Disclaimer: I own my characters and ideas only. Not Twilight.
A/N: Before I let this chapter go, I wanted to say something real quick. Last chapter, some of you weren't too thrilled with what went down. I understand that and I am going to listen to two in particular who had genuine feedback, not because I want to be a crowd pleaser, but because their words were truthful and I can honestly agree with them. I'm not going to change how I do things overall, but alterations here and there aren't a bad thing. It's a learning process for me, girls and guys. I'm still learning, and that will no doubt show. I do wish to thank those two people for being respectful with their criticism. It's been noted.
This chapter is aesthetically dedicated to Paige Turner, who has been an amazing friend to me for several months, and whom I owe for giving me encouraging words. So thank you, Paige. I appreciate it.
This chapter has not been beta-ed. If you catch any mistakes, please PM me.
Frozen Hearts
My body feels…cold. This is the first thought that goes through my mind when I regain consciousness. It's such a surreal sensation for me; I don't know what to think. There's brightness before me, but I can't see. I can't blink, or smell, or speak, or move.
I feel as though I'm floating in some kind of prison. I tried to twitch my fingers, but nothing is working. I'm terrified because of this fact; am I dead? Did something kill me? It's like I'm in trapped in some kind of nightmare world or something. What's going on?
Something seems to flicker in the brightness. It's vague, but I'm almost positive I can see…blonde hair? Is that what I'm looking at? I can't tell. It's too hard. Seconds—or is it minutes?—pass and I see more blonde. Three? There's also brown head, dark brown. And orange like fire. It has to be hair. What else could it be?
Crack. I hear something, a cracking noise. Then another. Crack. Crack. Crack. My vision slowly becomes cleared up and I can see things, but it's still too fuzzy. The sound of shattering echoed in my ears and my body finally found itself free. It took me a few moments to collect my thoughts and take everything in, but I soon become aware of several bodies surrounding me.
Then I was flipped around and I saw six faces, all blurry, looking down at me. Two were leaning close to my right, one close to my left, the others looming in the distance. I could vaguely make them out, but my eyes felt heavy and weak, so I closed them. Every part of me felt weak, for that matter, yet there was nothing I could do.
Helpless, I thought.
"Bella!" That voice. Esme? "Bella, sweetheart, can you hear me?"
"Carlisle, what the hell do we do?" I heard someone ask. Rosalie.
"I don't know," replied Carlisle. "I've never come across a vampire with this gift before."
"I don't fucking believe this," said a distinctly female voice. It had to be Victoria. "That bitch had this as a gift? Shit, Bella, I'm so sorry. I should've known beforehand…damn it!"
I felt a hand on each of my shoulders, while another took my left hand. My chest heaved at the contact because of how warm it felt, in both senses of the word. The warmth made me want to try moving again, to speak, or open my eyes, but I couldn't. I began to drift as unconsciousness took hold of me for a second time, and I swore I heard someone scream my name.
My mind was mostly blank as I drifted in blackness. There were no images or faces, but there was a strong desire to not let the darkness take me. I had too much to fight for: my family and my mate, the most important people in my life. And my daughter. I knew deep down that I wanted to save her and make amends. Lastly, my revenge. I needed to fulfill it.
When I came to, I was lying in a bed, mine, I presumed. The first thing I did was move my fingers, at which point I discovered I was able to finally move and it relieved me. I clenched both my hands and brought them to my face, feeling them to make sure I wasn't in some dream state. Nope. I then opened my eyes and sat upright to make certain. I smiled.
I could feel, smell, move every inch of my body, and, best of all, I remembered what happened: Adira Thorne saved Edward and froze me with her gift. I didn't fail to notice that my throat was moist, the sweet aftertaste of blood on my tongue and filling my mouth, which meant someone had fed me a blood packet while I was unconscious.
But before I could really dwell on the thought, the sound of my door whipping open broke me from my thoughts and a body collided with mine and arms wrapped around me. I knew automatically that it was Alice because I hadn't flown backwards from the force of it, not to mention her chocolaty aroma flowing into my nostrils.
"Thank God," Alice breathed, kissing my face all over. Her angelic blue eyes were red and puffy from the tears she must've been crying for me. "I was so scared, Bella…"
I relaxed and pulled her closer to me as I kissed her forehead. "It's okay, Alice," I whispered, rubbing circles into her back. "I'm fine. Everything is fine."
Alice clutched at the back of my shirt with her hands. "I was with Cynthia and Leah around a campfire when I saw you. I watched you chase after that bastard, beat the shit out of him and then that Thorne girl showed up and froze you in place. Then my vision went black and I freaked out because I thought…I thought you were dead, Bella."
"I thought I was too," I admitted. "But I'm not, and right now, I'm pretty thankful for that fact."
"So am I," Alice said. "Everyone is."
We held each other for a while, neither of us wanting to let go. The thought of losing Alice was a terrifying one, but I didn't have to worry about it anymore since I was—as far as I knew—fine. I eventually leaned back and pulled the covers over us while we cuddled together in silence until I decided it was time to go downstairs to my family.
Alice's body froze in mine suddenly, however, so I waited patiently to see what type of vision she was having. Judging by her facial expressions, it wasn't something bad, but it didn't seem like it was good, either. When she snapped out of it, she pouted and her eyebrows knitted together, forming a cute, yet serious scowl.
"What did you see?" I asked.
"That Thorne boy is coming here," Alice replied. "The one who said he would give us information when he could. Apparently, he's going to explain to us about that bitch who attacked you and give us some info we don't know about."
I narrowed my eyes. "I wonder if he knew they were together."
"Hard to say," Alice replied. "I don't trust him. Not yet, at least."
"How long until he gets here?" I asked.
"Twenty five minutes," Alice replied. "He's moving slowly and stealthily, but no one's watching or following him. His so-called comrades don't seem to even know or care that he's gone. In fact, I did some checking after he revealed his plan to you and they don't even seem to know he's turned on them, which worries me."
"Don't worry about it, Alice," I said, pressing my lips to hers. "By the way, aside from the scare, how was your time at La Push?"
"Good," she replied, smiling at me. "I panicked for a while, but Leah and Cynthia assured me everything would be okay. Then I had a vision of us talking here and I relaxed, even though I had a nightmare about you being killed. Poor Cynthia. She had to hold me all night."
I cooed and cupped her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Ali."
"It's not your fault," she mumbled, nuzzling into the crook of my neck.
"My pride got the best of me," I said. "I should've killed Edward instead of yak, but I didn't expect someone to show up and save him, let alone that Thorne bitch. Had I been paying attention more, I might've caught her scent. The point is, I lost again and Edward got away."
"No, Bella," Alice said. "You didn't lose. You kicked his ass and you made sure he knew you weren't going to let him get to you anymore. That bitch snuck up on you. I saw her, Bella, I saw her waiting in the trees for the right moment to come out and attack. You couldn't smell her because she'd blended in there so well for quite a while."
I frowned. "She was waiting there the entire time? And she didn't jump in to stop me from beating her "mate" senseless? That seems a little…odd."
"Wait, they're mates?" Alice asked, her jaw popping open. "I never caught that part…"
"Apparently so," I replied, cringing in disgust at the very thought. "Although I have no idea how anyone would ever want to be Edward's mate. I mean, in all honesty, you'd have to be out of your fucking mind to find him remotely decent. Still…" I bit my lip and sighed. "This solidifies the fact that Edward is with the Thornes. Fuck."
Alice sighed. "I should've seen this coming."
I kissed her forehead in reassurance. "Don't worry about it, Alice. None of us would have seen this coming, even if we'd known beforehand. I mean, Edward…having a mate. Who the hell would have ever even thought of that happening?"
Neither of us spoke after that, since the very idea was so perplexing and insane. It angered me too, though, because now Edward had someone who would do whatever he wanted to, another pawn for him to manipulate however he wanted. And if the Thornes were his allies, they were likely in the same boat as Adira was. Edward was a master manipulator, after all.
Even so, what got me the most was my own stupidity. How could I have let it happen? It was my fault. I had been stupid, and it cost me. However, I would keep that thought to myself, because I knew the others would disagree. I knew it to be true, so I vowed to never waste time ever again. If...no, when I got my hands on Edward again, I wouldn't waste time talking down to him. I'd kill him. Simple.
After a few more minutes passed, I released Alice and rolled off my bed. "C'mon, Ali. Sitting here isn't going to help and I know the others are probably going to want to know what happened to me unless you already told them." She shook her head and I chuckled. "This should be an interesting conversation. Shall we?"
Alice nodded and we laced our hands together before heading downstairs. Everyone was busy talking in the family room when we walked down, although it stopped once we entered the room and Esme immediately collided with me to pull me into a powerful hug. I let go of Alice's hand and hugged her back, melting into her loving embrace for a while.
"Thank God," Esme breathed when she finally pulled away, though not before kissing my cheeks and forehead and cupping my face. Her eyes blazed with love and relief and I kissed her cheek in return, knowing that Esme would have been crying like Alice if she were able to. "We're all relieved that you're still with us, Bella. How do you feel?"
"Fine," I replied. "A little angry at what happened, but otherwise, I'm okay. How long was I unconscious for? I don't remember much after being frozen…"
"You were unconscious for two days," Carlisle informed me. He came over to hug me as well and I gave him the same love I did Esme. While Carlisle wasn't as physically affectionate the way Esme was, he was on the exact same emotional scale. "I am in agreement with Esme, though." He kissed my forehead. "I'm merely thankful you're alright."
"We all are," Rosalie stated, standing to come and hug me next.
One by one, I was embraced and kissed by my siblings, Rosalie kissing me on the lips, the others on the cheek or the forehead. Even Cynthia got up to hug me. It touched me to feel the love my family had for me and I knew in my heart that they were the main reason—along with Alice—that I refused to let myself die because of a little ice.
When the tender moment ended, everyone sat down, me next to Alice, who snuggled up to me from the side, and Rosalie, who wrapped her arm around my shoulders, which I smiled at. The room fell silent, however, and things became tense. I knew the others wanted to know what happened to me, but no one wanted to brush upon the topic. Then I realized something.
Jane and Riley were missing.
"Where are Jane and Riley?" I asked, suddenly worrying. I wanted to jump up to go to their room, but Rosalie held me in place while Jasper sent me a calm wave. "What happened?"
"Jane and Riley are fine," Rosalie replied. "They have Alec. They're currently in the woods talking with him, though Jane made sure that I send you their love. They'll be back in a while, I'm sure, but right now, Jane wants to get to the bottom of her brother's situation."
I relaxed at that. "Alec is probably pissed at me."
"Why would he be pissed?" Emmett asked.
"I sent him in their direction when I ran into him," I admitted with a shrug.
Victoria chuckled. "That was rather crafty of you, Bella. You could tell he was shocked to hear that his sister was alive, though, so I wonder how their little chat is going."
"Oh, that reminds me," I said. "Alice had a vision of Dante coming here, Tori."
Victoria narrowed her eyes. "Really, now? What the fuck does he want?"
"To talk with us about Adira," Alice answered. "And something else, I think."
Rosalie growled quietly at the name. "That little bitch is going to suffer for what she did."
"Definitely," Victoria agreed.
"Can we trust this Dante fellow?" Jasper asked.
"I don't know," Victoria admitted. "Dante's always been the quietest out of the Thornes and the one I spoke with the least. In the past, I've seen the same coldness they have in him, but there's always been something…different about him. It's like he didn't belong with the group. I'm not sure if he can be trusted, though. He may be trying to manipulate us on their behalf."
"We'll find out fairly quickly," Alice said. "He's here."
Carlisle and Esme took that as their cue to stand and go to the door. A few seconds later, they returned to the room with Dante behind them, the dark-haired vampire keeping his hands in his pockets as he stood in the entryway of the family room, appraising us quietly.
This was the first time I'd ever bothered to take in his full physical appearance. In terms of physical build, Dante was fairly short for a guy; he had to be no taller than 5'9, if that, and he certainly didn't look imposing the way Emmett did. His scruffy black hair fell over his head in a small mane of messy spikes, similar to, but not the same, as Alice's hair, only longer.
He had an angular chin, thin, manicured eyebrows, a narrow nose and rounded eyes that seemed to have what looked like faint eyeliner around them. His attire was all black and, combined with the rest of his look; he had a gothic vibe about him. Perhaps what stood out the most was the iron intensity in his eyes. They made up for his lack of muscle and stature.
At last, Dante's eyes fell on me and he spoke. "It seems you had a run in with Adira, yes?"
"How'd you guess?" I deadpanned. "I'm guessing she was gloating about it?"
"Oh yes," Dante replied. "Her boasts grew annoying after the first hour, truth be told, but there's little one can do to shut her up. That woman is full of bravado, so in a way, I'm actually quite thankful to be away from listening to her and the others. And the mind reader, Edward, isn't much better. He's still recovering from the beat down you gave him, yet he still prattles on."
"About what?" I asked. "How I lost in the end? How he got away? That he's still better than I am despite the thrashing I gave him? He really is an idiot and so am I for letting him get away like that. I was gloating, too. I should have known better."
"Bella," Alice said. "Don't-"
"It's fine, Alice," I said quietly, waving it off. "Just me venting." Though if I could kick myself, I would...
"All of the above," Dante replied. "However, one can easily tell that he's been knocked off his high horse, and while he tries to cover it up, he's losing his edge. What you did to him did a massive amount of damage to his ego. It's rather amusing, really."
"Why are you here, Dante?" Victoria asked, standing. "It'd better be to apologize for not fucking tell us that the bitch could do that. I knew she went on about having a gift, but I never once saw it until a few days ago, but I swear, if you withheld that intentionally…"
Dante held his hands up. "I'm not here to fight you, Victoria, nor do I aim to cause any trouble. I do apologize for not forewarning you of Adira's gift when we last spoke, but I didn't know you would be fighting her, let alone that she and Edward were mates. She was strangely quiet about the fact, something that's fairly unusual for her given her usual mannerisms."
"He's being truthful," Jasper replied. "I can sense it."
"Yes," Dante said. "I have no reason to lie, nor any interest in it. Would you sincerely think I would come here of my own free will to speak with you if I intended to lie?"
"Maybe," Victoria growled, begrudgingly sitting.
"Why did you come to visit us?" Carlisle asked, repeating the previous question.
"To fill you in on what I know," Dante replied. "As of now, it seems the Thornes have taken a very large interest in your coven, particularly you." He gestured to Alice. "Edward informed us of your ability to see the future, and both Nikala and Asher are intrigued by the prospect of adding a seer into our coven. Not everyone agrees, but it's difficult to dissuade them."
I growled at this. "So what, they're going to try taking Alice?"
"Possibly," Dante admitted with a shrug. "I can't say for certain, since they haven't said much of the subject, but I know your family is on their list. Apparently, the fact that you humiliated Edward in the fashion you did has cemented you as enemies to them and they wish to…erase you, as it were, from existence. When and how, they have not said."
"So what, you basically tell us all this crap, but it's nothing all that helpful?" Emmett asked.
"We need answers, not more questions," Esme said. "Why does our family interest them so much? What would they do to obtain Alice? How far would they go because we protected one another when they tried to invade our privacy?" She paused for a moment. "The only thing I can say for certain is that bastard got what he deserved."
"True enough," Dante said. "I'm sorry. I would give you facts, but Asher and Nikala have never been good at disclosing information to us until the last second. Victoria, you of all people should be aware of this given our past together with them yes?"
Victoria pursed her lips. "I suppose that's true enough."
"Tell me, Victoria, do you know how Adira came into the Thorne coven?" Dante asked.
"No," Victoria replied, furrowing her brow. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"
"She was the newest addition to the coven before you," Dante said. "She seemed to appear from out of nowhere one day while we were in Europe and openly asked to join us. I found it odd and completely unconventional, but Nikala and Asher were fine with it. They acted like it was normal for a vampire to randomly ask to join up with them. I later learned the truth.
"You see, Nikala and Asher are far older then they claim to be. Asher is actually seven hundred years old, Nikala seven hundred and forty two. And Adira? She's Nikala's daughter. She was born while Nikala was still human, four years before she was turned by none other than Queen Sulpicia, the mate of Aro of the Volturi. Do you know why that is?"
"Why?" Cynthia asked.
Dante smiled. "Nikala is a distant relative of Sulpicia's. You could say that Nikala is the great-great-great granddaughter of the Queen, but no one in the royal family knows this. Do you see what I'm getting at, now? The Thornes' ultimate goal is to overthrow the Volturi, and because of Nikala's birthright, she is heir to the Volturi throne."
The room was silent. No one spoke for five solid minutes, as the knowledge Dante had just given us, if true, was tremendous. Everyone knew that the one law the royals bothered to keep honored was the law that none were allowed to turn any of their descendants if they had any. If they had family, they were supposed to send them away or kill them, anything to avoid contact.
And yet, Sulpicia, the head Queen, had disobeyed this law for some reason. She turned Nikala, a direct descendant of her offspring, which put her rule and life in jeopardy. If she and Aro were to die, Nikala would become the rightful heir to the throne rather than Caius, Athenodora, Marcus or Didyme being viable for it. If she was ignored, it would cause a massive revolt.
"Damn," Emmett said, breaking the silence. "She fucked up big time."
"That's putting it mildly," Jasper replied, shaking his head in bewilderment. "How is it that Aro hasn't found out about this? With his gift…"
"Aro was in on it as well," Dante replied. "He and Sulpicia agreed on the transformation for some reason, but I do not know what that reason was. Regardless, they know their actions would damn them if word were to get out, so they forcibly stripped Nikala of her name and banned her from Volterra. As such, all vampires loyal to the Volturi know her and her coven as disgraces."
"What does this have to do with us, though?" I asked.
"Your coven is the one coven the Volturi fear the most," Dante said. "Your size and strength outmatches even the average coven, and your alliance with the coven in Alaska with the Fire Child makes you even more of a threat. Aro and Sulpicia fear you. The Volturi guard fear your name and yearn to wipe you out, yet they can't. The Thornes, however, can."
Now it made sense to me. "So they aim to kill us off to get in good with the Volturi, then kill Aro and Sulpicia so Nikala and Asher can take over as the rulers of all vampires."
"Precisely," Dante replied.
"Dude," Emmett said. "That's insane."
"And brilliant," Rosalie said. "I hate admitting it, but that's a foolproof plan. With Edward on their side, they'll know what to say and do to keep the Volturi from suspecting them as enemies, and it gives them the advantage they need to get in our heads as well."
"Fuck!" Victoria cursed. "All this time…how did I not know this either?!"
"It's not your fault," Dante said. "I discovered this information over a course of years through careful observations, using my gift to listen in to what was being said and picking apart at Adira's words when I had the chance. She's cunning and intelligent, but her arrogance is her biggest flaw, as she has a tendency to blab out details she shouldn't."
"Why tell us this information?" Carlisle asked. "Why not tell the Volturi?"
Dante scoffed. "Where's the entertainment in telling them anything? Besides, they'd kill me as an accessory or make up some excuse to force me into their ranks. I have no love for the Volturi, but I would rather kill myself then live in a world where Nikala and Asher rule. And, believe it or not, if any coven can wipe them out, it would be yours. Be careful, however.
"I've learned that Asher and Nikala have numerous allies spread across the land, and I am aware that they intend to add new members to their coven as well. They intend to build an army, slowly of course, until they have the means to take over the Volturi. Luckily for all of us, that won't be happening any time soon. Still, I felt the need to let you know."
"You do realize you're putting yourself in danger," I said. "Edward will know you told us."
Dante chuckled. "Actually, I have confidence he won't find out. I know how to keep my thoughts disorganized around him. I taught myself fairly quickly when I first met him. If he were to somehow figure it out, I'm more than capable of escaping. I've outsmarted Asher and Nikala before, even though they claim to be the most intelligent vampires in the world."
"There's one thing that doesn't surprise me," Victoria grumbled.
"Indeed," Dante said. "Be that as it may, I should be going. I can't dally too long, if only because I have been assigned a duty by Nikala that I must begrudgingly fulfill. Be well, Cullens. I doubt we'll be speaking again for some time, but if anything pops up and I get the chance, I'll be certain to inform you. If not, presume I am dead and keep your guards up."
He turned and left without another word, leaving us silent once again. It took a while for me to absorb everything Dante had revealed, but the overall premise was terrifying. The Thorne coven wanted control, we were their stepping stone and Edward, that smug son of a bitch, would likely use this in his favor. I shuddered to think about what would become of my poor daughter.
"What does this mean for us?" Alice asked. It was the first time she'd spoken since Dante first arrived and I could only begin to think what was going through her and Cynthia's minds.
"I don't know," I murmured, pressing my lips to hers. "But I'll protect you, Alice."
Alice frowned. "I want to be able to protect you, too."
"If it comes to that, then we'll turn you," I said. "I promise."
I didn't want to turn Alice before she could finish enjoying her human life, but I would if it meant protecting her and giving her the strength she needed and wanted. However, none of us wanted to really dwell on something that wasn't going to happen for a while, and within a half an hour, the room was free of tension—thanks in part to Jasper.
Carlisle and Esme departed from the room after kissing all of us, Cynthia and Alice included, on the forehead, and headed upstairs to their study. As the leaders of the family, I knew they would be having a very thorough discussion over what to do about the news Dante had given us.
"Jasper, was he telling the truth?" Cynthia asked.
"From what I could sense, yes," Jasper replied. "Usually when someone lies, their emotions betray them somehow, such as hints of guilt or shame. Other times, it's more difficult to tell, but with my gift, if I feel even the faintest flicker of uncertainty, I know that person is lying. Dante didn't give off any of the usual emotions for that. He was being genuine."
"As far as you know," Victoria remarked.
"I don't see why anyone would make that shit up," Emmett said as he turned on the TV.
"That's not something a normal vampire could make up," Rosalie agreed. "That doesn't mean I trust him, because I don't. He has to prove himself worthy of my trust first."
"That's easier said than done," I chuckled, though it was forced. I didn't like thinking about all this Volturi mess, and yet, it relieved me to know what to expect in the future.
"When are Jane and Riley gonna get here?" Emmett asked. "They're missing everything."
I turned to Alice, who tilted her head to one side for a brief moment. "Now," she said.
And just like that, the front door opened and Jane and Riley walked in, Alec following behind them, though he kept his head ducked down to stare at the floor. Jane and Riley had blank expressions on their faces, which I knew meant something bad had happened; otherwise I'd be able to better read their eyes, since neither of them were ever this emotionless.
Great, I groaned. Now what?
"It's about time you two joined us," Rosalie remarked. "You've missed quite a bit."
"So we heard," Riley replied, looking to me.
Jane silently came to sit on my lap and hug me and I gladly hugged her back, thankful whatever the problem was wasn't dire enough to prevent her from showing affection. Riley came and leaned down to hug me as well after Jane pulled away too.
"What's wrong, guys?" I asked.
"Nothing," Jane replied. "I'm just…" She gestured to Alec, who was standing in the entryway just as Dante had been before him, only he looked more forlorn. "I'm so glad that you're okay and I'm beyond happy to have my brother back, but…"
"I can't stay long, Jane," Alec said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"Why?" she asked. "Why can't you just live with us?"
"Because they would come after me," Alec replied. "They would find out about your humans, too, and then all hell would break loose. I'm sorry, sister, but I must cut our reunion short."
"I told you before, Alec, there's a way for you to leave them," I said.
Alec frowned at me. "You also told me the direction to go in would avoid my sister."
I gave him a tiny smile. "Sorry, but you needed to meet her."
Alec grumbled. "I still need to leave soon. I don't know if they'll let me leave, either."
"Try," Jane said. "For me."
"Jane, please…" Alec said, pain in his eyes.
"Don't give me that bullshit!" she snapped. "I haven't seen you in years, damn it! I thought you were dead! Do you know what that's been like? To lose my brother when I was a human, the brother I loved and played with? Of course you do! You felt the same thing for me!"
"I…yes…but…" Alec hung his head in despair. "I'm afraid, Jane. I don't want to leave them and then have them come after your family because of it."
"They won't," Rosalie said with a snort. "There's already a coven planning to do that."
"Wait, what?" Riley asked. "What do you mean?"
"Why don't you guys sit down?" I offered. "We'll explain everything to you, but I want something in return." I looked to Alec. "I want to know how you survived that fire and ended up in the Volturi's clutches. Tell us that much, and then you can leave."
Alec frowned and Jane looked like she was about to protest, but Riley cut her off. "That's a fair deal, I think," he said, glancing to Alec. "What do you say?"
Alec hesitated for a brief moment before conceding. "Fine, then."
A/N: And there we have the next chapter. A note for all, this chapter was pre-written quite some time ago. I did add a few short blips here and there in right before posting, but otherwise, it's how I wrote it. Also, going off of the comment I made above about doing better, my "doing better" won't show up till around chapter fifty four or five. The reason is this: I stopped writing at fifty four in order to focus on starting my novel. When I finish, I will get back to it and finish Broken Aurora up from that point until it's done.
This is the moment where I am going on official hiatus for those of you who wish to know. I will post chapters fifty two and three at some point in time, the former some time next week, the latter the week after. I want to give you something to read while I continue to work on my book, which is near the end, but not quite there yet. Once I'm done, I will get back to work, though.
Until next time, everybody. Peace.
