Revolution- Runaways 3 [EDITING]

Chapter 19: Peyton

"Peyton, where did you go?" My sister Grace looked at me, confused. "Why did you leave? Mom and Dad are so worried. Chelsea and I are confused. Ella still wakes up crying in the middle of the night, even after a month. They don't know where you went. If Marcus and his friends hadn't disappeared too, they'd probably think you were dead."

I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it. Go home Grace." I knew my words stung. But I had no desire to explain my motives to my fifteen-year-old sister. She could never understand what was going on. I barely understood it myself.

Marcus's dad came up behind her. "What did you do with my son?" He was nearly as tall as Marcus himself, and twice as muscular. His form loomed over me. I formed a tight line with my lips. I had known this man for almost half my life, but that didn't mean I liked him after the way he had treated Marcus.

He took a step closer, leaning down a bit so that we were nose to nose. "Where. Is. Marcus?"

Aaliyah's brother walked up. "I hope you got rid of that homosexual bitch," he sneered.

People continued to gather around me. My parents, my friends, my friends' families, all of them wanted to accuse me of something.

An acrid smell filled my nostrils. "Everyone, leave!" I shouted. "There's a fire!" The blonde woman stood there; her matches lit in her hand.

She took another, striking it hard against the box. She held it to Aaliyah's skin, who'd suddenly appeared beside her. "Stop!" I screeched. She laughed, enjoying the act of burning someone to death.

☁

"Peyton. Peyton." Eli shook my shoulder, waking me from the gruesome nightmare. "You're thrashing like you're having a seizure."

"Might as well be," I answered. "It would be better than recurring nightmares every night."

"Do you want me to go see if they have melatonin or something?"

"No, I'm okay. Thank you."

He flipped the lamp on beside our bed. "You need to sleep. You haven't had a full night's rest since we were in California. Come here." He sat up against the headboard, exposing his bare chest.

I leaned up against him, letting myself be comforted by the way his fingers wove through my hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Definitely not."

It had only been a dream, but at first it felt like real life. I knew my family was still broken without me. They would be furious if they knew what I had left them for. But if everyone at home wanted to blame me for their pain, they could. I was not going back to them anytime soon.

He kissed the top of my head, letting his lips linger a second too long. "You know I get nightmares too. It comes with the 'saving the country from a bunch of madmen' starter pack."

I chuckled. "I know. And you're right. I just wish I could get over them and go back to sleep. They just feel so real." I thought back to what he'd said earlier. "I really do think it would be better to just have a seizure."

I turned so that I was facing him, leaning my forehead to his. "I love you. So much. You're the anchor that's kept me steady through all this."

"Peyton, you have no idea. I couldn't even begin to describe how much you mean to me." He wrapped his arms around my back. "You're the one person that I know won't change their mind. Ever. Everyone else changed their mind and left my life eventually. I'm trusting that you won't." He kissed me gently, molding his lips with mine. "No pressure," he whispered.