12 11

Everly had finally gotten both Gina and Jena to their homes, with the help of Von. She had keys to their homes for nights like this and he carried them inside.

She just wanted to go back to their rooms and take their fake I.D's but knew that would only cause her more trouble than it was worth. She sat in the car, exhausted and Von stared her her a bit. She was a gorgeous young woman that was mature for her age. He knew that she was eighteen, courtesy of the drunken Gina, but he thought that she was going to be just like them, a hot, drunken mess.

She looked at him while leaning on the stirring wheel and sat up.

"Back to the inn, yes?"

He cleared his throat and pulled out his phone. When he opened his messages his brows furrowed and he sat up.

"Actually could you take me somewhere else," he asked worried. His text from earlier got no response, which she usually responded immediately, even late at night. Its how he set up her phone.

Everly saw the look of panic in his eyes and asked no questions. She turned the engine and drove out of the neighborhood. When he told her the address however, she stopped the car and looked at him in confusion?

"Are you sure that's the address," she asked him. He looked at her curiously and nodded.

"Pretty sure I can read, sweetheart."

Everly turned in her seat and grabbed his arm.

"Did something happen to Amira?"

Hearing her name, his brows pulled together as closely as they could.

"How do you know-"

Realization passed on his face when he recognized her.

"You're Everly Addams?"

She sat back near her door, caution taking over.

"Amira talked about you sometimes. Its a long story but we need to get to her now."

Everly was going to ask more but worry settled in so she turned back to the road and sped off down the road.

When they arrived, they saw two people leaving the house in a white escalade. It was too dark to make out who they were but red flags alerted Everly. She sped into the driveway and Von was at the door before she could get her seatbelt off.

Once inside, Von heard glass shatter and rushed to the kitchen. Glass and water were everywhere and he almost slipped. His eyes found Amira's and he quickly went into action.

"Mira? Amira?"

He flipped her onto her back and saw the bruise forming on her side.

"Oh my God," Everly said from behind him.

"Call an ambulance and tell them there's a code 6-E-1," he said as he took off his jacket. While she called the ambulance, he tilted her head back and checked to see if anything was blocking her airway. Sheila came into the kitchen and gasped, running to her side.

"Von?"

He looked up at her and shook his head. More footsteps were heard now and Sheila cursed, knowing the other kids would begin to panic.

"What happened," Dean asked but Sheila stood to keep him back.

"Don't crowd her. Let Von help her, alright?"

Sheila looked back to see her nephew administer CPR on the Amira. He did a set of chest compressions then breathed into her mouth to get her breathing.

"Still unresponsive," Von yelled to Everly repeated his would and told the dispatcher his every move. Tension rose when he couldn't get her breathing. His chest compressions began to get more aggressive and desperate.

"Come on Robin," Von grunted.

After a few more seconds the ambulance arrived and paramedics rushed inside. It was then that Von got her breathing.

She gasped and looked around in panic but the medics took over from their.

After checking for any damage to the brain, the doctor allowed visitors but only two at a time. Sheila remained by her side but Amira was silent and spoke to no one as they came in. Dean and Von were first but she couldn't even look at them.

"Red?"

She turned her body away from him, not wanting to lose the numb feeling she had. The only thing she felt was worry for Everly.

"Amira, it's Dean," Sheila told her. She tried to touch the girl but when Amira flinched and whimpered, she pulled her hand back. Von narrowed his eyes and knew something happened to her but he made sure to tell Everly to keep it to herself until the police arrived.

Dean sighed and sat on the bed, making sure to not touch her.

"What happened, Red? I need you to talk to me."

He watched her start to look at him but thought better and remained silent. Von noticed this and looked to Sheila when she grabbed Dean's hand, giving him a sad smile.

"Lets just let her rest for now," she told them. Dean nodded and stood to leave. He gave her one more glance then left the room. Von looked to his aunt and saw then the fatigue on her face.

"Where's Jerry," he asked.

"At sea as of a few hours ago." She shook her head and put her face in her hands.

"Aunt Sheila-"

The door opened and Jerry walked in with Everly behind him.

Sheila stood in shock.

"Jerry?"

He looked at his future wife then went to his daughter. She shut her eyes tightly to not see the worry in his but, as if sensing the fear from before, he pulled her up into a hug.

"Its alright, girly. Papa's here now." She opened her eyes and hesitantly hugged him back, scared he'd leave again. She hadn't even realized she was sobbing and shaking in that moment. The numb feeling was already melting from hearing Dean's voice. In her father's arms, the numbness evaporated into the air. Von looked to Everly, who was texting someone. He couldn't believe that this was the same Everly that Amira spoke of and painted in the art room of his home. Accoring to Mira, Everly hated her.

After a few moments, Everly went over to her and smiled. Amira was shocked that she was standing there before her.

"Etty, you're..."

"Hey Amira," she said awkwardly, "my parents are coming tomorrow to check in on you and-"

Mira wasted no time pulling Everly into a hug. Everyone was shocked but no one more than Everly herself. Amira held her in a tight embrace, not caring about the others watching. She was safe and that's all that mattered. That man couldn't get to her like he did to Laurette, like he would have done to herself tonight. As long as she was safe it was fine.

"Amira what happened," Everly asked. She shook her head no, not wanting to answer that. To keep them safe she needed to just stay quiet.

Everyone sighed in dissapointment. A knock sounded on the door before it opened. Two men walked in, both burly in build. One was an African American that had graying hair and facial hair. He wore a suit and tie and had an intimidating air around him. The other was a bit more lean that his partner and was Caucasian. He wore a flower print shirt that put his hairy chest and abs on display and had white shorts on. It was winter time, though.

"Parents or guardians of Amira Scott?"

Jerry stood up with his arms folded and puffed his chest out at the two. Sheila stood also.

"Is there a problem?"

"We need to ask you're daughter some questions," the black man said as he held out his hand for her to shake, "I'm detective Russel and my partner is detective Rhys."

Sheila was about to shake his hand by Jerry ran over and shook it instead, making sure to squeeze it tightly. The detective lifted his brow but said nothing of the matter.

"What do ya need to question my daughter fer, officer," the Irish man asked, once again folding his arms.

"The dispatcher told the department that someone hinted of a possible break in."

Amira froze, making Everly look at her in worry. They separated when the detectives walked in but Amira grabbed her hand, which was cold and shaking now.

"What do you mean," Sheila asked, "nothing was taken. She just had a panic attack, something she's prone to."

Rhys came forward now and spoke.

"I have a young daughter myself, ma'am and she has panic attacks also."

Russel nudged him with his elbow but he shrugged it off.

"I've learned that panic attacks are triggered when a person can't handle certain things. The caller on the phone said a white escalade was pulling out when they were pulling in and the door was unlocked."

The room looked to Everly, who nodded.

"Why weren't we told of this," Sheila asked her.

"I told her not to say anything."

Everyone looked to Von now.

"We couldn't see their faces and they sped off before we could get their tag."

Amira felt all eyes land on her now. Russel stepped towards her then looked back at his partner who nodded and looked to the parents.

"Can we speak with her alone," he asked in a hushed voice, "we find out things that children sometimes don't want their parents to know."

Jerry was going to protest but Sheila spoke first.

"Sure, detective."

Von followed both adults out of the room and Everly tried but Amira kept her hand in a vice grip.

"Don't leave." The vulnerability in her voice was something new to Everly. She's never seen this before.

"Amira I'll be right outside, alright? The two just want to ask about what happened."

Amira shook her head no and held her hand tighter.

"You can't leave," she said, her heart rate now rising, "you have to stay here."

Everly heard the machine picking up speed and saw the sheer terror in her old friend's face. She pulled Amira into a tight hug and shushed her.

"I won't leave, okay? I told mom and dad that I'd stay with you tonight."

Just like that, Amira began to calm down. When her heart was back to normal, Everly pulled away.

"You promise you won't leave?"

Everly nodded and smiled. She then held up her middle finger.

"I swear it."

Amira looked at the finger and wrapped her middle finger around Everly's. It was something Laurette made up when they were kids and they had to keep secrets. It was also the last thing she did before she died.

"Reed."

Seeing Laurette like normal gave her a small piece of mind.

Everly left and the two men pulled up a chair.

"Amira, we already know something happened to you," Rhys stated calmly. She curled into herself and tried to ignore the pain in her side.

"Who did you see, Amira?"

Mira looked at the two men and thought of telling them everything. About Max and her mother, what they did to Laurette all those years ago, everything. She sat up to speak but in the corner of the room, she saw him. Those lust driven eyes and that sinister smirk. He had Everly against the wall was staring directly at her.

She shut her eyes and tried not to cry again.

"Amira?"

She shook her head, refusing to look up at them.

"I can't."

Russell stood and went over to sit on the bed. He's worked with a lot of troubled youth when he worked in the city and knew enough to know that she was scared.

"Sweetheart whoever is threatening you won't hurt you if you tell us what happened. You'll be protected well along with your family."

Amira looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I can't."

Russell looked to Rhys and both had an unspoken conversation before standing.

"Alright, kid. We'll let you rest now."

She didn't reply and turned her back to them once she laid down. The two left the room and looked to the parents.

"Well whoever it was shook her up badly enough," Rhys told them, "she wouldn't even give up a crumb. We do have a clue as to what the threat was."

The detectives looked to Everly, who was now speaking with Dean.

Jerry cursed and scratched his head.

"Well what now," he asked them.

"We give you our card," Russell replied giving him the card, "and you call if she says anything or would like to speak with us at all."

The two detectives left the hospital and Jerry sighed. He looked around to see Dean and the other kids hanging in the lobby.

"Its funny isn't it," Sheila began as she wrapped her arms around his waste, "the same girl that worked so hard to push everyone out has a lot of people that pushed right back at her. Its truly amazing."

He watched them throw peanuts into each others mouths as a game and couldn't help but smile. His eyes landed on Dean's once more and he sighed then walked over to him.

"Lets go for a walk, kid."

Everyone looked up at Jerry then to Dean who stood with hesitation. Sheila was concerned until she saw his hands in his pockets, a sign that he was calm and in deep thought. She smiled at the kids and decided to send them back to their homes for the night.

Von looked to Everly as she sat alone. The rest of Amira's friends were chatting away and playing around but she sat on the opposite end in deep thought. She sighed and went to the empty seat beside her.

"Amira spoke fondly of you," he began, catching her attention, "she'd always talk about the big crybaby, Everly Addams."

The blond scoffed then folded her arms with a pout.

"I wasn't a crybaby."

Von chuckled and relaxed in his seat.

"Her exact words were: Everly would always cry, brat herself, and fight for my attention while Laurette simply demanded it."

When she made a 'hmph' sound, Von chuckled yet again, seeing the brat that Amira spoke of.

"When she first met me, at aunt Sheila's engagement party, she wouldn't utter a word to anyone but the animals on the farm.

One day, out of the blue, she just started drawing. Drawing turned into painting, and painting turned into talking. She never fully opened up to anyone but when she spoke of you, her eyes lit up and she smiled. There was a bit of pain there but that was expected seeing as she thought you hated her. I always thought to myself, I wonder if a person like Everly truly existed."

Everly looked Von in the eye, curiosity burning inside of them.

"And you're thoughts?"

He smirked and learned forwards, making her blush.

"You're more adorable in person."

Everly cleared her throat and turned away from the buff, chocholate flirt beside her. She was blushing and didn't want to be teased further.

"So," she began, still not looking at him, "you're Sheila's nephew?"

Von smirked and sat on the other seat still beside her. She looked at him surprised and he sat back in that seat.

"Yes ma'am. Devon Shippmen, at you're service."

Everly snorted a soft chuckle then covered her mouth in surprise. She hadn't snort laughed since the last she laughed with her sister and Amira.

"It seems that I'm amusing you instead of wooing you."

She looked at him in surprise and he just sighed and stood.

"Its fine, though. I like challenges."

He walked away to let Everly stare after him in thought.

Amira felt tormented being alone in the hospital room. On one side was Laurette; bloodied in the middle of her destroyed room but she didn't speak. She stared to her other side that showed Max, hurting Everly while he stared the red haired girl in the eyes. He was muffling her screams with his hand but she could still here her crying for help as if his hand wasn't there.

"Please stop," she whimpered, covering her ears and closing her eyes, "just stop and go away."

Dean entered the room again with Everly behind him. After his talk with Jerry, the older man trusted him to look after Amira while he and Sheila went home to grab cloths and things for Amira. He smiled thinking of the talk and made his way to the bed.

Everly say in the chair and watched the two.

Amira was about to scream for the apparitions to go away when a warm feeling engulfed her from behind. She knew it was Dean immediately and turned to look at him. He looked down at her and smiled, brushing her wild hair away from her face. No words passed between them but they spoke with their eyes. Dean could see that she was confused with her feelings while she recognized the fondness in his eyes. After a few more moments, she sighed and closed her eyes to sleep. Dean kissed her forehead and brought her closer to himself.

Everly had never wanted to read Laurette's journal so badly until this moment. She thought back on Amira's reaction to her entering and leaving the room. She also noticed the detectives and Amira's parents looking her way while trying to cheer Dean up.

Laurette's memorial party was just one week away now. That was the day Everly Addams was going to read the black book. It was plenty enough time to prepare, mentally and emotionally for whatever it was that she found. It would answer why Laurette would commit suicide, why Amira lied to her until recently, and a few more questions she had. She may even discover something completely new about her sister and Amira.

The next morning, Dean woke up to see Amira sleeping peacefully with Everly. Amira wanted to sleep beside Everly last night and said that it would be one of the things they could do for old time sake. If he had never seen it before, Dean saw, then, the weight of the secrets that Amira was carrying and his heart squeezed. His talk with Everly last night made him conflicted. She had a way to get Amira to talk to them and find out what happened to her and Laurette back then. Mrs. Addams was a hypnotherapist, although she hadn't practiced since Laurette's passing. When the girl would have nightmares, her mother would use hypnotherapy to aid her. She didn't use it to get information from her daughter, although she so badly wanted to. She, instead, put her in a state where she would feel safe, making her sleep for the rest of the night. When Everly told him this, Dean already knew that Amira would hate the idea and she might even regress. But looking at her now, seeing her so broken, he needed this so that she could finally help herself. He told Everly to let him think on it but he wanted to run the idea by her parents. Mrs. Addams agreed to do so only if Amira agreed.

He stood and went to Amira's side of the bed and brushed the hair away from her face so that it wouldn't fall into her parted lips. Everly opened her eyes and saw Dean smiling at Amira, who held her in a vice grip.

The door opened and Sheila walked in with Jerry behind her. Everly tried to get up but Amira groaned and pulled her down. Sheila chuckled and whispered to them.

"You don't have to get up, dear."

Everly nodded and made herself comfortable on the bed. Jerry sank down into the chair and pulled Sheila onto his lap.

"Her therapist is flying in from Seattle. He should be here later today to talk with Amira."

Everly and Dean looked at each other then back to the adults. Everly got out of the bed and replaced herself with the pillow she slept on. Amira accepted it and remained in deep slumber.

"Actually, I need to talk with you both," she said. Dean came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders for comfort. Jerry glared at this and Sheila had a look of concern.

"Are you cheatin' on me daughter, boy?"

Everyone reacted to the man's statement.

"Jerry!"

"Wait, what!?"

"What? No!"

Sheila smacked to man on the shoulder and glared at him. Dean glared also while Everly looked confused.

"We have a way of helping Amira."

The Scotts looked to Everly who was looking back at her friend.

"My mom still wants to be the one to-"

"Absolutely not." Jerry left no room for discussion and stood.

"We've come so far from where she was before. Margie could set back everything and start us all back at square one."

"Actually..." Everyone turned towards the door and looked to see Margie with a tall graying man with glasses," I was going to suggest her as well."

Sheila looked to Jerry then Daniel, Amira's therapist.

The four adults went outside the room to talk while Everly and Dean stayed behind. Everly was pacing with Dean sat in thought.

No one realized that Amira had been awake through all of it and was doing some thinking on her own. She wanted the nightmares to go away. She wanted to be normal for once. She wanted her parents to not worry about her so much but she promised Laurette that she wouldn't say anything. Then there was the biggest worry, Max.

"Reed." She heard the dead girls voice and opened her eyes to look at her. She bore a smile that had always spoke volume when she was alive.

"Reed. You remember how I came up with that name for you?"

At this point, Amira was oblivious to Everly and Dean calling her name. Everly went to touch her but Dean held her back, gesturing for them to wait. If it were another nightmare, she could lash out like she'd done with Elizbeth.

Laurette sat in front of her as Amira recalled why she gave her that stupid name.

"We were playing hide and seek. We both got lost in a bunch of reed grass and it got tangled in my hair."

Laurette chuckled and crossed her legs.

"Amira, you need to let them help you."

Mira shook her head and backed away.

"Listen to me. I know that you're scared. I know what you promised but its eating away at you now."

She felt tiny hands grab hers and looked up to see concern on Everly's face.

"Everly will be fine."

Mira snapped her head back to her best friend and glared.

"And how do you know that?"

Laurette gave a sad smile and looked towards the doors.

"You know my mom and dad. They will make sure that nothing will happen to her."

Hearing those words again made her more confused than before. Should she listen to her subconscious or hold to the promise she made?

The doors opened again and the four adults entered the room. Amira was still staring at Laurette while Everly rubbed her shoulders in comfort. Von also entered the room with an easel, a canvas, and other paiting materials, as per Daniel's orders.

While Dean helped set up the painting items, Margie and Daniel went to speak with Amira.

Jerry and Sheila stayed back. Jerry felt that he would change his mind and Sheila was there to be sure he didn't, although she felt the same way. Her hands were shaking and sweaty but she held the rest of herself together for both Jerry's sake and Amira's.

Margie looked to the girl that basically grew up with her beloved daughters. She knew that witnessing Laurette's death would take a toll on her but not like this. She briefly read through the files that Daniel gave her. When he originally asked his old friend to help him with this case, she declined immediately. He wasn't surprised by this and persisted until she agreed with the condition that Amira agreed also, which would be the hardest part.

"Amira."

The girl looked to her psychiatrist and Everly's Psychologist mother. She knew that she had to tell them but her middle finger burned, knowing that she was breaking her promise.

"Amira, its time," Daniel said gently.

Amira then thought of just giving up the journal so that she didn't have to revisit that part of the past.

"Before you even ask, no you can't just show them the journal."

Everyone in the room except for Dean and Everly were confused, as this was the first they heard about the journal.

"I just- I can't. I promised her."

Margie sat beside Amira on the bed and signed.

"Amira, honey, Laurette is gone. I know just how close you three were but its time for you to let go. To start healing Laurette saw that her secret was driving you to this point, what would she have done?"

Amira looked over to Laurette, who was giving an evil smirk and raising her fists playfully.

"She would probably punch me then come clean."

The older woman wiped the tears from her eyes and pulled her into a hug.

"Sweet heart, whatever it is we will get through it together. I promise you that."

Mira nodded and looked to her dad and Sheila. He gave her a nod and Sheila gave a smile of encouragement. She looked to Von and Dean then scoffed softly as they set up the easel with difficulty. Last was Everly. Her heart rate picked up at all the different scenarios that could happen once the blonde found out everything. Would she hate me?

Would she blame me?

Would she blame herself?

Would she blame Laurette?

The thought of the last two made her want to change her mind. She could take it if Everly blamed her but not if she blamed Laurette or herself. It's what Laurette had feared would happen.

Margie touched Amira for comfort, making the girl cave.