Chapter 2

"Esme!" called Willem as we entered the old inn, the place seeming to creak with our entrance.

"Willem, is that you?" Esme yelled from somewhere in the house, her voice sounding slightly annoyed.

"Yeah. Antionette's here," he answered, silence greeting us as we waited for a response. She suddenly appeared out of a side room, her smile flawless as she sauntered up to us and gave everyone a hug, even me.

"Come, come. We have so much to talk about," she said as she grabbed my hand and dragged me down the hallway. I turned around and glared at them, as if to say I really hate you right now. They smiled and waved, watching as I disappeared into a room. She sat me down and stared at me for a moment, crossing her legs and smiling.

"How are your parents?" she asked, and I mentally darted from the room.

"Did you know them?" I questioned, and she nodded.

"We were in a pack together once, but we had to part ways," she replied, making me shift. I did not want to be the one to tell her the news, but it seemed I had no choice.

"They're," I started, taking a deep breath and looking at the ground for a moment.

"They're what, dear?" she urged, making me meet her eyes once more.

"They're," I sighed. "They're not with us anymore." She sat quietly, her face obviously shocked as she covered her mouth with her hand. Vivian walked into the room and saw her mother's face, moving to her side and sitting down.

"What's wrong?" she asked, shooting me a look that Esme didn't catch.

"Nothing. I just got some bad news, that's all," Esme stated, removing her hand and turning towards me. "What about the rest of them? They're alright, aren't they?" I didn't reply, leaning over and lying my forearms on my knees. I tried to surpress the tears that were sure to come, the tears that continued to remind me of how I should be with them.

"Moon, you poor thing. I'm so sorry," Esme murmered, standing up to come and sit over by me. I stood up and walked out of the room, heading for the door. I didn't want pity, I didn't want anyone to understand, because they never would. I didn't just lose my parents, I lost everything. My family, my friends, my pack. And I survived, while I should have died along with them.

"Whoa, Toni. Are you alright?" Will asked as I passed the den, all of them standing up and running over to me as I opened the front door. I ran outside and headed for what I called home, not truly sure of the way there. I had studied most of the landmarks when we came, but the city was so big, it was easy to get lost. I ran across the street and continued on, still not too sure if I was headed the right way.

Someone grabbed my wrist and stopped me, my shoes sliding on the cobblestones in an alley. I whipped my body around to face my attacker, ready to kick some major ass. Rafe stood there, his face blank as he stared at me. Neither one of us said anything as he held my wrist, his eyes hard. He caught a tear that had been sliding down my cheek and rubbed it between his index finger and thumb.

"What'd she say to you?" he asked quietly as he stared at the hand that held the tear, bringing it to his nose and sniffing.

"Nothing, it was my fault," I replied, my voice wavering with emotion that I was trying to hide. He looked up at me and wiped another tear from my face, but I didn't flinch away. He gently let go of my wrist, but secretly I wished he'd hold on to it for a little longer. Yeah, he seemed like a jerk but something told me actually knew how I felt, really knew.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, rubbing his hands together and then lying them at his sides. He was an impressive figure when he was being genuine, his face sincere as he laid his eyes upon my wavering figure.

"Yes," I whispered, moving my eyes to the ground as I wiped away my tears. "But, I think I'm lost." He chuckled softly, and I gazed back up at him.

"I suppose I'd better help you find your way home," he suggested, and I barely nodded.

"Thanks," I murmured, turning from the entrance to my building and facing him. His eyes shone in the bright sunlight as he looked up at the sky for a moment, moving his gaze back to me.

"Don't mention it," he said, and I knew he was serious about the statement. I nodded and walked into the building, taking the stairs slowly. I practically shuffled down the hallway to my apartment, locking the door behind me and lying down on the bed slowly. I cried after that, my mind giving way to the solid feelings of guilt and sorrow that I constantly held in. Once I was done crying I laid there and willed my mind not to think of anything, closing my eyes and trying to let sleep over take me.

I finally got up and washed my face off in the sink to try and refresh myself. I walked back into the small room and sat down at the kitchen table, lying my head on my arms. A knock on the door made me curse under my breath in surprise, and I looked up at the wooden slab in annoyance. I stood up and walked to it, staring out the peephole. The Five stood there, each of them looking at the door intently except Rafe, who was looking out the hall window.

"Toni, open up. It's us," Gregory called, knocking on the door again. Their worry was sweet, but I wanted to be left alone. I unlocked the door and opened it, staring at them.

"Esme told us about your parents. We're-" I slammed the door and locked it, kicking it after I did so. There was silence on the other side of the door, and for a moment I'd thought they'd gone. Then, I heard voices coming from outside my balcony doors, making me throw my arms up in exasperation.

"Go away! I don't want to talk to you!" I yelled, the voices quieting.

"Please, Toni. Come talk to us," Willem called, his voice soft and kind as it flew in from the open window. I stalked over and slammed the window closed, locking the latch. There was a gentle knock on the glass, and I waited for some more begging.

"You don't have to talk about them if you don't want to. Just come hang out with us," Rafe said, barely audible from the other side. Why don't you come in and talk with me, Rafe? Tell me what's behind your eyes, I'll tell you wantever you want to know. The thought caught me off gaurd, making me shake my head and stomp my foot in frustration.

"Please, go away," I begged from the other side of the door, lying my head on the curtained glass. There was shuffling for a moment, then silence. I dared to poke my head through the curtains to see if they were gone, and found Rafe standing there staring at me. I sighed as I watched him leap over the balcony railing, bounce against the wall, and land on the stones.

A knock at my door made me roll my eyes, trying not to scream in furstration. Over the past week people from the pack had been coming by, and every time I ignored their knocks and stayed quiet until they left. I very quietly crept to the door and peeked through the peephole, surprised to see Gabriel standing there. Could I really ignore him, pretend I wasn't there?

"Antionette, it's Gabriel. Open the door," Gabriel stated, and I huffed my breath. I unlocked the door and opened it, staring at him rudely as I waited for him to speak.

"Can I come in?"

"Nope," I answered, leaning against the doorjab as I crossed my arms.

"A lot of people are worried about you," he said, making me laugh.

"Yeah, I know." He smiled slighty, his dark hair relfecting the light from outside.

"Why don't you leave your apartment? I think some fresh air would be good for you," he responded, and I rolled my eyes as I watched him walk over to the hall window and stare out.

"I have a window, and it opens." He chuckled softly, crossing his arms as he studied the alleyway.

"Apparently you haven't opened it enough, you're kind of cranky." I frowned, and he turned to face me, his smile gone.

"Get out, go for a walk. Sulking in your room helps no one," he murmured, looking at me one last time and heading down the hall. I shut my door and locked it, sliding down and sitting on the floor. He had no idea what sulking was for me.

I studied the open sky, it's brillant planets, suns, and stars twinkling in the purple abiss as I shifted my position on the balcony. I wondered if what Gabriel said was true, had I really been sulking this past week, or was it something more? My thoughts were interrupted as I heard a small noise, watching as Rafe swung himself up onto the railing and perch there.

"Well, she is alive," he said with a joking smile, and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure don't feel like it." Why had I said that? I never let anyone know my feelings, I never showed insecurity.

"You are breathing, so that's a start," he replied quietly, looking up at the dark sky.

"Thanks for noticing, I've been working on it," I responded, a small smile forming on my face. He rolled his eyes and stared at me for a moment, cocking his head to one side.

"Are we going for a run, or what?" he asked, and I frowned.

"No."

"Why the hell not?" he questioned, and I glared at him.

"I don't want to be bombarded with questions, and I don't want pity, either," I stated, making him chuckle.

"They couldn't keep up with you, let alone bother you. Not to mention we could always go out to the woods," he murmured quietly, making me narrow my eyes. What, is he getting all soft with me now?

"You have a car?" He nodded and kind of frowned, glancing up at the sky for a second.

"Sort of. But, we'll have to kinda steal it." I sat up and studied him, cocking him head.

"Okay. Who's car is it?" He smiled, turning around and looking at the cobblestones.

"Gabriel's."

We snuck around the back side of the inn, crouching down next to the small SUV we planned to jack. We peeked up over the hood and looked at the inn, trying to see who was home.

"Stay here," Rafe said as he jogged towards the stairs, getting ready to open the door.

"Wait," I whispered, Rafe turning his head to look at me. "What if Gabriel has the keys?"

"He won't," Rafe responded, smiling as he entered the old structure. I rolled my eyes and sat down, leaning against the tire. I strained my ears, listening for anyone that could possibly not be Rafe. The driver side door open, and I stayed down, not sure who it was. The passenger side opened, making me nervous.

"Get in," Rafe whispered, watching as I scooted around the door and crawled in next to him. "Duck down." I sat down on the floor board and quietly shut the door, lying my head on the seat. He pulled away from the inn, and I sighed as we pulled out on to the road. He motioned for me to get up, and I heaved myself on to the seat and buckled.

"Why don't you like talking about them?" Rafe asked me as we sat by a cool stream, making me turned my head to study an owl in a tree.

"Because what happened to them was my fault," I replied simply, pulling my knees up to my chest to protect my bared skin from the cool breeze that whipped around us.

"Will you tell me?" He was asking? I shrugged, resting my head on my knees as I studied the rippling water.

"I suppose. But, this has to be between us," I said, and he nodded. "This guy, Nicolas, moved to town, he was about my age, really cute. He said that his pack was killed by an organized group of hunters, and he was the sole survivor. My father took him in, gave him work, helped him start new. I was beginning to fall for him, you know, the sensitive guy that had his heart broken.

"One night, a human was killed. The police thought it was a wild animal, but we all knew what had done it. It was one of us. Everyone in the pack immediately turned on Nic, but I refused to believe he had done it. My father banned me from seeing him until things were straighted out, and this upset both of us. A few nights later, another human was killed. Rumors had been flying with a local club of hunters that it was werewolves.

"Nicolas came to my window, and he told me the hunters were coming. They planned to kill us all. I made for the door, to warn my parents, but he stopped me. He told me that we should try to cut them off, he knew which way they were headed. I was stupid enough to believe him, and I followed him out into the woods." I wiped away a tear, trying to keep my composure as all the memories flooded my mind.

"He lead me around, and by the time I realized what he was doing, it was too late. I came back to find my home in flames, I could hear my mother screaming. He held me back, he kept me from helping them. He kept telling me how this was nessecary, how they would have kept us apart. I got away, and ran to to my uncle's. We were a small pack, so everyone lived together in only two houses. When I got there, all I found was ash. I got on a bus and never looked back." Now I was quietly sobbing, wishing more than anything that I could stop. It seemed I was always crying, and it was always around him.

He slowly scooted over, as if he was afraid that I was going to bite him. He wrapped his arms around me, his breath warm and welcome on my neck as I leaned on him. He gently kissed the top of my head, my eyes dropping closed, my body suddenly worn out.

"It wasn't your fault, no matter what you think or what anyone else says. I promise," he whispered in my ear, his voice as soft and cool as the water that licked at my toes.