POV: Dimitri
This was an ambush. I hated ambushes, especially when they were created by my own best friends. I couldn't exactly fight my way out of them like I would if I was faced with an enemy, which made me hate them even more. Right about now, I'd rather be fighting a Strigoi, maybe even a few of them.
"You just talked?", Ivan asked again like he was having a hearing problem or perhaps a mental one since I've repeated the same line about a million times now.
"Yes, we JUST talked."
"No touching, no kissing, no flirting", Gaya added, almost running now to catch up with my long steps.
"None. So can we please just drop it?", I wined as we rounded the corner.
"Drop it?", Ivan exclaimed waving his hands in the air like a lunatic, "DROP IT? No freaking way. This is the first time you've spent the night hanging out with a girl and you want me to drop it."
"I have three sisters and the same amount of friends that are females. I'm pretty sure it's not even close to the first time", I mumbled in irritation.
"Don't play coy", Ivan warned while Gaya added, "Not the point."
I dug my feet into the ground and swung around, almost making them both knock into me since they were only a few steps behind. I crossed my arms on my chest defensively while I slowly and clearly spoke: "Look, if I ever have anything of any importance to tell either of you when it comes to my non-existent love life, I will. You'll be the first to know. And I can assure you, if it comes to that, it will have nothing to do with Emilia Lazar whatsoever. Are we done?"
"Somebody is touchy", Gaya mumbled rolling her eyes.
"Sure buddy", Ivan said, still clearly unconvinced, but smart enough to recognize it was time for him to retreat, "Whatever you say."
"Don't you two have more important things to do than interrogate me anyway?", I questioned, attempting for the last time to mentally escape this nonsense by distracting them.
"No, not really", Gaya replied yawning lazily.
"Well, truth to be told, I need to run", Ivan admitted his eyes falling onto his watch, "I'm meeting Savannah soon."
"So what, you are dating now?", Gaya asked, evidently not pleased with the idea.
"I guess, yeah", Ivan said through a stupid grin.
"Fantastic", she exclaimed in the most sarcastic tone a living being could manage, "Don't you dare bring her to our table during meals. I'd actually prefer to eat without feeling like I want to vomit."
"Oh come on. She's really not what you guys make her out to be."
"Um, hello, she made my first year around here hell. She stole Sasha's school dance date. She traumatised Stacy for life after she teased her about her freckles for months. Do I need to go on or can we all agree that she is a bitch?"
"We were kids. You can't seriously still hold that over her."
"Oh, but I do. She is bad for you Ivan. Trust me", Gaya warned, making that same knot in my stomach reappear, that same feeling that I had when Ivan kissed Savannah at the party.
"I'll be the judge of that", Ivan retorted, his eyes narrowing like they usually did when he was pissed.
"Whatever", Gaya snapped before turning to me, "You want to go to the gym?"
"Sure", I readily accepted since it seemed like the only possible way to escape the discomfort I was feeling.
Ivan was still irritated when we parted ways, tapping my shoulder as a goodbye and barely glancing at Gaya. At first I thought that she felt indifferent towards his attitude, but once I found myself in a sparring match with her it became more than obvious she was anything but. When she kneed my stomach, making me gasp for air, I rose my palm to signal her to stop and barely pushed out: "W-what is up with you?"
"Nothing", she spat out, wiping the sheen of sweat that had formed on her forehead with the back of her hand.
"You want to try that again?"
"Ughhhh", she cried out, throwing her hands up, "Why are you all acting like idiots?"
"All? What did I do?", I exclaimed, doubling over to rest my palms on my knees.
"You are lying to me. Ivan is dating a bitch. Stacy and Misha are in a secret relationship. I mean seriously, they don't trust us? US? And Leo is-, well he is the only one who is actually acting like his usual self, not that that's a good thing."
"Wait, you know about-?"
"Of course I know about Stacy and Misha. They are not as discreet as they think", she retorted rolling her eyes.
"I'm not lying to you", I argued, accepting the fact that there was no point in denying anything else she'd said, "Nothing happened between-."
"I'm not talking about Emilia", she cut in, losing her patience fast, "Actually, I was almost a hundred percent sure nothing significant happened between the two of you since you wouldn't make the first move even if you were head over heels for her, which you are not. I'm also pretty sure that hooking up with someone is the furthest thing from her mind right about now, since she is still trying to make sense of her new life. I was just testing you earlier and teasing you since you are way too adorable when you are pissed."
"Then what are you-?"
"Field training in Omsk", she mumbled, finally dropping down onto the mat in a defeated manner, briefly squeezing her eyes shut like even looking at me was hard for her.
For a few moments I just stared at her in confusion. It took my thoughts awhile to settle so my mind could remember what she was referring to. When it hit me, the confusion actually only grew. During my last training with Galina she mentioned I'd be going to an estate in Omsk with her next month to practice some actual guardian work. It wasn't something that students my age usually did, but she assured me I was more than ready for it, especially since my job would mostly consist of careful observation and nothing more. I hadn't mentioned this information to anyone yet, not because I had any particular reason to hide it, but because it still wasn't official and I didn't want to jinx it. How Gaya knew this and why she found it important was a mystery to me though.
"So why were you keeping this from me?", she questioned, looking up at me with an odd expression. If I didn't know any better I'd say that she was actually... hurt.
"I would have told you if I knew it was happening for sure and that it was of any interest to you", I responded, slowly settling in front of her.
"It is happening for sure. My mother told me all about it when we talked over the phone this morning. She also didn't leave out the part about how very disappointed she was that I wasn't as good at my future job as my friend", she mumbled, trying to cover up just how much her mother's words obviously bothered her by giving me a fake grin. I could see right through it and she knew it, but she also knew I wasn't going to point it out either.
Truth be told, I had completely forgotten that Gaya's mother was the guardian of one of the members of the Voda family. I knew she lived in Omsk and I should have connected the dots, but I was too excited over the opportunity that Galina presented me with to stop myself from overlooking everything else.
"Gaya, I'm sorry, I didn't-."
"I know", she breathed out, cracking her knuckles distractedly, "It's not really that big of a deal, I'm exaggerating. And it has nothing to do with you really. It's just-."
Her voice trailed off and I reached over, taking one of her hands and fixing the wrap on it so I'd make the gesture less gentle. She despised somebody being too gentle with her. It made her think that they considered her weak and she hated being weak in anyone's eyes, but I needed to at least try to comfort her. Dealing with a problematic parent was something I wasn't a stranger to, though luckily Gaya's story was much less brutal than mine. And yes, I always felt the need to prove myself to others, but it must have been hell to have such pressure put on you by your own mother. My family expected the best from me, but they were there to back me up even when I didn't reach my goals. They were proud of me no matter what and from the little she had told me, Gaya had a very different experience.
"You are just as good as I am. Better even", I reassured her, making her look over at me with her famous challenging eyebrow lift, "Did you or did you not just make me beg for air a few minutes ago?"
She laughed, a soft melodic sound, relaxing her fingers in my palm as I continued to tug at the wrap even though it was set perfectly. I wish I could say more, prove her wrong, break through her barriers and show her she could do more than anyone gave her credit for, herself included, but that was an impossible mission. She was very bullheaded at times, almost as much as I was.
"Do you ever think about the future?", she mumbled, staring off across the gym like she could see beyond its walls.
"All the time", I chuckled, finally letting go of her hand now that her emotions had subsided slightly.
"Yeah me too", she whispered before she turned back to me and added more vigorously, "Do you know what scares me the most?"
I shook my head, finding it difficult to respond since I could sense exactly where this conversation was going. She gave me a knowing look with a stiff smile playing on her lips as she added: "That I'll be a survivor."
Her words didn't need any further explanation, I knew exactly what she meant by them. There wasn't a doubt left in my mind about whose guardian I'd be. Ivan was going to be my charge, we'd agreed on it years ago. Even if I didn't know that, I'd still work my ass off trying to be the best at my job, so that there wasn't a possibility left that I could fail. Knowing that I'd be guarding my best friend, the person I loved, only added more fuel to the fire already burning in me, the desire to top everyone, the energy I needed to work twice as hard, the motivation to give up on everything else for this one person whose life meant more than all of it combined.
Gaya's biggest fear was my biggest fear too. Being the survivor meant that you had failed. It meant that you didn't do your job right. It'd mean that I let down my friend, my brother, my charge, it'd mean that I let myself down. Maybe "They come first" was the usual mantra, but there was another that was just as significant to me, one of my own creations. Protect him or die trying.
"That's why I hate it when my mother makes me feel like I'm not giving my best, because I want to. It's all I want", Gaya continued, tugging me back from my grim thoughts.
"So prove her wrong", I said like it was the simplest thing in the world. And it was. I proved myself wrong every day. When I felt like I wanted to give up, I'd only push myself that much harder.
"Yeah", was all she responded with before silence settled in and we both got lost in our thoughts.
A few moments later she stood up and offered me her hand. I took it, letting her pull me back to my feet as she teased: "Come on. I want to show you how better than you I am."
"Challenge accepted", I shot back, knowing it was just empty talk on my part. I wasn't going to make it easy for her, but I was going to let her have this one. Not that I thought she couldn't win on her own, far from it. All I knew was that, even if the opportunity presented itself, I wouldn't make the final blow. She needed a win and damn me if I was going to stop her from getting it.
POV: Leo
I had about twenty minutes to blow off some steam before dinner so I made my way towards the gym hurriedly, thinking about going a few rounds with the punching bag. As I neared the double doors the sounds of loud cheering accompanied by heavy grunts filled my ears, instantly peeking my interests. I pushed the doors open slowly, letting my eyes settle on the crowd of Novices that had formed around the center. My curiosity got the better of me, so I quickly elbowed my way past a few of the younger students, ignoring their protests, to check what all the fuss was about. And it looked like I'd arrived just in time to see a spectacle. Dimitri and Gaya almost always created one whenever they decided to spar. They were excellent fighters and they rarely backed down so every match was at least a twenty minute long game in which you only missed popcorn to complete the experience of pure entertainment.
Judging by their looks they've been at it for quite some time, so I knew the grand finale wasn't that far away. Dimitri was currently fighting his way out off a chokehold Gaya caught him in. Sweat was dripping down his face and neck, his shirt soaking it up despite the fact that it seemed like it couldn't possible take in any more liquid without changing its physical state too. His hair was sticking to his forehead and the back of his neck and man, he really needed a haircut. His left arm was marked by four, bright red lines stretching from his shoulder all the way to his elbow, which could be nothing else but the telltale of Gaya scratching him somewhere along the way. His muscles were so strained I thought they might burst and I could tell he was fighting to maintain his breathing under control.
He knocked his elbow into her ribs, crouching slightly while he used his grasp on the arm she held around his neck as leverage to pull her up. She was a tough little beast, clutching to him even when he lifted her completely off the ground. He managed to flip her over his shoulder, but not avoid her knee flying up to his face.
"Ouuuuch", a few people voiced as Dimitri tumbled back, clutching to his nose, while the other half cheered even louder for Gaya who jumped back on her feet.
"That's not fair", some kid shouted while another one shut him up by pointing out, "They said no rules."
Dimitri crunched up his nose like he was testing if it was broken, while shaking out his arms and pulling his shoulder back, jumping up and down a few times as Gaya circled him. She was really giving him a hard time. Not that she looked any more rested. Her hair was sticking out in every direction possible, like she had been electrocuted and a nasty splotch that was already turning purple was gracing her ribs. Bruises rarely showed on her dark skin so I was guessing that was what remained after a damn hard blow that Dimitri had delivered at some point.
When she pounced on him he stepped left, deceiving her by seemingly choosing that direction, before quickly sliding right which sent her flying past him. She managed to stay on her feet until Dimitri kicked her right under her left knee, making her lose balance. The next logical thing was to pin her down while she was still on the ground, but Dimitri for some unexplainable reason paused and lost the shot. He had a chance to prolong the fight if not win it. The opportunity was right there, the few seconds that were more than enough for Dimitri. He was faster than most people and his technics were flawless. He could have finished her off, but instead of getting the upper hand he winded up on the floor right next to her when she jabbed her heel into his thigh.
"Damn it", I mumbled into my chin, crunching my hands into a fist.
He rolled onto his stomach, but she was already breathing down his neck by the time he managed to move. She caught a hold of his arm, twisting it up between her thighs as she pressed down on him with her full body weight. There was no way he was getting out of this one. He wiggled a bit, but eventually ended up admitting his defeat by tapping his free palm on the mat to let her know she could let him up. The part of the crowd that cheered for Gaya went wild and the ones that were rooting for Dimitri looked almost as disappointed as I was sure I did. Though it wasn't an often occurrence, I hated seeing him lose.
Gaya helped him up and patted his shoulder since any further physical contact probably would have glued them together because of all of the perspiration on their skin. When she turned and noticed me she shot: "You here to get your ass kicked too Andreyev?"
"I'm pretty sure you couldn't fight a fly after that", I responded, pointing back towards the place where the match just ended with her victory, while the Novices started pulling away to go back to their businesses.
"Maybe", she chuckled, grabbing the towel Dimitri threw her way, "But I'm game if you are."
"Slow it down lioness", Dimitri warned, grabbing his duffle while he wrapped his towel around his neck, "We know you are the best."
She gave him a strange look, something between pride, satisfaction and thankfulness, though I got the feeling the last one wasn't caused by his praises. It confused me, enough to have me still thinking about it when Dimitri and I left the gym. He stayed around to cool off and waited for me to finish up before we headed back to our room. Too many Novices piled up in the showers at the gym in the meantime so we both decided to just use our private one. I studied him as we walked side by side waiting for the right opportunity to raise the issue. Finally, when I couldn't think of a subtle way to do it I simply blurted out: "You let her win, didn't you?"
"Let her", he huffed through a wince as he pulled the door to our dorm, "I don't think I really had a choice."
"You had an opening when she was on the ground. You could have taken it", I argued as we climbed up the stairs.
"The window was too short", he brushed it off, "Besides, she really tired me down before that so even if I managed to go for it, it wouldn't have done me much good."
I wasn't going to let it go, more because I wanted to know the real reason behind his retreat than because I didn't like being wrong, but our conversation got cut short when Dimitri abruptly stopped a few feet away from our room. I bumped into his shoulder and swayed a little. I glanced up to see someone standing in the hallway just in front of our door. To my surprise I registered that it was a girl. She was just about to knock when Dimitri spoke up.
"Emma, what are you doing here?"
Emilia Lazar jumped up slightly, turning to face us as her face swiftly switched from a surprised expression to an easy smile.
"Well, I was going to ask for the guards to call you, but nobody was out front so I let myself in and then I ran into Mikhail and he told me your room number", she explained, clearly missing what his question was obviously about.
"You should get out of here before they come back and you get into trouble", I warned, but my voice sounded weird even to me as it came out of my mouth. It was like I was threatening her without meaning to.
She seemed unfazed by it, but I didn't miss the frowny glance Dimitri gave me. He was quick to scold his expression though as she added: "Yeah I probably should. I just stopped by to give you this."
She walked up to us and reached into the back pocket of her jeans to pull out a leather cord. It took me a mere second to recognize the black tight woven material coming together through a unique silver clasp stamped with the 'x' and two stars that represented the Zeklos family crest. It was the very bracelet that was gifted to Dimitri by Ivan for his last birthday. I knew it was one, if not the most significant possession of Dimitri's. What I also knew is that he almost never took it off, training aside.
"I found it on the floor. It must have slipped of your arm or something", Emilia elaborated as Dimitri took the bracelet from her carefully, his expression filled with guilt.
He must have felt awful that he had misplaced it. I remembered how much he freaked out when I removed it from the bathroom one time making him think that he had lost it since that's where he expected it to be. His worry and guilt, however, were not what got me instantly agitated. On the floor where?, was the only thought my mind could focus on right now. The common room in the girl's dormitory? The hallway? Her room? And suddenly, I had a feeling that I was missing some part of the story about Dimitri and Ivan's party time, some part that must have been significant enough for Dimitri to leave it out on purpose. I felt this strange feeling coming over me, making my body move on its own accord.
It wasn't until I was already pushing my key into the door that Dimitri spoke up: "Leo, are you okay?"
I glanced back at them, seeing that they stood just where I left them, but they were now both facing me. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I had no idea what was going on inside of my own head and why I felt like I needed to be away from them. Not them, her. This girl made me feel on edge ever since I first saw her. There was just something about her openness and this weird air of selflessness around her that made me think that she was just a really good actress and nothing more. Like she was pretending to be this kind and naïve little girl, when she was everything but.
"Fine. Just stinky and sweaty. Dibs on the shower", I pushed out, before I disappeared into the safety of my room.
POV: Karolina
You want this, you really want this, I repeated to myself as I snuck into the Moroi dormitory. I made my way through it carefully, though there was no one around to notice me. As I passed by the closed doors I could hear various sounds coming from behind them: music, laughter, snoring, depending on what their residents decided to do on this fine Saturday night. I was close to the number I was looking for, it was almost within my reach when a door next to me surprisingly flew open and somebody rushed out, knocking into me.
"Wow, dude I-", he started saying when his blue eyes flashed up to me, "Karo? What are you doing here?"
"Good evening Ivan", I responded playing it as cool as I could, "I'm on my way to see a friend."
"A friend, ha?", he chuckled, his eyebrows shooting up while he ran his hand through his hair, "It must be a really good friend for you to risk detention like this."
"He is, now would you mind?", I impatiently replied while I tried to wiggle my way around him.
"Karo", he tried as I turned to leave.
"Karolina", he exclaimed before he managed to catch my wrist and pull me back.
"What?", I retorted, glaring at him over my shoulder.
"You are a smart girl", he said, his voice lowering, "So don't go doing something that you'll regret later."
"Thanks for the lesson Ivan", I mumbled, tugging my hand out of his hold, "But I know what I'm doing and I don't need you to watch over me. So, do me a favour and keep your mouth shut in front of my brother, yeah?"
"Yeah okay", he whispered, his eyes sinking, which made me realise my words had obviously hurt him.
I lingered in my spot, feeling bad for how I'd acted, but before I could do anything to rectify the situation he walked back into his room, clearly abandoning the idea of going to wherever he was heading before he ran into me and added: "Good night Karo."
The door closed behind him fast and I sighed. I was really acting bitchy, but I needed to shake him off so I could keep my secret "friend", well, a secret. Taking a deep breath I walked the remaining distance, knocking softly on the wooden barrier that separated me from Jack and taking a step back while I waited for him to let me in. Almost as soon as I heard his feet shuffling on the other side my heart began thumping like crazy. He cracked the door open long enough to grab my hand and quickly pull me inside. The moment I was within the privacy of his room, his lips found mine and his body pressed me into the closest wall.
"Who were you talking to in the hallway?", he mumbled between our kisses.
"Your cousin, Ivan", I responded as I fumbled with the zipper of my jacket, which forced Jack to step back.
"He is a cool kid", he chuckled, his eyes sliding down to where my hands were, "He didn't give you any trouble, did he?"
"I don't think he knows it was you I was coming to see, so no, not really."
"Good", he confirmed as his fingers joined mine and he tugged the zipper down before pushing the jacket off me, "Don't be nervous Lina, we've done this a million times before."
"I know", I breathed out as he gently kissed my neck, "It's just that this is, you know, it's going to be more important than it was before."
He froze up a little, slowly pulling back so that he could look me in the eyes. After a few moments he whispered: "We don't have to do anything if you changed your mind."
"I didn't. I want this", I reassured him and myself at the same time.
"So do I, but maybe we should wait a bit more. You know, until we finish school. We are still pretty far away from graduation."
"No", was all I could say and I knew he didn't need to hear anything else. He wanted this even more than I did. He was the one who came up with the idea in the first place.
"Alright Love. If we are on the same page, then let's go work on that future of ours", he breathed out before he tugged me towards the bed.
I considered staying when he fell asleep, cuddling up to him until the morning came, but I eventually decided it'd be better if I left. Besides, I felt too restless between thinking about the future and whether I'd get caught by the guards. I silently got dressed and snuck out of his room, stealing one last glance towards his sleepy, peaceful silhouette before I gently shut the door.
Once alone in the hallway again I felt a shiver working its way up my spine. I was afraid, but it was only natural right? This was a big decision, it was very important. Not to mention it was a decision I had yet to share with my family. I didn't know if I was more scared they wouldtry totalk me out of it or that they would actually support me in it. Either way it was hard to say it out loud, because saying it out loud made it more real.
I wandered down the corridor lost in my thoughts until I heard voices making their way towards me from the entrance of the building. Shit, I was going to get caught, a panicked thought crossed my mind as I backed away from the fast approaching guardians who were on patrol duty. I rushed back towards Jack's room, but before I got to it I found myself pounding on another. I held my breath in as I waited to see whether I'd get saved from at least a weeklong detention before the door moved, letting a dimmed light out into the darkness. He gave me a confused look before he too heard the voice that echoed against the walls and he moved aside quickly while mumbling: "Get in."
I didn't waste any time doing what I was told, dashing inside minutes before the guardians turned the corner, watching Ivan gently press the door to a close. I cast a look around his room seeing that his roommate Philip was apparently spending the night away from his bed as well. Ivan should have been sleeping, but he'd clearly given up on that since the lamp on the nightstand was lit up and an opened book lay next to it.
"That was close", he chuckled softly as I uncomfortably transferred my weight from one foot to another.
Ivan had spent a lot of time around my family and me. He came to visit us at home over a few holidays and I'd never minded his presence. However, I was never really in a situation similar to this one, hiding in his room after doing some not so appropriate things with his cousin. Though, luckily, Ivan and Jack barely knew each other since they weren't close cousins. Still, I felt a blush working its way across my cheeks as he turned towards me and smiled, especially because the family resemblance between them was sometimes surprisingly strong, mostly when they were smiling.
"Sorry for the mess", he offered as he gestured towards the space around us that was everything but messy, "Make yourself comfortable. If I know their pattern correctly, they won't be leaving the building for at least an hour."
When I didn't move he walked towards his bed, sitting on top of it and patting the space bellow his legs. I gingerly settled down and glanced at the covers of the book he was reading.
"The Hell Bent Kid?", I questioned with an amused expression.
"Ah yeah", he replied, lifting the book and closing it to gaze at the cover, "Dimitri got me to read it. His love for westerns is contagious."
"Well you can blame my mother and her precious books that take up most of our living room for that", I laughed, while he placed the book back down and folded his legs underneath him, "Is it any good though?"
"Sure, yeah, it's an exotic read", he chuckled while I kicked my shoes off and pulled my legs up as well, "Tot Lohman is one unlucky dude."
Silence settled for a while as we both searched for something to say. Finally, I added: "I'm sorry about earlier. What I said, it was pretty rude."
"That's okay", he reassured me with one of those easy smiles he often had, "I was pushing my nose into your business so I pretty much deserved a verbal slap."
"I know you meant nothing bad by it", I stressed, wanting to show that I actually appreciated his worrying, "So thanks for, you know, looking out for me."
"Karolina, you don't need anyone to look out for you. You are perfectly capable of doing that by yourself."
Am I, really? If he was right, if he was really right then I'd be able to protect and take care of more than just myself, right? Then my decision was a good call. I instinctively ran my hand over my stomach as I fixed my eyes on his covers. Maybe it had already worked, maybe I was-.
"You know, you can stay here if you want. I don't mind the company. Philip is staying with his girlfriend anyway", Ivan suggested as I looked back up at him again.
"If I stay, will you tell Dimka about it?", I questioned, tightening the pressure on my stomach like that could somehow guard my secret.
"I-", he started saying uncertainly, "Well, I don't have to, but um, Karo what's going on? You are acting... different."
I pondered on what I should tell him. The truth? No, how could I tell him the truth, what would he think of me? But maybe, just maybe, he'd understand. He was a very understanding person. And it'd feel so good to finally share this with someone. Then again, he was my brother's best friend and he was younger and-.
"Karo?", he prompted while I blinked up at him.
"Nothing. Everything is fine. I'm just a bit moody these days, you know, girl problems", I babbled out. Oh yeah and I might be pregnant starting from tonight, my mind silently added.
"Oh, ugh", he mumbled, "That's tough. I'm so glad I'm a guy."
"You should be", I confirmed through a smile.
"But why do you want me to lie to Dimitri?", he suddenly asked catching me unprepared.
I had to think of an answer fast, any kind of answer that wouldn't include fessing up so I quickly decided on a half-truth: "You know how protective he can get and I just don't want him making a fuss about who I'm seeing. It's my business as you pointed out."
"I see", he muttered thoughtfully before his face relaxed and he smiled again, "Your secret is safe with me. Though give me a heads up if you ever do decide to tell him. He is going to murder me for keeping things from him."
"Duly noted."
I didn't know at which point we fell asleep. I just remembered waking up in the morning, safely tucked under the blanket Ivan had obviously covered me with, sprawled over the foot of his bed while he was laying parallel to me in-between his pillows. What I didn't know is that this night wasn't going to stay as secretive as Ivan promised me it would, but not because of him. It was because neither of us woke when Philip came back into the room and saw us lying on the same bed before he snuck back out. And though, at first, Philip wouldn't even think about sharing what he saw with my brother, certain events that would follow would lead to the silence breaking and things getting a lot messier than I'd intended them to be. Who would have thought that getting caught by guardians and going through a detention week would turn out to me a much better choice?
Chapter song: Dirty Little Secret - The All-American Rejects
Special thanks as always to my lovely beta Gaya for helping me out with this chapter and dialling down the anxiety I felt over certain parts of it (along with my self-doubt)! Love you girl! You are the best!
Also, I guess I'm kind of dedicating this chapter (or at least a part of it) to a wonderful writer who goes around here as megamorr! Her desire to see a sparing scene became my inspiration for the big chunk of Leo's POV and her amazing story Dark Hearts added to that inspiration cause she writes action packed moments perfectly! If you are not already reading her work well, first of all shame on you and second go, go, go read it now! You won't regret it!
Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you think about the story so far and I guess I'll "see" you all soon!
Kisses, T!
