The Story You Shouldn’t Know

-Alone-

* . * . *

Chapter Eighteen –

“What the - ?”

The loud yell that burst out of Anna startled them both. Josh rubbed his ear in half-feigned horror; Anna’s shrill voice would have surely torn through his eardrum had he not been indestructible – kind of.

If Josh was mildly startled, Anna was in shock. She had woken up fairly comfortable, her arm flung around something very hard yet soft at the same time ... and then, still almost-but-not-quite asleep, she’d registered that it was moving steadily. Breathing.

And then that all-too-familiar thump, thump, thump – the reminiscent thudding of Josh’s heart.

It was around this point that she had jumped up, scrambled away, and let out an admirable shriek.

She also registered a few other things when she’d moved back – that she was in her uniform – why was she always in her uniform? It wasn’t even a good uniform – and that her eyes stung slightly when she blinked. She reached up to rub them and realized her lids were a little swollen.

One of the perks of being Anna was that exploits of days before rarely had a mark on her when she woke up. If she’d slept late, she miraculously escaped without bags under her eyes. If she’d forgotten to wash her face, she somehow got away with clear skin. It was a sign of how hard she’d cried the day before that this time, the marks didn’t go away so easily.

Then she remembered why she’d been crying so hard – why, in fact, she’d woken up next to Josh – and the memory hit her like a sledgehammer.

There is little worse than forgetting something horrible then remembering it again.

She sank back down on the bed. She was still a little shaken that she’d actually cried on Josh’s shoulder the day before. She was more than a little surprised he hadn’t even left her. She was almost touched. A little shocked, and definitely unnerved at herself, but that was hardly Josh’s fault. In fact – he’d been unexpectedly noble. He hadn’t tried anything funny, after all.

She looked back up at Josh, her eyes still aching slightly, and for the first time, really looked at him. When he’d been nothing but evil towards her, she had only noticed things she disliked about him. Such as how his good-looks masked the evil within, typically deceptive. The way he smirked all the time – always taunting her. That horrible, dangerous, evil atmosphere he radiated. The utter confidence, the innocent eyes that hid his true intelligence. In short, she had hated everything.

But now it was different. In a way, she had unconsciously accepted Josh as a person and not the devil. Because to her, that’s all he was. He was so – human around her. Sure, he was infinitely powerful, but in a strange sort of way, Josh was simple about it. He didn’t flaunt it half as much as some students at the School did. He had more style than that. Josh didn’t boast or show off – he was witty about it, but more than anything, he had class.

Now, looking at him, she saw different things. His looks were no longer a deception, but simply a form that suited him. His atmosphere was no longer threatening to her ... it was mildly different and very powerful, but somehow reassuring. That scared her slightly, but she supposed he’d been fairly good lately. It wasn’t as though she could get used to Josh’s evil! That was a preposterous thought.

Or could she?

Anna decided to let the uneasy thought go and continued her intent gaze. His smirk was more of a grin, and it was friendlier, more comforting. Everything about him was. When he smiled the room almost lit up, and she realized that despite everything, Josh was the most cheerful person she knew. And then she noticed that she really was thinking of him as a person.

And maybe it was that moment, with complete and utter finality, that Anna’s weakening was completed.

“How long exactly do you plan on staring at me?” asked Josh impatiently and Anna jumped, fervently hoping he hadn’t been reading her mind.

The Wolf’s death was weighing too heavily on her heart for her to smile yet, but she managed a grimace. “I’m done, thanks.”

“You all right?” he asked cautiously, his expression turning serious. “You were pretty messed up yesterday.”

“I know,” she mumbled. Then she looked back up, her fingers tracing random shapes on the bedcovers in her anxiety. “I’m better now. I think. The worst of the – grief – has passed. Tell me ... did it really happen?”

Josh leaned back against the headboard, stifling a yawn. “Did what happen?”

“Did you really – ” she hesitated, “ – where you really there, I mean? During the whole thing?”

“No, it was another Josh,” he said with a sigh. “Of course it was me. Who else would it be?”

“Just making sure,” she said mildly. There was a pause. “Thank you, you know.”

Josh stared at her. “You’re thanking me?”

“Yeah. You’re my friend now, aren’t you?”

Josh’s face broke into a wide grin after a brief flash of something she didn’t quite catch. Unease? Guilt?

“Friend to you,” he said, rolling his eyes as he held up his wrist. “But unfortunately, I happen to be in love.”

He reasoned he could joke around now. He’d been good all of yesterday, after all.

Anna went very slightly red for no reason, then shrugged it off as she turned around to get out of bed. “Did you – erm – sleep well? Do you even need to sleep?”

“Technically, I don’t,” he said, sliding down as she stood up. “But I’m not above a nap every now and then.”

As if to prove the point, he reached for the nearest pillow and promptly buried his head in it, occupying most of the little bed as he settled down.

“You’re going to sleep?” she said in disbelief. “On – on my bed?”

Josh let out an incoherent noise as he turned around to look at her. “Yeah. You’re not using it again, are you?”

“No,” said Anna doubtfully. It was true. She’d been going to shower.

“Then what’s your problem? It’s not like I have anything to do.”

“You don’t?”

Josh shrugged, looking annoyed. “Okay, maybe I do, but it’s nothing I can’t do with my eyes closed.”

Anna frowned, then shrugged herself. She supposed it was all right provided he didn’t suddenly decide the bed would be his property from now on.

“Didn’t you get enough sleep last night?” she asked carefully, still curious.

“I slept just fine, thank you,” he snapped. “What do you have against me sleeping, I want to know? Would you prefer it if I joined you in the shower?”

Anna went bright red and ducked out hurriedly.

“That’s fine,” she called on her way out hastily. “Enjoy your sleep!”

Josh grinned to himself, then his eyes closed.

Josh hadn’t lied. He did have things to do – but everything could be accomplished just fine even if he was asleep.

His physical body was resting in Anna’s bed, hundreds of miles away, and yet his presence had materialized all the way in Kane’s horrible underground club, somewhere in central Europe.

It was still early in the morning; the club was empty. Only Kane was there, resting with his face buried in his hands. His chains tinkled as he rocked back and forth, almost manically. He had evidently heard what had happened to his brothers.

Josh’s presence appeared a few feet away. In all aspects, his presence, although projected by his mind, resembled him perfectly. He looked completely solid, his hood up, leaving his face half-shadowed , and in a way, he almost was. The only difference was that Josh’s presence couldn’t actually touch anything physically. He’d have to use his powers if he wanted to do that. But then, Josh was rarely physical. His whole job revolved around mindplay and power.

Kane looked up, all color draining from his face when he saw Josh – or what Josh wanted him to see, at any rate. His eyes were pale green, bloodshot at the corners.

“Is it time?” he croaked. Unlike Iblees, Kane wasn’t calm at all. His father would be disappointed in him. Kane had spent his entire life trying to please his father and he almost felt some real fear at that moment, looking up into the cold black eyes of his youngest brother.

“Yeah,” said Josh, his face expressionless. He pulled down the hood quietly, and his irises seemed to burst into flames, fire dancing around his pupils.

Kane stood up, half-stumbling as he backed away. His brain registered that this was the end, but his body seemed to insist on trying to escape all the same. He took several more steps backwards, almost tripping over the empty beer-bottles and up-turned chairs littering the area.

Josh’s face flickered with impatience, then a mask of cold hatred twisted his features. He raised his arm and slashed it once, diagonally, in the air.

Kane froze, his mouth half-open as he looked down at himself. Blood filled his eyes, turning them a dripping, oozy black, and before he could fully gaze down, his torso separated from the rest of his body and then his upper body crumpled to the floor. His lower body remained upright for just a moment – and then it sank down as well. He’d been sliced in half.

Kane’s power kept him alive for a few moments, struggling to heal the damage done to him, but Josh had made sure it could not be repaired. He watched idly for a few moments as Kane flopped around on the floor desperately, his upper body spasming crazily, his separated legs twitching, black blood pooling around him, and then all movement ceased.

Kane was well and truly dead.

Josh blinked and all traces of his brother, every single drop of blood vanished. He gazed at the spot where his brother had died for a long moment, his expression full of contempt, then his presence vanished, returning once again to the body resting in Anna’s house, all those miles away.

Two down, three to go.

Marcus was next.

Anna tiptoed out of the shower, fully dressed and ready for school. She peeked around the door to her room, expecting to see Josh asleep on the bed, but he wasn’t. She felt, unexplicably, a little disappointed, then shrugged. So he’d had to go.

She went out to the kitchenette, fumbling around for anything to eat so she could eat. The Wolf’s absence rang louder than ever – she remembered the morning only a little over a week ago, when she’d woken up happy – so happy – and made them a giant breakfast.

The memory was too fresh, too joyful. She sank down on one of the kitchen chairs, running her hands through her hair, and took a deep, shuddering breath. Without Josh to distract her from her grief, the misery was overwhelming. It took her a few moments, then she regained control of herself.

I miss you, she thought aloud, wishing he were there to listen. Even if it wasn’t you at the end ...

She looked around quickly, swallowing hard, before she got up and walked to the fridge, blinking. She would be fine. She’d be able to handle school – she always had, hadn’t she?

She pulled the toast out of the fridge automatically, preparing to put it into the oven for toasting – the Headmistress had never bothered with toasters – before she shrugged to herself, pulled a cold, untoasted slice from the packet, folded it over and ate it in one bite. It was tasteless and dry but she managed to force it down her throat. What was the point, anyway?

The house was so empty. How had one big wolf managed to make it feel so crowded all the time?

She left the house at last before walking to school slowly, trudging along. She’d woken up early enough, but even so by the time she reached the front doors she was running late.

“Anna!” her History teacher, Mr Chung, looked disapproving as she rushed inside the class at the last moment. He’d been getting ready to shut the door; she had to duck under his outstretched arm.

“Sorry, Mr Chung,” she mumbled apologetically. Being tardy was unforgivable at the School: she was lucky he’d let her in at all.

“It’s fine,” he sighed. “Just don’t do it again, the Head would sooner kill me ...” his voice trailed off and he looked at her closely as the rest of the class took the opportunity to chatter in hushed tones, “...tell me, m’dear – are you all right? You look very unlike yourself.”

“Sorry,” she said again, unsure what else to say.

“Would you like to go to the nurse’s?” he asked, looking concerned. All the teachers had a soft spot for Anna – mostly because they all appreciated that while she was far more powerful than they were, she refused to show them up or make them look bad on her part. That, and the male teachers were all half-entranced by her.

Anna considered the offer seriously. She didn’t feel ill, not exactly, although her stomach felt queasy every time she remembered the loss, and her eyes were a little prickly ... but what really made her mind up was the sight of Mary and Crystal whispering quietly at the back. She allowed a flow of magic to enhance her hearing.

“ – wrong with Anna?” Mary was saying, her voice low. “She looks awful. Well, for her.”

“Who cares?” Crystal hissed back. “She’s such a poser. I bet Mr Chung lets her out of the class – all the teachers like her, you know. Even though I’ve never seen her do anything better than I can so far.”

Her upper lip curled as she lit up her thumb, the little flame flickering.

Anna fought a twisted smile as she remembered the time she’d attacked her. It was almost a pity Josh had fixed that – it would’ve wiped the smug off her face now if she’d remembered, at least.

She looked back up at Mr Chung, who was waiting for an answer patiently.

“I think I’d better go to the nurse’s,” she said quietly, before walking back out of the door. At least Hussein would be there, she thought as she headed towards the hospital section. That was slightly consoling.

He wasn’t.

The school nurse was there, however, her mouth set in a grim line as she arranged antibiotics on one of the shelves. The school nurse had quite the reputation for being well-organized. She’d refused to give routine vaccinations unless the students came in alphabetical order. Anna had gone first, although everyone understood she did not need them.

“Excuse me,” said Anna timidly, waving her hand cautiously. “Where’s Hussein?”

The nurse looked up, her thin eyebrows drawing together sharply as she looked Anna over carefully. Her voice was unusually soft for someone who seemed so stern.

“Hussein’s taking extra tutoring for the classes he missed, dear,” she explained. “He only went off a moment ago – you just missed him.”

“Oh,” said Anna, looking disappointed.

“Anything else you want?” asked the nurse, smiling encouragingly.

“I – well ...” Anna stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The nurse disappeared for a moment as she went through a side-door to put some syringes in place, then popped out again. “... Mr Chung asked me to come here. He thinks I’m not well.”

“Well, you do look paler than usual,” the nurse observed. “And my goodness, dear, did you get any sleep? Your eyes have more circles under them than a forty-year old tree!”

Anna smiled politely, although her heart ached slightly.

The nurse beckoned towards another door at the end of the room, heading towards it swiftly, her heels clickety-clacketing on the floor. Anna was quite sure nurses weren’t allowed to wear heels but chose not to comment.

“Well, hurry on, Anna!” she called. “I’ve got just the place for you to rest, poor – ”

“Did you say Anna?” a voice piped up, and Safia’s head poked out of the side-door the nurse had been in only a moment earlier. She spotted Anna and beamed. “Yeah! Hi Anna!”

Anna tried to dig up some enthusiasm and managed a genuine grin. “Hey, Safia ... fancy meeting you here.”

Safia grinned back, and then limped out from behind the doorway. Her skirt was hitched up to her thighs and her stockings pulled down to allow an enormous bandage with a red splotch in the middle to wrap around her knee. Anna’s eyes widened in horror.

“Yeah, isn’t it?” said Safia, looking amused, then followed Anna’s gaze down to her injured leg.

“What happened to you?” demanded Anna. The nurse gestured impatiently towards the door at the end of the room and she started walking towards it slowly. Safia limped along easily enough, although Anna stopped to help her.

“I tripped,” Safia grimaced. “Fell flat on my fa – er, knee. Well, fell hard on my knee anyway. Scraped the skin right off.”

There was something not quite right about her tone. Anna looked at her, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Fall? Where?”

“School stairs may be carpeted, but that sure doesn’t help,” said Safia with an uneasy laugh.

Anna continued to look at her suspiciously. “Are you sure nobody pushed you or anything?”

“God, no!” exclaimed Safia, but she averted her eyes and Anna’s heart sank immediately as she suddenly remembered the girls from yesterday. She’d almost forgotten about that.

“Who was it?” she asked quietly as the two of them followed the nurse into the next room.

“Crystal Halloway,” muttered Safia. “Nobody else has bothered me since ... whatever you told those other girls, but she just poked me while I was running for class, and – ”

She was interrupted by the nurse, who had picked up a clipboard at some point and was pointing to a plain white bed set in the middle of the room. The room itself was very plain – there was a small table, a cupboard and a couple of chairs but it was otherwise unremarkable except for the clinic-associated stench of disinfectant.

“Anna, dear, you may rest here until you’re well enough to return to class,” she said matter-of-factly. “Safia, you’re not going anywhere with that knee of yours. If it’s still stiff by the end of the day I’ll be requesting a wheelchair to return you to your dormitory. I need to go lecture the fourth-years about the swine-flu hazards and which healing and protection rituals are best guaranteed, but I’ll be back before you know it. Is that all right?”

Anna sat down heavily on the tautly-made white bed and nodded. “Sure thing, ma’am.”

Safia took a chair as she waved good-bye. “Peace, Nursie!”

The nurse rolled her eyes at Safia as she exited, the door swinging closed behind her, and then Safia turned to Anna excitedly, bouncing up and down on her chair despite her knee. Anna was beginning to feel uncomfortable – the room was very stuffy. Safia didn’t appear to care.

“This is so cool!” she cooed. “We get to be together and no classes! How awesome is that?”

“Fantastic,” said Anna dryly. She wished she could share Safia’s enthusiasm, but it was hard. Every time she forgot then remembered the Wolf’s death her heart jolted horribly. She wished she’d never come to school today in the first place. A part of her yearned for some angelic peace to steady her, but everything angelic in her seemed to have vanished with her sorrow, just as anger made it so. Either that or she was getting so human the other half of her was becoming hard to summon.

“What’s wrong with you?” asked Safia curiously, her expression turning serious as she took in Anna’s expression. “Why are you here, anyway? You look awful! Well – for you, at least.”

Anna rolled up her sleeves, leaning back against the headboard wearily. She wasn’t sure what to say. She was tired?

“I’m tired,” she answered, half-truthfully. “I’m exhausted – it’s been ... it’s been worse than hectic lately.”

“Bull,” said Safia at once. “People like you don’t get affected by things like tired. Besides, you’ve never shown up so miserable before. What’s up?”

Anna waved a hand impatiently, trying to dismiss the subject. “There’s no need to – ”

“Oh – my – God,” Safia cut in suddenly. “What’s that?”

Anna looked around her anxiously, wondering if Josh had materialized or something of the sort. “What?”

“You have a tattoo?” hissed Safia in disbelief. “You have a tattoo?”

Anna realized Safia’s eyes were glued to her arms – or more specifically, her wrist – and she froze. A part of her reacted almost automatically, beginning to use her magic to hide the mark, but Safia was too sharp. She reached forward, almost toppling off her chair, and Anna lunged forward to catch her.

Immediately, Safia grabbed her wrist.

“What is that?” she demanded. Anna struggled to pull her wrist back.

“It’s nothing – just a birthmark – ” she spluttered. This was the last thing she needed. “Safia, give me my hand back!”

“Show me!” cried Safia, and then they both froze as Anna’s wrist flipped over involuntarily, exposing the distinct black brand of the Devil’s Mark.

“It’s nothing ...” murmured Anna helplessly, knowing full well it was already too late.

“That’s not a tattoo,” said Safia slowly. Her face seemed a little stunned. She let go of Anna’s wrist and sat back down carefully. “No tattoo I’ve ever heard of is that ... black.”

“I told you,” said Anna forcefully. “It’s nothing, all right? Just something I was born with.”

“Anna,” said Safia, her voice trembling on the second syllable very slightly. “Anna, that’s not nothing. That’s not nothing at all. What the hell is that shape?”

“You wouldn’t understand!” snapped Anna, her tears threatening to resurface. She was already tense and had hardly recovered from her breakdown the night before. She pulled her sleeves back down, mentally kicking herself for rolling them up in the first place. If only the room hadn't been so stuffy!

“Something about it feels ... weird,” whispered Safia, looking uneasy as she shifted her chair slightly. “What’s with the pitchfork ... the – the trident – or whatever it is? Just – what the hell?”

Anna shook her head feverishly. “Safia, please don’t start asking questions. I told you – it’s nothing to do with you.”

“But it has something to do with me!” cried Safia defiantly, her eyes flashing dangerously as she glared at Anna. “Anna, I feel connected to it. There’s something weird about it, I’m telling y – Anna, what the hell are you?”

“I wish I could decide,” said Anna with a heavy sigh, looking down at her fingers. Bottling everything up was killing her, and Safia’s eyes were merciless. She wouldn’t get away without a straight answer. She remembered what Josh had said:

“I just mean you can tell her anything. She’s cool.”

She’d been trusting Josh a lot these days. Why not take another risk?

“It’s a very long story,” she said slowly. “Are you up for it?”

Safia pointed to her leg demurely. “Mentally, I most certainly am.”

“I can heal that,” said Anna quickly. Talking would be a way to share the pain. Split the load.

“Then why didn’t you do it in the first place then?” complained Safia, and Anna was surprised to find herself laughing.

“Just listen.” Her voice became quiet. “And after that, I can show you my house.”

Anna didn’t end up telling her everything. Some things were just hard to explain, and Josh was one of them. She told her about her childhood, how she had lived alone with the Wolf, and so on. She tried to explain exactly how she’d met Josh, but she ended up simply explaining that Josh – the Josh, the one the entire school was crazy about was a form of demon, and that he was in love with her. She told her that the Wolf had died. That was the hardest part.

She didn’t tell Safia that Josh had, in fact, created her. She didn’t tell her that Josh was really the devil, and she didn’t tell her about Kane and Iblees. But she told her more than she’d ever told anybody before, and the relief was immense, almost staggering.

Safia listened to everything with a blank expression. She frowned slightly when Anna said the ‘tattoo’ as she’d called it, was a connection between her and Josh, but otherwise the first time she actually reacted was when Anna took her to her house after the bell had rung.

“You have your own house?” Safia’s voice cracked in awe. “I knew you didn’t go to the Prefect dorms! I knew it!”

Anna grinned faintly. “I never did like lying.”

Safia half-floated through the house, fingering the couch, looking through the kitchen fridge. She brightened when she discovered a leftover slice of cheese pizza Anna had been forgetting to eat for over a month, then, munching absently, went over to Anna’s empty bedroom.

“You didn’t make your bed!” she called to Anna, who was following her slowly, anxiously awaiting the climax of Safia’s reaction. It didn’t seem to be coming. She wondered about that.

Safia went over to her closet, inspecting Anna’s clothes cheerfully. Anna wasn’t bothered by her lack of permission. Josh was far worse.

“Your clothes suck,” Safia informed her through a mouthful of cold pizza. “All you own is uniforms and assorted forms of pyjamas.”

“I have a pair of jeans somewhere,” said Anna defensively. “And T-shirts, see?”

Safia shook her head dismissively, then her eyes fell on Anna’s iPod, lying on her bedside table.

“Wow!” she said in shock. “You have an iPod?”

“Josh got it for me,” said Anna quietly. Safia devoured the last of the pizza, licked her thumb, wiped it on her skirt and then picked up the iPod reverently, her fingers clicking through the playlists frantically.

“How many songs does it hold?” she demanded. “There’s thousand in here! Why is there no play button? What the – ”

“It’s controlled by thought,” Anna explained, and Safia’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

“That is so cool!” she screamed, her excitement apparently surpassing her control. “Jeez, Anna, Josh is awesome! He – is – so – freaking – cool! This house is amazing! All you need is a TV and a – ”

“Wow, Saf, calm down,” said Anna, half-laughing. Safia was almost bouncing up and down with enthusiasm.

“How are you not in love with that dude?” she demanded as she stopped bouncing. “If anybody got me anything like this I’d be head over heels.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” said Anna slowly, her laughter vanishing abruptly. “He’s a demon, remember?”

“So what?” said Safia with a shrug. “He’s nice to you, isn't he? Nothing else matters.”

Anna smiled weakly as she sat down on the bed. “I wish it were that simple.”

Safia turned serious. “What about your wolf? Is that why you look so bad today?”

Anna nodded miserably. Safia put down the iPod gravely, then sat down next to her and hugged her gently. It suddenly occurred to Anna that apart from Josh, she had never been hugged in her life. The Wolf couldn’t exactly do it, and the Headmistress had never been the huggy type. She bit her lip, before leaning away and grinning at Safia.

“I’m allright,” she said softly. “I’m getting over it. It’s okay.”

Safia stared at her. “Are you sure? I’m really sorry, you know. I never thought you had this much going on.”

Anna laughed bitterly. “Who does? Anna the angel, perfect as they come. Nobody ever thinks so.”

Safia’s face fell and Anna suddenly felt terrible.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she corrected herself earnestly. “You’ve been a good friend, Safia. A great one – the best I ever had.”

“You’re my best friend, too,” said Safia with a grin, her face brightening again.

“You know,” Anna remarked. “You’re taking all this pretty casually. A lot more casually than I did, at any rate.”

Safia laughed. “I don’t believe in mulling things over. If they happened, they happened, you know? I don’t see the point in freaking out.”

You can tell her anything. She’s cool.

Anna shook her head in disbelief. How had Josh anticipated this? It was verging on scary.

As though her thoughts had conjured him up, there was a knock on the door, and before she’d even looked up, Josh had walked in and shut the door behind him. A moment later he’d entered the bedroom and Safia was staring at him in shock.

“I thought I’d knock this time,” he said innocently. “Happy?”

He gestured towards the living room as Anna nodded numbly, then walked towards the couch. Safia stared at his back for a few seconds before she got up to follow him and Anna trailed after her silently. Josh sat down on the couch for all the world as though it were his own house and put his sneakers up on the table. Safia sat down on the armchair opposite, her mouth still half-open, but Anna stayed standing.

“Hey, Safia,” said Josh brightly. “So Anna finally told you, did she?”

Safia nodded as numbly as Anna had a few minutes ago. Josh had that effect on people.

“Good to know,” he said conversationally.

“You are – he is ...” Safia turned to Anna. “He is so hot!”

Anna raised her eyebrows at her.

“Tell her,” said Josh, rolling his eyes.

“She would say that,” said Anna darkly.

Josh laughed, understanding. Safia only looked around in confusion, and suddenly Anna realized the house didn’t seem so empty anymore. It didn’t have to be. The Wolf was gone, but life went on.

She looked from Josh to Safia, and smiled to herself. Josh was right. She wasn’t alone after all.

She was almost happy, almost at peace. For the time being, things were stabilizing. She had friends. She had hope, and she had strength to get through her troubles.

It wouldn’t last long.

Author’s Note:

I KNOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!! Im so sorry about how long it’s been since I last updated! I’m not sure how long it’s been, but I think it’s well over two weeks, and I’m sorry. I’ve been really, really busy with school and life in general and this chapter never seemed to finish.

I’m not particularly happy with this chapter, but I think I’ll put it up and edit it later because I really do need to update. However, I really would appreciate reviews and feedback!

If you haven’t received a review-reply recently, I’m sorry. I had a few problems with my email and I couldn’t review-reply to quite a few people. However, I think I’ve fixed it and I’d really appreciate it if you review!

The next chapter is also almost halfway down, so the more reviews I get for this one the faster I’ll update! ;) Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and thanks for reading!