**(Note: this is a chapter from an actual book I am aiming to publish, please do not take these ideas, thank you!)**

****

**Collin sat down on the hospital bed, trying to get Eli to stop crying as he rocked her, while Stephan was pacing around the room, “****_do_**** you think it was Vivian, Collin?” Stephan asked, pausing his pacing to face his brother. **

** ****“I-I don’t know…” Collin replied. **

**Eli let out a few more sobs, “Th-th-there was-s i-ice… I-it ****_had_**** to be h-her…” **

**Collin nodded slowly, but his expression remained conflicted. **

** ****“I’m not believing it until I have more evidence…” Stephan declared, walking towards the door. **** ****Collin stood up, “I’m coming with you…” **

**Stephan nodded, “Eli, stay here.”**

** ****Eli nodded and wiped away her tears, trying to stop crying, and she watched as Collin and Stephan left the room. **

** ****“What-what…” Collin stammered, looking down the cold hallway, “What happened?!” **

**“It appears…” Stephan replied, bending over Karen’s body, “That an upset Vivian was here.” **

** ****“DUH! But, where did she ****_go?_****” **

**“You think I know? I wonder if Andrew found her…” **

** ****“Oh… I forgot about Andrew!” Collin shouted before running down the hall. **

**“What?! What are you doing?” Stephan stood up and started running after his brother, “Why are you worried all of a sudden?!” **

** ****“Because!” Collin called over his shoulder as he continued sprinting down the hall, shuddering as he jumped over and around frozen bodies, “I don’t trust Evan!” **

** ****“And you all of a sudden care about Andrew… Because?” They both came to an abrupt stop just outside the hospital door. **

** ****“Because I don’t think it was Vivian…” Collin replied between pants, “And he’d be the only other one who’d think so… And I think Evan wants to kill him…” **

** ****“You don’t think it was Vivian?” **

**Collin started walking towards the forest, where he saw the print of Andrew’s shoes heading, “No… I don’t… I’ve seen the way she avoids hurting people, and the way she acts when she’s ****_almost _****hurt someone, and the way she breaks when she****_ has_****.”**

** ****Stephan stared blankly at his brother as they both came to a stop just outside the forest. Collin turned to face him, “I mean… I ****_do _****still fear the idea of being touched by her… And yes, I ****_did_**** see the result of everything she did inside… But… I don’t know… She’s not a bad person.”****
****Stephan blinked a few times, “what… I thought you hated her…” **

**Collin sighed, “I was talking to Eli about a week ago… It’s not Vivian I hate… It’s the constant fear she radiates because of her powers that I hate. It’s not her… It’s her curse.” **

** ****Stephan stood there, completely stunned by what he just heard from his brother, who all this time had been acting terrified and hate filled towards Vivian, “I had no idea that’s how you looked at it…” **

** ****“I didn’t look at it like that until Eli gave me the idea…” **

**Stephan nodded, “I guess you ****_do _****like kids.” **

**Collin chuckled slightly before they both entered the forest.**

** **

** ****“Vivian, do you want to tell me what ****_exactly _****happened?” Andrew asked after Vivian’s sobs finally stopped, and she was silently sitting there with her head on his shoulder. She sighed heavily, “In the hallway?” **

**Andrew nodded, and Vivian sighed again, “I was following Evan, trying to convince him it wasn’t me who killed Kay…”**

** ****“And let me guess… He didn’t believe you?” **

**Vivian nodded, “yes… he shoved Karen into me…” **

** ****“Oh… so that explains that… But… the other-” **

**“I wasn’t thinking straight and I ran into some of them… some of them I shoved on purpose.”**

** ****Andrew didn’t reply. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he ****_couldn’t_****. He knew that Vivian wanted ****_none of this_****, but yet, here she is. Here ****_they _****are, sitting in a forest clearing. Alone… **

** ****“ANDREW! VIVIAN!” **

**Vivian’s head snapped up, causing Andrew to flinch his head to the side so she didn’t headbut his chin. **

** ****“ANDREW! VIVIAN!”**

**Andrew stood up quickly, followed by Vivian. A few short moments after that, Collin and Stephan came out of the clearing, “You’re alive!” Collin declared as soon as he saw Andrew, who generally looked confused. **

** ****Vivian looked at Andrew, then at Collin, her expression unreadable despite the tear stains that were still on her face,**

** ****“What… Why would I ****_not _****be alive?” Andrew asked as Collin walked towards him**

**“Please… please don’t tell me you didn’t notice…” Collin said, dropping his voice. **

** ****“I’ve noticed many things and I’ve ****_not _****noticed many things… can you be more… Well, I don’t know… ****_Specific_****?” Andrew replied. **

** ****Collin sighed heavily before grabbing Andrew by the arm and dragging him somewhere where Vivian or Stephan wouldn’t hear the conversation, “Evan.” **

** ****“I’m Andrew.” **

**“No… Evan… he wants to kill you.” **

** ****“How do you know?” **

**“You didn’t notice how he always gave you the death stare whenever you were near Vivian… And he’s always been hostile towards ****_you_****… He never laid a hand on any of us in a hurtful way… ****_except you_****… ****_when _****you defended Vivian…” **

** ****Andrew blinked a few times, “okay… so you pay attention to things…” **

**“I more than just pay attention…” Collin said, looking over at Vivian and Stephan, who were seemingly standing silently, awkwardly. **

**“I’m pretty sure… that the only reason Evan goes after ****_you_****…” Collin continued, “It's because you’re the only person who can touch her…” **

** ****“But then… if he’s mad at Vivian…” Andrew started, but was interrupted by Collin,**

**“That’s why you’re not ****_dead_****… He’s trying to break Vivian slowly by breaking you…” **

** ****“And you figured this out… how?” **

**“I was just watching Evan’s demeanor towards different people and the sort of things that set him off… In this case, when you defend Vivian…” **

**Andrew nodded, “wow.. Yeah, okay… I can see it now…” **

**Collin nodded before looking back over at Vivian and Stephan, “I don’t think ****_they_**** know that.”**

** ****“Should I tell Viv-”**

**“No… It’ll only make things worse…” **

**Vivian looked over at Stephan, who’s facial expressions have changed more than Vivian thought they should have from disbelief to confusion, from confusion to anger, from anger to pity, from pity to conflicted, and so on. She sighed heavily, “Stephan…” she said, her voice quiet and trembling slightly. Stephan’s face changed from conflicted to concerned, hearing her tone of voice, but he didn’t say anything…**

** ****“Stephan…” Vivian said again, “Do you think it was me?” **

**Stephan didn’t reply, he just swallowed hard. **

** ****“Please… believe me.. I didn’t… I didn’t ****_mean_**** to…” **

**“You didn’t ****_mean_**** to?” **

** ****“I admit… I did… I did hurt all those people… But please, I need you to believe me when I say that I didn’t ****_want_**** to…” **

**Stephan didn’t say anything, just crossing his arms and letting Vivian continue,**

** ****“I was scared and confused. I just wanted to get out of there… I didn’t know what I was doing, my eyes were blurred by tears, my mind was fogging from all the confusion…” **

** ****“Slow down, slow down, it’s alright…” Stephan said, uncrossing his arms.**

**Vivian swallowed heavily, her entire body trembling from the guilt and grief she was feeling, “I hurt people, Mr. Sandtell. I just proved that I’m the monster Evan thinks I am!” **

** ****“Vivian, you’re not a monster.” **

**“I’VE KILLED PEOPLE! Didn’t you see the hallway?” **

**Stephan nodded, “I did see the hallway… but…” **

** ****“But what? What could possibly defend the fact that it wasn’t my fault?” **

**Stephan sighed as he watched Vivian slowly get more frustrated with herself,**

** ****“Everyone hates me, Stephan! I’m a murderer! A monster!” **

**“No.. not everyone hates you Vivian…” **

** ****“Well who else sees me as a friend other than Andrew? Who out there doesn’t hate me?” Vivian replied, her voice trembling as she fought to hold back tears.**

** ****“Collin…” Stephan replied calmly. **

**“Collin is ****_terrified_**** of me! Don’t you know that I hurt him as well?!” **

** ****Stephan nodded, “I’m aware of the fact, yes… but he told me that it’s…” Stephan paused, looking over at Collin and Andrew before he continued, “He told me it wasn’t you he hated… It’s your powers he hates… none of it is you. It’s your curse, Vivian… We’ve all been trying to get you to understand that…” **

**“Sir.” Evan said as he once again entered the dark room, “What do you want me to do?” ****
 ****Thorne laughed, “So… You finally came around, did you?” **

**“What do you want me to do?” **

** ****“Well,” Kerwin said, standing up next to Thorne, “change of plan… again.” **

**“We’re just confirming which one we’re going with.” Thorne added.**

** ****Evan nodded,**

**“The choice is up to you… Either get the boy to kill your sister, ****_or_**** kill the boy so ****_you_**** can kill your sister.” **

** ****Evan  nodded again before he walked out of the room. One repeating thought whirling through his brain, ****_revenge for Kaytlin. I will avenge Kay._**

**“Hey, Vivian… you okay?” Andrew said, gently grabbing Vivian’s hand as they walked back through the hallway that was full of frozen bodies, with some of the staff members, police officers, ambulances, and more clearing them out,**

** ****Vivian nodded, “yeah… I’m fine…” **

**“You’re such a bad liar.” **

** ****“Do you want the answer you want, or do you want the truth?”****
****“The answer I want ****_is_**** the truth!” **

** ****Vivian sighed heavily as they entered the room where Stephan and Collin left Eli, “I’m not alright.” **

** ****Stephan and Collin entered the room, immediately met by Eli running into Collin’s arms, “Was it her?” She asked in a worried tone. **

** ****“No.”Collin and Stephan replied in unison. Eli sighed in relief and looked over at Vivian and Andrew, “Who was it, then? Who killed Kay?” **

** ****“We… don’t know ****_exactly_****…” Andrew replied, “But Collin thinks it was a set up.” **

**Vivian looked over at Collin, “A set up?” **

** ****Collin nodded, “yes… someone put ice on the scene to make Evan believe it was you, so he’d be more inclined to do something brutal to you… or Andrew.” **

** ****“What…” **

**“I mean, I can see that Evan is generally a good kid…” Collin continued.**

**Vivian nodded, while listening to Collin talk, **

** ****“I’m pretty sure someone is putting him up to do these things…” **

**Vivian blinked a few times, trying to process what was just said,**

** ****“So…” Eli said, breaking the silence, “Someone is using Evan?” **

**Collin nodded solemnly, “Of what I’ve seen so far… I’m afraid that’s it…” **