The One Who Left

- Chapter Nine -

"What are you doing here?" I ask Noah, alarm on my mostly fatigued face and he looks at me blankly. Why was Noah here, of all people?

I sigh, "Never mind, don't answer that." I shake my head, just as someone knocks on the door... and I already know who it is before I see them.

A fragment of my lost memory returns - me drugged as hell - and my eyes widen as I look at Noah's angry face. "What the hell Delilah?!" "Why are you shouting at me?" I reply slowly, giving him a chance to calm down. "Why did you take the drink from Hawkins?" My head pounds and I close my eyes, arm trying to sluggishly move to my head. "Who's Hawkins? What happened?" "You were drugged Delilah, damnit. You've been at my house for two days - Madison said you'd be better off here, Aubrey's covering for you for some f*****g reason, I really wouldn't cover for an i***t girl who accepts drinks from strangers!" He yells and I flinch, apparently, being drugged for more than 24 hours causes your body to become numb and leaves you in a temporary paralysis." You can't f*****g move Delilah!" Gee, gosh and here I thought I'd just bounce back from it... like in the movies, note the sarcasm. "Don't worry about it, Slater - as soon as I can move I'm gone, okay." I murmur and he looks at me incredulously, unfortunately I'm stuck here. Here being Noah Slater's house, where I'm to spend the next 3 hours trying to move my paralysed body: so far, all I can move is my right leg, thumb and index finger. Noah has left me here, alone, in his huge f*****g house, where it appears ghosts live to quote unquote, "leave, cos he can't deal with this f*****g idiocy."

There is no one here... at all. All I hear is a gentle breeze against the windowpanes, the orange sunset and the fading sound of freedom... that moves further and further from reach with every passing second.

I try to move my head, resulting in my left arm moving... totally what I was trying to do!

Not.

I try throwing my hands in the air, causing me to fall off of the damn bed with a thump. "I give up!" My exasperated voice groans from the floor. The door, guarding my temporary weakness, opens with a lazy creak. Exposing my vulnerability to the world.

Just great.

"Oh, it's you," I grumble, looking at Noah Slater with a grimace and a vague sense of uneasiness. A languid smirk graces his beautiful, gorgeous face (sarcasm IS a one of my many talents). "Giving up so soon Kade?" He grins, a crazy type of wildness tainting the blue of his eyes. "I thought you'd hold out until every inch of you could move." I slowly, but surely, regain movement in both my legs. How I would love to hit him over the head and be done with it.

"You went from a hundred to zero real fast." Bipolar little s**t. I drawl, faintly sensing my muscles returning to it's usual fluidity. Finally! His humorless laugh snaps me out of my little... problem. "Well Kade, you would think a woman of your... caliber," He gives me a once-over, assessing me with an unimpressed eye. "Would have more determination and endurance than... how do I say this nicely?" I look at him blankly, daring him to finish that sentence, and thanks to whichever i***t created this boy, he actually continues. "A half-dead snail." I clench my jaw, this man really gets under my skin. "And you would know how a half-dead snail looks." My deadpan humor finally appreciated as he chuckles. I sit up with a grunt, satisfied to get the lower half of my body moving. Now if only I could get my spine to cooperate...

"As much as I absolutely love you coming to check up on me," You can never go wrong with a little bit of sarcasm. "And also... I know that's not all you wanted to say." He watches me avidly, as if trying to figure me out. Good luck with that one Slater, I can't even figure myself out.

"Your father has reported you missing," Great, just what I needed right this moment. "I thought you said Rey was covering for me," I stretch my aching limbs, Noah leans against the doorframe, completely comfortable, looking at me with a cold, calculating stare.

"Derek went to Rey's house and found you weren't there - tried to get Rey, Mads and Morg to confess but they're not talking," Icy silence descending on the room once more. I shrug - Madison, Morgan and Aubrey were smart they'd be okay. I needed to be okay, I'll deal with almost being r***d later. Always later - I never had enough time to deal with it now.

I grab my jacket and my iPhone, noticing that I'm wearing different clothes but knowing Noah didn't change me. "I'm going back to my dad's place so you can just drop my stuff there, either way it doesn't matter." I walk through the doorway, past Noah. "Wait," Slater grabs my arm and my head snaps toward his, "I'll give you a lift." He says with a heavy sigh. I shrug as he leads the way to his car, me trailing behind him.

Noah Slater is a enigma. He has this dark and mysterious feeling about him that reminds me too much of myself and that, believe it or not, scares the s**t out of me. I looked around as we left Noah lived alone on a beautiful beachfront property overlooking the ocean, situated on a green foresty hill that had its own walkway to the beach and access to his very own small private beach.

The ride to my house is filled with a contemplative silence. Noah was a black hole, and if I wasn't careful I'd be sucked up and spat out. He drops me on the corner this time, bringing the faintest hint of a smile to my face. He remembered. I get out of the car. "Thanks Slater." A tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear, Noah says nothing looking ahead, and I turn to walk away. "Kade," He says and I stay in place. "Don't forget... you owe me." He says, and I smile staring at my shoes. He drives away as I walk to dad's house. There isn't any police cars out front, so that's a good thing at least.

I walk into the house only to find Jessica, Dad, Morgan and Madison waiting for me in the sitting room opposite the corridor entrance. Well f**k me.

"What's this supposed to be?" I ask curiosity getting the best of me again. "An intervention?" "No Delilah it's a trust circle." Jessica corrects me. "Well forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject." I give her a fake smile. I have no time or patience for this s**t, my family were moving into the house a block away next week and I just couldn't right now. "Enjoy your trust circle."

I continue walking, "You're so ungrateful." Jessica speaks up, "Derek is trying to fix your relationship, we took you in from the streets!" She screeches and I narrow my eyes. "Do you know what happened?" I ask her, my voice perfectly even. She says nothing. "Do you know?!" No reply. "Please, I wasn't living on the street I was living with my brother - the one mom and Derek fought about constantly."

I laugh disdainfully. "Tell them Derek or should I?" The family is quiet, none of them speak, my father sits back resigned, "You were young Delilah, tell the story - I'll help you; this is my fault."

I'd take any opportunity to get the truth out, so I ignore Jessica and look at my father. "I was 9 years old when you started drinking. I knew and said nothing." Dad opens his mouth to speak but no words leave his tongue. I continue. "You divorced Mom and kicked both of us out when I was 10." A tear rolled down my cheek. "You said you'd stopped loving Mom but you'd never stopped loving me." Madison's face crumples as tears roll down my face. Dad stares at the grounded, ashamed and resigned. "That's not the truth Delilah." He says hoarsely.

"I posted letters, left messages and sent emails for 3 years until the letters started coming back, until you changed your number and email." I look at him, the endless chasm of insecurity and hopelessness for him to see. He hurt me, and he knew it. He f*****g couldn't even look me in the eye. "Tell her it's not true Dad! Tell her!" Morg says, her voice getting higher with each word. "It's true!" He says looking at me, no sorrow, no anger - just resigned, like he finally made peace with himself.

"Tell her that if Jessica didn't find out I was still alive you would never have contacted me! Tell your precious daughter the truth Derek!" I shout at him my voice raising a few octaves. "TELL HER!" Jessica opens her mouth to say something, but Derek stops her. "Don't Jess, they all need to know from my lips." He doesn't look at me, bypassing me and looking straight at the daughter he wanted. "I thought Delilah was dead," He turned toward me. "Your mother didn't want you to know the man who didn't really do anything and didn't fight for our marriage." I look at them confused, shocked and sad. Sad for who, I have no idea. Jessica reaches for me and I shy away from her touch.

"I'm sorry Lilah, I'm sorry I never tried harder to stay in touch but after the divorce I felt like a horrible person - undeserving of a daughter, of a life."

I back away from all of them, towards the door I left open. "I'm leaving, don't wait up." I say, my voice shaking with the being overwhelmed with this new information - Derek just told me he was a drunk and clinically depressed. That, I needed to process.

It was good to finally know the truth but it still hurt. His reason didn't justify the action. Because of this I grew up thinking that my father never loved me. It's cold outside and somewhere in my mind I know it's a bad idea to go running in the middle of the night in the drizzling rain.

I turn away and I run. I run until I can't run anymore. I run until I feel like I'm about to pass out from exhaustion and I somehow end up by Noah's front door.

I don't know how I did it but I ran more than 2 miles. I ring the doorbell and Noah absently answers the door... until he sees me. "s**t! The f**k happened to you Kade?!" Noah demands with an furious cold and I see Kael standing in the doorway, watching me with big eyes and that's when I zone out.

SHE stares at us with a vacant face, one I'm all too familiar with. Did Kade just run all the way to my house?

I pull Delilah into the house with ease. Her slender form curling into herself. She's soaking wet. Kael touches her up with a gentleness that's out of character for him, and Jess guides her to the bathroom.

The sun had long since set, and it was about one or two in the middle of the night, or morning depending how you look at it. It's dark outside. Anything could've happened to her. Careful Noah, it's starting to sound like you care about her.

"Tell me she wouldn't be stupid enough to run all the way from her house to mine." I state the question and Kael shrugs, "She only does stuff like this when she feels trapped or overwhelmed."

For a second there Delilah had me worried that Wolfe was in town.

She changes into dry clothes in the bathroom and I hand her a oversized shirt and a pair of underwear, that Jessabelle gives her before taking her place alongside Kael. "Go home Kael," I look at the bathroom door with a frown. "I'll look after your sister, go look after the rest." Kael smiles tiredly and lets himself and Jessabelle out. I have no clue as to why I'm letting her stay. I could've taken her back to her house but judging from how she ran away I don't think it's a good idea. I have no idea where Kael and his tiny followers are staying but I'm not leaving Delilah with a bunch of preteens either. The f**k is wrong with me?

I lock up, dropping the keys onto the shelf, Delilah is still in the bathroom. I knock against the door. "Kade?" The faint sound of sniffling coming from the other side of the door, "I-I-I'm f-fine Noah." She says, clearly not okay but I leave her be. I need to take down my brother... and if I'm going to do it right I can't be distracted. Focus on the task at hand and not on the beautiful, crying, freezing girl in your house... oh f**k it.

Who am I kidding anyway? "Delilah?" I knock gently against the bathroom door. "Can you come out?"