Okay, so I know I said that I wouldn't do another chapter on their childhood….but yeah…I got two guest reviews asking me to do a chapter on Tess fixing Day up and her thoughts on Day's relationships so here it is!

(Day is 14 and Tess is 12)

I'm flipping through my book, trying to keep myself occupied but I can't. I've read this book at least fifteen times, practically memorizing it by heart.

Day is going to come back from 'gathering supplies' in an hour or two. He says that excuse every day this week, but I already know he's lying.

After the second time he lied to me, I followed him. Day met with a girl at a gem sector. I swear, he's probably made out with any girl in the range of 13-17. I watched him kiss that fifteen year old girl with short brown hair on the lips and let her drag him inside the basement of some school.

I'm sure he's there at that same basement, making out with the same girl. The very thought of it makes me sick. Every week, he seems to have a new girlfriend-no, a random face- to kiss.

Ever since he realized that almost any girl would be crazy to not want to kiss him, he's been flirting with every girl he meets on the streets. I just wish he'd pay more attention to me. I miss those days where we'd play rock paper scissors to pass time. I miss those days where he used to tell me happy stories in the firelight at an empty alley. I miss how Day used to bring me books and watch me as I eagerly absorbed the contents.

I sigh and wait some more. But when it becomes dark and he still hasn't returned, I begin to get worried. What if the soldiers caught him? What if he's hurt? What if-

Stop thinking like that! I scold myself and I realize that I've been biting my nails. I lower my hand from my mouth, struggling to break the bad habit. This is Day we're talking about. I know he can take care of himself. But that doesn't stop me from worrying.

I'm ready to run to that basement where Day always goes to, but I stop myself. "Stay where you are," Day once told me. "I just need you to be safe." I don't know what to do- should I defy Day's orders to save him, or stay here and worry out of my mind?

"Hey cousin," he says weakly, his voice filled with pain. I spin around and find Day limping towards me, his shirt drenched in dark crimson blood. I gasp. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," he brushes off my concern. "Some guy just tried to cut me."

"Well, it looks like he succeeded," I shoot back. I grab my medical supplies from under the broken, abandoned bench. "You don't have to waste it," he protests.

"It's not wasting," I say as I pull off his shirt and begin wiping the blood away from the long cut. It's not as deep as I thought, but it runs from his left collarbone to his right hip. I wince at his pain.

I remember how blood used to scare me. How it would drop out and splatter on the ground, the shade so red, that I couldn't bear to look at it. I'm not scared of it anymore- I can't afford to be.

I squeeze out antibiotic ointment from the small tube Day had stolen from a clinic a few months ago. The white paste feels cold and gooey on my fingertips. I screw the cap back on before gently applying it on Day's diagonal cut. My fingers graze against his hard chest and I'm about to pull back when Day grabs my hand.

"Thanks for looking out for me, cousin," he whispers and he gives my hand a small squeeze before letting go.

"Always," I whisper back. Day smiles back.

"So, what really happened?" I ask. "And I want details."

Distracted by something else, he says, "Me and Caroline were kissing…" he realizes the words that tumbled out of his mouth and turns faintly red. He clears his throat. "Turns out she already had a boyfriend and he was pissed when he saw us together. I should've known better."

"So you weren't looking for supplies," I tease him.

"Actually, I was." He pulls out something from his pocket. "For you," he says and offers it to me.

"You got me another book!" I exclaim, an infectious grin spreading across my face.

"Well, I felt guilty how I kept leaving you so I got you something to make up for it."

The cover reads, Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I flip through it, seeing the text centered, poetry format. Impulsively, I kiss Day on the cheek.

He smiles and ruffles my hair, and we read together in the bright moonlight.

Hope you guys liked it! :)