The Beautiful Monster

"Can't you fight them off? You have your bodyguard here," Elias asked as he motioned to Tyler. He didn't understand why she was trying to get his help when she could probably deal with the situation on her own.

"Because I sense that it's something that I can't defeat on my own. I need your help. I need my brother," Melina said, almost looking fearful.

Elias stared at her for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. He still wasn't even sure if he believed her. His life was so different from hers.

How could they be two halves of a whole? He needed someone else's word on this besides Scott's, who he still didn't trust.

"I want to talk to my parents. They'll tell me the truth," he replied. He needed the full story, which meant talking to the other people involved.

Melina nodded after a moment.

"Let's go see them. They'll back up everything that I've told you," she said, looking sure of herself.

Elias uncrossed his arms, hoping that this trip went well and went in the direction that he wanted it to.

It would be so much easier if his parents said that Scott was lying and that they had never seen Melina before in their life.

Then, he could go home and leave all of this behind. He hoped for that so badly because the alternative didn't make him feel all that relaxed.

"Fine. We'll leave tomorrow," he said before getting out of the booth. He didn't have anything else to say to them for now. He just wanted to hear what his parents would say.

Alyssa followed him out of the booth, giving the others a sheepish look. She took Elias' arm, letting him lead her out of the diner.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to them more?" she asked him as they walked to the parking lot to get to his car.

Elias shook his head as he unlocked his car.

"I know my parents. They wouldn't keep me in the dark like this. They'll set everything straight," he told her before getting in his car. He hoped that he was right. The rest of his life depended on the answer.

***********

Elias didn't expect to be going back home to see his parents again so soon, but life was tricky and unexpected like that.

Something was always lurking around the corner, but he still couldn't prepare himself. He had to leave behind his life in New York again for answers. Everything pointed back to where he came from.

"Did you pack your toothbrush?" Alyssa's voice came from his walk-in closet attached to his bedroom, where he was sulking currently.

"I did," he replied as he looked down at his open suitcase on his bed. Steadily, his things were filling the inside.

He didn't want to leave New York. He wanted to keep building his life here, but so many things kept threatening to tear down all that he had worked so hard to build.

He didn't know when there was going to be an end to the destruction.

Alyssa walked out of his closet with one of his jackets in her hand. She folded it up and placed it in his suitcase.

She was about to walk back off when he grabbed her wrist and guided her to sit on his lap as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"You don't have to pack for me, babe," Elias sighed as he stroked her lower thigh affectionately.

It meant a lot to him, but he didn't want to inconvenience her anymore. "But thank you."

Alyssa wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning against his torso as she gazed down at him.

"I'm worried about you," she admitted.

Elias gave her a soft smile as he rubbed her back with his other hand.

"It's okay," he assured her. He didn't feel all that great, but he didn't want her to worry about him.

This was just another one of his problems that he had to get through. He should've been used to all of the chaos by now, but he was still naïve enough to think that he could find some sort of peace in his life.

Alyssa gave him a pointed look.

"Don't give me that. Be honest with me. We're in this together," she told him.

It meant a great deal to Elias that Alyssa wanted to remain by his side through this, but he hoped that she was keeping her own self in mind. He didn't want her to lose everything because of him.

"You don't have to come on this trip if you don't want to. It's just going to be more of the same," Elias replied. He didn't know exactly what to expect, but someone wasn't going to be happy with the end result.

"I would never leave you during this. Things are… intense," Alyssa said with a soft sigh. She gently brushed her fingers up into the back of his hair, petting him in a comforting manner.

"What if my parents back her up?" Elias asked her. He didn't know how much of a possibility that was, but he knew that it could happen.

Melina seemed confident enough to agree to the trip, so she believed that his parents would agree with her.

That made him nervous, but it didn't erase his suspicion. He refused to let his guard down until he heard every side to the story.

"Then, you'll figure out your next step. It won't be what you want to hear, but you have to make the best of whatever happens to you. You can't let it stop you," Alyssa told him.

Elias leaned his head against her shoulder, taking in her words. He didn't know what he would do without her.

She kept him mended together when everything around him was trying to tear him apart.

He grabbed her hips and lifted her, gently setting her down on the bed so that he could lay beside her.

"I love you," he murmured as he pulled her closer to cuddle against his side. He didn't want a single inch of distance between their bodies right now.

Alyssa nuzzled her cheek against his chest.

"I love you," she said before peering up at him with a small smile.. "We're supposed to be packing."

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