Let me explain what's going on here c: I thought since Quin Rose made Blood Dupre look like Alice's ex boyfriend, I thought I'd make one of the Role Holders look like an old flame of Sabrina's :D. You'll find out who it is right in the middle of the chapter, I think. It's pretty obvious.

Too many people are in my house, I thought as I stared at the tons of people in the living room, clenching the hem of my sweater in tight fists. I was sitting at the top of the staircase, in no hurry to confront my worst fear: crowds. Mother or one of my cousins would eventually come looking for me, but for now, I was perfectly content up there, where no one could see me.

The loud murmuring of voices and the occasional bursting of laughter seemed to be growing louder by the minute, making me want to run and hide, but instead I picked up the book that was next to me and started reading it from a random page.

"'Cheshire-Puss, would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?' Young Alice asked, looking up to the grinning cat on the tree branch.

"'That depends a great deal on where you want to go.' Said the cat.

"'I don't much care-' Said Alice.

"'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,'

"'So long as I get somewhere,' Alice finished as an explanation.

"'Oh, you're sure to do that, if you walk on long enough.' The cat curled the end of it's tail, the grin on it's face seeming to grow larger."

"...H-Hey!"

I looked up from my book and came face-to-face with a boy. He had a dark brown mop for hair and chocolate brown eyes that clashed with my dark green ones. He was cute, like a younger version of Harry Potter, and he looked around my age. He was so close our noses brushed against each other. Close enough to kiss...

"Oh, you're alive~!" The boy grinned, his breath smelling like mint. "You were completely zoned out for a second there!"

I had no idea what to say to this strange guy. Perhaps "who are you" would've been appropriate, but instead I blurted out, "You're way too close, please back up!" I pushed against his chest and nearly sent him tumbling down the stairs. He grabbed the banister before he could and put a hand on my shoulder to balance himself.

I expected him to start yelling at me for almost hurting him, but instead he started laughing. He seems like the type to laugh everything away, I thought, holding my book protectively against my chest. "S-Sorry..."

"Ha, ha, ha, don't worry about it." He sat down on the step next to me and held out his hand. "My name's Jonathan. What's yours?"

"Sabrina." I shook his hand, which was calloused but soft in some places. It seemed absurd introducing myself after nearly killing him, but he didn't seem to think it was. "I don't think I've seen you before, John. What're you doing in my house?"

"Ha ha, please don't call me John. Jonathan is just fine. I was sleeping over at my friend Miles's place when he dragged me here with his family. He said it was 'Family Dinner'?"

"Miles is my cousin. Family Dinner is our family tradition. We meet up once every month and have dinner together."

"Why once a month?"

"Because if we had it every week, we'd bring up old arguments and grudges. And if you knew my family, you'd know there'd be a lot of them."

"Ha, ha, ha!"

Jonathan MacDougal and I became fast friends after that. It turned out he lived in Auburn, too, so we saw eachother often. He was different from the other kids our age. He was kind, sweet, and he liked spending time with me. He was my first love. I didn't want to be with anyone else. All you would ever hear me talk about was the wonderful things Jonathan did. But when we both turned fifteen, he moved away to California, the other side of the freaking country. We tried to keep being friends, but over time, it just started to fade away. I was so upset. I cried myself to sleep for weeks, but when I realized it wouldn't bring Jonathan back, I put up iron walls around my heart and swore never to let anyone in. I heard this was the best protection from heartbreak.

But it backfired. While I kept people away from me: they kept me away from them. I was an outcast, different, and they didn't want to put up with someone who was different. I was on the outside looking in. I watched as they laughed, hugged, and kissed. I watched as they yelled, cried, and broke up. That was enough to swear me off of love for ever. Love was a stupid game where no one had the upper hand and it always ended up hurting someone.

But now, seeing Elliot pointing a gun at Jonathan, I felt a crack in my walls. Elliot can't hurt him! Not Jonathan!

Elliot fired a couple more rounds at my old friend, but none of them seemed to hit him. Elliot yelled a string of curses I can't write down and I knew that this would go on until one of them was shot or injured. I didn't want that to happen to either one of them.

I was sure that I looked like a mad woman dashing through the halls of the mansion, but I didn't care. I didn't care if my work got piled up or if Blood scolded me. Jonathan's life was in danger!

"Stop it, Elliot! Stop it!" I shouted as soon as I swung open the door. Elliot's head whipped around and he stared at me as I ran across the yard. I smacked his gun out of his hand and it skidded somewhere hidden into the grass. I stood between him and Jonathan, and I put on my best dead-eyed unhappy look and frowning as deeply as I could. "I won't let you hurt him!"

"But, Sabrina, this idiot knight can't keep out of our territory and I know he's just doing it to annoy me!"

Knight?

I looked over my shoulder and saw that Jonathan was wearing a tattered red coat I hadn't noticed before. He was holding a huge sword in its scabbard, which had a bunch of scars from past battles. He looked a lot older than me - at least twenty-two - but I knew it was Jonathan. It had to be. Who else had that smile?

"I don't care." I shook my head. "Elliot, if you lay a finger on him - a bloody finger -, I'll never speak to you again!"

The second the words escaped my lips I thought, too much. Elliot's amethyst eyes went wide and his ears fell flat against his skull. He looked hurt and scared - a terrible combination that made me want to cuddle him, but I stood my ground, emotionless and adamant. There was no way I was giving in this time.

"I see...I'll leave you alone then..." Elliot turned and didn't look back as he went back into the mansion. I felt horrible, but I'd make it up to him by carrot sweets or something. I remembered the so-called "knight" I was protecting but when I turned around, he was no longer there.

"Eh?! Jonathan, where'd you go?" I called, wondering why'd he leave like that. I spotted a flash of red in the nearby bushes and ran over to them, scanning the green eagerly for my childhood friend. I saw him again even further away, singing to himself, and I smiled. Jonathan was such a beautiful singer.

"Hey, wait up!" I called again, running at full speed to catch up to him. He paused and smiled at me. That motivated me to run even faster. I skidded to a halt at his side, smiling like an idiot. He had that effect on me.

"Hello," Jonathan said, waiting for me to catch my breath. "You following me?"

"Well...yeah!" I panted, fanning myself with my hand.

He extended his hand to me and I had a brief image of him doing this four years ago. I was about to entwine our fingers when he said, "I'm Ace, Knight of Heart Castle."

Ace?

My hand stopped cold. This...wasn't Jonathan? But it had to be! His face, that smile, that lightheartedness...all of that belonged to Jonathan! I stared at his face, looking for anything that would separate Jonathan and this stranger. Nothing. How could this not be Jonathan MacDougal?!

"Miss? You okay?" Ace asked, putting his face mere centimeters from mine.

So close...close enough to kiss.

My legs suddenly had a life of their own, and I ran away from him, away from those haunting brown eyes. He called after me, asking where I was going, but I ignored him. I came back to the front of the mansion again, but there was no way I could face Blood, Elliot, or the servants now. I needed to be alone.

For once, I was glad that the twins weren't at their posts. I swung open the gates and ran along the path, no particular destination in mind. The sun was warm on my back, but right now I hated it. It shouldn't be sunny and beautiful. Everything should be dark and gloomy. I felt like that right now.

I stopped for a breather and leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree. All that running had taken my mind off of Ace for a moment, but now it all came back to me. How could that man not be Jonathan?

A thought suddenly came to me. This is a world that I wished for, where everyone would love me, so was Ace a result of some twisted desire? Should I...pursue him, so to speak?

No, I can't go through all that again, I promised myself I wouldn't.

Jonathan was no longer special to me and I didn't believe in love. My walls repaired themselves, higher and more solid than before. Nothing would ever get past them again. I would make sure of that.

Yay~! Another chapter done! *Victory dance* Anyways, to all of you who are reading this little blurb, please leave a review! I hate to beg, but please be considerate and tell me what you think! Was it good? Bad? Could've been better? Tell me!

Okay, I'm done now. PEACE. FOR GENERATIONS!