Ok truth- I was going to give up on this story. But you guys comments have guilted me into continue. I'll try to finish it, and now that I have some idea where the plot is going, it should be updated more regularly. Fingers crossed!

Give it up for Alec and Maggie- Alggie? Magglec?

Maggie sat a few metres from me, bare feet sunken into the sand of the bay we'd arrived. Her head was pressed into he knees and she was massaging some sections on her back. Our skin didn't take long to heal, but the water hadn't helped.

I was nursing my own wounds as subtly as I could. I hadn't told Maggie about the gapping cracks splitting open my stone skin on my stomach, side and legs. She might have taken it to her advantage.

The beach was dark, but my eyes had no problem seeing as clear as day. I pressed down on the cracks in my hip and flinched slightly went an aching pain travelled up my right side.

Maggie sensed it, "What's wrong?"

I knew there was no use saying "nothing", so I just literally said nothing. Maggie didn't accept my response and walked over to me. I pulled down my shirt in time for her not to see my injures.

"Ju… Hungry," It wasn't a lie- I was. I cut out the 'just' at the beginning I would have usually put. Maggie would know I wasn't 'just' hungry if I said that.

Maggie looked down at the sand, "Me too. I haven't eaten in days."

I glanced up the beach. I had no idea where we were, but the city lights in the distance told me the area was populated, "Do you want to hunt?"

Maggie gave me a sidelong glance, and then shook her head, "I have no burning desire to share a meal with you."

I felt my upper lip curl, "I don't need to eat. I'm asking if you want to hunt."

Maggie raised an eyebrow, "I doubt you'll let me run off by myself just yet."

"You would be correct," I told her. Maggie sighed and buried her head in her knees again.

"Never mind then."

We sat in silence for a long time. I rubbed my cracks under my t-shirt as subtly as I could. They weren't closing up as quickly as I'd hoped. My clothes stuck to my skin from my unexpected swim. Maggie's did too, and were partly see-through on top of that. It was part of the reason I was trying not to look at her too often.

Maggie finally stood, "May I go for a walk then?"

I stood as well, "If you don't mind me joining you, that's fine."

Maggie didn't reply, turned on her heel and walked. Walking hurt slightly, as it meant putting pressure on my legs, but I managed to keep up with her at a steady pace, as we were both crippled. She walked for a while in the sand, and then climbed easily onto the metal rails of ramp running the length of the beach back. I followed her, still walking on the beach as she easily skipped along the thin bar.

Silence was broken by Maggie's voice, "Why haven't you killed me?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You said if I ever 'tried', you would…" she cleared her through, "Rip me limb from limb and burn the remains. So?"

"I meant fighting back," I told her, "I never said anything about escaping. It's a nuisance, and delay's us, but you're not a danger to any of us, by running away. Though, I'd watch out for Jane for a while."

"You still think I'm going to become one of you so easily," she balanced on one leg, stretched her back into a graceful arch.

"Easily once Chelsea gets to you, yes," I averted my eyes when her t-shirt rode up, "Before that, I have no doubt you'll do whatever you can to get away. Even death."

Maggie looked at me darkly, "You don't seem concerned about that."

"I'm not," I looked up at her, "I don't want to kill you. I really don't."

Maggie studied my face, and then muttered something.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I said, I wished you were more like your sister," she looked away, "Every word that comes out of her mouth is a lie. Why you find it necessary to tell me the truth is…frankly ridiculous. What could you possibly gain from it?"

I did not answer.

"My trust?" she guessed, "Sorry to break it to you…"

"You don't trust me?" I asked.

Maggie laughed out loud at me confused expression, "Alec, how could I possibly trust you? Ever?"

"But I have never lied to you," I cocked my head, "I don't understand."

"Trust isn't just in words," Maggie told me, "Think about that."

She vaulted across the beam and onto the stairs well, so fast I had to run to keep up. My entire body ached.

My keen hearing picked up footsteps. Maggie froze, halfway up the stairs. She had heard it too. I looked over at the skyline- it was in no means light, but streetlights lit up the running path by the beach. The tapping footsteps got louder and louder and a long shadow stretched along the pavement beside Maggie. The red haired girl's burgundy eyes flashed as a woman runner approached, dressed in an awful shade of pastel pink with a blue sweatband wrapped around her forehead. She was panting, a blue Gatorade clenched in one swinging fist. The stink of sweat was overwhelming.

Maggie gripped the wall tightly, nostrils flaring. The way she crouched on the stair was predatory. She inched upward, a small growl escaping her lips.

The woman passed, and before Maggie could leap at her, I sent a wave of my ability into the runner's body. The woman collapsed in mid stride, her head connecting with the concrete with a almost comical splat noise. Maggie jumping and would have fallen off the wall if not for her acute balance.

Her eyes darted to me with an unspoken question haunting them.

I gestured at the woman, "Eat. At least now she won't feel anything. Which she would have had you attacked her like you were about to do."

Maggie's nose screwed up, "I wasn't going to attack her. I'm not a monster."

"Yes you are," I sat down on the steps, the cracks covering my body becoming too painful for me to stand, "We all are."

Maggie stared down at the woman, "Do you… do this to all your victoms?"

"I…" I knew lying just to scare her would do me nothing, "…yes. My sister thinks it's weak. Everyone else gets through it by just stopping seeing them as a person and start seeing them as a food source. But I… ah…" I winched from my injury, cutting off my confession.

Maggie's gaze was different this time. It was if she was seeing me for the first time. It only lasted a second.

"Have you ever thought," she said slowly, "About who will be left to miss them?" Her gaze travelled to the woman on the floor.

I let out a slow breath, "I can't."

"Can't? Not don't?" Maggie's red eyes searched for reason.

"If we think about that," I said simply, "Then we will be lost."

Maggie looked down at her feet. The streetlights buzzed through the silence. The woman was making tiny gasping noises, barely audible, yet making my ears burn as if she was screaming in pain.

Maggie closed her eyes, "I don't want her. She looks…loved"

I chewed the inside of my cheek, "Ok."

Silence.

"Come on," I said quietly, "We should go."

Maggie's face closed off, her eyes going cold, "To Italy?"

I nodded slightly.

She let out a shaky breath, "You're sister will hurt me."

I bit my tongue, but couldn't hold back, "I won't let her."

Maggie didn't look me in the eye.

"Please," she said quietly, "Next time, just lie."

"Why?"

She did not answer, just turned her back, lowered her head and let me lead her away from the bleeding woman, steady pulse beating at my eardrums, twisted on the ground behind us.

Oooooo. So tempting.

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