Hi guys I found some old writing from a couple years ago from my 2 year going story and i wanted to share (btw it is not finished)

🔴THEY ARE CANINES NOT HUMANS🔴

The young pup stared at Denali eagerly from the doorway of his den.  “Whisper go back to bed it is late,” Dinalie told the young pup  “Dada stowy!”  the young wolf told Dinalie looking at him with her bright blue eyes and eager tilt to her head “No whisper,” he told her “it's too late, go back to mommy’s den I will see you in the morning.” “Dada stowy!” she told him over again. Determined, her piercing blue eyes stared at him he could almost feel them working their deep claw under his pelt “Ok  Whisper one story,” Denalie said, giving up “ but only if you go to bed after it.” “I will dadda,” she told him confidently, “ I promise to da great moon and sun wolf.” “ Ok, then which story?” Denali asked “Da great beginning stowy!” she told him as if she had thought it over many times that night   Denali shifted his position on his mossy den ledge, curling his tail around whispers small black pelt “So the story starts when the great world was not the same,” whispered Denali “ before the great sun and moon wolf were born and only  two packs were around. These two called the kaldar pack and the birna tribe. The only problem was that the two packs were at war over the great spirit stone, a  colorful stone of magic said to control the moon and sun.” “Dada?”  “Yes, whisper?”  “Why were they fighting over da rock?”   “ because it's a magical rock silly wolf pup.”  “Oh, so why aren’t we still fighting about da rock?” “  I’m getting to that part.”  “Ok, so the packs have been fighting for many years when suddenly two pups were born into the packs. The one who was gifted the name of Moon was born to the Kaldar and the one who was given the name of Sun was born to the Birina. One day Moon was out collecting  for a fever a wolf in her pack had come down with. Sun happened to be hunting for fish at a lake near when he fell off a rock.  he was reaching down to grab a big juicy trout in his jaws and fell into the half-frozen lake, see back then wolfs didn’t know how to swim so when moon heard him screaming for help so she having her big heart she ran down to the edge of the river and reached out a paw but she couldn’t reach. but thanks to her quick thinking she turned around and grabbed a big long piece of driftwood in her mouth and reached it out to Sun. As soon as was within reach he clamped his jaws on and didn’t let go till he had been pulled in by Moon.”   “Dada?”  whisper interrupted “why did da Moon wolf save him if der packs are enemies?”  “ Because the moon wolf has a big heart!”  Denali  whispered “ Just like you!” Denali nosed whisper in the chest causing her to fall backwards into his chest fluff   “ So whisper, do you want to get on  with the rest of the story?” “Yes dada!!” “Ok so where were we… Oh how the moon wolf saved the sun wolf! So Moon just pulled Sun in from the first lake and Moon now had a good look at this wolf: he had a long tail, an orangish pelt and big burly legs which to Moon looked quite odd on such a scrawny wolf  but in an odd way he looked quite handsome. In my opinion he was much handsomer than hippo, the wolf she was supposed to marry who looked like an opossum had barfed him up several times and had the social status of a actual hippo” Whisper let out a snort  “For the rest of the day moon and sun hunted for herbs and fished without falling in fact these two hung out every day and started to fall in love” “ wike you and mommy?” whisper interrupted “Kind of…,” answered Denali, “Ok so moon and sun were falling in love when one day Moon's friend Lies of kiel saw her sneaking into the woods and decided to follow her. He followed her through the pine woods and to a cave over by the Amulet river where lies of kiel hid behind a big gray Boulder. Moon sat down and sat there for a long time so long lies of kiel was about to head back to the pack when Something rustled in the bushes on the other side of the clearing and And an orangish wolf emerged walking up to Moon and nuzzling her. But it wasn't just any wolf he had the smell of their enemy pack he had the smell of the firsts.  as he was in his own bubble something grabbed him by the Scruff of his neck “Looks like Somebody's been spying on us!” said the big muscular orangish wolf For he had snuck up on Lies of keil when he was thinking about  this other wolf, his friend Moon was  nuzzling. “ LIIIEEES PLEASE DON'T TELL THE PACK!” moon was sobbing claws digging into the earth”  “NO DAD THAT'S NOT DE WAYS IT GOES!” Whisper exclaimed.  “Well how does it go” said Denali patiently “Wall it goes dey leave go to magic castle cave have puppies with magic powers.”

I made my way through the library when I woke up. I was tired from the night before. Elle and I had run through the mirrored tent all night. We spent our time laughing and talking. It was nice to have such a good friend.

I looked down at my arm. There was a bandage wrapped around where I had been bitten. The doctor said it would scar. I would be scarred. I had never had a scar before. It felt odd, unusual and uncomfortable really. I didn’t know what to do about it.

So I did the one thing I could think of. Research.

Not on scars. On the creature that gave me the scar. Vampires.

I scanned through titles, searching for the one I wanted. Old covers. New covers. Worn covers. Clean covers. Dusty covers. Rusted covers. Wooden covers. So many books.

I made my way to the end of the tenth row before a title caught my eye._ The Midnight Feeders: All You Need to Know on Vampires._ Perfect.

I tried to pull the book from the shelf, but it didn’t move. It felt like someone was pulling on it as well. I pulled, it came out a little, then it was pulled back. I gasped. “The heck?” I mumbled. I pulled again and the process was repeated.

In frustration, I kicked the shelf and a book on the case fell to the other side. It hit something, or someone, and a noise of pain was heard. “Ow.” The person mumbled.

“Damian?” I asked as I yanked the book off the shelf.

In the gap the book left, his face was smirking at me. “Hi, sunshine.” He said.

“First being in my bed, now stalking me. I’m starting to get concerned for you.”

He feigned surprise. “Concerned? For me? It almost sounds like you care.”

“Trust me, I don’t.”

He stepped out from the other side of the book case. “Why do you want that book, sunshine? Interested in my heritage?” He smirked and leaned against the shelf.

“No. I want to find out how to stop these attacks.” I replied.

“Uh-huh.” Then he was following me as I walked away. “I didn’t see you around much last night. It was almost like you were avoiding me.”

I was. After he spent a night in my bed, I had been worried about my feelings for him growing. I needed to squash those feelings. Loving him would only end in disappointment for me. He woods leave me. It was destined to happen. It was my fate.

“Avoiding you? But why would I pass up a lovely opportunity to spend dreadful time with you? As you said, any girl would love to be in my position.” I sneered.

He rolled his eyes and joined me at a table. “Exactly. So why were you avoiding me, sunshine?”

“As I said, why would I avoid you?” He glared at me as I smirked. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to read in peace.”

“Why are you reading about vampires? Interested in my heritage?”

“Or maybe I want to stop the attacks.”

That sobered him quickly. His eyes darkened, no doubt imagining when I got bit like I did. He glance at my wrist and I shifted it to hide the bandage. I could almost hear him growling.

“So, if you don’t mind, I’ll be working now.” I said.

Damian shook his head. “Look, we’re in this together, but I’m not sure if I can trust you.” He replied.

“What?”

“I can’t let you get hurt. I promised your father that I’d protect you. That means that you’re my responsibility. I’ve already failed before. So I can’t let you put yourself in danger.”

I scoffed. “I put myself in danger regularly. I’ll be fine.”

“You can’t be sure of that. I’m going to be fighting those vampires and I don’t want you being there. Getting hurt.”

I took a deep breath and looked him in his eyes. His beautiful onyx eyes. The onyx eyes I’d seen staring at me so many times.

“I want to help. I won’t stop until I do help.” I stated firmly.

Damian sighed deeply. “Promise me that you’ll try to stay out of danger?”

“Fine, I promise to try.”

“Good.”

I stared at him deeply. “Now tell me, how do you kill a vampire?”

“Are you gonna kill me?”

“Depends on if you annoy me.”

“Fair enough. To kill a vampire, you need to purge the darkness from their soul with light.”

Purging the soul?

He laughed. “But there really isn’t enough light in the world to do that.”

I smiled and laughed numbly. What he didn’t know was that there really was. And I knew exactly where it is.

“We’re in this together, but I’m not sure I can trust you,” he confesses under his breath.

Flent’s gaze turns downwards, hiding the shame.

“I understand the thought process behind that conclusion. You have every reason not to trust me,” Flent replies.

Kent wants to take his hands in his but refrains. Not after what has happened. “I want to. Help me trust you.”

He takes a deep breath before going into his reasoning, “My kingdom, Gallia, the one I talk about all the time. It is beautiful. Known for as a natural phenomenon. Gardens, plants, flowers, and trees thrive there. I love it so much.”

“I’m not where you’re getting at,” Kent interrupts, confused and impatient, mentally tapping his foot.

Shaking his head, Flent gestures to Kent. “It’s is not like Allaver, Kent. My guards are competent but not trained like here and certainly not Tarvin. Gallia is peaceful.”

It finally is falling into place in his mind. But it doesn’t simmer down the anger in him. “So you did it to protect your kingdom?”

A relief ripples through Flent visibly, his shoulders slumping and eyes a bit brighter. “Yes. We don’t have the skill to take on the army that just took over Allaver. I made a deal.”

“At the expense of my kingdom.”

Kent is angry. Which feels foreign to him. Normally, rage wasn’t his normal setting. Maybe his sisters, but not his. The fury burns through his veins and stings his lungs. He is seething.

Flent lifts his gaze looking directly into Kent’s eyes. “Yes. And I would do it again,” he answers with confidence.

“If you’re trying to get me to trust you, this is a poor job.”

“I want you to understand. You don’t have to trust or forgive me. I don’t expect that. I just want you to consider my side.”

“Your side? My kingdom has just been attacked without any warning! My family could be dead. Anyone that I’ve ever known could be dead! Because you took that deal.” Kent is out of breath. He can’t believe this. He let this happen. It could have been stopped or at least different if he had known. Now his family and kingdom are in danger.

“Even without warning, Allaver would fare better than Gallia,” Flent tries to justify, but it does nothing for Kent.

Kent begins to walk aimlessly in a direction. He doesn’t even know where he may go, but anywhere would be better.

Flent grips his upper arm. Ripping his arm away from his touch, he begins to shout, “How could you just dismiss a whole kingdom? My kingdom. Me.”

“I knew you’d be fine! I spared you from seeing that.”

“No you took me from my family. My role as prince is to protect my people, but I let my feelings cloud my judgment.” Through the red hot rage, there is one person he is more angry at than Flent right now. He will never forgive himself for this.

For falling for the wrong person.

“We’re in this together, but I’m not sure I can trust you,” he confessed under his breath.

Sword held high over his head, Jurad crept forward, me following closely behind, dagger in hand.

“Is now really the time to discuss semantics?” I hissed. “You need me, and I need you. We need to help each other to get out of here. Case closed.”

We both froze at a sound from the far end of the cavernous tunnel we were in. After a few moments of baited breath, we began creeping forward again.

“It matters,” he muttered begrudgingly, “because it’s extremely likely that we’ll see battle before the end of this, and I don’t know if you’ll help me or run me through with a sword.”

I side stepped a large puddle of blackened liquid and replied sweetly, “I know which one I’d like to do.”

He cast a disapproving glance over his shoulder, as if to say I was proving his point.

As the tunnel stretched on, the floor began tilting steadily upwards. After such an extended time in the caves, it seems we were finally beginning to creep back towards open air.

The path curved back on itself more times than I could count, fully disorienting my sense of direction. I struggled to recall even how long we had been traversing the caves now.

We crept to the edge of a large cavern, wide enough across that the caves odd mists obscured the other side. Deep enough that we would need to climb down to continue forward.

“Ladies first,” he motioned to the caverns depths, smirking at me. I glared back.

“Very chivalrous of you.” Sighing, I sheathed one of my daggers to free a hand and scale the perilous wall before me. “Stay close.”

We carefully picked our way down the wall, searching out the smallest of crevices to cling on to as we descended. In a matter of minutes we were on flat ground again, yet something inside me felt uneasy down at this depth, my skin prickling uncomfortably.

“Is it just me or-“

“I feel it too,” he said, frowning as he looked around. The mists obscured much; I could make out very little of our surroundings.

I opened my mouth to suggest we stick to the sides to make our way around instead of across, but the words failed in my throat. It was as if the muscles that allowed speech had suddenly disappeared.

Turning to Jurad, I saw him clawing not at his throat as I’d expected, but his ears. Speaking too loudly for the space we were in, he yelled, “Why has everything gone quiet? What’s going on?”

I cocked my head at him, then reached out and snapped my fingers directly next to his ears. His eyes went wide and filled with panic. “Can you still hear?”

Nodding, I then pantomimed speech, touching my lips and then mouthing words. His brow furrowed as he tried to understand. “But you can’t speak?”

Behind me, I heard the faint whisper of movement against rock, an eerie, slithering sound, like a cloak brushing against the dry leaves of a forest bed. I swung around, both daggers back in hand, motioning for Juran to stand behind me. Without hearing, he was more of a liability than anything else.

He of course, did not pay my instruction any heed. Moving to my side, his eyes scanned the bleak, misty backdrop, searching as mine did for any hint of danger.

I felt it wash over me - chills along the length of my body, the feeling of eyes on me. Slowly, a shape began to emerge from the dark, taking form before our eyes.

The creature was a monstrous spider, twice as tall as a man and with more predatory intent shining in its eyes than I had ever seen in a living thing.

It cocked its head as it came to rest several feet in front of us, its large eyes shining milkily in the near darkness.

After a long beat of us taking in the sudden appearance of the spider, and it appearing to do the same, it opened its wide, beaked mouth - and spoke.

“It has been many of your lifetimes since I have had humans in my home.”

I tried to catch Juran’s eye, but he of course had not heard what the beast had said. He stood, silently prepared for battle, not giving a hint to his opponent that he was hindered. It would be up to me to parlay with the hideous monster.

“We’re looking for something. Once we’ve retrieved it, we’ll be out of your..home.”

The pincers clicked rapidly, as if in laughter. “It will be quite the challenge to find your way, with one deaf and one mute.”

The words sunk in, filling me with a raging indignation. “You mean - did you somehow do this?”

A slight incline of the massive head confirmed my suspicions. “How?”

“My kin have long been blessed with extraordinary magick. When I am lucky enough to have new prey, I like to…prolong the hunt.”

My skin crawled at her words. She had done this to make a game of it, before she ultimately feasted; a cat playing with a mouse. Our lives nothing but amusement to her.

The spider inched closer. I gripped my daggers ever tighter. When she inclined her head and spoke, I felt the amusement in her words as she said “Run.”

( Related to my other wolf fiction stories! Check em out!)

Gray eyed Lilac closely. Her dappled dusk pelt was sleek, as if she hadnt met any season that brought hunger. Gray despised that she came back for his help, but hated even more that she lied about why she left. His heart ached, but Rain pressed up beside him. Gray looked at her fondly, feeling his legs strengthen. Lilac had come back to ValorousTribe, in need of a place to stay. Her home had flooded, and she had nowhere to go. Her pups went off for a quick hunting spree, which turned for the worst. They were caught up in the storm, and when a shattering storm hit. Gray himself had to admit that the storm was unbearably brutal, but it gave no right for Lilac to act as if she had never left. “ Gray? Ever since Lilac met us by the water spring you havent said a word. Not even to me!” Rain told him, almost sounding hurt. Gray couldnt hold back his soft whine of affection, touching his cold nose to her thin gray pelt. “ Im alright, I promise. This is as much of a shock to me as it is to everyone here, its just that they didnt see what I did that night.” He felt cold thinking about what Lilac had told him, “ The pups arent yours! Their just a loner’s named flick, and I love him, not you.” Gray’s heart almost wanted to sink, but it didnt. He knew his place, and it was right beside Rain. As they entered camp, he relished the reassuring warmth of his home. Voices of his confused tribemates grew louder as they all began crowding around Lilac. “ Is it really Lilac?” “ She hasnt even a scratch on her glossy pelt!” “ Has she returned?” Gray drowned the voices out, and dragged his paws over the dusty earth, where the elders were gossiping. “ Oh, Gray! And you, Rain. Come join us!” Cotton’s soft voice remained as chipper as it was in her youth, Gray had only wished he had ever been. He sat himself next to Gallant, and Rain immediately locked herself in conversation with Eagle. “ I’ve never liked that carcass-sniffing excuse of a wolf!” Gallant whispered to Cotton, glancing occasionally at Lilac. _Lilac? Thats odd. They barely ever spoke of her! _Gray thought, utterly confused. Growing more surprised, the two elders tucked their heads together in hushed voices, deep in conversation. Confused and disappointed, he nosed his way out of their den. Perhaps today would go regretfully slower.

The moon’s bright rays shone through the cave den as Gray sat directly in the middle of it. His mind needed to be cleared, if he wished to live out the next few days calmly. His mind whirled with ideas to steer clear from Lilac’s path. His tail gave gentle taps to the dry soil, perhaps he was just tired. But if he went back to his nest, he would be restless with new thoughts and ideas. “ There seems to be no way to win.” He murmured to himself aloud, his shoulders sagging. Suddenly, a lithe body plopped beside him. He was startled, but refused to show signs of being taken by surprise. “ Sorry.” A soft whisper emerged into his ear. He felt his throat tightening as he simply held his gaze with the stars’ beauty. He said nothing, but gave her a simple nod. “ Why wont you talk?” She asked him, challenge was laced on her tone. Gray’s eyes gleamed in the dark, giving nothing away, he simply shrugged. Lilac seemed to grow more defensive. “ Come on, that was like a few seasons ago!” Gray’s fur rose along his back. She was purposely agitating him. She wanted him to talk, for what reason, anyway? “ Answer me! Why wont you talk?” Gray suddenly lashed at her paws with a powerful blow, she fell on her side.

“ _Because you’re a no-good liar that messed up my life, and made your tribemates think your as innocent as you seem! _ _I even kept your stupid lie in the hopes you would be safe! _ _Well the truth is, Lilac, your not as sweet as the flower your named after, no bee would ever want to even cross your path! _ If you would like to try messing up anyones life, try Feral. She’s just as cunning as you, its a match made up to the moon and back!”

Gray was on his paws now, his shoulder fur was spiked, almost alike to a hedgehog. Yet he hadnt realized the small crowd that had formed a few length away from them. Lilac remained on the ground, her mouth slightly parted with shock. Fearless made his way to the front of the crowd, his broad shoulders were already threatening enough. “ Thats enough! I want you both to your nests now! We’ll sort this out in the morning.” Fearless snapped, though the cave was practically pitch black, Fearless’s eyes burned like embers in the night. Gray gave one last scowl, and lashed his tail the entire way back to his den.

A week had passed since that incident. They had not yet fished much answers out of Lilac. “ Gray, Lilac! Come here.” Fearless’s sharp bark was loud, Gray stopped in front of him. A hollow feeling in his stomach was replaced with dread. What did Fearless want now? Lilac did not meet Gray’s gaze, satisfied, he gave a small smirk. “ I want you two to hunt,” his gaze was stern. “ And work to_gether_.” He added, shooing them away. Gray said nothing, but followed orders. They trotted beside eachother distantly, but enough to seem like true tribemates. “ How does hare sound?” Lilac asked him, her voice calmed. “ Perfect.” He responded, still astounded by the fact that he had made her name sound sully that night. He had only meant a few things, but still regretted everything. A pang of regret gnawed at his heart, but he remained focused. Nosing his way through ivy ferns, the scent of Stoat filled his nostrils. With a nod to Lilac, they crept slowly towards the undergrowth until they heard a rustling among the bracken. Gray locked his gaze on a gray Stoat with beady black eyes. It nibbled on a beetle, and was unaware of their presence. Gray raised his nose slightly to check the breeze, and grinned. He bunched his muscles, and leapt out of the bushes. He slammed his forepaws down on the screeching stoat. It wiggled furiously in his grasp, even making feeble scratches at his paws. But Lilac was matching Grays rythm beat for beat. She killed it with a swift bite to the neck, grinning. As they turned away to search for more prey, a gentle squeal was heard. “ Its coming from… the soil?” Lilac tilted her head, suddenly her eyes grew pale. Confused, he leaned in. A small whimper sounded from a freshly fallen pile of soil. “ There’s a pup under there, Gray!” She breathed, racing away for the pile of soil a few lengths away. Gray hesitated, his fur spiking as Lilac furiously dug, her paws churning against the rough soil. She screamed for his name, but he couldnt move. His ears pounded, and it suddenly clicked. _Go! _ With a snarl, he furiously matched Lilacs paw scrapes. He could barely feel movement of the soil under his paws, they would need help. “ Lilac!” He called to her as he continued ravaging the soil. “ We need an extra pair of paws,” She finished. Nodding, his heavy breathing almost louder than his own voice, “ I need you to run back.” He locked his gaze with hers, anything that happened in the past was no longer something to be brought back. Right now, Gray needed to think. Lilac seemed to think the exact same thing, giving him a look of guilt with a mixture of confusion. “ Gray, what do I do?” Her labored breathing settled the tension in the air. “ We’re in this together, and im not sure I can trust you,” he confessed under his breath. Now, the pups’ pitiful wailing grew too much to bear. “ Run, Lilac. Run!” He snarled. In a heart beat, she had disappeared inti the woods. Gray whipped around and continued digging. Maybe he could trust Lilac. She had pups of her own, and knew how precious they were. Perhaps her motherly instincts had kicked in. Gray found that his paws began to burn, almost as if with ever swipe of dirt they would tear apart. Every moment seemed like an hour, where was Lilac? Finally, he felt wriggling under the soil. He was getting closer, but not close enough, or fast enough. Could Lilac save the pup before it was too late?

(Okay so I got a better idea for the chapter I wrote last time. So this is it. Sorry for all my rewrites I do it a lot but I’m more happy with this idea. So I hope you enjoy!)

I run. At this moment in time that’s all I need to do. All I want to do.

Maisie is in trouble, I don’t know how or why or any of that other stuff, but I know she needs someone. Hopefully I can be that someone for her, hopefully I’m enough.

I stop in front of her driveway, bending down witn my hands on my knees as I scan around. Her aunt’s car isn’t in the drive way where it normally is. All the lights are turned off, which isn’t very weird since it’s almost time for the moon to make it’s appearance, but I don’t like the idea of Maisie being alone in the dark.

She could have gone somewhere with her aunt but I’m not sure she did. I straighten up, staring at her dark bedroom window on the second floor. She’s in there . . . I know she’s there.

My eyes dart from the window to the closed front door. Maybe I’m wrong about her aunt, maybe she never parked her car in the driveway and I just created that in my mind.

I sprint through the freshly cut grass to the huge tree that’s gently touches the glass of Maisie’s window. If her aunt is home I don’t think it would be right to just barge in. Although this isn’t exactly very proper or kind either. But if Maisie needs help then I want to get to her fast, and this seems fast.

I grab a branch that’s close to the ground, pulling myself up. My arms already sting as I curl onto the branch, and suddenly all those moments I faked being sick, and stayed home from P.E start haunting me.

I shake that thought away, P.E doesn’t matter Maisie matters. She’s the only thing that matters.

I steady myself on the branch hugging the tree trunk as it starts shaking gently. If this snaps I’m never gonna climbs tree again. I can see Maisie’s window from here, the darkness that’s pouring out of it.

I just need to grab one more branch and I’ll be there, ready to save her. Or whatever she needs, I could be wrong about her needing help. But I’m not second guessing myself, not right now.

I climb up the tree, slowly crawling arcoss the branch that taps against the black window. I can’t see anything in there, no Maisie, nothing.

I squint my eyes, inching closer, I know she’s in there. The darkness is just trying to trick me, like it’s done to me my whole life. With the crash, choosing to take the car even though driving at night is something that terrifies me.

I shouldn’t have fallen for it. I killed someone, but I’m not letting this darkness trick me. I’m not going to put Maisie’s life on the line just because I can’t see her.

I inch even closer, now I can see her room. But she’s not—

And that’s when everything freezes. My thoughts, but not my body. I spring from the tree, smashing into the cold, sharp glass window. My shoulder throbbing as little twinkles fo glass rain down around me.

I thud onto the ground, raising my head to see what I’d already seen through the window before I broke it.

Maisie. Lying on the ground, with a silver knife resting in her limp hand.

I crawl across the glass to her, pushing the knife out of her hand as I pull her head into my arms.

“Maisie?” I ask, my heart racing like crazy as I see the huge, deep, red cut on her left wrist. Right below her scar that she showed me just last night.

I cup Maisie’s face in my hands, shaking her gently. Her blue eyes are shut, her skin deadly cold.

My whole body starts shaking as I look at Maisie’s wrist. It’s so deep, and the blood . . . It’s a lot of blood. Too much blood.

I scoop Maisie up off the ground, her limp head resting agaisnt my shoulder as the weight of her body makes my arms strain.

I run for the door, her wrist still oozing with red as I stumble down the stairs.

I’ve never been in here before, but I find the front door fast. It’s kind of like my house, but that’s not important, not right now.

I lift Maisie onto my shoulder, which feels very wrong but I need to unlock the front door. The loud click of the lock echos through the dark house as I throw the door open.

I jump over the porch steps, running down the drive way as I shift Maisie back into my arms. the hospital isn’t too far from here, but it might be too late.

I shake my head as I run hugging Maisie tightly to my chest.

I never realized how beautiful she is — that’s not really true but there is something different about her tonight—Her shut eyes, her blonde hair that’s tickling my neck.

But none of that matters right now. Her beauty doesn’t matter to me. ‘Cause if it’s too late, if she doesn’t make it. Then I’ll never get to tell her how beautiful she is . . . And that’s what gives me the energy to run.

My need to see her blue eyes and tell her I love her.

“We’re in this together, but I’m not sure I can trust you,” he confessed under his breath.

Aaron scoffs, “Then you shouldn’t have called me.”

“What happened to ‘call me if your in a bad situation!” Zane says, air quoting.

“That was before you became a druggy, murderer, alcoholic, arsonist…”

“Okay! Okay! I get it,” Zane sighs, rubbing in between his eyes.

“So, why did you call me,” Aaron says with his hand on his hip.

“I need to bust someone out of jail,” Zane starts as Aaron groans and face palms.

“Why, why that,” Aaron says annoyed.

“I made a deal! I don’t flunk deals,” Zane persuades.

“Fine, who.”

— 15 minutes later —

“Really,” Aaron says looking on his computer.

“Yes!” Zane say for the 10th time.

“A clown?” Aaron says looking at Zane weird.

“Yes a clown!” Zane says waving his arms around.

“I’ll talk to my DA,” Aaron sighs.

“Yes! Thank you Brother,” Zane says before lighting a cigarette.

“Mhm now go before I arrest you.”

“Yup!” Zane’s says before escaping out the window.

— a knock comes from the door as Connor comes in —

“Talking to yourself again,” the detective says leaning against the door frame.

“Anything to solve a case.”

"We're in this together, but I'm not sure I can trust you," he confessed under his breath.

"What? What do you mean you can't trust me?" Natalie whispered, while nervously looking around the room.

"Derek told me everything," Jacob muttered. "I can't believe you would cheat on me."

"What did Derek tell you? Natalie asked, sounding confused.

"He told me about the party, and how he saw you kissing another guy," Jacob said, with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Jacob, what are you talking about? I never went to a single party. Derek must be lying. Remember my sister and I look a lot alike. People get us confused all the time. My sister is a party type of person, I am not." Natalie explained. "I promise you, I would never cheat on you."

"Derek wouldn't lie to me. Also he said he saw you talking to Aaron at the party. You and Aaron always talk in math class," Jacob said, his annoyance growing.

"Jacob, you have to believe me!" Natalie exclaimed. "We've been together for so long, and I've never attended a party. You know I prefer to stay in instead of going out. I promise you, this is all a big misunderstanding."

Jacob's phone began ringing, and he retrieved it from his pocket. On the screen, he saw that Derek was calling him. "Wait! Don't answer it yet! I have an idea. I know how I can prove to you that I didn't cheat on you," Natalie exclaimed with excitement.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"Just listen to me, please. And if you still hate me after this then I will leave you alone, but just give me one chance."

"Fine." Jacob sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Okay, call Derek back and tell him you and I broke up. Then I will call him myself and say the same thing, and I will ask him to come over. You will hide in the closet and the truth will spill out from there." Natalie explained.

"That sounds absolutely insane. Derek would never come over if you asked him to."

"Just call him back. You'll see for yourself." Natalie said, with confidence.

"Fine, we will do your silly plan." Jacob sighed, pulling out his phone. He called Derek and told him that he and Natalie had broken up, and as soon as Jacob got off the phone with Derek, Natalie's phone started to ring. She answered.

"Hey, I heard about your break up, I am so sorry. I am coming over. No excuses. I am coming." Derek said, with no hesitation. Before Natalie could respond, Derek hung up.

"Okay then." Natalie started to say. "Well Jacob, so far I have been right. I can't wait til he gets here and you can see the truth."

"Don't flatter yourself," Jacob said, annoyed.

"Just get in the closet so he doesn't see you when he gets here," Natalie said, with a big smile on her face. She knew the truth, Natalie always had a strange feeling about Derek, especially when he flirted with her when Jacob wasn't around. Derek would always claim he was joking, but Natalie couldn't shake that feeling about him.

Jacob got into the closet and they waited in silence for a few minutes until the door opened.

"Natalie?" Derek called.

"I'm in here!" Natalie called back.

"I'm so sorry about Jacob. He isn't worth it. Between you and me, he told me a while back that he's been wanting to break up with you. You don't want to be with someone like him when you can be with someone like me. Also I totally lied to him by telling him that I saw you kissing another guy at a party."

"I literally never said that," Jacob said quietly to himself.

"So, let's take your mind off of Jacob," Derek said, leaning in for a kiss.

"What are you doing!? Natalie exclaimed, while pushing him away.

"Come on Natalie, you know we are meant to-"

The closet door flew open and Jacob stormed out, his face red with anger.

"I can't believe you, Derek," Jacob exclaimed. "I thought we were bros. Did all those years of friendship mean nothing to you?" From the expression on Jacob's face, Natalie could tell that he wanted to start a fight. Derek also noticed this, but he was a skinny guy, unlike Jacob who played football and could lift 240 pounds easily. Jacob gave Derek one last glare before Derek ran out of the house.

"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you, babe. I can't believe I didn't notice the signs sooner. No wonder why Derek always wanted me to invite you when I asked him to hang out." Jacob said, feeling guilty for accusing his girlfriend of cheating. "Can you please forgive me?" He asked.

"Of course I forgive you. It was just one big misunderstanding. You and Derek were bros. I get it." Natalie said, smiling at him.

"I love you. I promise I will trust you from now on." Jacob promised.

"I love you too. Now come on, let's go do something fun." Natalie said.

“We’re in this together, but I’m not sure I can trust you,” he confessed under his breath.

“It’s not like you have much of a choice, Damian,” I shot back, crossing my arms in front of my chest. His comments didn’t even sting anymore. I’d realized long ago he had no heart. He was simply a world-class douche.

“Not many other people would be willing to go on this…” I paused, looking around the deck of the ship. A couple was locked in a hot make-out session near the pool, but nobody else was around. Made sense, seeing it was the dead of night.

“This…?” Damian asked, raising his eyebrows and giving me his signature, insufferable smirk.

“This excursion with you,” I said, dropping my voice slightly, even though I highly doubted the couple could hear us. They seemed to be preoccupied with their own worlds.

“I don’t know,” Damian protested, following my gaze to the man and woman, the former which had pinned the latter beneath him to a pool chair. “A lot of people can’t resist my charm.”

“A lot of people hate you,” I argued, heat rising to my face as I hurried to look away. Instead, I looked at the dark waves as they churned beneath the hull of the cruise ship. The sky above gave almost no light. It wasn’t a very visible night, for a blanket of clouds obscured the stars and the moon. Even so, it was a much better view than before.

“I hate a lot of people,” Damian corrected, “There’s a difference.”

I couldn’t argue with him. Damian had a charismatic personality when he wanted something. Once he was done and had gotten what he wanted from you, he tossed you aside like you were a useless piece of garbage. I was quite aware that was going to happen to me, once we had found what he needed. Or rather, what we needed. He hadn’t been very clear on the subject of what exactly we were searching for. I knew it was something to prove his innocence.

The only thing I knew was that he was being convicted of murder. Convicted of murdering my best friend, no less.

Back to the point, I knew Damian was using me. But I couldn’t stay away. There was something about him that attracted everybody. I just wished somebody else had been blessed with such a thing. Damian drew people in, then broke their hearts and snapped their trust without any remorse.

“Look, Damian,” I said, turning to him. His blue-green eyes were piercing, as if they could see right into my soul and beyond. The severity of such a stare was so powerful that I forgot what I was going to say. I blinked a few times before I was able to reassemble all my thoughts into words.

“You can’t trust me, and I sure as hell can’t trust you,” I continued, clearing my throat, “But like you said, we’re in this together. As much as it hurts me to say it, we’re a team. Temporarily. Just until we find enough evidence or whatever to clear your name.”

“Exactly,” Damian agreed, but I was given the impression that my words had gone through one of his ears and out the other. Or maybe he did hear me and chose to ignore me. He tended to do that a lot since he was under the impression he was superior to the rest of the human race.

“Clear?” I asked, simply because I hated being ignored.

“Crystal,” he replied, smirking again, before adding, “Just one question.”

“Then it couldn't have been very crystal,” I grumbled to myself with a roll of my eyes. Still, I stood and listened because Damian wasn't usually one to ask questions.

“Why are you here, helping me?” he asked, leaning against the railing, “Why are you even doing this?”

With those two seemingly simple questions, our conversation suddenly became a lot deeper. The air between us got thick and tense. For, he had broken the barrier of bickering and bantering into a topic that was much harder to navigate.

Because those two questions required an answer, and if I were to answer true, we would have found ourselves to have plunged into the principle of feelings. The only feelings we had ever even skimmed the idea of were hate and trust. We had been pretty clear on the matter of both of them. Our relationship held too much of the first and not enough of the second.

“I'm here to prove you didn't kill my best friend,” I finally said, feeling his icy gaze on me. For some reason, I couldn't even look at him anymore. “So that we—er, I—can catch the guy who actually did it.”

“Really?” Damian asked, his voice skeptical, “Are you sure there are no other reasons?”

I realized, with a twist of my stomach, that Damian desired to talk about emotions and feelings. That's where he was trying to get the conversation to go. His eyes sparkled with a genuine curiosity I’d never seen before.

“Isn’t justice reasonable enough?” I replied curtly, taking in a deep breath. My stomach hurt, but not from being out on the sea. No, it was a good kind of hurt. One that was caused by too much anticipation.

“It is,” Damian assured me. He didn't lift his gaze from me and I kept my eyes somewhere to the side of his head. It was easier that way, not having to read the emotions his face held. “But I have this strange feeling you’re not usually in this much support of the law,” he added.

“You’re making me sound like a criminal,” I scolded, crossing my arms over my chest. I realized he was doing the same thing, so I dropped my hands back to my side, blushing. “All I'm trying to do is find my friend’s murderer.”

“Now that is reasonable,” Damian relented, “But I still have this odd sense that…”

I glared at him, turning out to stare at the ocean again. Maybe if I looked away long enough, I could forget he was there. But it was hard to ignore his presence, especially when he was right beside me. I tried to distract myself by gripping the metal rail. I could so easily jump over it and plunge into the ocean below.

“Kayla,” he prompted, his voice turning impatient. That alone was quite curious, as he always acted like he had all the time in the world. But he had also called me by my name—my first name, no less.

“And I guess I thought it’d be nice for me to, y’know…” I began to say, shrugging my shoulders as my eyes sidled away from the ocean and back to Damian.

“For you to what?” he asked, eyebrows raised again. His face held such an arrogant expression, but I couldn’t help admiring his sharp jawline and light pink lips.

“Clear an innocent man's name.”

Obviously, this wasn't the answer he wanted, because he sighed and flicked his tongue over his lips. I leaned against the railing, breathing in the salty air. It was humid like we were standing in the middle of a jungle, and I had the feeling a storm was coming on.

“Just a random, innocent man?” Damian asked, “Out of the goodness of your heart?”

“Exactly,” I said, trying to keep my voice nonchalant. It was harder said than done, with the way he was looking at me. Not to mention the way he looked himself, outlined by the deep purple lights lining the deck.

“I don’t believe you,” Damian said, tilting his head to study me from a different angle. I had the strange feeling he was trying to read my mind, to figure out what I was thinking.

“If you’re trying to get me to say something, just ask,” I snapped, tired of his loose language. It was making me think things, letting my brain believe and create fantasies I knew would never come true.

“Fine,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Do you find me attractive, Evans?”

I was too busy sulking in the fact we were back to a last-name basis, that I almost missed what he said. When his question sunk in, I blinked at him and struggled to find words.

Was he attractive? Most definitely. There was no denying it, he had been blessed with good genetics everywhere from his nose to his eyes to his jaw to his…

I stopped myself from thinking any further because believing somebody is attractive is one thing. When you begin to go deeper than that, it gets a little tricky.

“I—well I guess, yeah,” I finally admitted. There was no shame in saying that, especially if I didn't have any real feelings for him. And I didn't. I most definitely did not.

“Do you find me attractive?” I found myself asking. I didn't even know what I was saying until then words were out of my mouth.

“I’d go as far as to say you’re one of the hottest girls I've ever laid eyes on,” he said confidently. I was surprised by his words and struggled to maintain a calm face. Pretty would've been a better way to say it, but any compliment from Damian made the tops of my cheeks turn pink.

I didn't know what to say, so I looked around the boat, carefully avoiding glancing at the couple near the pool. Thunder rumbled above, and a few light raindrops began to fall from the clouds.

“Do you know what they say?” Damian asked, blinking through the mist.

“Hmm?” I hummed. I didn't trust my mouth anymore. If I opened my lips to speak, who knows what I would say?

“When two hot people are in a room together, they can't stay off each other,” he said.

“Oh,” I said, my eyebrows shooting to the top of my head. “I think we’re doing a pretty great job, then.”

“If you could see the things in my head,” Damian said, stepping closer, “You'd think differently.”

My eyes widened even more as his finger traced the skin of my cheek. His touch was warm, a stark contrast to the cool breeze on the boat. The wind picked up, throwing a piece of hair in my face.

“You keep saying these things…” I began to say. It was hard to form a complete sentence when he was looking at me like that. Something about his usually lifeless blue eyes seemed vulnerable.

“But only a few moments ago, you were talking about how you couldn't trust me,” I finished.

“I don't trust anybody,” Damian reminded me, tucking the rogue piece of hair behind my ear. “But that doesn't stop me from doing what I want.”

Suddenly, his hand was sliding across my neck, knitting into my damp, tangled brown hair and pulling my face closer to his. He pressed his lips against mine, only being gentle for a moment.

My eyes fluttered closed and I melted into him as he kissed me harder. Even while I did so, a lingering thought existed in the back of my head.

Damian was most definitely playing me, just like he played all the girls before. Once we cleared his name, he would be done with me.

Yet I couldn't help but savor the moment. When I knew we should be planning our next move, I found myself distracted by Damiam again. The feeling of his lips against mine, then against my neck, then against my collarbone. His smell; a mixture of the sea salt in the air and the cologne he wore. Even the ozone of the oncoming storm.

We definitely didn't trust each other. With Damian, it would be foolish to ever believe that could happen. But we craved each other. What was the difference between trust and lust, anyway?

Trust in me and you can see see why you were meant for me see the sun see the sky see how I... we can fly