ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Matthew’s breath seemed to hitch in his throat. He came so far, and now he and no idea what he was going to stay to her. He seemed to nervously avoid eye contact with Eva, his attention still focused on the hot glare on the back of his neck. ”Who is that.” Arthur let out, his arms crossed tightly on his chest. It was no one that he recognized. At least no one he recognized form his 4 years at this school. But it was Alexander’s response that seemed to disprove it. ”That is Matthew… uh… I don’t recall his last name… I don’t know him that well, but I’ve seen him around.” But Arthur didn’t lift his eyes from the random boy. He didn’t trust this guy, whoever he was. Then again, Arthur wouldn’t trust anyone around Eva right now, barely even her own ‘friends’. Terrance was taking note of Arthur’s reactions, shifting his attention away form Jacob. Big mistake. Once that heavy weight was lifted from Jacob’s shoulder, he stood up and began to shuffle his way to Alyssa.

”What is it to you anyway, Art? Eva is nothing more than a hook up. What does it matter if she talks to someone else… right?” Terrance crossed his arms, keeping an eye on Arthur’s reaction. Terrance wasn’t wrong. Well at least, he should be right. At this moment Arthur couldn’t risk letting Eva get to close to him, but he couldn’t help it. He genuinely cared and Terrance could notice this. ”You don’t want to do the same thing to Eva that Jacob had to do to Alyssa. I’m warning you now, Arthur. If you get too attached to her, you are only shooting yourself in the foot. She can know anything, and the closer you get to her, the more danger you put her in.” Arthur grumbled under his breath, still burning the back of Matthew’s head with his glare. He hated that Terrance was right. Eva was just as unsafe away from him, as she was standing by his side. Was he going to have to pretend to ignore her now and again? Keep her at an arm’s length when he would rather hold her until their bodies mushed into a single being. But Arthur couldn’t imagine breaking Eva’s heart, the same way that Jacob had done to Alyssa’s. If they got too close, if her safety wasn’t guaranteed. ”Look at Jacob, Arthur! You don’t want to end up like- wait…! Jacob!” Terrance yelled out, pulling Arthur’s eyes for the first time away form Matthew.

Jacob was now within a few feet of Alyssa, his hands stuffed into his pocket. Arthur was rather surprised he made it that far without collapsing. Damn, Jacob looked really bad. His hair was a scattered mess, his eyes so tired. Why did he come to school today? It was obvious at this point. Once Jacob was within speaking range with Alyssa, he reached father in his pocket. ”Alyssa…” His voice croaked at first, he seemed very nervous. He almost looked like a shaky drug dealer doing their first trade off on a somewhat busy street. Too much could go wrong, but it had to be done. He pulled one hand from his pocket, taking Alyssa’s hand to face palm up. He procured his other fist forward and dropped the ruby necklace into her hands. ”I’m not giving up that easily.” He shot her a signature, cheeky grin. Even as weak and broken a smile it was, it still shined brightly. ”I hope you didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easy.” And with that, Jacob turned his back, shuffling his was back to his group again. It seemed that his need to get that message to Alyssa was what willed him the strength to get across campus. And now that the message was delivered, he looked like he was about to collapse again. Terrance was the first to get to him, supporting him to shuffle across campus, growling to Jacob under his teeth. ”All my friends are lovestruck idiots…” Terrance felt that he was the only one who wasn’t getting his heart involved in everything. Or at least he thought he was.

The bell rang for homeroom, seemingly snapping Matthew back to reality. ”Oh- uh- my weekend was rather uneventful… Been practicing my clarinet for the county music recital tonight. You’ve been working on your violin solo for it, right? A lot of University recruiters are going to be there tonight… At least Mr. Smith says so.” A small, genuine smile grew on Matthew’s face. The only class he shared with Eva was their concert class. He wasn’t very good himself and had to practice a lot to even be average. But he could recognize that Eva was born with silver fingers for the violin. She was born to be a concert performer, Matthew had at least determined for himself. He admired Eva for his skill, one of the few little things that seemed to pull him to her. He walked beside her towards classes, sweat beading down the back of his neck as Arthur’s eyes locked on him again, like a battleship targeting an enemy ship. Against his better judgement, Matthew looked over his shoulders and locked eyes with Arthur for a split second, sending a violent shiver up Matthew’s back, before quickly turning away. ”Man, that Arthur guy is terrifying, right?” Matthew mumbled to Eva, quickening his pace, in a hopes to get away from him faster.

”I don’t like that guy.” Was all Arthur got out as he strolled to class with his own friends, Alexander had been assessing the situation and just chuckled. ”I don’t think you need to worry about him taking Eva, Arthur.” The statement seemed to really catch Arthur’s attention, as he swiveled his eyes to his caramel eyed friend. ”What?”

”Well it is obvious isn’t it? I mean, you don’t think that Eva is the only one attracting negative attention. There has gotta be a good handful of guys who had their eyes set on Eva too. And with the rumors spreading… Well, guys are no better than girls. I wouldn’t be surprised if Matthew is one of those admirers.” Now Arthur felt angrier, and with that statement- Arthur began to notice it. “What a lucky, bastard. He got locked in a room with Eva for an entire night.”

“Damn, I was planning to ask her to the homecoming dance…” There they all appeared. Here and there, among the girls murmuring about Eva, a few guys were voicing their jealousy of Arthur. They were jealous of him? His eyes moved back towards Eva, watching her walk not that far ahead of him, her hips swaying with each little step. Arthur guessed he could count himself lucky to call her his… Wait, could he call her his? Was she his? From Arthur’s perspective, he could determine that Eva liked him… or at least had some attraction to him. They slept together, so something had to be there! But what was it? Did Eva just like him in the same way Helene liked Terrance? Arthur felt some of the warmth drain from him as he sat in his homeroom chair, his eyes staring off into the distance at the whiteboard. Terrance insisted that Arthur shouldn’t catch feelings for her… Did she even have feelings for him in the same way he felt?



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Confused.
✖✖ I am At... Homeroom
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, Alexander, Eva, and others.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Who is that talking to Eva?"
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

When Matthew mentioned her solo, Eva couldn't help but get nervous. Her Saturday performance hadn't been to her liking, and she didn't get a chance to prepare considering the events of the weekend. She knew Matthew meant well, but bringing up the recital stressed her out. She simply nodded politely in response, her brain screaming that she was going to mess it up. Just what she needed, to mess up the future she had planned out for herself. She shook her head, clearing out those thoughts. No, she just needed to focus. At that point, Matthew mentioned Arthur, and she couldn't help but smile. "He doesn't look it, but he's nice," She said, though she found herself having to keep up with Matthew. As homeroom began, she made sure to pay attention, but her mind drifted off once again. Admittedly she was thinking about Arthur again, realizing that she didn't really know too much about him. Would he be receptive to her wanting to get to know each other better? Or would he reject it, saying they were better as friends? Well, he wasn't really treating her like a friend, or at least not any friend that she knew. How he went out of his way for her after she got kicked out, when they slept together...In the back of her mind, however, she wondered if he only saw her as a fling.

The thought continued as the day went on, and unfortunately, it was a rather distracting thought. As the bell rang and she packed up, she looked at him. Maybe she could try to ask him? But was asking him here such a good idea, or was it better to wait until later? She wanted to know now though, and when she made up her mind, she started to walk over to him. "Eva," Alyssa called out to her, stopping her in her tracks, and Eva stopped, looking between Arthur and Alyssa. Of course. Taking out her phone, she decided to shoot Arthur a quick text about meeting up for lunch (Um, there's something I want to ask you at lunchtime), and then went to Alyssa. "Hey, what was with you and Helene this morning?" She asked as they walked out of the classroom, though her eyes fell onto the necklace in her hands. It was the same one she had the other day.

"Forget about her for a second. I need some advice from someone who's neutral," She dismissed Eva's concerns.

"Is it about Jacob?" She asked. "Helene said you two got into a fight."

"Is that all she said?" When Eva nodded, she continued, "She's right. He said he wants me back, but I can't seem to find it in myself to trust him. If we did get together, it could get...complicated." She sighed, pocketing the necklace for the moment. "But...as much as I keep telling myself it's not a good idea, I..."

Eva seemed to understand, taking Alyssa's hand in hers. "Aly, you don't even have to think about it. You should always go with how you feel first and foremost, everything else will follow," She urged her rather passionately. "Come on, he's miserable without you, and you're sad without him, right? So there really isn't anything stopping you." Her words seemed to affect Alyssa whether she realized it or not. In a way, however, she felt that she needed to take her own advice. There wasn't anything stopping her from just asking Arthur what they were. If he decided they were just a fling, then okay, but if there was even the tiniest chance that he returned her feelings, then why shouldn't she at least try? Staying in limbo wasn't doing her any favors. She looked at Alyssa for a reaction, noticing the brunette hadn't replied yet. She squeezed her hand, smiling. "You have to try," She said gently. "Then at least you can say you did and not have to wonder 'what if'."

Alyssa sighed, though she gave her a smile. "I really, really want to believe you."

"I wouldn't be saying it if it weren't true," She said confidently.

Shaking her head, Alyssa sighed. "Yeah...I'll...think about it..."

---

Walking through the halls, Helene did her damnest to remain in the crowd, constantly looking around. Gigi was determined to corner her, and so far she managed to get herself into class before Gigi could catch her. As she neared her next class, someone pushed her towards the wall. Before she could turn to yell at them, she felt her arm getting dragged, and she let out a yell as she was dragged into a classroom. She fell onto the floor, only getting to watch as Gigi locked the door and pulled down the blinds. Damn it, she was so close! Scrambling to her feet, she laughed nervously, trying to appeal to her friend. Unfortunately, the cold blooded killer wasn't in the mood, her glare alone enough for Helene to hang her head in defeat.

"Why did I think I could count on you for this?" Gigi asked, shaking her head. "Instead of getting any information, or at the very least trying, you decided to just fuck him all weekend, didn't you?"

"Alright, fine! We did! And it was only because I was so damn preoccupied by everything, I couldn't think straight!" Helene admitted, exasperated. "It felt good to let go for the time we had together, so sue me!"

"Let go--Helene, you lose focus anytime you're so much as in the same room as Terrance!" Gigi tried to get her to understand.

"I do not. I just like spending time with him so that I don't have to think about everything else," She insisted. "With him it's like nothing else matters. It's just us..." She fumbled with her hair as she spoke, her heart beating.

Gigi's eyes widened, and she slammed her hand onto the desk. "Are you listening to yourself?" She asked, incredulous. "You love him!"

No, no, it wasn't love. It was a mutual agreement. That's all it was. There was no way it was love. Releasing her hair, she approached Gigi. "No, I don't."

Taking in a deep breath, Gigi recollected herself, although she gave Helene a stern look. "I'm giving you one more chance. Either you get information from Terrance and get him to ally with us, or I am going to get what we need doing whatever it takes."

Helene nodded, and once the bell rang, Gigi unlocked the door, going along to her next class. The girl chose to stay put, taking out her phone instead. Gigi was right, she needed to get serious. Things were getting too complicated. She found her hands shaking as she tried to form a message to Terrance, but she ended up deleting it, holding her phone to her chest. No attachments. No feelings. No one needed to get hurt. But how was she going to get him to listen to her? Biting her lip, she tried to think of something. There was one way she could go, but it was risky. But she trusted him, so...this could go great or go horribly, horribly wrong. As she calmed herself down, she knew what she needed to do. Helene brought up her text history with Terrance, once again typing up a text, but this time she left it vague. No flirting. It went straight to the point.

We need to talk. It's important. Let me know when we can meet up.

God, it wasn't anything like she usually wrote. But that was how she would get his attention, right?

---

In the next town over, in one of the well-known hotels sat Ariadne in a room. Said room was well lit, untouched with the exception of the desk where she had laid down several maps, which had several black circles drawn with the exception of a single red circle. Leaning back in her seat, Ariadne's green eyes studied the piece of paper in her hand. It was a recent report she had requested from intelligence, the likes of which she had hoped would clear up one of her suspicions. The redheaded woman tapped her fingertips to the desk, multiple thoughts running through her head as she looked from the paper to the desk. She scratched her head, slightly frowning, although she perked up slightly at a knock at the door. Standing up, she took an envelope and her letter opener, peeling the envelope open as she opened the door. It was Evan, who raised an eyebrow as he closed the door behind him. "A letter opener, really?" He asked, shaking his head.

She pointed it at him, smiling. "It's sharp and I'm strong enough to pierce it through a limb, so you're lucky I like you," She replied rather cheerfully, following him to the desk she previously sat at. "How'd it go?"

"What, interrogating that nobody? A waste, he was an obedient lamb who got lucky," He replied, eyeing the map. Noticing the red circle, his eyes narrowed. "Are these the locations they've been hitting?"

Nodding, Araidne pointed to it. "That's where they spotted Helene's car. You say they got lucky, I say they're watching her," She stated, placing the letter opener down and tossing the envelope into the trash. "They're gutsy, striking so close to where the Patrone and Munez families are. Bastien must be getting desperate, he's using more resources to find her than I suspected. The closer Bastien gets to Helene, the closer I realize he is to getting them."

"You think the Patrone family would act?" He asked slowly. "Their allies are pretty tight-knit. We might not even have to lift a finger if he so much as steps a toe in the wrong direction."

Ariadne seemed to agree, taking out a blue marker. "True, but..." She circled one of the houses.

"So now that you know she's safe, we can go," Evan said.

"I want to agree, but...after the conversation I had with Giselle last night, I found out Helene is close to Brady's kid," She sighed, putting a blue circle on the map. "If she says the wrong thing, it could mean trouble. Well, more trouble. Not to mention the Patrone kid is apparently in love with her."

"Ah, to be young and in love..." Evan sighed. "I wonder what that's like."

"It's dangerous is what it is. I wonder if the kid even knew he fell in love with his worst enemy's daughter," She frowned, putting one more circle on the map. "Anyway, what I was thinking was that if Helene talks to the right people, we could potentially get some business talk here."

Evan hesitated. "Why Helene?" He asked.

"To get some experience, Gaspard wants her to take over when she graduates, and if she manages to set something up here, it'll be beneficial to everyone, and she can choose to stay if she desires," Ariadne ticked off the reasons. "Or she can take my place, I would like to go back home if I'm being honest."

"I like it here. The people aren't very bright, so it makes my job easier," Evan admitted. "But you have a point. I'll go meet with her to discuss it."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Arthur didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye to Eva before she seemed to rush to class with Alyssa. It only caused the warmth that was already draining from him to drift away more. She didn’t even put in the effort to say ‘see you later’. Was he taking it to personal? Or perhaps being to serious? It was in his nature, and he couldn’t help it. Didn’t help that he also tended to lean more on the pessimistic side of things. He felt his phone vibrate and saw the message from Eva, his heart failing him even more. Was she going to break the news to him? That she appreciated his help, and all, but she was ready to be on her own again. Perhaps she would tell Arthur that she’d rather be miserable in her home with her mother than at Arthur’s house. Now that thought knocked Arthur into a depressed mood all the way into lunch. Even his favorite class, Guitar Lessons, didn’t seem to cheer him up at all. Where his fingers would usually take control and present a new acoustic version of some punk or metal song, his fingers simply ran across the strings, plucking pitifully. ”I’m a fool.” He mumbled under his breath. No one could fall in love with a monster like him.

On the other side of the spectrum, Terrance and Jacob both seemed to walk a bit better. Terrance had gotten a message from Helene. And although it sounded so vague, he was already jumping to conclusions. Since Terrance and Helene tended to text about one thing… that one thing came to his mind. A romp session on campus? During the day?? Man, Helene really knew what buttons to push on Terrance to set the gears in his mind in motion. Having sex in such a risky place, at suck a risky time, God! It really turned Terrance on. But he was met with the tiny dilemma of where to meet up. There were so many places, but what place would be the safest and most secluded? Initially Terrance thought of the band room, but he wouldn’t be surprised if some of the band nerds went there during lunch to practice. The library tended to be abandoned during lunch as well, but Terrance wanted to avoid that weird Isabelle girl. She treated the library like her own person shrine… or sanctuary really. Anyone who so much as coughed out of place in there, disturbing the peace of the air, had to deal with that crazy chick’s wrath. He thought of the gymnasium, but no doubt the basketball team may be practicing. That was when the lightbulb went on. The football field and bleachers were off limits during school hours. As they were considered to be “off campus”. No teachers, no students, no administration. Perfect. Meet me under the football bleachers, far side of the field. And for the rest of the day until lunch, Terrance walked with a skip to his step.

Jacob on the other hand, seemed significantly better having turned over his ruby gem back to its rightful owner. It weighed too heavily on his heart and in his pocket to keep it on him. By returning it to Alyssa, at least he was fooling himself long enough that she could changer her feelings. That she could come back to him eventually. Though in the deep recesses of Jacob’s mind he knew that wasn’t likely, this was the kind of hope Jacob needed to help him push to lunch time.

The day lulled on and the lunch bell rang, releasing everyone into the courtyard. The four Swedes met up in their usual spots, and Terrance had to do his best to repress his excitement. ”Shoot I forgot my lunch in my locker! I’ll be back.” Before getting any responses, Terrance snuck off in the direction of his locker, just to make a big loop around campus, and hiding out in the bleachers. He had to activate his inner spy instincts to sneak between pillars and hallways, making sure that no administrators or teachers noticed him sneaking off. It was exhilarating to Terrance. His heart was doing backflips at the prospect of hooking up with Helene, out in the open, on school property. Banging on school campus was an achievement he could brag about to other guys. Much like how one could brag about joining the mile-high club on an airline flight. But more than any of that, he was excited to encapsulate Helene in his arms again. To kiss that one spot that always seemed to make her squirm. She was really perfect for him. Terrance felt his heart racing and he had to slap himself, taking deep breaths. ”Nothing more than a fling, nothing more than a fling.” Terrance recited out loud to himself. Perhaps if he kept telling himself that, it would suddenly become fact.

Arthur couldn’t lift his head from the ground by the fountain. He was preparing himself for the worse when Eva arrived. The ground just seemed more fascinating than the impending doom he felt. Much like how the guns on the wall of his armory were more interesting than the lectures his father gave. Speaking of lectures, he could already hear the tiny voice of Terrance in the back of his head. I told you not to get attached! Now you are hurting, and it is your own damn fault! Arthur sighed, kicking the dirt at his feet. Alexander sat beside him, keeping a hawk eye out for any possible Gigi spottings. While Jacob was gleefully consuming his lunch. ”That is the first time you’re eating something since Saturday! I’m glad you are able to start stomaching food again.” Alexander kindly patted Jacob’s shoulder.

Isabelle’s minion, on one hand, had pounced on her own prey. When the bell rang, she quickly closed in on Eva. “Eva! You have to help me! You’re the only one who understands the contemporary involvement of classical music in new age literature. You have to help me with this report.” And before the girl could let Eva protest, she grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. “I know you should be practicing with Matthew right now. But I NEED you!” In the library, Isabelle sat on one of the nearby tables, holding up a book to her face, and tucking her pitch black hair behind her ear. There was a click of a door opening, and the two girls entered her domain. A malicious grin grew on Isabelle’s face, hearing them make their way to another table. The other girl was whispering, as if to imitate following library rules. “Wait here, I gotta find a few books.” And so the little minion did her duty, and scurried away, leaving Eva at a table, and Isabelle with her prey. ”I didn’t know the class slut would be gracing me with her presence today.” Isabelle snapped the book shut in front of her nose, placing it down on the table beside her.

Swiveling around on the table, legs crossed, Isabelle looked at Eva with sharp eyes, much like a snake. Isabelle radiated her own kind of beauty. One that was dark, ominous, and mysterious, almost similar wavelengths to that of Arthur. Isabelle stood up, and walked towards Eva, taking Eva’s chin in her hand. Isabelle’s dark, evil eyes reflected back against Eva’s bright, innocent eyes. ”Oh… I shouldn’t be so mean to you, Eva. Besides you are only a bystander in all of this.” Isabelle’s eyes seemed to soften, before letting go of her grip on Eva. ”It isn’t fair, such a beautiful face being pulled into something outside her control. If Arthur hasn’t told you about me then… Well, I’m so sorry.” She curled her black hair between her fingers, flashing a woeful look towards Eva.

”I’m afraid Arthur is just using you to get back at me. See, I’m Arthur’s girlfriend. Have been for almost 2 years now. But you know how private Arthur is about every aspect of his life. And I’m not really one for the attention either. He doesn’t want to flaunt around having a girlfriend. Not that I didn’t mind. Sure, in public we couldn’t show anything. But once doors closed.” Isabelle’s body seemed to quiver for a second, and she just purred under her breath, imagining Arthur’s arms wrapped around her own body.

”But to the chase, we got in a fight over the summer… and now it seems that he is using you as a little flashy trophy to try and get back at me. Tsk. Tsk. But I know Arthur better than anyone else.” Isabelle sighed, walking over towards a bookshelf, running her black painted fingernails some of the spines of the books. ”Him using you is so wrong… and I took it as my moral obligation to let you know- he is just using you, Eva. He’s told me he loves me, you know? Has he ever said that to you?” Isabelle’s malicious eyes glinted towards Eva, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

”I know you may not believe me. But think about it. Did you honestly think Arthur even remotely liked you? That he wasn’t using you for some purpose of his own. Who do you think is truly a better match for him? Someone just as mysterious? Just as quiet? Just as physically passionate as myself? Or some little girl, who tropes around with her skirt too high, ready to be taken advantage of by the closest guy. Think about it.” Isabelle threw her hair back over her shoulder, her sharp eyes watching Eva closely, to see her reactions to Isabelle’s spun web. Truly a trap of words for any innocent, unknowing insect.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Heartbroken.
✖✖ I am At... Courtyard Fountain
✖✖ I am With... Jacob and Alexander.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Does she not?..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Dread was a terrible feeling to carry, this much Helene learned. It was probably the first time in her life that the bell signaling lunch was something she didn't want to hear, her feet dragging as she made her way to the bleachers. The rush of students made it easy for her to sneak by, though she was careful to make sure she wasn't seen. She recited her lines in her head over and over, choosing what and how to say what she needed. There were a few routes the conversation between them could go, and she had to make sure he wasn't going to catch her off guard. She did have a slight advantage, mainly being that there was the slightest chance that he could very well accept what she had to say, but she wasn't an optimist, she was a realist. And the reality was that this was going to go south very quickly.

As she spotted Terrance, her legs seemed to pick up the pace on their own, though the dread began to overwhelm her. Her little slice of heaven was going to be thrown away like everything else she loved. And as soon as that thought crossed her mind, the realization hit her. She could very well lose him. Lose him? He was never hers to begin with, why would she think that? If not him, she was going to lose their moments together. There would no longer be any escape, no more breaks from reality. Her previous determination crumbled at that thought, and in a split second moment of weakness, she ran into his arms, placing a passionate kiss on what could have been the last chance she had on his lips. It was strong, fiery, a little more than the ones she had given him in the past. Before he would take it further, however, she broke them apart, having to physically step away from him so that she wouldn't get trapped.

"Thank you for everything," She found herself saying, mentally locking away her emotions so they wouldn't impede what she had to say. "But there's something I need to tell you." It was just physical. No strings attached. No hurt feelings. No hurt feelings... She had to think like her father, like her uncle, like the head of the Carbone family. And the best way to catch her prey was to use bait--though unlike her cowardly father, she was content on using herself. "It's probably going to be something you won't believe, but I promise everything I say is real." Why the hell was her heart beating so fast? Lord have mercy, she was pathetic.

"I know it's pretty obvious I'm not from this country. I came here about six or seven years ago from France. At that time, there was a power struggle within my family, and it quickly became a blood soaked battle for dominance. It wasn't really my choice to come here; my life was in danger, and it was my best chance at survival," She began, playing with her hair nervously as she told her story. "And the reason for my life being in danger--even now--is because I am Helene Étoile Carbone, current heiress to the Carbone family. It's...one of the biggest mafia families in Europe." She released her hair as she studied Terrance for a reaction.

---

Where was everyone?

It was the strangest feeling to be sitting alone at lunch. Gigi found herself looking around, trying to find her friends. Was it the familiarity? She hadn't sat alone in years, not since she was assigned to Helene. At first it used to be only them, then they met Eva in Hartford High, and became the four of them once they came here. The group wasn't always together, but there was always someone there waiting for her. It was just bizarre, and for a moment she felt like a lost child. The situation made her lose her appetite, and she just sat there, waiting. She figured Helene had probably gone to meet Terrance, though if she was honest, she doubted Helene was actually talking and knew they were probably going at it. Alyssa wasn't speaking to them, not responding to Gigi's greeting earlier. So that should have left herself and Eva, but the blonde was nowhere to be found, either.

She spotted Alexander, Jacob, and Arthur together, and the slightest pang of jealousy hit her. Why was she getting so worked up over lunch? These past few days have been one hell of a rollercoaster, so she was slightly stressed out. Returning to the normalcy of school was probably something she didn't know she wanted. Letting out a sigh, she leaned back in her seat. She had been restless ever since she had spoken to Ariadne, who had informed her of what she had learned. Her eyes landed on Arthur once again, and considering how miserable he looked, something seemed wrong about that picture. Why wasn't he with Eva? Apparently they had spent the weekend together. What, he didn't want to be seen in public with her? That last thought pricked her in annoyance. Not that she agreed with the two having a relationship, but it looked so bad to see poor Eva the center of all the nasty comments and Arthur just sitting there feeling sorry for himself.

Before she knew what she was doing, Gigi had stood up, walking over to the trio. Considering recent events this was an idiotic move, but she was relatively safe among the many witnesses. Stopping in front of Arthur, her eyes narrowed at him. "Why aren't you with Eva?" She asked him somewhat curtly; it was easy to tell the usually emotionless girl was annoyed. "If you're going to be responsible for her, you shouldn't leave her side."

---

Getting dragged into the library against her will, Eva outright got annoyed when her classmate ditched her. She needed to talk to Arthur! Letting out a sigh, she brought out her phone to text him, only for the sound of a very sultry voice to catch her attention. Eva's face paled slightly as she spotted Isabelle, whose venomous smile made her stomach uneasy. She was a beautiful girl, but since the first time Eva had encountered her, she reminded her far too much of a girl from her old school named Victoria, and thus Eva usually went out of her way to avoid her. The last thing she wanted was for Isabelle to expose her like Victoria did. She considered leaving, but the dark haired beauty had already stood up, blocking her path as she walked over to her. Eva had seen the slut comment coming from a mile away, though she was surprised when Isabelle expressed pity. Pity because she was Arthur's girlfriend.

Girlfriend? What? Since when? Confusion seemed to take its hold as she explained her situation, and the previous uneasiness Eva felt multiplied. Arthur had never mentioned her before. Neither had Helene, who had continuously pushed her to get together with Arthur. And Helene hated cheaters, so where was this coming from? She had to be lying. Right? Isabelle seemed to take enjoyment in kindling Eva's doubt, going on and on about her and Arthur, and Eva felt her heart sinking as she listened. It couldn't be true. He wasn't just using her. He went so out of his way, helping her when she needed him, it just couldn't be right. But when Isabelle asked if Arthur had said he loved her, Eva's eyes went elsewhere. No, he hadn't. But for some reason she just couldn't believe Isabelle.

"Eva… If someone did… something very bad to you, or someone close to you. Do you think… you’d forgive them?"

Covering her mouth with her hand, Arthur's words suddenly started to make sense. Was this what he was talking about? She started to feel ashamed of herself, her mother's words ringing in her ears. And she so stupidly said she would have to forgive them, or rather, forgive him. She had liked Arthur for so long, and him suddenly noticing her happened so fast that Isabelle's story made sense. But the time they spent together, the moments they had--she wasn't willing to believe they were lies. They couldn't. They just couldn't! Eva stood up, her legs wobbling as she shook her head. "I don't believe you!" Whether it was determination or denial that fueled her declaration, no one knew, but Eva needed to hear it from Arthur himself, she needed to hear it from him!

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Just as soon as the warmth filled Terrance’s soul, it just as quickly left. It frazzled him a bit. What a tease that Helene was! How could she plant such a passionate kiss upon his lips, just to break away and talk? Wait, did she really just want to talk? He was a bit skeptical at first but listened intently as she began to reveal her secret to him. Quick and to the point, Terrance was trying to think just as quickly on his feet on how to respond to her. Should he let her know that he already knew? Did she know who he was? Jacob? Arthur? Alexander? Or did she think she was confiding her biggest secret, with the expectation it would surprise him? He had to asses the situation quickly, before letting immediate body language speak for him.

What if he told her that he already knew about her? For one, it would be an easier transition into talking about dealings with her family. If Terrance could segue and get her to talk with the Patrone family, then they could get the show on the road. And how was it that he knew? Well easy, his family had been spying on her family for almost a year now. Of course he knew who she was.

What if he didn’t reveal he knew anything? Wow, what a coincidence that my friend with benefits is in the mafia. Well, it so happens I have a friend who works the local cartel. Competing with that bonehead Munez boy. Would you like to join our group? It would be better for Terrance to conceal his identity as a spy from Helene. But something in the back of his brain was eating at him. It was shouting: Don’t lie to her!

Don’t lie to her? But that is what he did. That was what his family did, hell it was what their whole profession was based around! Lying and deceit. So why did he feel bad having to lie? Why did he have to lie? Why couldn’t he just expose his identity to her and have it all said and done? No! That was crazy talk, Terrance recognized that this was the same slippery slope of thoughts that Jacob had leading up to telling his whole secret to Alyssa. And look what happened to him! No, he had to keep his mouth shut.

Terrance had to stop pondering on the what ifs, and start acting out. His eyes widened slightly with surprise at Helene’s exposed secret. “Mafia? Like Scarface and The Godfather, Mafia? Holy shit- Helene!” Terrance raised his hand to his face, rubbing his forehead in disbelief. His eyes darted away, and he turned his back to Helene. He had to act like it was coming to him as a major shock, and that he was taking the time to absorb this news.

“Your dad isn’t going to come after me for sleeping with you now, is he?” Terrance feigned fear, but upon turning back around to Helene, he just chuckled. He was showing her that he wasn’t too afraid. Why would someone like him need to be afraid of the mafia? He had a drug cartel on his side. “Well, Helene, I think I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse.” Terrance jokingly made his best attempt at imitating the Godfather’s quote. This would be a good chance for him to get the wheels in motion for their alliance.

“If you are going to put your cards on the table, then I’ll let you in on something as well. You know my friend Jacob? Well, you know his ex, Alyssa. His family does some dealings here in the states. Maybe we should have a little… get together at his place tonight. Let you meet his family and such. I can see how both your family and his family could mutually benefit from a partnership. What do you say, Helene?” Terrance grinned widely, he felt like so many pieces were falling into place, and with such perfect timing. Then, as Terrance would see it fit and gaining trust with Helene, he would be more willing to possibly reveal more. Sure, Arthur, Alexander, and Terrance were all very much employed by the Patrone family. But their dealings weren’t fully in the whole drug trafficking thing. Arthur has had plenty of hits outside of the Flights’ contracts. Alexander’s family was usually more interested in trotting the globe for treasures to steal than staying within the states, and even Terrance’s family was keeping records on more than just the Carbone family. It felt a bit nice, knowing he would only have to keep up half of a façade to Helene.

“Now, I don’t know about you, my sweet Helene. But I did have my own intentions coming out here to see you.” Terrance approached Helene and snaked his arm around her waist. “I think we’ve done just about enough talking, don’t you think?”


Arthur jumped slightly hearing Gigi’s voice break through. He had heard the sound of approaching footsteps, but he had thought it was finally Eva reaching him. Where was Eva? Wouldn’t she have approached him by now? Or could she have been hiding. Arthur lifted his head up to Gigi, glaring at her. Though it seemed to be met with the same caliber. Arthur rose to his feet, now turning his attention away from Gigi. He didn’t need Gigi to tell him that he had to protect Eva. But it was on campus that Arthur was more prone to let his guard down. Did he need to protect Eva while on school grounds? There were plenty of witnesses around that Ricardo couldn’t do anything to her. What could possibly be worse than that? “I have been waiting for her. She said she wanted to talk about something.” For a split second, Arthur’s heart wavered, but he was more focused on why she hadn’t appeared yet, but that was when it seemed to hit him. Who was the last person that Arthur had seen Eva with? That silver haired boy came back to his mind and Arthur turned on his heels, storming off to the band room. With Arthur hurrying away, and Jacob in his own blissful world of delicious food, Alexander stepped up to the plate with Gigi. “Gigi! It is great to see you! I’m glad to see that I had your number right in my phone this whole time. I was growing worried that I had the wrong number. How was your weekend? I hope it wasn’t too lonely without me.” Alexander smiled sweetly towards Gigi, his bright caramel colored eyes beaming with delight, like an excited puppy.

The band room was massive, but significantly empty for its size. There were just a few handfuls of students chatting and practicing for the recital in the evening. Arthur interrupted the near silence when he threw open the door with a slam, causing everyone in the room to become startled. Matthew, sitting by himself with clarinet in hand, was looking up Arthur, his body trembling. Matthew was planning on approaching Arthur during lunch, but was still working up the courage and nerve to know what to say. But it seemed to Matthew that he wouldn’t have to go to Arthur. For it was Arthur coming straight for him. With each step Arthur grew closer, Matthew seemed to shake and tremble more. “Where is Eva?”

Matthew couldn’t respond at first, but quickly mumbled. “I-I don’t know. Well. I think I saw her going to the library with- Eek” Matthew threw up his hands to protect his face, as if expecting a punch from him. It was obvious in Arthur’s twisting face that he was growing increasingly annoyed with this little goose chase he was on, but instead of attacking Matthew, he directed his attention towards the school’s library. Matthew, tightening his grip on his clarinet, shot his own glare at the back of Arthur’s head, which seemed to ricochet away as he was unphased. Matthew figured he would have to approach him later in regard to Eva. Matthew thought, how could Arthur lose track of Eva? It obviously showed that he didn’t care about her. And was he angry because he couldn’t find her? A sign of a violent relationship. Matthew didn’t care what Eva said earlier about him being nice. Girls would say anything like that to avoid being beaten up by an abusive boyfriend. If Eva was Matthew’s girlfriend, he would never let her get hurt. And he would never let her out of his sight.

Isabelle watched Eva with her keen eyes. Eva didn’t believe her? Well, then Eva was a lot smarter than she appeared to be. She definitely gave off the look as being more of a good on the looks, lacking on the brains type. But Isabelle could see the doubt that was tickling Eva, and she had to use it to her own advantage. “You know what is really cool about facts, Eva? It is that, even if you don’t believe in them, they are still true. We see it everywhere. People against global warming think it is all B.S., but that doesn’t change how rapid temperatures are increasing. Some people think the world is flat, in this day and age, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Earth is as round as a soccer ball. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t believe what I say- because that doesn’t change the fact that you are being used by Arthur. A little tool of revenge against his lover. You are just too blinded by your own selfish desires to recognize this.” The world lover seemed to roll off of Isabelle’s tongue with great satisfaction. Her work was done here. She had planted her little seedling of doubt in Eva’s mind, and she was going to give it time to ferment, sprout, grow, and blossom into its own tragedy. With that, Isabelle turned her back towards Eva, sat down on the table, like she had at Eva’s first arrival, and reopened her book. “You can leave. I have my own readings to get back to.” Unbeknownst to Isabelle, Arthur was just a few yards away from the library entrance now, walking at a quick pace to find his Eva.

He needed to let her know how he felt, before she could reveal what was on her mind.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Determined and Frustrated.
✖✖ I am At... Near the library enterance
✖✖ I am With... Alone.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."I have to find Eva."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Of course Terrance was shocked. She was probably coming out of nowhere to him. Paying attention to his words and movements, Helene was very cautious. Not that she thought he would attack her or anything, but one never knows. At the mention of her father, Helene stiffened slightly. That asshole was the very last thing she wanted to talk about. Of course, it turned out to be a joke, and then Terrance said exactly what she wanted to hear: a get-together with Jacob. So Gigi was right after all, and for just a second, Helene wondered just how Terrance was connected to him. No, that didn't matter, it wasn't any of her business. The relief seemed to wash over her, though, and at the very least she could tell Gigi she was successful. Shit, wait, Gigi. Would it be too much to bring her along, or was it better if she went alone?

Those thoughts seemed to fly away in the distance when Terrance approached her, however, and he mentioned his own intentions. Wow, even with a vague text, he probably thought she had wanted to do one of their meetups. Not that the thought hadn't occurred to her, she just prepared herself for the worst. Helene couldn't quite hide her amused smile, raising an eyebrow at him. "Terrance, I'm dangerous," She teased, placing her hands on his shoulders as she studied his face. Even if it was a joke, she wanted to be sure. "Are you sure about this?"

---

Those blue eyes of Arthur's were dangerous, but Gigi was just as dangerous as he was. Of course, they weren't going to start anything, and after her statement he mentioned she wanted to talk. About what, who knew, and it wasn't supposed to be any of her business. Of course, Gigi knew Eva well, so she remained silent, watching as Arthur turned on his heel to go find her. She shook her head as she watched Arthur. Emotions were definitely dangerous, and despite the glare he gave her, he was putting everything on the line for Eva. How troublesome, she thought to herself, but maybe she was in the same boat. She wasn't nearly as emotional as Arthur, keeping herself under wraps, but without her friends around, she felt solitude didn't fit her. Maybe she didn't have a place to judge Arthur, after all.

Of course, Alexander popped up with his greeting, and Gigi looked at him. Right, the texts. He probably saw it as an opportunity to speak with her. Her eyes flickered briefly to Jacob, who had perked up considerably. She made a mental note to check in on Alyssa later, and gave her attention back to Alexander. She let out a sigh in response, shuffling her weight from one leg to the other. "It was fine," Her reply was short as usual, but she lingered. She wanted to walk away, but the prospect of being alone for lunch wasn't appealing. She looked at Alexander from the corner of her eye, in disbelief that she'd rather not be alone, and let out another sigh as she decided to take a chance. "Mind if I join you?" She mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

---

Being dismissed, Eva felt her heart racing as she decided she needed to find Arthur. Pushing the library door open, Eva ran forward without looking and ended up crashing into someone, stumbling back. "I-I'm so sorry--" She immediately apologized, though she let out a small gasp as she saw it was Arthur himself. The previous happiness she usually experienced when seeing him was clouded with doubt and anger, and she had to take a second to calm herself down. "We--I need to talk to you, come with me," She told him, taking his hand in hers. For just a moment, that familiar warmth was almost enough to make her forget everything Isabelle said, but the uneasiness she had wouldn't budge. She led him back towards the auditorium, pulling out a small, silver key out of her pocket as she led him to one of the dressing rooms. Students weren't supposed to be in there without supervision, but Eva's constant practice led to her being gifted one of the keys.

Unlocking one of the rooms, Eva motioned for Arthur to enter with her. As soon as they were in, she closed the door behind them. She whirled around facing him. "I need to know something," She began, Isabelle's words plaguing her. "Am I...am I just a fling?" God, just asking was killing her, and while she should have left it at that and let him answer, her emotions seemed to take the reins. "If you're just using me, if there's nothing between us, I deserve to know. I can't keep going without knowing, and--and it's fine if it is, but I...I don't want to be used for some sort of petty revenge! I'm not a tool to be used and thrown away when anyone pleases!" Her burst of anger subsided almost immediately, and she ended up covering her face with her hands in shame. "It's not fair...I gave you everything because I've been in love with you for so long...I thought that maybe you felt the same..." She tried to control herself, but she couldn't stop.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Terrance watched stared back into Helene’s eyes, his heart feeling like malleable putty in his chest in his presence. Dangerous? Psh! Terrance has gone on enough dangerous missions and endeavors in his life. He wasn’t afraid of her family, and he definitely wasn’t afraid of someone who would try to hurt Helene. In fact, he felt a strong motivation than anything he experienced in his life to pursue in protecting Helene. If there was anyone threatening her life, he would take them on. Or at least hire Arthur to take them out for him. A very small grin grew in the corner of Terrances lips and he leaned down, placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’ve never been so sure about something in my life, Helene.” That tight feeling that plagued Arthur’s chest was becoming contagious, as Terrance could feel his heart swelling up in his chest. It was an odd feeling. Yes, he wanted to have a good time with Helene, right now at this moment. But a different feeling lingered for a second. He realized he would be content, just standing there and holding her longer. As if being wrapped up with her under sheets came second to the emotions he was feeling right now. It felt so good, and Terrance could feel himself succumbing to the feeling. The feeling was only amplified though, as he began place more passionate kisses upon her lips. He wanted her now more than anything at the moment.


Alexander’s eyes lit up like fireworks on the 4th of July. Gigi wanted to eat lunch, with him? It really seemed that Alexander’s luck was turning around and in full swing with Gigi. First texting him, now this. Alexander felt as if his relentless harassment was finally causing Gigi to break down. “Of course you can, Gigi. Come sit with me.” Alexander patted on the fountain’s base and began to pull a Tupperware container out of his bag. Inside it were meatballs and a few, tiny cooked potatoes. “Always with the leftovers, my mother. But I don’t mind. She is the greatest cook.” There was a slight waiver in Alexander’s voice as he chowed down on his food.

“What about your mother, Gigi? Is she a good cook as well?” He watched her with those sweet, puppy caramel eyes.

Jacob’s phone vibrated in his pocket, disturbing the peacefulness of his meal. Reaching in his pocket and pulling it out, he could see it was a message from Ricardo. Jacob had saved his name on his phone and had daggers and skulls next to the name. Just a reminder of who he was dealing with. At any given moment, a “friendly” text could be sent, and Jacob had to remind himself he was dealing with. Unlocking his phone and opening the message, two pictures loaded up. Startling Jacob, he practically threw his phone away. “Shit!” The phone clattered on the ground and he hurriedly scrambled for it, examining the images again. Alexander, growing curious looked at the images over Jacob’s shoulder, but winced and quickly moved away. One image showed a body laying in a pool of deep red blood, on a floor in God only know what place. Several bullet holes through the chest. The second picture was a close up of the dead body’s face. Fear was all that could be seen in the cold, dead eyes. Don’t let your boys in our territory again. Was all it said. Jacob wouldn’t be surprised if one of Ricardo’s family members sent it to him, who then forward it to Jacob as a ‘message’. Ricardo had “his” side of town, the South, to push his drugs, and Jacob had his side, the North. So long as there was no trespassing onto another’s turf, there was no real issue.

But apparently, someone was found sneaking around in Ricardo’s territory, and met the bad end of a glock. But what really caught Jacob was odd, was that this was a stranger. Jacob knew every guy that worked for his family, distributors, collectors, all the works. And this was not anyone that Jacob knew. Were there other people sneaking around in the city now? A new gang rising up? Jacob didn’t like the thought of that, and for sure both the Patrone and Munez families would not be fans of a new unannounced presence in their city. Having one competitor was already too many. He needed to talk with Terrance. Damnit, how long was it taking him to go recover his lunch? Jacob shot a message to Terrance, just SOS Little did Jacob know, Terrance was a little too preoccupied to answer.


The relief that filled Arthur upon finding Eva was immense, and he didn’t have a chance to ask if she was okay, or what was going on, before he was drug away to an unknown room. She even had her own personal key to this place! Before he could take in the new and unusual surroundings, Eva began on a tirade. A fling? Absolutely not. Arthur didn’t agree with that kind of lifestyle that Terrance tried to flaunt and pitch to his friends. No, what he felt for Eva was so real and more than just lust. All these other statements just seemed to flow one by one. What happened? What was plaguing her so much? Petty revenge? Tool to be used and thrown away? Had he made her feel this way by not being by her side? Did he do something wrong? Alexander was a lot better at understanding the flow of thoughts of women. Perhaps later he could shed light on why Eva was feeling this way.

Did she really think he didn’t have feelings for him? After everything that had been happening? He watched her closely with his sharp eyes, after she slightly lashed out at him. It tore his heart and he began to open his mouth, to refute everything she was saying, until a key phrase seemed to slice through the air. …I gave you everything because I’ve been in love with you for so long… Arthur’s heart stopped abruptly in his chest, before it began to speed off. Did she just say she loved him? Overwhelmed by the obvious pain that Eva was in, and by his own emotions, Arthur stepped forward and grabbed Eva in a strong hug, placing his head on top of hers. Forget everything Terrance ever said. Being told by Eva that she loved him sent his head rocketing into the clouds. Every little doubt that ate at him earlier that day faded away, and all that was left was pure and utter bliss. He still had no idea what she had been rambling about ‘petty revenge’, and he wasn’t going to let it distract him. “I love you, Eva. I’m sorry if I made you think I felt any different.” He squeezed her tighter in his arms, never wanting to let go of her.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... In Love
✖✖ I am At... Dressingroom?
✖✖ I am With... Eva.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."I love her."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

For some reason, Terrance's words seemed to play over and over in Helene's head. He was being a lot more gentle, more tender than usual. It was...surprising, to say the least. She was so used to getting right to the good stuff that taking just a second to enjoy each other's company was nice. No! What was she thinking? He was probably just thinking about what she said. He had a lot on his mind, that was all. But as she looked up at him, watching his eyes that usually held lust hold something else, she thought her heart had skipped a beat. Before she could ask what was on his mind, he kissed her, a different kind of passion behind it. Whatever the reason, Helene lost herself for a moment, and she decided to surrender to her thoughts just this once. She thought she heard her phone but ignored it, giving Terrance her full attention as they kissed. Considering tomorrow wasn't a promise, she had to enjoy this moment, this feeling for as long as she could.

---

Reluctantly taking a seat, Gigi resigned to her self afflicted fate. She was secretly grateful he agreed, though as she took her own bag out, she heard him mention his mother's cooking. What a concept. But that's what normal people did, right? Mothers packed lunches, fathers gave out lunch money. As she grabbed her relatively simple sandwich out of her beg, he asked about her mother. Another normal question. He was a simple guy, she would give him that much, and as she looked at him, he was staring at her with that same look as always. "I don't know. I haven't seen my mother in a decade," Gigi replied, taking a bite. She hadn't thought about her parents since she was shipped out to the states. "I just make my own lunch with whatever's around." She hoped her answer would satisfy him, but considering who she was dealing with, she somewhat doubted it.

Shortly after giving him his answer, she heard the clatter of a phone hitting the ground. She watched as Jacob grabbed it, though her eyes widened slightly as she saw red. It was blood--having seen so much of it there wasn't a single doubt in her mind. She chewed slowly, making sure not to draw attention to herself as she brought out her own phone. Clearly, Jacob's disturbed reaction meant someone had sent it to him. Without moving, she squinted to see, and while she didn't get a very good look, she recognized the clothing he wore. It was very similar to the ones from Saturday. On the outside, she seemed more interested in her lunch, but on the inside her thoughts were whirring rapidly. Were they closing in on Helene's location? Ariadne had said it would be to their benefit, as Bastien could very well be taken out by either the Munez or the Patrone families. Gigi, however, had a different opinion. If they knew it was Helene they were after, they may just surrender her location so Bastien wouldn't come up again on their properties.

Another one showed up. The simple message was sent to the three siblings, and she pocketed her phone shortly afterwards.

---

He...loved her?

Eva blinked in confusion, only able to stand there was Arthur wrapped himself around her. Was this real? A terrible thought said that he was lying, but the longer she stayed in his embrace, the more it was pushed away. Suddenly, nothing Isabelle said mattered anymore, like Arthur was confirming the thoughts that she had. He did care. He felt the same way she did. And as the realization finally hit her, she hugged him tightly, trying not to cry. But even if he did share the feelings, then what were they? "Then we're...?" She couldn't quite stop her blushing as she tried to get the words out. "Are we...going out...?" She hesitated as she remembered what Isabelle said, and she looked away. "What about your girlfriend?"

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Alexander’s face reacted to hearing the Gigi hadn’t seen her parents in so long. His eyes softened, almost showing pity and looked back at his food. As delicious as his food was, he lifted up the Tupperware to offer it. “Please, help yourself to some if you like. It isn’t good for the soul to go so long without a family’s home cooked meal. They say enjoying dinner with family helps ward off depression.” He smiled softly at her. Jacob’s eyes jumped to Alexander at his last statement, before quickly averting his eyes back to his phone. Oh, Alexander… Jacob sighed, still glaring at his phone. What was taking Terrance so long to respond. This was practically an emergency for them. “Perhaps you can come over some time, and I can make you a nice dinner. I’m just as great a cook as my mother, and can make just about anything. What is your favorite dinner food?”


Girlfriend? Arthur made a very confused face at this comment. Well, his girlfriend? Wouldn’t she be his girlfriend now? Was there some unknown process that he wasn’t completely following? “You’re my first ‘girlfriend’. I don’t quite know how this works.” Arthur rubbed the back of his head. If he needed to do more in this romancing process, he would. He would do anything to prove his love to her. The bell rang for the end of lunch and Arthur held Eva’s hand, keeping her close to him and out harm’s way. All the way out to the courtyard. Students were herding back to their classes, and when people began to spot their holding hands, the rumors continued to spread. Isabelle would definitely not be pleased to hear that Arthur and Eva were caught holding hands on campus. The only time and only person that Arthur has ever shown any affection towards.

Terrance seemed to suddenly appear as well, hastily buttoning the top button of his uniform. The shirt was no longer tucked into his pants, and his hair was a complete disheveled mess. ”Just got your message, Jacob- what’s the…?” but before he finished his sentence he saw Gigi sitting with Alexander. Although things were in motion for a peace treaty, he still wasn’t sure if it was safe to openly talk about too many things around her. Especially considering she was still a wildcard. “Problem you were having? With your phone?” Terrance finally finished, beginning to tuck his shirt back into his pants.

“My screen sometimes goes red.” Jacob tried to communicate the blood picture sent to him from Ricardo. Terrance nodded to him. “Well, we can meet up at your place after school. We can see if we can get that fixed up for you. I think we will be having over a guest as well.” Terrance grinned slyly. Jacob’s demeanor instantly perked up, thinking that Terrance was referring to Alyssa. But Terrance wouldn’t be so happy about having Terrance over at Jacob’s home. So he tuned down the excitement.

“Look, Arthur and Eva are holding hands!” Alexander pointed in the direction of the walking couple. Arthur seemed to have a tiny bit of a spring to his step. Though there wasn’t a smile on his face, he had to be grinning ear to ear on the inside, as his eyes seemed to beam with glee. In response to the sight, Terrance’s face went sour, and he crossed his arms over his chest disapprovingly. Jacob and Alexander both shot their stoic friend a thumbs-up of approval. Obviously whatever they had to talk about had gone for the better.

“I’m going to Jacob’s after classes today. I want you to be there as well.”

“What about me? That is- If I’m not busy cooking dinner for Gigi tonight.” Alexander turned his attention back to her, attempting to invite her over for a second time.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... In Love
✖✖ I am At... Courtyard
✖✖ I am With... Terrance, Alexander, Jacob, Gigi, and Eva.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."My girlfriend"
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Her favorite food? Food was substance, the taste and shape didn't really matter so long as it fueled her. Alexander was like an alien, his words trying to communicate things that didn't register with her. She stopped midchew to stare at him, her eyes flicking to his tupperware, and she wasn't sure what to do next. Take it? No, that wasn't hers, her sandwich was fine. It was always fine. As she finished, she tried to think of an appropriate answer. She basically ate the same thing almost every day, the only time she really differentiated was for desert. "...Flan is nice," She replied with a shrug. Something around them changed, and she turned her head to see Eva and Arthur walking through the courtyard together.

For the moment, Eva wouldn't press what Arthur said. As much as it delighted her to hear him call her his girlfriend, the realization that Isabelle had lied made her blood boil. Honestly, it was her own fault for not seeing it coming; Isabelle and Victoria would probably have been best friends if they were in the same school. And considering how much Victoria loved to manipulate her, she should've seen Isabelle's lies coming. But Eva was getting the last laugh as he took her hand in his, and she didn't think she could be any happier than she was right now. She was his girlfriend. Girlfriend! And he was her boyfriend! And it wasn't some fantasy she had, nor was she something hidden, he walked side by side with her like he was showing her off. Well, actually it looked perfectly normal, but considering Arthur didn't so much as look at another girl before Eva, this was a pretty grand public display of affection on his part.

Gigi shook her head, though she definitely noticed Terrance looking at her. He was obviously having just come back from meeting up with Helene, and she found herself slightly annoyed. Why did she think Helene could get what they needed out of him if they just jumped on each other when they met? Still, Terrance's look wasn't a welcoming one. That was her cue to go, it seemed. Alexander and his friends talked about other things she didn't really care about as she packed her bag once more, and she would stand, brushing crumbs off her skirt. "That won't be necessary. Take care," She patted Alexander's head and then walked off, deciding to go look for Helene.

Eva watched Gigi leave, though she turned to Arthur, her eyes shining. "You should come to my recital tonight," She told him quietly, smiling. "It's...um, it's kind of a big deal? I mean, I won't bore you with the technicalities, but if you could, I'd love for you to come."

---

"He's getting closer, but how?"

Evan kept his eyes on his phone, Ariadne's voice coming from his bluetooth device. Gigi's message had alerted them to her suspicions about the body found on Munez territory. After pulling some strings, Ariadne successfully confirmed that it was indeed one of Bastien's men. Closer and closer he was getting, and at that point, Ariadne's sweep turned into a full on manhunt. She needed to find him before he found Helene, but she was at a loss trying to find where the hell he was getting her location from. Evan himself had decided that he would remain in the city, choosing to watch his younger sister at a distance. He was still on the fence to see whether or not to tell her, though he knew at the very least Giselle needed to be informed. He didn't doubt her skills, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was enough. On the other hand, if he increased security around Helene, that was as good as exposing her.

"Clearly our efforts to deter him have inadvertently gotten his attention," Evan concluded with a cluck of his tongue. "If I'm being honest, I'm slightly more concerned about the push back from the Munez family. Who knows how they'd react knowing we're here in hiding."

"By having a dick comparison contest, how else?" Ariadne huffed. "Where are you going, anyway? You left without saying anything."

"Going straight to Helene's school, I'd very much like to give her this information in person," Evan admitted as the limo pulled up in front of the campus in time for the dismissal bell. "I'll let you know what happens." He exited the car, signaling for the driver to go on without him, and Evan strolled up to the gates. Seeing an older gentleman so well dressed definitely got some students' attention, and he obliged a few of them with a smile, but his eyes scanned the area. The school was well watched so long as you remained on campus, which was comforting, but Helene wasn't the type to stay in school any longer than she needed.

His little sister could be seen in the distance, and he waved at her. Once she spotted him, she hurried over. "Evan?" Helene was definitely surprised as she and Gigi approached him. "What are you doing here?"

He flashed a smile, crossing his arms. "Just dropping in," He said, giving Giselle a wink, though he spotted a familiar looking blonde girl with a guy. "Is that Evangeline? Wow, she turned out gorgeous," Evan grinned, remembering her from the first time Helene had brought her to the house. "Who's her friend?" Evan asked, squinting at Arthur. His face looked familiar to him, not that he ever met the guy, but his face and long hair reminded him of the Myles family trademark.

"Boyfriend," Gigi corrected him. "And that is exactly who you think it is: Arthur Myles."

The Arthur Myles? Evan had absolutely no idea how someone so ruthless could have captured Little Evangeline's heart. She was a sweet girl, and he was...well, that did bring the question of just how much she knew of the Myles family, but last he checked, Evangeline herself had no connections to their world, so the poor thing was probably clueless. Evan was pretty sure Arthur was still active in his field, so the entire situation was completely bizarre to him. He simply nodded, completely unsure of how to properly respond to the news. "To be young and in love..." He decided a generic phrase was best, and as he looked at Helene's surprised expression, he raised an eyebrow at her. "I suppose this is news to you?"

Of course it was! Helene had been so preoccupied with literally everything else that she really hadn't been keeping up with Eva's progress on Arthur. Last she checked she had made the move on him and--no, she was living with him? Did she miss a step? No, she had no idea because she hadn't bothered to check on her friend. Her guilt hit her hard as she watched Eva with Arthur, the blonde girl's adoration for Arthur radiating off of her. They actually got together. She should have been glad, but it meant that she was successful in pushing Eva to Arthur despite her original intention.

Gigi didn't seem interested, looking at Helene. "We should get going," She said, trying to get Helene's attention.

She seemed to snap out of it, nodding in agreement. "Y-Yeah...We can talk at my house."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Arthur felt like he was walking on air for the rest of the day, and even walking off campus with Eva’s hand in his seemed to just progressively make the day better and better. He was looking forward to this musical recital she was going to have in the late evening. But it wasn’t going to be easy to attend. When she had asked him at lunch, he was completely prepared to say yes, but Terrance had intervened saying that everyone needed to rendezvous at the Patrone household. Whatever it was, Terrance and Jacob both made it seem serious. Arthur didn’t want to go with his friends, and he didn’t want to leave Eva alone. It seemed that every time he was out of Eva’s presence, something bad happened to her. He didn’t want to leave her to random forces and chance. But it was clear he wasn’t going to wiggle himself out of the meeting… Maybe he could sneak off later in the night to make the recital?

As he thought through it, Arthur felt a shaky presence and turned his head to the side, finding the very reluctant shaking Matthew on Eva’s opposite side. Matthew had been staring at their interlocked fingers, but upon realizing Arthur caught him staring, he jumped to attention. He shook harder than a leaf on a tree. “H-Hey, Eva. Some of- Well, we- They are getting together in the band room. To practice more for the recital tonight. And I was told to come get you.” Arthur was staring down at Matthew, who someone was ignoring the angry stare to keep his attention on Eva. Could Arthur trust this guy alone with Eva? From his assessment of Matthew, he was too much of a coward to try and pull anything. And Eva seemed to trust him earlier when they had talked. But Arthur was weary about leaving her with anyone. “Arthur! We have to go now! We’re wasting daylight!” Terrance called out from his own car, before leaving with Alexander and Jacob. Arthur shot one more weary look at Matthew before leaning down to kiss Eva’s forehead. Matthew flinched and looked away, as if to act like he hadn’t seen it. “I’ll see you tonight at your recital.” And Arthur made his way to his own car.

At Jacob’s house, Arthur was scanning over the photos that were presented to him on Jacob’s phone. Arthur just shook his head, handing it back to Jacob. “None of us know who the hell this guy is. And it is obvious he isn’t with the Munez family. So I’m suspicious someone is on the rise here.” Arthur was surprised at how quickly it seemed Jacob was recovering. Just this morning he was struggling to stand up, but now Jacob talked and moved as if he were completely sober. The four Swedes sat around his living room, as Jacob went through different documents that belong to his father. The Patrone family was also on the move, preparing the house for their evening time guest, Mafia Princess Helene Carbone. Terrance had mentioned before what a big deal it would be for the two families to start building a relationship. But Arthur had no idea just how serious the whole matter seemed. “Make sure you put all those documents away before our guest arrives.” Jacob’s father stated in passing, making sure that a lamp by the chair was in just the right position. Jacob just nodded, his eyes not leaving his paperwork. “Because Terrance found it unimportant to get more details regarding tonight, we don’t know how many people Helene is coming with. On one hand, we don’t want to overwhelm her with too many people. But my family is big, so all of us will be joining in dinner. Arthur, we want you on retainer tonight for security. Just in case. Alexander, you can stay if you want. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gigi showed up.” Jacob wiggled his eyebrows towards Alexander, and Terrance just violently shook his head. Arthur wondered for a second if his head would fly off his shoulders eventually with how much he seemed to enjoy disapproving of his friends.

Arthur nodded, but internally he was greatly protesting. The Patrone family, Terrance, and Alexander were going to be well armed all night, did they really need just another pair of eyes and a gun? Arthur felt confident that nothing was going to explode out of control, so once Helene and whoever she brought arrived, Arthur decided he would be able to sneak away. Should he pick up flowers for her on the way? Was that a customary thing, to bring flowers to someone after a performance? Arthur was pretty sure they did that for actors and actresses. “You don’t think this guy could be with Helene? I mean, if her mafia family is thinking of establishing some roots here, he could be with them?” Alexander’s infer seemed to bring Arthur back to the present. Jacob and Terrance exchanged some looks of surprise. It wasn’t often that Alexander chimed in with a pretty logical assessment. “Hadn’t thought about that. If so, it is a tragedy for their family, and I’m just glad it wasn’t on our turf… that could have really made tonight’s dealings go bad. With that in mind, I should probably communicate to all our dealers and street prowlers to be a little less trigger happy.” Phone in hand, Jacob began to make a few calls.

At the sound that Gigi was going to make a possible appearance tonight, Alexander sighed blissfully and slumped onto the couch, holding his cheeks in his hands. He thought back to lunch when Gigi pet his head just before leaving. It was the first time that she had ever touched him, and she had the touch of an angel. In Alexander’s eyes, he had to be making progress in wooing over Gigi. Alexander made a mental note that Gigi said she liked Flan. Alexander was recalling the series of cookbooks he had back home, did any of them have a good recipe for making Flan? Terrance on the other hand, was too distracted by his phone to snap at Alexander as he normally would. The Patrones are really going all out for tonight. I’d say we’d be ready for you around 7:00. Terrance sent the text, but didn’t put his phone away. Instead he stared at the little pixels that spelled out Helene’s name across the top. An odd feeling welled up in his chest. Excitement? Terrance supposed so. Every time that the two got in a room together, it meant that fireworks would be sparking. This was probably going to be the first time they were meeting up, and sparks weren’t going to fly. Though something in Terrance’s mind said that didn’t bother him, and that sitting over a hot dinner would actually be pretty… nice. The corner of Terrance’s lip curled up slightly before messaging her again. “I know you’re probably going for a more professional look… But wear something nice for me.”

The time seemed to fly to 7 pm. Dinner prepared by Jacob’s mother and older sister was almost ready to be served. Jacob and his father discussed talking points of the night, and Terrance and Alexander both seemed to wait eagerly for their guests to arrive. Time was inching on, and Arthur grew a little restless. He stood up and began to walk off. The sudden movement snapping Terrance from his day dream. “Where are you going?”

“Restroom.” Arthur responded and kept walking. Once in the porcelain bathroom, Arthur opened up the nearby window, climbed out, and got in his car to drive off toward the recital, picking up some roses along the way. Did Eva like roses? Arthur felt a pang of nervousness in his chest, but quickly dismissed it. He couldn’t focus on flowers while he ws running lage. Eva had told him earlier it would be at the concert hall that was downtown, and luckily Arthur’s school uniform was of nice enough attire for the event. He noticed everyone flooding in was either in black dresses or suits, but it was almost curtain call for the recital, and Arthur had to hurry. Arthur ran his fingers through his hair a few times, hopped from his car, and walked at a fast pace towards the hall. Just as the ushers were about to close the door, Arthur stepped up and stuck his foot in the door frame. “Sorry Sir, you’re too late. Please move your foo- Arthur’s face contorted and he shot a menacing glare at the usher, who seemed to freeze up in that exact moment. He wasn’t about to let some guy prevent him for watching his girlfriend perform. The usher seemed to realize this and opened the door. “Just hurry and go, it should be starting soon.”

Arthur walked inside, hearing the usher close the door behind him. There was light murmuring around the concert hall and it seemed packed to the brim. So much, in fact, that Arthur didn’t see a single seat available. The lights dimmed on and off a couple times, signaling that everyone needed to quiet down, as the recital would begin. Arthur, having no choice of seat, walked to a nearby pillar that was supporting the nosebleed section. He leaned against the pillar, bouquet in hand, and kept his eyes focused on the stage, prepared for Eva. His phone vibrated once in his pocket. Arthur didn’t have to open the message to know exactly what it said.

You fucker!



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Excited for Eva's performance.
✖✖ I am At... Concert Hall
✖✖ I am With... A bunch of strangers
✖✖ I am Thinking..."You will be amazing, Eva..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

"I can't do this!"

Gigi entered the house just in time, it seemed, as Helene was having a nervous meltdown. The girl was on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest with a look of terror painted on her face. She wasn't dressed, still in her uniform, but Gigi had a feeling she hadn't budged from that spot since school ended. Gigi had to duck out to recieve some paperwork Evan had requested for the evening, although she had stopped home to make herself just a little more presentable. Nothing special, just her black jacket, white button up, a pair of slacks, and her holster holding her personal gun. Her earpiece was under her hair, although she doubted it or her gun would be used tonight. Evan was still in his suit, trying to comfort his sister, though it seemed he was failing miserably. At Gigi's arrival, Helene looked up, and she could see the fear in her eyes. Evan sighed, beckoning Gigi over even though he knew she was just as bad at comforting people as he was.

"What's wrong?" She asked, placing the folders on the kitchen counter.

"Pre-show jitters," Evan explained, patting Helene's shoulders. "She's just a little nervous."

A little was an understatement. The only person that had a tendency to get that nervous was Alyssa whenever she had something big happen, although she usually paced to relieve herself; Helene refused to move. The door opened again, and in stepped Ariadne, much to Gigi's surprise. She was also dressed relatively simply, almost matching Gigi's outfit, although her pencil skirt and heels differed. She seemed to notice, and gave Gigi a wink. "Great minds think alike!" She complimented her, although she looked at her hair. "I'm going to request you put yours up, though. We don't want to give off the wrong impression, have your earpiece in your pocket."

Gigi nodded as she did was instructed, walking over to the bathroom to find something to tie her hair up with. Ariadne turned her attention to Helene, kneeling down. "You're still not dressed? It's almost time to go," She told her gently. "You've come too far to just let this go to waste, right?"

"I'm pathetic," Helene mumbled, putting her feet on the floor. "I can't stop thinking about everything that could go wrong. We could very well end up never coming out! We could get shot! Kidnapped! Drugged!"

"She's been like this all day," Evan explained as he would stand, choosing to look over the documents one last time. "Here, Helene, this is what Oncle Gaspard is offering."

"Why is it in Francs? Shouldn't it be in Euros?" Helene asked, her eyes zipping through the document.

"Those are conversion rates, Helene," Ariadne answered. Letting out a whimper, she pushed the papers away, her head in her hands. The entire scene was extremely jarring to Gigi, who in ten years had never seen Helene so distressed. She was always the type to keep her head on straight, who didn't so much as flinch even with a gun pointed at her face. But apparently this meeting was either too much or was just the straw that broke the camel's back, and the girl was a mess. She looked at Ariadne, who gave her a smile as she sat down next to Helene. "You're underestimating yourself. Just think of it as practice, you'll have me and Evan right there to help if you need it," She said, hugging her. "Oncle is so proud of you, you know? He thinks you're going to take us far. But to get there, we need to get ready. You can wear whatever you want, pay no mind to us, you're the star of the show, okay?"

Evan watched them for a moment, although his phone began to ring. "Bonjour? ...Ah, elle est juste ici, laissez-moi la mettre," He prodded Helene with his phone. "It's for you."

For her? But he had answered in French, who was it? Taking the phone rather nervously, Helene put it to her ear and heard a very familiar, warm laugh. "Mon Étoile est nerveux, elle? Dites à l'oncle Gaspard ce qu'il peut faire pour aider," Even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell he was grinning from ear to ear. "Étoile! What is going through that beautiful head of yours right now?"

Ariadne and Evan gave each other a look, the two giving Helene some space. Ariadne noticed Gigi's rather poor attempt at a bun, taking the girl by the elbow and leading her back to the bathroom. "I'm so happy to hear your voice again," Helene admitted, leaning back to relax her stuff shoulders.

"And I am happy to see you hard at work. Look at you, not even graduated and diving right into the heart of the underground. I would have liked for you to enjoy your childhood just a little longer, but if this is where life takes you, then can we really go against it?" Gaspard cleared his throat, a sign that someone had tried to ask him something. Helene knew he hated being interrupted when he was on the phone. "Tell me what troubles you."

Everything, but she wasn't about to admit that. "Just...nervous..." She mumbled. "I feel like everything can go wrong if I mess it up, and it won't just be me that suffers for it."

"Étoile, that is the life we live. Your siblings and I, we think like that every time we have a decision at hand. We think of ourselves, we think of our people, we think of you and your well being--the thoughts going through your head are the right ones," He explained. "I do not have very long, as Carmela is insisting whatever she has to say is more important than talking to my niece, but whatever the Patrone family wants, you give it to them. Their reach is exactly what I am looking for. Of course, if they insult you, you let Oncle know, and I promise I'll make sure they all suffer for it."

"That's not necessary, I swear!" Despite the threat, Helene found herself laughing. "You're all the way across the sea, how are you going to accomplish that, hmm?"

"If I have to go to the sea in a row boat then so be it, the honor of my Étoile is second to my own," Gaspard boasted, although he quieted down for a moment. "Be afraid of nothing, Étoile. Fear is only there to remind you that you have things in life you care about. Now, Carmela is about to drag me out of the office, so I must go. Take care of yourself, je t'aime."

"I love you, too," She said, the call ending a few seconds later, but not after her getting to hear Carmela's angry ranting. Putting Evan's phone down on the couch, she jumped up, running to her room. She noticed her phone on her bed blinking at her, and she opened it up to see Terrance's text. For him? She giggled, going to her closet and knowing exactly what to wear. Ariadne simply smiled just as she finished Gigi's bun, letting out a giggle at Gigi's unamused expression. She had basically replicated her own hairstyle onto her. "I feel like my hair is going to be pulled out of my scalp," Gigi grumbled.

"Nonsense, you look magnificent!" She said, procuring a rather long, particularly sharp hair pin with a silver butterfly at its end. "I think it's best if we go in without our guns, you'll be the only one armed." She said as she put it through Gigi's bun, and she noticed that Ariadne had one as well.

"If you are going to go unarmed, these might give off the wrong impression," Gigi pointed out.

"I said without our guns, Giselle, I did not say unarmed~" She giggled, hugging the girl from behind. "You know, I think I can make your lips pop with this lipstick I have--" She said, her hug trapping the squirming Gigi as she reached for her bag.

"Please, don't--"

The two began to bicker as Evan walked into Helene's bedroom. She had changed at record speed, sitting at her vanity in a light blue dress. Despite the amount of cleavage it showed, her jewels seemed to draw attention to it, and he approached her as she put on her earrings. "Good to see he managed to calm you down," Evan said, picking up her hairbrush and running it through her hair.

Helene put on her lipstick, sending her reflection a kiss "I don't do 'nervous'," She said, though she winced as he found a knot. "Evan, if things go wrong, I..."

"I'll make fun of you for all eternity in the afterlife, so no worries there," He dismissed her concern, earning him a glare from her. "No time for glaring, we need to go," He said as his watch beeped, taking the comb and making sure it was secure in her hair before pulling her to her feet.

Once her heels were on, Ariadne and Evan went to the garage, and she spotted Gigi's very pretty looking scowl. "It's just lip gloss," She teased. Gigi rolled her eyes, and together they would enter Helene's car. Her nerves started acting up again as they drove, and Gigi had to take the documents from her to make sure she didn't end up accidentally ripping them. A reminder on her phone popped up, and though it didn't list the event, she suddenly remembered it was for Eva's recital. Shoot, she was really slipping up in the friendship department. She scooted closer to Gigi, who got the hint and threw up a peace sign as Helene took a picture of them. Good luck! We're rooting for you!! As the message was sent, she let out a sigh, although she perked up as she realized they had arrived. "If I throw up, make sure no one gets a picture of it," She told Gigi as she got out of the car.

Having to go somewhere like this without her gun made Gigi feel exposed so she was glad she got to keep hers on hand, though as Evan secured his in the car, she wondered why they were approaching the house so underhanded. Evan had briefed her that the three of them would be acting as the 'muscle', although she couldn't help but note even the three of them was just a little overkill depending on how you looked at it. Despite not having numbers, Helene's entourage was pretty dangerous; Ariadne was pretty well known for her ruthlessness despite having the smile of an angel, Evan interrogated people with any means needed without so much as blinking an eye, and herself...who learned how to kill before learning how to read. Well, she was sure Evan was going to be purely diplomatic. Hopefully. As if reading her mind, he nodded at her as Helene rang the doorbell. "S'il te plaît, laisse tout aller bien ..." Helene couldn't help but mutter to herself.

_{[1]Hello? ...Ah, she's right here, let me put her on. [2]My Étoile is nervous, is she? Tell Uncle Gaspard what he can do to to help. [3]Please let everything go well...}

---

As her phone chimed, Eva opened up the picture Helene had sent her. She must have had to go to one of her brother's events again. After making sure to send her back a thank you, she made sure her phone was on silent and pocketed it. Her violin was tuned, her bow all resined up, and she had her nerves under control. Performing was second nature to her at this point, though it was relatively normal to get all jittery. Her black heels tapped the ground as she listened to the other performances, mentally preparing herself. She had managed to squeeze in some last minute practice after school, and with Alyssa's help had the proper clothing. Alyssa herself had plans for the night but had wished her luck, though she figured it could be a little boring for her friends, so it was fine if they didn't come. She adjusted her ponytail, making sure it was tight, though as her name was called, she figured it was time.

With instrument in hand, Evangeline stood behind the curtain, and as soon as her name was called, she walked out. She had to resist the urge to look at the audience to see if Arthur had come, though she kept herself under wraps as she took center stage, waiting for the clapping to die down completely. No hangover to impede her this time, though as her eyes looked at the audience, she spotted Arthur standing. Ack, no, focus, focus! Though it didn't stop her from smiling. Placing her violin on her shoulder, she took in a deep breath, and began. She felt she had to make up for her previous performance, throwing herself into the music. Yeah, this was way easier with proper rest and no pounding headache. Although she was pretty sure she wouldn't trade that day for any other. Despite her thoughts threatening to distract her, she focused on herself and the music, and once the last note sang, it melted away into the applause. Taking a bow, she brought her head up and waved at Arthur, hurrying backstage to put her things away.

Once she was done, she excused herself from the rest, making her way to Arthur. Just as she was about to reach him, she spotted Marshall approaching her, and her smile faded as she noticed her mother with him. Stopping completely in her tracks, Eva frowned slightly, rubbing her arm. She was genuinely surprised they had showed up, clearly not expecting them. "You were amazing!" Marshall greeted her enthusiastically, hugging her.

"Your pizzicato needs work," Evelyn decided to comment as they parted. "I thought I told you that last time."

Of course she would decide to critique. No greetings, straight to the flaws. "Good thing I made sure to finish with a flourish," She snapped back, though she caught herself. No need to make a scene. "I thought I did well."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Isaac, Jacob’s oldest brother, was the one to answer the door when it rang, finding Helene, Gigi, Adiadne, and Evan. He grinned and led them into the house and directly towards the dinning room, where the entire Patrone family, except the mother and eldest sister, sat waiting patiently for their guests. The table was set with silverware, dishes, glasses, all of the works. “Welcome, to the Patrone Estate. Please, take a seat with us.” His eyes looked at some of the papers that were distributed in everyone’s hands and he put up his own hand. “You can put those away for now. We can discuss business after dinner.” Terrance stood up when Helene walked in, shooting her a quick smile, and his eyes gazing up and down her body. She looked absolutely stunning, and it enthralled Terrance’s attention. She was so beautiful, but he had to control his urges for now, as they were in a professional setting.

One by one, several dishes of meats, pastas, vegetables were brought out and filled on the table. “Help yourselves to everything. We hope not to just build an alliance, but build a friendship between our families.” Jacob, who was still feeling like he hadn’t eaten in days, instantly began filling his own plate with food. Terrance had to kick his friend under the table a few times to get him to calm down, as it would attract too much attention from Jacob’s father. Even Isaac seemed a bit worrisome of Jacob’s behavior. “Gigi, it is wonderful to see you, and you look absolutely stunning! Are you wearing lipstick? You don’t have to wear makeup, you naturally radiate beauty.” Alexander smiled brightly at Gigi, Terrance shooting a look at his friend. Terrance felt like it was rather inappropriate behavior, and was about to say something until Mr. Patrone laughed, already having a piece of steak cut off in his mouth.

“Already know one of our guests, Alexander? Then I hope you can vouch for them?” Alexander nodded his head quickly before smiling back at Gigi. Alexander didn’t honestly care much about Gigi being a wildcard, and Terrance quickly kicked Alexander under the table. It was dangerous for Alexander to vouch for Gigi. She couldn’t be trusted in the slightest, at least in Terrance’s eyes. Alexander was just saying this since he was blinded by infatuation. Speaking of infatuation, it seemed that Terrance’s attention wasn’t the only one attracted by Helene’s dress. Isaac was also eyeing the young redhead across the table. “Helene, tell me about yourself. Our family and work is very, personal. We’d like to get to know more about you and your family before we start talking business. Also, have you seen all of the sights of our city?” Isaac grinned in a charming way, his eyes seeming to explore Helene’s body in the same way that Terrance’s had. Terrance noticed, and felt a tinge of something in his stomach. Jealousy?

“Yes, maybe I’ll have my sons escort you around, let you see our territory after we discuss things.” Mr. Patrone smiled continuing to chow down on his food. Once Jacob was satisfied with how much food he had shoveled in his mouth, he pulled out his own notebook and began to flip through it, reviewing the terms to be brought up after dinner. The first talking point was going to be Patrone employment. The Patrone family is thinking of paying the Carbone family as a more hands on bodyguard for deals. Where as the Myles’ family’s main purpose is to take out specific targets, the Patrone family needed more armed guards to protect dealers and business meetings. The Patrone family has spies, thieves, and killers. Now they just needed arm guards.

Along with this, Jacob’s father wants to mention expansion of his own. Much as the Carbone family is making their way into the states, Mr. Patrone sees great potential in spreading his own work to a more international level. If he could send his eldest son, Isaac, to France, and work under the protection of the mafia, they could establish a broader, international drug trade. Jacob made a few notes on his paperwork, taking a few quick breaths. He wasn’t too nervous. From the summer time and even the past week, Jacob felt that, relationship wise, Helene would be more than willing to work with their families. But they had to still be careful not to reveal too much about what Arthur, Alex, and Terrance’s families did. As they were all significantly different in their work. But perhaps with time they would discuss more dealings between each individual family.

Mr. Patrone had finished his food, his eyes scanning between the Carbone siblings sitting in front of him. He sat up a bit straighter, took a large drink of his water, and began to look more serious. “I have a lot to discuss, but to begin- What does the Carbone family hope to gain from working with the Patrone family? And what are you planning to offer for us?” He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers together and listening intently.


Wow, Eva was amazingly talented. And when everyone began to applaud, Arthur was sure to clap louder than the rest, his claps practically echoing off the wall like lightning. He felt so proud and happy for Eva. She performed magnificently, and Arthur really recognized the talent. His eyes scanned the crowds for a few judges who were making notes after her performance when something clicked in Arthur. Was this what she wanted to do with her life? Be a professional violinist? Where as Arthur was fully prepared to take on his own family business in the future. The future. How long was he going to have to keep his secret from her? Arthur felt guilt welling up in him, having to think of lying to Eva for so long. She didn’t deserve that. He wanted to always tell her the truth about everything. But would she stay by his side if she knew what a monster he was? Would she not be able to follow her heart and dreams if he held her back from performing?

He didn’t have much more time to ponder, as the performers began to come from back stage and visit their families, Arthur moved through the crowd looking for Eva. Since he significantly taller than so many, it was very easy for him to spot Eva in the crowd. He began to approach her when he saw two other adults standing by her. One of which he very quickly recognized. Evelyn. He felt his blood boil slightly in his veins, and his body tense up. He had to restrain himself from slapping the old hag for the way she had treated Eva before. For kicking her out of their home, her own child!

“You were amazing, Eva.” Arthur nodded to Eva, the corner of his lips turning up very slightly. He held out the bouquet towards Eva, though Evenlyn seemed to turn her nose up at the gesture. Arthur had to restrain himself from shooting her an ugly look. He placed one hand on Eva’s back, pulling her close to his side. His natural, stoic face glanced over the two adults, his eyes bouncing back and forth between them, assessing their faces, stature, absorbing what information he could. At least he could claim to his father later that he did some surveillance of his target, Evelyn Esperaza.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Proud of Eva.
✖✖ I am At... Concert Hall
✖✖ I am With... Eva, Evelyn, Marshall, and a bunch of strangers
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Their welcome was a lot warmer than Helene had expected, though it was better than the many, many bad scenarios playing through her head. Still, as she caught Terrance's smile, she realized that she really needed to keep her head in the game, especially if she wanted to preserve those moments with him. Giving Terrance a wink, she took her seat, though she wasn't really sure what to say. As Alexander would compliment Gigi, she grinned, watching as said girl lowered her head. She probably wanted to ignore his comment but knew that it could be taken the wrong way. Not that Helene thought the Patrone would think anything of it, but for some reason it was immensely satisfying to see the normally calm Gigi at a loss. Ariadne nudged her slightly, waiting for a response, and the dark haired girl kept her head low as she muttered a very quiet "Thank you," to Alexander. Oh, Helene was going to remember this for a long time. She had almost missed Isaac's compliment and was pretty surprised to see how smooth his words came out. He wanted to know about her? It was an entertaining thought, that much she had to admit. "I'm just an ordinary girl," She teased. As for her family, she wasn't really sure if admitting having a dead mother and a MIA father was...appropriate. Her family wasn't exactly as close knit as his--well, she was close to her siblings and uncle, so that counted, right? At the mention of the sights, she shook her head. The mall and the airport were the only things she had been interested in, so maybe accepting his offer was for the best.

Once she finished, she noticed Ariadne slightly nudging her with her foot. She lightly motioned to Mr. Patrone as he drank his water, and she sat up a little. Showtime! Sure enough, he brought up his initial question. Oh, this one was easy, she actually knew it! Wow, if she did the same legwork maybe she'd do better in class, too. Leaning forward slightly, she placed her hands on her knees. "Well, we hope that working for the same goal gets us what you want--international expansion, strengthening numbers, and upping the quality of trade," She stated.

Ariadne cleared her throat, placing her hand on Helene's shoulder. "The specifics are here," She motioned for Gigi to offer the documents, and as bad as she felt stealing the spotlight, it was something neither she or Evan had informed Helene. "But if I'm being honest, the Carbone family is also looking for help. While it has been some time that we have wanted to meet with you, there's been a little mosquito buzzing around that has been taking up some of our time. While we have the men for the job, this mosquito has been rather crafty in his hiding. Of course, with your permission, we can storm the city properly and get it taken care of."

"In exchange, in addition to our offer we've included a bonus, so to speak; having a man like Gaspard owe you one isn't something to scoff at, either," Evan added as Helene pouted, though she changed her expression as Evan pinched her cheek. "The mosquito in question is Bastien DuBois, someone who has decided that the best way to get to my uncle is to come after little Helene right here. I believe one of his men was taken care of, though I'm not sure if that was your territory."

---

The tension between mother and daughter was interrupted by Arthur for about three seconds before it resumed. Evelyn's eyes were sharp as Arthur complimented Eva, watching the girl's appreciative smile. Eva herself ignored her look, happily letting Arthur pull her to his side and hugging the bouquet. "How did you know I love roses?" She asked him, giving him a smile just for him.

Marshall couldn't help but chuckle, clearly not sharing Evelyn's disapproval. He genuinely loved seeing Eva so happy, and considering this was the first time he had seen her in love, he made sure to at least try to keep things pleasant. "Because you're a romantic, and every romantic loves roses," Marshall teased, winking at Arthur. "If you stare at him any harder, he's going to get embarrassed. Are you going to introduce him or am I going to have to start guessing names?"

Evelyn seemed to have connected the dots as she looked at Eva, clearly remembering the weekend. "Is this your fling?" She asked her curtly.

Eva gave her a rather cold smile, though she didn't let her comment deter her. "This is my boyfriend, Arthur," Eva introduced him as she got closer to him, putting emphasis on her words. "Arthur, this is my mother Evelyn, and her boyfriend Marshall."

"It's good to meet you," Marshall said cheerfully, though it was hard to ignore the glares Evelyn and Eva were giving one another. Feeling that things would likely turn hostile, he took Evelyn's hand. "Why don't we give them some time, I'm sure Arthur and Eva want some time together."

"They've spent plenty of time together, believe me," Evelyn stated, crossing her arms.

Yeah, no, Eva wasn't going to keep her cool for much longer, and she wasn't about to explode where potential recruiters could see her. "Okay, this has been fun, but I'm leaving," She said, taking Arthur's arm.

"Leaving? Where do you think you're going?" Evelyn asked.

"Did you forget you kicked me out?" She asked. "Or are you telling everyone I ran away to save face?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you need to come home."

"You can go wherever you want. I'm leaving with Arthur," Eva said cheerfully. "I'll make sure to get the rest of my things soon, or you can throw them out of whatever. But I'm not living with you if it can be helped. Arthur, let's go."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Jacob was hastily taking down notes for his father as Ariadne and Eva talked about what they wanted and what they were willing to exchange. Jacob watched his father keenly for reactions. It was in meetings like this, one on one and in real time that Jacob would get the most experience. Learning how to handle deals, how to communicate with others. Thought Jacob’s father was usually associated as being an evil man for the work he did- he was genuinely and all around a very swell man. If he weren’t so deep in drug trafficking, he would probably be a pinnacle icon around the community. But from what Jacob was picking up on, this would be a very easy and aggregable deal. It seemed this negotiation was going to move smoothly enough. “I believe that one of our main competitors has already had a run in with one of your mosquitos earlier today. We were given a notice to ‘keep our men out’ of their territory. However it wasn’t any of our men.” Jacob’s father nodded to Jacob, who pulled up printed pictures to pass towards Evan and Ariadne. “Sorry if they may be graphic. But if you can identify this man as one of those mosquitos, then I can let my own guys know to keep an eye out.”

“With that said, if you are willing to offer to us a few hired guns for security purposes, I can give you permission to surveillance our territory. That is the northern end of the city. The city hall is directly in the center of our city. Anything north of that belongs to us. So long as you aren’t stealing any of our customers, we have no problems with you moving through here to hunt down your mosquitos. And we may also be able to offer our own men to assist you in your hunt.” Jacob and Terrance’s eyes flashed to Mr. Patrone. It was obvious to them that they were talking about the Myles’ family. A family of excellent marksmen, they have yet to let the Patrone family down. Except for tonight, but that seemed to upset Terrance more than it did the Patrones.

“However I can’t guarantee your security to the south. That territory belongs to the Munez family… and I also highly recommend not getting involved with their group. They are dirty and dishonest. As much as I agree that blood is thicker than water, they are more than willing to turn their back on a deal made with a non-familial contractor. And I must warn you now, any involvement with them that isn’t of an espionage nature will cause us to break off any and all deals with you.” Mr. Patrone suddenly became very serious, crossing his arms on his chest. It was no secret that the Patrone and Munez families were mortal enemies and there would never be a compromise. Both families wanted too much control, specifically the entire city. And neither family was willing to give up any of their reigns of power.

“Of course, I can’t keep you or your men out of the southern part of the city. But I have to warn you that it isn’t safe and outside our jurisdiction. As for international expansion, my eldest son Isaac is who I’m trusting with these affairs. He has been my apprentice long enough, and it is time for him to make his own roots somewhere else. I’m entrusting him to your family as an asset for financial gain for both our families. In return I hope you will accept him almost as one of your own. Just as we are here accepting all of you, practically as a new part of our family. Why else would I ask my wife to prepare such a lovely, home cooked meal?” Mr. Patrone turned to his wife, giving her a warm smile before kissing her cheek. His wife simply blushed and waved him off. A quiet and modest woman, seemed to compliment the kindly man that Mr. Patrone could be. “I expect Isaac to be working closely with you for the rest of his time here. I hope that he will be of as much assistance to you, as you are to him. As of tonight I will contact all of my distributors to keep an eye out for any members of the Carbone family and mafia as you do your own sneaking around. In turn, I would like your men to also keep an eye on my own men for their safety. The Munez family has been accusing us of overstepping our bounds, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they start sending men to our side..”

Isaac seemed to be beaming from his father’s approval of him. Being the eldest, he practically was the golden child of the family. He was most likely to inherit the drug empire of his father, but it seemed more beneficial that he started his own chapter in Europe. Isaac nodded towards Ariadne and Helene. “I look forward to spending more time with you. And assisting you with any of your desires.” Isaac quickly winked towards Helene, a mischievous grin on the corner of his lips. Terrance didn’t miss the inuendo at all, and had to physically stop himself from jumping out of his seat, grabbing Isaac’s shirt, and punching him in the face? What the hell? Why did Terrance want to punch him over that? Terrance quickly shook the feeling and stared at his now empty plate, as if finding more interest in what the leftover potatoes on his plate were doing.

“Do these sound like good terms?”


Arthur was proud of how well Eva seemed to handle the situation with her mother. In fact, he was significantly impressed. How she remained calm, spoke cooly, and didn’t slap that raging bitch in the face was beyond Arthur’s belief. In fact, his tightly clenched fist was still twitching with the desire to punch her after they had left. Eva just always seemed to surprise him with how amazing she was. Arthur opened the passenger side for Eva to climb in and started the drive back towards his home. It was late enough that he expected his parents to be in bed. But at the same time, Arthur was concerned for the well-being of Eva. It wasn’t normal for someone to be so cool about being kicked out by their parents. In fact, Arthur wasn’t sure what he would do if he were disowned by his family. If his hair was cut and he was kicked on the street. Arthur thought that he would probably kill himself then and there from the shame. But he decided not to linger too much on those thoughts. “Are you alright, Eva?” He finally spoke up, reaching his hand across the console to rest on her thigh, his thumb instinctively playing with the hem of her skirt. At this point it wasn’t so much a sexual thing, as it was a calming mechanism for Arthur. It seemed to cement in him the fact that she was his. And that he was hers.

Matthew watched from the concert hall as the two rode off in his silver Volvo. He clenched his fist by his side watching them ride off. “Damnit… Why can’t I face him?...”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Proud of Eva.
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's Volvo
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Helene visibly winced as she saw the pictures, and she heard Ariadne snicker at her. Evan was more focused as he studied them, though he made no comment. As Mr. Patrone continued, Helene made sure to pay careful attention. So, they were free to do as they pleased so long as they did their part. That much seemed to satisfy Ariadne, who Helene knew was itching to get back to work. She wasn't expecting Isaac to be the one working with them, though she supposed it was like what Gaspard wanted for her. He grinned at her, though she caught his intentions and found herself looking away, slightly embarrassed. Gigi raised her eyebrow, at her, to which Helene caught the look and tried to refocus. "They do," She told Mr. Patrone, nodding.

Ariadne smiled, patting Helene's head. "Now that I can spread my wings, I think we'll be able to get rid of him in a week. Once we get rid of Bastien, we can focus all our efforts on what matters," She said cheerfully, pulling Helene in a hug. "It's just hard to think of anything when my precious little Étoile is constantly having to look over her shoulder! She should be enjoying high school and get herself a cute boyfriend!"

"Not here!" Helene whined, trying to push her away. "Please!"

"You have our sincerest thanks," Evan added as Ariadne squeezed Helene harder, and after a few seconds, he would clear his throat and Helene would huff in annoyance. "Your hospitality is also appreciated, it's been a long time since we've had dinner together like this."

"Helene prefers watching TV instead of having a nice meal with her siblings," Ariadne said, much to her embarrassment. As Ariadne shot Helene a grin, she rolled her eyes. "If you'll excuse me," Helene said as she pushed her chair back, deciding that a bathroom break would get her away from Ariadne for a bit. Walking to the bathroom, her phone beeped at her, and she stopped in the hallway to see what it was. To her surprise, it was from Alyssa of all people. Leaning against the wall, Helene's eyes scanned the rather long message. Apparently the brunette felt that the awkwardness between the two needed to be discussed.

Once she knew Helene was out of earshot, Ariadne's expression became serious. "I didn't want to say this in front of her, but...it seems Bastien is a lot closer than we thought. I don't doubt I can find him in time, but I have to confess I fear he will find her before I find him."

---

Taking in a deep breath, Alyssa leaned back against the car seat. Her younger brother was preoccupied with his own phone, her parents in the front seat talking about...something, who knew, she could never keep up with what they talked about, anyway. Alyssa scratched her cheek, wondering how Helene would respond. Considering that the two had a tendency to bump heads, Alyssa figured Helene would take her message the wrong way. She just wanted to talk, that was all. But when Helene's text came in, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course she was going to be dramatic about it: I'll meet with you, but you're the one making things weird. How the hell was any of this her fault? Didn't she realize the super awkward situation she put her in? The car came to a halt, and she practically jumped out of the car. If she was going to argue properly, she wanted to be comfortable, and her feet were killing her. After bidding her parents good night, she watched her father talk to her mother for a moment. The only reason Alyssa had agreed to go to the event was because her father had actually asked, but it wasn't until now that she figured it was so he could show his colleagues that he was a 'family man' or something. Since when?

Throwing those thoughts aside, Alyssa entered her bedroom as she hit Helene with her response. I wish you'd get your head out of your ass and try to see things from other people's point of view. Not everything is about you.

I confided in you because you asked for the truth. Now you're blaming me? Forreal?

Forget it, I don't want to have another argument with you.

Too bad, I'm going to find you tomorrow and we'll talk shit out. Get some rest so you can properly get on your knees and apologize for being a colossal bitch.

Man, Helene knew how to get vicious on a dime. Deciding not to respond, she changed into more comfortable clothes, a glint catching her eye. Jacob's necklace, or rather, her ruby necklace was neatly placed on her nightstand. Walking over to it, she picked it up as she sat on her bed, staring at it. Whyw as it that despite knowing the truth, she wanted nothing more than to see him again? But every time she thought of his face, his smile, the moment he said he loved her, the horrible truth kept creeping back up to her in the back of her mind. If her dad ever found out, it would only spell out disaster. She could only sneak around for so long before he'd want to know about Jacob. And then what?

Whether it was the wine she had earlier or an act of impulsiveness, Alyssa ended up sending a text to Jacob. I want to see you again. and promptly tossed her phone to the side, staring at the ceiling. She had to put things on pause for just a little bit or she was going to drive herself crazy.

---

Despite arguably having the last word, Eva's mood soured considerably. Her lips seemed stuck in a slight frown, her eyes unfocused as Arthur drove. She was still relatively annoyed by the fact that Evelyn had actually expected her to go home with her. Was she crazy? Delusional? Sure she felt a little bad for Marshall, but holy fuck why did her boyfriend care more about a kid unrelated to him than her own flesh and blood? It didn't help that she really tried to throw Saturday back in her face, and she wondered if Marshall knew. That'd be embarrassing, but knowing Evelyn she'd cover it up to save face. Arthur's voice brought her out of her thoughts for a moment, and she looked at him for a moment. She was probably obvious, but she never was any good at hiding how she felt. His hand rested on her thigh, a comforting gesture, though she had no idea where to start.

Deciding to just speak what was on her mind, she let out a sigh. "I just hate that we haven't had a civil conversation in literally years," She muttered, pressing her cheek against the window. "She's not going to change, I'm never going to change, we're just going to keep fighting for the rest of our lives. If Marshall isn't around we just explode at each other, it's just--it's never going to be the same from when Dad--Brett--There's this stupid part of me that thinks that, I don't know, someday we can have a normal conversation, but it's not going to happen. The damage is done." The last thing she wanted to talk about was him right now, but it felt unfair that she wasn't telling him the whole truth. Pulling out one of the roses from the bouquet, her thumb played with its petals, and she stared at it as some of the petals fell off. "It's complicated...I don't think you want to know."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Mr. Patrone smilled widely at the accepted terms, and raised a wine glass as a toast to the beginning of their alliance and took a sip. His sons, as business dealings seemed to be done, began to erupt in more jovial conversations about school, friends, and general life. Terrance and Isaac both caught Ariadne comment about having her find a boyfriend, and something seemed to spark within both of them. “You mean to tell me that someone as enchanting as yourself is still single? I refuse to believe it, Helene.” Isaac spoke up first. His eyes had still yet to wander away from Helene’s body, and at this point Terrance was seriously starting to notice and grow slightly visibly agitated. Why was he feeling so aggressive towards Isaac? Of course Helene is single, they weren’t a couple. They were just random flings. So then why did it hurt in Terrance’s chest when she didn’t deny to her sister being single?

After a few seconds of Helen getting up to escape the room, Terrance rose too and followed her, though not before taking an alternate route to the bathroom. Can’t make it obvious to everyone where he was going. But it seemed both Jacob and Alexander already knew what was going on, as they shared a quick glance and a snicker. “Geez, you’d think Terrance would at least follow what he preaches to us.” Alexander nodded towards Jacob, before quickly standing up on his own. “Well, I hate to be the first to break up our little party. But I’m afraid I do need to get going home. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Patrone.” Mr. Patrone and Alexander nodded to one another, and as Alexander made his way around the table he, of course, stopped at Gigi’s spot. Standing closer to her, and being able to see her more clearly sent his own heart into a flutter, and he let out a whimsical sigh. “Gigi, I look forward to lunch again with you tomorrow. Good night everyone!” Alexander waved and headed for the front door. Mr. Patrone nodded towards Jacob. “You should drive your friend home, so you are excused for the evening.” Jacob nodded, politely said goodbye to Helene’s cousins, and quickly headed towards the door before driving Alexander home. He had already seen the message from Alyssa, and if he hadn’t gotten his father’s blessing to leave, he probably would have jumped out the bathroom window like Arthur had earlier in the evening. I’m on my way.


Arthur wanted to press farther on what Eva was talking about. The damage is done. He could tell that something was haunting her, and he wanted to comfort her. He wanted to ask her to tell him everything, but he realized that not only was it unfair for her emotionally, it was unfair for her in respect to their relationship. He was keeping so many secrets from her, perhaps it was better for him to allow her to keep some secrets as well. Besides, would he actually be able to comfort her at all? Of his friends, he was the least warm and the last one any of them would go to, to be consoled. He didn’t know how to handle situations like that very well. He decided to go a more passive route. “You can tell me anything… when you feel comfortable to.” They finally pulled to the house, snuck to Arthur’s room, and Arthur instantly collapsed face fist on the bed, pulling the pillows close to his face and letting out a sigh. He was always ready for the cool embrace of his bed after a long and stressful day. He pulled out his phone, finally seeing the message that Terrance had sent to him, giving a slight chuckle, before texting him back to see how the night had gone, and what deals had been made.


Terrance’s knuckles gently rapped on the bathroom door. He didn’t know what to say. In fact, he didn’t know why he had the impulsive urge to follow her out of the dinning room. He shot back a quick message to Arthur. If you had stayed, then you’d know. But since you didn’t- deal is on. You may have a new target soon as well. Terrance tucked his phone away, sighing and shaking his hand. Damn his friends and their love virus. Because at this point, Terrance felt like it was an infection he couldn’t shake off. The only medicine he would need was distancing himself from Helene. But somehow, he knew that would be impossible. Maybe he needed to throw another party soon… Before he could think further, he quickly announced his presence to Helene through the door. “Helene, are you alright?”

Party… August… Oh, shit!

It was Alexander’s birthday this weekend.


Jacob stood outside of the Brady household. All of the lights were off except for one bedroom, that he instantly recognized as being Alyssa’s. Oh, how warmly familiar the feeling was of standing in her front yard, watching her window, before scaling the side of her house. He remembered the first time he ever did it, he scared the shit out of her. She had mistaken him for an intruder and screamed. Luckily her parents were out of town, and her younger brother had gone to his friend’s place. What a wonderful night that was for them, all alone in such a big house.

Jacob approached the side of the house where rose vines were growing on the wooden trellis. He began to scale the side of the Trellis, and upon reaching the top, he knocked in an all familiar pattern on the window. Three taps, a pause, then two taps. His signal to her that it wasn’t an intruder, and instead a friend. The curtains were pulled to, so he couldn’t see in the bedroom yet, but he knew exactly how her bedroom was laid out. Unless she rearranged her room over the summer, he would have to be careful stepping in, as he seemed to always bang his shin on her nearby desk.


At the Davids household, Alexander unlocked the front door and walked into a pitch black house. Each room he passed by he flicked on each of their lights. “Sorry I’m home late! Jacob needed me for a meeting tonight!” He called out into the home. There was no answer besides the trailing echo of his own voice bouncing off the walls. Unphased, Alexander made his way to a pristine kitchen, grabbed a nearby cook book, and sat on the island, flipping through each of the pages. “I ate at the Patrone’s house. So you don’t need to make me dinner.” Alexander said calmly into the deep emptiness of the house. Still, no one was around to respond as Alexander proceeded with flipping through each page of the cookbook, his eyes hastily scanning page by page until he came across exactly what he wanted. The clattering of dishes, ingredients, and utensils echoed through the home, bringing the only life that seemed to be in the empty halls. When he was finally done with his dish, and stuck it in the oven, he set a timer for one hour.

Waling to a nearby white board, his eyes scanned the message on the white board.


A small grin grew on Alexander’s face as his eyes scanned down the whiteboard to another written note, this time in Alex’s handwriting.


Alexander reached up, erased the last three numbers, and updated the count to 1500. He turned away from the board and sat down at the island, interlocking his hands and resting them patiently on the island table. But the longer he sat, the more the emptiness, coldness, and loneliness of his own home seemed to creep up on him. His usually bright, caramel puppy eyes seemed to slowly dim down. And his perpetually sweet smile began to waiver and face to a small frown. Alexander crossed his arms on the counter, lowed his head, and began to cry.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Tired.
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's bedroom
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Evan's eyes followed Terrance as he left the room, taping another sip of wine as Ariadne had engaged Mr. Patrone in a conversation. He definitely noticed the way he was looking at his sister, the same way most did. She was young and beautiful, often flaunting what she had, though his protective instincts often wished he could ward men away from her. But Helene was a proud, stubborn girl who didn't like anyone telling her what to do, much less meddle in her personal affairs, so Evan was resigned to just letting things unfold. As Alexander bid Gigi farewell with the promise of lunch, she nodded in confirmation, catching Evan's attention. He had known Giselle for some time, so despite her little nod not coming off as much, the fact that she gave him confirmation was evidence enough. Once the boy had left, she caught Evan looking at her. "Yes?" She asked as she took a sip of her own drink.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend," He stated, surprised.

Gigi choked on her drink, putting the cup down as she coughed. Boyfriend?! Thank goodness Alexander had already left, because there was no way in hell she would have been able to save face for that comment. "We're classmates," She said once her throat was clear. "It's...good to get along, all things considered," She mumbled.

Meanwhile Helene had to fight the urge to destroy the bathroom out of her own pent up agitation. God, Alyssa was so fucking annoying! Why the hell was she being stupid? Truthfully, Helene regretted telling her anything, but Alyssa had been so desperate after getting the truth from Jacob that Helene stupidly believed she would have been understanding. She shouldn't have said anything if she knew Alyssa was going to be like this. Letting out a huff, she turned on the sink, washing her face. Despite the smeared makeup, she felt so much better, and after taking a moment to properly clean her face, she reapplied her lipstick carefully. At the sound of a knock, she realized she was probably taking too long, and after making sure she looked presentable, she heard Terrance's voice.

Shit, she needed to get a hold of herself. Last thing she wanted was to cause a commotion. After slapping herself, she opened the door, throwing on a smile as she looked at Terrance. "Just peachy!" She told him, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed. "Things turned out better than I could have hoped for, so it's a huge relief," She admitted, wondering what his opinion was on all of this. Her fingers tapped against her arm, her anger slightly slipping through, and she uncrossed her arms, still keeping the same smile. Ugh, she was going to punch Alyssa in her stupid face.

---

A knock on her door pulled Alyssa out of her thoughts, and as she opened it, she spotted her mother walking past. Robert had been the one to knock, much to her surprise. He was still in his suit, although she could tell he had his gun and radio on his belt now. She guessed they were probably going back to work, though she was surprised her mother was leaving too. Looking up at her father, she could tell he was tired. "We're going back to the office, a call came in and it's urgent," He explained, his voice somewhat weary. "Your mother should be back in the morning. I'll see you in a few days."

Despite already knowing the answer, Alyssa asked, "Is everything okay?"

And as predicted, he would nod. "All under control," He uttered his catchphrase, though he patted her shoulder. "Stay out of trouble for me."

The irony hurt so bad Alyssa thought it'd etch itself into her skin, but she nodded, closing the door and locking it. She heard the car drive away shortly after and let out a sigh. She was used to her father never being home, but bringing her mother was a little much. Oh well, work was work. Deciding to change, she took her hair out of her ponytails and took off her clothes and started putting on her pajama top, starting from the bottom button and working her way to the top. Another knock caught her attention, this time from the window. She waited for a second, her hand to her chest where the ruby necklace sat, and sure enough the knocks came again. He really came.

Pulling the curtains back, she unlocked her window and opened it, coming face to face with Jacob. Despite having just seen him earlier, it felt like it had been too long. Stepping back to let him in, she bit her lip as he hit her desk, and she tried not to laugh. "You never learn, do you?" She asked, shaking her head as she walked up to him. "I guess some things just don't change..." Her hand went to her necklace again, and she looked up at Jacob, unsure of what to say next. "I miss you."

---

As they entered Arthur's room, Evangeline's thoughts were a mess. She could tell him anything at all? Often times the intentions were sincere, but she was scared he would look at her differently. The truth wasn't really something she gave out, and the one time she did, the information went to the wrong person. She could still hear the cruel laughter of her former classmates with Victoria at the helm, a vicious grin on her face. And to the side, a guilty look on his face, was Julius. Ha, now there was someone she hadn't thought about in a while. But still, Arthur wasn't Julius, he had already proven he was willing to go out of his way for her. He didn't turn around and fan the flames, he just wanted to understand.

As she pulled her hair out of its ponytail, she took a look at herself in her vanity mirror as she sat at his desk. Her other hand had reached for her brush, but her eyes just stared at her reflection. "You know, the older I get, the more I realize we look nothing alike," She admitted to Arthur. "Ever since I was little, I used to get comments like that all the time. They used to be little jokes, mostly referring to my hair. Both my parents had brown hair and dark blue eyes while I popped out as a blonde, so of course people were going to notice," She paused, setting her mirror down. "It wasn't until I needed a bit of blood that the truth came out. I used to get sick a lot as a kid, so I basically lived at the hospital. Turns out you can't have a child with type B blood if you're A and your wife is O."

She decided to stand, placing her hands on his chair. "When we went home that day, he confronted her about it, and she admitted that shortly after they got married, she reconnected with an old flame and had a last hurrah or whatever. My father--the man I thought was my father changed overnight. And who could blame him, being led on like that for years? I think I was...eight? Nine? I can't remember," Her gaze was fixated on her hands that gripped the seat as she spoke. "He left and I haven't seen him since. And of course, I was left in the dark thinking my 'dad' had up and left me for a while until I caught on. One of my mother's friends said she knew it, as apparently I look just like my biological father's family. I don't know if it's true, my mother wouldn't tell me where he was and I wasn't really able to track him down."

Forcing herself to look at Arthur, she smiled at him. "We haven't gotten along since then. But now that I'm older, I know that I was a mistake. She didn't want me, only having me around because her husband desperately wanted a family. Funny how things turned out," She shrugged, diverting her eyes towards the end of her sentence.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Terrance noticed the visible agitation on Helene’s face. Was she agitated just as he was at Isaac’s unwarranted advances? As she slowly put her arms down, and seemed to cool off, Terrance couldn’t help but reach out and place a hand on her hip, pulling her waist close to his. “There was no doubt in my mind that it wasn’t going to go well. We may have to celebrate later?” Terrance grinned cheekily before winking to her. “Now, why don’t we move back to the others. I think your cousins will notice you missing too long.” He almost reached for her hand to take it in his, but had to stop himself. That was something that Jacob or Arthur would have done to Alyssa or Eva. That wasn’t something that he should do with Helene. So his hand just twitched and he turned his back to Helene, heading back to the dinning room. Already standing, and waiting for them at the open doorway to the dinning room, Isaac was leaning on the wall, watching the two make their way back. “Helene, why don’t we go on a ride and tour the city? I’d love to show you many of the hot spots in our territory… That is if you are up for it.” Isaac already had the keys to his car spinning in his fingers, raising an eyebrow at Helene.

“I think I should come too. We should always have an extra pair of eyes around.” Terrance turned to face Helene. He really didn’t like the prospect of the two going off alone and unsupervised. Why did he care so much about them being alone together? As far as Terrance was concerned, it didn’t matter who Helene hooked up with. They weren’t a thing, they were just friends with benefits. So why did he want to come too? Perhaps he wasn’t done with her yet? Maybe he still wanted to get more fun out of her before moving on to the next girl. Terrance had to convince himself that was all it was.


Jacob drew in a sharp breath, rubbing the front of his shin after he banged it on the desk. Damn that desk was always in the way. “I don’t know why you don’t move that thing! Put the bed there, at least the mattress would be softer!” He grumbled before sitting down on the bed. His eyes trailed over Alyssa and stopped directly at her neck, where he saw the ruby necklace. A wide grin grew on his face at its sight, and then he heard those words. She missed him. He stood up quickly and grabbed Alyssa in his arms, spinning her around in the room. He felt an explosion in his chest as his heart was beating hard enough to burst from his chest.

“I don’t care about our families, Alyssa. All that matters to me is you… and that I can call you mine.” Jacob sighed as if a weight was lifted from his chest. He didn’t want to let her go, never again. He was never going to make that mistake again. “Alyssa… I promise for as long as I live I will never hurt you again.” Jacob leaned back some so he could look in her eyes, gently cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand. He hadn’t been so happy in so long


Arthur sat up quickly, caught off guard by the sudden revelation by Eva. So, she didn’t know who her real father was? And to match, she had nothing in common with her mother. Family was a very important part of Arthur’s life, and he wasn’t sure how to handle the situation besides, “I’m sorry…” Arthur rubbed the back of his head, reaching out to hold Eva’s hand and pull her into a hug. He ran his hand through her hair, gently petting her head and pampering her. It didn’t seem fair to him. That Eva was such a genuinely good angel, yet she was dealt such an unfair hand in life. He wandered for a second who her real father could be. She had such distinct long blonde hair… oh no. Arthur felt a shiver go down his spine. “Do you know anything about… your real father?”







ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Worried.
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's bedroom
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Celebrate? Yeah, that's what Helene wanted to do. She had the urge to pull him into the bathroom and ride him right then and there, but knowing how into each other they got, it really wasn't a good idea. He turned away from her, so there was that anyway. Following him, she noticed Isaac waiting for them, or rather, waiting for her. It was a little surprising to her, as she found him pretty bold. She was used to coming off as intimidating, so it was a nice change of pace. Before she could respond, Terrance would note that he should go along with them. That came off just a little weird to Helene as he turned to her. What, was he looking for her permission? No, that couldn't be it. Regardless of how she felt, she knew Terrance only saw them as friends. Wait, what did she feel? ARGH! NO! Why was she still thinking like that? God, the last thing she wanted was to be thinking about that again. What part of 'friends' didn't she get?! Still, she felt like if she turned Terrance away, it would hurt him. Except, now both guys were looking at her, apparently waiting for her decision. Were they expecting her to choose? Why? Was she missing something? Why did it make her so nervous all of a sudden?

Evan scowled at the three, his eyes darting from Isaac to Terrance. Ariadne let out a small giggle, elbowing Evan to let up on his glaring. Gigi raised her eyebrows as she also watched the scene unfold. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought Terrance was jealous of Isaac hitting on Helene. Interesting. So it was mutual between the two, as Helene had yet to convince her that she wasn't experiencing feelings. Great, another thing for her to worry about. Although now that a majority of the truth was out on her end, she supposed it really wouldn't be an issue if Helene decided on one of them. Gigi was pretty sure Terrance hadn't outed himself yet, but that was up to him.

"Would you look at the time? Too much fun and I swear the clock goes faster out of spite!" Ariadne announced as she would stand, bringing Helene back to her senses. "We must do this again, although I hope we will host next time."

Shit, she needed to decide. Or...not decide. An idea popped into her head. "Sounds like fun," She replied cheerfully, clapping her hands together. "Say, Gigi, why don't you come, too?"

The girl rolled her eyes, not really in the mood. "I have to study, sorry," She said, and Helene's look turned really cold. Hey, it wasn't her fault that she attracted their attention.

Bouncing back, Helene decided to interlock both her arms with each one of the guys, smiling, thoughs he swore she would have her vengeance on Gigi tomorrow. "Lucky me, I get to have them all to myself~" She laughed, much to her brother's chagrin.

---

Alyssa wasn't quite expecting to get picked up like that, clinging onto him as he spun her around. She missed his touch, his voice, his words making her heart ache even more. He was right, she needed to follow his lead and not care, either. Even if the impending doom was still in the back of her mind, she craved him, wanting to enjoy him for as long as she possibly could. Her heart seemed to skip slightly as she held onto Jacob, the brunette closing her eyes for a second before deciding to look at him. She got lost in his eyes for a moment, smiling at him, though she shook her head slightly. "I can't stay away from you no matter how hard I try," She admitted, a little sad. "I promise I'll do my part...but please...please don't ever leave me again," She begged, her emotions getting to her, and without waiting for a response she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him passionately.

---

It was funny, for just a split second, Arthur's reaction mirrored Julius'. That thought left a rather bitter taste in her mouth, although as he pulled her into a hug, she found herself hugging him back tightly. She loved feeling his hands through her hair as it was a therapeutic feeling, and she wished they could just stay like this forever. Arthur surprised her a little with his question, and she tried to remember what little she found out. "Just that he and my mother met in Carlton, where I was born," Eva shrugged, her hands lightly toying with the ends of his hair. "I tried to look for him, but I didn't have any luck. Supposedly he knows I exist, too, but...I've never met him. Or at least, not from a time when I could remember." The thought made her uneasy, and she buried her face in his chest. "Why don't any of them want me?" The question came out as her voice broke, and she held him tighter.