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T h e H o l l o w s I n
O U R F R E E D O M
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S K Y

"Maybe she just guessed," I suggested, watching Lexi pace, "you did say yourself that they kind of look alike."

"You said that?" Jace asked, from beside me. But Lexi wasn't paying attention. When Lexi paces, you should be concerned.

"No, Sky, she can't be that smart. I said I thought they looked similar, you partly agreed—so why wouldn't we know for certain?"

"Because..." Jonah began, "It was just speculation."

"But that's what I'm saying—we know for sure, so why did she sound so certain if she doesn't know for sure? Meaning she knows." Lexi said, gripping at her hair.

"Maybe she was just bluffing," Kim offered, "I wouldn't put it past her."

"No, neither would I," Lexi said, "but she can't have been."

"Maybe Jameson told her in bed." I glared at Toby, the culprit of such an awful thing to say.

"I never got into bed with her." Jameson responded, making me smile.

"It's obvious that you all think I'm overthinking it, so why don't I just take my calculations somewhere else?" Lexi offered, her temper clearly rising.

"We don't think you're overthinking it," Elle said, "we're just trying to think of other explanations than being paranoid all the time."

"Paranoid is good, paranoid keeps you alive. What doesn't keep you alive is believing that every person in the world has goodness in them. They don't. Mel knew that Jace and Jameson are brothers; someone told her, and whoever did it is out to get us. You guys can sit here and make an Amelia Brown Bible, but I'm going to go do something actually worthwhile." With that, Lexi span around and stormed out of the room. We all stayed silent for a few moments after she slammed the door.

Until Toby spoke up, "You should really try taking her clothes off, she seems stressed." He was addressing this to Jace, who glowered at Toby.

"What we should actually try," my mum began, narrowing her eyes at Toby, "is going after her to make sure she's okay."

We all exchanged glances.

"Seriously?" My mum asked.

"Go, Elle, we've got it covered." Jim said, offering her a kind smile. I tried not to notice Kathleen's burning eyes on me when I looked over at him. She was subtle sometimes, but not always.

My mum sighed, straightened out her top, before leaving the room.

The room discussed potential other reasons for Mel's intuition, before moving into topics that were not productive. I sighed, rising from my seat. Jameson's eyes met mine, and I told him with mine where I was going. He nodded, and so I left.

I was headed nowhere, trying to find my mum and Lexi. I stopped outside of the library, hearing voices inside. I knocked on the door, before I opened it and walked in.

"Sorry guys." I said, seeing them on opposite sides of a table, pouring themselves out into a notebook placed in the centre.

"Hey, Sky, what was it like in their after I left?" My mum asked me, and I quickly joined her side.

I shrugged, "It wasn't worth my time."

Lexi scoffed, "It never is with them."

My mum ignored her, "We're thinking through other possibilities—we're also writing down all the loose ends."

I nodded, and Lexi began to read out the list to me.

'Why the certain order of murders before Sapphire?
Messed up timings at the New Years Ball.
Alexi being more of a target than Sky?
Who were Sapphire's killers aiming for?
The death list—Sky is last; why the specific order? N.Y.A, from TP-MA?
Harry and a few other accomplices were not on the death list?
Jim and Kathleen being apart of the first Academy.
The Academy was never supposed to be for those in danger?
Harry knew where to find us, and was also receiving threats. Y.B.F, I.W.U and M.YM?
Mel knowing about Jace and Jameson?'

"Wow," I said, blowing out a breath, "that is a lot of things we need to clear up." I said, my eyes glancing over the list that Lexi wrote.

My mum hummed, but it was Lexi who started speaking, "Do you have anything else to add?" She asked, eyes on mine.

I sighed, glancing between the pair of them. "Yes," they frowned at each other, before back at me. "Kathleen doesn't like me; hates me. She stares at me, giving me these hateful looks all the time." Glancing up at a surprised Lexi, I said, "She basically told me that she prefers you when it comes to her sons."

Lexi pulled a face, "What about her sons? I'm only dating one of them." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

My mum ignored this, "You never told me this."

I shrugged, not being able to meet her gaze, "I guess I was that scared of her."

"But you know I could have easily put a stop to it, right?" She put in next, and I watched as Lexi uncrossed her arms and added my submission to the list of loose ends.

I bit at my lip, "It wasn't necessary; I'm fine."

Lexi watched us awkwardly, "Well I'm going to go see if the others have any loose ends—bye." With that, she picked up her notebook and pen, spun around and left the library.

"That was my pen." I heard my mum mutter under her breath but I ignored her, taking a seat on a chair beside a table close to us.

After a few moments, I heard my mum sigh, and then I watched as she joined me.

"Sky, I just became a mother again, so you have to understand that it's hard," I frowned up at her, seeing her look both deflated and concerned. "And finding out my daughter is pregnant at seventeen is quite a fork in the road to overcome."

I clenched and unclenched my fists in my lap, "Did you not have me young?" I asked her, watching her smile.

"I was twenty-one." She told me.

"That's only four years off," I told her, watching her raise an eyebrow at me. I sighed, "I understand you're annoyed, or concerned, or whatever it is. But I'm scared, mum, really scared. I just wanted to feel like I could confide in you, that you'd protect me. But you shut me down."

My mum's face softened for a moment, "I'm scared, too, Sky. I'm scared for you, and I'm scared for Jameson. But more so you."

I laughed at that, shaking my head. She reaching out, taking my hands in hers.

"I will protect you, Sky, this just isn't how I thought you'd become a mother, or how I'd become a grandmother." With that, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead, "Now, lets book your first scan, and think about telling Jameson's parents."

I gaped at her, "Do you want to bury your own child? They'll kill me."

My mum shook her head, "Kathleen will kill you—but then again, she always would anyway."

I glared at her, "You're a bad mother."

My mum laughed at that, rising from her chair and sticking her hand out for me to take.

"Maybe we'll just book the appointment first," she told me, making me laugh.

Walking out of the library, we bumped into Kim and Clara. They seemed to come as a matching set these days.

"What should we do about Harry; should we kick him out?" Kim asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I rose my eyebrow, "Why would we do that?" I asked them both.

"Harry is treading on very thin ice these days and, also, someone made a complaint." Clara told us. I frowned at them, wanting to ask them more but knowing they'd never tell me.

"No," my mum said, "keep Harry here; I have plans for him." With that and a very, very dangerous look, she tugged at my hand, prompting me to leave the hallway with her.

The Beaufort heritage appears to be very, very dangerous.

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Hey

I'm here

I haven't been

But hey

Wait it's been a YEAR since I last posted ?

Omg I'm so sorry

But I have presents

Just not yet :)

-at the end of the book

FABULOUS SONGS

Songs that played when I was writing this chapter (in order):
Sorry - Meg Myers
Daydream - Ruelle
Guns And Horses - Ellie Goulding
Now Or Never - Halsey
iT's YoU - ZAYN
Salt Skin - Ellie Goulding
Motel - Meg Myers
Only If For A Night - Florence + The Machine
Salvation - Scanners

END OF FABULOUS SONGS

Date written:
15/08/18
16/08/18

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Next update: whenever for u ;)
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CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT SPOILER:

Someone new is introduced to this never-ending plot of surprises.

Except, maybe he isn't new.