"Come on, Blaire!" Anna pleaded. "One more dress! You look so pretty in them!

I was about to tell her that I really wasn`t pretty but she interrupted me by pulling me into yet another store. And so I was pulled into another shopping continuum with Anna, strangely enough I found myself starting to enjoy myself immensely.

"Look honey!" She whispered lowly as we ate at the food court at the mall. I followed her gaze to a group of boys hanging by the Chick-Fil-A counter. One of them caught me looking and winked. My gaze whirled to the floor then slid to my food silently and I heard Anna laugh softly and the blush that had crept into my cheeks darkened even more.

"Anna," I whispered as she signaled a wave towards the boys and causing my blush to grow deeper. She laughed again and i couldn't help but laugh softly with her.

It was so strange. I hadn't been to a mall in so long it was like a foreign wonder place. I soon relaxed for the first time in a long while. There was no danger here, and Anna was with me so I was safe, even though she looked sweeter than a honeybee, I could tell by the graceful way she walked and by the unstrained holding of her militia of bags that she was very well prepared for anything and very strong inside as well as out.

If I could truly pick a person as my female role model it would be her…. The thought swam through my mind before I could even think fully about it. But what about mom? Almost immediately after the thought pain sliced through my heart; I hadn`t seen her for almost more than a year…she probably thinks I'm dead… I thought to myself with a sigh.

Anna must`ve again realized that my mood had gone down because again she whirled me into another store and started throwing together outfits. We talked together about our pasts; my eyes widen when she told me what abuse she had for three years until Mr. Charles came into her life and saved her from her horrible alpha, like a real life Prince Charming. I smiled very happily, remembering how Akira had saved Dylan and me from Jacob and Scipio. Maybe some things did have heroes and Prince Charmings after all; my belief in it was really tested over the past year but maybe I could rebuild it, although I highly doubt it could be helpful to hope for some healing also…

However, truly I got sick of having pity parties for myself a long while ago, realizing that just sulking and hoping was not going to get me anywhere or fix anything that can be fixed with true action. I looked up at Anna with a smile that explained it all to her and she smiled back in understanding as if we`d knew each other`s very thoughts just by our looks.

Just then I realized the dark figure garbed in black that I'd remembered seeing earlier , and every time we sat down…he`d be there…I turned to Anna in panic and pulled her into a nearby dressing room .

"What`s-"she started but I cut her off.

"Anna, there's someone following us." I told her, short and to the point. Good. Anna looked at me for a moment then looked casually yet carefully in the crevice of the door out into the shopping center. I directed her to the figure in black, I could see him now. He was tall and looked no older than twenty, his long black hair reached to his shoulders and he was very attractive but I was used to looking past men`s dire looks and I could feel the danger radiating off of him, almost like a fog of heavy smoke, one could choke someone.

"He`s been following us ever since we left Foot Locker", I informed her, my fear growing, "Anna, he`s dangerous, I can just tell already by looking at him!"

"I can feel it to," she informed me and pulled out her cell. I saw her finger blur as she quickly dialed Charles. A sigh in relief escaped me as she started explaining what was happening the minute he answered. We would be all right soon, under the protective roof of Charles, Akira and The Marrok as well as Dylan. The thought filled me with relief and thankfulness. We would be safe soon…

Then when Anna was just finishing what had happened suddenly a blast resounded through the entire mall, I screamed as the door to our dressing room was exploded into the inside and slam down to the floor, then watched helplessly as the young man who was garbed in black that we saw following us, stood in the dressing room where the door was just only a few seconds ago. When he saw me his grim, expressionless face took on a grin that could only be described as cat who had finally caught his prey after going after it so many times, and wondering how to slowly…slowly… torture it.