 
The

Twisted

Veil

A Twisted Sisters Anthology

## The Twisted Veil

## Dovey Mayali Cralk, Riley Ross, Sally Slayer, Kaydence Rayne

## Smashwords Edition

## All stories contained in this volume are works of fiction. Any resemblance to a real person (living or deceased) or real situations are purely coincidental. They are results of each author's imagination.

## The Twisted Veil Anthology © 2014 by Dovey Mayali Cralk

## Published by Dovey Mayali Cralk through Smashwords

## All rights reserved.

## No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any way, shape, or form without express written permission by the authors.

## Cover artwork and cover image © 2014 Valari Roberts and Amanda Smeltzer.

## All rights reserved.

## This Smashwords published book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be shared, resold, or reproduced in any way shape or form.. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors.
Special thanks to Jaidis Shaw, for her patience, understanding, and MASSIVE amounts of assistance. You are AWESOME!

This collection is dedicated to you, the reader. Your support means everything to us.

# Table of Contents

The Memory Remains

An Almost Ghost Story

The Summer of Alyssa - Bonus Material: Two Chapter Teaser

Deviate 2 - Bonus Material: Three Chapter Sneak Peek

About the Sisters

##

# The Memory Remains

_© 2014 Riley Ross_

## This story is dedicated to my loved ones.

## You all know who you are.

## I love you all.

### Prologue

"It's all because of you that my dearest husband left me. I hate you and I curse the day you were born!" My momma vehemently screamed at me. Her breath reeked of stale booze and cigarettes. She resembled a demented clown with her makeup streaked down her face. Her cheaply dyed blonde hair was knotted as she hadn't brushed it in days. "I will get my revenge on you and then you will know what hell feels like. When you find your one true love I will take it away from you in the worst way possible. You hear me?"

Before I could respond to her hateful question, she slapped me so hard that it knocked me out of the chair. She was getting ready to strike at me again but Grandma Ginny stepped in between us. The rage on Grandma's face scared me more than my mother's outbursts.

"Irina, get the hell out of my house and never come around here again! Blaming a sweet child for your failures is unacceptable! Leave now before I unleash the gods and goddesses against you! Be gone now or I will tear you apart and feed you to the dogs!" With each word, she jabbed her finger in my mother's direction.

"Hush baby girl, I am gonna keep you safe from her," my grandma said softly as she touched my face. "She will never harm you. Delia and I will take care of you. My sweet baby girl, you are bonded to us."

"Momma is right. We will teach you everything you need to know." My Aunt Delia's soft and sweet tone soothed me. While she held me to her, the gentle lullaby they crooned lulled me to sleep. Drowsily, I realized that I finally felt safe and secure with them before giving in to the sleep.

### Chapter One

Fifteen years later

Finding his battered and bloody body on her makeshift stone altar, I felt as if I had died a thousand deaths. His hazel eyes were open but they seemed lifeless. Giving into my instincts, I let out a primal roar that startled the nearby creatures in the woods. Jake's beautiful blue eyes opened and I could see the pain and confusion in them. My aunt and grandmother didn't react to my outburst. They were too focused on staring my mother down. Looking into my mother's eyes, I vowed vengeance after seeing her hatred and anger towards me.

"I told you, I would take away your happiness. How does it feel to know that he is dying because of you? Go ahead and hold your precious Jake as he takes his last breath." Irina stared at me with malice in her eyes as she stabbed him with her silver dagger one last time. She laughed hysterically before disappearing with the snap of her fingers.

Oh how I wanted to rip her head from her body. I wanted to eviscerate her and watch her take her dying breath. The rage that was building up inside me was about to boil over. I was getting ready to follow her so I could kill her but my grandma quickly brought me back to reality with her sharp words.

"Samantha Jane, I need you to focus. We need to heal Jake," Grandma Ginny snapped at me.

"I need to protect him from her. Delia, do you have that memory erasing spell?" I asked my aunt and she nodded. "Once he is protected from her, I am going to end this war she wants with me."

We stood in a circle over Jake's prone and nearly lifeless body and casted the healing spell. Watching his wounds close up and the blood disappear from his body gave me the focus I desperately needed. After he was healed, Delia recited her spell and dripped a clear liquid onto his chest. Since her hand was shaking at the confrontation with my mother, she poured more than what was required onto Jake.

"Shit," she exclaimed as the winds howled around us. I was frozen in place as I watched images of my relationship with Jake poured out of his eyes. Even though I was immobilized, I could feel a rumble of the earth underneath my feet.

Thunder rolled and an icy rain poured down on the four of us. With a flash of lightening, my beloved Jake was gone. I tried to call out for him but I was paralyzed. The snippets of our memories were gone and I felt this emptiness in my heart. Suddenly, the storm was over, and the feelings in my hands and legs returned. Delia and Grandma rushed over to me to check on me.

"Jake!!!!!! Where are you?" I screamed frantically as I tried to call for my lover. He wasn't supposed to vanish. That isn't what happened when Delia casted the spell before. The silence was almost deafening in the dark woods in the bayou near my house. This was our regular meeting place since it was between both of our families houses. Kneeling down to the ground beside the altar where I last saw him, I saw the amulet that I had given him for protection against the dark forces which would be my mother and her little minions. The coldness of the evil eye necklace stunned me; it was like Jake had never existed. Our love was forbidden because of my mother; she hated anyone or anything I felt close to. She vowed to ruin my life because my father walked out on her. The cruel promise she made years ago still haunts me to this day.

Before I lost consciousness, I thought I heard Irina's familiar evil laugh. That sound echoed through the tense air of the bayou and sent chills up my spine. Trying to speak to my aunt, I felt a warmth envelop my body but I could not open my eyes or my mouth. Before I lost the battle against sleep, I felt as if my body was floating through the air.

I woke up in my own bed with my Aunt Delia and Grandma Ginny standing guard over me. When I tried to sit up, Grandma gently pushed me back down against my soft pillows. She handed me a glass that held an amber liquid. Sniffing it cautiously, it smelled like her favorite Johnnie Walker Black whiskey.

"Drink up, Baby, this will help you sleep peacefully tonight." Grandma said soothingly. Once I had knocked it back in one huge gulp, she grinned at me. "That's my girl. Oh how you remind me of your grandpa."

"Sammie, I am so sorry. I messed the measurements up. Can you forgive me?" Delia asked with tears in her icy blue eyes.

"Delia, as you once told me, 'shit happens'. Is Jake safe?"

"Yes, but," she was getting ready to say more but I stopped her.

"That's all that matters."

"I erased his memory and I rewound time. We went back in time by five months. His protection is now on you. Sammie, you have to stay away from him."

My grandmother poured me another generous portion of her whiskey and I knocked this one back just as quickly as its predecessor. I tried to understand what she said but the alcohol and whatever Grandma added to the scotch whiskey was making me loopy. The last thing I saw before I went under was them looking sad. I wanted to console them but I was too far gone to say anything.

### Chapter Two

The next morning when I opened my eyes, I saw my mother sitting in the rocking chair. Her cold smile in place and there was a hint of frost in the air. I was getting ready to scream as she moved towards me but her hand locked around my throat.

"You stupid little girl. I know what you did to protect your precious boyfriend. That will not stop me from destroying you." She hissed at me.

While she focused her attention on me, she never heard Delia come up behind her and swing a heavy cast iron pan down on the back of her head. "Take that, you wackadoodle!" Delia crowed happily.

Looking down at the seemingly lifeless form of my mother, I bit back a scream of terror as the face morphed into Irina's friend, Connie. Delia dropped the frying pan down onto Connie's face and we both grinned as her nose broke.

"I never liked her anyways," Delia said cheerfully as we restrained our visitor. "Here's the game plan, while I interrogate her, you go on in to work and act like everything is fine. Stay away from Jake." I was getting ready to disagree with her but decided against it. She didn't take to kindly with anyone disagreeing with her. The last time someone didn't listen to her, Delia made their life a living hell for a week. She turned her boyfriend into a poodle.

Once I got to Delia's bookstore, I took a moment to process everything that had `happened. I lost the love of my life and my wicked mother was back to wreak havoc in my life. The only thing I had going for me was that it was Friday. Friday nights in our small town meant classic movies shown in the library. The librarian always picked the black and white films from the 1950's.

While doing the opening routine for the store, I sang Spice Girls songs to keep the silence at bay. Lost in my cheesy imitation of Ginger Spice, I never heard anyone come up behind me until I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around quickly and threw a punch that connected with Jake's chin.

"Dammit Sam, what the fuck? I was just bringing you a soda. You know our little morning ritual?" He growled at me as he held his cold soda to his chin.

"Go away Jake!" Tears started to well up in my eyes and I heard him sigh. Drinking in the sight of him, I took in the fact that he didn't have any battle scars from the night before.

"What's the matter with you Sammie? Did your mom do something to hurt you?" He asked softly as I started to sob uncontrollably.

"Jake, if our friendship means anything to you, please leave me alone. Stay away from me. You have been my best friend my entire life and I don't want to lose you ever again. Trust me on this." I sobbed as he continued to hold me against his muscular chest.

"You never lost me," he said warmly. "Sammie, you are my best friend in the whole world. Just tell me what to do so I can fix this for you."

"Leave me alone. She will hurt you to get at me. I don't want that. So please stay away from me. I promise you that once it's safe, we can be friends again." I was pleading with him until he snapped.

"When you get your mom issues sorted out, give me a call." He stormed out of the bookstore with a slam of the door.

Wiping the tears away, I decided to get to work and make the store presentable for Delia. She has a room off to the side of the main room where she does Tarot card readings. I dusted the shelves and lovingly straightened the books. Delia is the one who taught me to appreciate the beauty of books. Books are what caused my bond to Jake. One of our classmates was teasing him about reading a book; since Jake wouldn't defend himself, I did it for him.

Going over to the wooden counter where the cash register was, I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye. It seemed like there was hundreds of snakes coming out of the walls and slithering towards me. Paralyzed with fear, I let out a little squeak of terror. Before the snakes could get any closer to me, there was a sound of booming thunder.

"Sammie, it's okay. You can open your eyes. The slithering little bastards are gone." The voice sounded like my grandma's thick southern drawl but I was certain that it was a trick so I kept my eyes closed. "Samantha Jane Kennedy, open those eyes now. You can trust us Baby Girl."

Opening my eyes, I saw Grandma and Delia standing there with concerned looks upon their faces. Sighing with relief, I hugged them both tightly to me. After I told them about Jake's visits and the snakes, they were silent for a few minutes. The silence was eating at me because I had the feeling they knew something but were holding it back from me.

### Chapter Three

"What?"

"Connie told me everything. A couple drops of my truth serum and she was singing like a canary. Irina has gained a lot of power. She needs to be stopped immediately." Delia said in a rush.

"How did she gain power?" I asked in confusion.

"In order to gain power for dark powers you have to do some evil and dastardly things. Sacrifices and such. Honey, your momma is evil. I hate telling you that. The only thing you need to focus on right now is coming up with a plan to stop her. We are going to help you of course, but I can only guide you so far."

"Grandma, it's not your fault. So please don't blame yourself. How do we stop her?" I asked as I started thinking of spells or potions that would stop Irina.

Noticing the long pause between Delia and Grandma. I started to ask them again but Delia held up her hand to silence me.

"There isn't a spell or potion that will stop her. She needs to be stopped permanently." Delia said in a matter of fact tone. She avoided my gaze while Grandma stared at me with a worried expression on her face.

"How do we stop--," the realization of what had to be done hit me like a ton of bricks. We had to kill her. She was too far gone to redeem herself. Sitting down on the stool that was behind the counter, I started to laugh hysterically.

A thunderous boom rattled the building and caused Delia to let out a squeak. The sky was dark, it looked like a bad thunderstorm was coming in to settle. Seeing people frozen in their tracks alerted me to that something else was going down. All I could hear was Grandma humming her favorite battle hymn, 'The Final Countdown', which made me laugh.

My laughter stopped when I saw Jake being forced to walk towards the bookstore. He was close enough for me to see the horrified look in his eyes. My mother grinned at me before slicing his throat in a quick motion.

Seeing the blood pour out of his gaping wound, I tried to move my feet to get to him. I couldn't move as Delia and Grandma were thrown backwards into the shelves of books. I could see that they were breathing but that is the last thing I saw of them before Irina strode confidently into the store.

"How did it feel to watch your precious Jake die?" She asked icily.

I chose not to answer her because I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing my hurt. She would feed off of that and that would cause her powers to grow.

"I don't know. How did it feel when Daddy left your frigid ass? Or did he leave you because you are a witch?" I asked her. Taking delight in her shock at my hateful words gave me power. "Did that hurt your frigid heart?"

Irina marched over to me and slapped me as hard as she could, but it didn't move me. I let her get her hits in and I waited for the right moment to plant my daddy's hunting knife in her heart.

As she leaned into me, I shoved the knife into her chest and watched as a myriad of emotions play out over her face. Smiling down at her as she collapsed down to the ground, I knew at last I was free from her.

### Epilogue

After the death of Irina, I learned that she had killed my father years ago in one of her fits of rage. I discovered this information in her journal that she left behind in her hideout. While Jake was gone from me forever, I had the memories of us that remained. Memories that would haunt me and that would keep me company when I needed them to.

The End
Note from Riley

While growing up in Virginia, I dreamed of making my escape. Don't get me wrong, I loved the beauty of Virginia, but I didn't have the happiest of childhoods. It was a struggle to survive an alcoholic and abusive father, but reading was my escape to a happier place. I was reading Jackie Collins books before the age of 12. Jackie Collins, Sandra Brown, Danielle Steel and others were my inspiration to write stories. I would love to thank them for providing me with a safe haven to escape to. Also, a huge thank you goes to my grandparent for introducing me to wrestling and romance novels. My grandmother would always read a Harlequin romance novel; I got my love of books and wrestling from her. I joined the Air Force when I was 18 and didn't look back. I was in the service for 12 years and on my first day, I met my version of Prince Charming, and we are parents to two Siberian Huskies, Sammie and Demon. Our furbaby family has grown to include Brutus, Shy, and Fluffy. So for those that are in dark situations, dreams do come true.

Check me out at: www.facebook.com/RileyRossRomance

Visit me on Twitter @RileyRoss7

#  An Almost Ghost Story

_© 2014 Dovey Mayali Cralk_

## Dedicated to Courtney Jackson.

## Thanks for all of your love, support, and kindness!

## Love, Dovey

### Chapter One

The young woman stepped out of her beat up old Ford and grinned widely, looking up at the old house in front of her. A gust of wind made her long black skirt whirl around her ankles while her blonde hair ruffled and puffs of dust danced circles on the front porch. The house, an old two-story craftsman with cream paint and lavender trim, seemed to smile back at its new owner in the bright morning sun. She had bought it all, the house and the entire surrounding land. Lockfox Valley, Wyoming was all hers.

"Welcome home, Pippa Harrington," she said to herself. Laughing joyfully out loud, she began to pull suitcases and boxes from the bed of the truck and put them all by the front door. A man in the nearest town, Wheatwick, had offered to help her unload when she had stopped for directions, but Pippa had quickly backed away from him, saying there was someone waiting to assist her. The truth was that she was alone, but she had a terrible fear of unknown men.

She didn't mind the work; she did it with a smile on her face, lightness in her heart, and singing 80's rock ballads the whole while. Not really having that much with her, it took only an hour to get the boxes and bags moved from the truck to the porch, then from the porch to the room where each belonged.

It was only midday, so Pippa decided to take a break for some lunch and to look around her new property. When her grandparents had passed away within months of each other five years before, they had left her some money. It wasn't a huge amount, but she had let it sit in the bank to collect what little interest it could while trying to find the perfect home for herself. She wouldn't have to worry about transferring for work, as she made blankets and clothes, did paintings here and there, and had a website to sell them on that made just enough for her to live off of. If she could find a place to buy outright, she'd have one less bill since she wouldn't have to worry about rent.

After some searching around, Pippa had decided on Wyoming and set about looking for remote places that had land with homes on them. She struck pay dirt when she found this one. The entire valley for ten square miles included the house and all mineral rights, and even had a few trees around it. And the price was only half of what she already in the bank! Asked about the low cost, the relator had scoffed and explained that the owners were simply tired of having it on the market and wanted it sold. She knew that it had been rented out before, but the occupants always moved out rather quickly. Pippa wasn't stupid, and knew there was a catch of some kind, but she was willing to tough whatever it was out, having fallen in love at first sight with the house.

Walking around outside, she marveled that the two pine trees in the front yard had managed to grow so large. They were a rather rare occurrence in the prairie land, and she felt very lucky that she had them so close. The place she had lived most of her life outside of London had had a lot of trees, and the lack of such was the only drawback she had found in her choice of locations now. With these here, though, she felt more comfortable in her decision, and was sure it would be perfect for her. She continued all around the house, taking note of the small pond in the back and the way the grass and wildflowers seemed to roll in the wind, reminding her of waves in the ocean. She smiled again, feeling happy and peaceful for the first time in a long time.

She never noticed the man watching her from the attic window.

Pippa went back inside and finished the sandwich she had picked up at a shop in Wheatwick before unpacking the kitchen. She was humming, and had just turned around to get the tablecloth for her little table when she was startled by a red-haired man standing at the other end of the kitchen, arms folded, glaring at her. She screamed and dropped the cloth in exchange for the best weapon she had at hand: an antique teapot her Gran had given to her.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she screeched at the man.

" _GET OUT_!" he shouted back at her with a Midwestern accent.

"Sod off! This is my house, _you_ get out, or I'm calling the police!"

The man took a menacing step toward her as he lowered his arms and balled his hands into fists. "I said get out of here! This is _my_ house, and you don't belong here!"

Pippa cocked an eyebrow at him and scowled. "I bought this house, clean and clear! Now leave!"

Not only was she alone with a strange man now, but he was making her feel scared and threatened. She fumbled around on the counter in front of her for the mobile phone, afraid to take her eyes off of the intruder.

He smirked. "Think you're gonna call the cops on me? Guess again!" He flicked his hand in front of him and the cell slid away from her just as her fingers landed on it.

"How did you do that?" she asked, startled.

"I can do a lot more than that; not anything you'd want to know about, though. Now get out!" The boxes around her began to rattle and she saw his form become just a bit transparent.

Pippa shook her head and laughed suddenly, putting the teapot back down on the counter and crossing her arms, much as he had before.

His mouth dropped open. "What the hell are you doing? I said leave!"

"Ha!" she laughed, "I'm not gonna be bossed about by some ghost! Piss off; I'm trying to unpack here." With that, she bent down and retrieved the cloth, then turned her back on him to spread it out on the table, picking up her tune again.

Behind her, the man sputtered, trying to form words. She had finished setting up the table and moved on to the next box by the time he recovered. "What, Brits aren't afraid of ghosts?" he asked incredulously.

Putting pots and pans away, she tossed a glance his way. "I'm American."

"What? You have a British accent! And that's all beside the point! Why aren't you afraid of me?"

She turned to face him with her hands on her hips. "If I explain this, will you leave me alone and let me unpack?"

Trying to look menacing despite his state of shock, he told her he'd consider it.

"Fine. My parents were American, and I was born in California. Therefore, I am American. Satisfied?"

"Satisfied? Are you kidding me? NO! You sound like you're British, and you told me to 'sod off'! And that's not what I wanted to know, anyway! _Why_ are you not running away screaming?"

Pippa rolled her eyes. "I grew up outside of London, but I'm American. And you're just a shadow of who you once were, you can't hurt me! Happy now, Casper?"

One of the pans she had just hung up flew off its hook and across the room.

"This isn't over!" he shouted at her as he disappeared.

"Well, talk about mood swings!" Pippa said to the empty kitchen. Then she shrugged and dragged the next box over to finish setting up her kitchen, in desperate need of tea or coffee, whichever she got to first.

***

In a tiny, pale blue room, the man sat there mumbling to himself. "Crazy assed woman! Who acts like talking to a ghost is no big deal? What am I gonna have to do to get her out? Gah! Where the hell did she come from?!"

***

Pippa had finally found her coffee maker and grounds and set it to brew while she put the last of her plates away. Looking around the now brightly decorated kitchen, she smiled proudly. Everything was done in here, save for taking the boxes out and going for groceries. The coffee maker beeped and she fixed herself a cup. Feeling like she had accomplished a lot, Pippa decided to reward herself by taking her steaming mug out to the swing that had been positioned between the trees to relax before tackling the living room. Leaning back there, she watched the sun set slowly across the valley behind the house, admiring how clear and crisp the colors appeared out in the country. The wind picked up again and tousled her hair and clothes, chilling her just enough to send her back inside to get the fireplace ready and set up the living room. The man who had built the house hadn't installed central heating or air conditioning, but she was planning on camping in the living room near the fire for now, anyway. Thankfully, the realtor had thought to have a crew come clean up the house and clear out the chimney before her arrival. The woman had also had the electricity connected for her. It was only October, but the nights tended to get cold, especially on an open plain where the wind had free reign, as it did here.

Half an hour later, Pippa had hung the curtains, gotten a fire going, swept and laid out rugs, and was in the process of hooking up all of the cords behind her entertainment center when she heard a noise. Still being uneasy at the unfamiliarity of the place, she let out a squeak and jumped. A field mouse ran across the floor and she sighed.

"Guess I'm gonna have to get a cat or two, aren't I?" she said to the small creature as it scurried into hiding.

A voice from the darkened hallway made her scream. "Or you could just leave."

"That you, Casper? And here I thought you had left because you didn't like my company!"

She heard him make a frustrated sound before stepping into the light. "Why won't you just leave?" he demanded.

Pippa finished plugging cords in and struggled to push the heavy wooden box that held the electronics back into place. Then she turned to look at him, taking in his rugged features. Tall, much taller than she was, he had red stubble on his face and intelligent looking blue eyes. He wore faded denim jeans over dirty cowboy boots, and a simple black t-shirt. The style of the clothes told her he couldn't have died too many years ago. She felt sad for him. He was a very handsome man who looked to be in his late thirties. Much too young to have one's life cut short, in her opinion.

He in turn studied her while waiting for an answer. He couldn't help but be drawn to her, even though he wanted her gone. She was beautiful. _Kind of looks like a little pixie_. She was on the short side, with curly blonde hair that fell to just below her shoulders, bright hazel eyes, and full lips that seemed quick to take on a smile. He had just started to think about how her lips would feel when she shook him out of it by responding.

"I won't leave because this is my home now. I paid the money, I got the deed. It's mine. You're welcome to hang around, but if you cause many more problems I'll have to exorcise your git ass, get me?"

He was grateful she had stopped the thoughts. He didn't want anyone here, didn't want to _want_ anyone here; it was his sanctuary. Even if he _did_ want someone around, it's not like he could even touch them. No handshakes, no friendly pats on the back, nothing. He preferred to just be left alone. Since it was obvious she was going to try and stay, for now at least, he had to ask her a question.

"Fine then! At least tell me why you're not afraid of me."

She waved her hand dismissively as she put movies into the cabinet. "Something happened to me when I was a kid, and I started seeing ghosts. Most of them are just repeats, but I've met one other who could think and speak to me. I've seen you lot since then, and I happen to know there's no reason to be afraid."

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean by repeats?"

"You know what? I'm not answering anymore of your questions until you at least tell me your name, if you can remember it. If we're to have a conversation, I should at least have something to call you, right?"

"Oh!" he was a little startled. It had been a very long time since anyone asked his name. "What if I don't want to tell you my name?"

Pippa shrugged. "Then I'll stop speaking to you at all."

The ghostly man drew himself up, standing even taller than before. "Why should I care?"

"Because I can see the curiosity is just eating you up," she said simply, trying to hide her sly smile.

He scowled and shifted to the other foot, unwilling to admit that she was right.

"Come on then, I see on your face that you don't like it when I call you 'Casper', so spit it out, will ya?"

He puffed out a breath, which Pippa found odd as he didn't need to breathe, and answered her. "My name is Griffin, okay?"

"Oh, Griffin! I like that name! Well then," she rose and went to stand in front of him. "Nice to meet you Griffin, my name is Pippa." She started to hold her hand out, then realized how silly it was and dropped it back at her side, grinning widely instead. "Isn't that better?" she asked him.

"I could kill you, you know."

Pippa was caught off guard and fell back a step. "Excuse me?"

Griffin stepped menacingly toward her, hunching his back and getting eye level with her. "You heard me. You need to leave now, or I will _make_ you go, one way or another."

The look of fright fled her eyes and was replaced with angry fire. "Now look here! I was trying to make nice with you, trying to be friendly, and out of the blue you start threatening me? You sir, are an ass!" She turned to storm away from him, seeking the soothing comfort of the trees, but spun around at the front door. "Oh! And I happen to know that you can't kill me!" Then she slammed the door open and went to the swing again, letting the now cold wind calm her temper. She continued to mutter about 'bloody bipolar ghosts'.

Griffin stood at the screen door watching her, his own anger fleeting. He wanted to be mad, to hate her, but it was hard. It had been so long since he'd had a friend, and she was alone, like him. Her bubbly personality and witty charm reminded him of a nurse he used to know, the only real friend he had ever had. He wouldn't allow himself to be her friend, though. He needed her to leave. Fading out of sight, he reappeared in the attic to watch her where she couldn't return his glare.

After several minutes of sitting the wind, Pippa's frustration with her ghost had given way to the shivering, brought on by the quickly dropping temperature. She had been so mad that she didn't think to grab a jacket to put on over her thin tank top, and she was freezing. Giving up, she jogged back to the house and ran straight to the fireplace. She realized there were tears on her face, and cursed herself.

"Why must I cry at every little emotion?"

Angrily wiping them away, she continued to warm herself, curled up on a pile of pillows in front of the fire. That's where she fell asleep. Griffin walked silently over and stared down at her in confusion. He felt bad that she had gotten so cold and cried because of him, but he really wanted her gone. He told himself that if she got sick, she would be here even longer. Looking around, he saw a throw blanket hanging off the side of a box, and had it sliding toward him a moment later. Then, his brow furrowed in concentration, he quickly snatched the blanket up and tossed it over her body. His face covered in sweat, he nodded to himself and vanished seconds later.

***

Back in the blue room, Griffin curled up and went to sleep, exhausted from focusing so hard to be able to touch the blanket.

***

Pippa's eyelids fluttered. "Never met a ghost who could do that," she mumbled before falling back to sleep.

### Chapter Two

The next morning Pippa awoke to the sounds of birds singing. Making her coffee, she went to the bathroom and cleaned up, changing into jeans and a Halestorm t-shirt, getting ready for the day. Her sofa was supposed to be delivered before lunch, and she was nervous. At least when dealing with Griffin she knew he couldn't even touch her, let alone hurt her, but knowing that men were coming frightened her. She tried to ignore it, and sat down to a breakfast of fruit. When her bowl whipped across the table and to the floor where it shattered, she rolled her eyes and put her spoon down, picking up her coffee before the ghost could steal that away as well.

"Morning, Griff," she muttered.

"What are repeats?"

Pippa sighed. It was too early in the morning for this. "I'm sorry?"

Griffin popped up sitting cross-legged on the table directly in front of her. She jumped, spilling her coffee in her lap and almost tipping the chair backwards. "Bloody hell, did you have to do that?" she shouted.

"What are repeats?"

"God, what is wrong with you?" she screamed as she dabbed at her pants with a towel.

He began to sporadically pop up all over the kitchen, making the dishes rattle and the cabinet doors and drawers open and close. "What are repeats?"

Pippa tossed her head back and screamed in frustration before storming out of the kitchen. Digging through her suitcase and muttering curses at him, she ignored it when he started making things bang around in what would soon be her bedroom. Finding a clean pair of jeans, she stomped to the attached bathroom and slammed the door shut, screaming at him that he'd better not watch. She changed clothes and emerged a few minutes later, feeling calmer now that she had put some cool water on her skin. Luckily for her, the coffee had had a little time to cool off and didn't burn her very badly.

Griffin stood outside the door, his quickly becoming customary crossed-arms and glower in place. Pippa didn't look at him, but said something as she walked past him and through the door. "A repeat is when something so emotional happens to a person, either during life or at the time of death, that it leaves an imprint. The energy from the emotions just repeats itself over and over again, replaying the event. Some are good scenes, some are bad. Do your worst, you could never be as bad as the first one I saw." She tried to keep her voice flat, but the tortured tone at the end was unmistakable to Griffin's ears. Pippa cleared her throat. "If you want to apologize for making me get burned, hang around when the delivery men come."

Griffin looked puzzled. "What?"

"Do it or don't, I don't care. I'm going to get more coffee, let me drink it in peace, please."

He tried to figure how to react to her sudden sullen mood, and decided to get angry. It was what had always worked for him before; it was where he felt safe.

Back in the kitchen, he made a few plates fall out and crash to the floor, sent a pan fly across the room to shatter a framed photo of flowers. He made sure not to get anything too close to where she was drinking her coffee - he was angry, not an asshole who wanted to actually hurt her.

Pippa ignored his antics, just kept sipping at her steaming breakfast and staring out through the bay window by the table. He became more enraged the more she pretended nothing was happening, and had all of the glassware in the cupboard broken by the time she finished drinking from her oversized old mug. He watched as she placed it in the sink and walked silently to the living room to finish unpacking and getting ready for the delivery men. Unhappy with her lack of reaction, he continued to wreak havoc around her, making a mess everywhere she had just straightened up.

She simply continued to pretend nothing was happening, just kept putting things away over and over again until she heard the truck rumbling up the drive. She sighed. "Okay Pips, here we go," she muttered to herself.

Griffin stopped his rampage, noticing the sudden tension in her body and voice. He faded back into the shadows to watch.

Pippa was already on her way to the door when heavy knocks sounded out. Pulling it open with a fake smile plastered on her face, she greeted the men and showed them where the sofa was to go. Seeing that there were still movie cases scattered across the floor, she stooped to pick them up and get them out of the way, and heard one of them, a short man with thickly muscled arms, let out a low whistle. Pippa shot back up to standing and tried to find a way to hide. Having nowhere to go, she forced herself to calm down and put the movies away.

Seeing her unease, Griffin wondered if he should step in. He didn't know why she was so nervous, but remembered that she had said something about sticking around when these men were here. He was still debating it when the other man, taller than the first and built like a body builder, strode toward her and leaned in a little too close.

"Hey sweet cheeks, what's a pretty little thing like you doing out here all alone? You need a man around!"

Pippa tried to move away, and he backed her against the wall, making her feel trapped. "No, no I'm fine," she stuttered.

He grinned lecherously and started to move his body closer. "Oh, come on! You need a man, and I'm willing to fill the position, you know?" She could smell alcohol on his breath, and wondered how someone could be drunk this early in the day, besides being on the job.

"No, I'm really fine, could you please get the sofa?" she was beginning to panic now, and was sure she was going to freak out at any moment.

The other man, who had been ogling her before, spoke up nervously. "Yo, Pete, we've got more deliveries to do before noon, let's get this show on the road."

"I'll be there in a minute, Randy, I'm trying to get acquainted with this little lady, here!"

Randy shuffled nervously. "I think you're scaring her, man. Let's just get her stuff and head out, okay?"

The man called Pete swung his head around angrily. "Will you shut up?"

Griffin had had enough. The tiny brat of a woman was nothing to him, but he could not stand by and watch this any longer. Stepping from the shadows and walking quickly toward her, he said, "Hey honey, sorry it took so long, I walked out farther than I realized."

Pete quickly dropped his arms and stepped back. He might have been big, but Griffin was even taller than he was, and his strength was evident in the way he carried himself. Griffin walked right up to Pippa and whispered for her pretend he was hugging her. She was too shaken up to question him, and pulled her arms up in front of her, making sure they were positioned to look like they were resting on his chest. Pete said nothing as he rushed out the door, and the two men had the sofa shoved into the living room in record time before tearing down the road in their truck without another word.

Pippa let out her breath in a whoosh, feeling relieved. She dropped her arms and went to the couch, collapsing on it.

Griffin went to her, concerned. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She was still taking deep breaths, shaken. "I'm okay now. Thank you for helping me back there." She looked up at him, tears of gratitude in her eyes. "I...I was really scared," she admitted in a rush.

"So I noticed," he teased gently. "Guys like that are just asshats, you know? You can't let them know they have that power over you, or they'll never ease up."

Pippa just nodded, feeling drained. The couch was still sideways in the large archway entrance, and she needed to move it. With a sigh, she stood up.

"What are you doing?" Griffin asked.

Pippa cast a look at him. She was in his debt for helping her, but the evidence of his temper tantrum was still everywhere. Luckily the delivery men hadn't noticed. "I have to move the couch where it belongs, of course." She began doing just that, pushing and pulling, and finally got it where she wanted it before flopping on it once more.

"You got an orange couch?"

She smiled and rubbed her hand across the soft fabric, "Pretty, isn't it?"

He huffed. "Don't quite see the point since you won't be staying."

"Pardon me? I already told you, this is my house, so why wouldn't I be moving furniture in?"

Griffin became angry with himself. He didn't want her getting comfortable, and he shouldn't have helped her, but he wasn't the kind of person who could just let something bad happen to a person. Now she probably thought they were friends. "Get out."

"No."

"Dammit, woman! Why won't you just give me peace?!"

She sat up to look at him. "Look, I'm having a rough day in case you haven't noticed. If you don't want to hear me talk, then stop starting conversations, yeah? I'm going to finish in here, then I'm going to do my bathroom, then I'm rewarding myself with a nice adult beverage. If you don't like it, then piss off."

Griffin didn't what to say, so instead picked up his tantrum where he had left off. He didn't break anything this time, figuring that since he had destroyed all of her dishes already he had done enough of that. He did, however, make sure to follow her around the house and annoy her as much as possible. If he couldn't scare her off, maybe he could make life so unbearable she would leave.

This continued for the next few weeks, Pippa ignoring him and eating off of paper plates, drinking from her only remaining coffee mug, while he tried to think of new things to taunt her with.

Pippa would vacuum, Griffin would make the electric cord wiggle loose.

She would start water to boiling, and the pot would fly off the stove.

After printing out her orders and stacking them up, he would send them flying all over the room.

He had taken to resting during the evening, giving her a short time of relaxation, before making everything in the house rattle and shake so she was unable to sleep. Every night she would cover her head with a pillow in an attempt to block out the sounds of cabinet doors slamming shut, the TV blaring nothing but static, and her stereo cranked up to full volume. He would sing made up songs at the top of his lungs directly into her ears. Every once in a while he would make her bed, delivered by much more polite moving men, shake and rumble just to keep her off balance. By the time a month in her new home had gone by, poor Pippa was pale and had bags under eyes, carrying out her work orders on auto-pilot. She was exhausted, but refused to give in and leave her home. With the cost of moving over here, she couldn't have gone even if she had wanted to. The night time attacks became worse and worse as Griffin got more frustrated with his non-existent rate of success at driving her away.

One afternoon, as Pippa sat at her sewing machine to piece together a new quilt, Griffin made the table jump at just the wrong moment, causing her finger to slip under the needle. She shrieked and jerked back, sticking the bloody finger in her mouth as she ran to the kitchen. He felt horrible as he watched her run cold water over the wound, tears pouring down her face.

"Shit, Pippa, I am so sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen!" He forgot momentarily about his lack of a physical presence and tried put his hand on her back, only to have it go right through her. She didn't notice though; her vision was too blurry. "Does...does it hurt that bad?"

She shook her head and turned the water off, wrapping a paper towel around the finger. "It hurts, but that's not why I'm crying."

Griffin looked down at her, confused. "Then what's wrong with you?"

Her head whipped around to pin him with a watery glare. "Just because you can't live, doesn't mean that no one else should! I know you don't like that you can't do things like take a bloody breath, but you don't have to make every one of mine a living hell! You're driving me batty, yes, but guess what, Griffy old boy! I'm not leaving! I will stay here in this house, use it for my own personal insane asylum, and you will never hear the last of me, not until I'm dead and buried in the ground right there with you!" She turned her back on him and sobbed quietly, trying to regain control of herself. She had just had too much, and had been pushed to the point where a good old fashioned melt down was the only solution.

Griffin didn't understand this, and wanted to help her. He suddenly realized that he had, indeed, put her through more hell than any one person deserved. All of his shenanigans and pranks, and she was still here. He thought of all the times she had spoken kindly to him, and this was the first time she had ever really screamed at him like this. He had gone too far.

"Pippa, I'm so sorry," he said.

She took a deep breath. "Listen, I think it's time we had a talk. If you don't stop, I do know ways to get rid of you..."

### Chapter Three

"You have ways of getting rid of me?" he asked, startled.

"I do. Now you need to stop. Stop acting like a spoiled little brat who's pissed off because he didn't get his way! I'm not your mummy; I'm not going to give you your way just so you'll stop your tantrums! I don't want to force you out of here, but I will if I have to."

Griffin had already come to the realization that he needed to stop what he was doing. He didn't like admitting it to himself, but he had grown used to having her around and would miss her if she left. Even through all of his torment, she had been nice to him, catching him off guard by luring him into conversations about the weather or the music she had playing at the time. It was the closest thing to a friendship the man had had in longer than he could even remember. Seeing her tears, tears that he had caused, was the slap in the face he so desperately deserved and needed.

"Okay," was his simple reply.

Pippa opened her mouth to snap back. "Bloody right, 'O-' Wait, what?" She had been expecting an argument of some kind, and stopped short.

"I said, 'Okay'. I'll stop. I took it too far; I should never have let it get that out of hand. I just...all right, here's the thing. When other people have moved in here before, and there have been a lot, I just rattled a few dishes, looked out at them from the shadows, and bam! They moved out. Everyone was easy to scare off. Why did you think you got such a great deal on this property? The price went down every time the new owners put it on the market, since they wanted so desperately to unload it. But then you came along, all sass and fire, and I took it as a personal challenge. The harder I tried to drive you away, the more you dug your heels in. When I saw that, I pushed more and more, thinking that only one of us could win. For that, I apologize. I let my drive to win take over my better senses. Can you forgive me?"

Pippa just stood there staring at him in shock.

"Um. I'd offer to buy you some new dishes to replace the ones I broke, but my wallet is on my other body," he joked, trying to lighten the mood. She remained silent. "Pippa? Please say something."

She cleared her throat. "I uh...I need a few minutes alone, I think. To process this..." Without another word, she walked slowly to the front of the house and out to the swing, which had quickly become her favorite place, to sway gently back and forth and let her thoughts sort themselves out in a way that made sense.

What's with the about face? One minute the little wanker is tormenting me to the fullest of his capabilities, the next he's apologizing! It's probably just another trick. He just wants to lull me into a false sense of security to make his next bombardment feel even worse than the ones before. But he seemed so sincere...ugh! What am I supposed to do here? What do I believe?

Griffin stood on the porch, watching the different emotions crossing her face, and hoping that she was able to see that he truly was sorry. He couldn't believe he had allowed himself to become such a monster. _Maybe she'll forgive me if I show her the hidden library_!

"Yo, Pip Squeak!" he called.

She seemed to have forgotten he was there, as she jumped when she heard his voice. "Did you just call me a pip squeak?"

He laughed. "Yeah, what about it? Come on, I completely forgot about something, I'm thinking you might want to see it, maybe even move some of your sewing stuff in there."

That brought Pippa up short, and she glared at him suspiciously. "A new place, huh? This is all some big trick, isn't it? What, did you set something up to keep me trapped inside so I can't even escape to the yard?" She was so livid that her body began to shake while she strode angrily to meet him on the porch.

"No! No, I'm trying to give you a peace offering here! Dammit, of course you don't believe me, what the hell was I thinking?" He began to pace back and forth, running his hands over his face. It unnerved Pippa even farther. She could see his boots hitting the floor, but no dust stirred, nor could she hear the tapping sound her brain kept telling her should be coming.

"Um, could you please stop that?"

Griffin paused and looked at her. "Huh? Stop what?"

"That," she waved her hand at his feet. "It's messing with my head!"

Looking down at his feet, he cocked an eyebrow at her in confusion. "Okay, I'm lost. What am I doing wrong?"

Pippa giggled. She hadn't meant to, but it really was silly. The whole situation suddenly struck her as hilarious and she burst out into full blown laughter. Doubling over, she kept pointing at Griffin and trying to speak.

"What the hell is happening here? Do you have booze hidden out at that tree, or what?" he demanded, not knowing how to handle the sudden turn of events.

She took in a deep breath and tried to stifle her giggles. "You! This! This whole thing is madness!"

"Okay..."

"Look, you don't like me because I get to breathe and eat and feel, and I don't like you because you torture me for it! Neither one of us can be happy like this." she said, still giggling occasionally.

Griffin nodded. "I'm not sure why you're laughing about this, but that's what I was trying to say. I already apologized, and I meant it. I got carried away. Now, will you come in the house with me so I can show you the surprise?"

"Okay, but I warn you, Griffy Boy, cross me and I'll cross you, if you get my drift!"

"Oooh, look at the big scary woman with all her threats!" Griffin teased. "Yeah, yeah, I get it! Now shut your pretty mouth and come on, will ya?"

Pippa slapped at him, inciting another round of laughter when her hand went through him and she toppled forward.

Griffin held his hand out for her, looked down at it when she passed through, and joined in. "Come on you goofy thing, stop messing around!"

She finally got back up and held the door open, more to poke fun at him than be polite, and the two walked into the house together.

He led the way up the stairs, and Pippa caught herself checking him out. She quickly looked down, hoping she hadn't been caught. Griffin didn't notice, at least she thought he hadn't, but she didn't see the smirk that passed fleetingly over his face.

The only rooms on the second floor were her bedroom with adjoining bathroom and a walk-in closet on left side of the landing, and wide open sitting room that overlooked the rolling plains to the right of the house. Griffin turned to the left and walked down the hall and into the closet.

"So...my surprise is in the closet, then?" Pippa asked.

Griffin grinned at her. "That's right, Pip Squeak, go on in."

"I'm not a pip squeak," she mumbled, opening the door and stepping inside. Pippa looked around, but all she could see were shelves stuffed with her sewing supplies, bedding, and boxes of things she had yet to find a place for. "Are we gonna play seven minutes in heaven?" she teased, waggling her eyebrows at him.

Shaking his head and chortling, he told her to close the door. "Okay Pips, I have to explain a couple of things first. I'm going to open this door for you, but as soon as I do, you have to push on the wall. I won't be able to do both."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"There's a hidden door here, and it opens to the most amazing room ever."

Pippa's eyes grew large. "You mean to tell me I bought a house with a hidden room? How cool is that?! But, does it take two people to open the door?"

Griffin shook his head. "No, but I need to show you how to do it. When I do, though, I'm going to disappear before I can push it open for you. Are you ready?"

"I...I guess, but I have questions now!"

He slid one hand under the third shelf on the back wall, and put his hand on top of the fourth. "Now, you see exactly where my hands are? A quarter of the way in from the right, halfway from the left? This is where you put your hands. Then compress, listen for a click, and push forward. Here we go!"

"Wait! Why are you going to disappear? How are you able to do that, interact with the shelf like that?"

A click sounded out and Griffin whipped his head at her. "Push!" he shouted as he began to fade.

"Griffin! You can't just leave me hanging like this!" she cried out as the door gave way under her hands.

She couldn't see him anymore, but heard the whisper of his voice floating in the empty space where he had just stood.

"I'm not a ghost."

### Chapter Four

Pippa was already leaning against the shelves when he dropped this bit of info on her.

"What do you mean, 'I'm not a ghost'?" Looking around as the door swung open, she couldn't find any sign of him. "Ah! You can't just leave a girl with something like that! Get back here!"

There was no answer, just empty air where his voice had come from.

Huffing in frustration, Pippa stepped into the room. It wasn't huge, not like what one would expect a hidden room to be from the way movies showed, but still spacious. The walls were lined with book shelves, all packed to overflowing. Most were the classics, and nothing newer than around 20 years ago. Overstuffed blue plush chairs sat facing each other in front of a white marble fireplace, with a covered square table in between them. Black marble topped side tables completed the cozy set up. Everything else was covered in dusty cloths, including one whole wall. Pausing to think a moment, Pippa realized that this would be the back wall, facing out to the hills and wildflowers that she loved to watch so much. Something long and rectangular sat against this wall, also covered in a tarp. The only space not covered with books on the other three walls held something else, also covered with a sheet, and a small wooden chest. Though the floor was dirty, she could tell that it was a warm honey colored wood, a beautiful contrast with the rich maroon walls.

She continued pacing around for a few moments, hoping Griffin would reappear and explain himself. When he didn't, she decided to take the frustration out by cleaning the room. She went first to the covered wall and tried to pull the tarp off. When it didn't budge, she realized she was going to need a ladder.

Pippa left the new room, her interest in Griffin having been successfully transferred to the library, and began to stack supplies up in the entrance closet. The ladder, vacuum, dusters, and trash bags each made their way in, and she got started, going back to the wall. She was overjoyed when the drape fell to reveal an entire wall of windows, letting much more light into the dim room.

Telling herself to remember to get some glass cleaner, she moved on to the rectangle at the base of the windows. A beautiful antique fainting couch had been hiding under the sheet, deep azure in color. She had always wanted one, ever since seeing one in a movie when she was a child. She couldn't help the happy little squeal that escaped her, and she took the vacuum to it. It was lucky it had been covered all this time, or it would have required a professional cleaning.

Next, Pippa moved on to the chairs in the middle of the room. They were more modern than the fainting couch, but matched it exactly in color, and looked very comfortable. She vacuumed these as well, and reminded herself to get fabric freshener when she went for the glass cleaner.

"So, what's under door number three?" she mumbled under her breath, reaching for cloth over the table in the middle. A gasp was the only audible reaction she was able to give. Once it had been revealed, the white marble chess table almost glowed in the light. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Finding drawers under the top, she found the pieces, each hand carved in black marquina or botticino marble. They were breathtaking, and must have cost a fortune. Now, they were hers. Pippa simply stood there in awe for several minutes before she was able to tear her eyes away. Taking a feather duster, she cleaned the table and pieces almost reverently, lost in memories of watching her parents play.

Finally, she moved on, quickly cleaning the side tables and mantle, and then moved on to the last thing that was hidden from view. She had already guessed it was a painting, but had no idea what it was of. Climbing on the ladder, she carefully pulled the tarp free and let it drop to the floor. She didn't look at the painting until she was back down and had moved the ladder. After the beauty of the other things in the room, she wanted to view it full on and undistracted for the first time.

What she saw made her catch her breath. A small girl, wearing a pale yellow, frilly dress, sat in the middle of masses of multicolored wildflowers, with a small pond behind her. A butterfly flew around her head and she was smiling happily, reaching for it. Surrounded by the hills, the artist had done a more beautiful job than any other piece she had ever seen. It didn't even look like a painting, more like someone had frozen a moment in time that would start again and play out at any second; it was so life-like. Something nagged at the back of Pippa's mind, something telling her she had seen this before. That's when it dawned on her. The hills, the flower patch, the pond; they were all in her very own backyard! The thought made her smile a little, but something else about the portrait made her feel sad. She stood there for a long time, just gazing at the child and feeling the odd sense of sorrow.

"Cute, isn't she?"

Pippa jumped and tried to smother a scream. "Dammit! You can't just go sneaking up on people like that! You should wear a bloody bell 'round your neck."

Griffin laughed and held up his hands. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to make you jump. Would you forgive me if I told you about her?"

"Oh, there are a lot of things you're going to tell me about, buddy! But yes, please tell me who she is."

He nodded and pointed her to one of the chairs. "Nice job you've done, how long was I gone?"

Pippa tried to think. The sun was setting now, but she couldn't seem to remember what time she had come up here. "I'm not really sure, to be honest."

Griffin sat on the chair facing her. She still wondered how he was able to do that, but was almost desperate to find out who the child was. Griffin finally started his story. "That little girl was named Angelique, named for her grandmother, and she was the granddaughter of old man Owens, the guy who built this house. She was the light of his life. See, he bought this property when he was in his 40's. His wife had died in a in a car accident about 10 years earlier, and his son had just had a baby girl. He built this house with own bare hands, and his son and family were going to move in here with him. This was Angie's room. He painted that portrait himself when she was three years old. The week after he finished that, they all went to California on vacation. Mr. Owens was feeling a little sick, so his son and daughter-in-law took Angie to the beach while he rested in the hotel room. She was caught in an undertow and drowned. When he came back, he sealed this room off. He couldn't handle leaving it just as it was, and put these things in it instead, but still wouldn't let anyone else in. That painting was the only thing he held on to of her."

Pippa hadn't noticed that tears had filled her eyes until Griffin asked if she was okay. "That's just so sad. Griffin, how do you know all of this?"

"Oh, when I first started coming here, the old man would talk to me about things, and one day he decided to show me this room, and told me the story. The only reason he left was because he suffered a heart attack. Being so far out of the city, the doctors talked him into moving into an assisted living place, whatever that means. He made me promise to protect the room, as a way to protect Angie's memory. He said I was only allowed to let someone in if I thought they would show it the proper respect and were worthy of it."

She wiped at her cheeks. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me all of that, and for letting me in."

Griffin leaned forward. "I wouldn't have if I had known it was going to make you cry!"

"Ah, I'm just a sap, that's all. Don't worry!" she laughed. "Okay, now on to other things, before I blubber any more. What, exactly, did you mean when you said you weren't a ghost?"

He leaned back and gave her that smart ass grin he was so good at. "Now, fair is fair! I've told you a story, now it's your turn. Why weren't you afraid of me when you thought I was a ghost? I promise to tell you mine afterwards. Deal?"

Pippa chewed on her lip and sighed. "Oh, all right. My story isn't exactly happy, though, so consider yourself warned."

He sat there in silence, waiting for her to begin.

Taking a deep breath, she launched in. "When I was a little girl, about six, my mother worked in a diner as a waitress. She was a real people person, and it was more of a hobby and way to get out of the house than anything else. There was a man who showed up one day, and ordered coffee. My mom took his order and brought it to him, smiled, and said have a nice day. Turned out he was crazy, and started stalking my mum, sending her love letters about their 'affair', and telling her that they would be together soon. It frightened my mother, but the police said there was nothing they could do. She didn't even know his name, for goodness sake! One night, I heard a loud noise downstairs. He had broken down the front door. Mummy shoved me down into the laundry hamper, hiding me from him, but also trying to make sure I couldn't see anything. I _could_ see, though, through the small holes in the side. I watched as he shot daddy when he tried to get between him and mum. He screamed at her, 'look what you made me do!', and kept telling her how much he loved her. I've blocked some of it out, but I remember all too clearly when he shoved a large knife through my mum's heart. 'There were only two bullets,' he said, 'one for you and one for me, but you made me waste one on this bastard who tried to keep us apart!' He kept saying it was the only way they could be together. As she lay there, bleeding out and gasping, he started looking for me. I knew because he kept asking where his new daughter was. A neighbor had heard the shot and called the police, and when he heard the sirens he ran back to my parent's room. He got down on the floor beside my mother, between her and daddy, and put the gun in his mouth. I was in such shock that I couldn't even cry for a long time. The only reason the police were able to find me was because one noticed my hair sticking out from under the lid." She took a pause to breathe, trying not to weep. She usually tried not to think about this, because if the sobbing began, it would be hard to stop.

"God, Pipsqueak, that's the most horrible thing I've ever heard!" Griffin came around and tried to hug her instinctively, bothered when his arms went right through her.

She smiled at him, "It's the thought that counts, right? Anyway, after that I went to live with my grandparents. We went back to the house when the police were finished to get my things and a few things to keep of my parents, and that's the first time I ever saw ghosts. It wasn't an intelligent haunting, just a repeat of those last few moments, over and over again like someone had put it on a loop. Since then, I see ghosts anywhere they might be hiding. It's rather uncommon that I find any that aren't just the energy replaying, though. It's also why I said I know how to get rid of you. Mostly, the hauntings are harmless, but they can get to a person so badly that it drives them crazy. A house 'cleaning' is relatively easy to do, and it just clears the energy. But apparently I can't do that with you, Mr. Not-A-ghost! Mind explaining that? I could really use a change of subject right now."

Griffin moved back to his own seat. "My story isn't as tragic as yours, but it's still not all that pleasant. Sure you're up for it?"

"Are you joking? I may go mad if this mystery isn't explained to me soon!"

They shared a chuckle to shake off the morose gloom and Griffin started. "Well, when I was a kid, I started having these weird dreams. I was showing up in this house, seeing a man I had never met in my entire life. My body was just lying back in my room where I had left it. I told my parents and they laughed it off as a child's imagination. Then, it started happening when I was awake. Whenever I got stressed out or scared of something, I'd suddenly appear here again. I found out that I couldn't touch anything, and that kind of frightened me. When I got back to my body, my parents would be freaking out. Apparently I just went kind of slack-jawed when I wasn't in there. They took me to several doctors, but they all said there was nothing physically wrong with me. People started to talk about 'that crazy kid' when I walked by, and my parents were embarrassed by me. I didn't understand what was happening, couldn't figure out why they were suddenly telling me to stop talking about what was going on. They started taking me to see different kinds of doctors, ones who would ask me strange questions and give me pills to take. I didn't like them; they made my head all fuzzy. Finally, when I was around 12, I guess my parents got tired of trying to deal with me. They sent me, just a scared kid, to live in a 'mental health' facility. Every day, they come in and give me pills. I never take them, I just pretend to, and smuggle them out with other trash. I sit there in the chair by the window, pretending to be the drugged zombie they want, and escape to come here. I've been in the same tiny room for the past 17 years."

Pippa stared at him, stunned. "Your parents had you locked away because they didn't want to deal with you?" she asked softly, unbelieving.

Griffin nodded.

"Oh, Griff, I'm so sorry! That's just awful, you poor thing."

He smiled. "I've dealt with it, don't worry about me. Aren't you curious about me leaving my body?"

She blushed, having been wondering but not wanting to ask more of him than he was ready to tell. "Well, yeah, actually."

"I don't know what it is, or how I do it. This is the only place I've ever been able to go to, though I swear I had never been here in my life before. I can appear in any clothes I want, but only in this house. That's how Mr. Owens and I became friends. He thought his granddaughter had sent me to keep me him company. As time passed, I learned that I could move things with my mind, as you've experienced," he snorted, "And I can interact with physical things. But it's hard. I have to really concentrate to be able to do that, and when I do, my energy is wiped out and I'm pulled back to my body to 'recharge'."

"Wow! I suppose I could research it for you, but Griffin, why did you try to scare me away? Shouldn't you be happy for some company?"

He had the decency to look ashamed of himself. "I am really, truly sorry about that. After Mr. Owens moved out, I thought the new owners would be as friendly as he was. I showed up one day and tried to talk to the couple who had moved in. They screamed when they saw me, and the woman tried to hit me with a broom, thinking I was some punk kid who had broken in. When the bristles went right through me, they ran out of the house and never came back. The next family had a son about my age, John, and he was cruel. He always called me a freak and kept saying I was just a dead boy who wasn't good enough to go to heaven. His parents moved them out within a year. Around that time, there was a nurse who started working in my ward. She reviewed my charts, asked me questions, and actually treated me like a human being. I heard her arguing with the doctor one day, saying that there was no need for me to even be in that place. He said that my parents had already told my sister that I had died, and signed papers saying I was now a ward of the state, and would have to stay there. She never came back after that. I don't know if she was fired or moved to a different floor, but I became angry and even more withdrawn. You remind me a little of her, you know. Anyway, I started thinking of this place as my personal sanctuary, and didn't like it when person after person kept coming in to invade it. That's why I started trying to scare everyone away, and it always worked. Up until you came, that is."

Pippa giggled. "I don't scare easily, Griff! I'm so sorry all of this has happened to you. Can't they let you out now? You're plenty old enough to be released without a guardian, after all."

He looked down. "They've decided that after all this time I wouldn't know how to function in the real world."

Silence fell for a while, and Pippa filled it by opening the small chest. She was smiling at the sweetness of Mr. Owens as she pulled out over a hundred old love letters between he and his wife, when a though struck her.

"What if I came to visit you?" she said suddenly.

Griffin laughed. "That would be nice, but I don't even know where I am. I don't know where my sister is, and I have no way of finding out."

"What about the internet?"

He cocked his head to the side. "I've heard of 'internet', but I don't know what it is. I'm locked away in a nut house, remember? No one ever stayed here long enough for me to figure things like that out."

"Hm. I could teach you about it, you know."

They talked about it for a little while longer, deciding that getting to know each other better should be their first order of business. Pippa was glad when she discovered that Griffin used to play chess with Mr. Owens, and the two began to play every day.

For the next few weeks, the two spent every moment they could together, become good friends. Griffin even helped with her sewing, though there wasn't much he could do. Sliding her scissors or pin cushion over was about the extent of it, but to her it was still a huge help.

On the anniversary of her parent's deaths, he wanted to comfort her. Unable to even give her a hug, he came up with a plan to cheer her up and distract her from the nightmares she had had the night before. She was busy in the kitchen, pouring over recipe books, when he called to her from the other side of the room. "Is that you, Ms. Bennet?"

Pippa whirled around to find him standing there, back straight and dressed in period clothes, pretending to be Mr. Darcy. Throughout the rest of the day, anytime she started to get depressed he would vanish, only to reappear in a new crazy outfit. He went from Mr. Darcy to an ancient Egyptian, to a Roman soldier, to a 70's glam rocker, and so on. She appreciated his efforts more than she could ever say.

She introduced him to some of her favorite movies, and they would spend whole nights camped out on the couch, just chatting while watching television. They both enjoyed their time together, not even realizing how close they were becoming.

### Chapter Five

Six months had passed, and early spring still found Pippa's valley in snow. Griffin delighted in teasing her about always being cold since he was unable to feel it. Pippa would slap at him, making him laugh even harder when she couldn't touch him. They were never apart anymore; Griffin would even sit on the floor of the bathroom when she soaked in the tub. She was embarrassed at first when he did it, but soon realized that she didn't really mind. He couldn't see anything from down there, and besides that, she had fallen in love with him, not that she would ever admit that.

Griffin felt the same way, though neither had said the words out loud. He didn't think it was fair to her, to feel some sense of obligation to a man she couldn't even touch. While it was like a physical pain to think of her with someone else, he knew that it was going to happen eventually, and wanted that for her. Pippa, on the other hand, was content with their situation. She would have liked to be able to hug him, or hold his hand, but if this was the only way she could have him, she'd take it.

They had developed a schedule between them; He'd chat with her while she had breakfast, then it was time for work. With Griffin pitching in ideas and doing the little things he could to help, she was quickly caught up on orders and had extra things made to put up for sale. During lunch was their quiet time, where she would sit in her swing and eat, if it was warm enough, while he went back to his room to rest and let his energy build back up while he had his own food. When he returned, they'd get on her computer and search for his sister, though they had had no luck with that so far. Then they'd play a game of chess or read to each other until supper, when he would go back to his body again for the meal and she would nibble on something while cleaning the house up. Once darkness hit, the two would sit on the couch and watch a movie. Every night, Griffin would wait until she was asleep, whether on the couch or in her bed, and use all of his energy to make sure she was covered and warm, then disappear, leaving her to dream of him, and he of her. His frustration grew every moment he reached out to touch her and remembered he couldn't.

One night, after watching some cheesy horror flick that Pippa loved, he couldn't take it anymore. "I hate this!" he shouted, leaping up and pacing back and forth.

"Griff, what's wrong?" Pippa was alarmed, and had no idea what was happening.

He knelt in front of her and put his head in his hands. "This, Pips, all of this! All I want is to hold you, to wrap my arms around you when you jump like a little chicken at this stupid movie. To play with your hair, or have you lay your head on my shoulder! I want to kiss you, Pippa, to hold your hand and never let go. And I can't! I can't do any of that! It takes all I have just pull your blanket up when you go to sleep, and that wipes me out for the night. It's not fair, not to me or you. I should just stop coming here, but I can't make myself do it." His head dropped and he hid his eyes from her.

"I will _never_ forgive you if you stop coming to see me!" she shouted at him. "Yeah, I know this isn't easy, not for either one of us, but I don't care. If this is all we can have, then it's all I need. I tried to search for your name when you were gone at supper, to find out where you are, but I couldn't find you anywhere, so this is our only option. If you don't want to see me anymore, that's fine, but don't you dare leave me here without you just because of some stupid notion of fairness! Look at me, Griffin, _look at me_!"

He raised his head and she was able to see how tortured his eyes were. "I'm sorry, Pip Squeak, I didn't mean to upset you. This is just so frustrating." His voice sounded tired.

Pippa leaned forward, making sure they were eyelevel. "Do something for me."

"Anything, what is it?"

She took a deep breath, "When I say go, make yourself solid. Don't try to touch anything in particular, just _be_ here."

He looked confused. "But, you know I'll just vanish in a few seconds, what's going on?"

"Griffin! Just do as I ask!"

His eyes widened. It had been a little over six months since she had yelled at him. "All right, okay, I'll do whatever you want. Just give me the word."

She smirked at him. "First, how long does it take for you to...you know, solidify?"

"Well, it's pretty much instantaneous. As soon as I decided to do it, it happens."

"Good! Okay, are you ready?" He nodded. "Go!"

Before even a second had passed, she felt his breath on her face. Reaching out, she put her hands behind his head and pulled him to her, planting her lips against his. He was shocked for a second, and then kissed her back. His hands were reaching for her when he was suddenly back in his room, arms stretched out and reaching for nothing. Pippa toppled off the couch, still leaning forward into the kiss.

Rolling onto her back, she put her fingers to her lips, reveling in the memory of the feel of his. "Wow," she whispered to herself, giggling.

In the little blue room, Griffin dragged himself to the bed, grinning like a fool. He didn't like that he was back there, but he certainly hadn't minded the reason he was back. Collapsing onto his pillow, he quickly fell asleep, dreaming of having Pippa in his arms.

This became a new part of their routine, she sending him back with a kiss every night. He missed watching her sleep, but made up for it by slipping in before she had even awoken. It never lasted long, since he knew there would be breakfast waiting for him. He had gone for years eating only what he needed to survive, but Pippa gave him a new will to live, and he was hoping he could make his energy last longer, maybe enough even for a whole kiss, and not just a quick peck.

One morning, Pippa was waiting for him in the living room. "What are you all dressed up for, so early in the morning?" he questioned. She usually just wore her robe to breakfast, but today she had already had her coffee and was completely dressed.

"I have to go to into the city today, Griff. I'm almost out of fabric, I need groceries, and thought I might look around for a few new movies for us."

He came to stand close to her. Neither of them could feel the other, but it still made them happy to pretend. "Out of groceries? Didn't you just go shopping the other day?"

Pippa laughed. "No, dear Griffy Boy, it's been over a month! Good thing I have such a big refrigerator or I might have starved by now! I should be back before supper, so do you want me to get you a book out? Or are you just going to rest for the day?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll figure something out. You promise to be careful, okay? I'll see you soon. Hey, come here, real quick."

She stepped up to stand right in front of him.

He looked down into her eyes. "Since I won't see you for several hours, I should have plenty of time to rest, right?" Without waiting for her answer, he swooped down and kissed her, pressing his body against hers for a whole seven seconds before vanishing.

Smiling, Pippa went out the door, thinking of how much longer that had lasted than was usual. Maybe it was because he had just woken up. She didn't know, and she wasn't complaining in the slightest.

The grin didn't leave her face for most of the day. She went to the fabric store first, filling the passenger seat of the truck with bolts of cloth, spools of thread, and all kinds of extras she might need before stopping somewhere to eat. She had found a quaint little diner that wasn't very crowded and had a friendly look to it. That's where her good mood ended.

Two men sat at the counter, and kept looking over at her. She had a fear of people because of what had happened to her mother, and these two were making her very nervous. Abandoning her meal of chicken fried steak halfway through, she quickly paid her bill and fled with a container of leftovers, anxious to get back to the safety of her truck.

Forcing herself not to run away all the way home, she stopped at a video store on the way to the grocers, forcing herself to breathe and be calm, and found some old movies she thought Griffin would like, and then it was on to buy food. In the store, she saw the same two men again. Fighting off a panic attack, she began throwing random things into her cart, ignoring the shopping list in her hurry to get out. The woman at the checkout line was the daughter of her realtor, so she made herself stop and chat a moment with her since no one else was in line.

Terri asked how she liked the house, and Pippa brightened up. "Oh, I just love it! Everything is exactly the way I would have planned it myself, and the view is just beautiful. I don't even mind all the snow, it makes the hills look magical! Please, send my thanks and regards on to your mother for me?"

The young woman said she would, and was happy the house was working out for her. "I have to ask, though. I've heard the house is haunted, is that true?"

Pippa laughed. "Nah, they're no ghosts around there!" She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face thinking about Griffin.

The two bid each other goodbye, and Pippa left, heading home. She was afraid she'd be later than she thought, as a surprise snow storm was moving in and already beginning to fill the once cleared roads back up with fresh white powder. She was thankful Griffin had talked her into having chains put on before winter had begun.

After loading the ice chest in the back of the truck, Pippa pulled away, never noticing the stares of the same two men.

Three hours later, she was putting groceries away and calling out to check if Griffin was home. There was no answer, so she ate her leftovers from lunch and waited for him. Being alone, she began to think about the two men and grew more and more nervous. She knew they were way back in town, but couldn't help herself. That's why she screamed when Griffin suddenly appeared in front of her as she was wandering around the secret room.

"Whoa, why are you so jumpy?"

She hugged a pillow to her chest, wishing it were him. "Oh, Griffin, it's you! Sorry." She told him about her day, and he tried to comfort her, telling her that they probably just hadn't seen a pretty new girl in town in a while. He was sure they meant no harm, and had her calm again soon.

Pippa told him she had bought some new movies for him, and they went to the living room to watch. They were only halfway into Blazing Saddles when headlights swept across the front windows.

"Um, are you expecting company, Pip Squeak?" Griffin asked.

She shook her head. "No, I don't who that could be! Maybe they just took a wrong turn somewhere?" Pippa got up and went to look through the glass in the front door, and made a sound akin to a whine.

Griffin appeared next to her in a heartbeat. "What's wrong, babe? What is it?"

Pointing to the door, Pippa whined again, a single tear streaking its way down her face. "That's them, Griffin! Those are the two men who were watching me!"

His mouth dropped open. "But, Pippa, how would they even know where you lived? It's been too long for them to have followed you!"

"I don't know, Griffin, I don't know! I'm afraid!" She was openly crying now, the night of her parents' murders replaying in her mind.

The men's boots hit the front porch, and they grinned at her through the window before kicking it open. The moment it was open, the smell of stale beer filled the mud room. "Hey there, pretty girl," the first man said. He was a tall, well-built man with blue eyes. He would have been handsome if it weren't for the air of creepiness that seemed to cling to him.

The other man, a shorter, rounded man with rosy cheeks and brown eyes stepped in. "Looky what we got here, Shawn!"

Both men were swaying slightly, and it was obvious that they were drunk. Griffin stepped in between them all. "You boys need to go on and get out of here, sleep this off and forget you ever saw her, understand?" he ordered in a menacing voice.

They looked at each other and laughed. "Forget that, man! We saw her first, fair and square! We done had everything in town, we need some fresh meat, and this little gal looks awfully fresh to us." The tall one waggled his eyebrows and pelvis at her.

Pippa balled up her fists. "Leave me alone! Get out of here and leave me the hell alone!" she screamed.

The tall one's smile faded. "You little bitch! No one talks to me that way! I'm gonna have ya, whether your warm and kickin' or cold and stiff, you hear me?!" He reached behind him and pulled a gun from his waist band.

"Whoa, Shawn, we don't need to go that far, do we?" the other man said, seeming to sober up and realize what was happening quickly.

Shawn whipped his head around to glare at his friend. "Shut up, Hank! I said we're gonna have, and I meant it! Now either you get over here to help me, or I'll shoot you dead, right along with her when I'm finished!"

Hank paled and said nothing, obviously too afraid to speak.

"You won't be laying a finger on her!" Griffin shouted. He hadn't noticed that Pippa had flattened herself against the wall behind him in her fear, moving around because she was too frightened to stay still, and was now an open target. Shawn had, though, was leering at her, following her every movement with his eyes. Hank, on the other hand, was trying to ease out the door.

Just then, the sound of sirens reached them all. The police were coming.

"I'm outta here!" Hank screamed before bolting outside and off the porch.

Shawn just kept staring at Pippa. "Well, I guess I won't have time to enjoy you fighting me, so I'm just gonna have to do this the quick way!" With that, he brought up his pistol and aimed it at her.

As his finger began to squeeze the trigger, Griffin leapt in the way and screamed, "NO!" The gun went off and Griffin crumpled to the floor. "I love you, Pip Squeak," he whispered, vanishing. Just then, another shot rang out, and Shawn fell.

A police officer came charging in with her gun drawn. "Ma'am, are you all right?"

Pippa was kneeling on the ground where Griffin had been. All that was left were a few drops his of blood. She nodded speechlessly to the officer.

Checking Shawn's pulse, another officer came to her and put a hand on her back. "Ma'am, I'm officer Coulter, I know you're pretty badly shaken up, but I need to take a statement from you. Is there another room we can go to until the coroner arrives?" His voice was gentle and soothing, and Pippa looked up gratefully into her rescuer's face.

Nodding, she let him help her up and they walked to the living room. The officer noticed the blood on her finger tips, and asked if she was injured. All she could tell him was that it wasn't her blood. Then she gave her statement, telling the kind-eyed man everything that had happened. Well, almost everything. She left Griffin out of it, knowing that there would be no sane way to explain it. There were two things she didn't understand though; how did they know where to find her, and how did the police know to come?

Officer Coulter was able to explain that. Shawn was a known trouble maker, and had been in prison for rape and attempted murder. He had only been released two months prior, and had since been hanging around with Hank, bar hopping. Tonight, a few other patrons of The Thirsty Turtle had overheard the two getting too carried away, talking about the 'little blonde'. They had drawn Terri into a conversation and learned that she was the one who had moved into the old Owens place, and the drunken plotting had taken off from there. The more beer they downed, the worse the things were that they came up with became. Fearing the worst, these patrons had called the station to report it, and the police had headed her way as soon as said calls came in. They would have called her, but she only had an unlisted cell number, and Terri's mother hadn't been awake to answer their calls for information. Officer Wiederhold had shot and killed Shawn as soon as she heard the gunshot.

All Pippa could think was that it had come too late. She didn't know what kind of condition Griffin was in, or if he was even alive. She thanked the officers, who left after the coroner had arrived and taken the body away, telling her she needed to come in for a formal report as soon as possible. She agreed and thanked them profusely, then propped a chair against the front door to keep it closed. Shawn had busted the lock and doorknob during his forced entry.

Throughout the night, Pippa paced the floors, calling out for Griffin, praying he would come back unharmed. But he didn't. Two days later she went into Wheatwick, listening in on conversations and hoping she would hear something. There was nothing said about a man who had been shot other than Shawn, though. She gave her statement, and the police said the case would be closed and she need have no further involvement. Hank had been caught, and his claims of a red-haired man at the scene were put down to his drunken state. He was sent to jail for breaking and entering and the plan to rape her. People in town swarmed her, asking what had happened, and it got so bad that the police force ended up surrounding her truck and giving her an escort out of town.

When Griffin hadn't appeared for two weeks, Pippa began her search in earnest.

### Chapter Six

"Dammit!" she shouted, slamming her hands down on the desk. She had been searching for month now, looking for an article, a full story, a report, _anything_ about someone named Griffin Madarza showing up with a mysterious gunshot wound. Pippa was beginning to lose hope. "Griffin, where are you?" she cried out to the empty room.

"Pippa..."

She spun around in her chair, eyes wide. "Griffin?"

"Pippa!"

His voice died away, but it was all she needed to refresh her search. This time, she didn't search his name at all, and widened her search to include the entire United States. She had always assumed that he would have to be at least fairly close by to project himself here, but realized that that may not necessarily be true. After all, who really knew what the rules about such things were? Who said there even _were_ rules? Trying to find out about his special abilities hadn't explained anything; rather, it had created more questions and the pair had decided to just learn from experience.

A week later, and she finally found a lead.

Mental Patient In Coma After Mystery Gunshot Wound

Two days ago, an unnamed patient from the Virginia State Mental Health Organization collapsed in his room, bleeding from an unexplained chest wound. The man was taken to an emergency room, where an x-ray showed a bullet lodged in the chest cavity. It is unclear how long the patient was in this state before he was found, but reports from an inside source state that he had suffered from heavy blood lost. This patient is a resident on a secure upper floor, and there has been no explanation as to how he could possibly have been shot. Doctors have him in a drug induced coma to allow healing, but say the man is expected to make a full recovery. We will print updates as they become available.

"Bingo!" she shouted, leaping up from her chair. She quickly ran a search on the town that the newspaper was located in and found that there were only two hospitals there. She knew it would be easy to find him; all she had to do was look for the news vans.

Pippa packed a bag and was on the road in 20 minutes, heading to Eastern Falls, Virginia.

She reached the hospital with the news vultures 31 hours and a short nap later, and walked straight inside.

The person behind the desk, a large Spanish man with a deep voice, asked if he could help her. "Yes, I'm here to see," she lowered her voice and leaned forward, "Griffin Madarza."

"Yeah? You and the rest of the world, lady. You've all heard they let him wake up, and now everyone and their dog thinks they need to see him. Sorry, not going to happen." He gave her a look of disgust and turned away.

She frowned. "Sir?" he turned back to her, rolling his eyes. "Is there any way you could call up to his room and ask him if he'd like to see Pippa?"

His eyes went wide. "Let me see some ID." She pulled out her license and handed it to him. "Wow, it _is_ you! Come on, I'll walk you up there myself!" He called to his co-worker to watch the desk and came out, even offering her his arm. "Man, Mr. Madarza woke up three days ago, and the first thing he said was 'Pippa'. Since then he's been saying your name in his sleep. He's gonna be happy to see you! He's kind of a celebrity around here, you know."

"Why's that?" Pippa asked, barely containing her excitement.

The man grinned at her. "Well, first he shows up with a random bullet in his chest, and no one knows how that's even possible. Then, we looked into his medical records. This man has been locked away for most of his life, and had prescriptions for heavy-duty, mind-numbing drugs, yet there was nothing in his system! Since he woke up, he's spoken to a psychiatrist for the hospital, who says there's nothing wrong with him. He can't remember what happened, but he told us how he had hidden his pills away all this time. The doc says he can't understand why he was ever put in there in the first place, not after reviewing his files. The things the family had him put away for was something that could have been taken care of with simple therapy."

Pippa smiled, "Yeah, I don't really think even that would have necessary!"

He looked at her. "I'd like to ask how you know him, but I know it's none of my business."

"Sorry, there's just really not enough time for that now," she hedged.

Torrence nodded. "I shouldn't have even said anything, ma'am, I'm just a nosey kind of guy."

"Aw, don't worry about it! I'd be curious, too."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Torrence stepped out and led her down the hall. A uniformed officer was sitting guard outside of a room. Pippa had heard that on the radio when she reached the area that he was being guarded both because of the gunshot wound and the people who kept trying to sneak into his room for photos.

The officer stood as they approached.

"Larry, you're never gonna guess who I have here!" Torrence said to the man, shaking his hand.

Officer Larry shook his head. "Oh, I bet I do! You'll never believe it, but Mr. Madarza told me over an hour ago that Pippa would be coming soon. I can only assume this is her?"

Torrence just nodded, slack-jawed.

Both men waved her in and began talking rapidly.

Pippa stopped short when she entered the room. She had almost expected him to look different somehow, but the only difference was that he was in a hospital gown rather than his jeans and boots. Or toga and golden sandals, as the case may be. He appeared to be asleep, and she didn't want to wake him, but couldn't keep herself from touching him. A nurse came in and checked some monitors, telling Pippa that he had been given a sleeping pill about half an hour before, and would be asleep for a while, but that she was welcome to stay.

Pippa didn't need any urging. As soon as the nurse had left, pulling the door almost closed behind her, she crawled onto the side of the bed that wasn't covered in wires and tubes, and wrapped her arm around Griffin. She was almost surprised when it didn't go through to rest on the sheets. Happily, she kissed his face all over, squeezed his hand, and listened to his heartbeat, careful to stay away from the wound. It was almost healed now, but she still didn't want to hurt him. As relief washed over her, she snuggled in and fell asleep, finally able to feel his warmth beside her as she did so.

Torrence and Officer Larry peeked in and grinned at each other.

An hour later, Pippa awoke to the feel of a hand on her face. Rather than being afraid, as should have been her natural inclination, she was happy. "Hey, Griffy Boy," she whispered, not bothering to open her eyes.

"It's about time you found me," he whispered back before kissing her. Without the time limit, this kiss lasted longer and was deeper than the ones prior to it. It was sweet and loving.

When they broke apart, Pippa threw her arms around his neck. "You ever act like a damn fool and decide to be heroic and brave and perfect again and I'm gonna hunt you down and shoot you myself, do you hear me?" she said with tears in her eyes.

Griffin smiled and kissed her again. "Yes, ma'am."

After some tears of joy and simply savoring the fact that they could hold each other, Pippa had to ask, "So, if you're almost healed, why are they still giving you sleeping pills and why are you even still here?"

"Well, the head of the psychiatric wing examined me and is fighting to have me released. He was searching for my records to find my family, but the facility wasn't willing to give them up without a court order. Apparently they knew that keeping me like that wasn't okay, and were trying to cover their asses. He's been finding excuses to keep me here instead of letting them take me back, and one of the reasons is so that he can monitor my 'treatment', which are just the sleeping pills. I needed them, though. I haven't been sleeping; I've been trying to project and get to you. The most I could do was see you through a haze. I called to you, though."

Pippa kissed his cheek. "I heard you. I was beginning to think you were gone forever and I heard you whisper my name. How did you know I was coming?"

His arms tightened around her. "I don't really know. I focused on you and could tell you were driving, and just knew you were coming to me." He shrugged.

Embracing one another, Pippa knew it was because they were connected in a way that most people only dreamed of.

"Pippa, the doctor found my sister."

She sat upright. "What?"

Griffin nodded. "The reason we couldn't find anything was because my parents changed their last name. The facility had it all in the file, but no one ever told me. He called her the day before yesterday, and she should be here tomorrow. He said that if she's willing to sign the papers, then that along with his signature should be more than enough for a judge to order my release! I can find a house in Wheatwick and see you whenever I want!"

"Griffin, that's wonderful! But, why are you going to find a place?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm gonna need a place to live..."

She bumped her forehead against his. "You know my house is plenty big enough, right? There's even a spare bedroom if you want it. You could always...I mean, if you wanted..." she trailed off, turning red.

"Pips, are you sure? I mean, I don't want to rush you."

She took a breath and looked him in the eye. "Griffin, we've basically been living together since I bought the house. The only difference will be that you can eat with me, there will be a little more laundry to do, and I'll be able to touch you for more than a few seconds a day. If you have your own house that far away, we won't see each other as much as we used to. The past month has been hell for me, not being able to see you or hear your voice."

Griffin grinned, "I promise to do the laundry, if you show me how. I've never done it before, you know!"

They laughed and hugged each other, and the nurse brought in his dinner, along with an extra tray for his guest.

The hospital was abuzz with news that the mysterious Pippa had shown up, and how adorable the couple was together.

The next morning, a petite red-headed woman walked in. Pippa knew immediately it had to be Griffin's sister, as they looked almost identical despite the height difference.

"Um, are you Griffin? My name is Melanie."

"Mellie?" he said in awe, standing up.

A tear fell from her eye. "Yeah, Griffy, it's me. Oh, my God, they told me you had died!" She rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck. "My whole life, I've thought my big brother was gone, but here you are!"

Pippa slipped out of the room silently, giving the siblings some privacy for their long awaited reunion.

Melanie caught Griffin up on her life, and told him she had read over his files and records with her husband, who was a doctor of psychiatry himself. She had become a lawyer, and together they couldn't understand how it had been allowed for him to remain where he had for all these years. She agreed that she was going to sign the papers, and take them to the local judge herself right away.

When they were finished, Pippa returned. Griffin told Melanie that he was going to be moving in with her, and she, too, questioned how they could possibly have met when he was locked away all this time. Rather than making something up and trying to cover it up, Griffin just told her the truth. Pippa was quick to back up his story, but Melanie didn't seem to be bothered by it.

"Griffy, I remember when you went away. I was only seven, and no one would talk to me about anything. Well, when I got a little older, I talked to Gramps. He had stopped talking to mom and dad when they sent you to that horrible place, and I snuck out to see him one night after I got my learner's permit. He told me that you weren't crazy, that he could do what you claimed to do. I never thought to question it, because I've always known that you were special. Turns out, it's a family gift. The oldest of every generation has had it, as far back as he could remember. Mom refused to believe it, because she thought of herself as the oldest of her siblings. Her older sister had died at birth, though. It's not exactly normal, but this is our family, I guess!" she laughed. "Don't worry, nothing about this will ever be mentioned. But I want to hear about everything once you're officially free!

Everyone was relieved, and Pippa invited her to come stay at her house so that she could get to know her brother again. Plans were made, and Melanie was going to take a vacation and bring her family to visit in the summer.

The judged signed off on the release that afternoon, after hearing from both of the psychiatrists, the lawyer sister, and several of the hospital staff. As soon as the doctor gave the go ahead, Griffin was released and he and Pippa went home.

***

That summer, after Melanie had come and gone, Pips and Griff were sitting on the porch swing together, talking about work. Griffin had taken to doing odd jobs for others who lived out in the country and needed the help, and helped Pippa when she had more work than expected. "Hey, I saw some strange flowers in the back yesterday, and I forgot to tell you about it! Wanna come and look with me?"

Pippa agreed, and the two walked hand in hand to find them.

Griffin kneeled down. "Hang on, they were mixed in and kind of hidden with these daisies, let me find the right one," he told her. Pippa tried to peer around his head and see what he was looking for.

Then, with the sun riding low in the sky over the hills behind them, Griffin looked up and took her hand. On both knees, humbling himself before her, he gazed into her eyes.

"Pippa Harrington, will you marry me? Will you be mine for the rest of our lives?"

Her free hand flew to cover her mouth and she started to cry. Her head bobbed up and down several times before she was able to answer. When she could finally speak, she dropped to her own knees. "Yes, Griffin, yes!" she cried. "I was already yours, though." As he slid the simple, small stoned band onto her finger, he kissed her tears away.

"I love you, Pip Squeak."

"And I love you, too, Griffy Boy."

The End

## Look for Dovey Mayali Cralk on:

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## Dovey's Book List:

## The Chronicles of Valen Book One

## Bump Off Your Enemies

## The Darwin Murders

## Zombie Addiction

## Heart Attacks: A Valentine's Day Anthology

#  The Summer of Alyssa - Bonus material: 2 chapter teaser

_© 2014 Kaydence Rayne_

## To the best Nannan in the world, you know who you are.

### Chapter One

High school was over, finally, and Alyssa Hunter was both excited and annoyed. Rachel, her best friend since childhood, was going to be gone until the week of Alyssa's 18th birthday party. There were only three months until she left for college, on her own because Rachel was only a senior this upcoming school year, and this was going to be the most uneventful school break of her life. To make matters worse, the one person she had really wanted to spend time with was avoiding her like the plague.

Growing up, Rachel and her brother Seth were almost always together, despite their two year age gap. He was protective of his sister and liked to stick around. It wasn't until he had started high school that Alyssa's feelings for him began to change into something more. She tried flirting with him, to the best of her ability, when Rachel wasn't around, but he would always just ignore it and act like nothing was happening. Eventually, he just stopped hanging out with them altogether.

She could have just taken it as a rejection, sucked it up and moved on. Except she was too prideful and he technically didn't tell her no, so in her mind she still had a shot with him. Which was exactly what she had planned for her summer, because she knew Seth would be staying in town. He did some sort of program every summer; he was never forthright with that information but she knew it had to do with martial arts, and was taking classes at the community college.

Shortly after her parents had left for the day, she changed into her bathing suit and went outside with her current book in tow. Alyssa knew that Seth was home; his car was in the driveway. It would be getting him to come outside that would be the difficult part. He had been taking classes that would transfer over to the University of Houston in the fall. She had found it weird that he had decided to stay in town for college, always assuming he would get the hell out of his house at his first opportunity. Especially because he seemed to always be moody lately and she assumed it was because of something between him and his parents.

It wasn't that she was against him wanting to graduate college earlier and ruining his summer with school, but he needed to have fun every now and again. It just so happened that the particular fun she had in mind would also involve her – a win-win situation.

Her own parents had already left for the day, so she was alone. The house was pretty clean, so there weren't really any chores to do until later in the day. Her best option would be to hang out by the pool in her backyard, which she knew his room overlooked. Grabbing her bathing suit, a purple and black two piece tankini, she threw it on and ran her fingers through her short brown hair. A pixie-cut had its advantages and it was perfect in the summer when it was so hot that she sometimes contemplated just shaving off all of her hair to escape the heat. The Texas sun could be brutal. Thankfully, the crazy heat wouldn't be around until after her birthday.

Once outside, she set herself in a spot that she knew would catch his attention, even if only briefly, because his computer desk was next to his bedroom window. There was a sun umbrella over her to keep her protected from the heat and she lathered herself in sun screen to avoid burning. Her skin tanned pretty easily in the sun, but she didn't ever want to risk it. Plus there was the whole issue of skin cancer. Better to be safe than sorry. Once situated, she pulled out her kindle and started reading. Hopefully it would keep her distracted long enough to get his attention.

She had been scrolling through her book for at least an hour when she heard her gate creak open. Not needing to look up to know it was him, since there was nobody else who would be coming over, she tried to feign indifference at his entrance while her stomach was doing flips knowing that her clever plan had worked, and much quicker than anticipated. He would have to be the one to initiate the conversation.

*****

Seth Johnson was up in his room, trying to get through that day's history lesson on his computer. Summer classes were one of the last things he wanted to do, but he wasn't given a choice on the matter. His father had told him he needed to hurry and get his college education behind him because he had more important matters to that needed to be the center of his focus. He had graduated almost a year earlier than the rest of his class and would be starting his sophomore year of college in the fall. What surprised him the most is that they were allowing him to take online classes, giving him the opportunity to manage his own time. Ultimately, to him, that meant he was getting freedom.

When he started high school they became more strict on him. This included both his school and personal life. He wasn't allowed to have friends outside of the ones his parents felt were necessary with the path that had been chosen for him. It sucked not being able to hang around with Alyssa anymore but they could sense he was developing feelings for her. A shifter and a human relationship was not safe. Especially when the shifter hadn't completed his training.

Pausing briefly from his history work, he glanced outside and groaned. It wasn't meant to be anything but a brief reprieve, giving his eyes a rest from having spent most of his morning going through the textbook. He hadn't anticipated Alyssa to be there, laying near her pool and reading a book in her bathing suit. There was no way he could concentrate on his schoolwork with her out there.

Getting up, he closed his laptop and grabbed his swimming trunks from the top drawer of his dresser. He changed into them and covered them up with his clothes before heading over to her backyard. His parents wouldn't be home until later that night, so there was little chance of being caught. He'd been good for the last four years, so he doubted they would expect this.

*****

"Hey," he called out shyly, in an attempt to get her to put down the book. He felt a bit guilty for interrupting what looked like an engrossing read, but he had felt a nearly overwhelming desire to come see her. It had been years since he had even been able to speak to her without anyone around and he would be crazy not to jump on this opportunity.

She looked up at him, her eyes widening in false surprise, and shut her Kindle's case.

"Hey yourself. I didn't expect to see you outside this summer. Figured you'd be busy locked up in your room."

He shrugged, but kept his eyes locked on hers. "There were more interesting things outside."

He smirked as her cheeks turned red and she averted her gaze away from him. He could hear that she was trying to keep her breathing steady and her heart was pounding rapidly. It was one of the benefits of being what he was and he was somewhat glad she didn't also possess these talents. His own heart rate had gone up just being near her. After having been forced to keep his distance for so long, he felt a rush of adrenaline just being this close.

"You aren't even in your swimming suit." She was trying to sound unfazed by his appearance, but he could see through her nonchalance. It was also amusing to see her trying to act as if she wasn't checking him out. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt that contrasted his dark skin, and jean shorts.

That made him grin sheepishly, "Sure I am. I just didn't want to invite myself into your pool."

She laughed, "Yet you invite yourself into my backyard?"

Shrugging, Seth smirked at her, causing her stomach to tense up nervously, "I didn't think I needed one anymore. You practically live at my house. Figured we were sharing."

Before she had a chance to mention something about his absence, he removed his t-shirt and shorts, leaving him in just swim trunks.

Alyssa's eyes all but popped out of her head and he heard her breath catch and heart race wildly as he practically stripped in front of her.

She suddenly felt quite self-conscious while he was in just his bathing suit, standing before her, looking amazing. She knew he worked out; he had been on several sports teams and she knew they even had a home gym in their garage, but it had been a long time since she'd seen this much of him up close. It was a wonder she wasn't drooling.

They hadn't been alone together since her last year of middle school, about three years ago, and he definitely did not look that this. Alyssa was suddenly unable to think straight; this day was turning out to be much more than she had anticipated.

All of her plots would be for naught if she couldn't get into the pool where the cold water would slash some sense into her. Quickly, before she lost the nerve, she jumped up out of the chair and took a dove into the freezing water. As it surrounded her she found her nerves loosening up, and she popped her head up over the surface.

"Are you going to just stand there or did you come over to swim?"

Taking a few steps back, he did a running jump and landed right next to her in the water.

"Seth!" She shrieked as she wiped away the water from his splash out of her eyes.

"Oh no," he teased, "Did I get you wet? In a pool?"

Her eyes narrowed and she poked him, hard, in the chest. "Do you want to start with me?"

This only made him laugh harder. She knew that she was one of the least threatening people in the world, even when she was annoyed. Which she clearly wasn't. She had missed this; being with him and how easy it was to feel relaxed.

Unable to keep her serious face, it wasn't long before she cracked and started laughing as well. "You're such a butt," she groaned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I am, aren't I?" He snickered, and she had to hold herself back from wanting to get closer to him.

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, which snapped Alyssa back into reality. It had been years since they'd hung out, even though she'd tried to get his attention many times. To see him here, alone with her, it was weird. Sure she was enjoying herself, but there was still something in the back of her head that was sending out signals that this was just too strange. Try as she might to ignore it, she was just too stubborn and couldn't.

Unfolding her arms from her chest, she took a deep breath. Better to get this over with now rather than later. "Hey, can we talk? Like, seriously?"

His mind was swarming with thoughts and he was unsure if saying yes would be the wise thing to do in this situation. He had known before his parents had warned him to keep his distance from Alyssa that he had started to develop feelings for his younger sister's best friend, but he didn't realize how strong they'd gotten while they'd been apart. If he told her no then things would go back to how they were, which would admittedly be the wisest move. But he was tired of always doing what he was supposed to do all of the time.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about? I've got all day, so we have time if that's what you need."

She looked a little put off by his answer, as if it wasn't what she was expecting, for him to agree. Giving him a small smile, she turned and walked over to the edge of the pool, appearing relieved. "Let's go sit up on the deck. That way it'll take away the temptation to splash you if you say something that pisses me off."

He snorted and followed behind her. When she turned her back to climb the steps though, he closed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. He knew there would be no going back after this but he was ready.

When Seth had made it to the chairs, she threw him his shirt and dragged a cooler of drinks between them. "Take a seat," she started to say and then let out a quick laugh. "I sound like a shrink!"

"And bossy," he added playfully while pulled the shirt over his head.

She glared at him and took the seat next to his, silently sending up thanks that he would be more clothed while she attempted this conversation. He was far too distracting otherwise.

"I suppose I should just come out and say it, because I can't stop thinking it. I would like to clear the air between us. Because, well, I haven't really seen you in years. And don't try to say some crap like, 'I see you every day', because it really isn't the same..."

"I know," he cut her off, "and I have an explanation for it." He really did, but he had to be careful with what he told her. He couldn't risk telling her everything or it would compromise her safety.

She froze. This wasn't going as planned at all. She expected him to protest or something. She had a whole speech planned!

He took her silence as a go ahead to continue, "You're a distraction."

What?" Her voice had risen an octave and she look confused. "I never kept you from your homework or sports activities or any of that."

"Let me finish before you interrupt me," he growled devilishly, "You were always impatient."

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and mumbled some incoherent words at him under her breath.

"You never meant to distract me from those things, but I was having a hard time focusing when you were around. Why do you think I hung out with you and Rachel so often?"

"You're protective of your younger sister."

He nodded, "Yeah, I was. At first. But after a few years, what was the point? You were already practically family. My parents and yours went out on double dates together. I didn't want to hang out with you and Rachel anymore and I didn't want to sit in my room during my free time and study all the time, or attend the practice for whatever sports team I was on currently when you were around. I just wanted to be with you."

Instead of saying something incredibly cool and letting him know that's what she had been hoping he would say, her mouth dropped opened, her heart practically leaped out of her chest, and she wasn't sure how to reply to him.

He couldn't help but grin a bit, having a good idea about what was going on in her mind. Seth had always been pretty confident with himself; the leadership training that he had been forced to attend for most of his life had helped with that.

She was looking over at him but her eyes were glazed over as she was trying to process everything. It was something she did when she was thinking hard about something. He took that opportunity to scoot his chair close enough to lean next to her and whisper in her ear, "What are you thinking?"

Alyssa jumped out of her chair, startled because of his sudden closeness as well as the feel of his breath on her skin. "Don't do that!" She shrieked, plopping back down on the chair but not moving away from him. It was the distraction she needed to give herself the confidence to continue their talk.

Seth laughed lightly at her and leaned over to brush away the stands of her hair that had fallen into her eyes. "You're beautiful, did you know that?"

"Don't say that," she grumbled, swatting his hand from her head. "You can't just shut yourself away from me for umpteen billion years and then just pretend it didn't happen."

"Touché," he nodded in agreement. "I guess I got a little carried away. I'd been holding myself back from you for a while and I only just realized that it was impossible. I'm pretty sure that I'm in..."

"Don't say that either," she shoved his chair back to give them a more space, suddenly starting to feel suffocated. "You might have known about your feelings for me for years but I've had less than an hour."

Covering her face with her hands, she took a deep breath. Everything felt way too overwhelming and she needed to get away.

"I need to go." Alyssa stood up, trying not to make eye contact with him.

"Wait," he grabbed her hand, looking confused. He didn't understand what was going on. Isn't this what she wanted? Did he do something wrong?

She turned back to him, her eyes met his briefly, and she suddenly felt guilty for trying to run away after he confessed his feelings to her. "Just..." she started, searching for the right words to say, "I need some time to think. How about I make us lunch? Meet me back here in about an hour, okay?"

He couldn't just tell her 'no' and demand inside her house. There were laws against that. Plus, he was already breaking enough rules hanging around her now. He had to be careful how he did this. After a couple seconds of consideration, he agreed. His parents would still be out at that time so he wouldn't have to worry about being caught.

"I'll see you then. Just don't burn anything."

She scoffed at him and then walked into her house. As soon as she closed the door behind herself, Alyssa leaned her back against it and waited for her heart to stop pounding. It took a little bit to get it under control, but once it was she turned around and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in when she saw he was no longer in the backyard. In her mind everything was rushing around at a million thoughts a second. Part of her was ecstatic that he was showing her such positive attention, but there was still something about it that made her feel wary. To her, it felt like everything went from 0 to 100 in mere moments.

There was an hour before he would be back and she needed to distract herself while she had the time.

"What am I supposed to do?" She whispered to herself while her eyes were closed and her forehead was pressed against the backdoor. Breathing in and out, she allowed herself a moment to calm down before moving into the kitchen. She wasn't much of a cook, her skills were limited to boiling noodles and pouring pre-made sauce on top of them. Still, she had told him she was going to make him lunch so that is exactly what she was going to do.

The hour passed pretty quickly and the table was set for two with a big bowl of spaghetti and loaf of garlic bread still in the foil wrapper before he had made it back. She'd seen how much he ate and hoped this would be enough to satisfy his hunger. Alyssa wanted to impress him, even if she wasn't sure if he was toying with her emotions.

*****

What worried Seth the most wasn't the reaction his parents would have if they found out. Although that wasn't something he wanted to experience, it would be tame in comparison to the leaders' reaction. They had dedicated years to his training and would eventually grant him permission to marry a potential mate of acceptable standards. The problem with Alyssa had nothing to do with her looks or brains, because she definitely had both, but she lacked a certain quality that would be required in a future leader's significant other.

Alyssa couldn't shift.

Seth had known about his abilities since he was a child. Both of his parents were shifters, so he and Rachel grew up knowing how to hide it from the mortals. Exposing the paranormal realm to those without the gift was highly punishable. Those that did, and were discovered, were taken care of pretty quickly.

He didn't want Alyssa to find out about any of this. Hell, he didn't want to be a part of it. He would give almost anything to have been born a normal kid in a normal family. This summer was going to be his last chance to spend any real time with her. She was going away for college and he wasn't allowed to leave. He'd only see her on holidays and school breaks until she got over him and made a life for herself away from here. In a couple years' time he would be fully indoctrinated into the role of a Leader and there would be next to no chance for him to ever see her. Selfish as it may be, he couldn't help himself. He wanted to be with her, and he would before it was too late.

*****

Glancing through his window, he watched her setting the table. There was no chance he would go over there before she was ready for him. Alyssa Hunter was not the sort of person you wanted to annoy. Especially if you were trying to woo her.

Seth returned, again without knocking. She saw him enter through the gate but looked away when he came in, still nervous and unsure about everything.

"It looks good," he rubbed his hands together and sat down, trying to lighten the mood.

"Thanks," her reply was short and she wasn't able to make eye contact with him.

Picking up a bowl, he filled it with the noodles and then grabbed hers and did the same. "Here you go." He placed her lunch in front of her, and started twirling the pasta with his fork. Figuring it would be a little while before she started talking, he shoved the bite into his mouth and started chewing.

"Is this some sort of prank?" Alyssa finally looked over at him, her voice rising in defense of herself, "Because, if it is, it's really cruel."

Seth choked on his pasta, spitting some of it out in front of him before he could swallow what remained in his mouth. "What are you talking about?"

"You have been ignoring me for years, Seth. Years! Then, all of a sudden, you come into my backyard like we've been friends all of this time. As if you didn't completely shut yourself away from me. Then you have the audacity to try and tell me you have feelings for me!" Her voice had risen quite loudly, and she was standing up by this point. Alyssa just wanted to throw something at him, but the thought of having to clean it up kept her from crossing that line.

"Whoa," Seth stood up as well. His eyebrows furrowed in disappointment and hurt from her accusation. "Where the hell did you come up with that crap? I already explained to you why I pushed you away. I wasn't able to focus on what I thought my priorities were. I was wrong. What more do you want me to say to you?"

"Gah!" Alyssa kicked her chair and stormed off a few feet before turning back around, opened her mouth to say something, let out a frustrated grumble, and finally sat back down at the table. "I'm hungry." She mumbled, grabbing her fork and shoveling food into her mouth.

Seth just stood there for a moment, confused and unsure if it was safe to move. His hunger won out, and the thought of eating something she had made for him was enticing, so he gave in and sat down as well. They both ate in silence for a few more bites until he couldn't take it anymore. Putting his fork back down, Seth grabbed Alyssa's free hand to get her attention.

"I did a stupid thing, okay? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I was confused and 14! Then, when I was old enough to figure out I had made a mistake, I wasn't sure what to do about it. I know you also have feelings for me, Alyssa. I see it every damn time you look at me and it killed me knowing that I was hurting you. Please, give me a chance. I promise you I won't make the same mistake again. I've made my choice. I'd rather have you."

She had no idea exactly what those words meant. Seth didn't even realize how serious he was about all of this until he had said that out loud. What he was doing right now could put them both in danger. This could not be a half-assed relationship. If he was going to do this, it was going to have to be for real. He didn't know how, but he was going to have to find a way to keep this all hidden from his sister, parents, and especially the Leaders. Eventually, when possible, he would find a way to escape it all. This meant he'd have to tell her everything, but not yet. She wasn't ready for it.

A small grin formed on her lips and she squeezed his hand in response. "I suppose I forgive you then. This time. But only because I'm awesomely forgiving like that."

Needing to keep up the appearance that everything was okay, he smiled widely at her, "Thanks for giving me this shot. You won't regret it."

"I already regret it." She sighed, dramatically.

Seth grabbed a piece of garlic bread and threw it at Alyssa's head. She managed to catch it with her mouth, and chewed it smugly.

The rest of the lunch went by without a hitch. They spent a few hours catching up from everything they had missed from each other over the years like their favorite bands, books, and the normal type of stuff friends liked to discuss in great detail.

"Ah geez," Seth grumbled, after glancing at his watch. His stomach churned from nervousness, but he did his best to hide it from her. "It's almost 5. My parents will be home in an hour and I have barely done anything I was supposed to get done today. I've got to go." He looked at the mess on the table guiltily, "I'll make it up to you. How about lunch at my place tomorrow?"

"I suppose that's acceptable," Alyssa huffed while standing up to walk with him to the gate. "I'll see you then."

He lingered a bit before leaving, wanting to lean in and kiss her before leaving but worried it wasn't the right time. He settled for stroking her cheek affectionately before turning and leaving.

Feeling his fingers brushing against her skin, her entire body tingled and she instantly closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. After he was gone she continued to stand in front of the gate, with eyes glazed and a lopsided grin, as she thought back on the time she spent with Seth that day.

### Chapter Two

The next morning Alyssa woke up, not entirely convinced that all of yesterday was more than a dream. She had Seth's number, stolen off of Rachel shortly after he had gotten a cell phone, but she had never used it before. Part of her wanted to call him, or at least leave a quick text. Then another part was still convinced yesterday was either a joke or he had realized she was the wrong choice.

Grabbing the pillow, she held it against her face and screamed into it. Not even a second later she heard a ping from the nightstand next to her. While tossing the pillow aside, she scrambled to grab for her phone with the hope that it was him – even though she knew there was no way it could be. Seth didn't even have her phone number. He never asked her for it and the only other person who could have given it to him was Rachel, and she would have said something.

Despite that fact, Alyssa struggled on whether or not to check the message. If it was him, that would be great. Wonderful even. But if it wasn't... she would be so disappointed. It was the fear of the let down that was keeping her from checking.

"Quit being stupid," she hissed at herself and grabbed the damn thing, opening up the text screen – but only looking at it with one eye. That way if it wasn't him she could just shut both of her eyes and pretend like it didn't happen. But if it was, she could squeal in excitement because she wasn't expecting it. Not really.

It was from her mom.

We're going to be late coming home tonight. You can order Chinese or pizza if you'd like.

Sighing, she plopped back onto her bed – disappointed. It was stupid. Her heart actually hurt because it wasn't him and she hated it.

"Stupid phone," she grumbled, shoving it under her pillow in an attempt to suffocate it for making her feel this way. Even though it was actually Seth that was doing this to her – it felt better to blame and punish an inanimate object.

While she was shoving her pillow on to it, and grunting out obscenities in the process, her phone had vibrated with an incoming call. Without noticing, she managed to accidentally answer it during the assault.

It took her a couple of moments to realize there was a voice under her pillow and that whomever was on the line could have heard any number of curse words or other obscene phrases she may have just used.

"Hello?" she picked up her phone, hoping it wasn't one of her parents.

"There you are," the familiar voice laughed, "I was waiting for you to finish your attack. Figured it was important."

Her heart started pounding violently in her chest while she sank into the bed, trying to shrink down in embarrassment. "You heard that?"

"Heard what?" Seth asked innocently, "That you were taking your aggression out on something in your room because of a stupid boy with gorgeous eyes, thank you by the way, who is making everything too confusing?"

"It's worse than I thought!" She whined, covering her head with the devil pillow. "If you don't mind, I plan on dying in a couple moments. It'll be the only way to end this embarrassment."

"Nah, there are other ways to relieve such pains and they're much more fun than dying. You should try those first."

"How fun?" Her interest was peaked, "And what sort of ways?"

"How about I come over there and we can find out."

"Are you threatening me, Seth?"

"More like propositioning."

She squeaked, unsure of how to reply. Sure she was attracted to him, but she wasn't ready for something like that, especially not now while she was so confused.

"Oh, my god!" He started laughing really hard, trying to choke out words between breaths. "Did you think I was serious? I was just teasing you."

"That's not funny," she hissed, but couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach knowing that he thought of them together in such a way was a joke to him. She wasn't opposed to it, but it just wasn't the time.

It took him a second to figure out why she had replied so defensively.

"Oh, that's not what I meant. I mean, I do... I would like to..."

Now he was the one that felt stupid as he stumbled over his words, "I just meant that's not what I was talking about. I just wanted to hang out with you today because I have some free time now and would like to spend it with you."

She checked the clock and realized it was still pretty early. "What time would you like to come over?"

"Now."

Alyssa smiled, feeling warmth spreading through her. She liked this much better than what she was experiencing earlier. "I'm still in my PJs. Can you give me like, half an hour? Meet me by the back door."

He agreed to the time and she got off the phone so she could get herself ready. Today was already full of too many conflicting emotions. She didn't know how much more she could take and still claim to be sane.

*****

Seth was already at the door when she walked downstairs, so she rushed over to it and let him in.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning yourself," he leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head before walking over to the fridge to get himself a glass of juice.

Alyssa was momentarily frozen with her hand on the open door. She had not been expecting that. It wasn't until after he closed the refrigerator for her that snapped back to reality.

"You've got to warn a girl before you do something like that next time!" She held one hand on her hip, and shook the other at him.

A devious grin appeared on his face. "Why? What would you do if I said that I was going to kiss you in 15 seconds?"

"What?" Her eyes widened in shock.

"Ten seconds."

"Wait a moment," she held her hands up. "What are you doing?"

"Five."

"Seth?" Her voice came out shakily and she was unsure if she was more nervous about him actually going through with it or her reaction if he was just teasing.

"Three."

Seth!" She shrieked, covering up her face. This just made him grin widely as he moved Alyssa's hands away, with no resistance from her.

"One."

"What are..."

She was cut off by him leaning his head down and gently brushing his lips against hers. It only lasted a second but her entire body felt like it was on fire. While he, on the other hand, casually walked back over to the counter and grabbed his glass of juice as if what he had just done wasn't causing the entire world to spin.

Alyssa, on the other hand, stood there like a statue with her hand resting just above her lips. That had been her first kiss and he was acting so nonchalant about it. She wasn't sure what to think and it frustrated her to watch him leaning against the counter, sipping at his glass, and watching her with a straight face.

"Stop that!" She finally yelled out, walking over to him and shoving him in his shoulder. "You can't just give some girl her first kiss and act like it was nothing!"

"I didn't kiss just some girl," he pointed out, "I kissed you. And it was my first time too."

She raised her eyebrow, unsure if she believed him. It was hard to imagine him with another girl, but it wasn't impossible. She definitely recognized how attractive he was and knew she wasn't the only one who noticed him. Yet, he was always busy when he was in school. Also, it wasn't just her that he had distanced himself from. It seemed like the only person that Seth hadn't shoved away was Rachel. The two of them had always been very close. Alyssa felt that the likelihood of him being with another girl and not telling his sister about it was very slim. Then, for Rachel not to tell her best friend about it was even less likely.

"Maybe so," she conceded, "But you still are acting too cool about it. I don't like it."

Seth snorted into the glass as he took another sip, swallowing it before putting it on the counter and looking back over at her. "I think you'd prefer this to how I wanted to react," he assured her and she gulped in response. He let his eyes linger on her for a moment longer before deciding it was a good time to change the subject.

"So, what do you think we should do? Want to play a game? It's been forever since I kicked your butt at Othello."

She groaned at the mention of that game, remembering all the times she had been defeated by him. Every single game she had ever played against him, by the way. Alyssa had a habit of getting easily distracted and frustrated around him, which did not help.

"Let's turn it into a bet. If I win, you have to help me with my summer homework. At least one of the essays."

"I'm not doing your homework for you," she glared at Seth, crossing her arms, "that's cheating. Besides, they'll know it's not you if it's not perfect."

He rolled his eyes, "I didn't say you'd be writing it for me, I said you would be helping me. I want to pass this semester."

She scoffed and tried to think of another excuse to get out of the competition. "This won't even be fair, we both know you'll win," she started to grumble, but was cut off.

"If you win," he leaned forward and whispered just barely audible enough for her to hear, "Then I will kiss you again."

She blushed and her hand went up to her lips as her mind began to wander.

"What do you say?"

Alyssa diverted her gaze so she wouldn't have to worry about stumbling over her words. "What if I don't want that as a prize?"

Chancing a looking at him, she saw his eyebrow raised as if to dare her to try and say that she didn't want to kiss him.

"Fine," she sighed as she walked over to the closet to grab the game. "But when you win, I get to pick which essay I'm helping you with. I'm not getting stuck with some freaking 100 page research report on the breeding cycle of a newt."

He smiled deviously and followed her to the table where they set the game up. Seth picked black, as usual, because it went first, and Alyssa was stuck with white.

She remembered how these games used to go. They would start and everything would seem as if it were going fine. He'd flip a few of her pieces over and she'd do the same. Then, as if by some evil magic, he would have all of her pieces turned over before she even had a chance to reach the edge of the board. This was both annoying and embarrassing. More than anything she wanted to at least make it to the end of a game before being destroyed. So they played a lot and she started to learn his strategy. It made her a more formidable opponent, making the game much more fun for the both of them. Still, he always won.

"You've gotten rusty," he joked, taking an entire row of her white pieces.

"I guess that's what happens when the only person who'll play this game with you ignores you for a few years."

"Touché."

The time between turns started to take a bit longer and they were becoming increasingly competitive. By the time the game had finally ended, it was so close that they actually had to count the pieces to see who had won.

"I don't even care if I lost at this point," she stared at the board, astonished, "This is the closest I've ever come to beating you and I think I need to take a picture of this."

"It's a tie." Seth stated after counting the pieces, and she almost dropped her phone on the board, which would have surely scattered them before she could document her accomplishment.

"What? Seriously? Let me check."

"You can if you want, but I've already counted three times. 32 to 32."

Alyssa did a quick sweep of the board with her eyes, counting all 32 white pieces, and let out a short laugh, "This totally means I don't have to do your stupid homework for you since you didn't actually win." She stuck her tongue out at him and folded her arms across her chest, smugly.

"True," he agreed, "But that was the closest you've ever come to beating me before. I think that should count as a win for you."

Alyssa's smile slowly began to fade. "Did you purposefully tie with me?" She raised her voice, starting to feel less proud of herself. She could see Seth fixing the game so he didn't actually lose but she didn't officially beat him. He was definitely smart enough.

"What?" He snorted, "You think that I care that much about my winning streak that I'd fix the game like that?"

She thought about it for a second before giving her retort, "I'm not entirely convinced it wasn't fixed because you preferred what would happen if I won."

This made him burst out laughing. "Okay, I can see your reasoning there. But seriously, no. You have actually gotten a lot better. You paid more attention to the game than you used to, and you already know my strategy pretty well."

This reply was acceptable to her and she allowed herself to get excited again, "That's so awesome. I can't wait to brag to Rachel about this." Her best friend was another victim of his Othello skills, and would be amazed at these results. Thankfully she had thought to take a picture, because she knew it wouldn't be believed otherwise.

Seth suddenly got quiet and looked away, "Yeah, about that..." He sounded uncomfortable, which made Alyssa feel weird. "Could we not tell her about any of this?"

The request made her raise her eyebrow in response. Why wouldn't he want her to tell her best friend?

"It's just... my parents, you know? If she knew, you know how she is. She's a blabbermouth. I'm the oldest kid in my family, and my parents expect me to follow in my father's footsteps. If they find out I'm spending my time on something other than what they have planned out for me, it wouldn't go over too well. Not that I think Rachel would tell them on purpose," he defended his sister, although he wasn't entirely convinced of it himself, "She just doesn't think sometimes.

That was something Alyssa couldn't deny. There were loads of times her best friend spoke without thinking and ended up getting both of them in trouble.

"Do you promise it isn't because you're embarrassed to be hanging out with me?" She asked quietly, feeling self-conscious.

"Hey," he stood up and walked over to her, "I promise you that is the last thing on my mind. You, Alyssa Hunter, are the most amazing person I know. You're smart, beautiful, and hilarious. Not to mention, you play a mean game of Othello."

"Thanks," she smiled, "I guess I just still feel a bit confused about all of this."

"Yeah, I understand." He agreed, "It's weird for me as well. I spent a while blocking everyone out, and now I'm finally letting someone in. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying it. It is a big relief to have someone to talk to, and it makes it even better that that person is you."

He leaned over her, brushed the hair that had fallen into her eyes away, and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. "I have really enjoyed our time together these last couple days and I don't want it to end."

"It doesn't have to if you don't want it to," she reached up and touched his hand with her own, a spark of electricity flowing between the two of them, "I don't want it to end either." She didn't want to come off as clingy, because she wasn't sure how he would handle going from a recluse to being stuck with a someone. The last thing he needed was to end up with a crazy girlfriend that turned him off people all together. At the same time, she had been in love with him since basically forever, and she really wanted him to see how much she felt for him.

"I know," he smiled, his hand squeezing hers reassuringly. "I trust you, Alyssa. I have since we were kids. You're the one person who I trusted to be around my sister when we were little, and you're the only person I trust with my heart now."

He wished he could explain to her the significance of what he had just said to her. When Rachel was really little she had a hard time controlling her shifting powers. More than once she had done something to get herself spotted, not unusual for a shifter child, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to come up with believable excuses. Thankfully, most people refused to accept what they'd seen with their own eyes. But there were the people who would do a double take.

Rachel tended to change when she felt uncomfortable, which was never a feeling she had around Alyssa. They became quick friends shortly after Alyssa had moved into the house next door and Seth found himself worrying less about his sister hanging around their new neighbor. Although he would have preferred she never see either of them in a shifted state, he eventually came to trust her enough to keep it to herself if she ever did.

Alyssa's pulse quickened as soon as he said those words. It was an amazing feeling to hear he trusted her. The only reaction she could think to do was stare at him, like an idiot, and will him into kissing her. He did say she won, didn't he? Unless he was counting that forehead thing as her prize. Which she couldn't complain about, because it was nice. Still, she was hoping for a bit more. It was frustrating how shy she was being about all of this. It wasn't usual for her to be timid about anything. At the same time, she had never had a boyfriend before.

That thought made her pause. Neither of them had said anything about being in a relationship and she'd already thought about them as girlfriend and boyfriend. For all she knew this could just be as simple as two friends, hanging out, that both had feelings for each other but never declared it a relationship because that would make things awkward. But friends with benefits wasn't what she wanted.

Sighing, she mumbled, "Relationships are hard..." Not realizing she had actually said it out loud.

"Excuse me?" He snickered, raising his eyebrow at her. "Did you say something?"

"Oh god," she smacked her head on the table in front of her. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, I believe I did."

"Do you mind if I go over to that wall and smack my head against it? I don't think this table is sturdy enough."

He laughed, pulling her out of the chair and into an embrace with him, "I know that this is all weird and complicated and confusing to you, because it also is for me. I want to be with you, Alyssa. I promise you I do. And, as selfish as that makes me, I want you to be with me as well."

"I'm not sure what you just said, but I'm going to take a stab in the dark here. Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" She whispered into his chest, "Because I'm not entirely sure what we are, exactly. Although if that's not what you're talking about, then forget it. Actually, you can forget that now. It was stupid of me. I said nothing. Hello, Seth. How's the weather going? It's very sunny outside."

His shoulders shook with quiet laughter, "You're an odd one, Alyssa Hunter. But you know what? That's what drew me to you. Then, even when I tried to push you away, you never actually left. You're just too... you. And yes, I would like us to make things official... and exclusive." Although he wasn't worried about her being with anyone else, he still felt the need to clarify, "I want to be with you. Just you. And I want you to know how much you mean to me."

What he was saying was wonderful, truly, and something she had been waiting to hear. "Okay then," she nodded, feigning a serious face. "I shall dub thee my boyfriend."

"I shall wear this title with pride, and I will deserve every second of it", he promised, "Starting with this..."

He held her chin in his hand, gently pulling her face up to look at him. "This is your warning."

Her heart started pounding and she subconsciously started biting her bottom lip. His finger brushed over her lips, slowly, and they parted slightly at his touch. With that movement, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. She was glad that he had been holding her with one arm, because the action caused her legs to give out slightly. She had to put her arms around his neck just to hold herself up. It was an added bonus that it felt nice to pull herself closer to him.

After a few moments of kissing, he pulled back. Her eyes were still closed and she wasn't moving.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a satisfied grin on his face.

She opened her eyes slightly and nodded at him, unable to think coherent thoughts. It had been an amazing kiss. Way better than anything she had ever imagined.

"Good," he leaned in and gave her one more slight peck on her lips, pulling back before she could do anything about it, and rubbing his hand through her hair slightly. "I hate to kiss and run," he sighed, his eyes moving to the clock behind him, "But I have somewhere I need to be in less than an hour, and it's across town. I need to leave about 5 minutes ago."

"Yeah," her mind clicked back into reality, "I understand. You're super busy. Go, don't stay around on my part. I've got enough to keep me distracted... I mean, busy." Her mind was still going at a million miles a second, recapping the kiss between the two of them.

"I'll text you later, okay?" He promised her, then leaned in and gave her one more kiss on the cheek before walking towards the back door. "I can really get used to kissing you," he smirked, "It's already become one of my favorite things. If I had known how great it would be, I would have done it years ago."

She snorted, shaking her head. "Yeah right. You were too busy to have noticed you liked kissing."

"That's beside the point," he countered. "I'll talk to you later. Have a great day."

"I already have."

Seth froze, having to convince himself that he couldn't stay here with her. If he wanted to keep suspicions off of him, he needed to act like there was nothing new going on with him. She was going to make this difficult for him, and she was completely worth it.

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#  Deviate 2 - Bonus Material: Three Chapter Sneak Peek

_© 2014 Sally Slayer_

## Dedicated to my awesome hubby, for all your love and support.

### Chapter One

I couldn't believe the things my mind was telling me as truth. My father wasn't really dead? How was that even possible? I turned to my three rocks, or as they were more commonly referred to as Adam, Gabe and Jack, searching for answers. "Guys? What the hell?" I barely got the words out before my legs gave out on me and I collapsed in a heap on the floor. Must've been the shock of learning that all the things I thought were real were actually incredibly false.

The next thing I knew, I was laying on a comfy couch in the same office as before and the only thing I could see was five concerned faces peering at me. The man from before, Tristan Black, - or as I had always known him, Evan Perry or Dad - was one of the faces I saw upon waking. "Cleo, dear, are you still not feeling well? Should I send for anything?" His large hands fluttered around me, not touching anything as though I would break under the slightest pressure, before he turned to Bobbi with a smile. "Bob, please fetch us a glass of water," he glanced at me over his shoulder, "and a bucket...just in case."

With a smile Bobbi - or "Bob" as I was totally gonna start calling her - skipped away, and I was surprised yet again at how graceful she was. Simply another reason for me to hate her, but she was so damned likable I just couldn't help but like her! I also noticed Gabe couldn't tear his eyes away from her retreating form. He was probably still miffed that she wasn't fawning all over him. Or could it be that he had finally met his match? A devilish grin lit up my face, and Jack - ever the observant one - nudged my shoulder from his crouched position near my head. "What was that smile for? Maybe I want in on the joke, too." A wink from those gorgeous blue eyes made my brain melt to sludge and it was a moment before I could collect my thoughts enough to respond.

"Uh..." A grimace showed my inner struggle, which caused him to flash a huge smile, again distracting me with his superior sexiness. "I was just thinking about something." I stuttered in a muted voice, trying not to ruin the moment and lose that awesome smile by mentioning his brother – yeah, don't think I didn't notice some sibling rivalry going on over there - and his apparent infatuation with Bob. All too soon, she was back with a purple cup - she must've known it was my favorite color - and a small garbage can. "Very funny, smartass!" I exclaimed as she smirked at her own joke. "If I was gonna barf, I would've done it earlier when you were reminding me of all the mud pies you used to feed me as kids! Speaking of which...did I ever barf on you after eating those?" With a tinkling laugh, she nodded furiously, unable to speak through the giggle we shared. This made me wonder how often I actually did throw up on her, since she was laughing so hard. I figured if she could forgive that, then we must be destined to be best friends! Apparently even if you forget everything else, you will always know your friends.

They had obviously already talked about the important stuff, because we were dismissed. I was supposed to be roomies with Bobbi, since they were not prepared for our arrival and didn't already have one ready. I assumed it would only take a few days anyway, so this news didn't bother me much. Adam and Jack were to share an empty room nearby - and they received many apologies for the lack of amenities - and Adam would be in his own room that was quite a ways further away.

Tristan/Dad pulled me to the side, and asked to meet again in private later on. I guess he wanted to know all about the little experiments and my time in captivity. Unfortunately for him, not only was I not in a sharing mood, but what little I did remember I had absolutely no intention of sharing aloud. Ever. Besides all that, I was still a little pissed off that he had been alive for all these years without even letting us know at all. That little event in our lives had utterly destroyed Mama and me, and he didn't even have the decency to do something about it! Instead of blowing up like I wanted and giving him a piece of my mind - an ugly piece of my mind that involved lots and lots of screaming - I sucked it up and plastered on a fake smile. Yeah yeah, keep thinking I'm gonna tell you all about it, sucker. As I rounded the corner to enter the hall that led out of this creepy building, I came upon the tail end of a heated argument.

"What the hell's your problem man? I know she's your best friend, but she's made it totally obvious she doesn't like you that way, hell she doesn't even **remember** you!" It kind of sounded like Jack, but I'd never heard his voice so loud and threatening before.

"Argh! That's not the point! She was my friend long before she was yours. Why are you being all buddy buddy with her?" This one was definitely Gabe, but I had no idea what the heck he was talking about.

I heard a heavy sigh. "Look, I think some really bad stuff happened, and I was just trying to help her. It's not like you stepped in to try to make her less freaked out! Y'know what...just get lost." Jack's voice was more muted, but still more pissed than his usual sound.

I then heard what sounded like scuffling, cursing and then finally the shuffling of retreating feet. Anxiously, I waited a few seconds before rounding the corner. There was no way in hell that whoever was just arguing out there was going to drag me into their crap! I peered around the edge of the building, and a hand snaked out and gripped my shoulder.

"Hey, Cleo! What's got your panties in a twist?" Jack grinned playfully.

I yelped and jumped, and cursed the blush that crept up my neck at his use of the word "panties". "Not a thing, all right? Not a damn thing." I grumbled uncomfortably.

"Y'know...it's not good to keep your feelings all bottled up. You might just explode!" He smiled again.

"Yeah, yeah, and Mama always said 'it's better to be pissed off than pissed on', too but that doesn't make me feel any better either!" I shrugged him away as I stalked down the hall with no real purpose in mind. I couldn't remember exactly where Bobbi's room was located, and wasn't in the mood to ask for directions either. It did not escape my notice that my handsome shadow was...well, shadowing me, as I meandered through the streets. We came upon a small stall that sold coffee - bless this place - among other random convenience store-like items, but I did not have money, so I was about to veer away when Jack gripped my elbow and steered me back toward it.

"We need a venti caramel macchiato and a venti vanilla latte with a shot of espresso." He winked at me as he ordered. How the heck did he know that was my favorite beverage?

The man behind the counter got to work, and before we knew it had placed both coffees on it. "That comes out to $8.00 even." He said with a crooked grin that revealed several missing teeth.

Jack dug around in his pocket and passed the bills toward him. "Thanks man." He handed me my drink gingerly as though I would bite his hand off, leaving nothing more than a bloody stump in its wake, as I scarfed my coffee. This brought a true smile to my face for the first time since we had departed the haunted office building that apparently housed my long deceased father.

"I could get used to this, you know." I nudged his side playfully. "Now every time we go somewhere together, I might just expect you to get me coffee." I winked playfully. Jack's only response was to roll his eyes and snort.

Without conscious thought, we had drifted closer to the housing district and were now extremely close to our current rooms. I didn't really want Jack to leave me alone again, I mean I liked Bobbi and all and didn't really think she would murder me in my sleep, but I hadn't been separated from my friends since our escape. While I liked to think I was independent and could take care of myself, I had begun to rely on them. I found the first available balcony-like area, and plopped down with my feet between the bars, dragging Jack down beside me. He looked a little nervous, and this just made me laugh inwardly. What could he possibly have to be afraid of from me?

We sat there in silence, swinging our legs in tandem and enjoying the coolness of nightfall. Without thinking about it, I leaned my head on his shoulder and drank in the comfort his warmth and clean smell provided. I didn't want to leave and be trapped in a room with a virtual stranger. I truly liked Bobbi, but didn't feel altogether comfortable with her, because while she knew everything about me, I had no recollection of her. "Why can't I stay with you tonight? I'm...afraid to be alone again." I whispered so quietly I wasn't sure he heard me at first. I knew he did hear it, however, when his shoulders tensed up.

"I guess they don't allow fraternization between genders around here." He said with a serious expression - too serious - before he broke into a fit of laughter. "Don't worry about it, little Miss Anxiouspants! I'll see you bright and early in the morning." He nudged my side again, and I could've sworn he placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head before he stood and offered his hand to help me up. We trudged toward our respective rooms as though it were "the green mile" although I did feel a tiny bit better that I wasn't completely alone and that I would see them again in the morning. I did feel a bit guilty for leaving out the part where I had to meet with a psychiatrist bright and early in the morning.

### Chapter Two

I opened the door to Bobbi's - and mine now as well, apparently - room and was flooded with an image of a violent crime just having taken place. There were books everywhere, and all of them open to random pages, not to mention the ginormous \- yes that is a word - pile of shoes. I'll be the first to admit that I kind of have a thing for shoes...but I think this may have been taking it to the extreme! The room was obviously meant to hold an occupancy of two, but had been completely commandeered by all of Bobbi's crap. Both closets were filled to the brim with every sort of clothing imaginable, and the second bed was covered completely by what appeared to be a CD/DVD collection. I looked toward the area that was supposed to be the "living area" and saw that it was totally dominated by the giant entertainment center. It did take up the whole northern wall! I actually gasped aloud when I saw the size of the thing. It surprised me so much that she hadn't been either kicked out or had numerous complaints against all the noise she must've made when she turned the monstrous thing on. A tiny room to the left of the "TV room" as I was going to start calling it revealed itself to be a kitchenette complete with a small "dorm fridge" and a microwave. I panicked a bit when I didn't immediately see a bathroom, but its entrance was partially hidden behind a stack of books right beside the enormous bookshelf. With a sigh of relief, I placed my small bag that was filled with my few earthly possessions near the doorway. I didn't want it to get lost amid all her stuff.

Once I finished surveying my new surroundings, I searched for signs of life - i.e. my roommate - to no avail. It was devoid of any other life forms - I sincerely hoped anyway - so I stepped outside, closing the door gently behind me in search of my missing roommate. Where the hell could she be, though? I was at a loss as to where I should begin. I decided the best course of action would be to recruit some help. Instead of going to Jack, as I wanted so badly to do, I veered toward Adam's place, choosing knowledge over preference. I knew Adam wouldn't get lost while helping me search, whereas Jack very well might. As I stepped toward his door, I hesitated. What if he had company or something, this was his first day back, after all. I didn't want to disturb him, but didn't favor being alone out here where it got dark so much faster than it did above ground. Screwing up my courage, I knocked loudly on the wooden door. A lot of commotion from the other side alerted me to the very real possibility that he DID have someone in there with him. A deep blush got trapped in my cheeks at the thought of being the one to interrupt his reunion - I could already see the angry expression he would have when he came to the door - and I began to turn away to leave just as the door was flung open. A tousle-headed Adam answered, proving that he had been very much in bed before I interrupted him. With a sigh of relief, I explained my predicament and asked if he would mind helping me find Bobbi.

Adam stared uncomprehendingly at me for what felt like minutes, but in reality was likely only seconds before nodding with a small smile. He opened the door wider, inviting me inside while he got dressed. I couldn't help but notice the extreme differences between his and Bobbi's rooms. Where hers had been filled with "things" and cramped by storing all of them, Adam's was spartan and spotless. It was like he didn't own anything more than what he wore. I couldn't understand why he would opt for living here like this when he could choose the opulence and splendor his family offered. That is, I couldn't understand until I thought of his family. With a shudder, I remembered how cold and distant they all were, with the possible exception of his mother, until we left. It's possible that could have been caused by the fact they were not happy to see what he dragged home with him. By this time, my inner musings added to my snooping eyes had given him enough time to become fully dressed - not that he was naked or anything before, I just knew he wouldn't be seen walking anywhere in the flannel pants without a shirt - and ready to leave.

I could tell by his demeanor that he was suspicious, yet not that worried by Bobbi's disappearance. He began to lope along at a quickened pace, and at first I had a bit of trouble keeping up. I suppose if I had been woken up from a deep sleep, I might be in a hurry to get this over with as well. I couldn't help but notice that he kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye, but was apparently trying to hide that fact from me. It was beginning to get on my nerves, so I decided to do what I apparently did best, and confront him. "OK, so what the hell is so freaking interesting about me all of a sudden? Usually you completely ignore me, but right now it's like I've grown an extra appendage or something. Do I have something in my teeth?" I glared back at him, hoping to get a straight answer.

The only answer I got was him staring at his feet, face going red. It actually caught me off guard enough that I stumbled over my feet, and almost fell on my face - thank heavens for rails along staircases. We were climbing upward, I assumed toward the women's dorms again, of which there were four buildings. He must've wanted to take a look at our room to check for clues. As we edged closer to the building that neighbored my own, I finally thought through the implications of asking Adam to come with me instead of Jack. The former might read too much into this, and the latter would definitely read too much into it. I hurried past the room shared by my favorite brothers, and to my relief, so did Adam. "There's a possibility that she may be somewhere close. It seems she has a sort of affinity for heights, so let's try the highest places first." He spoke in quiet tones, as though afraid to wake my friends and have them join our little escapade. Yep, knew it was a bad idea.

We climbed what felt like thousands of flights of stairs - in reality it was closer to four flights of stairs - until we reached the roof. There were many tiny offshoots that led from different apartments onto a shared rooftop patio, but it appeared that only a select few actually used the things. Adam made a beeline for one in particular, and as we approached, I noticed what looked to be an urban version of a jungle growing from every blank space. Someone had built a freaking huge garden up here, and this seemed to be the place he assumed my talkative friend would occupy. Right between a honeysuckle and some reddish flowery vine thing I didn't know the name of I saw Bobbi reclined in a hammock. She had headphones on and apparently it was a really rocking song, because she was wiggling along to the music while still in the hammock. Not an easy feat, believe me! How the heck did she keep from flipping out of the other side?

"Bobbi! We've been searching everywhere for you! What the heck are you doing up here?" I cringed a bit as I glanced at how far we were from the ground. Damn, but it was a long way down. "I found your room, but couldn't figure out...uh...which bed was mine?" I faltered a bit, not wanting to hurt her feelings by pointing out the severe clutter that littered the place.

Her eyes popped open instantly as though I had screamed at her, although in my own defense she wouldn't have been able to hear my voice with the volume her music was set to - I could hear it all the way over here. With a serene smile, she hopped down from the hammock - seriously, how did she not fall? - and meandered slowly toward us. "This is my special place. You see all these plants, Cleo? I planted every single one of them. I love it up here; it's the only place in this whole compound that anything will grow." She smiled proudly as she pointed them out, then leaned closer to whisper conspiratorially to me, "No one else can figure out why they grow here and nowhere else. Do you know why?" I shook my head mutely. "It's because one of my gifts is growing things," she said simply as she took my hand and let the way back to the stairs. "By the way, what's the deal with you and Adam? I assumed from watching the two of you that you were more interested in Jack." She whispered again for my ears only.

I felt my face flush and spread all the way down my neck. Shrugging, I made a noncommittal noise in the back of my throat. She assumed I wanted to talk about it later after Adam went home, and smiled knowingly. I just let her think that; really, there was no way I was actually going to go into that with her when I was barely willing to go into it with myself. I had no idea what was "going on" with Jack and me, or even Adam and me for that matter. It would help if my memory was coming back as more than bits and pieces. With a sigh, I trudged along obediently behind Bobbi with far less enthusiasm than she had. Then again, did the person exist who actually possessed as much enthusiasm as she constantly exuded? She skipped toward the rickety stairs as though she hadn't a care in the world, and I finally noticed how shabby they appeared. Why hadn't I noticed how bad they looked before? Now as we prepared to descend them, it felt very death-trappish - that's a word! And if it's not, it is now! - and frightening. I turned to back away and find another less scary way down, and gasped as I bumped into the solid wall of Adam, who smiled warmly back at me - wait, smiled warmly...what the hell? In a mild panic, I spun back around and came face to...well not face with the rickety stairwell again. Tentatively, I placed a foot on the first step, and to my dismay it creaked unsteadily. I was about to give up and just move up here to Bobbi's rooftop retreat forever, or at least until they built better stairs, when a strong hand gripped my shoulder gently. "Just take my hand. You know I would never allow you to fall. Close your eyes and follow behind me." Adam whispered in my ear, tickling it as he stepped around me to lead.

I took the offered hand, but declined the other, much preferring to be able to see if - or looking back at the stairs again, when - I happened to plummet to my death. I crept carefully behind Adam, doing my best to keep my fear in check. Bobbi turned at that moment - she was already halfway down the first flight when we stepped on the first step - and waved eagerly, before hopping down three stairs at a time and making a grand, olympic-worthy landing on the next floor down. "C'mon slowpokes! At this rate we're gonna be here all night!" She hollered up at us. As an afterthought, she yelled again. "If I were thinking about it, I could've just blipped us all down in an instant." A maniacal cackle followed, making my head ache even more than it already was.

"Yeah, if only you'd thought of that before." I muttered sarcastically to myself. "Then we'd be on the ground again, and I wouldn't have to look over the railing of this freaking piece of crap stairwell, wondering if this will be the last night of my life because I've fallen to my death after a faulty step gives way beneath my weight." I shuddered, regretting my overly descriptive rant.

"You'll be fine, Cleo. Trust me." Adam grinned at me again. "If you want, I can carry you down the stairs and you can close your eyes."

Have I mentioned how much I hate the phrase "trust me"? No matter how trustworthy the person who says that phrase is, terrible things always follow it. Without waiting for a response from me, he slung me over his shoulder potato sack-style and started toward the steps. At this point, I was screeching frantically about the probability of us tumbling down all five flights of stairs and careening to the bottom in a painful heap. Within seconds of my near panic attack, Bobbi suddenly popped up in front of us with a huge grin. "You kind of look like you need some help." She reached slowly toward us and pressed her hand to both Adam and my arms. In the blink of an eye - make that an incredibly vertigo-filled blink of an eye - we were on ground level again and my stomach was churning painfully.

"Put me down now, Adam, or be forced to replace your shirt, pants and shoes." I croaked hoarsely in his ear. I guess the thought of vomit-filled shoes was less than appealing, because he hastily set my feet on the ground. I sank down in a small heap on the sidewalk and tried to talk my stomach down from its suicide mission. After a few minutes, the rumbling in my belly finally subsided, and I once again found the ability to become vertical again. Glancing warily at Bobbi, I couldn't help but ask the question that was burning to the surface. "How do you do that and not barf your guts out every time?"

With a girlish giggle and a wink, she replied easily, "Practice. Lots and lots of practice." With a tic of her head, she indicated the direction of our shared room. "Let's get some sleep. From what Tris said earlier, it looks like you are gonna have a long day ahead of ya." With that, she took the lead, offering no explanation for the reason behind her disappearance and left me wondering why she called my father "Tris". I couldn't help but wonder why she had a nickname for "the boss" as everyone else called him.

I turned to thank Adam for his help and apologize for waking him up, but he was already beginning to walk away. "See ya tomorrow, Cleo. I'll be by bright and early to take you for your meeting with Dr. Rochester," He called as he strode back to his place.

Groaning aloud, I slapped my forehead with my palm. I had completely forgotten "dear old dad" had scheduled an appointment with some sort of psychiatrist or something like that for early the next morning. Really, who the hell gets up early enough to make a 7:30 am appointment? And what kind of doctor actually worked on weekends? I had really been looking forward to getting a bit of extra rest, too. A frown creased my face as I thought of the time. If I slept until 6, that would mean I would get a whole whopping five hours of sleep tonight, provided I fell into a bed and immediately was claimed by sleep within the next five minutes, anyway.

I stumbled wearily toward our shared room, and cracked the door open, peering cautiously inside. It seemed Bobbi had been hard at work the last few minutes while I had been busy throwing myself a pity party and had cleared out over half the mess that cluttered up my side of the room. With a sigh, I motioned for her to stop cleaning and crawled under the covers with my back toward her. She fumbled around with something, making quite a bit of racket and when I turned to see what she was doing, I noticed her place an iPod on a speaker dock. The sound of rock music filtered through the room, and I relaxed slightly, thankful she had chosen a more reasonable volume level than when she had headphones on. Within a few minutes I began to feel drowsy, a feat that surprised even me, and as my eyes closed lazily, I whispered a quiet thanks for the music. It was a welcome distraction from the strangeness of this place, and I had been afraid it would take forever for me to relax enough for sleep to come.

"You're welcome, hon. I know this always used to help you when we were younger and you couldn't sleep." In the dimness, I could still see her brilliant smile as she reached for the lamp to turn it off. "Good night, Cleo." She spoke in such a subdued, quiet manner - so unlike her so far - and I wasn't sure I had heard correctly at first.

### Chapter Three

Opening my eyes, I saw my waking nightmare. Dr. Kreseb, AKA creepy killer clown dude, AKA my personal torturer, was leaning over me with a speculative expression. "I would've thought you would be more cooperative by now. When will you ever learn these things we do in here are for your own good? If you can't keep her on the inside where she belongs, I'll cut her out of there permanently! Now, close your eyes and uncurl your fists. It won't do any good, anyway. You are strapped down for a reason." With a huff, he stalked back to the tray that held all the devices used to torture me every day.

While his back was turned to me, I began to struggle against the restraints. Though I already knew it was useless, I still had to try. Before I made any sort of progress, he spun around to face me, his overly large eyes boring into me as though he knew I was trying to escape after he told me to be still. A wide smile spread across his skeletal face as he casually spun the scalpel around in his hand like it was nothing more harmful than a feather. "I told you not to move." He smiled as though this pleased him, though it shouldn't have. "Now we get to do things the fun way." With an even bigger grin, he stabbed a needle into my thigh. I hadn't even seen the damn thing in his hands! To my utter horror, he began to morph right in front of my eyes into my worst nightmare. His frizzy orange hair and bright red nose were at odds with the painted-on grin that betrayed a few drops of blood dripping slowly down the grossly elongated chin. I had tried all along to be calm and not betray my fear, but at this horrible sight, I couldn't hold back the scream that erupted from my lips, scraping my throat until it was raw.

I sat up panting and drenched in sweat. A dream. It had only been a dream -- well nightmare, really -- but it felt so real, as though I had actually lived it. With a shudder I realized it probably had been real, and was one of the many memories that had begun to surface since we had escaped our imprisonment. Most things were still pretty hazy, but every once in a while I remembered something. I was certain that with a bit of time I would regain all, or at least most, of my memories, but unfortunately patience wasn't really my strongest personality trait.

With a sigh, I tried to flip the covers off, but they were tangled around my feet. After a few minutes of struggling and cursing under my breath, I was finally free of the wrinkled bedclothes. Shakily, I found myself trying to calm my nerves, but the whole effort was in vain. After seeing the freaking clown in my dream, every time I closed my eyes it was all I could see. "I need coffee, and lots of it." I announced to the silent room. Wait, just where the hell was Bobbi, anyway? Glancing at the illuminated numbers Bobbi's alarm clock displayed, I saw that it was far earlier than I was expected to awaken. I had assumed she would have been sleeping in today. After all, it was a weekend -- at least that's what I had been told. I wandered around the small space, snooping, until I surmised the lack of any sort of early morning caffeinated beverages. "No coffee? What the hell kind of place is this?" I was less than thrilled at the prospect of having to speak to anyone this early in the day without my beloved coffee. I most likely resembled a bear this morning, with my hair ratted like some sort of rodent nest and my eyes only opening to half-mast. This thought reminded me of some distant memory that lay hidden just beyond my conscious line of thoughts. Growling aloud -- yep, definitely a bear-like trait -- I slumped toward the door, determined to find coffee somewhere in this damned place even if I had to trek back through the tunnel of doom and go back toward the small town we had passed through on the way here.

"Wow, you look like...well like some sort of wild animal that's ready to tear someone's arm off. Rough night?" I knew before I turned to face the man that it just HAD to be Adam. No one else could sound quite as snarky as he did.

I spun, glaring incredulously at the offending voice. "It's early, I'm tired, and what the hell are you doing here anyway? I thought we weren't supposed to leave until seven." I stomped closer, inches from his face. "And are you seriously going to talk to me that way first thing in the morning? The proper way to address me is 'Yes, my queen, I DO have your coffee ready for you.'" I tweaked his nose, earning a scowl. "That is, if you don't wish to have your appendages forcibly removed from their proper sockets..." I let the threat drift away -- to me it always seemed more menacing that way; I mean, a person's own imagination is usually far better suited to torture them, anyway -- and turned on my heel to stalk away.

A hand snaked out and gripped my bicep firmly. "All the food joints are this way, Cleo." With a smug grin, he indicated the direction I had been facing when we spoke and dropping my arm abruptly, he strode in that direction.

"Ass..." I mumbled under my breath as I jogged to keep up. Ah, to be cursed with these terribly short legs \-- or at least shorter than his...really, how many people have legs built like stilts?

We neared a cheery yellow building whose sign boasted "best coffee around", not that they had too much competition. As soon as the door opened, I knew they weren't just boasting. The intoxicating smell of fresh coffee brewing, along with fresh muffins and pastries, immediately made me feel human again, the bear a distant memory. Adam strutted up to the counter and ordered two caramel macchiatos. Briefly I wondered how he knew that was the drink I wanted, but chalked it up to just one more thing my poor mind had forgotten. He gestured for me to pick a table and sit while he waited for the coffee. I slunk down in the comfy chair, facing the door, just in case, and hoping to suddenly become invisible. It seemed most of the people around here had either seen us walking through the camp or heard about it from someone, and they were all staring at me.

Just when I was about to give up on the coffee and make a break for it -- a crime, I know -- a calm voice came from behind me. "Your coffee, my Queen. Please don't have me beheaded for my insolence." The deadpan way he said it caused me to break out in a fit of hysterical giggles. For one moment, I didn't care that every person in the room was staring at us. It was just a funny moment between two old friends, and I laughed until tears streamed down my cheeks while Adam gaped at me as though I was ready for a straightjacket.

Before I was ready, he herded me toward the door and my waiting "psych evaluation". I didn't want to go, but couldn't think of a good excuse to get out of it so let myself be led along. What if this person doing my little evaluation decided I was crazy? Would they send me straight to a padded room with no windows? Just the thought of it sent an unwanted chill down my spine as I remembered another solitary room without windows. Adam glanced down at me with, if I didn't know better, I would've assumed his expression held a bit of concern in it. Of course he didn't really care about me, it was just in his job description as my guardian to escort me around and keep me in one piece. "Hey, everything OK?" His voice was quiet and soft as he pulled me to a stop and stared into my eyes.

"Uh, yeah. I was just...remembering...something." I tried to keep my speech even and appear unconcerned, but failed miserably. Taking a deep breath and screwing my courage up, I continued. "Look, I'm just a little worried about going to see this 'psych' person. What if they decide I'm crazy and need to be locked up in a padded cell with a straightjacket and an IV drip of sedation medication?" Once I started, it all rushed out at once, and I hoped I wasn't speaking too fast to be understood. "What if it's just like...before? Just because I don't quite remember it all doesn't mean I didn't hate every second of it I DO remember!" Feeling quite drained, I slumped as I turned to keep walking. It wouldn't look good for sure if I was late for the very first appointment. I kind of wished Jack were the one to escort me to this appointment. At least he would attempt to understand my worries and possibly try to make me feel better, not like Adam, who was still standing in the same spot and staring as though he hadn't understood what I was talking about. Maybe I should've told Jack the correct time instead of letting him sleep. I just couldn't bear the thought of him thinking I was crazy. It's not like everyone else didn't already think that, it was just nice to have one person who thought I was perfectly sane. My steps began to quicken as my mind tried to sort out the hurricane of thoughts that swirled around inside.

Adam finally broke from whatever spell was holding him in place and jogged to catch up again -- it seriously is not fair that his legs are so long, most other people would've been left behind! Keeping in stride with my shorter legs, he nudged me in the side, something Jack had done numerous times when he wanted to speak to me only and not alert the others. "Look, if...that...happened again...well we would do the same thing as last time and bust out! Don't worry about it too much. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the boss wouldn't allow that to happen." He murmured as he leaned down toward my ear. The warmth of his breath tickled, and it was difficult not to squirm away - that would've offended him and brought on asshole-mode, I'm sure - so I suffered in silence.

With a sigh and a roll of my eyes, I stomped forward again. Before long, we stopped in front of a building that didn't quite seem to fit in with the others, just as "headquarters" had done. It was a short, squat thing made almost entirely of glass. It seemed fitting, since its inhabitants were about to try to look through my brain as though it was a window. We entered the building and immediately found ourselves faced with a cheery receptionist, who promptly gave us form upon form and asked us to take a seat as I filled them out. I found it sort of odd that this off the grid establishment would force someone to fill out a bunch of traceable paperwork! Ugh, whatever, at least we weren't forced to make small talk or read lame magazines. I was actually doing fine until I came to the part of the paperwork that asked about allergies to medicine. Why would they need to know that? They weren't planning to sedate or medicate me...were they? I was almost finished filling in the blanks when the receptionist poked her head out again and spoke in a voice that was far too cheery for this early in the morning. "Dr. Rochester will see you now." As I tried to stand, I noticed something was holding me back. With a glance down, I saw that I was clutching Adam's hand as though my life depended on it. A blush crept up my neck, and I hastily dropped his hand. In a way I wished he would've forced me to keep holding on, if nothing else for the comfort of not having to face this alone. Yeah, I was a little more afraid than I was willing to admit even to myself. With robotic steps, I managed to trudge toward the door the receptionist indicated - I sort of wished I had remembered her name, at least then it wouldn't have been as awkward and we could've made small talk. She pointed silently to a door, indicating we had reached our destination and I was to enter, but my feet remained rooted to their current location with no apparent inclination to change it anytime soon.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably, and knocked on the door. Before any response could be heard, she swung it open and shoved me gently inside. Talk about your pushy people...literally! A plump older woman sat reclined behind a desk. She was on the phone, and for that I was thankful. At least that would give me a chance to become less terrified and possibly even relax - yeah, I know, fat chance, but it was worth a shot. I glanced around the office, hoping for something that would put me at ease, but that hope was dashed as soon as I saw the things that adorned the walls. Clowns, clowns and more clowns. Who the hell decorated their freaking office with such profane material anyway?! Feeling dizzy and slightly nauseated, I took a seat in the only chair available, a stiff-backed uncomfortable thing. I hadn't even been sitting very long, but it was already causing my butt to hurt. The woman hung up the phone after a final word of parting with her caller, and focused her gaze upon me. She wasn't really a horribly frightening-looking woman, but her obsession with the circus freaks had already caused me to judge her as a bad person. Her soft brown eyes seemed like they would put a normal person at ease and her round face lit up when she smiled, which she did. Even so, I still couldn't bring myself to speak yet.

"So, Miss Perry, what would you like to talk about today? I know Mr. Black wanted us to discuss a few specific topics, but this is about you. Feel free to set the pace and talk about whatever you choose. I want you to feel completely at ease here." The nameplate on her desk introduced her as Dr. Kathleen Rochester.

I stared blankly at her for a moment. "If you truly want people to feel at ease, you might think about getting rid of all these damned clowns! They're freaking me the hell out!" I blurted out in a rush, trying not to look at the offending knickknacks. Immediately I clammed up again, unwilling to divulge anything else that might cause this woman to question my sanity. I sat back in the chair, but didn't relax my posture just in case I had the opportunity to escape. I understood that I wasn't actually being forced to stay...just strongly encouraged.

Dr. Rochester cleared her throat, leaned forward, and propped her chin on her hands. "Why do you say that? Do clowns bother you?" She seemed unduly interested in this topic. When it became apparent I was not going to respond to this, she heaved a great sigh and tried again. "Cleo, please feel free to express any opinion here. There will be no judgment. My only hope is to help you feel better." She spoke gently as though I would fall apart if she raised her voice a tiny bit.

Refusing to break my personal contract of silence, I simply stared back at her in response. I knew no matter what she said, everything I told her would be reported back to Dad. As if that wasn't bad enough, depending on what she may be able to discover, I could end up in the looney bin with a brand new shiny straightjacket! I wished I had gone with my first thought and ditched the "therapy" session in favor of hanging out with Jack, Bobbi, and Gabe. At least they didn't seem to care if I was slightly insane.

After a few more minutes of our staring contest, Rochester cleared her throat again. "You know...I can't help you if you won't talk to me." She stared deep into my eyes again as though it would force my mouth to begin spewing secrets merely from meeting her gaze.

With a huff, I finally broke the silence. "Look, lady. What do you want me to say? I don't really have any memory of anything that happened before last week. What could you possibly do for that?" I gave her a challenging glare.

"There are plenty of things I could do, dear. First things first, though. We need to determine exactly how much you do or do not remember. After we get a baseline, there are some exercises we can do to help you get more back." Dr. Rochester stated with a placid smile.

I took a moment to digest this before carefully picking my words. "Have you people ever considered that there may be a reason I forgot those things?" When she looked like she would interrupt, I continued hastily. "I mean, what if the things that happened to me in that horrible place turn out to be even more horrible that we originally thought? Couldn't that like...I don't know, traumatize me or something?"

Seeming extremely pleased that it hadn't taken me long to begin speaking to her, she leaned back in her chair. She seemed to be deliberating the meaning of my words as she leaned her desk chair back and forth, like some old southern grandma sitting on the front porch in her rocking chair. Her perfectly manicured brows knit together as she examined me from across the desk as a weird buzzing feeling hit me like a fly zooming around one's head. I shook it off and continued in my reverie.

As I watched her watching me, a funny thought crossed my mind. Rocking chairs are an awful lot like worrying. They'll both keep you busy, but neither will get you anywhere. Briefly, I considered where this particular saying came from. I seemed to have heard it somewhere before, but couldn't quite place where. There seemed to be a voice that went along with the saying, as well, but I had no idea who it could be. I felt that familiar itchy feeling somewhere inside my head, as though something were trying to get out, but couldn't. Perhaps she could actually help me remember some things from my past. It couldn't all be bad, right? I shook my head ruefully as I began thinking that perhaps this whole therapy session thingy might not be such a terrible idea after all as the doc started speaking again.

~~~~~~~~~~

After an eternity in the doc's office, I was finally allowed to leave -- truthfully it had only been an hour, but it still felt interminable -- and was surprised to find that Adam wasn't the only one waiting for me to come out. Jack was sitting in a chair nearby, making small talk with him. Both men turned to stare at me as I meandered toward them. They popped up like a piece of toast that was finished in the toaster and rushed to meet me halfway.

"Well, what's the verdict? Crazy or insane?" Jack winked at me, negating the harshness of his words. "Cause we already knew you were crazy...that's one of the things we love about you!" He blushed after finishing that sentence, which made me wonder what that was all about.

"Not sure. She said she wanted me to come back tomorrow." I dropped my head sorrowfully. "But at least this appointment won't be at the buttcrack of dawn!" I managed a small smile as Jack beamed at me.

"Did you remember anything important? Like what the purpose of kidnapping and imprisoning us was?" Adam spoke bluntly as usual. "They pretty much neglected me, only taking me out to question me and that wasn't even very often." He frowned, apparently trying to puzzle the reasoning behind this.

"No. We just stared at each other awhile, and then she started asking dumb questions that didn't even apply. Eventually we just ran out of time." I shrugged noncommittally. I omitted the part where she mentioned possibly trying hypnosis next time. For some reason, that thought frightened the hell out of me.

The pair gazed expectantly at me, no doubt waiting for me to go into all the gory details of the session then and there. I held my hand up, explaining that I wouldn't say another word about it until there was a steaming mug of coffee in my hands. With a chuckle, Adam agreed as Jack glared suspiciously toward him.

To be continued...

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The Twisted Sisters are a group of friends who also happen to be writers. They decided to join forces to bring you collections of fun short stories. The core group includes Kaydence Rayne, Sally Slayer, Riley Ross, Charlie McVay, Dovey Mayali Cralk, and, occasionally, CM Wright.

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