his voice was soft, almost unrecognizable compared to the one she’d heard minutes prior. 

Y/N looked up at Stu. Her eyes were glossing over with tears. 

“Why are you doing this?” 

“Answer my question first then I’ll answer yours.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know where she went.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“I promise, Stu. I don’t know.”

“Right.”

That was when everything came crashing down for real. A sharp, quick pain entered Y/N’s stomach. At first the pain was a pinch, then it escalated into the worst feeling in the world. The burning sensation that was surrounding her abdomen traveled to the rest of her body. Her legs buckled beneath her. She reached out her arms for Stu’s support. He returned to gesture and settled her towards the ground. Y/N started coughing up blood. Her hands grew colder and colder as the minutes passed. 

“I defended you,” she struggled to get the words out.

Stu furrowed his eyebrows, “What?”

“Randy tried to tell me,” more blood came splattering out of her mouth, “He told me that it was you. I told him to shove it.”

“Maybe you should have listened to him,” he laughed. 

“I loved you,” she breathed out, “so bad. I was proud to call you mine.”

“But that’s gone now?” he asked.

“No.”

“How?”

Y/N thought for a moment, “I spent so much time loving you that it became a part of me.” 

“Well, didn’t your mother ever tell you not to change for other people?”

The two were silent for a moment. Stu rubbed the hair out of her face, a cruel act really. Just another thing to keep her hanging onto him--onto the hope. Her limbs had grown numb, her mind was struggling to stay awake.

“Was any of it real?”

“Any of what?”

“Our relationship.”

“No.”

“Not even--”

“No.”

“I love--”

“Don’t, it makes you look pathetic.”

“Why me?”

“Why not you?”

“You lied.” “You trusted me.”

“You’re dying.”

“So are you.”

“I’m scared.”

Y/N and Colson stared at each other before either of them said anything. The two stared at each other. Colson’s gaze was one filled with worry. Y/N’s was in admiration. The beautiful man before her was the one and only thing that was clouding her mind. He was in much better shape than she was. The only noticeable injury upon him was a cut across his nose. That and it looked as if he’d had a bloody nose. It looked as though he’d taken a tissue and wiped underneath his nose, making no real effort to clean up. 

Colson coughed lightly before softly asking, “Do you remember anything that happened?”

Y/N thought for a moment. There was nothing. No matter how hard she tried, the memories wouldn’t return to her. “No,” she responded quietly.

Colson wasn’t as fortunate. 

“Y/N! Y/N” Colson’s screams echoed through the dark LA air. 

Y/N lay on the passenger’s side with her head bent onto her shoulder. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slowed. 

Colson groaned as he reached his hand to his forehead. He couldn’t detect any serious injury there so his hand traveled down to his nose where blood was pouring from a cut and out of his nostrils. Once his fingertips were coated in the liquid he brought his hand in front of his face. 

Groaning again, he looked over at Y/N. His heart started racing faster than it already was and his breathing began to rapidly incline. His hands shook and his muscles started to tense. Colson reached over to Y/N and gripped her shoulder, “Y/N, hey, Y/N, wake up.” A distressed cry left Colson’s as emotions and adrenaline coursed through his body. Anxiety crawled up his body as he attempted to unbuckle his seatbelt. He fumbled with the button, but once he unbuckled he flung his body around in order to face Y/N more clearly. There was a gash across Y/N’s forehead, causing blood to gush down her face. 

“Y/N, come on, hun, wake up,” he carefully took her head in his hands and rubbed the pads of his thumbs against her cheekbones. Tears were gathering in his eyes the longer time passed. The worst thoughts were running through his head as he watched the one he loved incapacitated due to his own actions. 

Just when Colson was losing all hope, Y/N’s eyes fluttered open. 

“I know this hurts but you have to stay awake”

Colson’s eyes filled with tears as he recalled the event that hadn’t happened more than a couple of days ago. Ever since they had both been admitted into the hospital, Colson had been itching to figure out what was wrong with Y/N. For a while, he wasn’t allowed to leave his room. The hospital was closely monitoring his vitals and making sure that he didn’t have anything more than a concussion. 

“You need to eat something,” Colson reached over to the side table where a tray of various cafeteria foods had been placed. 

Y/N glanced over before stopping Colson from grabbing the whole try, “Just the jello?”

Colson chuckled, “Sure, just the jello.” He opened the container before passing it to her, providing her with a spoon. 

Cassie and the doctor had returned halfway through the jello cup.

“How are we doing here?” the doctor asked. 

Y/N held up the jello cup, “Eating jello.”

“Glad to see you're up and eating.”

The doctor proceeded to go through various different tests while informing the couple of everything going on. It was a complicated world. A million things could happen at any second. They were informed that it was best to stay in the hospital for a few more days--just in case. 

After talking to the doctor for a good long while, Colson, Cassie, and Y/N were settling into the room. Now, with everyone awake, the three were able to spend quality time together watching random hospital TV. At that moment, the show Golden Girls played. The three laughed and talked for what felt like hours. 

Y/N looked over at Colson, adoration in her eyes. 

How did I end up here? She thought to herself. How did I end up with an amazing man and his amazing daughter? It’s everything I could have hoped for--even if I’m lying in a hospital bed at the moment. 

Colson felt her stare and returned his partner's eye contact, “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

“How much I love you.”

“You’re a cheesy motherfucker,” he smiled and laughed. She returned his smile with as much enthusiasm. 

The two gazed into each other's eyes for a lifetime. It was a magical moment in a not so magical place. They wouldn’t have wanted this moment to be any different. They were perfect. Cassie, situated beside Colson, had fallen asleep an hour prior to this encounter. Colson, who had over worried himself for hours, was now comfortably seated next to his daughter and the love of his life. And Y/N was with the two people who saved her, who helped her through everything. So much love and care was coursing through their bodies. Unconditional happiness filled the room despite the circumstances. 

The longer Y/N looked into Colson’s eyes the more she noticed how tired he was. They had grown glossy and were starting to droop, “Hey, babe?”

Colson broke out of his trance, “Yeah?”

“How long has it been since you’ve slept?”

“Umm, honestly I’m not sure.”

“Come here then.”

Hesitantly, Colson stood from his chair and positioned himself closer to Y/N’s bed. Y/N moved over so that there would be enough room for him to lay down, “You aren’t going to break me, babe.”

“Oh shut up, jackass,” he laughed and layed down next to Y/N. He laid on his side and placed his arm across her abdomen. He looked up at her the same way he had moments ago, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Always?”