Six

“Where did you think you were going, Ari?” Zayn said, giving a twisted smile as he took one step towards me forcing me to take one back instinctively. 

I didn’t know what they wanted with me and I sure as hell didn’t want to find out. Nothing good ever happened to me whenever Zayn and Zach were around and I didn’t want a repeat of my horrible past. 

“I believe Zayn asked you a question, Ari? Can’t you speak any more?” Zach spoke this time around, sounding more threatening than his twin brother. 

“Can’t you pretend like you didn’t see me and I’ll pretend like you didn’t follow me here?” I said in a squeaky voice. 

I’ve always hated how I felt around them but there wasn’t anything I could do to change it—it was a little too late for that, I guess. 

“Your tongue has gotten sharper, hasn’t it?” The twins laughed in unison and I wondered what they wanted from me. 

Ever since I came back, I’ve made it my mission to avoid the two of them and I’ve done that successfully until this moment. 

“Please, can you—“

“What were you doing with that scumbag, Ari?” Zach cut me short rudely. 

“What?” I blinked twice, the question catching me off guard. 

“You fucking heard me, Ari.” Zach snapped, making me shiver as a chill ran down my spine. 

“I’m sorry but I don’t—“

“You were talking to Ken. Scratch that, you’ve been extra friendly with him of late and I see the way he looks at you as well. You take every spare second you can squeeze out to spend time with him.”

I was surprised that they were this invested in what I did with my time and it was weird. They’ve never paid me that much attention before.

“We’re friends. Ken treats me nicely and we get along well.” I said, rising to my defense. 

“Ken treats me nicely and we get along well.” Zayn mimicked my voice. 

“I don’t care if you two are star-crossed lovers or if you’re fucking him you need to stop seeing him, do you understand?” Zach added.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I scoffed, glaring at both of them. 

How dare they try to have a say in my life and in who I chose to talk to or not. I’ve stomached a lot of things from them over the years and I wasn’t going to fold my hands this time around. 

“For your sake, I hope you listen to the orders you’ve been given or you’ll hate it if you dare cross us, Ari.” Zayn said. 

I owed the past couple of years of my life to how I had managed to run away from my past. My liberty, my status, my truth, everything. And like any cautious person, I was ready to do anything to protect my personal interest. Because I had lost a lot already and I would not let that happen again.

The protection I relied on for this short period was based on just two things. It was the same two things for anybody trying to avoid danger. It was the same way a nation protects itself against an enemy nation, the same way a boxer guards a potential knockout blow, the same way a security guard protects an office against a burglar. It was based on two things. 

Detection and response. Step one, step two. First, you find the threat, then you eliminate or neutralize the threat.

Step one was the warning system. I had managed to make it rehearsed and simplified. It was made up of two layers, like two main gates of a large house. The first gate was thousands of miles away from my current location. It was an early warning sign, telling me someone was unto me. A wake-up call, telling me to be careful. The second gate was a lot closer but still far from home. A call from the second gate meant they were about to get into the house. This meant step one was over, and step two had begun.

Step two was the elimination. I had always been very clear on what the response had to be. There was only one thing I could do if I wanted to maintain the life I had struggled so hard for. I was a realistic person and I had always done what was necessary to survive, without a second thought. The second call was a warning to stay low and get myself to safety. Because I wouldn't survive what was coming after me. No one in my position would. I had no means to protect myself except to run away like a coward.

The danger had ebbed and flowed like a tide for years, never reaching a critical level. Twice in the past, I had gotten the first call but never the second. 

But right now, my head was ringing and I was tired of running away every time. I couldn’t continue to live like this and it was why I left in the first place. 

At some point, I was going to have to stand up for myself. 

“I can’t do what you want from me.” I said, straightening my back a little bit to appear taller. 

Zayn and Zach looked gobsmacked like I slapped them across the cheek. 

“What did you just say?” 

“Ken is a good friend of mine and I’m not going to stop talking to him because you said so.” I said again, my voice slightly raised. 

I couldn’t afford to back down now, I had to stand up to them if I didn’t want to turn into some puppet when I clearly have a mind of my own. 

“What do you think, Zach?” Zayn chuckled, turning towards his brother. 

I recognized that tone, it’s happened so many times before that I could never mistake it for something else. 

“She needs to be reminded where her place is,” Zach answered. 

Before I could move my feet to run away, Zayn’s large hand found itself around my neck as he slammed me into the wall and squeezed as hard as he could.