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(continued)

"Okay" he says and sits down on a nearby vacant chair...

Garrett's phone rings and he goes outside to answer it.

I turn back to Emmett, who looks like a volcano about to erupt any moment...

I find Elyssa staring intensely at him and Emmett glaring daggers at me.

"What's your damn problem with her?" Josh asks Emmett, pointing at me.

"Everytime she's around, something bad happens-" he's cut off by Josh.

"Yeah, right! Don't be so stupidly superstitious! How can her mere presence make things bad?" Josh replies.

"It does!" Emmett growls at me.

I don't know how to react.

"Well, if you didn't want me around, you could've just told me and I would've left. In fact, I will now..." I trail off and begin to walk out when Elyssa stops me, holding my wrist.

"Lia, please don't go!" she pleads.

I look into her eyes.

She's damn serious about it.

"Okay..." I tell.

Emmett scowls.

"Why don't we go outside?" Elyssa asks.

"Yeah, let's..." I say, as Elyssa drags me out.

We walk out of the building and find an isolated place and we talk.

"Well, I always missed you, Lia..." she says.

"I missed all of you, Elyssa, so damn much; in fact, I was willing to even just come back despite everything, and I did. But Mom just sent me back..." I tell.

"Lia, I'm sorry for-" she says.

"Let's not dwell on that, please..." I say.

She nods in understanding.

"So, tell me, Elyssa, what you've been doing recently...." I say to fill in the awkward silence.

"Well, let's see: on the academic front, Em and I are both in college, now, and on the non-academic front, Em and I've both auditioned for 'The Mic' Season 4, and are in the top 18, and I regularly sing at this new restaurant, a month-old..."

"Wow!" I respond.

She gives a little smile that fades away when someone calls her name.

"I'm sorry, Lia, but I got to go; we'll catch up later..." she says.

"That's okay, Elyssa..." I say.

She shoots me a thankful smile and walks to the owner of the voice which called her.

She walks up to a guy with blond hair and piercing eyes.

I walk back into the building and walk over to Josh and Gar, who seem relieved to have me back.

Emmett appears out of nowhere and growls in my face, "What'd you do to her?"

"Emmett, I'm not here to hurt her, or you..." I reply.

"I don't care; where's she now?" he snaps.

"She went to talk to some guy-"

"Long blond hair?" he cuts me off.

"Yes."

"Light eyes?"

"Yes."

"Oh, hell no!" he says.

"What?" I ask.

"You don't need to know..." he yells and walks off.

I stare after him, and keep my gaze there even after he's gone.

Garrett asks me if I'm okay.

I just shake my head.

"If it's that jerk of a brother you've got, then-" I cut Josh off with a "No."

"You can tell us..." Gar prods.

"Gar, I..." I stop, my throat clumped up.

Unknowingly, I begin to breathe faster, so Gar tries to calm me down.

"Gar, I-" I begin, but this time I'm cut off by a yell.

I recognize the voice.

It's Emmett.

Elyssa comes running in and runs into the bathroom nearby, but not before I see her tear-stained face and blood on her arms.

She locks the door shut and stays in, not responding to Emmett pounding on the door.

Now angry, Emmett picks up a vase nearby and tosses it at me, too fast for me to dodge it. The vase crashes into my face, shattering and falling to the floor.

I feel something warm flowing down my face; it's blood.

Josh loses it and runs to Emmett, and Gar just manages to hold him back.

"Josh!" I yell, calm but firm.

He takes a look at me, and turns back to Emmett, giving him a scowl, then walks back to my side.

"It's YOU, dammit, Celestia! Now leave before you break her again, before she becomes like that vase, broken and irreparable!" Emmett yells at me.

I stand still, unsure of what to do.

Emmett yells at me to run away, tossing another vase my way, but this time I catch it and set it down on a nearby table.

Gar is now staring intensely at me, wondering how I'm taking it, and Josh glares daggers at Emmett and Emmett looks at me with pure and strong hatred unconcealed writ large on his face.

"Don't you understand what leave means?" he yells.

The bathroom door creaks open as Elyssa steps out, and tells Emmett to put a plug in it, as I did nothing.

Emmett just shakes his head, and his eyes widen as he takes in her arms.

She has several cuts on them, quite a few bleeding.

Emmett now catches everyone off-guard by pushing me back against the wall.

I hear a sickening crunch as I hit the wall and then slump down to the floor.

"That's it! You've done enough wacko stuff!" Josh yells at Emmett.

"Josh, Esti!" Gar tells him.

I hear footsteps approaching me.

"Celi?" Josh says.

I lift my head, everything in my vision blurry now.

"Esti, what-" Gar starts, but I don't hear what he says after that.

I slump forward onto the floor and black out.

- - - - - - -

"Celestia?" I hear someone say.

I manage to blink my eyes open.

"Yeah?" I reply.

"Oh, thank God!" Josh says.

Gar just looks at me, the concerned expression on his face increasing...

Elyssa looks mortified, while Emmett wears a frightened expression.

"I didn't intend that to happen, I'm sorry..." Emmett trails off.

"It's okay..." I say, to which Josh responds with a "Sure as hell not!"

"Josh, stop! We need to take her to a hospital..." says Gar.

Josh nods and nears me.

I push myself up and stand up.

I try to walk, but stagger and nearly crash down to the floor.

Gar just lifts me and we go out.

My head's pounding terribly and my eyes flutter closed...

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