Author's Note: Heeeey guys! I'm kinda tired right now, so this is gunna be another short author's note (I promise the chapter won't suffer!)
So, how is everyone? Enjoying the summer? Yeah? That's good. :) For some reason, I feel kind of sleep deprived. Weird, I know. You know what else? I just got my first sunburn of the summer! *High fives self* Anyways, here are your questions:
Question #1: What is the longest you have ever had to wait for the sequel of a book to come out?
Question #2: Who here has ever written a book and tried to get it published? I know most of you guys are writers, and from what I've seen, you should be getting book deals left and right!
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Disclaimer:
Me: *Singing*
I dreamed a dreaaaaaam, I owned Darkest Powers! Yeah, yeah, ohhhhh yeahhhhhh!
Chloe: Um, alright then…Derek?
Derek: Hmmm?
Chloe: Get 'the stuff'.
Me: *Still singing*
Oh please, oh pleeeease! Don't get the stuff out, forrrr meeeee! I know I don't, own Darkest Poooooooowers! Mmmmm, yeah, ohhhhhhh!
Chloe: *Smiles*
Good little prisoner! Here's a cookie!
Me: *Singing*
Mmmmmmmmm! There was a farmer, who had a dog, and Bingo was his NAME OHHHH! B! I! N! G! O! Yeahhhhh! :)
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Precautions
Simon POV
Tori and I set off down the road, leaving Derek and Chloe alone with Andrew. We had already done our best to mend up his leg, but it was obvious he would soon need medical attention, which was bad news for us, because the Edison Group have people everywhere. For now, our best option is to buy some disinfectant from a pharmacy or convenience store…
"So we're supposed to get out money with Chloe's bank card, right?" I jumped at the sound of Tori's voice- she hadn't spoken since we left Chloe and Derek in the clearing.
"Uh…yeah. Apparently the limit is $400 a day. Can you believe that?" I questioned in an attempt to start a conversation. Tori just nodded, keeping her eyes on her shoes. There was another half hour of awkward silence, then:
"You probably think I'm a monster for what I did back there," she blurted, her eyes glued to her shoes.
Woah, she feels…guilty?! Who is this girl?! I still hadn't answered her question, which probably made her think I was dreaming up some elaborate story.
"Um…no, Tori. I think it was probably the only thing you could do in a situation like that. I mean, she would have killed us all if it wasn't for you!" I laughed nervously, knowing I'd said way too much.
I looked over at her, watching as she bit her lip and nodded slowly. I could almost see her building up the wall- her usual defense whenever she felt threatened.
"I'm serious, Tori. You should not feel guilty about this!" She nodded again, dropping her gaze to her hands.
"Then why…why do I? I mean, I know she was going to kill us, yadda yadda yadda, so why is the guilt eating me up?" She turned to me, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over.
"Because you have a heart! Something your mom didn't have." I put my hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. Deciding it was time to change the subject, I let the question that was dominating my thoughts escape my lips.
"So…we're… related. That's kinda…weird." She laughed, glad for the subject change.
"Yeah, I mean, how can I be related to someone so ugly?"
"Hey, watch it! Those are my Dad's genetics you're insulting, which means it comes right back to you." She shrugged.
"Nah, I take after my mother more, which means I have an excuse for the bitchiness." She said it firmly, and I couldn't help but laugh.
She rolled her eyes at me. "It's not that funny Simon."
"Yeah, I know. It's just amazing how the only thing you got from your mother was the tendency to be a bitch." She shrugged again, and I knew from then on to not bring up her mother.
"So, uh…Chloe says you're good at fixing computers?" It was more of a question than a statement, and I was hoping it would make up for my previous failed attempt at starting a conversation. I looked over at Tori, who shrugged yet again. I swear, if she shrugs her shoulders one more time, I'll-
"Chloe likes to exaggerate." She said bluntly.
"Exaggerate?! She said you were working on an early acceptance package to MIT!" I gaped at her for a second before trying a different strategy. "Must be my Dad's genetics." I joked, hoping she would open up or something.
"She made it up. It's seriously nowhere near possible for me to get into MIT. And FYI, that was pretty racist of you." I sighed, retreating into my mind to think.
What happened to the Tori who loved to brag about herself? In Lyle House she would follow me around with a constant stream of 'me, me, me', and now…I could feel my face heating up while I remembered what Tori had done in that godforsaken place.
"So, um…when we were in Lyle House, you-"
She blushed, and I knew it was the wrong time to bring it up. I was trying to think of other topics we could discuss when she began to speak. "That was all a big misunderstanding, Simon. I didn't like you like that. I think I just sort of subconsciously recognized who you were and thought it was something else. It was a mistake." I nodded- her explanation seemed pretty reasonable, and it was definitely time to change the subject again.
"So, uh…what do you wanna talk about?" I asked lamely. She was silent for a few more minutes, biting her lip as she thought something over. I was sure she wasn't going to respond, but when she turned to face me, I could see the determination in her eyes. "Can you tell me about…your Dad?" She asked quickly, as if she regretted asking.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "He's your dad too, Tori." She shook her head rapidly, as if refusing to believe it.
"Forget I asked. I just-"
I sighed. I had a major headache, and her getting on my nerves was not helping it one bit. "What do you wanna know?"
She bit her lip again. "Um…anything I guess."
"Okay then. Well, his names Christopher, but everyone calls him Kit. He's a bit taller than me, and he's a lawyer..."
We spent the next few hours exchanging stories; mine where about my Dad, and Tori's where…nonexistent. She stayed quiet for pretty much the whole trip, nodding occasionally and slipping in the rare 'okay'.
My heart almost leaped out of my chest when I spotted a little town in the distance. My stomach began rumbling then, recognizing that there was food nearby. We would buy everything we needed and stock up on non-perishable foods. That way, we could keep our trips to a minimum and avoid exposure… I took a step forward and lost my footing.
Tori grabbed me before I hit the ground, swearing under her breath. "Simon, what the hell?!" She struggled to pull me to my feet, brushing herself off when I finally managed to pick myself up.
"Sorry, I…dunnowhathappn." I could hear myself slurring the words, but I couldn't find the energy to repeat my sentence. I knew then what was happening, silently cursing myself for not watching out. I had to tell Tori what to do so she wouldn't freak out, and-
"Towi, need…le…bac..pockt."
"What? A needle in your back pocket? What are you talking about, Simon? What's wrong with- Simon?!"
I felt my back make contact with the ground, my brain barely registering the pain as everything began fading. I could feel myself losing consciousness, faintly aware of someone calling my name.
Then everything went black.
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Derek POV
We had left the part of the road where Tori and her mother had fought, and were now settled in another clearing deep in the forest. The tent was set up and Andrew was asleep inside, snoring away. We had to wait for Tori and Simon to return and allow the drugs to wear off before we could leave.
"They should've been back by now!" I repeated for the hundredth time that day. Simon and Tori had left hours ago, and I was starting to get worried. Chloe, on the other hand, seemed almost practically unaffected.
"Relax, Derek. There probably aren't any stores close by. I mean, look! That road goes on forever! Besides, they have a lot to talk about…" I nodded. Finding out he had a sister probably freaked Simon out more than the knowledge that the same sister had an unrequited crush on him less than a month before… I shuddered internally. This was some messed up shit; practically Jerry Springer material! (Or at least some prime-time soap-opera). How could our Dad and Tori's mom have ever-
"Derek, don't." Chloe placed her hands on her hips, attempting to look authoritative. I played along, hoping to distract myself from the anxious feeling in my stomach. Worrying about Simon and Tori wasn't going to bring them back any faster...
"Don't what?!"
" Don't go to that little place in your head where you try to make sense of everything, because trust me, you won't be able to. " She smirked, amused by the situation.
"Ugh…fine. But where could they be? It's been hours! I swear, if Tori did anything to Simon, I'll-"
"Derek, calm down. Tori would never hurt Simon."
"She might, if she gets angry." I reminded her.
"That was completely different. Her mom was gunna shoot her, and-"
I cut her off. "It still doesn't change the facts, Chloe. She's dangerous! Her powers are magnified, and she has almost no control over them! What if one day she gets really angry-"
"I trust her. I'm not leaving her. And I know Simon won't want to, especially now." She spoke firmly, delivering her little speech without any hint of doubt. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her in a hug.
"I didn't mean we should leave her- although I could do without her comments for a while- I meant we needed to be more careful! We have to do what Andrew suggested and practice control, or we'll never be able to take down the Edison Group." She nodded against my chest and I released her, carefully slipping her necklace off her neck. She looked up at me with confusion in her eyes.
"What are you-" she began.
I cut her off again. "It's just in case. After what happened last time, I don't want you to take any chances. Especially after what happened today." I pocketed the necklace, meeting her gaze when I looked up. She didn't believe me, but it was true. I really didn't want a repeat of the little zombie convention we had, and if she dreamt about Tori's mom enough…well, I didn't really want to think about that. "You should go to bed soon. You haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately," I reminded her, knowing what her answer was going to be.
"I think I'll just…stay up and wait for them with you." I pursed my lips, knowing what she was afraid of, and to be honest, I could do without another visit from Tori's mother.
"Ok then." I nodded, grabbing one of my sweaters out of my bag and laying it on the damp forest ground. I plopped down on it and invited her to join me. "What do you want to do while we wait?" I asked.
"I have no idea," She replied honestly. "But I have a feeling it's going to be a long night."
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Author's Note: Well, there you have it folks! Another chapter. Please, pleeeeease REVIEW! I havn't been getting a lot lately, and it makes me quite sad.
Anyways, the part about Simon was really hard to write, because… Christina, if you're reading this, you're prolly shaking your head, saying: "Man, she has it ALL WRONG!" And to that I say: "Well, SOOOORRY! I was experiencing it, not watching it happen! How should I have written it?" And you'll prolly say: "Like this, idiot:
This shoutout goes out to my cousin, Christina, who read the series in two days and is now anxious for more. I love her more than life itself and am so proud of all her accomplishments (pffttt. Jk :] ). She is my best friend (not my only friend, thank you very much ya little huss!) and we are two halves of a Jimmy Choo flat. (Although I've never seen one, so…) I can read her thoughts and vice versa. Please give her profile some hits, y'all!"
And I'll say: Ya, ok there buddy ;)
(Please don't ask, unless you really wanna know.)