Mercy giggled as she ran passed the trees, keeping her footing. She was running from her best friend, Joshua. They always played this game (tag) exactly at this late of night - midnight. It was one of her favorites.
Coming to a dead stop as she heard sticks breaking from all around her, she spun in a slight circle. Not sure if it was Joshua. In her gut it didn't feel like him. She's never felt this presence before and it was starting to scare her.
Spinning around again, Mercy sat off. Her heart was beating faster now and her breathing was getting short, this wasn't a game anymore.
Hearing Joshua call her name in the distance, Mercy opened her mouth to call back only to be cut off by something. "This isn't funny now, Mer!" She heard Joshua shout in the distance. Mercy's eyes widen as a tall, black figure hung over her. His dark chuckle answering Joshua's call. Just as Mercy went to run from him, the evil man grabbed her arm. Feeling a pain shoot across her arm, Mercy did the only thing she knew was right.
"Joshie!" She squealed loudly, running through the darkness. She tried her best not to run into any trees as she looked for the clearing that led to the waterfall.
Knowing she was close, she heard Joshua say something. But she wasn't quite sure as panic took over her body. Forcing herself into the clearing, she was shaking. She wasn't too worried about the cut but about the figure that had done this to her. She wanted nothing more than to be within Joshua's arms, the only place she knew she'd be safe in.
Before she could focus on what was going on, that's when she felt it. Lips pressing to the cut on her forearm, sucking roughly. Screaming, she pulled away. Her eyes widening as she realized that it was Joshua. And there, plastered on his blood-stained lips were two sharp things - fangs.
Backing away in fear, she wasn't sure what to do. That's when Joshua looked away from her and ran with no hesitation.
"Jos-Josh.." Mercy lowly called out after she took everything in, moving her hand from her wound. It was still bleeding. She looked at the blood that was on her palm before returning her hand back. "Joshua!" She screamed louder, hoping he didn't leave her alone in the forest.
There was no reply.
Crying to herself from her open wound, Mercy made her way down the familiar path that led her back into town. She wanted to go home and stay there. But what she didn't know was that was going to be the last time she'd see Joshua Storm.
Mercy frowned to herself as she made her way into the clearing. The same clearing everything went wrong from so long ago. And of course her walking through the clearing all the time, she was always reminded. It even haunted her dreams. The creepy figure and his dark chuckle, her bleeding and not to mention, Joshua.
She was much more different now. Her hair was longer, her body taller, she was older. She had a few tattoos that covered most of her upper left arm, and she had a couple on her lower right arm. Her mind lingered on her best friend as she walked, her frown deepening. "Seven years," she mumbled under her breath. Seven years she suffered without her best friend. She blamed him most of the time, hating him for just leaving her alone. But most of all, she hated the feelings she had towards him. She loved him and he just left.
Mercy bit roughly on her bottom lip as she entered the tree house Joshua showed her when they were younger. She spent most of her time here. One of the places that brought happy memories to her. Happy ones of her and Joshua.
Cuddling herself into one of Joshua's jackets that she had taken from him when she'd spend the night at his house all the time, Mercy sat on the floor. She was surprised that the small thing still fit around her figure. She tilted her head up as she leaned against the wall, looking out the window. It was dark and the stars were out.
She ran her index finger along the scar on her arm. She hated that. Apart from the forest, the scar also reminded her of what happened in her past. And every single time she wanted to leave Don Juan's, she knew she couldn't. She couldn't just leave Anastasia and Skylar like that. They've been apart of her for as long as she could remember.
Mercy's practically been on her own since she was three. With the death of her parents Elizabeth and Sean, she was raised by her mother's brother Anders and his wife Narsha, along with their son, Ryle - pronounced as Riley, but Narsha always believed in spelling the names differently to be more unique. They, the Daray's, were one of the main three families that Don Juan's was based on. She knew of the Scott's, but never interacted with any of them. They owned many of the chalets on the mountains. And then there were the Storm's. She knew a lot about them and why it was just Skylar, Anastasia and Joshua. But out of all the families, Mercy and Joshua were the closest to each other. They were pretty much side by side, it was hard separating the two. That's why after that day, Mercy stopped going around the Storm's as often as she used too. She couldn't be near them without breaking down. She still tries her best not to cry when she's around Anastasia because she sees Joshua in her, and that only hurt Mercy more.
Skylar's the only one that knows about Mercy's irregular sleeping pattern and her nightmares. And he also knew that every night, she sneaks out to spend the remaining night at the tree house. "One day," Mercy frowned. She hasn't given up hope that Joshua would one day return back to her. She prayed that he did. She'd give anything to be with him again.
Laying down on the blanket Mercy had left there from the night before, she stared up at the ceiling. Thoughts fluttering her mind about the figure that had brought such chaos and whatever happened to him. Why he didn't come after her when she was alone or why she hadn't seen him since Joshua had been gone.
Mercy let her eyes close, feeling sleep coming. It was something she didn't want but her body needed. Being weak from the lack of sleep was really affecting her. She stopped doing most of the things she used to. Like laughing or smiling. She'd laugh at little things with Anastasia but they were never real, not like the ones when she was with Joshua. Same goes with her smiles. She wasn't really herself anymore and she disliked it. She didn't like the fact that when Joshua left, a huge part of her went with him. She tried, though. She tried her best to be herself again, but she couldn't. She couldn't without Joshua. He was always there, everywhere she turned. And now that he wasn't, she felt weird.
Every place seemed off to her, except the tree house. That's the only place that felt right to her. That and Joshua's bedroom. She didn't let anyone go near his room. It's been the same as he left it. Passing his door when she spends time with Anastasia hurts her too. She also hasn't set a foot in his room but she wasn't exactly ready for more breakdowns.
That's when she felt it, a warm tear escaping from her eye. Hurt.
You shouldn't let this get to you, you're stronger than that. Mercy thought to herself as she wiped the single tear away.
"Who am I kidding?" She muttered aloud. "I'm not as strong as I once was."
Sighing loudly, Mercy pulled the hood of Joshua's hoodie up and over her face. Begging for the sleep to take over her now. She was ready for the night to end.