Author's note: Not much to say. Here is Chapter 8.
Clare paced the kitchen slowly. The house was much quieter after her parents left. Darcy had gone out to meet up with some friends' right after their fight so Clare was pretty much expected to fend for herself. She made a small salad and a chocolate milkshake. Healthy eating be damned, I've had a rough day. After eating her meal in complete silence, she washed her dishes, cleaned the table and then poured herself a glass of water. Sighing, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. No missed calls, no new texts. "I really thought Adam and Eli would have checked up on me by now," she said. "Or at least I would have thought Alli would have called to try and make things up to me." She frowned at the empty room. "Up to bed I go I guess."
Walking up the stairs slowly, Clare looked in the spare room. Darcy's possessions were strewn around. "Did she learn nothing from mom and dad about manners before she left?" The more she stared, the more she realized how little Darcy had brought home with her. "I could have sworn she left with two full suitcases. Oh well: not my problem."
She walked into her own room and shut the door. She tried to run her fingers through her hair and they got stuck. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she began brushing her hair gently. Clare wondered about everything that had happened throughout the day. "I hope Adam's ribs are ok." She looked over at her phone but decided she would message him later. Looking at her messed up bed reminded her about the fact that her mom had completely invaded her privacy. "It's not as though I'm the bad apple of the family. In fact aside from today: I can't recall a single time where I was untrustworthy enough to deserve any reprimand."
She gripped her brush tighter as she tried to work it through a particularly messy part of her hair. The knots wouldn't unknot and Clare became increasingly agitated. Why can't anything just go right for me? I kindof feel like calling on Eli and Adam and just hanging out at a park or something. It would beat the heck out of sitting in the house all by myself. The house phone ringing burst Clare's thought bubble. She opened her door, ran down the hallway and picked the phone up on the last ring. "Hello?"
"I thought mom and dad would have been home by now. Isn't it a school night? Shouldn't you be in bed or studying for some dumb exam?" The voice on the other end belonged to Darcy.
Clare groaned audibly. "Did you adopt this bitchy attitude from someone you met in Kenya or have you always had it and just been really skilled at hiding it?"
Darcy was silent for a moment. "I just wanted to let someone who cares know where I am."
"Try calling back in an hour." Clare hung up.
She walked back to her bedroom and slammed the door. "Who does she think she is? Someone who cares...I used to be someone who cared and then she tried to make my already bad day even worse. She's so selfish!" Clare picked up her brush and tried to continue where she left off with her hair. It was next to no good. The knot had gotten worse. She threw her brush on the bedroom floor.
Maybe a shower will cool me off, she thought. Clare checked her phone messages and when she saw no new texts or missed calls: she turned her phone on silent, grabbed her usual shower amenities and turned the water on. She put her iPod on the bathroom docking station and it filled the room with soft Mozart music.
Allowing her clothes to slip off of her body, Clare stepped gingerly into the shower and turned the nozzle letting the water hit her full blast. Once her hair was soaked completely, she looked around for her favourite shampoo. To her surprise: it was empty. She sighed. "Gee, I wonder whose fault that could be?" she asked herself, rhetorically. "Guess that'll teach me to leave things out in the open where anyone can get at them." She stepped onto the bathmat outside of the shower and looked in the cupboard for another shampoo. She found a bottle of Dove shampoo that smelt amazing. "This'll do," she said smiling to herself as she stepped back into the shower.
Mozart was about the only thing that could keep her calm. Some days she felt like just locking the door and blasting it full volume. Clare wondered where her love of classical music had come from. Seemed logical that it was from her parents, but she couldn't be sure. She poured some body lotion on a pumas and scrubbed her body carefully. She loved the smell of the vanilla lather. Rinsing the suds from herself, she began to smile. "I don't care if I have a five-day weekend. I'm going to make the absolute most of it. I haven't had a me-day in ages." She finished her shower, turned off the water and stepped onto the bath mat. She wrapped her purple bathrobe around herself, grabbed the towel for her hair and opened the bathroom door.
As she walked down the hallway to the bedroom, she thought she heard a noise coming from downstairs. "Hello? Mom, dad, Darcy? Are you guys home?" The footsteps moved into the kitchen. "Weird" Clare said to herself. She walked down the stairs and around the corner.
Someone was in her kitchen alright, but she didn't recognize him. The stranger was going through her fridge. She went back to the stairs quietly. Ok Clare: just do not panic, she thought. Something fell onto the floor and shattered. Clare gasped. Oh great what do I do? I left my phone upstairs and he's probably a lot stronger than me. Oh please: someone come home!
Adam and Eli were huddled together on Morty's backseats. Adam sighed. "Y'know it's awfully cold for..."
"September?" Eli finished. "I'd say this is about normal temperature for us Torontonians. We should probably start heading for home though: got a big day of nothing ahead of us." Eli pulled the blanket off of his shoulders and got into the drivers' seat. "This isn't a taxi Adam. Come sit in the front."
Adam shivered outside the car as he scurried to the passenger door. "I can't believe those jerks did that to us. How did they even find us?"
"Who knows? But they're dead meat Monday morning." Eli turned the car on and drove away from the lake.
They arrived at Eli's house just past 11pm. Someone was sitting on the front steps. Adam and Eli looked at each other. "Were you expecting a guest this evening?"
Opening their doors in unison, Eli and Adam both walked slowly towards the unexplained guest. "Who are you?"
The figure stood up in the light, allowing Adam and Eli to sigh with relief. "Drew." They spoke his name in relief.
"What are you doing here?" asked Adam.
"I could ask you the same thing" said Drew, pointedly. "I come home and mom's a mess on the couch. I had to call an ambulance for her. Dad is at the hospital with her now. When I called home earlier in the day asking if she'd seen you: she laughed at me. Did something happen that I don't know about?"
"Look I don't really want to talk about it right now, Drew. Thanks for coming to visit but it's late, it's a school night and I really just want to go inside and dry off." Adam tried to go to the door but Drew wouldn't move out of his way. "Move."
"No." Said Drew firmly.
"Please move?" Adam was getting annoyed. This is twice in one day that Drew is interfering with my life.
"No. I'm not going to just stand aside and let you pretend like everything is fine without talking to me. I'm your brother for crying out loud! Doesn't that mean anything to you anymore?" Drew's voice was starting to shake.
"Drew it's just...I don't..." Adam looked at the ground.
"Not to be a pain but might I suggest we continue this discussion in my house? It's starting to get a little frigid out here and I can't guarantee that we won't be interrupted." Eli walked past the Torres brothers and opened his front door. Adam and Drew followed him. "Hot chocolate? Coffee? Anything warm to drink?" Eli offered. The brothers shook their heads.
Adam sat on Eli's leather couch; Drew sat across from him on a chair. "Why don't you just start at the beginning? How come when I went to look for you at school you weren't there?"
"Fitz beat me up. We went to the doctor and I probably have a fractured rib. Then there was the fire and when we were outside Owen beat me up and then Eli and I got suspended for three days. Did I miss anything, Eli?" Adam yelled to the kitchen.
"Newsflash: my parents are home and were..."Eli stopped to listen for sounds of his parents stirring from their sleep. Nothing. "They are asleep and I'd like to keep them that way if it's all the same to you."
"Right. Sorry." Adam blushed, having totally forgotten that Eli didn't own his own place.
"So...why am I only finding out any of this now? How did I not know you got into two fights in two days? And none of that explains what happened to mom so get talking." Drew crossed his arms and waited for Adam to explain.
Adam looked to Eli for support. He caught Drew staring from his perifs and sighed. "She kicked me out, Drew. Eli and I went to get my things and she was lying on the couch with her wrists slashed."
Drew stared at his younger brother. He could tell by the tone of his voice that Adam was indifferent. "And you didn't think you shouldn't maybe call an ambulance?"
"I did think about it! I was upset and the wounds looked superficial so I sortof just..."
"Let her there to die?" Drew finished Adams sentence for him. "I can't believe you."
"Drew you don't know what she has just put me through..." Adam tried unsuccessfully to defend his actions.
"You're right. I don't know what it's like to be you. I don't know what it's like for my mother to not accept who I am. Support, love, encouragement. I have no clue what it's like to live without those things. But you know what? That doesn't give you the right to let her go and kill herself. You're not a holier being; you're not above the rest of us. In fact: what you did makes you worse then mom. Enjoy your little sleepover." Drew got up and left the Goldsworthy house.
Adam sat in stunned silence.
Eli walked into the living room and looked at Adam. "Did Drew just leave?"
"Yeah. He's pretty pissed off at me." Adam wiped away a falling tear.
"I don't know your brother that well but I'm sure everything will work itself out. We can drive to the hospital to visit your mom if you want." Eli offered.
Adam shook his head no. "I'll be fine, Eli. I think I just want to get to bed." He got up and walked upstairs. "Where am I allowed to sleep?"
"On the futon like you did at our last sleepover." Eli walked up the stairs and went over to a cupboard. He pulled out two pillows and a blanket. "May as well make yourself comfortable." He smiled at Adam. "I mean it: I'm happy to have you over."
Adam smiled. "Thanks Eli. This –
"Stop saying thanks already." Eli grinned. "I'm going to brush my teeth."
"I'll go unpack," Adam went and sat on the futon.
Alli was just settling into bed when something hitting her window startled her. She got up slowly and drew the curtains back. Drew was standing in her driveway. What's he doing here? She wondered. She grabbed a sweater and slipped and quietly opened her door. She knew Sav was asleep because the sound of his snoring could be heard through his closed door. She tiptoed to the stairs, slid part way down the banister rail and then walked on every second step hoping that none of them would squeak under her.
Alli unlocked the front door and stuck her head outside. "Drew!" she hissed, "what are you doing standing in the middle of my driveway at this time of night?"
"I had to come talk to you."
"It really couldn't wait until school?" Alli asked. Drew shrugged. "Alright well you may as well come inside." She turned back inside and noticed Drew didn't follow. She poked her head outside again. "Hi there. Nice warm house this way," she gestured with her head.
"I can't stay long, Alli. This'll be really quick, I promise." Alli rolled her eyes, pulled the door closed quietly and went to stand with Drew. "A bunch of stuff happened with Adam the past two days and now my mom is in the hospital."
Alli's eyes widened. "Wait, what? Why? Drew what happened?"
"There's…it's complicated. I have to miss school tomorrow though since my dad can't miss work but I didn't want you to worry."
"While it is extremely sweet of you to think of me at a time like this…you should probably focus on your family, don't you think? I mean: it isn't as though I'm going anywhere. I'm here for support or whatever you need me for."
Drew and Alli locked hands. "Thanks for being so understanding, Alli. You are the most amazing girl I've ever met and –
"How amazing?" Alli asked, interrupting Drew.
Drew gave her an annoyed look. "I just said –
"I know but I like it when you elaborate." Alli smiled and tried to kiss Drew. He pulled away. "What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Why are you acting so needy all of a sudden? I came here to tell you my family is having a bit of a crisis and you're making it all about you. I was going to ask you what happened with Clare but I knew if I left it be too long you'd bring it up on your own." Drew paused to let Alli speak. Several moments of silence lapsed by and Drew let go of her.
"You're not leaving are you?" Alli asked.
"I may as well. You're not making me feel any better. Honestly, you're just making me wish I hadn't come to visit." He started walking towards his car.
"I had a really hard day too you know!" she called after him. "I don't hear you asking about it!"
He didn't even look back as he drove away.
Alli stormed back into her house. As she was about to slam the front door she remembered the rest of her family was asleep and decided against it. She shut the door quietly and crept back upstairs to her bedroom. Once inside she picked up her phone. How is it that Clare and her stubbornness caused us to fight and get suspended, yet I'm the one calling to reconcile? I guess when I get back to school I should look into making a few more friends so I don't seem so pathetic. She dialed Clare's number from memory. Voice mail.
"Funny. Clare always answers her phone." Alli was less concerned and more curious. She tried the number again. Still no luck. "Maybe she left her phone at school. I'll try her house." The house phone rang once before it was picked up. Instead of a voice coming through the receiver, Alli heard buzzing and humming. Now she was getting concerned. "Hello? Clare? Darcy? Who am I speaking to?"
Suddenly a voice whispered "Alli is that you?"
"Clare? Clare why are you whispering? Is something wrong?"
"Alli someone broke into my house. I'm home alone and I don't know what to do." Clare's whispering turned into speaking and was broken up by quiet sobs.
"It's ok, it's ok Clare. Just be calm, everything will be fine." Alli took a deep breath. She couldn't believe this was happening. "Why don't I call the police and you go sit on your roof? I'll get Sav to drive me over and we'll bring you to my house."
"He heard the phone, Alli. My cellphone went off too. I'm sure he knows he isn't alone. I'm so scared." Clare sniffled.
"Please don't cry, Clare. I'll be at your door with Sav in no time, I promise. Where is he in the house?"
"The kitchen. I don't know why…he's coming!"
The phone went dead.
"Clare. Clare? Clare? Oh my god." Alli threw her phone on her bed, pulled a hoodie over her head and tip toed out of her room. She walked to Sav's room as quickly yet quietly as she could. She opened the door and the sound of Sav's snoring nearly made her jump. She went to his bed and started shaking him. "Sav please wake up."
He rolled over and looked at her. "Alli what time is it?"
"That really doesn't matter. Someone broke into Clare's house. We have to go get her."
Sav bolted upright in bed. "What are we waiting for? Grab my keys, they're on the dresser." Sav threw his covers off and went to his dresser to grab some clothes.
When they were both ready they ran down the stairs, made it to the door and as Alli was about to turn the knob, a voice behind them called out "and just where do you two think you're going in the middle of the night on a school night?"
"Dad: Clare is in trouble. We have to help her."
The stranger had crept next to Clare and put his hand on her leg. She was so startled; she hung up the phone and dropped it on the floor, sending the batteries flying. "I had a feeling I wasn't alone. It took you long enough to come down and investigate."
"What do you want? Why did you break into my home?" Clare stood up and backed up the stairs.
"I didn't exactly break in…" the stranger looked at the front door. Clare followed his gaze and noticed glass on the floor. "Ok I did break your window. I wasn't expecting anyone to be home."
"That doesn't answer my question. What do you want?" Clare could feel her own voice getting higher and knew it didn't sound menacing at all.
"Are you Darcy's little sister? You're prettier than she described." The stranger tried to touch Clare's face but she flinched away. "Why don't we sit down and I'll explain what's going on."
"She's not home. I don't want to sit down with you; I want you to get out of my house."
The stranger snickered at Clare. "You really think it's that easy? Your sister stole something from me and I want it back. I didn't fly 7566.02 miles for some brat to tell me to go home. I'm a pretty patient person. Ask your sister if you don't believe me. Even the most patient man in the world has a breaking point. If you don't help me get what I came for: you'll see exactly what I mean."
Clare was beginning to tear up. "So then just tell me what you want. Why are you wasting your time bragging about how patient you are? You're like one of those movie villains who comes up with this big, elaborate plot to kill the hero and spends so long explaining it that the hero manages to escape."
Without warning the stranger struck Clare in the face. The unexpected force of his blow knocked Clare onto the stairs. He knelt down to her level so his face was inched away from hers. "You watch your tone with me, kid. As stupid as your sister is: I don't think she hid what she took from me here. That would be too easy. So what I'm going to do now is I'm going to play a little game. You're going to call her and tell her that Ayzize has come for what she owes and if she doesn't deliver: she is going to be an only child." He pulled a small knife from his back pocket and pointed it at Clare. "Well, girl?"
Clare stood up and inched down the stairs along the wall. She put the batteries in the phone and looked over at Ayzize. He looked down at his knife and started to laugh. Clare breathed in, hit him in the face with the end of the phone and ran to her room, locking and barricading her door as fast as she could.
Eli had given Adam permission to use half of his drawers and half of his cupboard space. All of that pretty much added up to Adam having one drawer. "Have you ever thought about cleaning up a little bit in here, Eli?" he called down the hall.
"When I want your opinion Adam I'll…I'll never want your opinion." Eli paused, realizing how harsh he sounded. "On the state of my room, that is. I have parents for that. Although I don't think Cece actually cares about the state of disorder it's in. It's been like this forever." Eli spit some toothpaste into the sink; swished water around his mouth, spit again, wiped his face and turned off the bathroom light. He went into his bedroom and grinned. "Uh you're not really wearing a hoodie to bed, are you?"
Adam blushed. "Well I…"
"Look: it's just me. Have I judged you so far? No. have I treated you any differently since you told me your secrets? Nope. So: quit worrying so much." Eli went to his drawers and pulled out a plain, black t-shirt. "It's cold but it's not that cold."
"Th-I appreciate the gesture." Adam stumbled with his words, remembering Eli not wanting him to say 'thank you' constantly. Adam looked at the shirt and arched an eyebrow. "Did you hand me a fleece blanket and tell me something about the heat not making it all the way up here last time?" he asked.
"Bullfrog was annoyed enough about it that he did something about that this morning before I went to school. And by 'he was annoyed' I mean Cece told him to haul ass or sleep on the couch."
Adam laughed. Then without really thinking: he hauled off his hoodie and t-shirt and threw them to the end of the futon. He didn't realize Eli was still looking in his direction. As he began to undo his tension bandage, he remembered Eli was there. He pulled the covers up to his neck. "Uh little privacy, please?"
Eli snapped out of his trance. "Sorry I…sorry. Do they hurt?" He asked. Adam looked at him. "The tension bandages. Do they make it hard to breathe or anything?"
Adam shrugged. "I've been using them for a while so I guess I never really noticed if they hurt me or not."
Before he really had a chance to think: Eli was standing up and walking over to the futon. Staring at Adam's still covered chest, Eli sat down next to him. "Would it be weird if I…"
"Don't finish that sentence, Eli. Whatever you're thinking: stop. Forget I told you, forget you saw these. Although that's probably like asking a fish to forget how to swim." Eli was still looking at Adam with an unlikeable look. "Why are you looking at me that way?"
Eli sighed. "We all have secrets right? Remember I told you I didn't feel that way about you? I didn't exactly lie, but I wasn't completely honest either."
"Dad could you drive any slower? Clare could be dead for all we know." Alli would have preferred if her dad had just let Sav drive but thinking about trying to take down a robber with just herself, Sav and Clare didn't sound like the brightest idea.
"I thought you two were mad at each other. You are much too quick to forgive, Alli." Mr. Bhandari looked at her sternly through his rearview mirror.
"She's probably terrified, dad. And…we've been best friends since we were 14." Alli frowned and stared out the car window at buildings being passed by. "I'm still mad at her, don't get me wrong. That doesn't mean I want her dead."
They pulled up to the Edwards residence and opened their doors simultaneously. "Alli I think you should stay here…" Sav started to caution his sister. One sour look from her told him he was wasting his time. "At least let me go first. If he has a weapon, I can try to disarm him."
"Sav if he has a weapon we are calling the cops." Alli rolled her eyes at her brothers' attempt at heroism.'
"You mean you two haven't called the police already?" Mr. Bhandari looked horrified. "We are not going in there without professional backup."
"Fine dad. Let's stand around in the driveway and hope he lets Clare go."
"Alli now is really not the time for sarcasm." Sav pointed out. "Let's just go in and see what happens."
Alli rolled back the welcome mat to reveal a key. She looked at the door and noticed the broken window. She slipped the key in her pocket and turned the knob. Pushing the front door open revealed glass on the floor, blood and a broken phone on the stairs. Loud pounding was coming from upstairs.
"If you don't let me in I will kill you, you little brat." Ayzize pounded his fists on the door as hard as he could.
"Dad call 9-1-1." Alli whispered. She and Sav moved into the living room to try to get a good look at the intruder.
"Alli text Clare. Tell her we're here." Sav whispered.
"If her phone is on ring he's going to hear it and get angry." Alli whispered back. Suddenly there was a loud crash. Alli and Sav looked at each other and ran up the stairs. They saw a young, dark-skinned male lying on the floor outside Clare's door and glass all over him. Alli stepped over him carefully and went into Clare's room. Clare was on the floor behind the door sobbing. Alli knelt down and hugged her. "Clare it's me. You're going to be ok." She could feel Clare nodding her head. "How did you do that?"
"I'm not sure, actually." Clare and Alli laughed and smiled at each other. "Thanks Alli."
"No sweat." Alli stood up. "I have to go though: dad's waiting. The cops are on their way, too."
"Ok." Clare looked upset about Alli leaving.
Sorry. Alli thought.
C'mon Eli: just tell him. Just tell him who you are and how you feel and everything will be fine. Adam looked at Eli expectantly. Great. He told me pretty much the biggest, groundbreaking secret in the world and I can't even be honest with him about who I am. He probably wouldn't accept it anyway, seeing as how I already lied to him once. Half-lied.
"Earth to Eli: come in Eli. You were saying you weren't honest with me and then you sortof just stopped talking. Is everything ok?"
"I have an image to protect and that's why I tried to ward you off after you kissed me."
Adam stared at Eli, stunned. "I'm sorry did you just admit you lied to me because you have an image you have to protect? I can't believe you've sunk so low. I didn't picture you as the shallow type at all."
"Would you quit jumping the gun for a second and let me explain? I'm not shallow. My tough guy exterior is all I have. Not to sound pathetic but: I was bullied relentlessly as a child, which is the reason I couldn't stand backing down to Fitz. It especially bothered me when he went after you when you really hadn't done anything to him. Anyway, morale of the story is: I'm bisexual."
"But how has this never come up in conversation before? You were so calm and casual about…that little incident that I thought…I mean there was no way for me to know…you know?"
Eli smiled. "Adam it's so hard to take you seriously when you're genuinely sweet like this. I've spent years hiding, just like you only it's been a little easier for me because of my exterior demeanor and my day-to-day reputation of being…well I'm classified as an emo kid but I wouldn't call myself that. I've spent years staying away from people. Years not getting to know anyone because I didn't want them to get to know me. I saw my sexual orientation as a weakness so I refused to acknowledge it as part of who I am."
"So what was with you being cryptic about you and Clare? She obviously likes you. I don't see the point of not admitting you might be into her…unless you're not." Adam tilted his head. "Are you just taking advantage and enjoying her having to chase you? Cause if you are –
"No no I'm not that much of an asshole. Girls and I have history. I don't know why Clare is attracted to me but I'm going to set things straight with her once we get back to school. I enjoy her company. She's smart, pretty, funny, a decent writer after I've beta read her work. She's like the little sister I've never had."
"So…what you're saying is at the moment you're not attached…to anyone." Adam's sentence sounded more like a question.
Eli moved towards Adam and Adam lay on his back. "I think I'm ready to acknowledge myself and possibly willing to be attached if you're prepared to be patient with me." Before Adam could say a word Eli kissed him tenderly. When he moved away, Adam simply looked at him.
"Is it supposed to be weird? I mean…shouldn't I feel butterflies and crap?" Adam sat up a little bit.
"Anatomically you are female but mentally you're supposed to be a macho man. Guys don't get butterflies, tongue twisted or vomity. We simply acknowledge what's going on and go through the motions until there are no more motions to go through."
"You make us sound like robots." Adam said, laughing. "But seriously: why did you wait so long? You knew how I felt."
"I probably should have told you but things with me aren't ever just 'easy.' I hope that doesn't offend you."
"Why would you think I would be offended? Mostly I guess I'm just at a total loss for words."
Eli smiled. "Loss for words in a good way? Loss for words in a bad way? C'mon don't leave me in suspense."
Adam put his hand on the side of Eli's face and kissed him. This time he felt excited. He didn't know what it was like to kiss a girl because he'd never been brave enough to try it. Kissing a girl would mean possibly having to admit that on top of his dirty little secret, he was also gay. Not that there was anything wrong with being gay. It was just that he had enough problems on his plate without adding a complex relationship on top of it all.
This second kiss was much rougher and Adam liked it. Eli put his arm around Adam's lower back and pulled him closer. Adam hadn't really thought that far ahead. Should he open his mouth? Pull away? Eli solved the dilemma for him when he opened his mouth just a little bit. Adam followed suit and Eli's tongue found his. Adam could feel himself tingling in his shorts. Suddenly he remembered he was minus some regular male parts and pulled away.
"Alright what just happened? We don't have to rush into anything super serious here." Eli coaxed him. "Just relax a little." He moved in for another kiss but Adam inched away. "Adam what's the matter?"
"This is pretty embarrassing but…I'm still female where it counts, remember? We can't do the usual bump and grind the way everybody else can." Adam pulled his knees up to his chin.
Eli rested his face on top of Adam's knees. "We just experienced the biggest revelation of the week and you're worried about that? I don't screw on the first date. In fact: you can't even call this a date. And I honestly wasn't thinking about that at all, Adam. I mean it. Let's try to get some sleep and we'll talk more in the morning."
Adam smiled. Eli made him feel so comfortable. "Thanks Eli."
"What did I say about that word?" Eli kissed Adam's forehead. "Night."
"Night Eli."
Voila! Chapter 8 = finito. I hope you guys liked it. I know I jumped all over the place, but I wanted to resolve a few loose ends and get the continuity train rolling again. Also I tried to challenge myself a little bit: instead of just writing at much as I could, I had each section of the story equal 500 or 1000 words. Why? I wanted to see for myself if that was possible. So the chapter itself is actually 5000 words. Not bad. I'm working on Chapter 9 now and it will be up very soon, promise.