MUSIC: Saviour - The Black Veil Brides

Amelia above^

/ / / /

Amelia's P.O.V

/ / / /

I looked at Georgina wearily at her suggestion of a girls' night in.

"Come on! It will be fun! Just us two watching some cool films and stuffing our faces with unhealthy food. What's not to love?" She asked me. She jumped excitedly before she looked at me with wide eyes.

God damn her.

I sighed tiredly before I reluctantly nodded at her.

"Fine. But it will have to be in the living room because my TV is broken." I said and started to grab pillows and things from my bed.

"What happened to it?"

"I threw my phone at it and the screen smashed." I said casually before I started to walk down the stairs with the large duvet and some pillows.

"Why would you throw your phone at it?"

"That's not important." I growled, a scowl was on my face, and I walked up to the guest room to grab Georgina's duvet when she stopped me.

"Seriously tell me." She ordered. A large smile was on her face. It looked fake though.

"I got grounded so I was angry and wanted to get back at my Dad." I lied. The truth wasn't even as cool as my lame lie. It was because I couldn't beat Ryan's score on flappy-bird. I hated that game.

She nodded in understanding and I reached for the handle to her door when she stopped me.

"No! I mean. Let me do it. I...I don't want you to see the state it's in." She quickly said, and it was obvious that it was a bare-faced lie.

"Okay..." I mumbled before I walked back into my room and shut the door quietly. "I'm just going to get changed quick, okay? Meet me downstairs I'll only be a few minuets." I called to her and heard her shout back an 'okay' before I heard her footsteps down the stairs.

I grabbed some black joggers and a loose top and put them on. In the process I also put my belt on and put my pocket knife on there.

One of the things they drilled into our heads when we were there was that it was always better to be safe then sorry.

I sighed and walked downstairs. We settled ourselves in the living room when Georgina suddenly stiffened.

"There's someone at the-"

Ring!

"-door." She finished and I looked at her weirdly before I stood up and went to answer the door. I opened it only to be hit with a body.

"Amelia! You're okay!" Cher shouted at me whilst she held me tight. My eyes widened.

The belt.

"Yeah. I am. W.What are you doing here?" I asked her and tried to peel her off of me but she didn't budge.

"I've come to see you. Duh. Why haven't you answered any of my calls or texts? Or any of the guys'? We're worried about you Amelia." She said and pulled away but her arm brushed my belt and I winced.

Crap.

"Amelia..." She trailed off and felt my waist again. "What is tha-"

I quickly covered her mouth with my hand and pushed her out the front door.

"I'll be back in a minute. Start the movie without me Georgina." I shouted at Georgina and I heard her shout an 'okay' back as I left my house and closed the front door completely. I dragged Cher to the side of my house, the side furthest from the living room. I let my hand drop from Cher's mouth and she looked at me with worried eyes.

"Amelia what the f*ck is that? Why the hell do you have a belt with a sharp thing on it underneath your top?" She questioned in a shout.

"Shut up! No one can hear us!" I exclaimed to her.

"I don't care. Answer the god damn question!"

I sighed at her with a scowl before I took the pocket knife from the belt and gave it to her.

"That's all it is." I said and she looked at it wearily.

"Amelia... Is...Is this?... Amelia, what did Ryan say to you?" She asked me in a whisper and my mouth fell open.

She thought it was a defense from Ryan.

"No, Cher. No no no. It's not- Ryan didn't say anything to me that would make me... No. Why would you even think that?" I asked her in a shocked whisper.

"Why else would you need it Amelia. That's the only thing I can think of that... That might require you to have some type of protection against somebody." She said as she gripped the knife tightly.

"No. Cher. Ryan would never do that to me, he-"

"He said he scared you Amelia. He said that he saw the fear in your eyes and he's never seen that in you before. So that's why I thought-"

"Ryan thinks i'm scared of him?" I asked her in a quiet and hurt whisper.

"Yeah."

"I'm not."

"I know. But that doesn't help me with the reason as to why you are carrying around a pocket knife on a weapon belt." She said sternly as she looked at me with an intimidating facade.

"Cher, it really doesn't matter. In fact, you have absolutely nothing to worry about and you should probably leave and-" I panicked and she glared at me.

She shouldn't have been there. I shouldn't have let her stay for as long as she did. It was dangerous and not only was she putting us in danger, she was putting anyone she ever met in danger too.

"Amelia shut the f*ck up. I need you to tell me the reason now before I assume what I think is happening is happening. And you best bloody well hope it's not what I'm thinking or else we're going to have a big, big talk. And it won't just be us there. I can assure you." She shut me up and glared at me in a serious matter.

She needed to leave.

"Cher, leave. Please. It's the best thing for both of us and everyone else and-"

"Amelia. You don't understand what you're acting like now. I know someone that acted the way you are now. Amelia, look at me. I'm your best friend for crying out loud. Just look at me. I need you to answer this question truthfully and with no explanation. I'm not expecting an explanation from you when you answer this question. I just need to know the answer."

I looked at her and my breath was shaky.

"Amelia, are you in a gang?" She asked me seriously, the pocket knife still clutched tightly in her hand.

How the hell did she-?

"Amelia, answer the question. I- My brother... He acted like you and I noticed. He ignored all of our calls, texts. He never answered the door. He lost contact with everyone. And it was because he was being threatened that if he didn't join the gang then we would all be killed.-"

I looked at her in shock. She knew. She didn't even have to ask. It was obvious. She knew what was going on. That's why she never asked for details when I spoke about my past vaguely.

It's because she knew the full story this whole time.

"How did you know?" I asked her.

"That's not important Amelia. What's important is whether you're actually in the gang again, or if you're just being threatened with it. With us." She said softly and grabbed my hand. I pulled it away from her as tears pooled my eyes.

This was it. It was time to tell the story. But I couldn't find it in myself to tell her because it would be too dangerous.

"Well?" She asked me.

I sighed and let out a breath before slowly shaking my head.

"I'm not in the gang again."

"I see. I know what's going on. It's your old career right?Gilbert or something. He's come back and is threatening you with us. Your friends and your family. He says he's going to destroy us and anyone close to us. So that in the end the guilt will eat you up inside and you'll agree to join and then it will start. You'll become a murderer. You'll end up in trouble with the police because people will know you're missing. The gang will find out that the police are after you and it will leave them with two choices. They let you leave and they run the risk of you going to the police, telling them everything and they'll end up in trouble. Or they'll simply kill you. Then they'd leave your body somewhere and make it look like the rival gangs killed you. But then there's always that chance that the police will find you in time. Just like they did last time. And you'll be free, from it all. You think they'll get in trouble and you won't ever see them again. But by that point you feel like you've lost everyone. No one wants to know you. So you'll end up working at some pesky bar in the bad side of town serving drinks to minors, just like my brother. Or you can end it now, Amelia. You go to the police and you tell them everything. From the moment you were put in foster care to now. And everything will be okay. They'll handle it. Everyone that has done something bad to you or to anyone will be imprisoned and then it will be over. You can finally have that life you've always wanted. You can get with the man you love, you can get married and you can have kids. And you can be normal. All you have to do is tell the story to the police Amelia. That's it. Learn from my brother's mistakes. Don't let us run the risk of loosing you. Because trust me, we'd all be lost if you were gone." She finished softly and I felt a tear run down my cheek. If only it was that simple.

"It's not that simple, Cher. They, they have proof that I joined them, that I agreed. They, they have proof that I was part of a... Part of a m..."

"Part of a murder? Yeah, that's what they told my brother, Amelia. But trust me, they didn't have any proof. They-"

"No, Cher! They have proof. They made me hold the guns before they used them and then I sat there and watched as they shot down 3 innocent people because they were £50 short from the money they owed Gilbert. They... I stood there and watched them shoot people in the head with the guns I was holding before with no expression on my face. I could have stopped it, I could have saved their lives by emptying the guns when no one was looking, or-"

"No, Amelia. It wasn't your fault. It was Prince, Parker and Poppy, right? The people that got killed, right?"

"Y.Yeah, how,how did you know that?" I asked her suspiciously.

"My brother was there too. He stood behind them, he was the one that helped tie them up. He had more of a part in that murder that you did but he isn't a murderer. You couldn't help that you were forced into doing these things."

"Your brother... He was there? Standing behind them?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Amelia, do you remember when you got locked up in the basement, your mouth taped shut and your arms tied above your head?" She asked me and I closed my eyes in pain from the memory before I nodded.

"Yes."

"Do you remember when my brother came in? A gun in his hand?"

"What? That...That was your brother?" I asked. The memory of nearly being run over a few weeks ago flashed in my mind. That was why he was familiar. That was why he acted funny when he saw me. He was the one.

"Yeah."

"He looked so different. He had long, dark hair and he was really scrawny and-"

"I know. Do you remember?"

"Yeah. I thought he was going to kill me."

"That was what he was meant to do."

::Flashback::

(a/n: listen to song)

I sat on my dead butt. My arms aching from the way they were tied together above my head. My mouth was taped shut and my hair was pulled back into a tight bun, so tight that it felt like it was ripping my scalp apart. I had bruises covering my body and hand prints on my face. I looked like death.

The door creaked open and I stretched my neck to try and see who it was.

Please don't be Gilbert. Please.

The door slammed shut and heavy footsteps sounded towards me.

I saw the gun before I saw him. I screamed as much as I could with tape over my mouth and a dry throat but the guy ran towards me and shook his head. He threw the gun away to the side and help his hands up in surrender.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I swear." He whispered and cautiously sat down in front of me. I looked down at him suspiciously and he ignored it and looked over me. He winced when he realised the state I was in.

"What have they done to you?" He asked me tenderly and I felt tears fall from my eyes. I couldn't help it. That was the first time in years someone sounded like they truly cared about what had been done to me.

"Can I?" He asked me quietly and pointed to the tape on my mouth and the ropes on my arms. I nodded and he leant over and slowly pulled the tape off of my mouth and untied me. I stretched out and coughed slightly.

"Thanks."

"Why are you here?" He asked me, again quietly.

"Don't ask me. Ask Gilbert. Besides he's the one meant to be in care of me."

"You're his daughter?"

"Foster child."

"Oh. Well I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked him, a bitter smile was on my face.

"For the fact that you have to be here and you have to endure this."

"Trust me,-"I said and tried to adjust my position but struggled. He sat up and helped me. "-it's not anything I'm not used to."

"Well then, that's what I'm sorry for. I'm sorry that you have to be used to it." He said and looked at me in wonder.

"Why are you being nice to me?" I asked him and he looked at me with a smile.

"You're not the only one forced into this."

"Then surely you don't want to anger your fellow... gang members, right? I mean, should I start screaming in fake agony so they think you're beating me? I think I've perfected the scream now I've done it enough times for real." I said.

"That won't be necessary." He said to me and I nodded.

"Then what are you hear for if it's not to beat me?"

"That doesn't matter. I brought you something." He said and pulled a energy bar from his pocket. "If I knew it was you I would have gotten something that tasted nicer." He said and I smiled at him.

"Thanks, but you don't have to."

"No. I want to. You shouldn't be here in the first place. As soon as I can work out a way to get you out of here I will. But for now, this crappy bar will have to do." He says and unwraps it for me. Hie eyes squinted as he looked at me.

"How old are you?"

"14."

"Holy sh*t." He said and leant back, his face was slightly pale and he looked like he was going to be sick.

"What? Are you okay? Do you want some? Here, have some." I said quickly in a panic and shoved the bar to him.

"No. It's for you. I've got loads more stashed in my locker, don't worry."

"Then why do you look sick?"

"Because you're merely a child."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"The fact that it's not just abuse. It's not just forcing you to join the gang but, he's forced you to join the gang under-age. He's abusing someone that only became a teenager a year ago. He-"

"Don't worry about it. This is the least he's done."

"What? What do you- He hasn't sexua-"

"No. Never. He wouldn't dare. He, uh. he drove my Mum into killing herself. He was there when she died and he told me how it happened. He forces me to remember it every day." I said and took a bite from the bar.

"What?" The guy asked in shock.

"Yeah. It happened. She's gone. Probably for the best. I'd rather be taking the punishment than her. She never deserved this kind of pain for something that wasn't her fault."

"You're the bravest person I've ever met. You know that?"

"Thanks." I said to him with a smile. A genuine one. It was the first genuine smile i'd given the whole time i'd been there. "You're the nicest person I've met in a long time."

"No, I'm not the nicest. I'm just normal. But unfortunately it sounds like you haven't met many people like me."

"What, normal people?" I asked him and he nodded. "Not really, I guess I just don't attract good people. Maybe that's my calling. Attracting the baddies of the world." I joked and he smiled sadly at me.

"If I leave you untied will you get in trouble?" He asked me suddenly.

"No. But you will."

"Trust me, I'm already in a lot of trouble." He said and stood up. He went for the door but I stood up and called for him.

"Wait!"

"Yeah?" He asked and came back to stand next to me. I suddenly wrapped my arms around his waist and he stood still, stunned for a second before he wrapped his arms around me too.

"Thank you for the bar and for un-tying me."

"Those words shouldn't have even been in a sentence together in the first place." He muttered and waved to me as he walked out, locking the door behind him...

::Flashback over::

"But he didn't. He even left the gun on the floor." I said and she nodded with a sad smile.

"I know. He already knew he would get a beating or more for not killing you so he figured that he might as well leave you with some type of protection and energy for when they came back to see you." Cher explained and I looked at her.

"Your brother saved me. And I didn't even recognise him when he nearly ran me over, or at the bar."I said tiredly and she looked at me with a smile. He had been tending the bar when we went to the club for Ryan's birthday. I didn't even think twice about who he was or why he was familiar because I was so drunk.

"He never expected you to. He didn't want to say anything because he knew it would bring back unwanted memories."

"Yeah well those memories came back even worse. In 3D." I said.

"Amelia. You need to tell someone."

"Like who? The guys? You already know absolutely everything so I have no idea how you're still alive. And- Sh*t." I stopped. My face sunk.

"What?" Cher asked, alarmed.

"Georgina."

I grabbed the pocket knife from Cher's hand and ran inside and looked for Georgina. But she was gone. All of her stuff and everything.

"F*ck! How could I be so careless? I knew she was! I knew it!" I shouted in anger.

"Who was what?" Cher asked me worriedly. She had followed me.

"Georgina. I don't know if your brother knew her. She, she was in the gang at the same time as me and she wanted to get out too. Or that's what she told me at the time. And before I left we made a pact that when we got out, if anyone form the gang bothered us again we'd call each other and sort it out for good. So I called her but she was different. She wouldn't let me in her room, and she was always on the phone to some secret person about some plan and I know for certain now that she is still part of the gang. And she just came to spy on me. She now knows everything about my house and what I do most days and when Lilly and my Dad are out and I know for certain that she was listening to our conversation. So now Gilbert is going to know you know about everything and oh god-" I said, panicked. I fell onto the sofa and tried to even my breathing but failed.

"Amelia..." Cher trailed off.

"No, Cher. You need to leave, now! It's not safe anymore. You need to go home and stay with your brother and keep in contact with your family. I can't believe this is happening." I said.

"Okay, Amelia. I know, its not safe. I'll go home, but you have to promise me that you'll phone me every day?"

"Of course. But you can't tell the guys. Or anyone else. But especially not the guys."

"I swear by it. But Amelia, if I find out he's striked again I'll be getting the police involved, you hear me?"

"Yes." I said, as a tear rolled down my cheek. I stood up and Cher hugged me.

"I love you."

"I love you too. I'm sorry."

"None of this is your fault." She said before she pulled away and left.

It was bad.

It was really, really bad.