Hey guys, new chapter, fast update, woo!! However, this isn't the Duncan chapter yet. ): Explanation in end author note.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to: Amanda, pinkpearl89, iamagriffin, -the smell of autumn-, L, Sarahrules336, raneonthewyndoepain, SecretlyAGriffindor, wickdwrtr, xXIloveHarryPotterXx, lira2308, RaindropsOntheRooftop, ivyflightislistening, Tigerlily, Hannable, and mimimi213 for the lovely reviews!! This chapter is dedicated to all of you guys! (:

POV Order: Lily, Alice, Vanessa, Lily

Disclaimer: I might have some creative rights to Vanessa, but nothing else.

Apathy is the easiest trap to fall into. And the best thing a person can do to avoid it is to stay passionate. Because the times of utter misery are so worth it for the times of complete happiness. Never allow yourself to stop caring. Feeling too much is better than not feeling enough.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Making Progress

Lily found it harder to concentrate than usual on Professor Binns' droning voice as she sat in History of Magic. For once, however, it was not the sleepy stupor induced by the little old man's boring lesson topics that was tugging at the edge of her consciousness, it was something far more recent and it was keeping her awake and alert.

Just yesterday she had received the news of Stella's kidnapping, and so far she had been in a state of shock, going through the day acting normal and trying her best not to think about it. But as she sat with her fellow Gryffindors (save for Peter, who had failed the O.W.L. miserably) in back of Binns' classroom, her mind was free to wander.

She had to do something to help Stella. Lily had only met her once, but she felt a connection to the tall blond girl. Not only had Stella taken her side against Gregory Pearson, she had given Lily a piece of advice that she had written on the inside cover of her planner so that she could see it everyday:

"Don't settle for someone who kisses up to you all the time. Wait for the guy who knows how to make you angry and does so on a regular basis. The guy who will be honest with you and tell you if you look ridiculous or that you're acting stupid. Because love was never meant to be easy. It was meant to be worth it." - Stella Redwood

It was these words that had truly made Lily feel better about everything Greg had done to her, it was these words that gave her hope and made her realize that falling in love with someone is not an easy ride. She knew now that love was so much more than kisses, and presents, and walks in the park. It was all those things, sure, but it was also a fight. It took blood and sweat and tears to be in love with someone, and it took just as much for them to love you back. Lily did not think you could truly be in love with someone unless you had really gone through something with that person, seen the good and the bad, been their crying shoulder and crying on theirs. Love was a war just like anything else, but it was the war that really was worth fighting for.

Lily knew it was silly, but in a few short sentences, Stella had helped her realize all of this, she had changed the way Lily looked at boys, and in a sense, the way she looked at life. Lily owed Stella. She knew it. But that was not the only reason she wanted to help. Stella was her friend, bottom line. And Lily would do anything for her, even though she had spent so little time with her. And maybe that was a mistake, maybe it was not a good thing that she had trusted Stella so easily, but Lily rarely trusted people quickly, so she thought there must be something special about the tall blond.

Lily thought about writing to Alastor Moody personally, to see if he would give her information that Dumbledore might be withholding for her own protection. Of course, Lily had no idea what she would do even if she knew where Stella was or who had taken her, but she figured she could overcome those obstacles when she got to them, it would not do any good to try to climb a wall that was not there. A closer hurdle was getting the information. After only a brief encounter with the grizzled Auror, Lily did not think him to be the type to divulge any secrets. She could try to figure out who was on the team he had assembled, but if Moody had chosen them, they were probably on the same level of confidentiality, if only to keep Moody from blasting them to bits.

What do the Death Eaters even want her for? Lily thought angrily. It's not like she's a witch, then it might make more sense, they could want her for her talents. But why capture a Muggle? If only there was someone on the inside that could –

Lily cut her own thought short as she realized that there was just such a person. Someone close enough to the Death Eaters – maybe one of them himself – that might know what was going on. But would he even talk to her after everything she had told him last summer? Of course he would, because just as Sev would always have a place in her heart, Lily knew that she would always have a place in his. They had been friends too long, been through too much, to just pretend like there was nothing left. If he were to come to her with a genuine need, something that did not go against everything she believed in, she would still do everything in the world to help him, no questions asked. Because, Lily thought, friends forever really are friends forever. No matter what happens, no matter who says what and no matter how far apart you drift, when it comes right down to it, if you were in it together once, you always would be.

Yes. She would talk to Sev the first chance she got.

Now that she had a plan, Lily felt much better. She felt as though she was moving forward, making progress, rather than letting grief overcome her. If there was anything that she took from this whole experience – her parents' death, her sister's newfound hatred, and then Stella – it was that giving into sadness was just what the Death Eaters would want. It was how they fought their war, for sadness alone was crippling, one must overcome their sadness and turn it to determination. That was the only chance they had of victory.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Lily looked at her parchment and was slightly surprised to see it completely blank. That was the first time, ever, that she had not written a single thing.

"Hey, I've got you covered," James said, showing her his own notes. They were not as lengthy as Lily's normally were, but he had tried.

She smiled up at him. "How did you know?"

"Told you I didn't need Divination," James told her with a wink.

Lily shook her head and quickly shoved her things back into her bag, following the rest of her friends out the door.

- - - - - - -

After History of Magic and Charms, Alice led the way into the Great Hall for lunch, eager to see Frank. She spotted him waving her over and dashed off to join him, a grin stubbornly stuck on her face.

"Hey, Frank!" she exclaimed, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He smiled back at her as she sat down beside him. "I missed you at breakfast today."

"Sorry, I overslept. We barely made it to Potions in time."

Alice began piling food on her plate as Lily, Vanessa, and the boys took their places around the couple, chatting lazily.

"Hey, did you see the paper this morning?" Frank asked once everyone was settled.

Lily, Alice, and Vanessa shook their heads. "We weren't down here for the mail," Lily explained.

"And I never got a chance to read it," James said. "Why?"

"There's been another Death Eater attack," Frank told them, a grim expression on his face.

"What?" Sirius exclaimed. "Who? Was it anyone we know?"

Alice felt a tug at her heart when she saw the look on his face. Sirius seemed so guilty whenever there was news of the war. She knew he blamed himself for a lot of the bad things that had happened because so many people in his family were Death Eaters and supporters of Voldemort. It was ridiculous, of course. But there was no chance in convincing him of that.

"No, no, it was a half-blood family from Germany. They were on Holiday in London."

"Something has to be done," Lily said, determination in her emerald eyes.

"I agree. Why are we all sitting around doing nothing?" Sirius challenged. "There's a war practically on our doorstep and yet here we are."

"They say Dumbledore is building up a resistance – people who want to fight. Maybe we should talk to him," Remus suggested.

"But we're too young," Peter said, eyes full of fear.

"I hate to say it," Alice reasoned. "But Peter's right. Professor Dumbledore would never allow us to fight, at least not until we're of age."

"There has to be something we can do," James said angrily, hitting a fist on the wooden table.

"Well, why don't we talk to Dumbledore?" Vanessa suggested. "Maybe there is something we can do, even if it's on a smaller scale. Then he would trust us and let us fight once we're out of school."

"Remus and Lily should be the ones to talk to him," Sirius said, brightening slightly at the idea. "The are the prefects after all, he might be more willing to listen to them."

"This isn't some petty school issue, though," Lily added. "I'm sure he'd be ready to talk to anyone who wanted to do their part in this war. I have no problem with doing it, but if anyone else wants to, that's fine too."

"I'll go," James said immediately.

"And me," added Alice and Vanessa together.

"I'm in," Frank nodded.

"That's makes all of us," Sirius grinned. "Right, Pete?"

The smaller boy gave a tiny nod, looking as if he wished he could do anything else.

"Good," Remus said. "Why don't we go this weekend, before the Hogsmeade trip?"

"Sounds good to me," Sirius agreed. He went on, lowering his voice. "In the meantime, though, the Marauders have yet to pull a start-of-term prank."

James' eyes lit up as his best friend said this. "You are absolutely right. If you all will excuse us, we have some serious planning to do."

"Nothing that I would have to get you into trouble for!" Lily told them as the four boys got to their feet.

"Don't worry, Lily-flower," Sirius reassured her. "You won't even be able to prove it was us."

"It's nice too see that even in the midst of everything, they can still keep their sense of humor," Vanessa observed, watching them leave the Great Hall.

"Though, you know Remus probably won't be paying much attention to you for the next few days, Ness," Alice told her with a grin. "He'll be too busy trying to keep them under control."

Vanessa laughed. "I think I'd prefer he not talk to me for a few days to the four of them blowing up the school."

"Good point," Alice said, laughing too.

"Yeah, Al, just because you need constant attention doesn't mean all girls do," Frank joked, ruffling her hair.

She swatted his hand away playfully. "Hey!"

"Just 'hey?' No witty comeback?" Frank smiled victoriously.

"Well, I do enjoy attention, what was I supposed to say?" Alice told him lightly. "Comebacks only work when jokes aren't based in truth."

"Hmm, I never thought about that before," Frank said, frowning in mock concentration. "So what would you say then if I said something completely crazy? Like… you look like the underside of an elephant?"

Alice laughed before replying. "I would say that you're worse off than I am, you look like the front of one." She took a finger and held it way out in front of her nose to indicate that he had a large one.

Frank chuckled. "I see your point, it's much more fun when nothing makes sense."

"Hey, I said the joke couldn't be based in truth, I never said anything about the comeback," Alice grinned, pinching his nose.

Frank's jaw dropped as he pretended to be hurt. "Oh you did not just say that, missy."

"Oh yes I did. What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know maybe… this!"

Alice gasped as Frank began tickling her stomach madly. "Ah! Stop! No! Jerk!" she choked out through hysterical laughter.

Suddenly, the pair heard someone clear their throat and looked up to see Lily and Vanessa watching them with amused expressions on their faces.

"You do realize that half the people in the Hall are staring at you, right?" Vanessa asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly fighting a smile.

"Yeah, guys, get a room. Honestly," Lily added, shaking her head as she feigned horror at their public display of affection.

Alice felt herself blush, but grinned at her friends. "Stop being such sourpusses," she joked, sticking out her tongue.

Lily and Vanessa giggled as the four of them stood together and made their way up the many staircases that led to Gryffindor Tower.

- - - - - - -

Vanessa was sitting by the fire in the Common Room that night, reading a book for her Magical Law class. It was late and the girls had gone to bed, and Vanessa was about to join them when she heard someone enter the portrait hole. She turned to find Remus making his way over to her.

"Hey," she greeted. "Where's the gang?"

"Still working on this new prank," Remus explained, shaking his head in amusement. "It would be nice if they put this much effort and dedication into school."

Vanessa laughed lightly, standing to face him. "So how did you manage to get away?"

"I told them I wanted to come talk to you."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? Leaving them alone while they're on a prank adrenaline high?" Vanessa joked.

Remus smiled. "I told them not to do anything I wouldn't while I'm gone. I'm just hoping they know me well enough to know where I would draw the line."

"It's not so much the fact that they know where you would draw the line, it's which lines you would be willing to cross."

"That's true," Remus chuckled. "I really did want to talk to you though."

Vanessa felt her heart jump to her throat as she imagined the worse. "You haven't changed your mind, have you?"

"No!" he exclaimed, gentle grabbing her arms to keep her facing him. "No, no, no, Ness. I still don't think I made the best decision for your sake, but I've made it and I'm not going back now."

She smiled up at him. "Just making sure."

"Would you like to go for a walk with me?" he asked, taking her book and setting it on the table by her chair.

"Rem, it's past curfew."

"Like you said, it's which lines I'm willing to cross. I may be a prefect, but I'm also a Marauder, and as such I know that there are some rules that are made to be broken."

Vanessa looked at him, impressed. "Wow, this is a whole other side to you."

"Well, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," he told her, blushing and looking slightly awkward as they made their way out of the tower. "It's just, I've never really had a relationship before, because I always swore that I wouldn't. And now that I'm here, I don't know how to act around you."

Vanessa studied his face for a moment, taking in the light brown hair, deep grey eyes, and all over rugged look he pulled off so well. "The way I see it," she began, talking slowly as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "When you're in a relationship with someone, you have to just be yourself around them. Just say what you want to say, do what you want to do. I think relationships have a lot to do with individuals, you know? Like I have to be willing to show you exactly who I am and you have to be the same to me."

"But that's just it. There are things that seem like I should keep to myself, things I wouldn't tell anyone. It's things that I would like to be able to share with you, but then either I don't want to burden you with it, or I don't want you to think I'm crazy. Does that make sense?" he asked, an almost pleading look in his eyes.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Absolutely. A lot of the time, I think people should just keep secrets to themselves, that way, if they mess something up, there is no one to blame but themselves. When you tell other people those things, it's like they carry this weight with them because if they mess it up, it's like they let you down, you know? But I guess when you really care about people, you have to trust them not to mess it up, at least not on purpose, and you have to be willing to forgive them if they do. And on the other side, you have to be willing to listen and keep the other person's secrets."

Remus nodded. "It's just confusing. I watch the way James acts around Lily and the way Alice and Frank act around other people and it's like the whole thing just comes so naturally to them, whereas I don't really feel like that."

By now they had made it to the oak front doors. They were unlocked, so Remus and Vanessa made their way outside and down to the lake. The grounds were lit only by the light streaming from the castle windows, and by the scattered stars overhead. Vanessa smiled inwardly. It was a new moon, of course Remus would only take her outside when it could not be seen at all.

"Well," she told him, taking his hand in hers. "I'm no expert myself. I suppose we'll just have to learn together."

Remus shook his head in a bemused sort of way. "You just seem so confident in everything. How do you manage that?"

"I suppose it's a lot easier to make something work if you go into it already fully convinced that it will rather than going into it expecting to fail," Vanessa shrugged. "Besides, I really want to make this work, so why would I be anything but confident?"

"Can I ask you something?" Remus asked, leading her around the lake.

"Of course."

"Why me?" he went on. "When girls look at us, they see James and Sirius. James, well, he's almost taken already, but why me instead of Sirius?"

"How could you be worried about that?" Vanessa asked with a soft laugh. "You're smart, and talented, and maybe Sirius is too, but I think it's the heart that makes the ultimate decision. And I don't think that the heart uses any kind of reasonable rubric to determine who it falls for. I think it goes solely off it's own standards and chooses who it wants despite anything your head tries to tell it."

"Have you ever considered becoming a writer?" Remus asked, smiling down at her.

Vanessa was slightly startled by the question. "Not really, why?"

"I just think that there's a lot going on in that head that people could really benefit from. You have all these interesting takes on things that I probably would never have even thought of if you hadn't said something."

Vanessa felt her cheeks flushing. "Well, another thing I think is that people need to figure this kind of stuff out for themselves. You shouldn't base your beliefs of something that you read. I think your beliefs come from your experiences and that's what you should go off of. If you base a belief off something you read, it can be weak. If you experience something for yourself, you'll feel much more strongly about it and can back yourself up."

"I still think you should consider it," Remus grinned. "You never know, you could really change people's lives."

Vanessa shrugged. "I don't know, do you really see me as a change the world type of girl?"

"After everything you just said?" Remus asked in disbelief. "Come on, Ness, I think you've got a pretty good shot at it."

A sudden thought occurred to her and she gave him a sly grin. "I could fight for werewolf rights."

Remus' face darkened slightly. "I think it would be a waste of time. We've been fighting that battle for ages."

"You, the werewolves have. What if there were people who weren't werewolves fighting too? I mean, how much say can you have in the way tings are run if you can't even have a job in the Ministry?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "I've really gotten you onto something, haven't I?"

"Yes, you have. It's a good idea!" she said defiantly when she saw his expression. "I mean, what better way to change the world then to actually include the whole world in the world? Does that make sense?"

Remus gave her a quizzical look, but nodded.

"I mean," she went on. "When you think about it, the way the wizarding world treats werewolves is basically the same way that Voldemort and his followers treat half-bloods and Muggle-borns. How can the Ministry fight a war for equality of all wizards, while they still limit rights to half-breeds? It's hypocrisy."

"Now many people will see it that way, Ness."

"You don't know that, Rem. Besides, it's worth a try, isn't it? You just told me I could change the world if I wanted to. Am I not allowed to change your world?"

Remus looked at her sadly. "I would love nothing more than for you to change my world. But our Ministry is one of tradition. They won't be open to a new idea so against everything that they have previously believed."

"Then we talk to people now. Students who plan on going into the Ministry later," Vanessa suggested.

"But they've still been taught the same things that the Ministry thinks."

"Not Muggle-borns," she corrected. "They come into our world with no prejudice. They think of everything in a whole different way, they can see people as they really are rather than how society tells them they are. Take Lily for example, Snape was her best friend for years, despite the fact that he was a Slytherin. Just from what I was taught, I would never have even given him the time of day. She hated James for years, even though he was everything our world thinks you should be. She found out your condition and didn't think twice about it. She thought it was no big deal that you were a werewolf and didn't even bother to bring it up until you did."

"What if Lily's just the exception?" Remus asked.

"And what if she's the rule? We can't know unless we try. I can think of five people off the top of my head who would be on our side in a heartbeat. Four of them are Pureblood! Why can't there be more?"

"But they knew me before they knew about my condition," he argued.

"Which just goes to show that it's not what you are, it's what you do! Like Lily always says. And what did they do after they found out? They clearly didn't leave. They stuck with you."

Remus stared at her for a moment. "You really want to do this, don't you?"

"Absolutely. I couldn't think of a better thing to do."

"Then I believe you can do it," he told her with a smile. "We should probably get back inside."

Vanessa nodded and followed back to the castle. They walked through the corridors hand-in-hand in amiable silence, occasionally ducking into an empty classroom when a teacher was near. They reached Gryffindor tower and woke an angry fat lady and entered the Common Room.

"Well, goodnight," Vanessa said as Remus walked with her to the bottom of the girls staircase. "Just in case you were wondering," she added, a grin and a blush on her face. "This is where you kiss me."

"Remus smiled back. "Funnily enough, that one I actually knew."

He took her hand and gently pulled her towards him, pressing his lips over her in a soft kiss. Vanessa closed her eyes and leaned into him for a moment, a soft moan escaping from her throat. She pulled away, knowing her face must be beyond red, but she grinned up at him, nonetheless. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest, just as she had done when he had asked her out.

"We really are going to make this work, you know," she whispered.

Remus stroked her hair for a moment before replying. "You know what? I think we will."

Vanessa smiled into his chest, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Just knowing that he wanted this as much as she did was enough to make her heart sing. She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek and made her way up the stairs.

"Goodnight, Rem."

"Goodnight."

She looked back down at him to see that he was smiling too. It was smile that she rarely saw on his troubled face, one of true and utter happiness.

- - - - - - -

Lily jerked awake when the dormitory door creaked open. She was about to look and see who had come in, but something stopped her. That something was sitting in a hard wooden chair next to her bed holding one of her hands in his.

"James?" she whispered. "I told you yesterday that you had to sleep! I'm fine."

James smiled at her, looking deathly tired. "Clearly you are not fine. I will sleep when I come in here and you aren't tossing and turning in some horrible nightmare."

Lily sat up on the bed and faced him. "Go. To. Bed," she instructed.

"Not a chance," he told her, patting her knee.

She let out an impatient huff and crossed her arms, giving James a look reminiscent of Professor McGonagall. "You're impossible."

"I do try," James grinned.

"Listen," Lily said, struck by an idea he would probably never agree to. "I'll sleep on the floor. You take the bed. That way, I'm not having nightmares and you'll get some rest."

Just as she thought he would, James stared at her like she was crazy. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"Why don't you two just share a bed?" Vanessa suggested, climbing into her own.

James shook his head. "Sorry, Ness, but I'm a tad old-fashioned. I don't want anyone to have reason to think badly of Lily."

Vanessa rolled her eyes, but smiled as she closed her curtains.

"Then you sleep on the floor," Lily suggested. "Just sleep. I'm not going to let you torture yourself over me. In fact," she sat up straighter and crossed her arms. "I refuse to sleep another minute unless you sleep as well."

"Lily –"

"I mean it. Besides, we're meeting that new professor in the morning and by the sound of him, you'll need your strength."

"Fine," he agreed grudgingly, knowing Lily would not be swayed. "But stay on this side of the bed, so I can see you and give me your hand."

"Fine," she repeated.

James took out his wand and transfigured his chair into a crimson sleeping bag with gold lining and Lily had to laugh.

"Gryffindor through and through, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," he grinned, getting inside as Lily laid back down. He reached his hand up and caught hers, which was hanging off the bed and held on tight. "If you need me –"

"You're right here," Lily finished for him, giving him a small smile. "Now go to sleep."

– The Next Morning –

Lily woke up when a pillow hit her in the face. She looked over to see Alice staring at her, a terrified expression on her face.

"Wha-?" Lily began, but a warm hand covered her mouth and dragged her back onto the bad as the curtains closed around her.

"Mary and Waverly," James breathed in her ear. She was sitting in his lap and he had one arm around her waist and one still covering her mouth, but she turned as best she could to face him.

"That was too close," she whispered back as he release took his hand away.

"So much for not doing anything to make people think badly of you."

He was so sincere, but Lily rolled her eyes. "It's okay, it's not your fault."

"I should never have let you convince me to go to sleep," he told her.

"You're joking, right?" she whispered. "Sleep and functioning properly go hand-in-hand, James. How exactly did you plan on getting through the day with no sleep?"

James shrugged, Lily could feel the movement throughout her entire body and realized just how close they were. "I would have managed."

"Well, don't you think that even if they still happened to find us, it would be better if I wasn't sitting on top of you?" Lily joked.

James cocked an eyebrow. "What? Don't tell me you'd be embarrassed? You know every girl wants some of this, you should consider yourself lucky."

Lily buried her face in his shoulder to stifle a laugh and inhaled some of his scent. It was quite intoxicating, a blend of light cologne and the smell of winter. "Don't be ridiculous," she told him, shaking her head to clear it.

"Should we wake, Lily?" Waverly asked from somewhere outside.

Lily felt James' arms tighten around her. It felt almost… protective. Not that protective really surprised her, but to actually feel it like that was more reassuring than Lily ever would have imagined.

"Oh, no!" Vanessa exclaimed. They could hear her move to stand in front of Lily's bed. "She hasn't been sleeping well lately, I think it's best to leave her be."

"Besides," came Alice's bell-like voice. "First class is Transfiguration, I don't think Lily would mind missing."

"Okay…" Waverly said, sounding unconvinced.

"Come on," Mary called to her friend. "Let's get down to breakfast. James loves Transfiguration, I bet he and the boys got up on time today."

"They'll be at breakfast and if Lily isn't there maybe we'll get a chance to talk to them!" Waverly added. There was a brief shuffling noise as the two girls grabbed their bags and hurried from the room.

Lily had not noticed that she and James had been holding their breath until they let it out together, laughing with nervous relief.

"I can honestly say I hope that is one experience I never have to have again," Lily said, still quietly.

"And honestly, I can't," James whispered, drawing lazy circles on her back.

Lily rolled her eyes and slid off of him. "Why are we whispering?"

"I don't know," he grinned.

Just then, the curtains flew open and there stood Alice and Vanessa. The little blond looked as though she had almost had a heart attack and her taller friend did not look much better.

"Let's never do that again," Vanessa suggested.

Alice nodded in agreement. "I was so scared they were going to catch you!"

"Well, they still might," Lily told them, hopping off the bed and grabbing a hairbrush. Running it through her long red hair, she continued, "if all of your friends are at breakfast without you, it won't go unnoticed by Mary and Waverly. You'd better get down there, James, or the two of them might start the rumors without seeing anything."

She walked over to the dormitory door and held it open for him. James smiled and shook his head in amusement. "Just can't wait to see me gone, can you?" he asked, making his way onto the staircase.

Just as he passed by Lily, she reached out and touched him arm ever so lightly, mouthing "thank you," before he looked away. James nodded to her, "anytime, love," he told her silently. And he was gone.

_______________________________________________________

PLEASE READ THIS!!!! I know it's long, but bear with me.

Ugh, I wanted this to be the DADA chapter so bad! But it was already over 5,000 words and I figured that was already a bit much, but what do you guys think? What chapter length is good, honestly, like, is this too long? It was just one of those chapters where it was like they were just acting it out right in front of me and all I had to do was right it out and soon enough it was too long for Duncan, because I want that part to be big and I want to give myself time to really write it out. Hope you still enjoyed it!!

I also think I'm going to try to put Lily's conversation with Sev next chapter. That's the plan as of now, but as I think I've made clear, plans are subject to change.

Also, I've had people tell me that the three relationships are too similar, and I completely agree, so I hope this chapter brings some diversity into it.

Also, this is when the characters really start becoming involved, not necessarily in the war, but at least in their world. This is when they really start to care, so some deep stuff in this chapter, especially with Lily and Vanessa, what do you think? Too much? Does it work? I need FEEDBACK!! Haha.

Pearl: I tried to get them into bed together, I really did, but neither of them would have anything to do with it, it just seemed to forced. But I really did try for your sake! Maybe next time, but I'm really thinking they won't go for it until they're dating, but we'll see. (:

PLEASE REVIEW!

Love you all to bits!

Love Always,

Kayla

To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.