vingt-quatre

There was so much blood. Crimson red staining the concrete floor and pooling around her feet.

Rebekah could feel her stomach flip; she felt numb as Sebastian rushed to pull her away. He was saying words and pressing her tightly to him, but she couldn't hear him. All she could focus on was the motionless body lying on the ground.

They'd done this.

She became vaguely aware of Sebastian letting go of her and calling for an ambulance. His voice was calm, but if the shaking in his hands was anything to go by, he was freaking out.

Rebekah felt her own phone slide out of her grasp and fall to the ground. Almost in stunned silence, she bent down to pick it up again, but she was trembling so much, it was hard to keep a hold on it. Her fingers tapped the screen as she prayed. She didn't know what she was praying, but it was all she could do to stay sane at that moment.

The dull tones of ringing echoed in her ears.

"Hello?"

"Mum? I need your help." Rebekah could barely hear her own voice over her heart beat. "I think we might've killed dad."

*

Six hours earlier

"We need to talk."

Elise groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Let's not."

"E, I'm serious."

"So am I." Elise peeked out from between her fingers. "I never ever want to talk about him or it."

Rebekah tilted her head to the side, wincing as the reason for Elise's reluctance slowly dawned upon her. "I wasn't going to talk to you about you and Danny, but since you brought it up, I would just like to say that..." Rebekah took a deep breath, racking her brains for a tactful way to bring across her point. "I mean, uh, I mean, I wish you'd give me some heads-up before you and Danny... you know..." Rebekah flailed her arms helplessly as she searched for the right word. "... do stuff... in our room, no less." Her face flushed a deep shade of pink.

Elise removed her hands from her face. "If I could give you a heads-up, I would," she responded drily. "It always happens so quickly, you know? And my brain always turns to mush and-"

Rebekah made a face and visibly cringed. "I really don't want to hear about what you and Danny do when you two are alone."

"You're right. I'm sorry." Elise had a look of chagrin on her face. "If it makes you feel better, Danny has asked me on a date. I mean, I haven't said yes or anything. He's still impossibly annoying and an arse on the best of days, but I don't know. I'm thinking about it."

"Well, sometimes, there's a thin line between love and hate."

"Don't be ridiculous. Danny's a friend. That's all. It's not like our attraction goes any deeper than the physical."

"Uh-huh." Rebekah nodded, trying to sound convinced.

"It's true."

"I believe you." Rebekah struggled to keep a straight face as her roommate narrowed her eyes at her. "Now that that's settled, let's talk about what I really wanted to talk about in the first place." Rebekah crossed her arms across her chest and paused.

Elise arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow, her confidence returning as quickly as it had dissipated. "Sounds serious. Do I need to take a seat for this?"

"I don't know. One of the items on the agenda is Jane."

"Great. Let me get my knife."

Rebekah stared at Elise, unsure whether her friend was joking or not. When Elise's face remained straight, Rebekah's eye widened.

"Tell me you're joking."

Elise shrugged. "I dunno. It doesn't sound like a bad idea to me."

"Violence won't solve anything," Rebekah said.

"I know... but if she's dead, she won't be around to annoy us."

"E... your logic is scaring me a little."

Elise stared at Rebekah for a second longer before her face broke into a grin. "I'm just kidding, Beck. That girl isn't worth going to jail for. Besides," she added, flicking her hair behind her shoulder. "If I did kill her, I'd make it look like an accident."

This time, Rebekah couldn't stop a slight smile. She was 97% sure that Elise was just joking. "You're a psychopath."

Elise fixed her with a grin that made shivers run down her spine.

"When it comes to family, I'm a high-functioning sociopath."

*

"So how was your 'girl talk'?"

Rebekah jumped at the sound of Sebastian's voice. She pushed the door open and frowned at the sight of her boyfriend lounging on her bed.

"How did you get in here?"

"He probably picked the lock," Elise replied as she brushed past Rebekah and stepped into the room. When she saw Sebastian, she frowned. "Oi, get your dirty shoes off Beck's bed."

"You're such a nag, E," he mumbled, kicking his shoes off. "Being on campus with you is like being on campus with mum."

"Well, it's no party for me having to see your ugly face every day either," Elise shot back.

Rebekah listened to their banter with a half-smile on her face as she shut the room door and locked it. It reminded her of Chloe and she made a mental note to call her sister and find out how Finn was doing.

"So, how was your 'girl talk'?" Sebastian repeated his question as he propped his head up on his hands, his eyes fixed on Rebekah.

"Great," Rebekah grinned. "We talked about murdering people."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and smiled. Rebekah felt her heart stop.

Romance novels could eat their hearts out; what they described in their pages could never compare to the way Sebastian made her feel.

"Murdering people? What happened to my sweet innocent girlfriend?"

"Really, Seb? Don't ask stupid questions. How long did you expect her to stay innocent after she started going out with your sorry ass?" Elise said, her back still towards her brother as she sorted some files on her desk.

Sebastian grinned unashamedly. "Touché." He pulled himself up into a sitting position. "By the way, babe, I was thinking of taking you out on a date tonight."

"Oh." Rebekah felt herself deflate. "Seb, I've got a ton of assignments to do. I'm sorry. Can I take a rain check?"

If she thought she'd felt deflated, the way Sebastian's eyes lost their spark after she'd spoken made her feel even worse.

"Yeah, of course," he smiled, unable to hide his disappointment.

"Beck, you should probably go," Elise piped up, speaking softer than before. "He made this reservation like a month ago. If you don't go tonight, it'll probably be another couple of months before he can take you there again." She took off her glasses and set them on the table. "Besides, after what you told me earlier, you could use some time off."

Rebekah glanced between Elise and Sebastian, watching as Sebastian's face grew hopeful.

She sighed.

Goddamnit.

How could she say no to that face?

"Fine. But if it's a fancy place, I'm going to need to borrow a dress."

Elise grinned. "'Atta girl."

*

When they pulled up to the restaurant, Rebekah felt her breathing become shallow and her heart rate escalate. If there was a Beyoncé of restaurants, this had to be it.

"Seb..." Her voice trailed off. Her gaze was fixated on the building in front of her and there were a million things she wanted to say, but her tongue just wouldn't work.

"Welcome to L'amour, mon amour." Sebastian's deep baritone filled her ears, making shivers run down her spine. He leaned across her seat and placed his lips next to her ear. "Are you ready to make an impression, babe?"

Rebekah snapped her eyes away from the restaurant and looked down nervously at her red dress.

Correction: it wasn't hers. It was Elise's red dress.

She was smaller than her roommate so they'd had to stick some pins in different places to make it fit better on her, but she wouldn't have chosen another dress for the world. The dress itself was gorgeous; it cinched at the waist and had a full skirt that ended mid-calf. Rebekah wasn't a girl who would call herself with ample physical assets, but this dress, paired with a pair of black heels, made her feel beautiful and she loved it.

"This... this place is really expensive, Seb. Are you-"

"Sure?" he interrupted with a wry smile. "For you, my love, anything. You deserve the world and I want to give it to you."

Rebekah felt her heart swell.

How had she been so lucky to get this guy?

Almost instinctively, she planted a kiss on his lips, smiling as she relished the taste of surprise on his lips. Before he could react and take things to another level, Rebekah pulled away. A shy smile passed across her lips as she grabbed her clutch.

"Aren't you going to open the door for me?" she asked innocently, one of her hands straying away from her and brushing Sebastian's cheek gently. "Or do I have to do everything myself?"

Sebastian chuckled as he saw the cheeky sparkle in Rebekah's eyes.

"Careful, babe. That dress..." His eyes dipped down as he blatantly ogled her. His voice was low. "I'm already thinking of calling this date short and having my wicked way with you right here, right now. So," a wandering hand dipped underneath the hem of her dress, brushing the sensitive skin of her thigh. "Don't play with fire, my love; not unless you're ready to get burnt."

Rebekah could feel her airways constrict. She couldn't breathe and it felt as if the temperature in the car had suddenly increased by a hundred degrees.

Sebastian smirked and after a few more teasing moments, he withdrew his hand and replaced her skirt to its normal position. He straightened his tie and brushed some invisible lint from his suit jacket before opening his car door and sliding out. As he walked around the front of the car, Rebekah took the time to regain her composure. She was sure that her cheeks were flushed, but there was nothing she could do about it except wait for the colour to subside.

Her car door was opened and Sebastian offered her his hand. Rebekah took it with a gracious smile and stepped out, sucking in a quick breath as a blast of cold wind hit her.

"It's chilly," she mumbled as Sebastian closed the door behind her and locked it.

"I know." Sebastian pulled his jacket off immediately and placed it around her shoulders. He rubbed her arms a little and pulled their bodies close. "Is this better?"

Rebekah smiled. "Perfect."

"We better get going. We're already late." Sebastian kept his arm around her as he pushed her gently in the right direction, but they'd only gotten a few paces before a voice stopped them.

"Rebekah."

Rebekah froze before turning around.

"Dad?"

Her father stumbled and hiccuped. His eyes were glazed as he made a beeline towards her.

"He's drunk," Sebastian muttered.

"Rebekah, please. You're my last hope. My only... only hope."

"Dad, please go away. I'm not in the mood for this."

"H-how can you be so h-heartless?" Her father was close enough now to see the tears staining his cheeks, "I-I'm your father."

"Look, sir, she asked you politely to leave. I think it'd be wise to do so." Sebastian's grip had tightened around Rebekah's waist and his face had hardened.

"Shut up and stay out of this, boy," the older man sneered. He stumbled over his own feet and almost fell on his own face. Regaining his balance quickly, he glared at the ground as if it had personally offended him before looking at Rebekah again. "Rebekah, I'm a sick man and there are no more options. Please. I need your help."

A few strangers walking past gazed curiously at the unfolding spectacle before them and Rebekah felt a growing uneasiness eat away at the pit of her stomach.

"My girlfriend has made herself very clear. She doesn't want to talk tonight. Maybe another day."

Or never.

"No. She is my daughter." Rebekah's father was shouting in frustration. Without warning, he lunged forward and threw himself at her; his cold fingers tightened around her bare arms and he began to shake her like a rag doll.

For a moment, Rebekah was stunned into silence before her vocal cords started to work again and she started to scream. Her hands grappled with her clutch and struggled to take out her phone. Before she could do anything else, however, Rebekah heard a growl.

"Get. Off. My. Girlfriend. Or. Else."

Rebekah's father kept shaking her as if he hadn't heard Sebastian's threat.

Suddenly, her father's hands were no longer pressing into her soft flesh and by the time Rebekah had registered what had just happened, it was too late.

There was so much blood. Crimson red staining the concrete floor and pooling around her feet.

Rebekah could feel her stomach flip; she felt numb as Sebastian rushed to pull her away. He was saying words and pressing her tightly to him, but she couldn't hear him. All she could focus on was the motionless body lying on the ground.

They'd done this.

She became vaguely aware of Sebastian letting go of her and calling for an ambulance. His voice was calm, but if the shaking in his hands was anything to go by, he was freaking out.

Rebekah felt her own phone slide out of her grasp and fall to the ground. Almost in stunned silence, she bent down to pick it up again, but she was trembling so much, it was hard to keep a hold on it. Her fingers tapped the screen as she prayed. She didn't know what she was praying, but it was all she could do to stay sane at that moment.

The dull tones of ringing echoed in her ears.

"Hello?"

"Mum? I need your help." Rebekah could barely hear her own voice over her heart beat. "I think we might've killed dad."

A/N Hello fellow Wattpadians!

I'm so sorry for my long hiatus. SO many things have happened in the past three months and it has been such a crazy time. I have moved away from home to go to university (or college, if you're American) and it has been such a scary experience. But, enough about me- how have you all been? I would love to hear how you're doing and what has been happening to you all since I've been away.

By the way, how did you find this chapter? Too much, too soon? By the way, this was the inspiration for Rebekah's dress:

Do you guys like it? I know it's not for everybody, but I thought it looked pretty.

As always, stay safe and stay wonderful, everyone.

Percy