There were shouts and camera shutters from the ground level of the building. Her phone was ringing off the hook. Her face was all over TMZ and Showbiz Tonight and Access Hollywood. Arabella was curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. As her phone vibrated with calls and texts and emails, Arabella turned up the volume on her movie, Some Like It Hot. All she could do was sit in her apartment. It was all she said the energy for. Her whole body felt heavy and sore. The bruises on her neck and face were throbbing, but Arabella didn't bother trying to fix it somehow. She was sure that in the back of one of her cupboards, she still had a little baggie of ambrosia but she didn't want to look for it. The note from Hunter was lying flat on the floor. Arabella had read it so many times, it was hard to tell that it had ever been folded. Her eyes were red from crying and her skin was pale, she looked almost sick. Hunter. Hunter. Hunter. He was the only thing running through her mind. The more she thought about him, the worse she felt. She had kicked him out. She never let him talk to her. She just shoved him out the door. If she had given him a chance then maybe he would be sitting with her right now. Arabella heard her front door open and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Chad. Arabella paused her movie and looked up in fear. But the face she saw wasn't Chad's. It wasn't Hunter's. It was Daniel. Arabella's face softened when she saw him and she sat up. Her blond hair was a mess but she didn't bother fixing it. Daniel walked over to her and settled himself down beside her.
"Oh, Arabella.." Daniel whispered in a sad voice, looking at her messy hair and the expression on her face. Arabella wanted to just collapse in his arms but she didn't want him to know just how broken she was. Daniel moved so that she was closer to her and he looked through his bag, finally pulling out a hair brush and he went to work on her hair, gently pulling out the knots. Arabella turned so that he back was towards him and let him brush her hair, like how he used to at Camp when they would sit on her bed and gossip. Daniel took a breath "I'm really worried about you, hunnie" he said to her softly. Arabella bit her lip, not really sure what to say to him.
"I'll be fine" Arabella told him, trying to sound strong and sure that in a couple days she would be happy again. Daniel scoffed at her and Arabella could practically hear him roll his eyes.
"Arabella..you are a wreck. You look terrible. I haven't seen you eat anything since you came back from your weekend at the beach house. You've got a bruise on your face in the shape of a fist and bruises on your neck in the shape of finger prints. Not to mention you threw a chair out of your apartment yesterday" Daniel said and Arabella closed her eyes, feeling tears sting her eyes "Go find Hunter, Arabella. He made you the happiest and if you don't go look for him, I will. And I can't promise that I'll bring that stud back to you" he said, trying to use a light tone at the end. Arabella shook her head gently.
"I messed up, Danny. I messed up big time and I don't think that he'll ever want to talk to me again" Arabella told him "Besides, he could be anywhere. New York is huge and that's if he even stayed in New York" she added, looking down at her lap as Daniel brushed the ends of her long hair.
"You need to look for him. That boy is crazy about you. If you don't look for him, you will regret it for the rest of your life" Daniel said softly and he hugged her tightly from behind "I love you, sis" he whispered in her ear then he stood up and walked to her door. Arabella looked up at him with sad eyes. "I'll tell the people at work that you're taking a couple days off and that you're fine. Don't come back until you're happy again" he told her and walked out, closing the door behind him. Arabella leaned back against the couch. Daniel was right..she needed to go find Hunter.
The sun was beating on her as she sat outside of the coffee shop with a coffee and an uneaten muffin in her hands. She wore big sunglasses on her eyes, trying to hide from people. Luckily, no one stopped to ask her anything or bug her. Arabella looked around, wondering if Hunter would show up. Maybe this was a place that he went to often. Maybe he would stop to see if she was there. Arabella didn't know but she was trying to hold on to that little bit of hope. She had already walked around the park and looked everywhere she could think of. This coffee shop was the last place that she could think of. Arabella sat there for a couple hours, watching people walk past. Sometimes she would see a dark head weaving through the crowd and her heart would skip a beat but then she would see that he wasn't Hunter and her heart would sink down another level. Eventually, Arabella pushed herself off of her spot and started to walk home. Arabella tossed the uneaten muffin and coffee into the garbage. Daniel had been right. Arabella had hardly eaten anything since she got back from the beach house. After Hunter left, Arabella just wasn't hungry much anymore. Then Chad had told her that she looked like she had been gaining weight and she had cut out most food all together.
She wasn't looking where she was walking. She wasn't paying attention to anything, really. But when she looked up, Arabella was standing in an alley. There wasn't anyone in the alley but on the ground it looked like there was a little bit of dried blood. Now, for an alley in New York City..blood wasn't strange. Something was strange, however. There was something on the ground that was reflecting the light. Arabella knelt down and picked it up. When she saw it, her heart skipped a beat. It was Hunter's pendant. She had never seen it off of him. Arabella held it gingerly in her hands then rubbed it the way that Hunter used to. A dry sob escaped Arabella's lips and with shaking hands, she slipped it over her head and tucked it in her shirt. She stood up and slowly walked back to her apartment.
How much time had passed? A day? Two days? A week? Time seemed to blur together for Arabella. Logically, she knew that not that much time had passed, only one night. But every hour seemed to drag on for days. Arabella didn't sleep the past night. She spent the entire night lying on the couch and watching movies. she managed to watch the entire Harry Potter series for the first time. It was early in the afternoon now and Arabella was walking down the street. She needed to buy coffee and a couple more movies. Her hair was pulled into a bun and she didn't bother putting makeup on, so her face was pale with dark circles under her blank eyes. Arabella didn't spend much time in the stores. Everywhere she went had tabloid magazines with her face on the cover. Each magazine had a different story about what had happened to Arabella. They were saying that she was on drugs, that she was having a nervous breakdown, that she had gone crazy, etc. Soon enough, she was walking home with a stack of movies in a bag and a large coffee from Starbucks in the other.
As she walked towards her home, she saw something that made her heart leap with joy. She felt happy for the first time in what felt like years. Arabella found him. Hunter was sitting in Central Park, looking at a water fountain. Tears of joy stung her eyes and she started to walk towards him. They could be happy now. Life could be easy again. Arabella nearly tripped over her own feet she was so excited to get to Hunter. All she wanted to do was fall into his arms and tell him that she loved him too, that she missed him and she was sorry. Hunter stood up and Arabella thought that he had seen her, that he was going to come meet her and they would hug. It would be like in the movies. But then Arabella heard giggling and saw a beautiful girl run to Hunter and wrapping her arms around his neck. Arabella caught her breath and looked at the familiar face. Philippa. Maybe they're just friends. The hope in Arabella's heart was fading, but it was still there. It was a small glimmer. But then she saw something that shattered whatever hope she had left. Philippa kissed Hunter. Hunter kissed her back, leaning into her.
The moment she kissed Hunter, Arabella's heart broke into a million pieces. Her whole world seemed to flip upside down and she nearly collapsed right there on the sidewalk. Her knees were weak and she felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She turned away and rubbed Hunter's pendant, which she hadn't taken off since she found it. He didn't want her. He was happy with Philippa. Hunter would probably never want Arabella. He didn't love her. Arabella started down the street towards her apartment. She didn't cry. She was numb. She didn't feel anything except emptiness. Arabella walked into the building and into the elevator, ignoring Tom. She made it to her apartment before she collapsed on the couch. She felt weak and tired and alone. All she wanted to do was fall asleep and never wake up.
The early morning sun hit her face and Arabella moaned. She didn't want to wake up. She didn't want to move. Her whole body felt weak and sore. She didn't want to do anything. Arabella pushed herself off of the couch eventually and on weak legs, she walked to the bathroom. Maybe a shower would calm her nerves. Arabella stepped into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She lifted up her tank top so she could look at her stomach. Arabella was repulsed by what she saw. She let go of the shirt and looked into the reflection of her eyes.
"You stupid, ugly, pathetic girl" Her Reflection said. Arabella nearly jumped out of her skin and shook her head, now she really was going crazy "Why would Hunter ever love you? What would anyone ever love you? You are a gross, fat piece of trash and you are going to die alone. It's all your fault that Hunter left you. Mind you, he probably would have left even if you didn't say all of those things to him. He would wake up one day and realize that he was with someone as terrible as you and drop you like a hot cake" the voice said harshly. Arabella shook her head more, tears pooling in her eyes.
"No, that's not true" Arabella whispered but Her Reflection cackled and and glared down at Arabella.
"Not true? You and I both know how true it is. Hunter deserves the best and you, my dear, are the farthest thing from it. You could die today and no one would notice. Not a soul would show up at your funeral. No one" Her Reflection laughed. Arabella felt in her heart that it was all true. Tears spilled down her cheeks and Arabella looked at her reflection for a moment before snapping. With a strangled scream, Arabella threw her fists against the glass. She hit it over and over and over again, not feeling the glass piercing her skin or the blood running down her arms. After a few moments, Arabella collapsed against the sink, sobbing. She hated herself. She hated what her life had become.
Arabella glanced down at her cut hands and looked at the sink. It was filled with glass and blood. For some reason, the blood fascinated her. Arabella climbed into the bathtub and sat down by the facet. Gingerly, she turned on the water and let it flow over her sore hands. Maybe she was right. Maybe if she died, no one really would notice. Maybe everyone would be happier to be rid of her. Arabella looked down at the bracelet on her wrist and it seemed to read her thoughts. Without having to really think about it, the bracelet turned into a dagger. Arabella held it in her hand, turning it over in her palm. She watched how the light reflected on the sharp blade. Arabella thought about Hunter. He had taught her how to hold her dagger, how to fight with it, how to use it. Life seemed so much easier back then. But now, all she saw in her future was loneliness. Arabella didn't see a future for herself, really. Thinking about Hunter was the most difficult thing in the world for her. She thought of his face and his smell and how she felt when he hugged her. But now, she would never know that feeling from him again. He was with Philippa. Arabella hoped that she made him happy and that he could live a happy life.
Arabella glanced down at her arm and she did what felt right, what felt natural in that moment. She did the only thing that she thought would make her feel better. Maybe when she got to the Underworld, she would see people she knew. Friends and family. Loved ones that she had lost. The tip of the dagger pierced the skin at her wrist easily. Arabella let out a gasp as her skin broke but she didn't stop. The blood flowed from her arm easily as she dragged the blade down her arm, make a long gash in her skin. Arabella gave a small sob and she leaned against he back of the tub. Everything was fuzzy. Everything was fading. Arabella watched as the blood kept flowing out of her arm and mixing with the water in the tub. She rested her arm on the edge, letting her dagger clatter to the floor. Tears fell from her tired eyes as her entire world started to go black. Arabella slowly turned her head to look at the door and her eyes shut gently.