"Love you too Mum. Bye." Adriel had to break free from her Mum's tight embrace or they were never going to leave the sidewalk.

"One last kiss hon, I don't get to see you for another month. A whole month before I get to see my baby again." Adriel wanted to roll her eyes. Her mum was such a drama queen.

"Mum, it's really not that long. I have to go now, bye!" She unhooked her mum's arms from around her neck and quickly hurried into her dorm.

She, unfortunately, chanced a look back.

"Oh, brother." Adriel sighed.

Sure enough, her Mum was still by the porshe Mercedes, crying.

Even the driver—Henry—looked a little sad she was leaving.

Adriel waved one final goodbye before disappearing into one of the dorms.

She got in and exhaled in relief.

All the dorms were built on the same side of campus, so it was like a community where students lived.

Each dorm in the community had its own name and the name of the dorm she'd been given wasn't at all creative, she thought.

It was called 'the blues'. Yeah seriously, not even joking.

Adriel checked the pamphlet again, making sure she got it right.

Yup, 'the blues' it is.

She took her time admiring the dorm's infrastructure.

"Whoah." Was the first thing she said as she took it all in.

The common room was very spacious. The flat-screen took nearly half the wall and the lounge looked befitting for a five-star hotel.

They really did get their money's worth. The school was a private University slash Academy on an island just west of Europe. You literally need a boat or a helicopter to get here.

And what's more, it was located very close to the shore, so you can see the ocean in some parts of the school.

She was lucky, her family already lived on the island.

She checked her pamphlet again and the word R-10 stared boldly back at her.

Adriel sighed dragging her feet along with her boxes.

"Eight, Nine...Ten." She counted the number off each door, till she found the right door.

The hallway was unusually dark and eery and she could have sworn she felt someone touch her. Goosebumps rose to her arms as she knocked on the door.

"Weird." She muttered rubbing her arms.

The door opened revealing the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen in her life.

There was something about her that was enchanting and just drew you in. The girl threw a smile her way.

"Hi, I'm Becky, you must be our fourth roommate." The girl said.

"Yeah," Adriel answered. She wasn't usually nervous around people but she always felt inadequate in the presence of much better-looking people than her, and everyone in the room was. Great.

Adriel closed the door and did a quick sweep of the room. It was very spacious so that each person had her spot.

There were four desks all equipped with a computer each and everyone had their own bed and wardrobe. The only thing they did share was the bathroom.

"So what do you think?" Another girl with hair bleached blue asked typing away at her iPhone chewing a piece of bubble gum. Adriel shrugged.

"It's alright. I'm Adriel by the way." She introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you Adriel." A third voice answered. She was lying on her stomach on her bed with a soda in hand. She had long dark hair, with beautiful dark brown eyes that seemed to stare into your soul.

They were all crazy attractive. Were they models by any chance?

She on the other hand thinks she's okay with her brown skin, long curly hair, and big brown eyes.

"No, we're not." The blue-haired girl answered chuckling lightly. Adriel facepalmed.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yup you did," Becky said chuckling, her blonde hair bouncing as she did. She later got to know them as Becky, Victoria, and Lucky.

Victoria was the brunette and Lucky was the girl with the blueberry bleached hair.

They all seemed chill and she felt comfortable with them. Maybe Hudson Academy wasn't so bad after all

{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶}

Adriel woke up sweating, her hands shaking; she'd just had another nightmare and like all her other dreams, she couldn't remember it. It's been that way since the accident.

She checked the time. It was 5:15.

"Great." Adriel knew she wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon.

Groggily, she stood up and went to her bag. She brought out a book. It'd always brought her comfort in the past, she didn't know much about that now though.

She read a few chapters and was about going back to sleep when she heard a voice.

"You're a Christian?" Victoria asked raising an eyebrow. Adriel looked at her shocked. She didn't even know anyone was awake. She looked at Victoria confused.

"What?"

"You're a Christian," Victoria stated, nodding at the book in her hand.

"Yeah, maybe." Adriel shrugged. She only read it because her mother asked her too. Said it would help, though she hadn't found out how.

"You're not sure?"

"I only read it 'cause of my Mum. Don't understand half of what is written in here anyway." She raised it. Victoria chuckled.

"Me neither. Goodnight." Victoria slept back almost immediately.

"Goodnight." But it wasn't a good night because she woke up screaming an hour later to a nightmare she couldn't remember.

{¶¶}¶}¶}¶}

It was orientation day and Adriel was excited. The weather was a little bit chilly but she loved the tranquil feel around her. She was a science major but she loved her course as a Biology student even though her talents had always been in art.

Adriel was an aesthete by heart. The school was very beautiful she'll give it that. Some of the buildings have been around for so long that some even had vines growing on them giving it an ancient almost antique look and she loved it.

Virtually every spot on campus was camera worthy as she noticed the students around making the most use of it with their expensive phones raised in clusters.

Her curls were already getting frizzled because of the humid air.

She rubbed her arms trying to get warm as she hurried to the designated hall stated on the pamphlet for the orientation, and it would be for two days.

None of her roommates were in sight but it was to be expected, she was a fresher, they weren't.

It sucked going alone, although she realized that most people didn't even bother with the orientation. She needed friends pronto.

"Hi." A deep breathy voice greeted beside her. Adriel looked up at the sound of the voice and her heart skipped a beat.

"H-Hi." She managed to stutter out. Was she hearing things or was the handsome man actually talking to her?

She didn't get a lot of attention from the male species and definitely never one this attractive.

"Sorry to bother you, but I have no idea where I'm going. Do you know the way by any chance?" He asked. She only managed a nod. She was tongue-tied.

This guy was more than handsome, he was the most attractive man she'd ever seen in her life and she's seen a lot of attractive people.

His eyelashes were longer than hers. His eyes were a light green that seemed to stare into her soul and stop all rational thoughts from forming in her brain. He had on a small smile and it had succeeded in turning her insides to mush.

He had very dark brown hair that was almost black and he was talking to her and he was very close might she had.

"It's right here." Adriel led him through the entrance of the ceremonial hall. She wasn't someone who fawned over or ogled a man but she hadn't been able to keep herself from glancing up at him every five seconds. It didn't help matters when he insisted on sitting with her.

"So, what are you in for?" He joked. She leaned in at the sound of his voice without even realizing it.

"I'm a Biology major. What about you?" Adriel asked somewhat shyly. He didn't look away as he kept looking at her in that way that was doing mad things to her heart. She would have blushed if her complexion allowed it.

"I'm an Engineering major."

She nodded, not used to the attention he was giving her. Since she hadn't been listening, she'd missed the announcement that had been made at the podium up front. She was sitting on the fifth row.

"That's my cue. I never caught your name stranger." He said, about standing up.

Her eyes widened

What? He was leaving?

The announcer had supposedly called him over to address the freshmen.

He wasn't a freshman it would seem but a senior.

The side of his lip tilted up in a playful smirk and her heart skipped a beat again.

"I know I need to work on my lines but I can't help it if you leave me tongue-tied." He said.

She managed a smirk as well despite the surprise. He was a senior, not a freshman. That was unexpected. She really hadn't been able to tell.

And she left him tongue-tied?

"Is that so?" She became bolder leaning just a bit closer.

"Hm-hm." He nodded. He was so close to her that she could see the black specks that doted his green eyes, his flawless skin, and his very kissable lips. He was absolutely breathtaking.

Usually, she had a lot more restraint over herself when dealing with men but he was destroying all rational thoughts from her mind.

He leaned down to whisper in her ears and she shivered when his lips grazed her ear.

"I never caught your name."

"Adriel." She exhaled breathlessly.

"It's Adriel." He smiled looking into her dark chocolate eyes.

"Yo Jayden, are you coming or what?" Someone yelled over from the front stage.

Jayden, so that was his name. It suited him. He looked like a Jayden.

"Well Adriel, I have to go. Catch you later?" He asked hopefully. Adriel only nodded.

He wasn't the only one who got tongue-tied.

"I'll see you around Jayden." She managed to say.

There was a twinkle in his eyes as she mentioned his name.

"Bye Adriel." He said with a slight smile before turning and making his way down the side to the podium.

Was it wrong if she loved the way he said her name?

"Yeah Mum, I'm fine." Adriel sighed for the tenth time since her mother called, although she secretly loved her mother's overly affectionate ways.

She was on her way to the grocery shop. She needed to stock up on food or she won't have the time later. Schoolwork had started officially and she needed to start preparing asap.

Adriel loved reading and always enjoyed the learning process. She hadn't missed a day since resumption. She's made more friends. One, in particular, stuck out, her name was Cassey. They got along so well that Adriel almost believed she was her lost twin, well asides from the fact that Adriel was black and she was caucasian.

"Don't forget your vegetables and fruits." Her mum chirped over the phone.

"Okay, Mum." Adriel paused briefly before adding,

"Say hi to Dad for me."

"Will do dear." Her mother replied cheerily.

"Even though he hadn't been there for half the things he should have been," Adriel muttered under her breath.

Her Dad had been away on business off the island for a few weeks, so he'd missed her coming to school.

She sighed. She rarely saw him these days. They used to be very close but work just keeps drawing them further apart.

"I know hon. He's trying his best. You know he loves you right?" Her mother sighed.

Adriel didn't answer her question.

"Goodnight Mum. Love you." She cut the call and sighed.

Adriel drove the cart to the aisle and began picking out the things she needed. It was muscle memory that kept her hands busy but her mind was far away.

She knew why her mum was so overprotective of her. She was all she had left after her brother died eight months ago but Dad took every chance he got to avoid her.

The grief had brought her and her mum closer but it seemed it was tearing her and her father further apart.

"Ow. Watch it." A voice snapped her from her thoughts.

Right in front of her was a group of four boys, all dressed up casually for the night.

They were getting beer and cigarettes, probably getting ready for a party. One had gold blond hair with pearl blue eyes.

The other had dark hair with dark green eyes, the third had dark hair with hazel eyes and the fourth was—

"Jayden." She gasped surprised. He turned at the sound of his name. Her heart immediately sped up.

The four of them looked like something from a magazine.

Was everyone in the school like this?

She's seen gorgeous people in her life but these people were off the charts. Jayden smiled at her. He looked surprised to see her.

He definitely looked like he remembered her. His eyes widened in recognition.

"Adriel." He said her name. Involuntarily, shivers ran up her arms at the sound of his voice. And she didn't love the way he said her name any less.

His light green eyes held her in place like an invisible force and she couldn't move. She could tell he still had the same effect on her as he did at the orientation.

"I haven't seen you around for a while now. I was hoping we'd meet again. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been keeping an eye out for you." He said with a smile and she found herself being trapped once again in his enchanting gaze.

Adriel blushed.

He walked up to her and her body reacted most strangely.

"We're on our way to a party, do you want to come with?" He asked hopefully, lifting the beer bottle in his hands suggestively.

Adriel shook her head.

"Partys aren't really my thing, never have been." She said wearily. She'd never liked them.

"So what is your thing then baby?"

The dark-haired guy with the hazel eyes spoke up with a smirk behind her, subtly checking her out.

"Jake." Jayden snapped at his friend.

Jake kept his mouth shut at the glare his friend was throwing his way. He quickly backed up with both hands raised in surrender.

"Sorry man."

"Don't mind my idiot friend. You don't have to come with but at least let me walk you to your dorm." Jayden offered so sweetly that she almost caved. But she shook her head with a shy smile. He didn't have to.

"I'm fine. You don't have to." It was late but her dorm was literally ten minutes away. She'd hate to be a bother.

"It's dark. It's not safe. Bad things go down this part of campus late at night." She felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. She didn't like the way he said it or the guarded look in his eyes. But she managed a small smile.

"I think I'll be fine. Thanks again Jayden." She said softly saying her goodbye.

She walked up to the attendant and paid for her groceries but felt their gaze at the back of her head as she walked out the door. And she felt it till she got to 'the blues'

{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶}

"Oh my God. How boring was that class?" Cassey one of her new friends whined as they walked out of the huge lecture hall. Adriel chuckled holding her books against her chest.

"I found it quite interesting." She shrugged. Cassey rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say, dork." Adriel chuckled. She took it as a compliment. They met in Anatomy class a few weeks ago and bonded right away over their love for cold stone ice-cream.

"You up for a scoop?" Adriel nodded.

"Make that two," Adriel said. Cassey smirked.

"I like how you think." She said.

After getting their favorite ice-cream, Cassey walked Adriel to her dorm. Cassey's was four dorms across.

Hers was named 'Tulip'. Still cring worthy but definitely beats 'the blues' any day.

They walked past the common room. It was packed today filled with girls and guys alike. Some guys were from the dorms across visiting their girlfriends.

Some couples were making out on the couches, while some of the girls were already walking their boyfriends up their rooms.

"Damn. I wish my dorm was this spicey." Cassey muttered under her breath. Adriel shook her head glaring jokingly at Cassey's remark.

Adriel opened the door to her room and was shocked to see two guys already in the room. And one of them was on her bed. Adriel gasped. He was Jayden's friend, the one she'd seen at the grocery shop, the rude one.

Jake.

And he was still on her bed.

She didn't know he knew her roommates. His beautiful hazel eyes met hers

"Hey, Adriel." The guy greeted with a smirk. She couldn't speak. She was still speechless.

A guy was on her bed, her private space.

"I know I'm hot but I thought you had eyes for Jayden, though I definitely wouldn't mind sharing." He said with a suggestive hint to his tone.

He smirked when she returned his words with a glare.

"You need to get up, now." Adriel found herself saying.

"I think I'm gonna go," Cassey whispered beside her. Adriel had nearly forgotten she was even there.

"I'll see you later Adriel," Cassey said. They exchanged knowing looks and Adriel nodded.

"I'll see you." A second later, she was out the door.

"Adriel relax, he only came in about a minute ago," Lucky said in a bored tone, typing away at her phone. Adriel wondered which one of her roommates he came for.

Even though they weren't awfully close, she'd wished they'd respected her privacy. She loved her private space and it didn't sit well with her that someone she hardly knew was spread wide on it.

"You could just take a seat beside him Adriel. Jake, you don't bite, do you?" Victoria asked from the other side of the room, smirking.

Jake looked at Adriel in a strange way that made her skin crawl.

"I'll try not to." He finally said with a smirk. Adriel gasped. Unbelievable.

"You guys are unbelievable." Adriel exhaled exasperatedly.

"Stop getting so worked up honey. Take a chill pill." Becky said from the other side of the room before she and the second guy she didn't know resumed their make-out session.

Suddenly the door to their room opened behind her and she saw everyone in the room go silent. She furrowed her brow.

"Adriel." Her eyes widened. She recognized that voice. She turned around.

"Jayden?" He smiled, stepping into the room.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't miss the sudden increase in her heart rate as he walked closer to her. The girls greeted him, as well as the two guys seated on the beds with them.

They all seemed to know each other.

"I didn't know you were friends with our girls here," Jayden said lightly looking at her in that way again that made butterflies flutter wildly in her belly.

He was too close and her body was reacting most strangely. She swallowed. She took a step back. He noticed. His brows furrowed.

"You keep running away when all I want is for you to be closer to me." He whispered. He brushed a strand of black curls away from her wide eyes.

What was happening? Why couldn't she move? Her limbs were frozen.

What was going on?

"I wish you had stayed the other night." He whispered and his voice kept lulling her into a haze she was finding hard to escape from.

"But you're here now." He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"And that's all that matters." He was acting strange, they all were.

"When shall we start?" Victoria piped up coming to stand beside them. The door opened again and the remaining two guys in Jayden's group walked into the room; the gold blond one with the blue eyes and the black-haired one with the dark green eyes.

The blond whistled.

"Damn. You caught her already? Our boy sure works fast."

"So which one is she? Dinner or member?" Jake asked eyeing her like she was a piece of meat.

Adriel's eyes widened in shock still frozen on the spot. She could have sworn she saw his eyes darken at the first word.

Dinner? Say what now?

"No one touches her but me," Jayden said calmly and there was a hardness to his words and expression that made everyone back down.

In that instant, she was relieved, even though she was yet to understand exactly what was going on. She was still scared out of her mind.

"Jayden, I have no idea what's going on, but you're scaring me." She said. She was already trying to ease her way towards the door.

"There's nothing to be afraid of Adriel. I promise." He took a step closer in her direction. She looked around and saw that everyone had gathered even closer, closing in around her.

Someone grabbed her and that was when she began to scream. But before even a sound could even leave her throat, her voice was cut off by an unseen hand.

No one was touching her and yet her throat was being crushed. She spluttered.

"I don't want to hurt you but don't make this harder than it already is." He said softly. She felt his breath on her neck.

She choked scratching at her neck still choking from the unseen hand that was holding her.

"What are you?" She asked with barely any air left in her lungs.

Jayden looked at her intently.

He leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"Your worst nightmare." Then the lights went out.

Adriel felt rays of sunlight on her face.

Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly woke up.

"What happened?" Adriel groaned, rubbing her eyes.

Her roommates were very much awake and ready for class. Adriel rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake.

"Hey sleepyhead, you're gonna be late for class." Becky chirped facing the mirror.

She was applying the last touches of her make up.

"What happened last night?" Adriel asked again. Static filled her ears and she could feel a headache coming on.

"That I'd like to know babe," Victoria said looking at her like she's just lost her marbles. She looked at Adriel's wild mane of hair and shook her head with a sigh before going back to what she was doing.

"You were mumbling the weirdest sh*t last night before passing out on your bed," Lucky said from her bed distracted yet again by her phone.

Adriel saw that Lucky's outfit entailed the usual jean jacket and trousers.

Becky loved gowns a lot and Victoria loved her designer tops and assorted trousers. Brown was her favourite colour.

"Never seen anything like it. Where were you last night?" Becky asked getting her bag from her bed, her bed was in disarray as it always was before class.

And at that very important question, she tried to rack her head for an answer but could find none. It was as if all her memories from last night were wiped clean.

"God, I can't remember. It's like I have a massive hangover, but I wasn't at any party, at least not at anyone I can remember." It was so strange.

Why couldn't she remember? All she saw was their sympathetic looks. Victoria tsked,

"You've gotta be careful hon. Call us when you need to. Don't wander off on an adventure on your own. These parts of the campus aren't safe."

Adriel nodded before starting off in thought.

Why did it feel like she's heard those words before?

{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶}

Adriel only stared on at the board, not listening to a word the lecturer said. Her mind had been a jumbled mess, since that morning.

She chewed absentmindedly on her lower lip trying to remember what she didn't even remember forgetting.

The lecturer dismissed them and she hurriedly packed her books and went in search of Cassey, maybe she'll have an idea about what happened last night. But Adriel looked everywhere and still couldn't find her. She was nowhere to be found.

She called her cell but she still wouldn't pick up. Adriel sighed. Great.

She would have to go to her dorm. Tulip it is.

She walked on the slightly longer path to the dorm just a few meters away from hers.

She needed to hurry through. There would be a curfew that day. A fresher had been found dead in the woods early that morning. Adriel shivered.

Hearing about death had always had that effect on her.

There had been a few cases of murder on campus in the past but the culprits still hadn't been caught, even till now.

She didn't have all the details but she'd heard that the murder had been done inhumanely. Blood had been everywhere and the girl had barely been identified.

Another shiver went up her spine.

Knowing there was a killer on the loose made everyone on edge. She saw police cars everywhere, officers questioning anyone and everyone.

A sickly feeling entered into her just then and it didn't let up even as she entered Tulip.

She felt that sickly feeling of being watched again and she felt goosebs rising up her arms.

She saw some officers questioning some of the students in the common room.

The feeling didn't let up as she walked past the officers and it definitely didn't let up when she saw Cassey's roommates. She was perplexed to see them in tears. The girls had mascara running down their faces as they cried.

The sickly feeling intensified a thousand times over and the knots tightened more in her stomach.

What was going on?

"Where's Cassey?" There was an unmistakable tremor in her voice.

Everyone looked like they already knew the answer she didn't. Electricity flickered through her chest.

"What's wrong you guys? Where's Cassey?" She tried to remember the last time she'd seen her friend and her blood ran cold when she found that she couldn't. There was silence.

"Why won't anyone tell me where my friend is?" She saw pity in their eyes and somehow she knew. Tears prickled her eyes.

An officer came up the hallway noticing the tension between them.

"Ma'am I'm afraid we have some bad news." Adriel looked at the officer and she wanted to cry.

"What bad news?" She choked.

"It's about your friend. She was murdered last night." He said. She stared blankly at the police officer as she tried to comprehend his words.

You know when your mind is trying to comprehend something that seems so incomprehensible that you momentarily shut down and then reboot? That was how she felt.

"What?" The realization of what he'd just said hit her like a train, unforgiving.

She couldn't breathe.

She didn't notice the alarmed look on everyone's' face as her eyes drooped.

Her vision blurred and the last thing she saw was the blurry form of the police officer as she fell over, fainting.

{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶}

Someone was chasing her and she didn't know who for the life of her. So many arms were reaching for her from the shadows and they nearly succeeded. She screamed when a hand grabbed her and dragged her in front of a fire.

The back of her knees was kicked from beneath her making her fall to her knees.

She heard loud inhuman shrieks in the darkness.

Animalistic growls and snarls. On instinct. She gripped the small crucifix around her neck and said His name. The growls became strangled and the most inhuman voice shrieked right beside her.

Adriel! Her whole being shook.

"Adriel." Adriel gasped awake panting. She was sweating buckets. She looked around her in a frenzy. She was in a hospital? She felt a hand touch her hand and she quickly redrew it screaming.

"Adriel, relax. It's me." Her eyes widened. Concerned green eyes stared at her own brown ones.

"Jayden?" He smiled softly.

"Hey, Dri." She sat up and realized that he was looking at her chest. She found herself looking down as well. She was holding her necklace, it was in the shape of a cross. She was holding it so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. She gasped releasing the necklace.

"You were having a nightmare." He said holding her hand. She looked at him. His eyes were filled with concern. He was flawless as always and her heart raced again at the sight of his beauty. The last time she saw him was at the grocery shop with his friends two days ago.

"I-I don't remember." She said referring to the nightmare. She couldn't remember what she'd dreamt of for the life of her. Adriel's eyes widened as the event of that day came crashing forcefully down on, her.

"Oh God. Cassey. She's-" Adriel choked. She stood up as fast as she could and ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.

She heard footsteps coming into the bathroom behind her and she felt the hair on her arms and neck prickle as he came closer. She didn't like how her body always seemed to react to him.

"Hey, easy. It's okay." She felt his hands hold her hair up. He was closer than expected.

"Adriel I'm so sorry. I didn't know your friend but I know she meant a lot to you. I came running as soon as I heard." He said.

Her stomach constricted again and she held the toilet tighter as she emptied the remaining contents in her stomach and once that was gone she began dry heaving.

"They said she was murdered Jayden. I should have been there. I should have-" Her voice hitched again and she began sobbing.

She felt Jayden's arms around her. He didn't say anything, he just held her and she was grateful.

He helped her rest against the bathroom wall. She exhaled closing her eyes. Suddenly she felt dizzy.

She felt his palm on her forehead.

"You're burning up." She heard him mutter.

By the time her eyes fluttered open, he'd gone to get her some water and some wet towel.

"Thanks." She said as she rinsed her mouth and flushed the toilet.

She was silent for a while watching him as he dabbed her forehead with a towel. His green eyes were trained on her. He looked very worried.

She didn't want to deal with the effects his eyes had on her so she closed her eyes.

"She was my friend. I should have been there." She whispered. Her lower lip shook as she tried not to remember Cassey but she failed woefully. Who could have done such a thing? What did she ever do to them?

"It's okay Adriel. I'm right here. I've got you." She heard him say.

"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered. She felt his arms come around her and she held on for dear life.

And she wished more than anything that everything would be okay, that she would be okay.

{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶}

The past seventeen hours had felt like a haze. Policemen came in and out of the dorm and now they were in the hospital.

Everyone was a suspect and apparently she was the last person to see Cassey alive.

"I-I can't remember." Adriel stuttered. The policemen sighed for the tenth time.

"How can you not know where you were last night?" One of them asked tiredly. Adriel fidgeted in her bed.

"I-I don't know officer. I only remember waking up this morning."

"I remember feeling upset about something but I didn't know what. I wanted to talk to her about it. I called her and she didn't pick up. I mean she always picks up." She was panicking.

The officers exchanged unsure looks.

"For how long are you going to keep her here? She doesn't know anything. She's barely holding on as it is." She faintly heard Jayden's voice on the other side of the door as he argued with an officer. He was demanding her release.

Just then another police officer walked into the room with a note pad in hand.

"The time checks out. She was in her dorm before the murder." The policeman said. Adriel released the breath she didn't even know she'd been holding.

"She's been through enough. She's still recovering for Christ's sake." She heard Jayden's angry voice say.

"That would be all Miss Dawson." The officers left the room and she saw her roommates troop in all scared out of their mind.

She was feeling dizzy again. She tried to keep her eyes open. The stress of the day had finally caught up to her and she felt anxious. She was about to have one of her flashbacks.

She was breathing hard and the all too familiar fear engulfed her.

Adriel's grip on the sheets tightened and she seemed to have closed in on herself. Everything else faded out. Jayden's eyes widened when he saw her dazed state.

"Adriel! Adriel!" But she couldn't hear him. The images seemed to hit her all at once-

There was a crash.

Luke!

She closed her eyes gasping.

She felt weightless as the car somersaulted five times into the air before landing on its side. She'd flown out the door while her brother had remained unconscious in the car and one spark was all it took.

Then all she saw was red and orange.

Adriel...

Adriel!

Adriel, look at me!

She blinked and light green eyes came back into focus. Adriel felt his hand on her cheek and felt him wipe her tears away. She didn't know she'd been crying.

Adriel was shaking and she held unto him and didn't let go.

"It's okay Adriel. You're okay, you're okay. I'm here." He whispered wrapping his arms around her. She didn't know how long she sat there with his arms around her.

He held her till the haze left her. She discovered he was whispering some things into her ear. She didn't know what they were but it relaxed her.

She'd been having the flashbacks since that horrible day and it hadn't stopped since then. They called it post-traumatic stress. Well, she was already stressed enough as it is.

Adriel noticed her roommates in the room and his friends that had now gathered around them in concern.

She was glad. She didn't want to be alone right now.

"Please don't leave." She whispered and she felt him tighten his hold on her. He made her feel safe.

"I'm right here Dri. I'm not going anywhere." He whispered into her ear.