The Beautiful Monster

Elias nodded his agreement, feeling something warm burn inside of his chest. If he was honest with himself, he didn't think that he and Melina would get to this point.

He thought that he would always feel off toward her and wouldn't be able to separate her from what his parents did.

"Guess she isn't so bad," he smirked at Melina playfully.

Melina rolled her eyes, leaning into Tyler's embrace as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Elias chuckled, feeling that warm sensation gradually spread. This was a good moment. It was one that he would remember for a while.

Through all of the darkness surrounding them, they had finally found a little bit of light. He hoped that they continued to find those moments of light. They would need them when things became even darker.

After paying the bill, the group wandered out of the restaurant, chatting and laughing over one of Melina's old boarding school tales.

She had a crazy time in school, especially when Tyler came along. Elias could've listened to her recount her entire time in boarding school. It was so different from how he grew up.

It was crazy to him that they were related, but they had such different backgrounds. Yet, they paired up well still.

All of that time apart and different upbringings didn't keep them from becoming a good team, which he was grateful for. Everyone relied on them to work, and they were going above and beyond.

"I wonder what Scott has been up to," Melina commented, glancing at Elias curiously.

"Probably watching trash tv and eating pizza," Elias smirked. "Not much else to do in a motel room by yourself."

"You two have been getting along better lately," Alyssa spoke up, lifting an eyebrow out of curiosity.

Elias shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it, especially if Scott was going to turn around and act like a jerk again tomorrow.

It had been nice not fighting with him, though. It was for the best if they at least tried to get along.

It might come down to them saving each other's lives, and he didn't want any bad blood to be between them during those tense times.

"A little. I think he's just come to terms with the fact that we can all die at any moment," he replied.

"Sheesh," Tyler muttered.

Elias grimaced, realizing how dark his words sounded. He didn't mean it to come out so dark, but his words were true.

That was a possible reality, and maybe it had simmered Scott down a little, which Elias didn't mind. He could deal with this Scott much easier.

"I just mean that he's realizing that fighting is so dumb in the grand scheme of things," he said.

"I get it. I think he can actually not be too bad of a guy," Melina said with a sheepish look as everyone turned to look at her in surprise. "I mean, I know how he is, but he can be helpful."

"He's a smart guy. He just uses it to his advantage all the time," Elias told her. He had been around Scott for way longer than Melina, so he knew the little things that she didn't.

Scott could be a master manipulator, but he hadn't even acted like that in a while. Maybe something had definitely changed.

"Well, we should still check in with him. He can have the rest of my mozzarella sticks," Melina replied as she held up her to-go box.

Elias smiled to himself as they continued walking. Melina was such a kind soul. He wondered where she got that from.

He admired that about her, though, along with a bunch of other things. She was perceptive, patient, and encouraging. At times, he wished that he could pick up a few more of her qualities that he was lacking in.

"Yeah, we can see him," he agreed, figuring it wouldn't hurt. Scott would probably take the mozzarella sticks and then shoo them out of his room.

Alyssa grabbed Elias' arm, giving it a proud squeeze as she smiled at him.

Elias grinned at her, knowing that she was happy that he was being more mellow toward Scott.

She liked peace, and he couldn't blame her. She had always been around chaos, including her own family. If that made her more comfortable, then he was going to try for her.

When they arrived at Scott's room, they all froze in place, realizing that the door was cracked open for some reason.

Knowing Scott, he would never keep his door open like he was inviting anyone inside. They all looked at each other before Tyler took the lead and barged inside of the room.

Elias followed right behind him, freezing again when he saw that the room was a mess. It looked like a fight had gone down, leaving the television broken, the desk cracked, and the bathroom mirror shattered all over the floor. He glanced around, feeling his heart threaten to pound right out of his chest.

"Where's Scott?" he asked, feeling panicked. He didn't see a trace of Scott.

"Here," Tyler called out as he looked down at the space on the other side of the bed.

Elias rushed over and looked down to see Scott knocked unconscious.

He had a gash on the side of his head, blood coating the side of his face. He knelt down and gently shook Scott, who didn't stir.

"He's alive, but he's knocked out," he said. He didn't feel any better, though. Someone had come in here and attacked him, but why? Who? He looked over at Melina. "Whoever did this has to be nearby."

Melina let out a shaky breath and nodded. She shut the door behind them, locking it with a click.

"We need to find out what happened," she said.

Elias nodded and looked back down at Scott, feeling his heart start to sink. Tonight had started so great.

Now, it was a horrific disaster that remained a mystery for now.. Danger lurked outside the motel, and he had no idea what was coming for them.

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