Chapter 20

SEBASTIAN

I sprinted through the streets, my breath forming clouds of steam as I ran. I couldn't stop, not now. Not until I'm safe.

The ground was solid beneath my feet, the vibrations slithering up my legs, chattering through my teeth like a whirlwind.

Sweat slid down my skin, the cold droplets, nothing but a bother in my haze of adrenalin. I could feel their presence behind me, only mere feet away, on the tip of my tail.

I pushed on, just missing those hands, reaching out to grab me every time they grow near. My panic and anxiety a fuel to keep my legs moving, to keep me safe, to keep me alive.

The pain of irregularly breathing reverberated through my chest, leaving a painful gaping hole.

My legs began to give out, their strength disintegrating almost suddenly at this point. I needed to take a break. I began to slow down and tried to even out my breathing, tucking the demons that kept me running into the back of my mind - a strategy my brother taught me for the competitions at school.

With my heartbeat thumping in my ears, I looked around at my surroundings. I was still in an area that I knew of, extremely well in fact. There, a few feet away, in a children's park, stood the old, wooden castle.

I walked towards it, nostalgia hit me like a bulldozer, or maybe like a Zamboni. I walked around to the entrance where I crawled through to greet the girl who always fought to be my princess. Lo and behold, there she was.

"Rachel?" I puzzled, crouching down to the low arched opening, revealing the redhead. She was sat on the floor, her book resting on her knees.

"Sebastian?" She watched me with wide eyes.

"The potion diaries."

"What?"

"The book that you're reading." I pointed to the title on the cover.

"Shut up, it's my sister's...I just lifted the wrong book okay." She spluttered, shutting the book and chucking beneath her legs. "Crap, I lost my pa- No, whatever it doesn't matter, it's not even mine."

I chuckled, picking up the book and flipping to a page.

"What can I say? He's still beautiful." I quote, uncertainty laced in my voice, "that's quite a statement. I always knew you liked these books, Rachel." I tease.

"Stop it!" She lightly hits me on my arm as I laugh.

"Looks magical. You've always wanted to be a princess, even when you were younger." I admit, returning the book.

"Yeah," she blushes, "I would always fight the other girls to be your princess. But now, you have Audrey." Her voice is quiet, the same as when she confessed, and here she is, confessing again.

"You're a really great-No. You're an amazing girl, you don't need me. I don't deserve you. Someday, you'll meet a really great guy so much better than me." I assure, the guilt eating away at me.

"I just, I've known you my whole life. I thought we were going to be together, to stay that way, together. I only saw you, and now I've lost you." Her eyes tear up, glistening even in the darkness of the castle.

"You've found Audrey and every time I see you both together I can see you belong together. Anyone can see you that you two belong together. Even a stranger can feel the sparks, the love that surrounds you." Her voice begins the break and her lip quivers. I pull her towards me, hugging her close. It's awkward, especially since we're cramped in this place.

"I'm jealous. I want it, I want it so badly and I thought I had it. The only person that's ever stood by me the whole time, I misunderstood. And I'm really sorry. I don't know what's happening, I don't know what's going on. I feel so lost." She holds me tightly, my hoodie held hostage in her fists.

"Rachel," I begin, "You need to see everyone else around you. You are an extremely talented girl and you shouldn't waste your time and effort on me. I don't deserve you. You are capable of so many things, and falling in love is one you can easily do. Remember the time you found an injured bird, and you nursed it back to health." She nodded.

"You loved that bird with your whole heart," I chuckled, "You cried so hard when you had to let it go. But it was healed, it didn't need to be looked after anymore, and you had to let it go. So let me go, you could spending your energy on being the next big actress or becoming the best-selling author, so don't spend it on me. I'm okay, you don't need to look out for me anymore." My voice is soft, soothing, and doing the trick. She nods and begins to relax. She lets go of me and wipes the tears from her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I got your hoodie wet." She apologises.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." I crawl backwards, my legs barking in pain as I stand. I held a hand out for Rachel. I pull her out, making sure she doesn't bump her head. "How about I treat you to a hot chocolate, like the ones we got as kids.

She sniffs and nods, not letting go of my hand.

We walk to a cafe nearby, the same one our mothers would take us to after we played in the park. The bell rang as we entered, the aroma of coffee wafting through the open door.

We ordered our hot chocolates and took a seat by the window.

"So, is that your book?" I ask.

She's silent, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink, "Yeah. Don't judge me okay."

"I wasn't gonna," I smirked before turning to the waitress that held a tray with two delicious smelling hot chocolates on it.

"You're so weird, King." Rachel admitted, furrowing her brows, "I honestly do wonder what Audrey sees in you."

"So, are you okay with her now?"

"Oh, of course not. My feelings aren't going to go away instantly because you comforted me in a moment of weakness." She replies instantly, "But, it's just weird."

"What is?" I ask, taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

"I'm not stupid, I know who Audrey Parkinson is, I mean she's technically still my competition but, she's so...amazing. And you're, well..." She trails off.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just a boring, regular guy that once ate a full fourteen-inch pizza by himself cause he felt like it."

"No! It's just, Audrey's totally, how do I say this?" She ponders for a few moments, "Out of your league."

I place my hand over my heart, acting as if I were in pain, "Wow, that hurts."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean- ah just forget it." She humphs in frustration.

"No, I understand. Really. She's amazing, she really is, and I'm so lucky to have her," which is partially true, "I sometimes ask myself that."

"I don't mean to upset you," she frowned.

"You're not. It's just when you're comparing someone to Audrey, it's very hard to win." I state.

We sip our hot beverages in silence, glancing out the window at passer-bys and making small talk.

"Do you...Do you still hate me." I tore my gaze from the husky across the street. She was looking down, avoiding my stare.

"No. I didn't mean it, it was in the heat of the moment-"

"But you said it with so much emotion, so much anger. I've never seen you like that before, even when they were making fun of you."

"I wasn't angry when they teased me for wanting to be a lawyer, that's just what teens do when you don't follow in your parents' footsteps. Any, that's not the point. I couldn't hate you, Rachel, not even if I tried. It's very hard to make me hate someone." I reassured.

She nodded her head but continued to look down nevertheless. She looked so vulnerable, so sad that I didn't want to see her like this.

"You don't believe me. Rachel, I've known you since we were kids, I love you so much but, not in the same way you love me, I love you like a sister."

At last, she raises her head, "I'm really sorry. I know I've been a pain in the ass and I got between you and Audrey. But you need to understand, I can't just let go in seconds, I could never let go of anything easily. I need time."

"I do, I really do. But, you deserve so much better than me, don't settle for me when you can easily have someone better." I retort, then, I hesitate, "I love Audrey, very much."

"I know," she drawled, rolling her eyes, "You've said that to me every time. Sebastian for the love of red velvet cakes I can see that you love her. Every time you talk about her I feel like I'm drowning in happiness and I'm suffocated by love, it's kinda abnormal and is very unsettling."

I howl with laughter as she glares at me, soon enough she breaks and laughs along with me.

AUDREY

I flop onto my bed, my arms and legs barking in pain. I probably should have warmed up before taking that guy on, if only Victor didn't rush in to prove them wrong.

I settle on taking a hot bath, feeling the need to pamper myself every once in a while. I sink into the bathtub, my skin soaking up the sent of my bath bomb. I let out a sigh of content, feeling too relaxed to worry about anything.

I haven't felt this at ease in a long time.

"Hey, Audrey!"

I groaned, "What? I'm taking a bath."

"I wanted to see you," Margo's face emerges from the door.

I instantly reach for my private areas, hiding in the water, "Margo! What are you doing? Can't you stay in the living room?" I screech.

She giggles and plops down onto the lid of the toilet, "I bathed you when we were kids, actually I'm pretty sure I bathed with you when we were kids. There's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Margo, that's when we were kids, I'm eighteen now, a lot has changed."

"Yeah, you grew boobs and a butt and scored yourself some curves, looking good by the way." She comments, throwing me a wink and finger-guns.

"I sometimes worry for you," I say, raising an eyebrow.

"Gosh, how do you do that? I can never do that," She gasps, trying to raise an eyebrow, well... she is technically raising an eyebrow, just the other goes up as well. This makes her groan with frustration, "I just wanted to check on you and, hey, only sometimes? I'm your sister you should be worried about me all the time."

"I'm fine, okay. Nothing's happened, I'm still alive." I reply, smiling softly.

"Again with the 'I'm fine'. Audrey, you could have gone through a car crash and you'd say the same thing."

I shrug, the bubbles around my shoulders separating with the movement.

"Have you been talking to Sebastian lately?" She asks, leaning her elbows on her knees.

"I've been too busy, why should I need to anyway. I only know him because of the Cupid's Database." I lean my head back against the edge of the tub.

"You're really close to him. Even a stranger could see that." She reasoned.

"No, I'm not. I just need to understand his personality so that I can be a convincing 'girlfriend'." I informed, putting air quotes on girlfriend.

"You slept beside him Audrey, you aren't even able to do that with me, and I'm your sister. I want to say you trust him but you literally can't trust anyone with the walls you built," I go to protest but she cuts me off.

"I'm not blind Audrey. Caring for someone is not a weakness, it's okay to have emotions and I really wish you would talk to me more. I wish you felt you could trust me." She begins to squeeze her hands together, something she would do as a child when being scolded, I've learned to see it as an indicator to when she wants to cry.

"I do trust you, Margo. I just, I can't talk about what I feel. It's pointless, talking about how I feel won't change anything, and it certainly won't help the company."

"The company? Audrey all you do is worry about the company, do you want to please dad that much." She pointed out, her fingers turning white under the pressure.

"No Margo. I don't want to please him, I want to him to see me as his daughter, not an employee. I learned that speaking won't get me anywhere, I've been silent for years. I'm sick to death of speaking words nobody wanted or cared to hear." I explained, my voice soft and calm, unlike Margo's, whose voice quivered with disappear.

"If you'd only let us listen-"

I cut her off, "Margo, I shouldn't have to let you listen. You don't need permission to listen to what I try to tell you. You know better than anyone, I don't just do things without a reason."

"You know we love you, very much. You know he loves you." She proclaimed.

"Well I can't feel it, I don't see it." I denied, shaking my head.

"The reason your kidnapping wasn't on the news was because he was out looking for you himself, he didn't stop, even when he ordered our security officers to go looking for you. He was frantic, he wouldn't stop panicking. When you came home, he was so thankful that he had to leave the room because he started crying."

"His heir to the company returned, anyone would be happy." I shrugged.

"Dad's just, he doesn't know how to show his feelings - like you!" She said, pointing at me with wide eyes.

"Put yourself in my shoes, Margo. If someone's father rarely talked, looked or interacted with their child, and they're finding out now about some lost love, can you see why it's hard for me to believe?"

"Yeah. I know."

I stood up and quickly grabbed the towel, wrapping it around my body, deeming my time in the bath was up.

She looked me up and down, "You have a really bangin body, you know that?"

"Shut up Margo."