Disclaimer: I dont own the Nine Lives, only my original ideas and a deep addiction to this show that is fed by writing.

Hey so, no it's not a new chapter, but I wanted to let you all know I put links up on my profile for the last two chapters. CHloe's birthday dress, her birthday gift, and the dress from this chapter are on my profile!


"And you are sure there is no chance she's Mai?" Erik asked. We were at the basket ball court at school, just messing around. Erik was my only friend at school that was Mai and even then we didn't get to hang out much, he played lacrosse and so he hung out with other people during school. We still liked to talk though and share our common thoughts and grievances. I shook my head now.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it. She would have transformed already." I said letting the basketball roll of the tips of my fingers.

"I mean she only just turned 16 a month ago." Erik offered weakly. I looked over at him and frowned. He was trying to give me hope.

"It's not about when you turn 16. It's puberty, Erik, just because you were 16 doesn't mean anything for the rest. And to answer your next question, yes, she has." Erik sighed and dribbled the basket ball a couple times.

"I'm sorry, man, it looks like it's hopeless." He admitted.

"I know, but I don't want to give her up. She's amazing and she makes me feel like- like nothing I've ever been before. I know that I should break it off and let her go because it's not fair to her. She could find someone that could love her the way I want to, the way she deserves, the way I can't without killing her. I've carried on too long now anyway, she'll be hurt and I can't stand to see her that way. There's no way I can escape hurting her now." I shot the basketball again and then sat down on the ground resting my arms on my knees.

"Well, maybe you'll meet that girl you're prophesied to be with at the ball on Saturday. You never know." Erik said. I glared at him. He was trying to make me feel better but I didn't want 'Sekhmet's gift' I wanted Chloe. I would never touch her for as long as I lived if I could be with her just as long- that's what wasn't fair to her I couldn't ask her to give up her own chance at a life full of love and happiness. I was the only one that could make that sacrifice, I was the one who was keeping it from happening. I stood up thoroughly fed up with my line of thought and drove back to my house. I went straight to my bedroom and cursed myself for what I was about to do. I pulled my phone out and dialed Chloe's number.

"Alek, hey!" She said when she answered. The smile on her lips was obvious in her voice and it touched my heart to know that I was the reason that she was smiling and it still broke my heart knowing I would cause her so much pain.

"Hi, love, I- I was wondering if you would like to go to a ball this weekend with me. I would have asked sooner but I wasn't sure if I could bring someone. It's for my Aunt's business and it will probably be incredibly dull, but there will be good food and dancing-"

"And you" She finished. I closed my eyes feeling my heart tear in another place.

"And me." I repeated. "It's quite formal, but I can cover your dress costs"

"It's fine. I'll figure it out" she told me. Something in the way she said that made me wonder but I passed it over and continued to mentally beat myself up for hurting her the way I was.

"Alright, I'll pick you up at around 7 pm. It will go pretty late, if there is any way your mother would extend your curfew-"

"I'll talk to her… and just be really good until then." She laughed lightly and again I felt my heart break.

"Good, I'm- excited." I told her choking back the thickness in my throat.

"Are you alright?" she asked concern lacing her voice.

"Yeah, You are the only person I'd want to spend that night with- any night." I added. I could just see her smiling, a light pink color touching her cheeks. "I'll talk to you later, love." I told her. She said goodbye and I hung up the phone. I held it in my hands for a moment squeezing my hands around it before I tossed it on the bed. I stood in my room for a minute catching my breath and trying to ease the pain in my heart. There was a light knock on my door and then Jasmine let herself in. She saw my face and stopped.

"Alek?" She asked.

"I'm fine." I told her, I knew my voice betrayed me as it was so think with pent up emotion I could hardly speak. She shook her head and closed the door behind her coming over to me.

"Yes, because you always have tear rimmed eyes and a husky, choked voice." She said. She sat down on my bed and looked up at me. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I'm hurting her, and I'm being selfish by continuing to do it even though I know how much I'm hurting her. I'm the most horrible person in the world." I told her taking a step back and sitting on my desk.

"I-" She started. I glared at her and cut her off.

"I know you told me so, that's not what I need to hear." I snapped.

"I was going to say that I'm sorry and I know how hard it is to love someone and know that you are only hurting them. Maybe things will work out-"

"There is no way I can get out of this without hurting her. I let my own selfish desires push every other thought out of my head. All regard for her and her feelings I pushed as far from me as possible. She- she's amazing and I feel better than I've ever felt in my life when I'm with her. I don't understand it. I know, I know, I know that I shouldn't fall in love with her, that I should have walked away and never even started flirting with her. I never should have risked it. But I did because I had to meet her, I had to see if I could get her attention. I had to be my own cocky bastard self and have every girl in school in love with me. Yet I'm the one who fell in love this time and I've taken her with me. Now, I'm hurting her every day I keep this going for my own selfish reasons-"

"Alek, stop." She said. "Stop beating yourself up, these things happen. Maybe it will all work out and she'll meet someone else." I didn't like that option any better. I wasn't satisfied with any of the real options I had, only the one that would never happen in a million years.

"And I'll have to watch her with someone else for the rest of my life." I said no more happy than I was.

"No, eventually you'll have the girl of the prophecy." She said. I don't know why people thought that that made me feel better.

"I don't want Sekhmet's damn 'gift'. Right now it's more of a curse, this whole being Mai, I'd trade it in a second for even the slightest chance at being with her."

"Alek, you don't mean that!" Jasmine said standing up and coming over to me.

"Yes, I do Jas, if I could I'd give up everything I've known my whole life to be with her because that would be enough."

"No it wouldn't be, and you know it. Being Mai is who you are, it's who you have always been. You wouldn't be happy being human. Think even when if there was some way to give it up you wouldn't be happy you would blame her. Alek, you are the Uniter you can't turn on our people for a girl!"

"I'm not, don't you see, I'm going to break up with her- I'm going to break her heart. I have no choice. After the ball I'm going to tell her, I'm going to tell her everything. I'm going to tell her that I can't be with her and if she doesn't accept that- I'll tell her that I don't love her the way she does me, I'll lie to her. I'll tell the biggest lie and tell her that she means nothing to me. I'm going to break her heart and rip mine to shreds at the same time. I'm going to be the one that she remembers for the rest of her life as the guy who swept her off her feet, who took her on a freaking boat for her 16th birthday and then dumped it all in the rubbish and stomped on her heart. That's how she is going to remember me when I'll remember her as the only girl I ever loved, and still love, and can still feel the pieces of my heart breaking." Jasmine just stood there, her head hung a little.

"I'm sorry, Alek, I really am." She said. I knew that I had been yelling at her, I knew that she hadn't deserved it. She patted my arm and then left closing the door and leaving me by myself. I needed to get out I need to think about something else, I need to be happy. I grabbed my keys and went to the one place and the one friend that always made things better- Chloe.


My mom and I had spent all day getting ready. We had gone to get our nails done first and then gone to the hair salon so I could get my hair and makeup done. We went all out for whatever reason, my mother was incredibly excited. As soon as I told her that Alek asked me she had grabbed the car keys and her credit card and driven me to the mall. After hours of looking around and going from shop to shop with seemingly no luck at all we found the dress, it was perfect. We could believe how gorgeous it was. When I tried it on my mother questioned it, it was strapless and she knew that I normally liked to hide my birth mark and steered clear of strapless and one strap dresses but this one was fabulous. I didn't care anymore about my birthmark, I knew that Alek would only think it was one more thing that made me unique and special and all the more beautiful, he would love me even more for it. That much I knew. Now we were at home and I was slipping into the dress careful not to mess up my hair or make up. It was almost seven and Alek would be here any minute. My mother thankfully had extended my curfew to before the sun came up. I was under no circumstances to spend the night with him though. Knowing Alek, the Alek I knew and no one else did, that wouldn't be an issue. He had as of yet to kiss me. I didn't know what he was waiting for. He wouldn't be taking advantage of me or pushing me to do something I didn't want to do- I wanted to desperately. I was putting on my earrings when I heard my phone ring. Taylor Swift's "Ours" started playing and I ran to get it. It was Alek and I pushed the speaker button so I wouldn't mess up my makeup. "Hey!" I said.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry, my aunt needed me to help her set up things, I'm not going to be able to pick you up. I sent a car to get you though and I'll see you here, I promise I won't leave you again tonight." I was disappointed but I understood.

"It's okay, I'll see you there." I heard the car pull up to the house. "The car just got here, I'll see you soon." I told him.

"I'm sorry-" He said again. The sadness in his voice was more than what she expected for not being able to pick her up and I frowned, worried that something else was wrong. The doorbell rang though and her mom was yelling up the stairs.

"I'll see you soon!" I told him and then hung up running down the stairs. I slipped my phone into my purse as I went down the stairs and then turned the corner almost running into my mom.

"There you are, where's-"

"His aunt needed his help, he's already there." I explained quickly kissing her on the cheek before leaving. The driver helped me down the stairs and into the limo. Yes, a limo. I couldn't believe it. I felt like a movie star being swept away to a premier. It was amazing. I was shaking all the way there, not only was I nervous but I was also really excited. I was excited to see Alek and to be at this thing with him but I was nervous too. I didn't know what he'd think of the dress or what this party was going to be. I tried to control my breathing counting to five as I inhaled and exhaled but my heart was pounding in my chest so hard I thought it would explode through my chest. I could hear it throbbing in my ears and I could feel the blood pulsing in my head. I fidgeted with my necklace, fingering the lion head as I kept telling myself to just relax but it wasn't working. Then the Limo stopped and someone was opening my door. I looked out and saw a red carpet and a very fancy hotel. I stepped out and the driver offered me his hand. I stepped out and looked at the hotel. This was much more elegant than I'd ever even dreamed about. I walked up to the door and walked into the lobby when the door man opened the heavy glass doors for me. I looked around hopelessly and utterly lost and looked at the doorman. "I'm supposed to be here for some kind of ball- my boy- my frien- um can you just tell me where it is?" I asked. The man smiled and told me what room it was and how to get there. I thanked him and started off. Along the way I saw a bathroom and decided to stop off for a minute. I went in and grabbed two paper towels on my way to the mirrors. I made sure that no one else was there. I clamped the paper towels under my armpits while I examined myself in the mirror. My makeup was still flawless as was my hair- which had so much hairspray in it that a hurricane could wash over me and it wouldn't move. I sighed still trying to get my heart to return to a normal rate and to breathe at a normal pace and failing miserable. I threw the paper towels out and continued to the ball room. The doors were open when I got there and I went inside. I looked over the room it was gorgeous with thirty foot ceilings, bay windows along one wall curtained with heavy embroidered fabric. The floor was marble and everything glistened. There was a staircase that led down into the room and I stood at the top, I looked down and saw Alek who looked perhaps just as nervous as I felt and desperately hoped I didn't look. He looked up and saw me and froze. When I saw his face my heart instantly slowed and my breathing all but stopped. His mouth was slightly agape and his eyes were trying to take everything in. I blushed and ducked my head smiling at this boy that had captured my heart so effectively. I spun in a slow circle for him and then descended the stairs.


She was stunning. Absolutely gorgeous in every way possible. Every thought I'd had about breaking her heart instantly flew out of my head and I felt my heart skip a beat. She wore a red satin floor length dress. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and it hugged her hourglass figure perfectly like it had been painted on her. It draped off her hips into a pool of crimson at the floor. A single gold chain hung around her neck and disappeared between her breasts. I'd never seen anything so beautiful. I knew I was staring and that my mouth was hanging open. She ducked her head and smiled. She turned in a circle and then came down the stairs to me. I noticed now for the second time the birth mark she had on her shoulder, it was interesting to me the arrow shaped dark brown skin on her shoulder. It was perfect and beautiful and only seemed to add to the mystery that she was to me. She placed a hand on my chest and smiled up at me. I stared into her eyes and leaned in kissing her lightly on the temple before taking her hand in mine and pressing my lips to her fingers. Again she smiled.

"Gorgeous." I said before lacing our fingers together and leading her farther into the room. We stayed to the outskirts for awhile, I wanted to avoid introducing her to anyone for as long as possible keeping this special creature to myself for just a little while longer. I could hear people talking. They were saying how perfect a couple we made and how sad it was that Sekhmet's gift had not been found yet. They felt bad for her, thinking my heart was eternally fated to another. I'd never been good with rules and that one would be no different. There was a girl supposedly in Greece that our people believed to be the warrior lady. I didn't care, I shut down everything and focused on the vision that was hanging on my every word and holding my hand.

"Alek" I heard my aunt say. I looked up and saw her and Jasmine standing in front of us. "Who is your friend?" she asked.

"This is Chloe." I said. "Chloe, this is my Aunt Valentina, and you met Jasmine the other day." I said making sure to watch my Aunt. I knew she had my best interest at heart but sometimes she overstepped. She could be imposing, and I could tell that tonight that had been her objective. She was a tall woman and she was wearing six inch heels tonight. Her white dress was full length and just grazed the floor, the empire waist only added to the picture. She raised an eyebrow but offered her hand to Chloe who tentatively took it. Jasmine smiled at Chloe murmuring a greeting. Jasmine just like her mother looked imposing. She was wearing a deep green one shouldered dress that fit in all the right places. Chloe made small talk and then my family made some excuse about needing to make the rounds of the room. Once they were gone Chloe turned to me wide eyed.

"What does your Aunt do that they throw a ball like this?"

"You could call it a private witness protection program. I'm not exactly sure what she does, it's all very secretive." I explained. Chloe just nodded and took a deep breath. "C'mon, King, dance with me?" I asked pulling her to the middle of the room where people were dancing. I spun her around before placing her hand around my neck. She placed her other hand with the other and I placed my hands on her waist being respectful in their placement not so much for her sake but for the older people that were here, there would be a time later when we could dance more to our tastes. She was gorgeous, I still couldn't get over how gorgeous she was. "You know, it's a curious thing, when I had my accident and I was over at your house- when we said goodbye you kissed me on the cheek, when I got home the bruise was gone. The wound on my hip too, and I distinctly remember your hip pressing against mine that night too." I told her looking curiously at her. We had never figured out why I'd healed so quickly. Mai had extremely fast healing processes but not that fast. "I have a feeling that it was you."

"How would I have done that?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I don't know, but there was definitely an outline of your beautiful lips on my cheek." I told her. She ducked her head only for a moment before looking back up at me exposing her blushed cheeks to my eyes.

"Maybe I'm just good for you." She whispered. I was truly happy, content, whole. I had never known what it meant for your heart to smile until I'd met this girl and now I never wanted to lose that feeling. I was slipping back, slipping back into my selfish ways.

"Maybe you are." I told her before pulling her close.

"So, how long is this ball?" She asked. I laughed lightly, careful to not draw too much attention.

"Later the younger generation moves to their own party, don't worry it won't be this dull- I mean formal- all night." I told her smiling. We continued to dance for another two songs before I was forced to make the rounds. After all, although in Chloe's mind this was a ball for Valentina's business, I was the true guest of honor here and had to say hello to my guests. I found myself dying for the party later, I needed to let loose and relax, and I had a feeling Chloe was an amazing dancer.


What do you think will happen? She didn't transform... is all lost for Alek and Chloe? Is he going to have to give her up breaking not only her heart but his as well?

Review about the chapter!

So I got 11 reviews... Thanks for all who did review on this chapter. But this chapter is pretty good in my opinion and in the opinion of those who reviewed. If you want the next chapter- which is already written- you should definitely review. I'm gonna wait for nine more before I update. And Go!