Four or Dead by G O A

Logan POV

Present

Standing in Emma’s room had my heart racing. I tried so hard to push down my emotions because I needed people on the outside to see that nothing could touch me, but here and now I just couldn’t. What people say is true, there is a fine line between love and hate.

When I first saw Emma she looked like other girls raised in a wealthy family environment. Sure she didn’t look as flashy as most of the other girls in the school but she just looked too perfect. Seeing her made the beast inside me growl in anger when she looked at me. It felt like in her eyes I was nothing more than the dirt under her shoe. So that day I made sure that she would feel as little as I did, but knowing what I know now I can’t stop the guilt from eating me alive. She had been wearing a mask to hide the truth. She had been hurting even then and I hated her for no reason.

“It all looks so…normal,” Jayden said glancing around the room.

Jayden and I were from similar backgrounds, orphans. He had a more broody quiet way of dealing while I preferred being loud and cocky, but we understood each other.

“Yeah, it does. Just like her. She always looked so normal, and yet…did you see the scars, Jay? There were so many.” I asked walking deeper into Emma’s room.

We had left Asher, Leo, and Emma back at our place and Jayden and I decided to grab all of Emma’s things. She told us she didn’t want anything other than her clothes and a few personal items that she gave us a list for. Jayden wondered toward Emma’s pink canopy bed that looked like she had kept it the same since she was a little girl, unless….no, I couldn’t think about those men who touched her. If I did I would kill them all and not care one bit if I was locked away, but she needed us, and being locked up would mean I couldn’t help her.

“This room looks so wrong though, right?” Jayden asked walking around and examining everything.

“It looks like it’s right out of a catalog but nothing is new. It looks like she has had it all since she was a little girl. Even the stuffed animals don’t look like anything kids play with now. It’s as if her room was frozen in time or something.” I took another look around and I started to see what he meant.

The bed was white with a pink frilly canopy, and the bedding was white with little pink flower decals. The furniture was all white with red details, and the stuffed animals all sat perfectly on the bed. I swear it looked like it came right out of a photograph.

“It doesn’t even look like she ever even used any of this stuff,” I pointed out slightly confused.

I noticed another door on the opposite wall and I walked over to it to see what was inside, but something weird catches my eye. The door has a lock on the outside. I reach up to it and slip the lock away and open the door.

“Oh god,” I said under my breath as I took in the scene.

single pair of jeans, a sweater, and two shirts. The rest of the closet consisted of a couple of thin blankets piled together on

asked to no

held it in my shaky hands. I knew this was her private stuff but I opened it and swallowed hard at the few items inside. A beat– up copy of The Secret Garden, a small bunny stuffed animal, and a photograph of a small girl and a beautiful woman. My eyes shut again as thoughts of my past tried to make their way into my mind. Jayden’s hand on my

get out

on the box and placed the clothes over

around and followed Jayden out, closing the door

I didn’t want to talk right, not with my thoughts the way they were. I wanted to push this down by the time we got back home, and that meant struggling to bury it deep in my mind again. When we walked into the front door we

Emma?” I asked them

was exhausted, so we showed her to her room and she fell asleep as soon her head hit the pillow,” Leo replied with a small smile

whipped, it was a little embarrassing…for

it go? Did you

few items

asked looking at it and back

brought it here.” I

Asher asked with

use any of it. All that was hers were

he ran his hand

went through all that and

there?” I asked

She offered us

be working late one day, so I told my teacher I was sick and lied saying my father was picking me up. I rode my bike as far as I could before I got too tired. I ended up at some park only a few miles away, and it had started to rain. I

for a second

you into a slide to shelter you from the

to ever help me.” She said