♟️eight | Aella

♟️You Should See Me in a Crown by Billie Eilish

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"...Aella," my dad shook me, his voice deep in desperation, trying to bring me back. "Aella," he called out for me, taking me in his arms and walking away of the lake. "Aella, bloody hell," he cursed.

...Cursed? My dad didn't curse.

"Aella, we're on land, we're out of the boat," he groaned and I felt myself being but down on solid ground, hand holding my face. "Aella," he called for me, "Aella," he groaned.

I blinked, out of it, heavy breathing, vision blurred with tears and remains of that haunting memory, but I still couldn't see anything past the water, past the shadow of my dad trying to get to me, but unable to, too far from me.

"Aella," his voice broke as he called for me, but I still couldn't see past it. "Aella, please, say something, please," I felt his voice closer to me, but it did nothing.

The water was dragging me down, making it impossible to breath, my scream dead as it flooded me through my mouth, freezing everything inside, and-

Strong arms surrounded me again, holding me tight as he stood up with me, one of his hands on the back of my head, pressing it against his shoulder, then he was walking, and walking, and walking, and walking endlessly, and my arms tried to find clothes to hold onto, but when it didn't, they crunched against my chest together.

He felt solid, trying his best to take me out of the water as I drowned, unable to swim up to him, to get back to him.

And as my consciousness waved away from my reach, the scent of water and blood were overtaken by the scent of sandalwood and cinnamon with a hint of incense that lingered in the body of the men holding me.

§

When my consciousness came back, I was still in his arm as he walked inside the private living room of the villa, "What... the fuck?" Mother yelped as she came down the stairs with Tristan's father. "What happened to her?"

"She fainted," he spoke near me, and when I inhaled sharply, all I breathed was his scent, and I swallowed hard. "Back already?" This time he asked with his eyes on me.

"Put me down," I snapped, suddenly too fucking conscious of what happened, of what he witnessed, when not even my mother ever knew I fear that, he's the last person who fucking should've seen it, because he's the type to use it as munition.

"Hah," he rolled his eyes and clenching his jaw he put me on my feet again, but only stopped holding me when I was steady on the ground, and I chose to ignore that.

"What... what the fuck happened, Tristan?" His father glared at him. "What did you do? Why are you two covered in blood?"

And for some reason, that I don't know, I found myself stepping up, standing in front of Tristan, which made both our parents arch their brows, "I..." I swallowed, hands shaking softly, "I did it, not him."

Mother froze, "Did... what, Aella?"

"She," he spoke up, "killed Christian."

Their eyes nearly popped out of their faces, "Christian? Christian Beaufort? Aella killed him? Christian Beaufort?"

"It sounds offensive when you say it like that," I snapped annoyed.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Mother asked Tristan.

"She went into the woods, he followed her, tried hunting her down, assaulted her, nearly sexually abused her, she panicked, grabbed a rock, and smashed his head," there was an edge in Tristan's voice as he relayed it to them, and I couldn't help flinching at the memory of what Beaufort tried to do to me, nausea taking over again.

"He tried WHAT?" They yelled in synch.

Well, that's not what I was expecting, "I killed him," I repeated, just to make sure they understood exactly what I did.

"Why were you in the woods at night?" Mother groaned. "Where did you come into this, Tris? Why are you also covered in blood?"

What the hell? They really don't care?

"We fought before, she got pissed off and went for a stroll in the woods, then Beaufort popped up, and followed her. I heard her scream from afar when I came out to see why she was taking so long in the woods," what? "That was when I ran into the woods, but when I got there, she had just killed him, the stone was still in her hand, and she was starting to panic when the adrenaline ran off. So, I helped her get rid of his body, hence why we're both covered in blood."

How can he say it like it's fucking normal? I mean, yeah, he's done it before, but what the hell? Did my mother also been through this before? Why is she acting unbothered by the fact that I just murdered a person?

"When did she faint?" His dad asked calmly.

But how can he be so damn calm right now? I'm nearly freaking the hell out in here. I just murdered a human, even if he technically deserved it, if we approach the situation with a grey morality, it doesn't change the fact that I just committed the worse of all literally-bloody fucking sins in the world.

My eyes went to Tristan, afraid of him telling them I got so scared as soon as he dragged me into that boat, that I lost my consciousness, only to find his eyes already on me. The ice blue on them were now dark grey nearing black, shadows dancing in his eyes, and when he licked his heart-shaped full lips it felt like all the oxygen in the room had been drained by him. And for a second, his pupils widened and he turned to them.

"She fainted after she tried to help out on gathering the piece of shit's remains, that is, after puking her guts out, which was understandable for a first time," he said it so convincingly, I nearly thought that had really happened.