Guys, I can't believe it. School is… done? Over? Really? I have 2 months to do nothing but read and write?
EPICCCCC. ;)
So I've been thinking… at this time last year, I was updating twice a day. Now it's like, once every 2 or 3 weeks? What's going on?
Please excuse the randomness, I'm just insanely hyper. Also, I'd just like to thank everyone who has put up with me through all my sporadic updates and everything. Shoutouts go out to: NecroPrincess7, JessiKa xoxo, Crazy. About. Converse., Greekfreak11, ShylyOutgoing, sally94, LauRa-ReaDinG-XoX (thanks for pimping me out to your friends! XD), Fanpire4000, fdty, suzi1811 (doesn't everyone wanna give Derek a hug?), burning.., vampiremom1221, SpiritandBlood, Jamie Kay Huntt, DreamDark (Since I haven't updated in a while, I'm guessing I'm not forgiven?), xxStarBrightxx, FreyasWrath (I don't even know what to say. You deserve more than a shoutout! Like maybe a super-ultra-mega-ULTIMATE AWESOMENESS shoutout? Still not enough? How about an angsty Derek and Chloe moment? :P). Thank you guys all for reviewing!
BTW, I'd just like to remind you guys that the AMAZING freyaswrath has returned to fanfic land, so made sure you go check out her wonderful stories and leave her some love (that goes for all of you who subscribe but don't review, you bums! :P)
Long enough A/N? I think so!
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Steph finally managed to get Christina to read the entire Harry Potter Series.
Christina: *Screams*
OMG!
Steph: *Jumps*
What? What's going on?
*Looks around frantically*
Christina: *Holds up book*
Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew? WTF?
Steph: Yeah, I know! Isn't that such a good twist?
Christina: *Tearing up*
Good twist? Ron gave that rat the best years of his life!
Steph: But… it was all a lie, so it's better this way! You don't want Ron living a lie, do you?
Christina: Oh yeah? Well you know what else is a lie? YOU OWNING DP!
Steph: *Confused*
Dude, that didn't even make sense. How am I supposed to use that for a disclaimer?
Christina: *Sniffles*
Sorry... I'm just… very upset right now.
Encounters
"You may encounter may defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
-Maya Angelou
Oddly enough, I somehow managed to fall asleep, even after everything that'd happened that night.
I awoke the next morning feeling groggy and disorientated. There was a dull ache in throat as well, which meant I was getting sick… Great. That's just what I need right now – come down with the flu while we're running for our lives.
I glanced downward at the sweater that'd been draped over me while I slept – it was warm, but it was way too small to be Derek's… Simon's maybe? Come to think of it, Simon was the only one with a sweater when we left… I slid my arms through the sleeves and hugged the sweater to my chest – it was cold out, and I was grateful for his generosity… no matter how guilty it made me feel.
Was Simon still angry with Derek and I for keeping things from him? He hadn't shown any sign of holding a grudge or anything, and he hadn't gotten angry when he'd walked in on Derek and I 'talking' in the bathroom…
"Are you feeling okay, Chloe?"
I jumped, not having heard his approaching footsteps. How long had he been standing there?
"Yeah," I croacked, immediately regretting speaking; that one word had set my throat on fire on its way out, and it hadn't even sounded convincing to my ears.
Simon laughed nervously. "I'll take that as a 'no'. How are you feeling?"
"Awful," I admitted. "But I can handle it. It's no big deal, really." He looked worried all the same, so I decided a change of subject was in order. "By the way, thanks for the sweater, Simon, but aren't you cold? You can have it back if you want, I don't mi-"
He raised a hand to cut me off. "Keep it, Chlo. Tori showed me spell that raises your body temperature, so I'm good… trust me."
"I do. And Simon?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
There was an awkward silence then – one of those seemingly endless voids in the conversation where you feel like every word you say will get sucked into the big black hole of one-word answers and forced small talk about the weather. It was one of those painful silences between two old friends who don't speak anymore… a silence between two people who know there is so much left to say, and yet neither one is willing to be the one to say it.
"So… where'd Tori and Derek run off to?" I ventured, realizing that we were alone under the canopy of the forest. It was a lame attempt at a conversation starter, but I was curious… and maybe a little desperate.
Simon cleared his throat. "Umm… Derek said something about scoping out that town nearby, and Tori tagged along. We were all gunna go, but Derek said we should wake you… They should be back soon, though – Derek said it'd only take an hour or two."
I asked the obvious question. "How long have they been gone?"
"I have no idea," he confessed. "I think it's been almost an hour, but who know? The trees block out the sun, so there's no way to find out."
Okay… "How about we give them another half-hour or so, and if they're not back by then, we'll go looking?"
"Sounds good," he said, sitting down and leaning his back against a large tree trunk. We lapsed into silence again, and it was just as uncomfortable as the first time.
After a while, I decided enough was enough. "Simon… can we talk?"
He looked apprehensive, like he already knew what I was going to say but still hoped he was wrong. "Umm… sure Chloe. What's up?"
I patted the ground next to me, indicating that he should move closer. When he didn't, I felt my heart sink a little. Is this what it had come to between us? Awkward silences and tense moments the only reminder of how close we'd been once upon a time?
I tried not to show him how disappointed I was – how much this simple little rejection really hurt – but Simon knew me well enough to see through any forced smile or lame excuse, so I just smiled half-heartedly and waited, hoping he'd change his mind.
I watched as he bit his lip nervously and looked away, not willing to meet my gaze.
Just look at what you've done! Stupid mistake after stupid mistake, selfish choice after selfish choice; now you've lost them both.
I shook my head, banishing the thought. Part of me knew it was true, but the other part – the stronger, determined part - wasn't willing to admit defeat yet.
"Look…" I began, struggling to find the right words. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I never got a chance to explain after you found us that day, and I- I need to say this, Simon, because it's killing me, and… you probably don't want to hear some lame-ass attempt at an apology, but just… do me a favour and hear me out, okay?" I glanced over, waiting for his reaction. His face remained emotionless, like he didn't quite understand...
I had raced through my little speech rather quickly, and when he didn't respond right away, I realized it had probably been too quickly…
He answered, just as I was about to repeat everything I'd said to him again. "I know what this is about, Chloe, and I appreciate you wanting to - but you don't need to apologize to me. I forgave you and Derek a while back," he assured me.
"I do need to do this... trust me."
"I don't understand…"
"You shouldn't have had to forgive Derek!" I stressed. "It was all me, Simon!"
"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.
"Keeping those secrets from you, not telling you he was visiting me daily… I begged him to come visit me every day, and I'm the one who told him not to tell you!" I confessed, knowing it was about time I fessed up and took responsibility for what I'd done. Maybe… maybe he won't be as angry if he knows it was all my idea? I glanced over and watched him test out the words.
"Y-You…?" He looked shocked - hurt even – but there was no sign of anger anywhere on his face. He really thought Derek would do that to him?
"Yeah! Did you really think your brother was the one who wanted to keep all that from you?"
"I don't know. I thought he-"
"It was all me, Simon. All of it." I took a deep breath, preparing to let it all out. "You wanna know the worst part? I was awake when you found us that day – when you guys were arguing – and I pretended to sleep while Derek took the blame for everything."
"You heard us arguing?"
I nodded with my eyes downcast, ashamed of myself.
"But… why? Why would you wanna keep me outta the loop? Were you annoyed by me or something?" he asked, the hurt evident in his voice.
"Not at all!" I said, feeling like the world's biggest bitch. I took a deep breath to steady my voice before attempting to explain. "It all started when Andrew and Lauren were talking about sending me to a therapist. Remember?"
"Yeah… we were around thirteen then, weren't we?"
"I think so… Anyways, do you remember how I would talk to my mom every night, and Derek said I had to stop before Lauren and Andrew found out? That was when I asked Derek to start coming every night, because I told him I needed to talk to someone to keep me from summoning my mom."
"Makes sense… but I still don't get why you wouldn't tell me, Chloe. I would have come too – I would've been glad to."
"I don't even know that myself, Simon. It just… it started off as something me and Derek did together, and it just… it was our 'thing', ya know?" Then it just became this huge secret between us, and we couldn't tell you because we didn't know how you'd react and we were afraid-"
"That I'd get pissed and run away?" he deadpanned.
"Ouch."
"What? That's what I did, isn't it? I threw a fit and ran away from home like the overdramatic idiot I am. This-" he waved his hand, gesturing to the trees, "is all my fault. If I'd just sucked it up and accepted the fact that you didn't like me like that, this wouldn't be happening to us, would it? We'd all be home -"
"Wait, wait, wait! Pause for a sec, okay? How did this go from me apologizing to you talking the blame for all this, Simon?"
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Because I knew there was something between you guys, Chlo. I should've backed off or something, but I didn't wanna accept the fact that you didn't have those feelings for me."
"W-What do you mean? There wasn't anything between us until-" I was going to say 'after you disappeared, but I realized how bad it would sound and caught myself. "Well, until now, I guess."
"Suuuure," he teased, rolling his eyes. "Seriously though, Chloe; you guys had this… vibe, like you knew exactly what the other person was gunna say or do. It was like I was interrupting some major moment whenever I joined the conversation or something," he said.
I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Simon, I don't know how to ask you this, but… have you been reading Twilight again?"
He narrowed his eyes at me and glared before his signature crooked smile returned. "I'm not kidding, Chlo. You should trust me on this one – just because I was too proud to acknowledge what was going on, doesn't mean you should do the same." He winked at me, and I stuck my tongue out at him, although there was a little voice inside my head begging me to listen to what he was saying. "That's why I already forgave you guys. I think I forgave you ten minutes after I left home, if I'm being completely honest."
I nodded, still waiting for him to yell something along the lines of 'LOL, JUST KIDDING! I HATE YOUR GUTS!'
I waited, convinced he was about to do just that. When he didn't, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Seriously though, Simon – I'm taking those books away from you when we get back. Reading them once is okay, but three times each? That's just unhealthy."
"Very funny, but I'll have you know they're in a very secure, secret place that you have no hopes of -"
"You call 'under your bed' a very secure, secret place?"
His eyes widened in mock surprise. "How'd you know?" he asked, his hand over his heart. I started cracking up, and soon we were both laughing like complete lunatics.
Once we'd composed ourselves again, Simon returned to the topic of Derek and I. "This is probably gunna sound creepy, but what are you and Derek exactly? Tori and I saw your little reunion, but then you guys fought…"
"Right now, we're not even speaking," I said solemnly, feeling my heart ache a little at the memory – had it really only been a day since we'd been making out shamelessly on a bathroom counter?
"Did he…?" Simon began, letting the sentence trail off.
"He… he told me everything, but I told him I need some space to process it all… it was a lot to take in, you know?"
"Yeah, it is… just don't take too long, okay? I can tell he's really beating himself up about it."
I nodded, ready to change the subject. Thinking about last night made me feel worse than I had before, and I really didn't want to relay the story to Simon… it felt like something private - not something you tell your friends.
"So… we're going to that town once they get back, right?"
"Yepp. We need to get food and stuff, and at the risk of sounding like a sissy… this place really creeps me out."
"I know what you mean. I keep thinking someone's gunna sneak up on us or something, and-"
"DO. YOU. HOWL. AT. THE. MOON? It's a simple question, big guy!" I stood, hearing Tori's voice through the trees. Simon copied my movements, coming to stand next to me while I looked for the direction Tori's voice had drifted from.
"Tori?" I called.
"Who else?" she said, stepping through the last of the trees. She had a smug smile on her face as she deposited her backpack on the ground, then bent to open it. "We brought food! Hope you're hungry…" She threw me a granola bar, then straightened up and strode over. "How're you feeling?" she asked.
"Okay," I said. I wasn't lying – I'd forgotten all about my aching throat while Simon and I'd been talking.
"That's-" she stopped, noticing Simon for the first time. "What are you looking at?" she snapped. "Go make yourself useful and help wolf-boy with the rest of the stuff!" He didn't need to be told twice. Simon shot me an apologetic look before rushing off, and I had to stifle a laugh.
"So what happened with you guys last night?" she whispered, handing me a juice box from her backpack.
"L-Last night? Who said anything happened last night?"
She rolled her eyes. "Please Chloe, don't insult my intelligence - no one sleeps in till 1 pm unless they've been up half the night, and you have some serious bags under your eyes, so don't even try to deny that."
"Fine. I was awake, okay? But why would you think something happened…?"
"Because wolf-boy was awake too, and something was bound to happen between you guys, so spill."
I crossed my arms. "Nothing happened, Tori, we just-"
"You guys ready to go?" Simon called, Derek right behind him. They were each carrying a backpack and some grocery bags.
Simon handed me a bag; inside was a plain black backpack like Tori's. "You ready?" he asked, passing me a grocery bag full of supplies to put inside the pack.
"Uh, sure I guess. Where are we going exactly?"
"Apparently they found an abandoned house, and we're gunna hang out there until we figure out what to do," he explained.
"Alright then," I said, looking up from the bag I was unsuccessfully trying to force the supplies into, expecting to see Simon standing over me. Instead my gaze met Derek's, and I froze, caught off guard.
"Here." He gently tugged the bag from my grasp and pulled out everything I'd thrown in, rearranging them so they'd fit. I stood there, frozen, as he organized the bag for me. When he was done, he handed me the backpack, along with a pack of cough drops he'd pulled out of his pocket.
I took them from him with a whispered 'thanks'. No one said a word as I slung the bag over my shoulder, and we left our little patch of trees just as silently.
I was alone with my thoughts during the entire walk… which would've been kinda enjoyable if it hadn't been for the solitary thought that refused to stop replaying itself in my mind: I told him I loved him last night, and he doesn't say a word. Now he's tripping over himself to be helpful?
I glanced over at him, watching as he carried both our bags effortlessly – I'd tripped earlier, and he'd plucked it off my back wordlessly, slinging it over his own shoulder once Tori'd helped me up. He probably feels guilty for keeping me up to talk last night, I decided, sick of guessing at his motives.
We'd been walking for over 45 minutes when we finally reached the edge of the forest. We all paused before entering the town, Simon and I waiting for our instructions from Tori. "Here's the deal," she said, sounding authoritative. "The house is on a street with a bunch of neighbours and people watching, so we're gunna have to walk around for a while and wait until nightfall to break in. Once it gets dark, I'll unlock the door and we'll slip in. It should be pretty warm in there, but if it isn't, we're gunna have to tough it out, because we can't turn on the heat. Got it?" We nodded our understanding, then followed her through the last of the trees.
The city was nothing special – it was more of a large town, really – but there were places to buy food and clothes and waste time, and that was all we need anyway. We grabbed a map from one of the tourist shops, 4 flashlights, batteries, and some more food – just to be safe. We also bought a couple of sweaters each, realizing that we'd be needing them if the next few days were anything like the previous few.
After a few hours of wandering aimlessly around town, Tori declared it dark enough to break into the house. She and Derek led us through a couple of normal looking streets, hurrying us along, then stopped outside an imposing-looking brick building.
"What is this place?" Simon asked, sounding more than a little bit anxious.
"Nowhere important, we just needed a safe place to tell you guys about what's up ahead," Tori explained.
"What's up ahead?" I asked, not liking the way she said 'up ahead' – it sounded like she was giving us a pep talk before slaying a dragon or some other equally impossible-to-accomplish feat.
"Let's just say it's not the greatest neighbourhood to be in at night, okay?"
"You're kidding, right?"
She smiled. "Unfortunately not… but don't worry, Chloe! You've got wolf-boy and I to protect you from the big bad gang-bangers."
"Thanks Tori. I feel sooo much better now!" I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes even though no one could see me.
"Relax," Derek said, surprising us all. "No one's gunna come anywhere near you, okay?"
I nodded and looked down at my shoes, feeling like an idiot. Of course no one's gunna bother us – we have a werewolf body guard and an out-of-control witch on our side.
We entered the alley silently, trying to keep as low a profile as possible. I jumped at every little sound, and I blamed my restless night's sleep for making me so high-strung. We trudged through dozens of alleys and creepy looking side-streets, and even though I trusted that Derek knew where he was going, I still felt uneasy.
Finally, after almost half an hour of walking, Tori informed us that our destination was just a few streets over. I felt my shoulders sag in relief – I was grateful that it was almost over, being both exhausted and freaked out beyond belief.
We kept walking, cutting through another pitch-black alley and then another, until I was almost one hundred percent sure we were lost.
I stopped at the mouth of the next alley – one Tori'd assured us was the last. "Guys, no offense, but are you sure we're going the right way? We've been walking for a really long time."
"Trust me," Tori whispered. "It's the right way."
"How do you know?" I whispered back. "And why are we whispering?" I added.
The sound of something hitting the pavement froze me in my tracks. "What was that?" I hissed, glancing around frantically, searching for the source of the noise.
"Calm down, blondie! It's just some homeless chick who lives in this alley...probably a crack addict or something." Tori pointed to a corner at the other end of the alley - crowded with trash cans - where a girl about my age was cupping a hand around her lighter, trying to keep it from going out in the wind.
I couldn't tell much about her – it was dark, and she was pretty far away – but there was something about the way she was holding that lighter and staring into the flame… shadows flickered and danced across her face, and by the dim light escaping from her cupped hand, I could tell there was something about her eyes… something almost eerie about the way her gaze was transfixed by the fire.
We watched as she squeezed her fist, extinguishing the flame. Well that was dumb, I though. Now how are you gunna keep warm? "Cummon, guys. We need to get to the other end of the alley," Tori whispered, obviously not concerned with anything the nameless girl was doing.
For some reason, we all hesitated; even Tori, who'd been willing us to keep moving. There was something about the girl with the fire that had us all unwilling to move closer, to alert her of our presence.
Her lighter flickered on again, this time in her left hand.
I gasped, amazed by what I was seeing – there was no lighter in the girl's hand.
The flames were coming from her finger tips, the fire completely under her control.
I started backing up slowly, hoping to avoid the girl an take a different route – but apparently Simon had other ideas.
"Hey, you!" he shouted, running full out down the alley, effectively revealing our location. The girl jumped, grabbed her bag and prepared to run.
"Leave me alone!" she called. "I have a lighter, and I'm not afraid to use it!"
"No you don't!" he replied. "We saw what you just did! That fire shot out of your fingers!"
"You're crazy!" she yelled, backing up.
"Wait!" I shouted. "You're a half-demon, aren't you?"
She froze, focusing her gaze on me. "What do you know about that stuff?" she asked, her tone suspicious. I looked at Derek, waiting for him to say something. He nodded slowly, so I took that as permission to continue. "We're supernaturals too. Tori's a witch, Simon's a sorcerer, and-" I decided it was best not to reveal what Derek and I were just yet, "-we're running from the Edison Group. Ever heard of 'em?"
I watched as her eyes widened in horror. "You guys… you guys are those kids they're after, aren't you?"
I didn't move, still shocked by what she was saying. "T-They told people to watch out for us?" I asked, looking at Derek and Tori. Had they known? Judging by their expressions, they'd been just as clueless as I had been.
Tori waved us forward a few seconds later, stopping a few feet in front of the girl. "You need to tell us everything. Everything you know about what's going on."
The girl nodded, and a bright light erupted from her finger – a miniature flame that lit up her face.
She smiled widely. "How 'bout we start with names? Mine's Rae."
OMG. It's Raeeeeee!
ANYWAYS. If you guys have been with me since the beginning, you know the one year anniversary of The Finding is in a few days (or if you completely forget and I'm just reminding you now… that's cool too). To celebrate the success of the story and the awesome fans (you guys!) who kept it going, I'm gunna be posting another outtake on the day of and more throughout the week. Lemme know what I should write about! Right now I have a few suggestions that include Derek during his Change in the warehouse, Derek after he left, Derek as he was telling Chloe about him leaving, and Derek while they were being held at the Edison Group's HQ. For people who read The Finding: submit ideas or pick one of the ones mentioned above and tell me in your review! For those who don't know what the hell I'm going on about: I wrote a story last summer called The Finding. It's a DP fanfic and it was basically what I thought was going to happen in The Reckoning; it's 32 chapters long (each chapter is about 3000 words, so it's loooong) and rated M, but check it out if you're interested or bored (or don't mind my shameless self-promoting). It was my first fanfic though, so be harsh with your reviews!
Also, does anyone have any idea what tumblr is (other than something I'm completely obsessed with)? If so, mention it in your review!
So umm… REVIEW! I'm gunna need A LOT to keep me writing this week ;)