ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Reaching Helene’s house, Alexander moved quickly around to the trunk where he saw Gigi struggling with some of the bags and things that Helene had brought with her. Alexander watched her struggle with balancing a few things and Alexander quickly helped to support her arms. “Let me take that, Giselle.” Alex smiled sweetly to her, balancing the objects in his arms prepared to take them inside for Helene. But Alex lingered a little watching Gigi and taking in a deep breath. “I didn’t answer you fully earlier… You asked me why you. It took Jacob reminding me of everything I ever said about you… At least, everything I’d ever wrote about you.” Alexander took in a deep breath, prepared to go on a little tirade.

“It is how your ebony hair glows when the sun hits it just right. How your dark eyes swallow me whole. You are so serious, I feel like you can bring me down to earth when I go floating away. It is the way you look at your friends with such endearment, though you try to hide it behind a façade. You are strong, independent, loyal, and down right gorgeous, Giselle. I want to be able to call you mine because I know how impossible of a feat that would be. And I’m not going to stop until I have you.” Alexander grinned and shot a quick wink to Giselle before walking the packages into Helene’s house, placing them at the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Helene drinking something that strongly resembled alcohol, and Alexander frowned, quickly shimmying out of the house. Getting back in the car, Alexander waved to Gigi and set off. Terrance’s eyes lingered watching the house leave in the distance, and clenching his jaw he kicked the inside of Alexander’s door. “Yo! Watch the interior!!” Alex yelped to the back, but Terrance just groaned loudly.

“Just get me home.” Finally dropping off Terrance, he slammed the door behind him, storming into his own house and slamming that door as well. Terrance walked straight to the liquor cabinet to grab himself a handle of jack, and drinking down the bottle in frequent, fast succession. Terrance looked in the mirror, looking at the cuts and swells on his face. He groaned punching the mirror and shattering the reflection. He didn’t want to see his damn face, and Terrance collapsed on his bed, pulling out his phone and just staring at his messages between him and Helene.

“You can drop me and Alyssa at my place. I can drive her home from here…” Jacob waved to Alexander, Arthur, and Eva as Alexander had to make one more stop before getting home. Jacob let out a long sigh before looking at Alyssa. “You’re lucky your friends are more sane than my own.” Jacob grinned, directing Alyssa to his own car to driver her home. “I’m really not looking forward to what Terrance is going to look like tomorrow. If one thing is going right, then something has to go nuclear, you know?” He sighed, feeling exhausted after all of the events of today. He didn’t want to come back home after dropping of Alyssa, knowing he was going to have to talk with his father about what happened between Terrance and Isaac. Jacob knew that word would have already been delivered to his father by Isaac. So Jacob was going to have to be the one to clean up his friend’s mess.

With Arthur and Eva dropped off, and cozy in their room, Arthur locked the door and sighed loudly, undoing the manbun on the top of his head. He grabbed a nearby hairbrush and started to brush out the knots and tangles that always seemed to occur when he went to the beach. In one stroke, the brush got stuck in his hair, and upon letting go it hung in his hair. Arthur sighed heavily in defeat, looking back towards Eva, still in his bikini. Pulling the brush swiftly from his hair, Arthur walked towards Eva and cupped her face in his hands, planting a kiss on her soft lips. “You are so beautiful…” His fingers played with the little strings behind her neck, and no longer having to fight back the temptation in the privacy of his bedroom, he pinched one of the strings and swiftly pulled it, untying the top of her bikini.

Alexander returned to his own empty nest, making his way to the kitchen. He once again updated the counter on the whiteboard. Yet looking at the number didn’t bring down his spirit like it usually would have. He spent a fun day at the beach with Gigi. Even if it didn’t go perfectly according to his plans, he was able to get off his chest his feelings for her.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... In love with Eva
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's room
✖✖ I am With... Eva.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."My Eva..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Bathing Suit

There was a part of Eva that was glad to be back home, or rather, in Arthur's room. Bringing out her phone, she found herself trying to call Helene, though she didn't get an answer. There was a part of her that thought maybe she should have stayed, but if she had kicked Alyssa out, she likely would have done the same to her. There was just nothing she could do for her friend right now; she would just have to try tomorrow. She sighed, scratching her cheek until she heard Arthur approach her. Feeling his hands on her face was so comforting for some reason, though she blushed as he called her beautiful again. It was like music to her ears, a genuine compliment from someone she loved, though he graced her with a kiss and all those little fantasies she had on the beach came to mind again. More so as she felt her top slide off her, and she found herself pushing Arthur towards his bed, climbing on top of him once his back hit the sheets. "I've been thinking about your body all day," She whispered to him, her hands running through his hair as she captured his lips for another kiss.

---

Watching Alexander drive off, Gigi watched his SUV until it was out of sight. He truly was an alien to her. Absolutely nothing he had said made any sense whatsoever, his actions often puzzling her. He was energetic and passionate and literally everything she wasn't. But that right there had to be the very first moment in the time they had known one another that she didn't roll her eyes at his compliments. She still felt weird, not really knowing what it was about his words that affected her. But it was...nice. Or something. Who knows. Of course, that pleasant feeling went away with the sun as it set, and she brought her attention back to the house. She still had an angry redhead to deal with, unfortunately. Taking her cigarette out of her lips, she dropped it onto the ground, rubbing her foot into it. Taking in a breath to mentally prepare herself, she entered the house.

Helene was slouched over the armrest, her arm dangling a bottle that she had basically been drinking out of, though Gigi spotted an empty pitcher and cup next to her. The half-empty bottle rolled out of her hand and landed on the floor. Helene's eyes followed it, reaching out and stopping it from going too far. Picking it up by its neck, she pushed herself off the couch, stumbling her way to the bedroom. Trying to use the wall for support, she only noticed Gigi when the latter yanked the bottle out of her hand. Her green eyes became sharp as she looked at the dark haired girl, who wasn't having any of her shit. "What are you still doing here?" She asked, showing an alarming amount of focus despite the amount she had drank in such a short time.

"Making sure you don't do anything stupid," Gigi stated, placing the bottle on the kitchen counter. "Let's get you to bed."

Helene scoffed, shrugging at Gigi as she approached her. "Excuse me? Since when are you my keeper?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips, though she turned away from her. "Go home, Gigi, I don't want to see your face right now."

"I'd rather stay. You're unstable because of Isaac and Terrance--" But as soon as those names left her lips, Helene turned around, pushing past Gigi and grabbing a bottle from the bar, though instead of drinking it like Gigi had thought, she instead threw it hard enough at the wall that it shattered, spilling liquor and glass all over the floor. Gigi shook her head at the infuriated girl, raising an eyebrow at her. "Touchy, aren't we? You can't pretend it didn't happen."

"I know it happened," Helene replied, taking an empty glass and also throwing it against the wall. "Why the hell do you think it happened?! They both think I'm their property!" Her voice escalated as she chucked another glass, huffing slightly. "That's all I am! Just something to be passed around!"

Gigi grabbed her wrist before she would break another glass, though she just let it go and it smashed to pieces at their feet. "You're talking nonsense, you need to calm down," She told her,.

She managed to wrest her wrist out of Gigi's grasp, furious. "Just leave me alone!" She yelled at her. "Get out!"

"Helene, that's--" She was interrupted as she had to duck a bottle, at which point she had to decide if she was really going to put up with this or possibly get injured in the process. As she stood up, she noticed that Helene wasn't angry, but probably on the verge of a breakdown. But of course, Gigi wasn't the person who could properly handle it. And for the first time, it didn't sit right with her. She nodded at Helene, cautiously taking her bags, and she walked out the front door. As Gigi walked to her bike, she could hear the sound of glass breaking, and she let out a sigh. She'd probably be fine after her temper tantrum.

The redhead stumbled over to her room, bottle in hand until she tripped onto her bed. Rather than properly climb onto it, she let herself slide off of it, landing on her knees. Her hands gripped at the sheets, desperately pulling at them to find some sort of comfort. But she felt empty, knowing that neither the alcohol nor the touch of a man would get her what she wanted. She could hear her phone sing to her, someone calling, but she ignored it as she forced herself to stand, only to fall over onto her bed. Taking a long drink from the bottle, she somehow managed to place it on the floor without it tipped over, and she stared at the ceiling. There was something in the back of her mind that said it was stupid to think that Terrance had hit Isaac because he was all over her. But why? He didn't want her anymore. He didn't need her, even though the longing she had in her chest meant she needed him. No, she didn't need him. She didn't need anyone. She felt her thoughts slowly collapse onto themselves, a terrible loneliness taking a fierce hold of her and refusing to let go.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Morning came too quickly for everyone, though it probably had to do with the fact no one went to bed until very late at night. Arthur and Eva were up pretty late with their shenanigans, Jacob hid out in Alyssa’s room as late as he could to avoid having to go home until very late, Terrance drank himself into a coma to fall asleep, and Alexander stayed up late preparing his dinner and leftovers for the following day. Once again, Arthur woke up sometime before Eva and let her continue to sleep as he moved downstairs to talk with his mother. It was a good thing she slept in, because Noah happened to be there as well. It surprised Arthur, as Noah was almost always gone by this time in the morning, and Arthur could see a bit of relief in her eyes when she saw Eva was not with Arthur. Noah turned his head to his son, his brow furrowing. “Arthur. How goes it with Esparanza?” Noah crossed his arms over his chest, and Arthur averted his gaze. Shit. He wasn’t ready for such an early morning interrogation, and Arthur just ran his head through his long blond hair. Noah seemed to answer for him. “Nowhere, as I’ve been having to pick up your slack. I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you, but that is changing today.” Noah stood up abruptly, running his fingers over his thick beard. “You are going to take care of it, tonight. Information I’ve collected is on my desk. Your employers gave you two months, but I’m giving you less than 24 hours. Have her dead by midnight tonight.” Noah turned his back to Arthur, giving a quick kiss to his wife, Alyssa, and left to do whatever it was he did during the day. Arthur glared at the back of his father’s head as he stormed away. Kill Evelyn Esparanza… tonight?... Arthur sighed heavily, making his way back to his bedroom to dress, forgetting whatever it was that he came to ask his mother about, and instead woke Eva to get ready for class.

It weighted heavy in Arthur’s chest all the way to school, his thoughts only focused on his mission he had tonight, and the effects it would have. Arthur wanted nothing more than to take the last bit of Evelyn’s life away, for all of the shit that she put Eva through. But at the same time, even if Eva claimed she didn’t get along with her mother, it didn’t mean she would be happy losing her mother. And her only parent, as she didn’t truly know who her father was. Arthur sighed heavily when parking the car, rubbing his temple as if he had a headache.


Jacob looked at his watch and let out a long sigh before climbing from his car in the Flights’ family driveway. His phone had a message on it to get Terrance to their house for dinner and discussion tonight. Helene too. Jacob scratched the top of his head before entering the house of his friend. As always, the house looked spotless. But it didn’t take long for Jacob to notice the missing Jack Daniels bottle from the liquor cabinet, as he passed it towards the staircase. Jacob pushed open the door to Terrance’s room, and found him laying on the bed, still in his swimming trunks, holding on to the empty bottle. In fact, he was practically cradling it in his arms, while curled up in bed. Jacob rolled his eyes harshly, and walked to the blinds, peeling back the black out curtains. The sudden light awoke Terrance, and groaning, he began to sit up in bed. “What the fuck, Jacob? Don’t they teach you to let sleeping dogs lie?” Terrance brought the bottle to his lips again, but then promptly tossed it on the end of his bed, as the bottle was clearly empty. “Yeah well, this puppy is in trouble and is about to get sent to the pound. You need to wash up, get your ass to class, and then get to my place. My father wants to have a discussion with both you and Helene.” Jacob looked through his contacts and shot a message to Gigi, letting her know that Mr. Patrone would like a word with Helene this evening, and if Gigi could get her to go. Jacob crossed his arms as Terrance laid back down in the bed, pulling the covers over his face to block out the sun rays of the early morning. Talk with Helene? Terrance felt as if he would throw up. He couldn’t face her. He could never look her in the eyes again. She wasn’t his property, she was just as free to spend her time with whomever she wanted. Yet, he wanted to end that. He wanted to make her his, and only his. But he couldn’t. He can’t. At least, not any more after his stunt at the beach. The covers were ripped off his body by Jacob, who then proceeded to grab his ankles and drag him out of the bed and towards the bathroom. “Either you get in this shower, or I’m going to bathe your myself!” Terrance scoffed at Jacob’s bluff, but when he suddenly felt his friend grabbing at his swimming trunks, Terrance jumped, fully alert. “Okay okay! I got it! Sheesh…”


Alexander woke up significantly more pleasant than he had the previous day. In fact, he was still so fully of energy from the night before, he practically leaped out of his bed earlier than ever before. He had time to make himself a few pancakes and slices of bacon. In the fridge was his lunch, and another treat that he made for Gigi for lunch today. Alexander had his back to the whiteboard, feet up on the counter as he leaned back in a chair, scrolling through social media on his phone. Most of it consisted of videos and links to different recipes for him to either try and replicate or improve. Alexander had a natural knack for cooking, as it was his favorite hobby and pastime. Perhaps if he didn’t have intentions of following his parent’s footsteps as being a thief, he would go on to own or run his own restaurant. It was a dream that frequented Alexander’s dreams, but he didn’t get caught up on it too long. Him? A chef? Terrance would laugh in his face. But then again, that was because Terrance couldn’t see anyone wanting to work outside of their professions.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Anxious over mission
✖✖ I am At... School Parking Lot
✖✖ I am With... Eva.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Damn that witch..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

The urge to go back to sleep was too much for Eva, though somehow she managed to get up once Arthur woke her. As she got dressed, she noticed how quiet Arthur was. Well, quiet was the wrong word because he was always quiet, but something was different. She wanted to chalk it up to her own tiredness, but seeing him so distant preoccupied her. After she took her pills, she noticed she was running low, though when she went to make a note on her phone, a text from Alyssa popped up. Helene's not coming to school today. I think yesterday got to her. Reading it made Eva feel bad as well. Arthur hadn't wanted her to see the fighting, but with how messed up Terrance was on their way home, it was hard not to imagine how it went down. As they rode to school in silence, Eva kept looking over at Arthur, wondering what was going through his mind. Maybe he was concerned with the fight, too.

As they pulled into the lot, Eva felt compelled to ask, so she looked at Arthur once again as he sighed, putting her hand on his free one. "Everything okay?" She asked, already knowing something was wrong. "Are you worried about Terrance?"

---

Pulling up to Helene's house, Evan closed the door to his car, eyeing the cracked window warily. Another car pulled up behind him, and a few men and women stepped out. Once he unlocked the house, his eyes scanned the place. Having gotten Gigi's message last night as well as having to find out the hard way of yesterday's events, he decided it was best if he took a cleaning crew. He was used to Helene's temper tantrums, as even when she was young she had a tendency to physically destroy whatever she could get her hands on, so he wasn't surprised to find the floor covered in glass. His professionals assessed the damage and went to work, sweeping up the shards and cleaning the wall. Evan himself went straight to his sister's room, although he hesitated slightly as he spotted her limp form sprawled on her bed. Spotting her phone in her hand and a bottle in the other, Evan shook his head disapprovingly as he took both, setting the bottle on the table as he went through her phone. It looked like she had somehow taken a picture of Terrance in his swimsuit, as the boy was smiling at someone else. He noticed a message from Giselle, his eyes widening as he read that Mr. Patrone wanted to meet with her.

Rolling his eyes, he shook her shoulder, watching her open her eyes slowly. "Is it morning yet...?" She grumbled, closing her eyes.

"Get up Étoile," Evan's voice was sharp, unable to hide his disappointment as he shook her again. "I need to hear your version of what happened."

Somehow managing to sit up, Helene swayed slightly, although she managed to look at her older brother with mild confusion. "How did you know?" She asked.

"Because getting information is my specialty. Giselle just messaged you saying that Mr. Patrone wanted to speak with you regarding the events that transpired yesterday." He watched her groan and put her head in her hands. "What happened?"

"I don't know what happened. I was talking to Isaac and Terrance came out of nowhere and hit him," She muttered, her elbows on her knees as she stared down.

Inhaling sharply, Evan exhaled before he would talk again. "You are on very thin ice with me, regardless of what happens at the Patrone household," He warned her, crossing his arms.

Helene's head shot up immediately. "You're acting like it was my fault!" She retorted, shaking her head. "I didn't...I couldn't stop them...I wanted them to stop..."

"I'm not stupid, Étoile, I know you have your ways around men," He kneeled down in front of her. "You have to think and watch every step you take. Your irresponsibleness may have cost us our newfound partnership--the very same one you just established. You're lucky I haven't told Ariadne yet, or she would be the one here right now."

"I swear, I didn't do anything," She tried to reason with him. "I didn't play around with Isaac, Terrance and I are nothing, I promise."

Evan's look hardened somewhat at the mention of their names. "I want to believe you, but you can't be so blind not to know they both have their intentions," He corrected her as he would stand. As he turned away, he could hear her sniffle, and he felt his heart break. Damn, he was so weak when it came to her. "Sleep off your hangover, you don't need to go to class. But I will have Giselle come get you to meet with the Patrones--and I pray he doesn't hold this incident against us."

Closing the door behind him, he could hear Helene burst into tears, and he had to remind himself he had other things to attend to so he wouldn't go running back in there. It may have come off as cold, but it was about time she took responsibility for her actions. As the crew was finishing up, he deemed his presence unneeded, and after giving out orders to finish and leave, Evan went to his car. A tiny boop informed him of a new message, though he didn't have to look at it to know it was Ariadne. Little did anyone know that they were closing in on Bastien, and they were hoping to catch him within the next forty-eight hours. But as anyone knew, a cornered animal was often the most dangerous.

---

As Evan's text came on her phone, Gigi read it with a heavy heart, or at least as heavy as hers could get. For some reason, she felt like a tattletale, but she thought it wouldn't be prudent for him to be in the dark in case he was also contacted by Mr. Patrone, and she knew Evan did not like surprises. She'll be staying home to get herself together. Get her after your classes and inform me of how the meeting goes. It was obvious Evan wasn't happy, either, and she could only imagine how Mr. Patrone felt having one of his sons come home bloody and bruised. Speaking of which, she wondered how Terrance's face was. He may have gotten the first strike, but Isaac was the stronger of the two, and the end of the fight proved as much when Arthur had to pull Isaac off. There was a part of her that felt she should have intervened, but Helene's safety was her priority.

As she put her phone in her pocket, she went to turn on her motorcycle, only to find it nonresponsive. Gigi looked at it in mild confusion, trying to turn it on again, but to no avail. That was odd, it was fine when she got home last night. As she looked down at the gauges, she let out a huff of annoyance as she realized she was out of gas. Getting distracted last night was a nuisance. Going back up to her apartment, she found her spare gas, but when she lifted it, she realized it was empty. Of course. She took out her phone to message Helene, only to remember she wasn't going to school today. Hmm, there was little point in asking Eva considering she was with Arthur, and she wasn't comfortable asking him for a ride. Trying Alyssa, she got a response saying she had to go to school early for a track meeting. Well, shit. Looking through her contacts, she spotted Alexander's name, that odd feeling in her chest again. Without thinking, she sent him a text: If you haven't left already, can I get a ride with you to school? Once it was sent, she parked her motorcycle into the building's garage and waited. She supposed she could walk if it really came down to it.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Was everything okay? No it wasn’t okay. Arthur’s blue eyes drifted toward Eva when she put her hand on his. It was so comforting, but at the same time it wouldn’t be enough to distract Arthur from what was on his mine. No, it wasn’t okay! It felt as if every little thing in his life was starting to crumble around him because he focused so much on Eva. His father was right, he never acted out like this before in regard to any missions prior to him meeting Eva. His friend group was never self-imploding like this before. Where Terrance was usually the voice of reason, Arthur was always the one to physically step up to end conflict. And now, Alex’s spirit was wavering, Jacob and Terrance are almost like cats and dogs these days, and now hew knew that Terrance was in some serious trouble with the Patrones. Would none of this happen if he hadn’t gotten so close to Eva so quickly? No, he didn’t want to think about a what if involving not having Eva by his side. She mentioned Terrance and Arthur sighed louder. “Yeah.”

He wasn’t necessarily lying. He was worried about Terrance and what was going to happen to him in regards to the Patrone family. Getting out of the car and heading to campus, Arthur held onto Eva’s hand a little tighter than usual, his mind still spinning over the thoughts of Evelyn. He could feel something heavy sitting in his throat, and clawing it’s way to his mouth. He wanted to ask Eva, how would she feel if her mother suddenly died. And not so much ‘suddenly die’, so much as if she were murdered. But that wasn’t something he could openly ask. Not only would it be weird to Eva, but it would be almost obvious once news spread of Evelyn’s death. So he kept it to himself. Instead, he focused on when he asked her if she could ever forgive someone for hurting her, or someone she cared about. She said she would… but she also wouldn’t have to forgive Arthur if she never knew. “Do you think Helene would forgive Terrance?” Arthur surprised himself, not really sure where that question came from. Perhaps he was really concerned for his friend’s wellbeing, but yet his mind still seemed set on the idea of forgiveness.

Sudden loud murmurs and turning heads were coming from the main entrance to the school’s campus, where Terrance and Jacob were walking side by side. Of course, everyone was talking about the cuts and bruises that littered Terrance’s usually god-like, handsome face. Though some would argue that the cuts only brought out a more rugged handsomeness to Terrance. But any attention that Terrance got from passerby girls, he didn’t enable it. Which was extremely unlike himself. Usually he would flaunt the evidence of a fight with the overused phrase of ‘you should see the other guy’. Girls would swoon at his tough guy look, and Terrance would have a new girl by the end of the night. However, if they did ‘see the other guy’, everyone would know Terrance got his ass handed to him on a silver platter.

Terrance didn’t seem to pay much mind to the whispering girls around him, since he only had one on his mine. “Is Helene here yet?” Arthur just shook his head, having not seen Helene yet today, but he had a strong feeling that she wasn’t going to show her face today.

“Alyssa told me she isn’t coming in today. But just because she is skipping doesn’t mean you can too.” Before Jacob could finish that statement, Terrance turned on his heels and made his way back to the parking lot, but stopped short remembering Jacob had brought him in. And Terrance wasn’t about to walk all the way home. Instead he grumbled with annoyance and turned his attention back to the group again, his arms crossed aggressively over his chest. He was clearly not in a good mood, and it didn’t seem to help that he was going to have to simmer all day with whatever words he wanted to share with Helene. Not that she would want to hear them, Arthur assumed.

Terrance’s eyes scanned around before landing on Arthur holding tightly onto Eva. Terrance scoffed at the little sign of public affection and averted his gaze. Terrance was obviously bothered by any possible displays of affection between his friends and their respective crushes or lovers. Why was he the only one of sound mind? Why was he the only one that could tame his feelings and think rationally and responsibly?

Was what he did yesterday of sound mind, rational, and responsible? The singular thought ran through Terrance’s mind, but he quickly ignored it. What happened yesterday was just merely a fluke. He lost control over nothing, and now he was going to have to ask for the Patrone’s family forgiveness to move on. But damn, he really didn’t want to apologize to that tool, Isaac.


Alexander has humming happily to a nice jam blasting through his speakers, as he was cruising in his SUV. He was in full swing with the song, practically screaming at the top of his lungs. 🎵 ”Baby you can count on me! I’ll be right there for you, I’ll always adore you. My love will restore you!” Alexander’s little jam session was interrupted as his phone vibrated in the cupholder next to him, and he reached for it, seeing Gigi’s name on the top of his screen. Although he was already almost to the school, he checked for the absence of cars. None were very close, so with a swift jerk of the steering wheel, his SUV flawlessly climbed over the cement median of the road, and turned around in the other direction, now pressing down further on the accelerator. Omw He messaged back, his heart racing, and his car speeding, not stopping until he reached Gigi’s apartments, and pulled up in front of the patiently waiting Gigi. He reached for nearby window, the same song still blasting over the speakers and he called out over the music. “Your chariot awaits!”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Anxious over mission
✖✖ I am At... School Parking Lot
✖✖ I am With... Eva.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Damn that witch..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Arthur was a lot more worried than she had expected. His grip on her hand was tight, and while not uncomfortable, it spoke volumes on how stressed Arthur was. Eva made sure to hold onto him as they walked together, although suddenly he had decided to ask if Helene would forgive Terrance. She was quiet at first, wondering the same thing. Despite her charming and charismatic personality, she had seen Helene angry plenty of time and knew how everything would get wrecked in her path of destruction. She was hot-headed, proud, and stubborn, so she usually didn't take it well when things didn't go her way. The more she thought about it, though, the more Eva was inclined to believe that everything was happening because Helene and Terrance just weren't communicating with one another. To her, it was obvious that they had a good time together, so when Helene told her in the mall so long ago that she wasn't going to get attached, Eva always felt that Helene had some kind of feeling for Terrance. At first Eva believed her, thinking it really was just lust, but her absence today proved that there was something there.

Looking up at Arthur, Eva smiled gently at him. "She will," She stated with the utmost certainty. "Because that's what love is. No matter what happens or how bad it gets, as long as the love is there, there's nothing that can't be forgiven. That's what I think, anyway." She stopped as she noticed Terrance look at them, and she couldn't help but giggle a little. "It'll work out fine. You'll see."

---

'Omw'? What the hell did that mean? Gigi wracked her brain, trying to think. It looked like one of the acronyms Alyssa or Helene often used, but she couldn't remember what it was off the top of her head. Shoot, it was probably something really obvious, too. But as she stood there trying to remember, she spotted his SUV, the meaning hitting her. 'On my way'. How the hell did she forget something so easy? Then again, she got stumped pretty hard by Alyssa's 'bbl' about a month ago, so really it shouldn't have been that surprising. As Alexander pulled up to her, he made his announcement, though his words were nearly drowned out by the music. He really showed up. She distinctly remembered Helene commenting that he would do anything for her, and that feeling in her chest intensified. Hmm, she'd have to remember that.

Opening the passenger's seat, she hopped in, putting on her seatbelt. Too many car chases and accidents had proven their worth to her, though once she was comfortable, she took a good look at him. He seemed to be his usual cheery self, but she wondered if it could change at any moment. "Good morning," She greeted him, running her hand through her hair.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

When the final bell rang, it seemed to rattle Arthur’s brain with it. He had already mentioned to Eva that he had somethings to take care of for his father, so he probably wouldn’t see her for the rest of the evening. Instead, he entrusted Eva’s safety to her close friend, Alyssa. Her words about ‘that’s what love is’ still haunted him as he felt sick to his stomach. She claimed there was nothing that couldn’t be forgiven and yet… Arthur still had his doubts. Meeting up in the parking lot, he said his goodbyes and kissed Eva on the forehead. “I can pick you up from Alyssa’s when it is safe to come back to my place… so it may be late.” Arthur’s eyes, that looked so warmly on Eva, shifted to somewhat cold as he moved his eyes towards Alyssa. Not that he was being mean to her, he just spoke more seriously to anyone besides Eva. “Don’t let her out of your sight.” With that, Arthur gave one more kiss goodbye and headed out to his own car. Without the presence of Eva with him, Arthur could feel his natural cold-hearted, stony nature reemerge from inside. His face grew serious, his expression cold, and he drove back to his house to collect the documents from his father’s office.

Alone, Arthur pulled down his personal gun from the wall rack and began to shine it with a cloth. Scattered on the table were all of the notes his father had taken so far regarding Evelyn. Her sleeping pattern, her daily movements. There was also a copy of a transcript of a text conversation between Evelyn and Eva’s step father, Marshall. Apparently, Marshall was going to be going away for the evening, so Evelyn was going to be all alone. There was a slight excitement in Arthur’s chest. It had been so long since he had executed a kill, that he hadn’t realized how much he missed the feeling. His emotions of love had been blocking out his own passion for the kill of cold-blood, and shiver seemed to run up his spine in excitement. He kept his phone silence and tucked in his pocket. His eyes watching the clock as it ticked by. He would have to wait until it got darker for him to sneak into Evelyn’s house, find her asleep, and finish his job. But he wasn’t going to go slow with her, no. He wanted to make Evelyn suffer physically as much as she made Eva suffer emotionally. He was going to have his own hämnd, his eyes reading over the Swedish word on his gun. He couldn’t distract himself with the sweet thoughts of Eva. He had to focus on his mission. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, and Arthur turned his head to see his father, who nodded slightly in approval. “I’m glad to see you are getting more serious again. I’m send you alone for this one, as I trust it will be an easy and fast hit for you.” Arthur just nodded to his father, who moved towards the rack of guns, grabbing down a sniper riffle and putting int a long, black duffle bag. Arthur could only assume his father was going out for his own mission as well, and Arthur returned to watching the clock tick by.


“You can tell your friend to come in now.” The cool voice came from Jacob’s father as he sat at a large oak desk in his office, flipping through some handwritten notes on his desk. He had just finished looking through some reports in regard to a few transactions. But was now shifting his attention to notes he had taken from Isaac over the scuffle at the beach that occurred. Jacob, behaving seriously nodded to his father and walked out, down the hall to collect his friend who was sitting on the couch. He held in his hand a metal lighter that he continuously flicked on and off, tossing from hand to hand. Terrance had to do something to keep his mind distracted. He didn’t know what was coming from Mr. Patrone, but he was well aware at the fact that he was going to have to set everything right. Clean up the mess he made, yada-yada. “You can go in now… Helene should be here in a few. He wants to talk to you, then Helene, and then both of you together.” Terrance just nodded, taking in a deep breath before heading to Mr. Patrone’s office. Though he wasn’t a Mafia don, the way Mr. Patrone held himself in his leather seat behind his oak desk reminded Terrance of the Godfather. Mr. Patrone waved his hand for Terrance to take a seat, and he did so obediently. There they sat in silence for quite a while, as Mr. Patrone’s eyes continued to scan over a document. Terrance grew increasingly nervous with each passing moment. Not knowing what to expect from Jacob’s father.

Finally, setting down the paper and taking off his glasses, Mr. Patrone looked Terrance in the eyes. Terrance shivered slightly, as if he could feel his entire body freeze up. “My first born son, Isaac…” Mr. Patrone leaned back into his leather chair, but kept his eyes locked on Terrances.

“As you are aware, with your presence here… brought me some troubling news, about a fight. I was prepared to fill out an order form to the Myles family for a new hit. But when it was revealed to me who I was to deal with, I was truly stunned.” Mr. Patrone sat up again, resting his elbows on his desk and interlocking his fingers. His cold eyes never breaking from Terrance’s brown ones. And Terrance tried hard not to break the eye contact as well, though he could feel himself holding in his breath with each passing second.

“You know, all of our families have been close over the ages. Dating back to the Viking times in Sweden. Some people believe they deserve respect, but you see for all of us respect is earned. And our families have been respectful to one another all this time. In fact our alliances were so convenient and beneficial to one another. I grew up thinking your dad was my brother. And though we aren’t attached by blood, I still see him as my brother. Just in the way I’ve respected your family, and my family respected your family, for generations and generations, yours has done the same to mine. So tell me- As I’ve already heard my son’s version of events- what led up to this burst of disrespect?”

Terrance was at a loss of words. His actions would probably be remembered for a long time in the Patrone family. And if anything, he has greatly dishonored his own family’s integrity in the process. “I’m sorry, Mr. Patrone. I shouldn’t have hit Isaac-“

“I think you learned that lesson enough, by what I can see of your face. I know you're sorry, as anyone who crosses my family should be. But considering that our families are so close, this is why I’m listening out to you like a son, rather than putting a target on your back. Now, I’d appreciate you answering my question of why this happened.” Terrance finally had the courage to break eye contact, looking down at his shoes on the floor. He knew exactly why he had punched Isaac, but didn’t know how to communicate it best to Mr. Patrone. That he was angry at Isaac for hitting on a girl that he cared about. Would Mr. Patrone laugh at him? Call him an idiot for getting attached? At least, that is what Terrance would do if he were in Mr. Patrone’s position, lecturing a future generation of delinquents. But before Terrance could say anything, it seem Mr. Patrone had already read Terrance’s mind.

“It is about Helene. Yes? Our newest member… Oh, don’t deny it boy! Look me in the eyes!” Terrance sat up straighter when Mr. Patrone raised his voice, locking his eyes back on his. Mr. Patrone tapped his fingers on the desk, studying Terrance’s face like a complex puzzle.

“Jacob has informed me of a few things regarding your relationship with Ms. Carbone.” Terrance blushed a bit at the statement. Exactly how much did Jacob tell Mr. Patrone about their relationship?

“It seems to me you have quite a vendetta against love. Can you tell me why that is?” Terrance finally found his voice, reciting off the same thing he had told his friends millions of times before. “We can’t go around falling in love in this line of work. There are too many conflicts of interest.” Mr. Patrone raised an eyebrow at Terrance, who looked crossly away from Mr. Patrone.

“I see… yet, you fully let your emotions and feelings for Ms. Carbone effect you so greatly you attacked my eldest son. A very stupid action. Yet as always, it shows your character of loyalty. Though primarily a loyalty to Ms. Carbone rather than us.” Terrance felt embarrassed. Of course he was loyal to the Patrone family, they practically were the ones that signed every other family’s paycheck at the end of the day. And yet they treated everyone they worked with like family, not hired spies and killers. The Patrone family was truly humble in their power, and Terrance was raised to remember that. And yet, he had still attacked Isaac… because he was more loyal towards Helene? It didn’t sit right in Terrance’s mind. He had only known Helene for such a short time, yet he practically been raised around Jacob and his family.

“I can see you are still conflicted in the matter of the heart. Though you are correct, you shouldn’t go throwing around your emotions like your friend, Alexander. But at the same time, you couldn’t have picked a more appropriate girl to chase after. One who already knows your secrets. Who you really are, and who is also involved in our line of work.” A machine on Mr. Patrone’s desk beeped a couple of times and he turned his attention to it before standing up.

“Speaking of, Helene seems to have arrived. I’ll talk with her for a bit. If you wouldn’t mind waiting in the drawing room.” Mr. Patrone waived to two double doors and Terrance stood up to pass into the other room. “I’ll call you in when I’m ready for you. I want you to apologize to Ms. Carbone for acting out in front of her. And that it isn’t an accurate representation of how our families work, and was a fluke.” Terrance nodded his head, starting to close the doors. “And Terrance-“ Mr. Patrone called lastly. Terrance’s eyes shot up to him, and nodded in recognition.

“Just as I hope you don’t bother Isaac. I’m making sure he won’t bother you anymore as well. In regard to matters of the heart, and in my eyes, Helene is in your court, not Isaac's. I for one believe it was wrong of him to overstep bounds like that without discussing your intentions with Helene. I probably would have done the same to your old man if I ever caught him hitting on my own girl. But, you have to decide what you want, tonight. No more one foot in, one foot out. I want your answer- If you are going to be serious with our Ms. Carbone, then I will tell Isaac to keep his distance and focus his time on better matters. But if not, Isaac has my permission to pursue her, and if you intervene again, I won’t be nearly as gernerous as I am right now.”

Mr. Carbone waived to Terrance to close the door, and he opened again beckoning in Helene. “Please, have a seat, Ms. Carbone… I want to discuss with you the happenings of the other day…”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Confident for my mission
✖✖ I am At... Father's Office
✖✖ I am With... Noah.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Eva concluded that maybe she was getting a little too attached to Arthur. This thought came because after he had told her he had something to do in the evening, her mind went to a very sad place where all she could think about was holding his hand and playing with his hair and other silly things. She felt like a puppy watching its owner leave the house for the first time, and she knew it wasn't healthy. Some time apart was for the better, although she still watched him as he left. Alyssa nodded at Arthur's words, though she stuck her tongue out at him as he drove off. "Come along, then, if you get so much as a paper cut he'll flip out," She said, beckoning for Eva to follow her. "Honestly...he's just a little too serious, don't you think?"

"Is he?" Eva asked as they walked into Alyssa's house. Following Alyssa up to her room, she sat at Alyssa's desk, pulling out her homework. "I guess you have a point, but I really like it. He's so mature and cool..."

"And 'mysterious' and 'handsome', we've all heard the Evangeline Chronicles on Arthur Myles," She joked, jumping on her bed, grinning. "Helene mentioned that she thought you liked him because he looked like someone named Julius, but I didn't know what she was talking about," Alyssa didn't notice Eva tense up immensely at the other name. "Who's Julius?"

Keeping her eyes on her paper, she figured she may as well answer. "Julius is...my ex-boyfriend from the last school we went to," She admitted quietly, letting out a sigh. "I guess I can see where she's coming from. The first time I saw Arthur, he reminded me a lot of him, so maybe she's on to something."

"So he was tall, blonde, and scary, too?" Alyssa asked.

She shook her head. "No. Julius was more light hearted and jovial."

"See, I can see you with someone like that," She admitted, although something occurred to her. "So, what, you guys broke up when you moved here?" To her surprise, Eva didn't respond, although she could see her writing something down. "...is that something I shouldn't ask?"

The blonde finally looked at Alyssa, her expression relatively neutral. "It's a long story. I'll tell you someday, but right now...I'd rather not talk about him. I can tell you at least that he dumped me, so there's that," She admitted that much as she looked back at the desk. "You know, that reminds me, does that mean you and Helene are talking again? I feel like you two are fighting about more than just Jacob."

Crap, Eva being astute as always. But despite their disagreements, both Helene and Alyssa had compromised that Eva not get involved. Alyssa tapped her notebook with her pen as Eva looked back at her curiously, and Alyssa shook her head. "She just thinks Jacob is bad for me. If I'm being completely honest, she's right, but...I can't stay away," She cheerfully admitted.

Eva relaxed, returning her smile. "Then you two should make up soon, okay?"

---

It was snowing that day, a surprise for everyone. It fell at least once a year, though it never did stick to the ground. Either way, Helene always liked to sit by the window and watch it fall. But as she walked, her little hands tried to grasp the falling snowflakes, but when she opened her hands to look at them, they were gone. She could hear a gentle laugh, and she looked up at its source. The beautiful eyes that looked down at her were so warm and full of love that she felt that she could never match that love herself. Her mother smiled down at her, her long, red hair quietly gathering snowflakes. Helene dropped her arms to her sides, though raised her hand as her mother offered hers, and together they continued walking along the streets. As she looked up at her mother, she looked like she was thinking of something. Maybe she missed Papa, it had been some time since he had come home.

She asked a question, though whether it was relevant or not, she couldn't remember, although she did recall the large building they stood in front of. The stones were all different shades of gray at first, but she her attention went to the voice yelling at them from above. It was Oncle Gaspard! She loved visiting him, but his face was one of fear, shouting something at them. Her mother's face changed from its calm to match his fear, though she looked towards the street, taking Helene in her arms. The stones were no longer gray, instead they gained specks of red, and together they fell on the concrete. Her mother's embrace was still tight, using her body to protect her daughter, and the one thing Helene remembered was her wondering where Papa was and why he wasn't there to protect Mama.

Waking up startled, Helene looked around as she sat up. Her room looked so unfamiliar to her that it took her a moment to realize where she was, and she was breathing heavily. She hadn't thought about her mother in a while, so it was to be expected, but she felt like that same little girl all over again. Evan had made the right call; she was wide awake and her hangover came and gone. Running her hands through her hair, she was dismayed at how sticky it was. Smelling like pure vodka, Helene shook her head in disgust, going to the bathroom and running a hot shower. The warmth of the water felt good, and after washing her hair, she sat back in her room and ran a blow dryer over it. Running a brush through her hair, she temporarily flashed back to Isaac holding her locks between his fingers and let out a sigh. Right, she was going over to the Patrone's later. Staring at her reflection, she didn't like how Evan was so disappointed in her. But at the very least, he was going to let her go and defend herself. Her hand went to her cheek, and she found herself wondering if Terrance was alright. Taking on someone like that, especially after disappearing into the ocean with two other girls...what was he thinking? Helene couldn't figure it out for the life of her, although as she finished, she put her chin in her hands. Her phone beeped, and as she glanced at the time, she realized she needed to get ready.

She was unfocused, but by sheer force of habit, she pulled a more casual red dress out of the closet, finding matching shoes shortly afterwards, and as she searched her vanity for a pair of earrings, she caught herself looking into the mirror. If her mother was alive, would she have comforted her, or would she have scolded her as Evan did? There were a lot of times Helene felt lost, and despite Evan and Ariadne doing their best to have an influence over her upbringing, it wasn't the same. She threw herself into expensive clothes and jewels, having comfort in enhancing her beauty, but it was never enough. Letting out another sigh, she went for a pair of dangling earrings that she had first bought because they looked like a pair her mother had many years ago, and she stared at herself again. Her expression was still miserable, and she let out a groan, covering her face with her hands. Why was she feeling this way? She needed to get ready, she needed to make herself beautiful, but it felt so empty. What was the point of it? So she could have more men fight over her? That thought made her feel sick, and suddenly her line of makeup and accessories looked so shallow to her.

A knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts, and she cleared her throat. "Come in," She called, watching Gigi poke her head inside cautiously. A pang of guilt hit her, and she looked down. "About last night..."

Seeing her sorry expression told Gigi it was safe to come into the bedroom. "Feel better?" She asked.

No. But she wasn't sure why. "I'm sorry," She apologized.

"It's fine. Whenever you finish, we can go," Gigi said, though she was surprised when Helene would stand. "What is it?"

"Why do you think the fight happened?" She asked, surprising Gigi.

"General male horniness," Came Gigi's blunt answer, and Helene couldn't help but laugh at it. "Well, you have two guys fighting over a hot girl with daddy issues...seems like another day in the life of Helene. Didn't Connor Trotsky and Dylan Cole get into a fight over you back in freshman year, too?"

Helene shook her head as she smiled, though she took out a shimmery lip gloss, coating her lips until she was satisfied. "True, but I didn't love--" She caught herself, earning her a look from Gigi. "...things were easier back then." She continued quietly, putting the lip gloss away.

The denial was strong. "What's stopping you now?"

Taking her phone in her hand, she looked at Gigi seriously. "I don't want to get attached to anyone...just in case. Ariadne is keeping me in the dark, but I'm not stupid. I know Bastien's closing in...the only question is who will die first, me or him?" She sighed, following Gigi out to her car. To her surprise, Gigi opened up the passenger's side for her, letting Helene ride along and not have to drive. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt if it can be helped."

"I won't let anything happen to you," Gigi replied rather firmly as she turned the car on and backed out of the driveway. "My mission is to protect you at any cost."

And that was what Helene was afraid of. The rest of the drive was quiet, though they arrived rather quickly at the Patrone residence, and she felt her stomach knot up again. She noticed Gigi wearing her jacket again, and wondered if she was armed. She seemed to have noticed, and patted it down, showing she was unarmed. Somehow that relaxed her immensely, although she figured Gigi missed the point when she pointed towards the trunk. What the heck was she carrying back there? As Gigi rang the door bell, Helene forced herself to be as calm as possible. She was slightly surprised when Jacob opened the door, though she quietly followed him into the house. Gigi chose to hang back, standing but relaxing as she went on her phone, and Helene stared at her lap. It took Gigi prodding her to realize she needed to go into Mr. Carbone's office.

"Bonsoir," The French greeting came out automatically as she took her seat, properly sitting up. Mr. Patrone raised an eyebrow at her, and she found herself meekly looking away for a moment. Now that she was here, she had no idea what to say. "I wanted to apologize. I can't help but feel I'm as much to blame as Terrance and Isaac."

"And this is because...?" When Helene couldn't find a proper response, he waved her concerns away. "You blame yourself for being powerless to stop it when in fact my son and Terrance should have known better than to disrespect themselves in front of a lady, much less one of your stature." Damn, he hit the nail on the head with that, though as she dared herself to look at him, she didn't find scolding eyes, only understanding ones. "It must be difficult for someone of your standing to have men fight over you, though I would think you would be used to it."

Shit, he sounded just like Gigi. "Not like that," She said.

He watched her for a moment, and it almost felt like he was trying to read her mind. Of course, as soon as that thought crossed her mind, he decided to say, "The two seem to be very fond of you. What do you think about that?"

The bluntness of the question caught her off guard, and she found herself fiddling with her hair. "It's...flattering, I admit. Isaac sort of came in and charmed his way since we met. And Terrance..." Her voice trailed off as her expression softened, though she frowned. "I don't know what he's thinking. On the beach we were all together. He went off on his own for a bit with...other girls..." The last part seemed to come off as a mumble, but Mr. Patrone still understood. "I thought that he ended what we were. So when Isaac showed up, I just figured it was time to move on."

"To move on?" He caught her words, and she flushed red and she placed her face in her hands. "You seem uncertain about that. Is it that you still want him?"

"No," It came out a lot faster than she had intended. "I think...it's best if I was just alone."

Mr. Patrone didn't seem convinced by the slightest, and Helene couldn't tell what he was thinking. Still, he seemed to have gathered something from what she said, understanding something she didn't, and let out a chuckle. "I have to offer my sincerest apologies. I'm more than certain that if your uncle caught wind of this, he would be most displeased. What is it that I can do to solve this situation?"

"I really don't think it's needed, I promise," She tried to reassure him.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Terrance stood in the drawing room, listening in on the conversation that went on in the other room. Hearing her voice again, though it sounded so distant through the doors, was reassuring to Terrance. But when Helene talked about Terrance she sounded sad. He sighed to himself, placing his forehead on the wooden door. “You really fucked up your chances with Helene.” The all too familiar voice came behind Terrance and he turned his head around, crossing his arms over his chest. Of course, the last person on the planet he would want to see. “Go crying to your dad? That’s very much unlike a grown man. But I guess if you want a forced apology from me, here it is- I’m sorry for punching your face, asshole.” Isaac laughed, crossing his own burly arms across his chest and eyeing Terrance. “You know it is about more than that. But it won’t matter if my father sticks up for you, God knows why. No way will Helene forgive you for banging too floozies on a beach, practically right in front of her.” Terrance’s fists clinched in his crossed arms. He had to fight strong back the urge to punch Isaac again. Isaac noticed Terrance’s tightening fists and simply laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t think about it. You are on thin ice, and you don’t have your big bodyguard to pull me away this time. Just don’t think too much about what Helene and I will be up to once she says she is done with you.” Terrance rolled his eyes, turning his back to Isaac, but there was a strong feeling of guilt and worry hanging over Terrance. What Isaac said made sense, why would Helen forgive him for what he did? But why did he need forgiveness? They weren’t dating, so it wouldn’t classify as cheating… but at the same time, something told Terrance in his gut he had to fix something.

“If that is how you feel, Ms. Carbone. I’m glad we could get this squared away, and I’m hoping your men have been finding what they are looking for. I’ve heard much about this Bastien fellow in the short time of our alliance. I assure you that my own followers are keeping a sharp eye out as well for suspicious activity.” Mr. Patrone rubbed his chin, picking up a few papers and shuffling them around to scan them. Without looking up, he directed his voice to the drawing room. “Boys, you can come in now.” One couldn’t hear the bickering of the two young men in the other room, and Terrance was the first to emerge into Mr. Patrone’s office, followed by Isaac. One simple look from Mr. Patrone said what he was expecting to hear from the two. Terrance was struggling still to look in Helene’s direction, feeling too ashamed. But he knew he was going to have to start taking the steps to repair what he did, and he finally lifted his head, looking Helene directly in her bright eyes. “I’m sorry.” That was all he said, but he was sorry for all of it. For hurting her sneaking off with two girls, for scaring her when fighting Isaac, and for not telling her how he felt all this time. “I’m sorry, Helene. Sometimes our emotions get the best of us.” Isaac spoke up, nodding respectfully towards her. Mr. Patrone’s eyes sharpened slightly on Terrance, and he cleared his throat with a hearty cough. “Terrance, have you thought more on what I asked you earlier?” Very much so referring to what Terrance was going to do in regards with Helene. Terrance didn’t pull his eyes away from Helene, maintain his eye contact on her face as he responded. “I’m not done yet. I’m going to finish what I started.” Mr. Patrone clapped his hand together in a singular thunderous clap. “Since this is all settled, Ms. Carbone and Mr. Flights. You are both dismissed. Isaac I want you to stay. We have to discuss some findings of Jacob’s from the beach the other day.” And with that, Helene and Terrance exited the room, Terrance closing the office doors so that the two could talk with a bit more privacy. The fact Terrance could look at Helene for so long earlier was a miracle, because now he was having a hard time once again to turn in her direction. “Helene… Can we talk? Over dinner perhaps?” Terrance rubbed the back of his neck, still not looking at Helene, he was fully preparing himself for her rejection, but he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.


Alexander was sitting on his couch, the TV blaring something about a crime show, but he was too disinterested in it. Alexander had caught wind that Arthur had a mission to fulfil, and Jacob and Terrance had to talk with Mr. Patrone about what happened on the beach, both regarding the fight and the news of a Munez boy peddling on the beach. So, poor Alexander was left to his own devices. But he didn’t seem too upset, as a special delivery had been made. Although Alexander didn’t see his parents for 5 years, they always somehow shipped him a trophy of whatever little thing they were recently trying to swipe away from rightful owners. Alexander’s eyes were scanning a single card that was attached the package, no shipping or return address on it. His parents had good enough connections that the package could just get passed along, one by one, until reaching the rightful recipient, Alexander. The message was short:


Alexander picked up the box, flipped open a pocket knife, and opened it up. Inside was a black, velvet box, and upon opening it, he found a stunning Alexandrite Ring. It shined multiple colors in the light of the TV and Alexander couldn’t stop staring at it, mesmerized. He smiled a little to himself, and closed the box up, before shooting a text message to Gigi. Are you free tonight?



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Confident for my mission
✖✖ I am At... Father's Office
✖✖ I am With... Noah.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

She genuinely had no idea why, but hearing Terrance and Isaac apologize to her somehow made Helene feel worse. It was hard to look at them both, but she couldn't help but notice how Terrance wouldn't stop looking at her. She didn't understand him. She didn't understand his actions, she didn't understand the things he did, and it was frustrating because that tiny little voice in the back of her mind kept trying to tell her different things from time to time. As Helene and Terrance were dismissed, Helene felt herself ready for another drink until Terrance addressed her. She stopped her walk, looking over her shoulder at him, but whatever nerve he had in front of Mr. Patrone was gone, as he wouldn't even look at her now. He wanted to talk. About what? As her eyes examined his face, she wanted to say no, but if she walked away now, she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted. "A talk is a good idea," She replied quietly, continuing her walk to where Gigi stood with her arms crossed, looking slightly bored. "I'll be going somewhere with Terrance. I'll text you to come pick me up," She stated.

Gigi flickered her eyes onto Helene, who she noticed looked pretty serious. She looked at Terrance and seemed to understand. "I see," She replied, pushing herself off the wall to look at her properly. "I'll be standing by, then." She replied, giving Helene a light bow before excusing herself.

As Gigi entered Helene's car, she leaned back as her phone chimed. She was surprised to see it was Alexander, although considering how they left off, maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising. Was she free? Technically, no, but she was just supposed to wait for Helene just in case things went south. Although if their history showed anything, Terrance would likely successfully re-seduce her and they'd end up making up or whatever. Or at least, that's what she wanted to think, but really she really did believe things would go south, fast. If she really was set on being alone, she was likely going to reject Terrance. Did Gigi really want to stick around for the ensuing breakdown? Nope. She would rather just pick her up and drop her off at home to she could drink herself into oblivion again.

I don't really have plans, although I am just waiting for a call, She decided to at the very least respect Terrance and Helene's privacy. Why?

---

The curtains were drawn, the 'Do Not Disturb' sign hung on the door, and the room was extra dark with the exception of the two computer screens beaming into Evan's face. His eyes darted from one to the other, leaning forward to read them carefully. His bluetooth headset was currently connected to his phone as it placed a call, ringing out the tone as he waited for the other end to pick up. A low beep informed him he was connected, and one of the screens changed in response. He let out a sigh of relief, a satellite image of the city appearing shortly afterwards. "Alright, I can see now," He stated.

"That's the area I'm hitting," Ariadne's voice came out from his headset. "A majority of the local authorities are guarding a local event, so the streets are mostly clear. It doesn't matter where he runs, either he faces me or runs back into Munez territory where his men are dropping like flies. They do not like strangers."

Evan's eyes landed on the police report he pulled up, though he didn't seem convinced. "Here's hoping he's there," He murmured, sitting up slightly. "I've got Jun filling me in on the other side. Just be careful out there."

"Speaking of careful, where is Helene?" She asked him.

Evan had failed to inform her about the little situation that occurred. The last thing he wanted was for her to get distracted. "I've tightened security on her home, and she is currently at the Patrone residence. If anything happens, I'll hear of it."

Ariadne fell silent for a moment. "I still have Mama's box. If something happens to me, give it to her," She said quietly.

"Of course. Now then, when will you strike?" Evan asked, his yes looking at the clock.

"Tonight. Let's see how it goes..."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Alexander smiled at the response from Gigi on his phone. His fingers anxious tapped on the side as he read the message repeatedly, his eyes occasionally glancing to the new ring delivered by his parents. Was that a little too much for Gigi right now? Considering that the only person he knew that gave jewelry to a girl was Jacob and Alyssa. And they had been dating for a while before he bought that for her. But Alexander didn’t want anyone else to have the gorgeous gem besides Gigi. And how more suiting of a ring from Alexander than Alexandrite, a way to constantly remind the gift bearer of him. Alex wanted Gigi to have something, that every time she glanced at it, she thought of him. However, it is still too early to present such an expensive gift. Just curious if you would like to come over and watch a movie with me? I can pick you up if you are still having bike troubles. Alexander shot off the text, taking the ring in its velvet case and tucking it in the pocket of his jacket.


The silence between Helene and Terrance spoke volumes of their situation. The two that would normally have pounced on one another the minute they were left alone, were now stuck in an eerie silence. Terrance’s focus remaining on the road. He still didn’t know exactly what he was going to say to Helene. Should he apologize for hurting her? Had he even hurt her? Helene was acting significantly different, but he still couldn’t pinpoint if it was over the violent outburst, or was she actually hurt by him chasing other girls. He wasn’t sure if he should tell her how he felt- in the end he wasn’t completely sure himself how he felt. He told Mr. Patrone that he would finish what he started, but was he truly ready for a relationship? Was Helene? Did he even want a relationship? The question ached in Terrance’s chest, but something also told him that he wasn’t ready to lose her, or to let her go. He still wanted what they had between each other. But was that an appropriate thing for him to ask Helene?

Hey, I know I just banged some random chicks on the beach, but I still have feelings for you, and I want us to continue being fuck buddies, since I’m not sure if I’m ready for something serious. Terrance groaned, rubbing his temple as he finally pulled into a parking spot. When Terrance’s eyes came back into focus, he then realized that he had driven Helene back to the beach, the same spot were Alexander had parked the day before. The tangent of the sun was just touching the tip of the ocean and slowly falling down. The sky was a bright pink and orange, and Terrance took a deep breath, before finally turning his attention to Helene. He didn’t know what to say, so the words flowed straight from his subconscious. “Helene, I… I’m sorry.” Was that all his brain could say right now? After all of his worrying and thinking over the long drive that was what he wanted to say? He rattled his brain for more words. “I’m sorry if I- no, I’m sorry that I hurt you.” This was such a weird, foreign conversation for Terrance. Usually anytime he was saying sorry like this to a girl was to break up whatever little fling he had been having. ‘Sorry, I had fun. And I know you did too, but let’s remember it for the fun it was’ or, ‘Sorry that you fell for me, but I don’t feel the same. I’m a bird that can’t be caged’. But at this moment Terrance didn’t know how to vocalize his feelings at the moment. He never had to admit to a girl before that he actually had an attraction for them, that he wanted to continue seeing them. And especially never about a serious relationship.

But Terrance was still unsure if Helene would forgive him. Isaac’s words haunted the back of Terrance’s mind, and it only caused him to shake ever so slightly with fear. At this point, the sun had fully set behind the horizon, leaving only a sliver of pink on the horizon as the dark sky followed suit to paint heavens navy with sparkles here and there. Isaac wasn’t exaggerating earlier when he said you could see everything. At least, everything in the sky. Terrance felt like he couldn’t see 3 inches in front of him, it was so dark. And as a result, it was hard for him to see how Helene was reacting. Terrance was too focused on listening to Helene to absorb the beauty of the night sky.


Arthur’s eyes lifted from the notes gripped in his hands. The clock on the wall read 9pm, which told him it was time to get moving. Shoulder holsters in place, gun and silencer equipped, and a black hoodie. It was time for the kill. A jittery excitement welled up in Arthur as he held the gun close to his chest, getting in his unmarked car and making his way towards Evenlyn’s home. He had his hair tightly pulled back, gloves on his hands, and a black mask pulled over his mouth and nose. Flipping the hood of the jacket up, all that could now be seen was Arthur’s piercing blue eyes. One light was still on in the house, and from Arthur had memorized from the home’s layout, it was Evelyn’s office. Once the light flicked off, Arthur would wait about 30 more minutes. Then it would be the prompt time that Evelyn went to bed every night, according to his father’s notes. All he had to do now was wait and plot in his dark mind.

He was exited to put a bullet through Evelyn’s head. But more than that he wanted answers. It wasn’t in his job description, but he wanted to torture her first. Perhaps surprise her as she lay sleeping, bound and gag her and threaten to take her life if she screamed. He wanted answers for how she could treat her daughter so maliciously. Why she got enjoyment from hurting her. And who her real father was. Perhaps even ask why she thought he was there. Find out if she knew who put a target between her eyes, or if she had no clue someone wanted her dead. For a second, Arthur scoffed at this. Who wouldn’t want such a witch dead? She probably wronged so many people on a daily occurrence, there were probably so many others who would rejoice at the new of her elimination.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Three soft thumps rang through the air, and a few flashes went off in the window of Evelyn’s office. Snapping Arthur from his day dream, he climbed out of his car slowly. It didn’t’ seem like the sound disturbed any of the other homes around, as no light suddenly came on from other windows. No nosy faces looking out of windows and doors. What the hell was that? As he started to sneak his way towards the house, Arthur saw a tall figure emerge from the house. It was too dark to see clearly, but the figure stepped out on the patio, looked up and down the street, and then took off in a hurry. The only feature that Arthur could see was long blonde hair. Oh no. Arthur hurried his way to the house, up the steps, and before he could look into the office room, he saw enough to know what it was. Behind the desk in the center of the room, stuck out two slim legs in heels, a pool of blood beginning to seep around the body. Just as quickly as he entered, Arthur was out in a flash, back in his car, and racing home. His knuckles were turning white from how roughly they gripped the steering wheel, and Arthur pulled down his face mask, cursing under his breath. Damnit! Had his father really not trusted him to take out Evelyn tonight? He had until midnight to finish her, and it was barely 9:30! He had everything under control, he was fully prepared, and he wasn’t about to let his father lecture him on ‘failing a mission’ that he had been prepared to finish.

Storming into the house, straight into his father’s office, he saw him cleaning off the riffle from earlier, and setting it back on the wall. “What the hell?? I had the mission under control! Why did you intervene?” Noah turned his head, his eyes sharpening. But not so much in anger or disapproval, as Arthur expected. But more so in questioning and confusion. “What are you going on about? I just got back from calibrating the sniper riffle at the shooting range. What happened with your mission?” Arthur was taken aback for a second at his father’s response. It wasn’t common of Noah to lie, and even then, Noah didn’t really have a reason to lie. Arthur moved closer to his father, now talking in a lower voice as if to avoid letting too much information bounce off the walls. As if anyone could hear the two right now.

“I saw someone with long blond hair leaving Evelyn’s house. I heard three silenced gunshots, three flashes from the window. And when I went in the house… She was already dead.” Arthur looked worried, if it hadn’t been his father, and is most definitely wasn’t himself, who could it have been? It seemed Noah knew the answer as soon as Arthur mentioned someone with long blond hair leaving. A twisted grin seemed to grow on Noah’s face, yet his eyes seem like they were full of laughter.

“Well. It seems to me your godfather must be in town.”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Confused
✖✖ I am At... Father's Office
✖✖ I am With... Noah.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Godfather?"
✖✖ I am Wearing...T-shirt, jeans, black hoodie, shoulder holsters.

"...and that's the summary. Evan wants me to keep you updated," Jun's voice came through her phone as Gigi sat in Helene's car. The girl nodded even though she knew he wouldn't see her, and she leaned back in her seat. She was aware of Ariadne's raid happening relatively soon and wanted to know what was happening, so she had asked for a rundown from intelligence. The good news was that Bastien was cornered, but even though it should be a relief, something didn't sit right with her.

"I see..." Gigi scratched her chin, though Alexander's response caught her attention. "Thank you. Should anything change, I'd like to be informed if that's alright."

"I'll keep you posted," He agreed, and Gigi ended the call. Pocketing her earpiece, she read the message he had sent. A movie? It had been some time since she had seen anything. Then again, her taste in movies differed from her friends', and the only one who was usually willing to see anything with her was Helene once in a while. Was seeing one with Alexander a good idea? She was surprised to find herself actually not minding the idea. Why was that? Thinking to herself, she turned on the car and began to drive. Sure. Send me your address, I'll drive over. She texted him, placing her phone on the dashboard. A thought occurred to her, and she sent him another text: If you have anything within the horror genre, I'd like to see it.

---

The beach was the absolute last place Helene had expected Terrance to take her. Just looking at the sea gave her the chills, and she found herself having to push unpleasant thoughts away again. The last thing she wanted was to be reminded of the day's events, but it wasn't like she had a choice. Her eyes scanned the sand, but she had no idea what she was looking for. Everything looked so calm she almost thought it was romantic for a moment. He said nothing. She said nothing. For a moment she wondered why he brought her here if he wasn't going to say anything. She stole a glance at him to see if she could tell what he was going to do, but he was still. Not that she blamed him, she wasn't exactly her usual self either. Maybe she should start with her own concerns. Then came the actual apology; he was sorry for hurting her. Helene kept her eyes on the beach as he spoke, not sure what to say. No, that wasn't true, she knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to ask if that was all he had to say. Why was she expecting anymore out of him? It wasn't fair that she kept wanting more, and she felt a pit form in her stomach when she knew what she needed to do.

"I wonder where things went wrong," She finally broke her silence, staring at the sky. "Everything was so easy before. No strings attached, no commitment, no hurt feelings. That's what we agreed on. I don't understand what happened. Or rather, I thought things were business as usual when I saw you with them. Isaac was a little unexpected, but I figured it was all in good fun until you..." She hesitated, finally tearing her gaze away from the stars and looking right at Terrance with a hard stare. "Just tell me why, Terrance. Why are you sorry? Because you realize you were wrong to hit Isaac? Or because you realize you're a hypocrite?" She needed to know why Terrance did what he did before she could continue. "You can't apologize for hurting me because we're aren't anything to each other. We're not in a relationship, we aren't even lovers. We're just...nothing. Purely physical. So why would you be sorry for hurting me?" She asked, wanting answers.

---

Letting out a yawn, Eva crawled onto Alyssa's bed, making herself comfortable. God, she was exhausted. The past few days she felt like she never had any energy whatsoever. She didn't feel sick, though she wasn't sure if it was the anemia or something else. Her lower stomach hurt a bit, and she curled up into a ball, hugging Alyssa's pillow. Maybe she should see if she could contact Dr. Galen, he always encouraged her to see him if she wasn't feeling well. But it was weird, it wasn't that she was unwell, it was just dizziness and stomach pains. She was used to the dizziness, but not the pains. Oh well, she was sure Dr. Galen would know. Alyssa walked into the room shortly afterwards, holding a plastic bag. Eva had been way too embarrassed to let Arthur know her monthlies were coming up, so she had asked Alyssa for a few supplied to tide her over, and she was immensely grateful for her friend's generosity. Alyssa placed it next to Eva's backpack and sat down next to her, curious. "Upset stomach?" She asked her, rubbing her shoulder in comfort. "Sorry, I shouldn't have made something so heavy."

"No, everything was great," She assured her. "I'm just tired. I want to just sleep for like...the rest of the week."

Alyssa nodded in understanding, though she couldn't hide her smirk. "So Arthur doesn't let you sleep? Not that I blame him, any guy would be thrilled to be in his shoes," She teased, lightly poking Eva's cheek.

She blushed, hugging the pillow tighter. "He usually lets me sleep in, but I don't know, I've been having such a hard time getting out of bed," She admitted, letting out a small sigh.

"Probably just drained. You've been through a lot," Alyssa got up from her bed, turning the lights off. "Take a little nap, I'll wake you up when Arthur comes."

Eva wanted to protest, but once the darkness surrounded her, she could feel her body begging her for more rest. Resting herself on the pillow, she stared at the wall for a moment. Now that she thought about it, Alyssa had a point. A lot has happened, though she hadn't thought too much on it. But that's just how Eva was: out of sight, out of mind. She didn't really like to think too much, her mind had a tendency to go straight to the deep end when she did. Taking things as they came was the only way she really knew how to handle things. What was there to think about, really? Things were out of her hands. She was powerless to do anything. She wasn't going to get along with her mother, they were never going to be civil, so what was the point? Letting out a sigh, she found herself wondering if her mother was thinking of her. Probably not, she was likely getting her notes ready for some big meaning. And it hurt to think about that because she was likely to be right. Evelyn was a businesswoman above everything. Eva would never get through to her no matter what, so that was just the way things would be forever. She thought of her father again, wondering if maybe she could at least get her to tell her who he was. Arthur had asked, too...and he was the last thought on her mind as her exhaustion finally caught up to her.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Alexander sat up quickly, his eyebrows practically flying upwards off his face. Oh shit, she was coming? He sprang up to his feet and scanned the living room. There were a few scattered articles of clothing, a few empty soda cans, napkins, crumbs, the like. Alexander flew around the room, folding up blankets to throw over the couch, fluffing up the pillows, and picking up the trash. He had to continue the appearance that some adult presence was in the house maintaining cleanliness. While passing through the kitchen to throw out trash, Alexander’s eyes landed on the whiteboard with its written message. He couldn’t leave that out in the open. Alexander grabbed up a couple papers, one a Chinese take out menu and the other a school newsletter for an upcoming masquerade ball and put them over the whiteboard with magnets. Alexander’s eyes looked over the brochure for the masquerade ball and rubbed his chin. Hm, that could be interesting? It was going to be Friday night. A fun conglomerate “get to know you” dance for Freshmen to start intermingling with upperclassmen. Administration must have thought Freshmen would feel less intimidated to talk to others if they hid behind a mask. Alexander took a picture of it and sent it to Jacob, Arthur, and Terrance. Thinking of going? Jacob almost immediately responded with a yes, forwarding the picture to Alyssa as well.

Alexander had been so busy cleaning up, he finally saw Gigi’s last message, and his face paled slightly. A scary movie? Oh God, please, no. Alexander gulped and tucked his phone away, moving out into the living room again. Peering under the TV stand, there were several columns of movie DVDs, plenty of Rom Coms, Action, Dramas, and… Horror. Alexander’s eyes waivered looking of the titles, his vision feeling blurry. Alexander had never been able to handle scary movies. Which sucked considering Terrance took almost every opportunity to go to scary movie premiers with dates. It was a good way to get girls to cling to you and burry their faces in your arm or chest. But Terrance had to stop bringing Alexander because… well, he did the exact same thing. Would jump, yelp, and then burry his face in whichever poor soul got stuck beside him, usually Terrance unfortunately. Alexander couldn’t handle it, jump scares, blood curdling screams, violence. In fact, the last time Alexander watched a scary movie, he had to sleep over at Jacob’s, because he couldn’t be alone in his house. He also had to keep a lamp light on, because if he closed his eyes in the darkness, Alexander knew some demon creature spawn would jump out of the closet and attack him. The bell rang and Alexander sprang to his feet, and let out a scream already. Not very promising for how the rest of the night would transpire. Tiptoeing his way to the door, he glanced through the peep hole and saw Gigi on the other side. Damn, he was already getting jittery. Taking in a deep breath to compose himself, he opened the door, bright eyed and smiling as usual. “Gigi! Come on in. I haven’t had a chance to pick out a movie yet… but let me know what you think of my selection under the TV.” Alexander closed the door back, putting too much thought into locking the door before following her to the TV stand. His let out a nervous laugh, watching Gigi glance over the scary movies and rubbing the back of his neck.


Terrance’s eyes stayed locked on the horizon as the sun slowly disappeared. It was calming really, watching the water move, as he listened to Helene. Easy? Yeah, it used to be a lot easier and a lot simpler. They both knew what they wanted, and both could provide that something for each other. A pretty normal and easy deal for Terrance. But, what he hadn’t been planning on was catching such strong feelings. Now it wasn’t just about hooking up with Helene. It was making sure that she wasn’t hooking up with others. Was he a hypocrite then? For being upset at the idea of Helene hooking up with other guys, while he had already hooked up with other girls? The guilt weighed heavier on Terrance’s mind and he kept his eyes on the horizon. But then she hit him with the, ”You can’t apologize for hurting me because we aren’t anything to each other. We’re not in a relationship, we aren’t even lovers. We’re just… nothing. Purely physical. So why would you be sorry for hurting me?” For some reason that hurt Terrance more than anything. Did that mean Helene didn’t feel the same way about him? Perhaps he wasn’t apologizing for hurting Helene now. Perhaps his subconscious was apologizing to himself for letting his emotions have the best of him, and getting himself hurt. Terrance sighed heavily, shaking his head in disappointment. Terrance was truly at a loss of words and wasn’t sure how to continue. He couldn’t express the fact he caught feelings for Helene when she obviously didn’t feel the same way. Purely physical, that was what she said. And that is what they had initially agreed on.

Purely physical… “I guess I’m sorry for… being a hypocrite. I also shouldn’t have intervened between you and Isaac, so I guess I’m sorry for scaring him off from you. I just want-” Terrance cut himself short and rubbed the back of his neck. He had often heard that apologies and forgiveness was supposed to make one feel better, but somehow Terrance felt even worse than before. He couldn’t tell Helene that he wanted something more with her. It was obvious the conversation had turned down a road Terrance didn’t want to travel, but he couldn’t force Helene to like him if she didn’t.

Purely physical. “I just want you to know I’m sorry for being an asshole to you. You don’t deserve that. And I don’t need Isaac’s dad to tell me to clean up my act, and man up. So… I guess that is what I wanted to say.” Was Isaac right, in the end? Had Terrance fucked up so hard that Helene wouldn’t want anything to do with him anymore? His hands shaking slightly, he took a deep breath. “I understand if you are done with having me around after what happened yesterday, so…” His jaw tensed, as to avoid letting any other words escape. Terrance looked over at Helene, but still couldn’t see her reaction. Though his eyes had been adjusting to the dark, he could just see the outline of her face and her hair. Even as a silhouette he felt his heart tense up from her elegance. He wanted her bad, but it seemed hopeless. He didn’t want to let her go, but he felt as if he couldn’t keep a grip on her.

Purely physical. Damn, who knew two little words could cut deeper than sword?


“Since when did I have a godfather?” Arthur asked, lifting his eyes from the message from Alexander. A dance? Perhaps Eva would like that- Oh shit. Arthur felt his face pale slightly, and a few beads of sweat gather at the base of his hairline. Eva’s mother was dead, and she had no idea. News would probably be pouncing on that information by tomorrow morning, even perhaps as early as tonight. He needed to go see her, right now, and Arthur pulled off his jacket, taking off his shoulder straps and gun. “That is because you haven’t seen him since you were a baby, and you couldn’t leave your mom’s arms without crying.” Noah laughed heartily as Arthur rushed to throw on his jacket. Noah raised an eyebrow at Arthur’s sudden shift from serious to frantic bustle. “Where are you off to in a hurry? If he really is in town, I would think he’d be here in any moment. He would love to see you- and how much you’ve grown and taken on the true Myles family name.” Arthur just shook his head.

“Jacob needs me. Says it is important. Don’t wait up for me.” And with a flash Arthur was out the door and in his Volvo heading towards Alyssa’s. He shot a text to Eva, On my way. Seeing Eva’s name at the top of the screen seemed to melt away Arthur’s cold and serious demeanor. How was she so able to cause such a powerful mood switch within him? He put his phone down and started on the commute. He looked at his radio for a second, tapping the steering wheel nervously. But before he could think on it, he clicked it on and switched it to a local new station. … found dead in her own home. Authorities were reported to the scene after neighbors called in. Close neighbors found it suspicious that Mrs. Esparanza’s front door had been left open late at night. And the sight found was more than the neighbors could take. So far, there are no suspects and authorities are trying to get in touch with both Esparanza’s husband, Marshall Grant, and daughter, Evangeline Esparanza. As for traffic tonight- Click. Arthur felt sick to his stomach. At least it wasn’t nearly as bad as the sickness he would feel if he had been the one to pull the trigger. He may have enjoyed it in the moment, but how would he be feeling now? Pulling into Alyssa’s driveway and knocking at the door, Arthur felt tense and nervous. Should he say something to Eva, or let her find out on her own? How would she handle the news?

His heart sank in his chest. Would she cry? He couldn’t bear seeing her cry like she had the other night, over her real father and mother not ‘loving’ her. God, why is their world so fucked up? And if that was Arthur's 'Godfather that took at Evelyn... why?



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Sick/Nervous
✖✖ I am At... Alyssa's Front Door
✖✖ I am With... Noah.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Eva..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...T-shirt, jeans, black hoodie.

As Gigi heard the yell come from inside Alexander's apartment, her hand flew to her backside on instinct, though Alexander opened the door shortly afterwards. She exhaled slightly, remembering that this was a cordial visit. Of course, with him fumbling around the lock, she decided to stay on her toes anyway. Why was he so nervous? Well, despite the jitters, he was acting very much like his usual self, so that much was a relief. Taking off her jacket, she looked around as she walked through the house. It was clean, empty, although there was something just a little off, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly. Probably the quiet; she didn't know if he had any siblings or where his parents were. Then again, if he invited her over, they had probably gone out.

Placing her jacket over the couch, she wandered over to the TV stand, kneeling down to see his collection. There was a decent variety, though personally Gigi found a majority of cinema to be terribly boring. Comedies were cheesy, action flicks overblew situations considering she went through a majority of them, and anything else just didn't grab her attention. But horror movies always kept her guessing, and while they never really scared her, she got a slight thrill out of the gore fest that ensued. Of course, there was the matter of her always finding flaws in the killer's plans, but it was all in good fun.

Scanning the movies, she found one she hadn't seen and pulled it out. "Your selection is quite diverse," She told him as she went ahead and handed the DVD case to him. As she straightened up, she looked at Alexander with curious eyes. "Thank you for inviting me, it's been some time since I've watched anything,"

---

The amount of disappointment Helene held was too much for her, crushing her heart. Why was she expecting anything otherwise? Of course he was apologizing for being a hypocrite. Of course he's apologizing for getting in the way of her and Isaac. As he hesitated ever so slightly, she found herself looking at him. It was too dark to see, but she felt like if maybe he said the right thing, maybe if he gave her some kind of hint for something, maybe...maybe what? She didn't know what she wanted him to say, but as he carried on, it was obvious that what he said wasn't what she wanted to hear. She didn't realize that deep down there had been the slightest glimmer of hope underneath all the confusion, but hearing Terrance speak further seemed to whittle it out of good. So much for no hurt feelings.

Keeping her hands on her lap, she wondered what she should reply with. 'I want to stay with you'? 'I don't want you to look at anyone else'? For the first time in a very long time, Helene was at a complete loss on what to say to a guy. No, that wasn't right. To any other guy, she'd brush it off, put on a mask of cheeriness, and carry on. But it didn't feel right doing that to Terrance. He deserved better. He deserved something real. And no matter how much Helene wanted to, she couldn't give it to him. She wanted to, but she couldn't drag him into her mess of a world, even if she felt he of all people would understand. There was a selfish part of her that considered asking them to continue as they were, but she just couldn't forget him running off without her. It hurt to think about, and if she was going to continue, she wanted them to be exclusive.

So why wasn't she saying anything?

It was too much. Helene's little slice of heaven was destroyed with everything else in her life. She was so naïve to think she could hold onto it. And once the realization came crashing down, she felt dead inside. Turning to look at him in the dark, a question lingered that she had to ask. And if he gave her some semblance of hope, any sort of hint, then maybe... No. She couldn't ask, because she wouldn't be able to handle it if it went the other way. "I see," Helene finally spoke, exhaling lightly. "It's been fun. Thanks...I'll...find my way home," Her hand opened the car door and she stumbled out on shaky legs, heading towards the sand. There was no point in looking back. And so she kept walking, heading towards the water. The wind blew her hair in almost every direction, but she couldn't feel it or anything else.

She felt like she lost everything. There was no point in anything anymore.

---

The little bell from her phone woke Eva, and as she opened her eyes, her phone's light hit her. As she sat up she stretched her arms above her head, letting out a yawn. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at her phone and realized it was a text from Arthur. Her eyes lit up as he said he was on his way, and she got off of Alyssa's bed. That little nap hit the spot, but she still felt tired. After running her hands through her hair, she took the bag Alyssa gave her and tucked it into her backpack, bringing it with her as she went to find Alyssa. Said was looking at her phone sitting on her couch in the living room, the TV showing some kind of action movie, though she looked up as Eva came down the stairs.

"Did you hear about that masquerade thing?" She asked her as Eva took a seat next to her. "It'd be great to go, what do you think?"

"That sounds like fun," Eva admitted, putting her backpack on the floor. She hesitated slightly, looking at Alyssa seriously. "It would be nice if we all went together as friends. You and Helene included."

Alyssa had to admit that Eva was persistent, if nothing else. As she went to reply, Eva's phone rang. The blonde squinted at the number she didn't recognize, though it looked familiar to Alyssa for some reason. "Looks local," She commented.

Eva shook her head, declining it. She really didn't like answering calls if she didn't know who was on the other line. As they continued to watch TV, her phone rang again, but this time it was Marshall. She had ignored his previous calls, so she felt she should answer this one. Getting up from the couch, Eva picked up. "Hi, Marshall," She greeted him.

"Eva...where are you?" He asked, and she couldn't help but notice his voice shaking slightly as he spoke. "No, that doesn't matter--I'm sorry, I can't think straight right now. I need you to be very calm and listen to me."

That was weird, Marshall was always so collected that it actually unnerved her to hear him like that. "Marshall, what's wrong?" She asked, getting worried. Alyssa frowned, though she heard the door and got up, walking over to open it. "You're scaring me, what is it?"

"Eva...your mother is dead."

Marshall had probably continued after that, but those were the only words Eva heard. Her mother was dead. Something pressed on her chest, befuddling her mind so that she couldn't think or breathe. There was no way she could form the words she needed to question him. How did he know? What happened? Was that number she declined the police trying to give her the news? The denial didn't even have a chance to hit as she knew Marshall wouldn't lie to her about something like this, and suddenly everything was spinning. No, this wasn't real, this had to be some sort of nightmare. But it hit her, and it hit her hard, and suddenly she felt herself slipping away.

Alyssa opened the door, revealing Arthur. "Welcome back, she's ready for you," She said, looking back at Eva, though her pale face and shocked expression alerted her that something was wrong. "What happened--Eva?!" Her question turned into an exclamation of panic as Eva hit the ground.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Alexander looked at the DVD that Gigi graced in his hands and took a deep breath. Revenge of the Dead. Fantastic! Alexander nodded to Gigi, popping in the DVD to get it read. “My parents love movies of all genres, so I just happen to have a lot by relation. Hey, I’ll be right back.” Alexander hurried into the kitchen to get popcorn going, and brought back some soda, handing one to Gigi, before sitting on the couch. “What is your movie watching preference? I keep the lights out, but do you need a pillow? Blankets? Snacks? I’m getting popcorn started but I have a bunch of other junk food if you want.” Alexander pointed over his back with his thumb towards the kitchen. AAAAAAAAAYYYYEEEEE a shriek echoed off the walls, from the speakers and surround sound. If Alexander hadn’t felt his entire body freeze in fear he probably would have ruined his pants then and there. His hairs on his neck stood on end, goosebumps forming all over his body. The shriek came from the main menu screen of the scary movie. And one quick glance revealed a girl holding her head, curled up in a corner, dirty and covered in dried blood, occasionally crying and screaming. Holy shit this was morbid. How did people enjoy this?

But when Alexander glanced towards Gigi, she seemed completely undisturbed or bothered. Damn, she really was tough, and he felt a little hop in his chest from his heart. Just another reason why he was so attracted to her. Probably by how brave she always seemed. After turning down the volume a hair, Alexander could feel his heart steady and he exhaled a long breath. Calm down! It is just a movie! All acting. Alexander’s eyes moved down to the bottom of the screen, where a little caption rested on the screen. Based on Actual Events.

Fuck. Looks like no sleep tonight… hopefully Jacob will be more than willing to let Alexander spend the night at his place. Or… Alexander’s eyes glanced to Gigi, who was calmly sipping her drink. What if Gigi spend the night? A bright red flush drew to Alexander’s cheeks and he had to quickly shake his head, rubbing his neck. No way! She would probably be so uncomfortable here… But Alexander knew he would be over the moon if she laid in bed beside him. His heart skipped another beat at the thought, and when another blood curdling scream came on the TV. Alexander jumped so much that he scooted closer to Gigi. He needed human contact to calm himself, but he glanced at Gigi, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, kinda cold in here. I like keeping it cool so I can wrap up in blankets.” He grabbed a black blanket off of the back of the couch, engulfing both himself and Gigi in it. “Did someone order an Alexander Burrito?” Alexander joked, pulling the sheets up to his nose, just showing his bright caramel eyes. With that, he started the movie, grabbing a pillow to hold tightly to his chest as support.


Terrance felt as if his world shattered into several little pieces as Helene exited her car. She had nothing to say to him? Well, perhaps that was asking too much of him. But just, it’s been fun? Terrance sighed, his fist clenching up as he punched the steering wheel after she walked off. He huffed in anger at himself. Damn it! Why was he like this? Why couldn’t he tell her how he felt? Why couldn’t he just make her happy? Why didn’t she feel the same way for him? The anger subsided slightly and shifted into an empty shallowness. He had really fucked up his chances at her. Did he really think that she would suddenly change her mind and her heart? That she would want to be anything more than fuck buddies? Purely physical continued to ring in his ears like a death sentence. Helene said she was going home, but by the fact she started walking onto the beach told him otherwise. He sighed and jumped out of the car, quickly following her to the beach. She started walking to the water and Terrance grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. Even grabbing her arms so harshly felt so right to him, just the physical contact of having a hold on her. He didn’t want to let go, but it would take a lot of effort.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It is late, and we are far from your home… I know you don’t want to see me anymore, but at least let me drive you home.” He shifted his hand down to hers, taking a firm grip, and pulling her back up towards his car. There they were, out on the beach under the blanket of stars and sky. The moon was new, so it was completely black in the starry sky. Terrance wanted to enjoy the moment more with Helene, but this was obviously not a night that they would be able to enjoy together… not after this… breakup? It wasn’t a break up, but that is definitely how it felt. Damn, is this how Jacob felt when Terrance forced him to break up with Alyssa? Terrance had thought that Jacob was just overreacting and being dramatic. But damn, it really hurt…

Terrance was able to guide Helene in his car and drive her back to her house to let her out. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, having not said anything at all. There was nothing left to say and Terrance wanted to drive his car straight into a tree. But he wouldn’t, that was too irrational. Instead, as soon as Helene stepped out and closed the car door, Terrance sped away. He couldn’t go home yet… perhaps he would just speed up and down the highway until he grew bored and tired. Just something to take his mind off Helene…


Arthur felt his heart leap into his chest as he dove towards Eva to try and catch her from collapsing, but her head hit the floor with a THUD and Arthur felt his heart dive headfirst from his throat to his gut. He lifted up Eva quickly, supporting her head. It felt warm and wet, and Arthur’s pupils constricted seeing his hand now deep red in the palm. “EVA!!!” But it was useless, it seemed she was unconscious. A million thoughts were running through Arthur’s head, and he couldn’t focus on a single one, but only one seemed to stand out. Hospital. Arthur quickly stood to his feet, lifting Eva in the same bridal fashion as he always did, turning his eyes to Alyssa, who seemed to also tense up in fear. “Kom i min bil, nu!” Arthur’s brain couldn’t process translating his thoughts to English but Alyssa seemed to understand regardless. Alyssa nodded, grabbing a few towels as well as they ran towards the car. Alyssa climbed in the back, and Arthur handed Eva off to her, Alyssa using the rags to apply pressure on to Eva’s head wound. Arthur jumped in his car and raced towards the hospital, not taking his foot off the pedal at any moment. He probably ran a few red lights, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was getting Eva to the hospital. What happened? Why did she faint suddenly?

They got to the emergency room, and Arthur practically leapt from the car, carrying Eva tightly to his chest before bursting in the doors. “Hjälp! Hon blöder från huvudet!” Arthur was still in full on panic mode, and no one seemed to understand what he was saying. But the blood one his hands and now on his shirt seemed to speak volumes and a few nurses hurried over, getting her on a stretcher and hurrying her away. Arthur tried to chase after, but a nurse stood in his path. “You can’t go! The less strangers around the better. We can get you when she can see you!” Arthur’s hands were shaking, and he turned to the wall, slamming a fist into it, leaving a good sized dent. Whatever conversations were being had around him in the waiting room had instantly stopped from the loud bang of Arthur slamming his fist on the wall. Damnit!! Every time he left her, she got hurt! Without fail in fact! Was she not safe without him by her side?? Arthur had to control his anger, huffing repeatedly in frustration. Alyssa finally caught up, panting and putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. “I’ve already texted Eva’s mom and step-dad. Marshall said he is on the way.” She was able to get out between pants and breaths. Arthur felt his heart breaking in his chest remembering Evelyn. She wouldn’t be getting the message anytime soon…

As the hours ticked by, it felt like multiple lifetimes to Arthur as he sat anxiously in the waiting room, his eyes focused on the panel ceiling. His fists were clenched and he had finally let his hair down from its messy bun. With each passing minute he kept wondering. Was Eva okay? What is happening? Did she lose too much blood? The nurse from earlier walked over, and Alyssa sat up at attention, but Arthur didn’t respond. “Your friend is stable. Took a bad hit to the head it seemed. But nothing a few stitches couldn’t fix and a blood transfusion from the loss. I’m only supposed to let back relatives to see patients… but I also hate having patients wake up and be alone.” The nurse raised an eyebrow a bit, crossing her arms. Alyssa seemed to take the hint. “She is my sister. And this is her fiancé.” Alyssa pointed a thumb at Arthur, who finally looked down to make eye contact with the nurse. It seemed like a enough for her and she gave the two the room number to Eva’s room. It was difficult for Arthur to take the first steps in. Seeing Eva hooked up to the machine, fresh stitches on her forehead. Arthur shivered slightly. But his fears of seeing her like that were conquered by his need to be by her side. He pulled up a chair and took a seat beside Eva’s bed. Arthur took a sharp breath, watching Eva as she slept. That is what it looked like to him. Besides all the extra wiring. It reminded Arthur of all the mornings where he just let Eva sleep in, so peaceful. Arthur sighed heavily, his mind still plagued with the thought of all of this being his fault. He hung his head, his hands clenched together, so tightly he was practically digging his nails into his own skin. “I’m sorry… I always let you get hurt…”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:[1] Get in my car, now!
[2] Help! She is bleeding from her head!
✖✖ I Feel... Guilty and Sick
✖✖ I am At... Emergency Room
✖✖ I am With... Alyssa and Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Eva..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...T-shirt, jeans, black hoodie.

Gigi watched the movie, slightly amused, although the gore wasn't as much as she would have hoped. When a particular scream happened, she felt Alexander jump, and she slowly turned her head towards him, though he came a lot closer than expected. It looked like he was cold. Well, that's what he said, but for the first time, Gigi recognized this social cue. Alyssa wasn't a fan of horror movies, either, and the way Alexander jumped reminded her of how she acted. It was pretty cute if she was being honest, though he surprised her by getting so close. He was warm, and being this close she caught a scent that she enjoyed. Sugar? Was he baking? It was something sweet, but she had no idea what it was. The smell went away somewhat as he pulled the blanket up to his nose, inadvertently forcing her to shift herself a little closer to him. Figuring that he was going to turn out just like Alyssa the scaredy cat and not really wanting him to jump on top of her unexpectedly, Gigi got as close as possible to Alexander without getting on top of him. Her hand searched for his arm under the blanket, tracing down to his hand. She felt him gripping a pillow, and she let out a sigh as she looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "You'll feel better if you hold my hand," She told him bluntly before looking back at the movie.

---

Helene didn't want to go home, but Terrance insisted on taking her. Why would he say she didn't want to see him? If only she could actually voice her thoughts, but the words wouldn't come. Terrance's hand with hers felt so right, she wanted to stop him and tell him she was sorry for being stupid, sorry for flirting with Isaac, and beg him to make her his. But nothing came. He had to drag her to his car, probably for the better. She didn't even realize how short the ride to her house was, though the irony of coming to her house from the beach on the verge of a breakdown twice in a row was too much. For some reason she just watched his car drive off, and she found herself angry again. Why couldn't she be honest with him? Why did she have to push him away? The hurricane of emotions threatened to take her under again, and she resigned herself to her anger once again. She needed a fucking drink.

As she opened the door to her house, she heard a low, repetitive beep. But she was so unfocused it took her a moment to look for the source, and she spotted the security panel blinking a red light and beeping at her. Someone was in her house. Every hair seemed to stand as Helene's eyes widened, and she looked around nervously. Nervous hands fumbled through the entrance closet, pulling out a handgun, and she carefully stepped into the kitchen. Inhaling sharply, she raised her gun as she looked around. As she turned the corner, a hand grabbed her arm, and without waiting, she pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, deterring her attacker, and she aimed at him, shooting. The bullet went into his shoulder, although another came from behind and grabbed her wrists. Her finger squeezed the trigger, firing several shots as they struggled, though the man managed to get it out of her grasp.

This was it. This was going to be how she died. She found herself relatively at peace with the idea, glad she didn't tell Terrance anything. With how they left off, he wouldn't miss her, at least. She found herself wishing she could've seen her friends again one more time, but at least she could go with the fact that Gigi wouldn't get hurt defending her. Holding her steady, the man forced her onto her knees, one hand grasping her hands behind her back and the other yanking her hair so she was forced to look up. The other guy she had injured picked up the gun she had, and Helene watched him, feeling her heart beating faster, though she closed her eyes.

This was it. Oh well.

---

Alyssa crossed her arms and hung back slightly, watching Arthur carefully. It looked like he was just as shocked as she was. Eva looked so out of place in a hospital bed, but she remembered Helene telling her that Eva wasn't a stranger to any medical facility. It was one thing to know about, however, and another to see her there entirely. Arthur immediately pulled up a seat, probably resigning herself to staying at Eva's side until she woke up. He was tense, but guilt was written all over his face. Was he blaming himself? She didn't want to touch him just in case he would take it the wrong way, but Alyssa knelt down next to Arthur. He wouldn't take his eyes off Eva, and Alyssa knew she had to tell him what little she knew. "I know you won't believe me, but what happened tonight--this isn't your fault," She told him, trying to empathize with him. "I don't think she mentioned it at all to you, but she has some health problems. Normally it doesn't affect her day to day, but once in a while her symptoms just come and hit her all at once," She tried to explain it to him the best she could. "I know for a fact she's anemic, she must have been feeling weak already when she got Marshall's phone call. I'm just wondering what he said that sent her into shock..." She admitted, following Arthur's gaze to her sleeping form.

Her voice trailed off as she heard a quiet groan, and Alyssa stood up as she noticed Eva stirring. Slowly opening her eyes, Eva winced slightly, her unencumbered hand moving slowly to her head. They weren't in Alyssa's house anymore? She looked to her side and saw Arthur and Alyssa, and as she looked around, she realized where she was. She let out a groan, her head hurting, though she smiled at Arthur. "I must have...passed out..." She said slowly, trying to remember what happened. Her smile slowly faded as she remembered Marshall's call, and for a moment she thought she was going to faint again.

A knock on the door caught her attention, and to her surprise, Dr. Galen walked in. He was an older gentleman, wrinkly with a stern face and gray hair. Still, he was rather sprightly, moving just as quickly as anyone else, and he stopped before Eva's bed, looking at the two strangers. "Good evening, I'm Dr. Galen, I'll be your attending doctor tonight," He introduced himself to Arthur and Alyssa, though he looked back at Eva. "It looks like despite our followup the other day you ended up here anyway. Tell me what happened."

Eva's eyes darted to Arthur and Alyssa for a moment, though she figured they'd find out anyway. "...I just found out my mother died," She replied quietly. Alyssa actually took a step back in shock, completely surprised. "I guess the shock got to me, I don't remember what happened..."

"You fainted and hit your head. Your 'sister' and fiancée brought you here, and considering the results I got, I'd make sure to be very kind to them," He seemed to have already known what had happened, though Alyssa smiled sheepishly as he called out her bluff. "It's alright, I've known Evangeline for quite some time. I'm sorry for your loss, but as Evelyn was a source of your stress, the silver lining is that you'll be considerably less stressed going forward. I wasn't aware you were engaged, however, so that makes my job a little easier."

Fiancée? Engaged? Eva's cheeks turned pink as she looked at Arthur, though she looked away just as quickly. Was that why he was here? He said he was her fiancée? It actually made her feel really nice to see that he would go so far for her. Did that mean that he thought that far ahead? She definitely felt guilty, she honestly hadn't thought about their future like that. Something about what Dr. Galen said caught her attention, though. "Wait, what do you mean?" She asked him, confused.

He looked at Alyssa for a moment. "What I'm about to say is a little sensitive, if you could just leave the room for a bit, Miss," Dr. Galen told Alyssa. She nodded and complied, and once she left the room, he continued, "Your iron levels have dipped dangerously low, causing some arrhythmia, but I can't give you your usual medication because of something that came up during your blood work." At this point he was speaking to both Eva and Arthur, and Eva couldn't help but get nervous. Why was he addressing Arthur? Of course, his next statement was why: "It looks like you're pregnant." If Eva had any color in her face, it definitely left with that statement. Pregnant?! What?! How--wait she knew how, but this was such a shock that now she felt she was definitely going to pass out again. Her eyes widened considerably, and she nervously looked at Arthur, waiting for his reaction.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

It was a good thing that the room was dark, and it was difficult to see faces, because Alexander’s face was probably as red as the blood of the poor victims in the movie. Gigi was so nonchalant about him holding her hand. She even was the one to suggest it! He could feel his heart rapidly beating in his chest, and he released his grip from one of the pillows to rest it on hers. Then, proceeding to interlock their fingers. The movie seemed so much less scary sitting there with Gigi. Though he did jump now and again at each of the little jump scares. He really was trying his hardest to maintain a masculine, manly, tough guy composure. But one unexpected scream or loud bang, and Alexander’s body would jump up in shock, continuously moving as close as possible to Gigi. His hand instinctively constricting and contracting on her hand. And yet, she still seemed so unphased by it all. It made Alexander think more on it, as this was also a good way for him to shift his focus away from the scary movie.

She was a hired gun, right? No doubt in Alexander’s mind that she has killed people before. Just like Arthur had several times in the past. Is that what killing people did to someone? Made them hard and emotionless? For as long as Alexander could remember, Arthur had always been so shut in with his feelings, and it was only recently when he started interacting with Eva that this changed. Alexander slightly drummed his fingers on Gigi’s at the thought. Was that also why Alexander was so emotionally different from his friends? Each of them had their own range of seriousness, but each of them has had people killed. Maybe not as directly as Arthur. For sure Terrance, as a spy, has had to sneakily kill a person here and there. Terrance even once mentioned having to slip poison in someone’s drink. And more than likely Jacob has ordered to have a trespassing rival in their territory to be killed off. But Alexander… he was the complete opposite of serious, and he never had to kill anyone before. Not even point a gun in someone's direction. Neither had his parents, as far as Alexander knew. They just snuck around fancy, expensive places, and swiped anything that they deemed to be worth taking. Speaking of which, Alexander was quickly reminded of the ring in his jacket pocket, that now felt like it weighed several times as much as it did earlier.

With them being so close, and holding hands like this, Alexander was fully ready to whip out his Alexandrite ring and present it to Gigi. But, the little devil Terrance on his shoulder was telling him how bad of an idea it was. She was just starting to open up to him, just ever so slightly. Gigi isn’t wooed by grand gestures, and if anything, she will be scared off by Alexander presenting a ring. Alexander paused for a second at the thought and laughed to himself. Actually, in that case, Terrance would probably insist that Alexander give the ring to Gigi. To scare her off so that it was one less drama for Terrance to worry and keep track off. Alexander’s other hand moved from the pillow and into his pocket, feeling the velvet case under his finger. He would have to come up with a more stealthy way to present his ring to her. BEEP BEEP BEEP A loud echo erupted from Alexander, which actually caused him to leap from his seat. Well, leap wasn’t the best word, it was more like jump up, get entangled in his thick blanket, and fall over. The microwave was just chiming to let him know the popcorn was ready. In fact, it has been ready for a while, but the blood curdling screams had tuned out the microwave, and it had steadily amplified its beeps until someone would respond. Steadying his thoughts, Alexander began to sit up, until he felt a weight on his chest. Focusing away from the screams of the TV and the irritated beeping of the microwave, Alexander looked down at the small weight that was on his chest, and was met with the gray eyes of Gigi. His heart stopped in his chest as he just stared. Oh, wow, their faces were so close, he had never seen Gigi so close up and personal. Once again, it was a good thing the room was dark…


P… Pregnant? Arthur’s eyes went wide and he sat up straight. Perhaps it was kind of a good thing this information had been dropped. Arthur wasn’t good at acting, and he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to act surprised or concerned at the fact that Eva’s mother was suddenly dead. However, he also wasn’t expecting news like this. Oh God, he couldn’t feel his heart beating in his chest. He quickly moved his hand to his chest, feeling around in search for a beat, but it felt as if all systems were shutting down. A bab- preg- WHAT? Arthur’s brain was fried, and all that seemed to play, on repeat, through his mind was the angry shaking of his father’s head. All he could hear were the Swedish profanities from his father, yelling about how irresponsible kids were these days… as if no one from his youth got knocked up on accident. But, he was the last person almost anyone would expect this to happen to. If the entire school were to have taken a poll, this time last year, of who would be most likely to knock a girl up, Terrance and Alexander would have won hands down. The two in the past were notoriously infamous around campus for spreading their own love, in two completely different demeanors, of course. But the way they played recklessly with girls was well known. Arthur, on the other hand, was the least likely to be a young father.

Once his mind was done blasting off, and it had decided to land back in Arthur’s brain, he cooled his face and sat up straight, taking in a deep breath. Now what? What should he do? What should they do? Each reaction from friends and family seemed to play through his mind.

“Oh my gosh! Imagine a little Arthur running around! Or a little Eva! Oh my god, it would be so adorable. If it is a boy, you should name him after me!”

“Wow. You know, Terrance and I had a bet that he would be the first of all of us to have a kid… you know, with his reckless behavior. Guess I owe him a few hundred now… Oh, and congrats by the way.”

“You sly dog! You’re an idiot, because I know I’ve preached ‘no glove, no love’ a thousand times to you. But still! Congrats! Can I be called Uncle? NO- WAIT! I want to be THE GODFATHER!”

"I still feel too young to be a Grandmother... But I kind of like the sound of that. What sounds better: Granny or Grandma? Or even Gram? I already know they will have our eyes and hair. How wonderful!"

"Aunt Lillian? I guess it sort of has a ring to it..."

“Abort it. Don’t ponder the gender. Don't ponder names. That will only get you attached to it.”

That las one made Arthur feel sick all of a sudden. He didn’t want to think anymore on that, and pushed that thought to the deep recesses of his mind, where he could pretend it hadn’t crossed his mind, or that it wasn’t an option. That was… too much to ask of Eva. Especially considering he had no idea how she felt about this. Besides, it was her choice whether to continue the pregnancy or… not. No matter what choice she made, he knew he would stay by Eva’s side through it all. Arthur’s eyes finally moved back to Eva, not knowing whether to smile in delight, or to show that he was truly worried. This was probably the first time he had looked at her so plainly since when they started talking at the beginning of the year. Arthur reached his hand towards Eva, softly patting her hand and holding it. “I’m here for you, through anything.” The thought of having a child hadn’t really crossed Arthur’s mind. He was pretty sure his parents expected it- as he was their only son who could “carry on the Myles family name”. Perhaps, not this soon in life, but it was bound to happen one day, so why not now? He couldn’t lie, the idea of him and Eva holding on to a little life they created. Something that was the product of their love for one another.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:[1] Get in my car, now!
[2] Help! She is bleeding from her head!
✖✖ I Feel... Scared and Excited?
✖✖ I am At... Emergency Room
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."I kind of hope it is a boy..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...T-shirt, jeans, black hoodie.

Alexander had relaxed immensely, which let Gigi actually watch the movie in peace. She expected his little jumps, though she just held his hand through it. He interlocked their fingers, which she found a little odd, but for some reason she didn't mind it. Now that she really thought about it, though, this was probably the first time she had been so close to someone without the intention of murder or maiming. How strange. But her chest felt warm, and even as he continued to jump once in a while, she found herself actually liking it. Was this wise, though? Getting so close to Alexander? Helene would probably be thrilled at the idea. Then again, if she got close enough to him, she could use him. Wow, that was a really shitty thought, and she ended up frowning slightly to reflect it. A boy and a girl watching a movie, if they were normal, this could even be considered a date. But they weren't normal. Or at least, she wasn't. She was taught not to feel, not to make attachments. But ever since he managed to get in her good graces, she felt the wall she had put up slowly cracking. And no matter how much she tried to patch the holes, Alexander kept bum rushing her.

So what did that mean? Was she catching feelings? Was that why she kept feeling so weird around him? No, it should be more obvious than this. She should be all fluttery or have butterflies or something. No, she was just being comforting so she could watch the movie in peace. Except, she had been so lost in her thoughts she wasn't really paying attention. Great, someone was getting ripped to shreds and she didn't know why.

Suddenly, Alexander jumped out of his seat, pulling her along with him. At first, she was at a complete loss, having been caught completely off guard by the sudden movement. The most she let out was a gasp as she was pulled down. Once things had settled, she rubbed her head, confused. What, the microwave of all things was what scared him? As she tried to move, she looked up and saw Alexander looking right back at her. She felt her breath actually get caught in her throat, her eyes widening. What was wrong with her? Breathing was supposed to come naturally, why was she having such a hard time? It was his eyes that had paralyzed her. Now that she was this close, she realized how beautiful they were. The light of the television didn't do them justice, and she felt trapped.

"U-Um..." Whoa, was that her voice? Why did it come out so meek and shy? Her heart was beating fiercely against her chest for some reason, her cheeks gaining color rapidly. "Are you okay...?" Wow, her face felt really hot.

---

As the sound of a gun fired, Helene braced herself. The sound of something falling on the ground, however, made her open her eyes, and she realized the man that was about to shoot her was now lying in a pool of his own blood. Who shot him? She didn't have time to wonder as she was pulled up by hair hair, and she let out a cry of pain as she felt something press against her throat. But with a second gunshot, and the pain ceased, and she landed on the floor as well. Her hand flew to her throat, and she found blood on her hand. Said hand was shaking, and as a pair of black shoes came into view, she looked up and saw Evan breathing heavily. When did he get here? No, he must have noticed the alarm had gone off and came as quickly as he could. He knelt down to her, carefully helping her to her feet. His eyes ran over her, likely checking for injuries, and he placed his hand on her neck.

"Je l'ai fait..." His words came out automatically as he pulled Helene into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Dieu merci, je l'ai fait...I'm so sorry..." Hearing his voice and feeling his embrace seemed to bring Helene back to life, and she squeezed him back, letting out tears she didn't know she was holding back. As she pulled away, she was surprised to see him crying too, though he quickly wiped her tears away. "We're getting you out of here, it's not safe anymore."

She nodded, clinging onto him as he lead her out of the house. A few people walked past them, likely to clean up and dispose of the bodies, and Helene shuddered. As she was about to get into Evan's car, she hesitated, looking back at the house. She really thought she was going to die, and all she could think about was Terrance and her friends. Evan noticed her hesitation, looking at her expectedly. She shook her head, getting in the car, and together they drove away. With shaky hands she brought out her phone, and as she unlocked it, the picture she had sneakily taken of Terrance popped up. She felt her heart sink, and she suddenly imagined if he had been there. What if she had declared her love for him, invited him back to her place? Then he would have gotten attacked, too. A shiver went down her spine as she imagined those man grabbing him, getting him down and shooting him, and she clammed up entirely. No, she had made the right call. If anything had happened to him, she would never have forgiven herself. If she wanted to keep him safe, she had to stay away from him. She had to.

_{[1]I made it. Thank God, I made it.}

---

Eva watched Arthur rather nervously, trying to figure out what was going through his head. Of course, this was about as easy as finding the end of clear tape on a roll, and she had no idea what he was thinking. He looked nervous. Why wouldn't he be? Sure, at least now they were a couple, but still. For all intents and purposes, they really hadn't gotten to know one another that well. She never asked him what his plan for the future was, she never expressed to him what she wanted to do with her life. What was she going to do if he didn't want anything to do with it? Would he leave? No, there was no way she could handle it or anything else if he left. As his eyes finally met hers, she felt nervous as he didn't look happy or sad or anything. It was like the first day of school again, when he just noticed she existed. His touch came as a surprise, but as he held her hand, she knew they'd be alright.

His words gave her an immense relief, and she let out a breath. How could she have doubted him when he had proven time and time again that he was there for her? Still, this was something that shook her to her core, and the timing wasn't ideal. Okay, so maybe she really did want to have a little Arthur in her arms someday, the idea was comfortable in her head, but she wanted it at least when she finished college, or maybe when they were married. There were too many thoughts running through her head, and she suddenly remembered it wasn't just the two of them in the room, her eyes darting to Dr. Galen, who was watching with genuine curiosity. "I'll admit that's the best reaction I've seen in some time, you're very lucky, Evangeline," He chuckled, closing her chart. "Still, you're very delicate right now. Your injury should heal up nicely, but I'd like to see your iron levels improve before I'm comfortable discharging you. I'll come back in a while and give the two of you some privacy." He nodded at Arthur approvingly, and as he left, he gave the pair a smile. "They get younger and younger these days." He commented as the door closed behind him.

Once they were alone, Eva looked at Arthur, her eyes searching his. "I'm sorry, Arthur," She apologized, squeezing his hand. "I feel like all I've ever done is drag you down. First getting kicked out, now this. I...won't blame you if you walk away," She found herself saying despite every fiber of her being screaming at her to shut up. But she had to give him an out, it wasn't fair to him that she kept putting him into these situations. "I don't want you to think you're stuck or trapped. You can go whenever you want, I promise. I won't get mad or hold it against you."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Though being in such close proximity to a girl wasn’t foreign to Alexander, something about Gigi just made him act completely different. If it had been any girl he was trying to charm before, he would wrap his arms around her body, try to say something charming or heart stopping, then go in for the kiss. But, Gigi was different from the other girls, significantly. Alexander was already afraid of messing up all the progress he made so far. But he could notice something slightly different about Gigi in the light of the TV. Was that just the red of the blood from the TV, or were her cheeks turning pink? It had to be her cheeks, because once the screen flashed away from murder and mayhem, the red still lingered on her face. He had never seen her blush like that before, and how she tripped slightly on her words. Wow, she is amazing. Alexander smiled slightly, placing one of his hands on her back and sitting up. He didn’t want to interrupt such a wonderful moment. But at the same time, he was having to restrain himself from leaning down and kissing her right then and there. She looked absolutely adorable and irresistible. BEEP BEEP BEEP The microwave beeped even louder, angered by the fact it was being ignored for so long. “I’d better go get that.” Alex untangled himself from the blankets, quickly helped Gigi back to her seat, and hurried to the kitchen, taking a deep breath when he emptied the popcorn into a bowl.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the paper again advertising the masquerade ball. He pondered for a second before taking it down. It revealed half of the message on the board, and Alex flinched, just for a second. He opened up the Chinese delivery pamphlet, so it covered the board, and put up the magnet on it. “Gigi, you should see if your friends want to go to this. I know Arthur, Jacob, and more than likely Terrance are going to be there. If Eva and Alyssa go, then you and Helene should definitely come.” Arthur plopped back in his seat with Gigi, showing her the flyer for the dance, before enshrouding them back in the warmth of the blanket. Alexander checked the time, not only was the movie almost over (Thank GOD!) but it was also getting really late. Past the “It’s 10 o’clock, do you know where your children are?” time. Alexander was probably going to have to text Jacob soon to see if he could crash at his place… but at the same time, the thought of having Gigi stay here with him… well, he was excited at the prospect. But he wasn’t about to ask, it would probably scare her off. Even if she was blushing earlier from their close contact. She came her on her own bike, so she would probably leave when she felt the need to. Alexander moved closer to her once again in the sheets, and against better judgement and with less willpower, he stretched his arm and put it behind Gigi’s back, his hand resting on her shoulder.


Arthur listened to Eva, the corner of his lips faltering ever so slightly. Why would she even suggest something like that? In this moment there was nowhere else he’d rather be, no one else he’d rather be beside. Why did Eva think he would just want to ‘walk away’? He cared so much about her, and he thought he was doing a good job displaying this to her. Sure, it seemed every time he vanished, Eva somehow got hurt. But when he was with her, he always made sure that she was safe from harm. “There is no where else I want to be, than by your side.” He spoke so sternly and seriously, holding her hand a little bit tighter in his.

“And I’m sorry about… your…” Arthur found it odd he couldn’t get the word mother out. But he also wanted to be careful mentioning it to her. If finding out the news of her mother’s death had such a big impact on her, he didn’t want to mention it. But at the same time, he believed she needed to be consoled. That’s what normal people would do, when someone found out their mother died. Turn to a friend or other family members for comfort. And yet, it didn’t seem to Arthur that Eva was extremely upset. At least, she wasn’t bawling her eyes out like some people would. In fact she was keeping her composure pretty well. That doctor mentioned how her mother was one of her biggest triggers from stress. Sure, that could be a relief, but was that not morbid as well? That was some cold-hearted emotion, much like Arthur’s normal behavior.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:[1] Get in my car, now!
[2] Help! She is bleeding from her head!
✖✖ I Feel... Scared and Excited?
✖✖ I am At... Emergency Room
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."I kind of hope it is a boy..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...T-shirt, jeans, black hoodie.

Gigi was going to have a heart attack.

Or at least, that was how she felt as Alexander helped her to her feet. Why was this happening? She couldn't think straight, it was like something was clouding her mind. Was she sick? Was she coming down with something? It sort of reminded her of that one time she got poisoned, where her entire body turned stiff. Except, she could still move. Sort of. She felt rooted to the couch, trying hard to steady her heartbeat. She didn't even notice Alexander come back until he spoke to her, at which point it took her a little to understand what he said. Helene. Shit, she had no idea what happened between Helene and Terrance. She hadn't gotten any notifications on her phone, so that was a good sign, right? As she was about to pocket her phone, however, Alexander sat back down next to her, and she felt herself get nervous again. The warmth of the blanket was somewhat comforting, though she found she just couldn't concentrate on the movie. Which was too bad, because the gore was actually decent. Less so when she felt Alexander put his arm around her. The last time someone did that she dislocated it, but she had to restrain herself from hurting him because...because why? Because it was comforting? Nice? What the hell was wrong with her?

As her phone beeped, this time Gigi was the one to jump. For the love of all that's holy, she needed to get a grip on herself! Opening her phone, she tensed slightly at seeing it was a text from Evan. Helene's house was compromised, I don't know if they've found you, but I'd try to avoid going home. I'm keeping her with me for the night, find somewhere safe. Compromised? Shit, something went down, and here she was acting like a silly schoolgirl. Well, she technically was a schoolgirl, but she was supposed to be a mercenary first. Was it her fault for leaving Helene alone? What the hell happened with Terrance? Was he alright? Putting her phone in her pocket, she exhaled, trying to calm herself. Her thoughts were way too scattered right now, she just wasn't thinking straight. But she wondered if maybe Alexander would let her stay here. She could crash on the couch like she did whenever she used to stay at Eva's place. "They're doing some sort of maintenance in my building, so I'm not able to get back," She told Alexander, keeping her eyes ahead as she spoke, though as she neared the end of her sentence, she dared herself to look at him. "Would it be alright if I stayed here?"