Page 66 of Guarded By Death

He rushes to my side and unties the ropes from my wrists, I rub the soreness from them while he frees my ankles. All the while staring at Liv's angry expression in utter shock.

My entire body shakes. "Pierce, what's happening?" I ask.

"She's covered in black," he spits through his teeth.

My eyes widen in disbelief. "What do you mean?" I peek around him to look at Liv.

Pierce's tone is thick with disgust. "Her aura, Scar it's gone black." I gasp at his words, it doesn't make any sense.

"Is she possessed?" I look into her eyes from too far away in this dimly lit room, but they weren't black earlier?

"No," he looks at her curiously, flicking on the desk light as she stares at us with a hollowed expression.

"Why couldn't you see it before?" I ask him, my eyes brimming with tears.

He runs a hand through his hair. "I haven't seen her." I look at him in confusion. He has, right? How could he not have seen her? "I mean, before she went out of town, I only checked on the house. I never saw her. I just checked to make sure everything was okay." He grunts and shakes his head while he looks down in disbelief. "I guess her feelings about you changed for some reason."

My stomach drops. "Why did you do this?" I cry out to Liv, but she doesn't reply.

"I coaxed her; she won't talk."

"Pierce, please. I need to know why," I plead with him.

He walks over to her. "You're going to tell her everything. Stay in this seat." His tone is venomous as he lets go of her shoulder, she stays put in her chair.

She becomes animated as a sinister smile spreads across her face. "You see, I got the idea from the guys at the club. You know, when we were drugged,” she laughs and violent chills rake through my body.

What idea? "What are you talking about?" The words are slurring out of me.

"I just... well frankly you were in the way. You always are. I was gone on my vacation," she scoffs, "And I came home so excited, hoping that since you and Pierce had been together that Zack would finally be over you. So, imagine my surprise when I tell him my feelings and I find out he's in love with Kayla, someone you introduced him to. I mean how many things can you fuck up for me Scar?" she seethes.

Tears soak my face. "I didn't even know Liv!" I cry, "Why?"

"It all started the night you flirted with Zack at his party to piss Pierce off. I knew what I needed to do. I needed to protect him fromyou." She spits as she throws an accusatory finger in my direction. Pierce holds my hand and a low growl rises from his chest. I squeeze my fingers around his to balance myself even though I'm in a sitting position on the edge of her bed.

She looks at me with such hatred, such seething resentment that I can’t comprehend how I never noticed her disdain for me. "I tried to get him to love me, but he wouldn't. He couldn't because he loved you too much! He always has!" she screams into the quiet house.

"You could have just told me!" I hiss.

She shakes her head. "No, it's always all about you Scarlett. Your dad dying, your new boyfriend, it's always you! I don't have any of that. My parents are never at home! They don't love me like your mom loves you. I hate you, Scarlett. I had to be close to you so I could drip more and more into your drinks every day." My heart drops at her confession. "I couldn't stand to be near you, but when I would drop the poison knowing I was slowly killing you, it made me happy. I know I sound crazy, but I don't care! My parents already think I am, that's why they ship me off every summer for my 'mental health'. It just... well it needed to be done," she states flatly, crossing her arms on her chest like I mean nothing to her.

I try to summon up my courage. I need to know everything, but do I want to? Knowing full well she won't touch Kayla I ask, "Why still come after me? If he loves her now?"

She sits up straighter, excited. Her wild eyes darted between me and Pierce. "I had to get you back here and finish what I started. She's just a hiccup, I'll get rid of you and then her. Zack will be all alone, and guess who will be there for him? Me,” she grins.

"How did I not know?" Pierce mutters. I look to him, his face guilt stricken.

She continues her maniacal tangent. "You know, the week you were pathetically moping around when he left you?" She nods her head at Pierce, and I hear a growl escape his chest. "I poisoned you. That entire week and you were too stupid to notice. I made sure I only did it to your to-go food. I learned my lesson with the hot chocolate the first time you got sick, I didn't want your death on my hands... well I did but I didn't want people to know I had anything to do with it." She shrugs, her demeanor is so cold, so different than the Liv I have grown to love. I have known her for two years, she never mentioned being in love with Zack. Maybe she did? I can't think straight.

Pierce stands, but I shake my head... I need to know everything and she’s happily spilling her secrets. "I only put a little in at a time but it was never enough. Especially when Zack stayed the night. I didn't want him to come over since you were here but of course, he threw a fit on the phone when I told him Pierce left you and you were upset. I figured it would be over that night, but he slept in the bed with you!" she screams. "When he called me to tell me you were sick and he took you to the hospital I was so confused why they said you had the flu. I was thankful no one was on to me, but then you got back with Pierce and you finally left us alone again. I tried to get my parents to not ship me back to the institution, but they forced me! I quit taking my medicine, you know the kind I religiously take? I could see clearer, the answer was your death."

I'm shocked as the words leave her lips, I can't move or speak.The iron pills.I look at Pierce's face, but his eyes are burning as he looks at my best friend, or who I thought she was.

She begins to scream, and I can’t stand the sight, so I shut my eyes. Pierce covers my ears for a moment before the wailing sounds of sirens cut through the high-pitched screech that seems to seep through every crevice in the room. He gives me one last sad look before he walks back over to her and rests his hand on her shoulder again. His eyes pan to me as he asks, "What do you want me to do?"

I attempt to think, trying to weed through my emotions so I won't have to deal with this any longer. I don't want my mom involved in this and I only have moments to decide. "She needs to go back to the mental institution, permanently." I state and Pierce nods his head in agreement. "Do whatever you need just don't make it about me, I don't want to ever see or deal with her again," I cry as the words come out. I'm not sure how I'm capable of making that kind of decision, but I have no other choice.

I'm thankful when Pierce takes control of the situation and addresses her. "The police are about to come in, I already unlocked your door. They will be here for a confession and you will tell them you have been plotting to kill your family by poisoning them. If they ever try to release you even if it's twenty years from now you will walk back in and readmit yourself. Do you understand?" he instructs, and she nods obediently, I sob behind them. The tears so thick and my heart so broken it's hard to breathe.

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