My Beautiful Death

Seven

Mitchell started stirring in her sleep as the light from the sun came in through the windows. She could feel Alexander's chest against her cheek and his arm wrapped around her. His steady breathing was soothing to her as she kept her eyes closed for just a moment longer, enjoying the moment. He gently stroked her hair and back, careful to avoid her arm. The pain was more subtle than the night before, but it still throbbed.

"Good morning..."

She stretched, yawning with a smile on her face. Another night of rest, another night without nightmares or constant tossing and turning. Slowly she opened her eyes and examined her arm. It was tender, but there seemed to be no infection. She then turned her attention to the scar in the middle of Alexander's chest, touching it with the tips of her fingers. "How did you get this one?" she asked him, looking up into his eyes.

"The day I lost my soul," Alexander said as he slowly slid out from under her. "That's a story for later."

Mitchell huffed. "You sure like to avoid any answers of questions asked."

Alexander smiled and shook his head. "I just don't like to talk about my past. Keeps things... simple." He slid off his sweatpants, exposing his bare bottom to her as he pulled on some jeans and a shirt for the day.

Mitchell blushed, this time avoiding turning. She knew she had to accept the fact that this man had close to no boundaries, and if she wanted to stay safe she had to deal with everything that came with it. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" she called.

KayCee opened the door, dressed to impress. "Hey girl! I know you got a lot going on right now, so I'm just gonna take it upon myself to be the best friend ever and find us a new place, temporarily, because you need a vacation and I'm honestly not comfortable with the fact that you have one hunk on a recliner, one hunk on the couch, and this apparently savage hunk in your bed. You said you have no plans to work right away, anyway, so why not relax in pure comfort?"

Mitchell shrugged. "I hate the idea of shoving us all in here, but I don't feel comfortable leaving right now," She looked over to Alexander, wondering how long they would be in her life.

Alexander reached to the end table, grabbing his wallet and throwing it to Mitchell. "Let's vacation. I know a place in Vegas, find a nice rental car for the drive." He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. This was the first time they had ever seen him without his hair covering half of his face, so it was a nice surprise.

"What's cooking good lookin'!" KayCee said, whistling to him. "Who knew such a bossy man could be so pretty."

He rolled his eyes at her, smiling for a brief second. "Thank you, KayCee," he said sarcastically. "The bigger the better, no need to go cheap. Just tell us what the bill is."

KayCee's eyes lit up. "Does this place we're going happen to have a pool?"

Alexander chuckled, "More like a sauna."

Mitchell smiled as she pulled herself out of bed. She started digging through her clothes, trying to find the most comfortable thing to lounge around in. Alexander pulled down a large shirt and some shorts for her. "Thank you," she said as she closed them all into the room. She quickly changed before KayCee had a chance to turn.

"Okay, no shame," KayCee laughed. "Glad to see you moving around this morning!"

Mitchell smiled to her, opening the door for them to exit. "Yeah, glad I didn't end up in the hospital." They walked down the stairs into the living room where Lunaire was waiting.

"Ah! Good morning Ell!" he exclaimed. "Hope you don't mind Elysia and I are kidnapping your friend today."

Elysia was putting his boots on, grumbling to himself. "I don't see the point in me going, I can't see a thing for input anyways..."

"You give the best advice based off how you feel, though!" Lunaire said excitedly.

KayCee gave her friend a brief hug before opening the front door, motioning for the boys to follow. They hurried behind her, waving as they closed the door. Mitchell was alone with Alexander for the day, and she hoped maybe he would have no choice but to tell her everything she needed to know. But first, she had some things she had to attend to.

Mitchell pulled her phone out, dialing her sister's number. Lilly immediately answered.

"Oh. My. God. ELL!" she yelled into the phone.

Mitchell quickly pulled it away from her ear, cringing at the high pitched squeals from her sister. "Dude, you're hurting my ears!"

"Sorry! But seriously, I had the best date last night! You gotta meet him. He's perfect!"

Mitchell smiled, relieved that her sister had good news. "Mom said everyone had lice, though? I was calling to check on you and your bald ass."

"As if. All of them have lice! My new... friend... only uses the best stuff and apparently lice hate it, so I was lucky. I'm staying with him until it clears up at home. And you know damn well I will live with lice forever if it means sacrificing my hair."

"What if I told you I'm going on vacation and I need you to cat-sit for your nephew? Fully stocked pantries and you can sleep in my bed," Mitchell pulled the phone far from her ear, knowing her sister would be yelling again.

"Are you serious?! I know Mom said you had a new boyfriend, but I didn't think it was this serious! You told me you had no one, you lying b***h! Already running away with him? Are you eloping?!" Her voice was so loud it could be heard through out the living room. Alexander chuckled.

"Not my boyfriend, but he seems to like messing with Mom because he is definitely not her style," she replied coolly.

"Is he there now? I want to talk to him! I'm coming over! You can meet mine and I'll meet yours! Is he really as much of a punk-rocker as Mom says? Never mind I'll find out myself!"

Mitchell sighed, listening to her sister rattle on and on. Alexander gave her the thumbs up, letting her know it was acceptable for her sister to stop by. "Yes, Lilly, he's here. You can come by, but you can't stay all day. I have other stuff going on."

Her sister screamed in excitement, and in the background she could hear a low voice trying to calm her. "Hurry up! We have to go see my sister... yeah the emo one who I thought was gonna die alone... No! She has a boyfriend! Let's go! Grab the keys!" Shuffling noises could be heard as her sister rushed to get over to her house.

Mitchell hung up the phone, choosing to ignore her sister's comments to her boyfriend. She always assumed that's how her family talked about her, but at least now she knew for sure. "Well, I guess she will be here soon," she said to Alexander. "She's going to ask how we met. She's going to ask so many questions, I don't even know how I'm going to answer them."

Alexander nodded his head, thinking to himself. "Then... we will tell her we met at the Chinese restaurant that you order too often from. We flirted, I convinced you to give me your number, we have been seeing each other... what is that phrase... on the low?" He put his hand on his chin while he thought, raising a brow, giving her a questioning look.

Mitchell laughed, moving over to him. "Not my boyfriend, remember? And that works for me, except the flirting part. Usually I order out, but on the nights I close I pre-order then pick up on my way home. Easy and believable story. Thank you."

Alexander pulled her down into his lap, resting his head on her shoulder, putting his cheek against hers. "I know. I've been watching you to see when this whole... thing would start so I knew when to intervene. I know your boring little routines." He chuckled, causing his chest to shake against her. "Boyfriend is believable."

She rolled her eyes releasing a large breath. "You know, every time I think you're a nice guy you have to keep turning around and act like an ass. No boyfriend."

"It's my specialty," he said as he squeezed her tighter. "Ask anyone that knows me. Yes, because it makes everyone not question anything odd about me constantly here."

Mitchell leaned her head back over his shoulder. "You mean to tell me you have... friends?" She did an over-exaggerated gasp, laughing at her own joke.

"Of course I do, I get along with quite a few people, and they're not all related to me," he replied, chuckling back as he used his hand to cover her face, jokingly pushing her away.

"I feel like I’m the only non-related," she said, wiggling her finger in his face.

He blew a quick burst of air at her face, making her jump and pull her finger back. "Oh, so we are friends?"

Mitchell blushed, lifting her head forward to hide her rosy cheeks from him. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"So, I go from the Reaper of Death to a friend..." he mumbled to himself. "How did it turn out this way. This makes things much more difficult."

He spoke so low Mitchell could barely hear him. She shuddered, thinking back to her first initial contact with him. He terrified her, but now after only a few short days she found herself wanting to be around him, to be with him. He went from being a bringer of death to a savior preventing her death. "I appreciate everything you have done for me, and everything you continue to do..."

Alexander tilted his head to the side, reminding her of a confused dog. "Oh?"

"It's really making me reevaluate how my life has been. Knowing I'm supposed to die makes me regret never doing all the typical suburbia things people look forward to in life. Husband, family, careers, you know?"

Alexander smiled, rocking her gently in his arms. "We will make sure you get what you want. We won't let you go down this easy."

They sat together in silence, time passing by slowly as they held each other. He knew he had to reassure she was safe and things would get better, but after the night before he wasn't entirely sure in himself. The doorbell rang and Mitchell rose to answer it. Alexander slid his arms away from her, using them to push himself up off of the sofa. They both walked to the door and opened it. There they saw Lilly, in a neon pink dress and ballet flats with a huge smile on her face, holding her small child.

"Mitchell!" she exclaimed as she gave her sister a huge hug.

She winced, pulling away quickly from Lilly and holding her arm. "Hey, sorry, I had a little accident last night. Still kind of hurting." She motioned to her wrapped arm and shrugged. "Hi, my little buggie!" Mitchell squealed in joy as she took her niece from her sister, wincing through the pain just to have a chance to hold the closest thing to her own child in her arms.

Alexander stood stiffly, partially blocking the door, staring at Lilly's boyfriend. "Myles..." he said lowly, almost growling as he let him in.

Mitchell looked over at the men, concern in her eyes. They stood at similar heights, had similar features. It was eerie. It was almost like this man was a slightly older version of Alexander. The only differences were he had no piercings and shoulder length silver hair. "Hello..." she said, hesitating for a moment before reaching her hurt arm out. "I'm Mitchell."

The man took her hand and smiled, kissing the top of it, lips lingering for a moment as he looked deep into her eyes. "The famous big sister. Lilly has told me so much about you. I'm Myles."

Alexander moved between them, never taking his eyes off of him. Lilly perked up, watching the two men's interactions. "Uh-oh, sis, it looks like they're not fans already." She wiggled her thumb in their direction as she pulled her sister and child to the couch.

Myles laughed as he pat Alexander a little too hard on his back. "It seems like someone isn't happy to see his big brother. We will get over that eventually! Let's sit!" He motioned to Alexander, seeming a little too happy.

"I swear, how many are there of you? I thought you guys said you were the oldest?" Mitchell asked, shocked at the newest addition to her ever growing freak-show.

Alexander sat on the open side of Mitchell, putting his arm around her. On the outside it seemed almost romantic, but from where Mitchell sat it felt more so protective. "Besides my only sister, this is it. We don't count him, he left the family long ago."

Lilly smiled leaning over Mitchell to speak directly to Alexander. "She got to meet everyone before me? Unfair! How crazy is it that we both found brothers? Super crazy!" She was oblivious the the elephant in the room. Myles' aura wreaked of death and destruction. Mitchell had a sneaking suspicion that this was the man that was supposed to end it all. It was making more sense why, out of all people in the world, Alexander became her keeper.

"They'll be back shortly," Alexander said as he pulled out his phone, texting quickly. "It's nice to finally meet her favorite sibling."

"Speaking of favorite siblings," Myles cut in, "I see one of Elysia's braille books. Are we expecting him as well as Lunaire? We all know those two don't like to travel alone."

Lilly looked over to her sister. "How many people do you have crammed in this tiny house?" she asked.

"Too many, KayCee stayed last night as well," Mitchell replied. "They're out doing who knows what now. We decided life is more fun with all of their shenanigans, so that's why I wanted to talk to you about having this place as your temporary home for a little while."

"Less than a month, but Kingsly needs to be cared for," Alexander chimed in. His eyes kept following every move Myles made. "We are hoping to be out on vacation in the next two days."

Myles gently picked up various knickknacks, examined them, then set them back down. His demeanor seemed cheery, but Alexander clearly wasn't buying it. He sat in the recliner across from everyone, his eyes wandering back-and-forth between Alexander and Mitchell. "Such an odd choice for you, Alexander. Very different from your stereotypical supermodel girls."

Mitchell felt taken aback, scoffing at his comment. Alexander rolled his eyes, refusing to fall for any of his brother's antagonizing comments. "There is only one Mitchell, the others were easily replaceable. Generic." He waved his hand, dismissing the conversation.

"Myles!" Lilly barked. "That was a little harsh. She may not be the beauty goals of today, but she's still pretty in her own weird way." She smiled to her sister, patting her on the knee.

Myles chuckled, continuing on. "I never said she wasn't pretty. I just noticed this is the first non-blonde, overly skinny, and fake breasted woman he has even been with." He smiled to Mitchell. "Not ugly, just different from his normal taste." He motioned for Lilly to join him on the recliner. As she sat with him, he cuddled up to her, whispering in her ear, "But not as pretty as you."

Lilly giggled, pulling her legs onto his lap with the rest of her body. She looked lovingly to Myles, clearly infatuated. Mitchell knew it all had to be fake on his end, but she would ignore it if it meant keeping her sister in the dark. "You're so sweet!" Lilly chirped to him.

Mitchell looked to Alexander, hoping he would know how to make the situation less awkward. His phone chimed and he quickly looked at it, reading a text, then set it to the side. "They're on their way now," he said softly to her. "Give them a few more minutes." He turned his focus to her niece. "And what is your name, little lady?"

"She's my little bug, Maggie," Mitchell replied as she bounced her lovingly on her lap. Alexander smiled one of his few genuine smiles of the week as he played with her small hands. "She's barely one."

"A family reunion, how exciting," Myles said, breaking their moment with Maggie. "It's nice to see you with a little one, Alex. When should we be expecting one from you?"

Alexander stood, pulling Mitchell up with him. "Excuse us for a second while I change her bandages," he said as he gently placed Maggie on the floor to roam. He led them up the stairs while Mitchell looked back before being blocked by the wall, taking another look at her sister and niece with a monster.

"I need to know why he's here, I know it's no coincidence," she said as Alexander closed the door behind them. "I can feel it."

He quickly changed her bandages, thinking for a moment before he spoke. "My brother isn't a bad man, he just follows his orders. Right now, when the time comes, he will be the one to take you out. That's why I am here for you, I know my brother better than anyone else willing to take on this task. Lunaire and Elysia have their own reasons to help, but they aren't as strong headed as I am. They may give up in the end." He placed his palm over her bandages, pushing slightly on them.

Mitchell placed her hand on his, trying to hold her tongue. Everything she had to say was negative and full of doubt, but she knew deep down inside she had to believe Alexander was truly doing everything he could to help her. She looked into his eyes, watching them widen before he pulled her into a quick embrace, tilting her chin up and placing his lips against hers. She jumped in shock, but he held her in place as the door swung open, Lilly strolling in.

"Ew, Mitchell!" she exclaimed, half joking.

Alexander pulled back, focusing on Lilly. "To be fair, we were in the room... with the door shut. For privacy." He stayed short with his sentences, but kept his tone light to not offend her.

She shrugged. "I guess I could have knocked! Just hurry up!" She smiled as she shut the door behind her, returning to the living room.

Mitchell's face hurt from how much she was blushing. Alexander moved away from her and leaned against the door. "Sorry I did that, your sister may be an i***t when it comes to men, but she knows you best. If we just sulk around whispering she will have questions. I had to make it seem real."

"This is as far as it goes," she said, more so to herself than to Alexander, "we already discussed this last night."

Alexander nodded his head, agreeing with her. They could hear multiple voices in the living room talking at once. It was loud, but it didn't seem like an actual argument. "They're back, it is safe to go down."

"I'm coming, just give me a moment, please?" she asked him. He shrugged as he walked out of the room, leaving the door slightly open behind him. "Come on, Mitchell, get yourself together," she mumbled to herself. She went into her bathroom and splashed some water on her face, trying to regroup. Something felt wrong. She called Alexander's name, causing him to rush back into her room.

"What's wrong?" he asked her in a panic.

"Where is my cat?" She began to pace back and forth. "I haven't seen him in a while, and I can remember what comes next. I don't own livestock..."

Alexander sighed, leaning his head against the wall behind him. "Shit... don't look for him. I'll have Lunaire. If it is what you're thinking there are only four more events to happen."

"I figured we had to be half way through for your brother to show his face. I have a really bad feeling, Alexander, I don't know how much more I can take of this..." she cried. This time she kept her distance from him, after the kiss, she didn't know how much more of Alexander she could handle as well.

He moved over to her, but she pulled away from him. He looked stunned and confused. Since the first night, she has always been fairly open to him being close with her. Something changed, and he was too stubborn to acknowledge the reason why. "Let's get downstairs, I will talk to Lunaire, okay?" She didn't move. "Please?" he pleaded.

She nodded her head slowly, moving past him and exiting the room, making her way to the living room leaving him to follow behind her. She noticed Elysia lurking in the corner, a frown across his face. Lunaire chatted with Myles, laughing and joking together, but even he couldn't fake a smile good enough to convince Mitchell he was happy to see him. Lilly joined in the conversation with Lunaire, making herself noticed. She couldn't understand how Myles' brothers had so many things to say, mostly about Mitchell, when she was normally the one everyone talked about not her sister.

"Hey, guys, find anything nice?" Mitchell asked as she rested her hand on Lunaire's back.

He smiled at her, this time genuine. "Yes! We essentially found a party bus, so lots of room to move around for the drive. KayCee is in the kitchen making some coffee. The only disappointment she had for today was Alexander didn't have his perfectly portioned coffee ready for when she got back." He chuckled.

Mitchell returned his smile, patting him before going to the kitchen. She was relieved to see KayCee with a sour face. It matched hers feelings perfectly. "Any news on where we are staying? Or do we only get to know about what we are riding in?" Mitchell asked her.

KayCee rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips before speaking. "That's not important. Just know it is awesome and you'll love it. I gotta know, Ell, who the heck does that guy think he is? I thought Alexander was a buzzkill, but man! This guy is a joke. He acts all nice but you can see his eyes... judging everyone!"

"THANK YOU!" Mitchell said louder than she meant to. "I don't like him. I don't like my sister with him. I don't like that our friends are related to him."

"And boyfriend," KayCee said. "Lilly was over the top excited to tell us about her walking in on you two getting cozy." She winked at her. "I thought I was going to know first!"

Mitchell sighed, annoyed at the whole situation. "Not what you think. He sprung it on me so fast just to back track. As far as she is concerned we are dating. But really... Like, really really, we are not. What ever helps her sleep at night."

"That's cute that you honestly think that," KayCee replied. "The way he looks at you, do you really believe he meant to back track? He has gone over and beyond to care for you, he sleeps in your bed with you, he deals with your family and friends for you. He really cares, I think he is scared to be in his little feelings. I mean, look at him with little Maggie!"

"He is notorious for that. I guess since he has a sister too, it's probably just a soft spot for women. He likes the blondes like Lilly, so-"

The girls turned quickly to find Myles standing in the kitchen with them joining into their conversation. The surprise thrilled him, making him smile a dark, evil grin. "Don't mind him too much, Mitchell. I'm sure in a week or so... it'll die out. He's not as strong of a person as you think. You'll end up hurt, he'll end up somewhere else. It's just what he does."

KayCee scoffed, putting her hand to her chest. "What a jerk!"

"I'm sure I'll still be living my life to the fullest, regardless of what happens. With or without him. I am stronger than you assume," Mitchell smoothly replied. She knew he wasn't talking about a relationship status, he was talking about her life in general. Now she knew she only had a few days left to figure out how to make everything stop.

Myles shrugged. "Maybe God will show you mercy, maybe not. I hear you haven't had any luck with romance. Everyone has a soulmate, maybe you may just find yours before time runs out."

Alexander came into the kitchen, looking slowly back and forth between Myles and Mitchell. He pushed him to the side with his shoulder, making it look like an accident. "Oops," he said lowly as he moved his way to Mitchell. "No need to worry about her, Myles. I won't let anyone or anything hurt her again."

KayCee smiled at Alexander, watching him stand between his brother and her best friend. "You continue to surprise me, Alex." She smirked at her little jab. "You may not be my favorite person, but you are honestly my favorite person for her. I'll never admit I said that, so just accept that."

"Sure, CeeCee," Alexander snickered back.

"Ah, jokes! I'm so proud of you!" KayCee laughed as she went back to the living room.

Myles smiled at his brother and his future victim. "Enjoy your time while it lasts, my friend. As of now, your time is coming... quickly. Only God can save you. Don't get your hopes up on Alexander. I've always been the better of the brothers, he won't be able to stop me when the time comes." He turned and left Alexander and Mitchell in the kitchen.

"Only God can save me?" Mitchell asked Alexander. "He can't be serious."

Alexander sighed, rubbing his temples and mumbling to himself. "We need to talk."