Author's Note: Heeeeeeeeeey guys… how's it going? Good? Yeah? You seem a bit… angry, and I think I know why, but hear me out! I know I only said one week and it's been almost 4, but it was practically impossible to update until now… have you noticed that teachers tend to pile on the homework before Christmas break? You understand, right? Am I forgiven? No?! Well, can you maybe… put down the pitchforks so we can talk about this? :D
A few side notes: In a few days ago I'll be posting the teaser for Chapter #1 of the sequel to The Finding! Add me on twitter (sch_94) to get access to it and a bunch of other teasers! Also, I need ideas for the title, so leave your suggestions as comments on my livejournal! :)
Also, go check out the one-shot I wrote for SpencerReidFan89! It's filled with lemony goodness, and for those of you who already have or will: please leave a review! I don't wanna sound whiney guys, but I worked really hard on that thing, and all I'm asking for is some feedback. Sound good? ;)
***One last thing! (Sorry, but it's been a while!) I really want a banner for this story and for The Finding, so if anyone knows how to make em, I'll be willing to trade a custom one-shot for each banner. If more than one person offers, I'll choose the best ones for each. Does anyone wanna give it a shot? If so, PM me or mention it in your review!
So, without further ado, here's the long (waaaay too long) awaited Chapter Nine!
---
Disclaimer: Steph and Christina have been partying a bit too hard…
Steph: And then I told him, I told him – your hair looks soooo shiney!
*Strokes Christina's head*
Christina: *Smiles*
Hey… Steph? Did you… did you realize that there's only gunna be one zero in the year from now on? Now no one can draw those stupid googily eyes anymore!
*Hiccups*
Steph: *Mouth open in shock*
Yeah, that's… hey, wait, wait. There's still gunna be two zeros in the year! It's 2010!
*Gives Christina a look*
How drunk are you exactly?
Christina: *Looks offended*
I'm not drunk!
*Starts laughing hysterically*
Hehe! That sounds funny… drunk!
Steph: You gotta prove it, man! Cause you sound drunk!
Christina: *Giggling insanely and hiccuping*
Okay, maybe… maybe I am, but I'm not d-drunk enough to think you own DP, and I'm definitely not drunk enough to t-think you won't be using this as your next d-disclaimer! SO THERE!
Steph: *Looks at Christina with tears in her eyes*
Why... why you gotta be like that, man? Why do you have to crush my dreams?
*Chugs rest of champagne glass in an attempt to drown her sorrows*
The sad thing is, this conversation actually happened this way.
---
Nightmares
In its early stages, insomnia is almost an oasis in which those who have to think or suffer darkly take refuge from the creatures that haunt them.
-Sidonie Gabrielle
Fifteen Years Old
Things hadn't been great for me since I'd found out about my additionally abilities. I was constantly on edge and hardly slept, terrified of what might happen while I was unconscious. A lot had happened since the kitten incident, and on more than one occasion I'd been awaked by the sound of things clawing at my window, trying to get in. I felt powerless - like I didn't even have control of my own body - and before long, the feelings of utter helplessness began to take their toll.
Derek tried to help me, but I never felt safe anymore, and whenever I tried to fall asleep, I was haunted by the visions of things I'd seen and heard, and when I was awake, I was haunted by the nagging thoughts in the back of my mind; I hadn't seen my mother in almost a year, and I had the feeling something was going on…
Sleep was an unattainable goal.
The bags under my eyes were proof of that.
"That's it, Chloe! We are getting you help, whether you like it or not!" Lauren had obviously seen through my carefully crafted façade, but I couldn't let her worry. Besides, how would I explain this to her?
I sighed. "Lauren, for the hundredth time, I don't need help! I'm perfectly fine!"
She lowered her voice slightly. "Chloe, sweetheart… you have begs under your eyes, you're constantly mumbling in your sleep, and you hardly speak to us anymore! There's obviously something bothering you, hun!"
"It's just school!" I lied. "It's almost the end of the semester, and the teachers are really piling it on… trust me Lauren, it's just stress!"
She looked me up and down slowly - a suspicious glare distorting her features - before finally sighing and relaxing her stance. "Promise me, Chloe. Promise me you're not lying to me; no, better yet, promise me you'll come tell me if you ever feel something's wrong with you."
"I promise, Lauren. Please don't worry about me anymore! I'm fine, really." I hugged her tightly. "Maybe… maybe we can start doing movie night again?" I suggested, in an offhand attempt at changing the subject. "I really miss Andrew's Godfather impression!"
"Sure sweetie!" She checked her watch. "Darn it! I have to run or I'm gunna be late! We'll talk about this later, alright?"
"Kay," I mumbled. I watched as she scurried around frantically, searching for her purse and keys and then racing out the door the moment she collected them.
I exhaled the second I heard the door slam. Dammit! She's way too observant! I picked at my cuticles – a nervous habit I'd picked up from Simon, who – it seemed - I hardly saw these days. She can't find out. She can't!
I stood up and made my way back to my room, positioning myself in front of the full-length mirror. Do I really look that bad? Were my efforts to hide that transparent?
I studied the image in the mirror – sunken eyes and barely-hidden bags… Lovely. I'm 15 going on 60.
I sighed and turned away from the glass, trying to compose myself. No need to get angry... I'll just have to try harder. Now, where did I put that concealler again?
***
I was still digging through my make-up bag when I heard a knock at the window.
I pulled back the curtain and unlocked the door, smiling at the look on Simon's face. He stuck his tongue out and made a face, and I couldn't help but laugh - his goofy grin was contagious, no matter what mood you were in.
I pulled the door open and ushered him in, scouring the backyard for any sign of Derek before shutting it disappointedly. "Where's Derek?" I asked anxiously.
"Hello to you too!" he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes before pulling me in for a hug. "How long has it been since I saw you, Chloe? Two weeks? More?"
"It's only been a week and a half, Simon. Now, can you please let go of me?" I begged. "I can't breathe."
"Oops." He relinquished his vice grip on me and went to go sit on the bed.
Not wanting to sound too anxious, I waited a few seconds before trying again. "So… Derek didn't feel like coming with you?" I asked innocently.
"No. He said he was doing 'research' and that I should go on ahead. He's gunna try to make it next time, though."
I nodded absent-mindedly. What could he be doing?
"It seems like you guys don't see each other that much anymore," Simon said. "Derek hasn't come with me the past three times I visited… is he mad at you or something?"
I shrugged. Derek and I still hadn't told Simon about our visits every night, and by the looks of things, telling him would definitely cause some problems. "As long as he doesn't miss next week, I'm fine with it," I assured him.
"Are you kidding? He's not missing your sweet sixteen, Chloe; I'll kick his ass if he tries!"
I had to laugh – the thought of Simon, slender and average height facing off against the behemoth otherwise known as Derek was just too funny to process.
"Tone it down there, Rambo! He'll be here, trust me – he never misses my birthday."
"Neither do I!" he exclaimed with a mock-pout.
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, and I love you for it. So what's Derek researching, anyway?"
"Werewolves, I think."
"Oh… that's cool," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. I had been hoping that Derek would find a way to stop my powers from manifesting themselves at night, but apparently I wasn't as high up on his priority as I'd thought…
"Chloe?
I blushed, embarrassed. "Sorry about that, Simon. I just kinda zoned out there for a minute."
"It's alright. I was just gunna ask you something, but I don't know if-"
"No, no! You know you can ask me anything, Simon! What's the question?"
He looked around the room, refusing to meet my gaze. "I feel like a complete douche-bag for asking, and it's probably none of my business, but… is there something going on between you and Derek?" he finally blurted.
I was both shocked and a little bit confused. Does he mean romantically, or just the secret visits? I wondered. And when did Simon suddenly become so observant?
Either way, the only way to avoid any awkwardness was to deny everything.
"No way!" I forced myself to giggle superficially – like some airhead cheerleader - something I had sworn I would never do. "Me and Derek? Are you serious, Simon?"
"I told you it was a stupid question," he mumbled.
"Trust me Simon, there is absolutely nothing going on between Derek and I," I told him, hoping he'd buy it and change the subject.
"I do trust you! It's just… you would tell me if there was, wouldn't you?" he ask, cocking his eyebrow at me suspiciously.
"Definitely; you know I wouldn't hide something like that from you!" I promised, smiling. Can we please change the subject now?
He nodded thoughtfully behind looking up at me again. "No offense, Chlo, but you look kinda out of it. Are you feeling sick or something?"
I was touched by his concern but there was just too much to explain, so I gave him the same excuse I gave Lauren – though I did modify it slightly. "Yeah, I'm just kinda stressed out about school and stuff… no big deal, although it would be easier if I didn't have Lauren and Andrew to worry about as well. They still think I need to see a therapist or something," I lied.
"What'd you do this time?" he asked.
"I think it was the bags under my eyes. Apparently a lack of make-up is grounds enough to have me committed," I said dryly.
"Really?" he smiled and held out his wrists. "Then let me be punished for my crimes!"
I shook my head. "Sorry to tell you this, but that wasn't even remotely funny."
He shrugged. "Meh; at least I tried, right?"
"You just keep telling yourself that, Simon… as long as it gets you to sleep at night."
"I guess I'll have to..."
"Yupp."
The banter died down after a while, and we were left sitting in the middle of an awkward silence. I tried to busy myself with little tasks like straightening up my desk and organizing my homework pile, but it didn't matter – Simon was thinking long and hard about something, and it seemed as if he'd forgotten I was there…
Finally, he snapped out of it and came to stand beside me. "So I was thinking… how would you like your birthday present a week early?"
"Are you joking or something? You didn't bring anything with you except your sketchbook," I said, pointing to where it lay closed on my bedside table. He smirked before it finally dawned on me. "You drew me a sketch?" I whispered, genuinely touched that he had done something so thoughtful. Simon was always sketching, but he never let Derek or I see what he was working on…
He laughed lightly. "I guess you could say that."
I crossed the room and picked up the book, almost giddy with anticipation. "Can I open it, or do you not want me to see the other ones?"
"Just open it Chloe."
I did, and was a bit confused by what I found. There was a picture that looked like it'd been drawn by a third grader – a portrait of a smiling girl with blond hair and blue eyes, drawn by someone who obviously had some potential. "Is this me?" I breathed.
"Keep turning."
The next one was also in full colour, though the lines were crisper and darker now. There could be no mistaking the resemblance now, although I looked better in the sketches – it was definitely me.
As I continued to turn the pages, I found myself starring down at what looked like a progression of "Chloe through the ages". There was me, sitting cross-legged on the boulder next to the pool; and me - leaning against a tree with one of my director's magazines; and me - making a face at Derek when he wasn't looking… I was smiling and happy in every picture, and it seemed as if the artist had drawn me without any faults.
"Holy crap! Simon, this is the best thing anyone's ever given me!" I gushed, knowing it wasn't enough.
"There's still one more page," he whispered, opening to the one I'd missed.
It was blank. "I don't get it," I said, turning around. "This one's-"
And then, without warning, he kissed me.
I kissed him back, not knowing what else to do. It was unexpected, but still nice, and the gentle tingling in my lips was rather enjoyable…
What the hell is going on here? I wondered. My head was spinning and my ears were buzzing…
Which is probably why I didn't hear the door open…
I heard it close, though, a few seconds later, which prompted me to pull away. "What was that?" I asked.
He bit his lip. "Maybe Derek finished early?" he suggested. I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, realizing I'd almost forgotten about Derek.
Shit! Did he see all of that?!
"I'm gunna go see if I can find him," he said. "Call me tonight, okay?"
"Sure," I mumbled, my good mood gone. He kissed me on the cheek swiftly and ran out the door.
The minute he was gone I collapsed on my bed. What the hell did I just get myself into? I wondered after a few minutes. And why do I feel so guilty?
I got up and began pacing. Will Derek still come tonight? Or will it be too awkward for him…?
I picked up my cell-phone and started dialing, hoping they'd be home by now. The guilt was getting really bad, and I still had no idea why, although I had a feeling… Don't go there. It's not like that for him, and you know it.
No, Derek definitely wasn't jealous. He was probably just giving us some privacy…
"Hello?" The person on the other line answered in a gruff tone.
"Um… hi Derek. Listen, I don't know what you saw, but-"
"Do you want me to get Simon?" he asked, obviously annoyed.
"No, I just wanted to check if you were still coming tonight," I lied.
"Do you still want me there? Or would you prefer I sent Simon?" he asked calmly.
I felt like banging my head against the wall. "No, I wouldn't. I really need to talk to you."
"If it's to explain or something, you don't have to. It's none of my business, and I'd rather not know, thanks."
I sighed. "Just get your ass over here at 8, ok?"
I could most hear him rolling his eyes. "Fine."
I glanced over at the clock – 5 pm.
I only had 3 hours to figure this out.
***
After three hours of going over it in my head, I still had no answers whatsoever.
I felt the helplessness creeping back, making me feel more than a little bit terrified – if I couldn't even figure out what was going on with my best friends, how was I supposed to figure anything else out?
I was outside now, leaning against the truck of a tree and waiting for Derek. I checked the clock every few minutes, wondering if he'd decided to stay home. He'd never do that, I scolded, trying to convince myself. Unless he hates me for kissing his brother…
"Are you crying?"
I jumped at the voice, having been so engrossed in my own thoughts. "Nice of you to finally show up," I said instead of answering, wiping away the tears with my sleeve. "I've been waiting for almost 45 minutes. What took you so long?"
"I was here half an hour ago," he said, "but it seemed like you wanted to be alone… which brings me back to my question: why were you crying?"
I glared at him. "Because I just had the most confusing day of my life, and I can't take it anymore," I admitted.
"Confusing how exactly? It seems pretty simple to me…"
"Shut up, will you? You have absolutely no idea what's going on!"
"Enlighten me then," he challenged, sitting down a few feet away.
I leaned back against the tree, closed my eyes, and crossed my arms. "The thing with Simon was a mistake."
He snorted, like it was funny; I ignored him and kept going.
"It was a mistake. I should've stopped him, because I don't know what he wants, and I definitely don't want to lead him on."
He nodded slowly, still wearing the same expressionless mask, so I continued. "My best friend is being a complete jackass," I said. "He's mad at me, but he won't tell me why." I opened my eyes and looked at him, hoping to convey some of the frustration I was feeling. "He's probably gunna make up some bullshit lie when I ask him, and I'll pretend to believe it, because that's how it works with us, but soon I'll start to wonder, and then I'll regret not saying anything sooner," I admitted. "And that, dear sir, is why I was crying."
His eyes were wide with shock. "Chloe, that's not even-"
"Why are you mad at me?" I asked.
"I'm not mad!"
"Really? Are you telling me those mood swings are normal?"
"I do not have mood swings!"
I cocked my eyebrow at him. "Is that really all you got out of everything I just said?!"
He got up, walked over, and sat down next to me. "I'm not mad at you."
"You're mad at Simon?" I asked, astonished; I had never seen Derek and Simon argue, or even say anything mean to one another…
"Yeah, I guess… Wait, no. Not him, more like the situation," he clarified.
"What situation, exactly?" I asked, sensing that he was finally going to tell me something important.
He exhaled and closed his eyes. "There's a war going on."
"Uh, yeah… everyone knows that; Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa. I'm already to date with current events, Derek."
"Not that kind of war! This is more of a cold war – one that no one knows about."
"Explain please."
"Listen, I know I haven't been telling you everything-"
"Obviously!"
"-but you need to know that I did it to keep you safe. I knew if I told you what was going on, you'd want to get involved, and Simon and I both agreed that it'd be better to keep you out of the loop until it was absolutely necessary to tell you."
I was shocked. Had Simon been in on this all along? How long had they been keeping this from me? How long had they been a part of something I knew absolutely nothing about…?
"Who's fighting this war?" I asked. "What's it all about?"
"There's this group – they call themselves the Edison Group – who think that people like us shouldn't have to hide their abilities from the rest of the world. They believe that supernaturals should use their abilities to gain an advantage over normal humans."
"Wait, why do they call themselves the Edison Group?"
"Well, it's a pretty well known fact that Thomas Edison believed he could communicated with the dead using some sort of 'spirit phone', and they think he may have been trying to figure out how a necromancer is able to contact the dead. They practically worship the guy – according to my dad, it's almost like a cult."
"Lemme get this straight; there's some freaky cult trying to take over the world because they're sick of hiding their magic powers, and they think Thomas Edison is the next Buddah?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"That's pretty f-ed up," I said with a smile, attempting to lighten the mood.
He didn't appreciate the effort. "Which is why you weren't supposed to know in the first place, Chloe."
"How did you find out?" I asked, feeling really left out of the loop. "Am I the only supernatural who doesn't know anything about this stuff?"
"My dad told me. He used to be high up in the ranks," he explained. "He was a pretty big deal until he realized what they were doing was wrong. After that he left and joined up with the rebellion - which he's now in charge of – and went into hiding."
My mouth hung open as I began to put the pieces together. "So those 'raids' you go on…"
He nodded, not meeting my eyes. "Those are low risk compared to a lot of the other stuff I've been forced to do over the years," he said gravely.
Could he mean…? The terrifying thought began to form in the back of my mind, but I wouldn't let it through. No, not Derek; he wouldn't even kill a spider, for God's sakes!
"How does this connect back to you being mad at Simon?" I asked, trying to figure out how the two topics could possibly be related.
He sighed. "We were supposed to wait until after your birthday to tell you this, because we knew you'd get mad, but-"
"Just spit it out," I begged, suddenly anxious.
"Someone's after us," he breathed. "We thought they'd given up looking for us a few years ago, but now they're searching actively again, and my dad's getting uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable?"
"He says we've been here too long, and that we to need to-"
Please don't say it, I begged him internally. Please don't-
"…relocate."
I could swear I heard the whole crashing down around me.
"You're… leaving?"
"I don't want to, but my dad thinks-"
"Convince him to stay!" I yelled, angry at his lack of resolve, angry that he'd hid this from me. "Tell him you refuse to leave!"
He looked at me with sad eyes. "Chloe, I can't do that. We're in legitimate danger here, and it would be better for us to disappear for a while until this all dies down…"
"And that's why you're mad at Simon? Because he did what he did when he knew he only had so much time?"
"That's the gist of it I guess," he said, scratching his head.
Another piece seemed to fit into this screwed up puzzle of ours. "This war; these people… is this what my mom was trying to warn me about?"
He nodded. "Probably."
"Then I'm coming with you guys," I told him.
"You can't," he said calmly.
"I'm pretty sure I can."
"You don't get it! These people have probably been after you your whole life, Chloe! They want necromancers, and since you're most likely the only one in the state, that means you're at the top of the list! They're going to study you, and test you, and experiment on you, and they're not going to stop looking until they find you! At this point the only thing keeping you from being found is the fact that you haven't used your powers on anything bigger than a rabbit!"
"What does that matter? I don't have to use my powers if I don't want to!"
"Like you haven't been using them at night?" he looked apologetic for a moment, realizing what he'd said. His voice softened slightly. "Chloe, in our situation, we rely on our abilities to keep us alive, and yours-"
"Are useless, disgusting, and unstable?"
"You know I don't mean it like that," he said sadly.
"So you're just gunna leave me here?" I asked in a quiet voice. "You would really do that to me?" I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest, and I hoped my voice wasn't giving that away…
"Don't cry please. We'll come back eventually, and we can still talk on the phone and stuff…"
"People always say that, but it never works out. I might as well cry now and get it over with, Derek." He looked like he was the one who was about to cry when I said that, and I almost laughed at the thought – had I ever seen Derek cry? I didn't think so; he had always been the rock, the stable one in the middle of a crisis. Whenever something was wrong with Simon or I, Derek was the one we went to for help. Had a few tears actually managed to find their way through?
I grabbed his hand and entwined our fingers, pretending not to have seen the tears and almost laughing at the enormous difference in the sizes of our hands. His hand was warm, and I moved closer, hoping being near him would warm me up. We sat like that for a while, and I treasured the moments, knowing we only had so much time left.
I began to yawn, having only slept 3 hours the night before. I don't remember how it'd happened, but minutes later I was leaning into his side and closing my eyes, trying not to think about our imminent separation as I began drifting off.
***
I woke up the next morning leaning against something hard. Dammit. Must've fallen off the bed again, I thought.
I could hear something in the background – someone breathing slow and hard. My eyes shot open.
Holy shit!
I wasn't in my bed; I wasn't even in my room. I was leaning against Derek, who was fast asleep against a tree, in the backyard. Did we spend the whole night out here? I wondered.
Wait, the whole night? I slept through the night?!
I closed my eyes and leaned against him again, wishing I'd stayed asleep longer. Why didn't I have any nightmares last night? I stared up at him, thinking that maybe...
Could it have been because of him?
I closed my eyes and let my mind wander, trying to come up with a possible explanation for what had occurred. I tried to concentrate, sorting through the possible reasons in my head, but I kept feeling the strangest sensation, almost like a cross between a chill and a prickling feeling…
It was then that I realized the familiar sensation: someone was there.
Someone was watching us.
I opened my eyes an infinitesimal amount, hoping to be able to look around without being acknowledged by whoever it was. I spotted a figure a few feet away, leaning against a tree. They were slender and not very tall, and there was something nagging at me, telling me: you should know this!
Wait… is that Simon?
There was no mistaking the spiky blond hair, too full to belong to an adult. It took my mind a few seconds to catch up to my eyes, but I eventually realized what was wrong with this picture – I was still leaning against Derek.
Shit. Shit. SHIT.
I began to panic. He knows! What's he going to do? Is he gunna go ballistic? Should I try to explain, or wait for Derek to wake up?
In the midst of all that, I was still hyper-aware of the uneasy feeling I was still experiencing. I knew it wouldn't be coming from Simon – this was like the feeling you got around strangers, not people you've known for years, even if they are mad at you…
Derek began to stir, and his arm moved off me.
He must've opened his eyes, because a few seconds later, I heard him address his brother nervously. "S-Simon? What are you-"
"What am I doing here? I think I'm the one who should be asking you that, bro."
"Simon, nothing happened. I just came over to apologize, and I dozed off afterwards," he explained quickly.
"Don't even try - I'm not stupid, Derek. I know this wasn't the first time you snuck off to see her."
I froze, and I'm pretty sure Derek did as well.
"What are you talking about, Simon?"
"Did you seriously think I wouldn't notice that you left home at 8 every day and didn't come home until past 3am?"
Derek remained silent.
"Did you think that I didn't know about how close you guys have become? I can see it every time I come to see Chloe – she doesn't even stop to say hi before asking about you!"
Not a word from Derek, and Simon continued.
"I kept telling myself that you would never do that, because you knew how I felt about her, and I thought you were a good brother. I told myself you were going for a run, or walking around town, or something; but then I followed you here one night, and you spent hours with her, just talking, like it was no big deal that you were betraying me!"
"Simon, I-"
"And then, instead of going home, you hid in the forest and just sat there, watching her house!" He paused to catch his breath, giving me some much needed time to process the information. Derek has been watching my house at night? Why would he-
"I watched you set a fire and burn something. What was it, Derek?"
"A rabbit," he mumbled. Then, despite my grogginess, it all clicked.
He's been cleaning up my messes every night. Whenever I raise something, he gets rid of it.
My head was spinning again - but this time, not in a good way.
"That's sick," Simon spat, sounding furious.
I knew I should intercede – explain everything to Simon; come to Derek's defense; keep them from arguing – but I was a coward, so I kept my eyes shut and listened.
"You had no right to do this, Derek. You had no right to go behind my back-"
"She needed someone to talk to, Simon! Couldn't you see she was falling apart?"
Ouch. Thanks.
"Don't give me that bullshit, Derek. You only came for your own selfish reasons."
What reasons could Derek possibly have? I wondered. He's practically a full-time babysitter! What reasons could he have for wanting that?
"You're right."
I stiffened. What the hell is going on here?! I asked myself, for the second time in two days. I was beyond confused at this point, and the prickling feeling was still making its presence known on the back of my neck…
The guilt was there too, almost more powerful and potent than the other feeling. This was all my fault; these two brothers - who had never even said something rude to one another - where now in the middle of a heated argument, all because of me.
"I'm done here, Derek. I can't be around someone who would betray their own brother the way you have."
"Simon, nothing ever happened! I was just watching out for her!"
"Goodbye Derek. I hope you two are very happy together," Simon said monotonously. It sounded eerily final to me, as if he was-
"He's gone."
I opened my eyes. "Go after him," I suggested, feeling even guiltier because Derek had known I was awake the entire time. "Tell him I want to talk to him; make him believe you!" I said urgently. I had the feeling something horrible was about to happen, and I knew if Derek didn't hurry…
He got up without another word and ran after his brother, leaving me alone in the clearing, with nothing but my guilt and the uneasy feeling that had spread over my entire body.
I had probably destroyed the relationship between them, and all I did was sit back and watch them argue. I hoped that they would be able to work things out one day – that their friendship hadn't been complete and irreversibly damaged – but I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had only gotten once before… almost 6 years earlier.
I took stock of the situation.
Simon was furious with both of us and probably heartbroken. Derek and I had betrayed his trust for years, and he knew it.
Derek had been left to deal with the situation alone because of my cowardice, and now he and Simon had a canyon-sized rift between them that needed to be fixed. Derek would do anything to make Simon forgive him – even end our friendship – and I knew it. He would do whatever it took to appease Simon - whatever it took to make things better – even avoiding me.
Deep down, I felt my heart shatter into a billion little pieces.
I had lost my parents…
I had lost Simon…
And now I had lost Derek as well.
And even though I'd apparently spent the whole night resting my head against his shoulder; knowing he was gone was tearing me up inside.
The verdict hadn't been announced, nothing had been decided, but deep down, I knew this was probably the last time I'd ever see either of them again.
---
Guys, this was probably the saddest chapter I've had to write for this story so far! No big deal though, right? The next one's sadder anyway… might as well suck it up.
Here's the deal: this chapter was way too long, so I had to split it up. Part II will be up before the end of the week, because I'm not done writing it yet, kay? Hopefully a double update helps me win your love back? Anyways, I want 25 reviews before I post the part II AND Chapter #1 teaser for The Finding's sequel. Deal? :D
REVIEW!