[h2][b]Emma[/b][/h2] __________________________________________________________________________ The town was quiet all but for the sounds of crickets. The group of kids were huddled with flashlights in their hands and with anxious expressions on their faces. After sneaking past the shields, the group had been walking over the hills towards the town for the last ten minutes. It had been suspected to be impossible to get past the shields or the gate. The moonlight reflected the shadows of the five children against the wet grass as it dampened their shoes with each step. There were four girls and one boy. One girl appeared a bit older than the others with brown hair in long braid. She was constantly whispering to two younger girls, snickering every so often. The last girl with the wavy blonde hair in the hoodie hadn't noticed quite yet that she was being left out. Her gaze had been fixed on the boy and the scene ahead of her. "Emma. Can you believe we really got out? This is legendary." The blonde looked at him with a smile, "No me neither." Emma had never been one to get in trouble. She had been riddled with anxiety for most of this experience. Her parents would be furious and as would Alex. However, slowly the feeling was being replaced by adrenaline. She had never felt so free. Running over clear hills with nothing by the starry sky above them felt so magical. She would have never guessed she would have found friends on the first day of school. She had figured she'd be stuck as the kid sister of Alex hanging with his friends all the time. Not that it was a bad thing, she loved his friends. Still, she wanted her own life. Emma had just met them all today in her classes. She and the boy had hit it off in one class and then the next class she had found herself being invited to a sleepover party. However, she hadn't known that would entail a crazy game of truth or dare that would lead them all to breaking the school's most important rule: no going off campus without permission, especially at night and especially if you're in the lower grades. "This is it!" The kids skidded to a halt in front of a large, abandoned manor. The windows were broken and the paneling was peeling off. Dirt covered the house and cobwebs in the windows. It was clear it had been abandoned for a long time. "This is the abandoned house I was talking about guys. Legend has it the ghosts of the people who died in there still lurk the halls." The brunette waved her hands for dramatic effect and grinned, "So Emma. You're going in right?" Emma glanced at her, recalling it had been her dare. Fear set in as she stared the place. It looked dangerous and really creepy. They wanted her to go in alone? She looked over at the boy, Jacob. Her heart dared to beat so hard it popped out of her chest whenever she saw him. "I don't know guys. That place seems kinda dangerous." Emma stated uneasily, "But I'll do it. " "You will?" The girl said in shock, "Wow Emma. You're braver than I thought.' "You'll totally be the coolest girl in the grade. No one else that comes here ever dares to go in." The other girl agreed. "I heard no one comes out after going in."Jacob said and looked at Emma with a smile, "I'll come with you. To make sure you're safe and all." Emma blushed a little. Who was she to act like a sissy in front of Jacob? "Oh please. It's nothing. "She said, "It's just some dumb house. You guys are such babies."She confidently began moving toward the house. She went up to the door and opened it. Jacob ran to her side to come with her apparently but when she took a step in, he slammed the door behind her, laughing hysterically. Quickly, he locked it and ran back to the others. He came over to them as Emma's yells echoed. It was clear she was also banging her fists on the door. The girls burst into laughter. The brunette took out her cell phone and dialed the police. "Hello, a young girl is trespassing at private property at 141 Toulane Drive..." [h2][b]Alex[/b][/h2] __________________________________________________________________________ Alex struggled to get through the crowd back to Shay. He craned his neck over the heads as music boomed beneath his feet. It was a wonder how they didn't get caught with how loud the music was. He saw her eating a brownie and groaned. There was totally pot in that. He finally managed to get over to her. He could his body stumbling as he walked."Wow Shay. I think there was a lot of alcohol in that drink. I'm already tipsy." Shay reacted by grabbing his waist and declaring they dance. She started to sing and dance, giving him a kiss as well. The room was spinning around and it felt like the floor was slanting. He couldn't see anything but the beautiful girl in front of him singing. He took another drink from his cup and set it down. "Marry me right now? I think I'm too drunk to remember what to say."He laughed. Every time he looked at this girl, he had to restrain himself from overflowing with compliments. She was just so gorgeous. He was staring at her with a far-off look, barely hearing what she was saying. Alex finally gave in to his desire and passionately kissed her. That's when Alex's phone started ringing. He picked it up as he let go of Shay a moment. "[i]Excuse me sir. Is this the father of Emma Remington? Could you come pick her up from the police station?[/i]" Alex couldn't believe his ears. He murmured a reply and hung up looking around. His eyes set on Rose and he grabbed Shay's shoulder in a hurry, pulling her over to Rose. "Stay with Rose... Rose take her back to the others. Don't leave her alone." [h2][b]Rosaline[/b][/h2] __________________________________________________________________________ "James?" Rose couldn't quite say she had ever seen anyone react like James before but she had seen something close with one of her uncles. He had been in the Superior War in his youth and he still got flashbacks. It wasn't hard to figure something horrible had happened to him. She had found him out in the snow freezing to death after all. However, she had never asked about his past. When he was ready, he would tell her. If he'd never be ready, that was okay too. She cared about making his future better more than learning about his past. Whatever had happened, parties seemed to be a trigger. He looked so scared that it hurt Rose to look at him. He started to stumble and sob hysterically suddenly. Everyone in the room stopped to look over besides the few who were too close to the stereo to really hear him. She had to get him out of here. She had never seen James cry and she had never wanted to. Her heart was shattering into little pieces. It was like watching a puppy get kicked. This was so awful. She put her arms through his armpits and began trying to pull him off the floor but it was a little hard to do it when eh was rocking and chanting Jason's name. He said two others but he had no idea who they were. Thankfully, Jason had dropped his fangirls to come over. He helped pick James up and brought him quickly into the next room. Rosaline quickly followed, shutting the door behind her before she attacked the stupid kids that was now giggling at the whole spectacle. Jason sat him down on the edge of the bed and hugged him tight. They were in someone's bedroom. He rubbed his back and shh'ed him soothingly, seeming so unlike himself. Rose would had never thought this comforting side was in Jason. She silently clutched the edges of her skirt, feeling useless as he comforted James. She had no idea what to do. She came over finally and hugged the other side of James. "You're here."Jason told James. "You're in the school with Rose and I. You gotta open your eyes and look at this cute blonde who's hugging you. " He finally looked at Rosaline. For a second, she was confused to why he was brushing her cheeks with his hands and then she realized she had been crying too. "It's okay. He's just scared. I'm sure you can tell he's been through a lot but don't worry. You're doing a really good job helping him heal. Just give him a second to come back to us. You know what would help? Why don't you go grab some food and a drink for him?" "Right... Okay I will."Rose managed quietly. She slowly got to her feet and then walked back out into the party. The loud music assaulted her ears once again but it wasn't as joyous a thing as it had been before. She hated it for making James so upset and she hated herself for dragging him here. She hadn't realized this could trigger him and she felt like a big idiot. Whispers about him being crazy made her look up and glare. "I rather be crazy than a judgmental asshole like you. You don't know what he's been through, how dare you."She snapped at people suddenly, making them stare with wide eyes. They clearly hadn't think Rose could hear them. She glared at them as if her eyes could throw daggers for a moment longer, further silencing them until she could move on to the food table. Rose glanced over her shoulder as she filled the plate with James' favorite snacks and a slice of pizza. Alex was talking to her and bringing Shay over. "Sure! She's safe with me." He ran off immediately as soon as she spoke. She hoped everything was okay."