Chess

Winnie did rolled her eyes.

~!!~
"And I lo-" She going to say she loved his, but his lips cut her off. Her lips curled up in a smiled, she closed her eyes, and kissed him back.

It seemed as if she was changeing him, and he was changeing her. Never before would she had let anyone see her sob, never before would she let anyone see her break down. Never before would she let anyone touch her, hold her, kiss her. He was the only one she would ever allow that with.

Haven drove faster as she saw her roll her eyes, biting her lower lip in agitation.
~!!~
Draven had never even thought of any girl, any woman, the way he thought of Michi now. He continued to kiss her, but he soon pulled bcak. He smiled at her and was suddenly back on his feet, and dropped snow on her.

Warren sighed. "Clam down." He said, turning back to flick Winnie in the forehead. He winced in pain.

~!!~
Michi looked a litte dejected when he pulled back. She was about to sit up when he droped the snow on her. She bolted up right. She brused the snow from her hair, and off her face. She was laughing hard now.

Haven saw him flinched in pain, and gripped the steering wheel tighter. She soon saw the hospital coming up in front of them. She parked quickly, and turned the car off.
~!!~
Draven smiled when he heard her laugh, and took a step back, as if daring her to throw snow back.

Winnie helped Warren out of the car.

~!!~
Michi stood up, quickly, and threw more snow at him. She was grinning.

Leanne was up now, sitting in the corner of the room, a robe around her shoulders. She was tired still, but she didn't want to sleep. She was thinking again, about her friends. The nightmare hadn't come back, but it was still as fresh in her mind as if it had just happened. It was the reason she wasn't with them right now; they thought she was still asleep.
~!!~
"Rainy!" Sage called, knocking on the door. Rainy was inside, and ignoring her. Sage groaned in annoyance, and turned away from the door, storming down the hallways. Andrew. This was all his fault! Yet she knew it wasn't, but she was angry, and she needed to blame someone. Yet again, she threw open his door without knocking.
~!!~
Haven stared out the window silently. She wondered if that boy was okay; Warren was his name. She really hadn't meant to hit him with that rock, and she felt kind of bad about it.
~!!~
Draven had tried every possible way to get into the Manor, but they were all blocked off somehow. He was sitting in the snow near the woods now, mumbling to himself. He couldn't believe this had happened.

Patrick was still asleep. He was sleeping peacefully. He turned slightly, and mumabled something. The words love and Leanne were mixed in.

~!!~
Andrew looked at her, blinking sleep out of his eyes. "Yes?" He asked.

~!!~
Warren was at home now, with a frown on his face.

~!!~
Cinder tossed, and fell of the bed. She goraned and didn't move she was busy thinking.

What right did seth have to do this to her? Make her so unhappy just by leaveing her? And knowing him; he might still be in the room. A frow crossed her face. She would show him. It was petty; yes, but she needed to do something to try to move on. Or, seem as if she had. It was kinda like her revenge. She was going to make it look like she was already over him. But she knew she wasn't, and wouldn't for a very long time.

She stood up and grabed some clohes. Moments later she was in the shower.

~!!~
Michi was sitting next to him, nodding off. She yawned and suddenly she laid down. She place her head on his lap, and closed her eyes, soon alling asleep.

Samantha was done decorating the tree now. She was upstairs. She knew she was supposed to be happy; it was getting close to Christmas. It was supposed to be a happy time, a time for celebration, for happiness. Yet she felt none of that.
~!!~
Ember had another cigerrrette in her hand, no longer feeling sick. She was staring out her window, her face blank.
~!!~
Seth frowned as he watced her; he wished he knew what she was thinking. He sighed once she was gone, and looked at the door.
~!!~
Leanne smiled slightly as she heard his voice. She looked up from her spot in the corner, and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the edge, and kissed his cheek lightly.
~!!~
Draven froze, unsure of what to do. After a few moments, he felt a small smile making its way to his face. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face with unsure hands.
~!!~
Sage glared at him. "This is all your fault!!" She shouted, shutting and locking the door behind her. "My friend won't talk to me, and it's your fault!!"

Cinder got out soon after and walked back into the room. She was looking rather nice. She slipped on her shoes, and looked in her mirror. Yes very nice; by far better then the last few days. She quickly pinned her long hait up, and walked out of the room. A small graced her lips. It was fake, but no one could tell.

"Mom!" She called. "I going go see a moive, okay, I'll be back late." She said, rushing out of the house.

~!!~
Patrick opened his eyes. "Morning, beautiful." He mused sleepily. He didn't move yet but he was smiling widely.

~!!~
Michi slept quietly, for now. As shown before she tended to talk in her sleep.

~!!~
Andrew blinked. "How so?" She asked, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Seth followed her quickly.
~!!~
Leanne jumped, then smiled at him. "Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked quietly.
~!!~
Draven soon found his mind wandering; he was tired as well, but he refused to sleep out in the open like this, so vulnerable.
~!!~
"You were the one who made me angry, and that's why I did what I did to her!" Sage shouted. IT was amazing how she always found a way to blame someone else for her mistakes.

Cinder started to quietly walk to the theather.

~!!~
Patrick sat up, and yawned. "It's okay." He said.

~!!~
Michi mumabled somthing.

~!!~
Andrew rolled his eyes, and yawned. "Sounds like you have anger issues."

Seth was close behind her, wondering what exactly she was planning on doing.
~!!~
Draven smiled slightly at her, and brushed another strand of hair out of her sleeping face.
~!!~
Leane smiled at him, and sat up straight as well. She had been up for at least an hour now, doing nothing but thinking.
~!!~
Sage glared at him. "You're not listening to me!" She yelled, walking over to the bed. "It's your fault!" She shouted.

Cinder walked up to the ticket booth a little while later, and bought a ticket to a horror moive. The only problem was it didn't start for another forty-five minutes, so she would have to wait.

~!!~
"Something wrong?" He asked her. He reached out and touched her face. "You can tell me." He said softly. "Does it have to do with your nightmare?"

Sage hovered over him, anger practically coming off of her in waves. "She probably won't ever talk to me again!" She said.
~!!~
Seth frowned lightly, but then realized something. Did this mean she was moving on? The thought made him both happy and sad.
~!!~
Leanne closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his hand on her cheek. She finally opened her eyes, and slowly nodded.

"I just...can't help but keep thinking about it," She said quietly. "Everytime I close my eyes."

"And how is this my fault?" He asked. "I'm not the one who doesn't know how to control anger."

~!!~
Cinder sat on a bench, to wait. A few minutes later a kid from her school sat next to her. "Hey, Cinder." He said. "What's up?"

"The sky?" Cinder asked with a smile. Fake.

He laughed lightly. "Hey, what happened to your hand?" He asked, looking at the stichs.

"Broke a mirror." She said simply. "How come?" He asked, a small frown reaching his lips. "Would you believe me if I said that I was trying to destroy my image?" She asked. She was telling the truth, she couldn't stand seeing her face in the mirror.

The boy shook his head. "Nah. You're to pretty to want to destroy how you look." He remarked. Cinder's fake smile almost didsappeared. Almost.

~!!~
Patrick frowned. "I don't know what to say."

"You're....infuriating!!!" Sage finally seemed to decide on a word. She sank down in the chair next to his bed.
~!!~
Seth watched silently; he wasn't sure what to think. He was glad she seemed to be happy, but now he was wondering if he'd made the right decision.
~!!~
"Just...promise me something," Leanne said quietly. "That you won't disappear, that you won't leave me, or move on, even if they do," She said quietly. "Please."

Andrew laughed. "And you aren't?" He asked.

~!!~
"You shoudn't talk like that." She said with a light laugh. "I might get the wrong idea."

He frowned suddenly. "But what if your 'wrong' idea is right?" He asked. She didn't know what to say to that.

~!!~
Patrick smiled at her. "I promise you forever." He said.

"No, I'm not," Sage mumbled. "You are." She folded her arms across her chest, her anger slowly leaving her. She stared straight ahead, her lips in a thin line.
~!!~
Seth knew he had no right to her anymore, no right to be angry if someone else liked her. Yet why did he feel like this right now?
~!!~
Leanne smiled at him. "Thank you," She said quietly. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now."

Andrew world his eyes. "Whatever."

~!!~
Cinder looked at him. "Are you saying you like me?" She asked very bluntly.

NO! NO! NO! She was in love with Seth, she didn't like this guy, not like that, she known him since middle school. She did not like him like that. Instead she smiles, and acted as if she did.

"And if I do?" The boys asked.

~!!~
Patrick smiled. "Just believe when that will never leave you." He said standing up. "And now I must leave, so you can get dressed." He said. He frowned. "Not best sentences to put next to each other."

Sage closed her eyes, and found herself slowly drifting off to sleep. She didn't think it was the best idea, to fall asleep here, but her body and mind obviously didn't care, for soon her muscles relaxed, and she was fast asleep.
~!!~
Seth closed his eyes tighlty, turning away fromt hem. He couldn't watch this.
~!!~
Leanne laughed. "Thanks," she said quielty. She stood up and stretched, looking at him.

Andrew was falling asleep too. "Night." He mumabled.

~!!~
Cinder looked down. "I'm not sure what to say." She said.

~!!~
Patrick smiled and left.

The snow was falling, and Anya felt like she was falling with it.

She hadn’t talked to Milo since that day that felt like so long ago, but couldn’t have been that long ago. She missed him so much, and she wished more than anything else that she had never said anything about her being his maid. She missed him more than anything else. She’d give up anything to be able to take back what she had said.

She looked up at the sky, and realized that it had to be around 6:30. The sun was setting, making the snow sparkle. It was beautiful, yet she couldn’t enjoy it fully.

She was sitting on her front porch, looking over at the Manor that sat on top of the large hill. She didn’t even have the courage to go and say Merry Christmas to him, if he was even there. She was such a coward.

She dropped a hand in the snow, and then let it fall through her fingers slowly. She knew it was stupid to think that he even would remember a thing about her. She was one of many maids, and certainly not one of the prettiest, nor the most outspoken, nor the best. She was just the quiet one, the one that no one knew anything about and never cared to know anything about. Her past was a mystery to many; in fact, to everyone but herself.

She leaned her head back against her front door, closing her eyes and letting her black hair fall over her face, and hide her from the view of the world. Maybe if she stayed like this long enough, she would just disappear. That was sounded very good right about now.
~!!~
Ember was treading a very thin line. One wrong move, and she would fall.

Her mom hadn’t noticed the smell of smoke on her yet; she was very careful to keep it hidden, weather it be with breath mints, gum, or perfume. She kept it a secret. Her mom also hadn’t noticed how much thinner she looked, or how tired. She was too busy preparing for Christmas.

Ember sighed, staring down at her feet.

Her mother insisted on keeping it up every year, around her father’s day of death. And that was around Christmas. She insisted on putting up pictures of him all around the house, as if to remind her of what they had lost. She didn’t understand why she insisted on holding on, though that was exactly what she had done with Jeremy, wasn’t it?

Jeremy.

She thought about him as she pulled her hair up out of her face, showing her tired, sunken eyes and cheekbones. He hadn’t showed up again since that day with Savastyn at the club. She didn’t understand it; had he finally moved on?

But others were here now. They were watching her even now; she could feel their eyes on her. She wasn’t sure if she was going crazy, or weather they were really there. Jeremy was really there, after all; why not them? But what did they want? Every time they asked, they would just say ‘you can see us’, or ‘help us,’ or nothing at all. Quite frankly, it was creeping her out more than anything else.

She walked out of her room and downstairs, where she saw her mother sitting at the table. She looked sad, and Ember saw what she was looking at; a picture of him.

She sighed and touched her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Her mother said nothing, and soon Ember was back in her room.

She looked out her window, sitting in her windowsill. Dimitri. When was he leaving, she wondered? Or had he already? She still didn’t understand why he was, other than the fact that he wanted to. She didn’t want to be hurt again, and she was dealing with her pain in some of the worst ways possible.

She looked down at her hands, her hair falling over her pale face. She was being such a hypocrite; she wanted him to take better care of himself, yet every day she got worse and worse. She looked back towards her room, and wondered what Jeremy would think of her now. She closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head. She opened them and looked at the young boy, around 7 years of age, it seemed, looking back at her. His face was sad, confused. Like he didn’t know where he was, or what was going on.

“Please go away,” Ember whispered, feeling like she was talking to herself. The boy looked at her with his sad eyes, and then was gone.
~!!~
Samantha let herself fall under the water, her eyes open and looking through the water and to the end of the tub, where her feet were. She closed her eyes again, still holding her breathe.

A year. It had been over a year since that night had happened. And it still haunted her everyday. She shouldn’t have had that drink. She should have said no; she shouldn’t have let herself be taken in by the crowds. She was a fool, an idiot, a moron, a /killer/.

A killer. Those words rang in her mind everyday. Murderer, killer, /monster/ She should have been the one to die that night. But by her own stupidity, her own carelessness, she had taken the life of another, and /gotten away with it/.

Maybe if someone knew. Maybe if someone knew, it wouldn’t hurt so much. She couldn’t just tell anyone, though. Not her family; they would never look at her the same way again. They would hate her. And could she really even find the courage to tell them? She hardly had the courage to face her demons herself.

She opened her eyes again, and her head broke the surface of the tub. She gasped in a quick breathe of air, and looked around the bathroom. Her hair dripped onto the surface, the only noise in the stilling silence.

“Samantha.”

She jumped and spun to face the source of the noise. He was standing there, clear as day.

“No,” She whisperd. It was him; it was John. He was looking at her, eyes sad and torn. Blood covered his face and arms, and dripped to the tile beneath his feet. She had seen him like this once before, the day he had died. The day she had killed him.

“Samantha,” He repeated. She shook her head, closing her eyes tightly. She felt warm tears sliding down her cheeks.

“You killed me,” He said.

“No…No!!” Samantha cried. “I’m sorry!!”

The dead boy shook his head, his black hair falling over his face. He walked towards her, and she felt frozen. He reached out and placed a hand on her cheek. She knew he wasn’t real; he couldn’t be. But his hand…felt so real.

“You did this,” He whispered. He spread the blood from his hand around on her cheek, then her hands that he took in his. She felt herself shaking; the blood was warm. It felt so real.

“Samantha,” He said, looking at her. He took her shoulders, and shook them. “Samantha!!”

She screamed, closing her eyes. When she opened them, it was Amanda looking at her ,hands on her shoulders.

“Samantha!” She said. Samantha closed her mouth, eyes wide and panicked. She looked down at her hands; no blood. The water in the tub wasn’t pink. She looked back up at her sister, than at the door, where Carolyn and Lizzie were.

“Is she okay??” She heard Will’s voice from outside.

“She’s fine!” Amanda called. She then looked back at Samantha.

“Are you okay??” She whispered. “We heard you screaming. Will had to kick the door down.” Samantha looked at the door, and blinked in surprise, seeing it off its hinges.

“I’m f—fine,” She stammered. She shook her head, and looked back at the door.

Amanda took a towel out of the cupboard, and Samantha stood up, the water dripping from her body. Her sister wrapped her in the towel, and ushered the rest of them away. She led her out into the hallway, and Samantha glanced at the rest of them. They were all there, but her parents; they were out at a Christmas party for their work. Will’s eyes were worried, and Chase and Zack even looked scared.

She looked away, and Amanda shut the door behind her.

“Are you okay?” She asked softly, as Samantha sat down on the edge of her bed, shivering.

“I’m fine,” She whispered.

“What happened in there?” Amanda asked quietly.

“I….I don’t know,” Samantha admitted.

“If anything…anything at all is bothering you, you can talk to me,” Amanda said quietly. “You know that, right?” She asked quietly. Samantha nodded.

“I know,” She whispered. Amanda kissed her forehead and then left, closing the door behind her.

But Samantha knew she couldn’t.
~!!~
Vivian looked at the Christmas tree, then into the kitchen. Her parents were talking about something again; well, more like arguing. They did that a lot lately, and she didn’t understand why. It was over such petty things, too. But lately, they had been arguing more about her. Her future. Where she should go to college, what degrees she should try to get, everything. Vivian felt like she didn’t even have a say in her own future anymore, not that she would have known what she wanted even if they had asked her. Right now, it all seemed so far away, though she was a senior, and the year was half over.

She heard her mothers’ voice raise again, and she stood up and waked into the kitchen. Their voices lowered almost immediately, and they both looked at her.

“How was your day?” Her mother asked. Vivian had to resist the urge to roll her eyes; they acted as though she were still a little kid, like she didn’t know what was going on. She knew exactly what was going on; she could hear it all perfectly from the living room only moments before.

“Fine,” Vivian mumbled, and soon walked back out of the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate. The yelling resumed, and she stepped outside.

The frosty winter air hit her almost immediately, and she shivered. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself, sitting down on the front porch steps. The sun was setting; it was beautiful. She wanted to enjoy it, yet her mind was full of worries right now.

She hoped Sergei was doing okay now. She had gotten him a Christmas present, actually. Right now it sat in her room. She hadn’t been quite sure what to get him, but she had tired. She would take it to him tomorrow, assuming her parents let her out of the house. They liked to take Christmas as a ‘family day’, though lately she felt like anything but a family.

She took a sip of the hot chocolate, burning her tongue and the roof of her mouth. She liked the feeling; it reminded her she was still here, that she was real, that she was alive. She felt like she had just been floating through life lately, so any reminder that she was still really here was good.
~!!~
Sam looked down at the photo album in his hands, and turned the page. IT showed a smiling photo of him and his mother and father. He was around six years old in the picture, and had a few teeth missing from his huge grin. His mother’s arms were wrapped around him, his father laughing and smiling with them. They were under the Christmas tree, and Sam looked happier than ever in the picture.

He shut the photo album, and looked around his room. His father was downstairs right now, saying that he wanted to be home early for Christmas. It almost made Sam laugh; he had never cared before, so why now?

He had to keep Willow in his room for now, to keep his father from finding her. Though he doubted he’d do a thing about it even if he found her; he acted like he cared about Sam, but deep down, Sam thought he felt differently. It was all work to him, ever since his mom died. It was like he didn’t even exist anymore. He wanted to yell at him sometimes, tell him exactly what he thought of him. And he had, once or twice. But then his father would just storm out of the house; it was as if he refused to face his problems head on. He ran away. Sam saw him as nothing more than a coward ever since his mother’s death.

He pushed all of these thoughts away, however, instead looking at Willow. He set the photo album down on his bed, and walked over to her. He still sometimes wondered if she wasn’t really in his head, something he had designed to keep himself from going crazy. But every time he touched her, every time he kissed her, she sure felt real. But then the other question remained; how? He tried not to think about it, but it made no sense to him. And she was dead; wasn’t it wrong for him to be in love with her? But he didn’t care.

He kissed her cheek, and smiled down at her. He was worried about her, too. Seeing Warren and Winnie couldn’t be helping her at all. He kept his drapes closed everytime he thought about it. He didn’t want her to get hurt anymore than she already had.

A voice from downstairs pulled him out of his thoughts. It was his father’s.

“Be right back,” He whispered to Willow, and ran downstairs, leaving his photo album on his bed in plain sight.
~!!~
Haven too was reliving her memories, though much less fondly.

She stared at the picture in her lap. It was of her, Andrea, Beth, and Katherine last Christmas. They were all laughing, and Andrea was giving haven bunny ears. Haven felt a tear slip down her cheek and land on the photo. She suddenly curled her hand into a fist, and crushed the photo with it. She stormed out of her room and into the bathroom, where she dropped the photo into the empty trash can. She stared at herself in the mirror, at the tears in her eyes, and felt her hands curl into even tighter fists. She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to be back home, back with her /family/ These people weren’t, nor would they ever be, her family.

She hadn’t come out of her room for more than a meal or to take a shower since she got here a week or two ago. She didn’t want to be here, that much was obvious. Even now, on Christmas eve, she didn’t want to see any of them. Not even tomorrow would she.

She wondered if that boy was okay. Warren, he said his name was. Well, the other girl had said. She really hadn’t meant to hit him with that rock; he was just….in the way.

She walked back into her room, and shut the door behind her, not bothering to lock it. She slipped her shirt off, changing. She glanced in the mirror for a moment at her bare back, at the tattoo. Right now she wanted nothing more than to get rid of it.

She didn’t know what prompted her next actions. She ran her hand over the tattoo on her lower back, though higher than most, and dug her nails into her skin. The blood came before the pain. She closed her eyes tightly, and dug her nails into her skin, leaving long red lines over the tattoo. She wanted to get rid of it, and every memory she had of her old life. She ignored the pain, pushing through it. It wasn’t working, even as the blood ran down her back. The skin was ripped, but the tattoo was still there. She was hardly thinking anymore as she grabbed a knife out of her bag, and placed it on the tattoo and the torn skin around it. She closed her eyes, and pressed it to her skin. The pain was fresh now, and she tried to ignore it. The warm blood ran down her skin, and she just pressed the knife deeper, and to the side. She wasn’t thinking clearly; the skin would heal, assuming she didn’t lose too much blood and die herself, and then the tattoo would still be there, just with scars over it. She just wanted it gone. She wanted everything of her old life gone.

She could practically hear Andrea’s voice, telling her how much of an idiot she was. And Beth, telling her to stop, that this wasn’t the way. And Katherine crying. This only made her cut deeper. She just wanted it gone. The pain was becoming too much, however. She wondered how this would look to anyone who walked in now, but didn’t care.
~!!~
Seth was in Cinder’s room, sitting near the window. He was so confused.

He wanted the best for her; he wanted her to move on. He wanted her to heal, to forget about him. Yet every time he thought he saw her doing just that, he felt horrible, like he wanted to stop her and show him that he was here.

He knew he was doing the right thing; he had to be. What was he supposed to do? He wanted her to be happy, he wanted her to forget about him, find someone else. He was only going to stay until he was sure she was okay, and then he would be gone. Where he would go, he didn’t know. But he just knew he couldn’t’ stay anymore after that. He didn’t want to hurt her, but it seemed like that was just what he had done.

He looked out the window, eyes sad and tired. He wanted to see her move on, but he wanted her to stay with him. Perhaps things would have been easier if he had just not run into her that first day in the hallway. He didn’t know, but he knew that he couldn’t turn back the clock. He needed to figure out a way to make things better now, but he couldn’t come up with one. He was still worried that she might try something stupid, so he would stay until he was sure she was okay. But seeing her every day wouldn’t help him when he really did have to leave; he knew that. Besides, she probably knew that he was here right now. She was too smart to not know.
~!!~
Draven looked out the window and at the snow outside. That day a few days ago, he and Michi had had to hide out in one of the abandoned houses on the edge of Dale for an entire day, until the sun had gone down again. They had talked a lot, and he felt….different. More so than before. He really felt like she was changing him, and it scared him as well as excited him.

He heard a noise in the hallway, but ignored it. That was, until Toby came running in, barking, followed by a panting Isabel.

Draven looked at her and the small dog. Isabel looked almost scared, as if he might hurt her or yell at her. Instead, he smiled. This seemed to scare her more than anything else, for she turned and ran.

“Mommy!” She shouted. Draven started laughing, which only made her run faster. Draven smirked and shut his door after the small girl was gone, and turned back to the window. Ugh, what was wrong with him??

Elianna ran out of her room then, just as Isabel ran into her arms. “What’s wrong??” She asked.

“Draven is scaring me! He laughed!” Isabel said. Elianna burst out laughing then, and shook her head. “Go play with Toby,” She said quietly, and ushered her down the hall. She was referring to her dog, but Isabel ran to Tobias’ room, and knocked on the door. The bracelet her mother had given her was around her wrist, as it always was.

Elianna walked back to her room slowly, and shut the door behind her. It was pitch black, though she didn’t seem to mind. She walked over to her bed and sat down, just as a hand was placed over her mouth.

Her eyes widened and she reached out behind her for the source, but felt nothing but someone’s face.

“Yell, and I kill you,” The voice said, and it was only then that she felt the cold steel against her chest. She froze.

“I think you know who I am,” He said. She shook her head, his hand still over her mouth. He stepped in front of her, and some of the light that came in through the cracks in the drapes showed his face to her. Leslie.

“Why---“ She started, but he cut her off.

“I’m finishing my job,” He said. “You killed Gabriel, and Nelly killed my sister,” He growled. She tried to move closer to her pillow, and reached a hand underneath it and gripped the hilt of her knife. He smirked, and placed his knife against her chest once more.

“Not the best idea,” He whispered. She froze. “Remove your hand,” He said. She did, the knife still gripped tightly in it. “Drop it,” He said. She didn’t. He pressed down harder, and a trickle of blood ran down her chest. “Drop it,” he repeated. She smirked, and let it clatter to the floor.

“Now,” He said, taking the knife from the ground and placing it in his pocket. He kept the other one close to her. “I want you to get Draven, Michi, Nelly, and Tobias all to the woods by this time in three days,” He said. “If you don’t, I’ll come back.”

“I’m not scared of you,” Elianna spat. Leslie smirked.

“Aren’t you scared for your daughter?” He whispered. She froze.

“How did you---“ She began, but he cut her off.

“Doesn’t matter,” He said. He was insane, she realized now. He had to be; it was the only explanation.

“Three days,” He repeated. “The woods behind the Manor, far in. Do it, or I kill Isabel.”

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, he was gone.
~!!~
Isabel knocked on Tobias’ door over and over again, calling his name. “TOBY!!” She yelled. The dog barked, and she laughed, scratching behind his ears. “Not you, silly,” She said. Then she went back to knocking and yelling.
~!!~
Leanne had spent the paste few days with her friends only, talking to them and catching up with them. Sage only left a few times to go check on Andrew. She could sense something weird going on whenever she asked Sage about him, and she and Rainy had hardly been talking. It was weird, but they acted like nothing was wrong, and so she believed them.

Right now she was sitting in Summer’s room, with all of them with her. They had a deck of cards out in front of them.

“Go fish,” Rainy said softly. Leanne laughed, and took another card. Patrick was gone now, and Darren was helping her look over them. Rainy acted weird around him too; it was confusing Leanne.

She would have to give Patrick his present when he got back. Right now, all of her presents were downstairs under the tree, ready for opening tomorrow morning. Her present for Andrew she’d have to take to him in bed; he still couldn’t move. She was so grateful for him for what he had done, but she still didn’t understand it much.

She glanced over at Winter, who was laughing about something Summer had said that she had missed.

Rainy looked up at Leanne, then back down, biting her lip. She glanced at Sage, then away again. She didn’t want to talk to Sage; not now. She was still angry about what she had done; and shouldn’t she be? She sighed, and looked down at her cards again. She was never one to hold a grudge, but this….this had crossed the line.

Sage looked at Rainy, then sighed in annoyance and looked down at the cards in her hands. She had tried to apologize to her, repeatedly, and was sick of being ignored. She couldn’t tell her why she had been so mad; she might have understood then. Sage had a crush on Andrew; she had admitted it to herself now. But so what?? Who cared?? It didn’t matter; he was just a stupid, annoying vampire who had ruined her friend’s life! She was so confused on why she liked him in the first place.

She and the others had put their present for Leanne under the tree as well. They had all pitched in and gotten her one together.

“Go fish!” Summer said. Winter laughed.
~!!~
Alex stared at the graves in front of her. One read ‘Mary Stone. Beloved mother and wife. RIP. ’ The other read ‘Daniel Stone. Beloved father and husband. RIP.’

Ella was next to her, their hands clasped tightly together. It was the anniversary of their parent’s deaths once more. She wasn’t sure how long it had been now. So many years, yet the memory was fresh in her memory, as if it had happened only yesterday and not so many years ago. The crash.

Ella was crying, and Alex wrapped her arms around her sister. The wounds were still fresh, though the memories they had of them were fonder than they used to be. They tried to remember the good things that they had done together, and not so much the bad. But it was hard.

Alex soon stood up, and Ella took her hand to stand up as well. Alex brushed the dirt off of her old, faded jeans, and took her sister’s hand in hers as they began to walk home.

Alex didn’t know what Ella had told Dominic; she didn’t know what she was felling herself. She hadn’t seen Issac since a few days ago, when he had brought her back. She loved him, and she knew that now. But everyday, whatever she felt for Dominic felt stronger as well. But she still wasn’t sure if she could forgive Issac. She wanted to, more than anything else in the world, but the fear that he would hurt her again was still there. And she knew that a part of him would always belong to his wife, though that really wasn’t something she could change, nor that she would want to. She still had a lot of thinking to do, basically.

She looked up as they came home, and wiped a tear off of her sister’s face with her thumb. Ella smiled at her, and Alex kissed her forehead and she ran inside. Alex walked around to the backyard, and sat down on the swing. She had spent a lot of time out here lately, thinking.
~!!~
Gem was thinking. She was thinking about Drake, about her old life. She missed hanging out with him. She missed reading books with him, and just sitting around the house and laughing with him, going places with him. She had been closer to him than she had ever been to her parents, though she loved them very much. She had known the darkest parts of him, and him of her. The deepest parts of him. They had had no secrets, and then Damian had ruined it all for her.

She stood up from the chair in the library, a slight frown on her face. It was that time of year again. This was the day that she was taken from her brother, years ago. She remembered it clearly, as if it were only yesterday. Being stuffed in the trunk, all the thoughts running through her head as she was driven down the road. Most of them were about Drake, and what would happen to him if she never saw him again, if she died.

And the worst had happened. He was crazy, it seemed. She hadn’t seen him since that night in the woods, but she missed him, oh so much. She wondered where in Dale he lived. She knew she could find him if she tried hard enough; it wasn’t really that big of a place. But she didn’t know what she would do if she did find him. He didn’t think she was real. He thought she hated him. She didn’t know what to do.

She slowly sank back down in the chair, letting her worries take over. She didn’t know what to do, nor what to think. About anything. She was hoping that this Christmas would be better than most before, but right now it felt like anything but. Her worry over Andrew, Christen, Damian, Prize, and Drake was just too much for her to handle right now. She didn’t know what to do. Not even reading could take her mind off of it. She didn’t have a book in her lap right now, and anyone who knew her even a little bit would know that seeing Gem in the library without a book meant that something was very wrong with her.
~!!~
Damian was in an abandoned house on the edge of Dale once again, one that he had spent a lot of time in lately. He was carving lines in the wall with a kitchen knife he had found abandoned long ago in this place, covered with dust and spider webs. He liked it here.

He was waiting, still waiting. He was going to lure Prize and Christen into a false sense of security; make them think they were safe from him, and then, when they were no longer worried, when they were no longer on guard, he would finally finish this.

He sighed, and dug the blade of the knife deeper into the wall. He wanted to see Gem again too; he thought of her as a sister, more so than his own sister. Or perhaps a daughter.
~!!~
Sandra was finally beginning to get more sleep. She didn’t look so tired anymore. She refused to give up hope on Anne. She believed that she would get better; she just had to. She had to be able to pull through this, for Tony at the very least.

She had more money today, and she had it clenched in her fist right now. She yelled something over her shoulder to her mom, and knocked on the door to Anne’s house. She was worried sick about Tony, too. He seemed to be taking this so hard, but she refused to give up on him, either. Call her naïve, call it blind hope, she didn’t care. She just wouldn’t.

She knocked again, shivering slightly in the falling snow. It was coming down more and more now, and though it was beautiful, it was also cold and hard to drive in.
~!!~
Anne was getting worse. She kept saying she saw her father, yet she wasn’t scared. She had figured out a few days ago that she was going to die. She wanted to talk to Tony, and be with him as much as she could before that time finally came. She was worried more about him than she was about herself. She didn’t know what came after death, but she would be with her father . But she didn’t know how to make sure that Tony would be okay.

She knew it was Christmas Eve. Her TV was playing in the background, though she hardly heard it. She had her eyes closed, her breathe coming slow and even. She didn’t know how much longer it would take, but she felt her father next to her even now. He was telling her that it would all be okay, not to be scared. She wanted tos a that she wasn’t, that she was just worried about Tony, but her voice wouldn’t come to her.
~!!~
It was Christmas Eve. It was her birthday tomorrow, and Christmas, yet December wasn’t feeling very festive, nor very happy.

Moses’ showing up a few days ago hadn’t helped her at all either. She had had a dream to go to college all her life, but right now it hardly seemed to matter anymore. All that mattered was her friend, or who used to be her friend. She had a scrapbook open in her lap, putting in the last finishing touches. It was pictures of her and Brooke, growing up together here in Dale. Pictures from the age of 5 and up, them at school, them in the snow, them dressed up for Halloween, them together all the time, laughing and playing. She was hoping that perhaps she could remember a few things, even without Moses’ helping or giving them back. She knew it was probably impossible, but part of her refused to give up.

She didn’t know if she was even going to go to college anymore, or what she was going to do with her life. She wanted to stay until Brooke remembered everything, but she didn’t know if she could. What if she never remembered?

No, she couldn’t think like that. She soon finished, and looked through it . On several pages she had written notes, such as ‘The beach, ’03,’ and made little side notes on what they were doing exactly, all in hopes of her remembering. Looking through it now, she felt tears in her eyes, but refused to let them fall.

She stood up and slipped on her jacket, and soon was knocking on Brooke’s door. She had a present for Simon as well, in a small bag by her feet. She had the scrapbook wrapped in thin paper, and held it in her hands. She had gotten Simon a few music sheets from a local music store, things he could play on his guitar. She didn’t know what to get him at the last minute; she had been too busy working on the scrapbook, but she thought he would appreciate that, too. It had a few pictures of him in it too, to help her remember some things about him too.

Simon. She would have to either make herself forget about him, or---or what? She didn’t know.

She knocked again, brushing her black hair out of her eyes where it had fallen from her ponytail.
~!!~
Piper looked up at the Manor; this was it. This was the one she had seen.

She closed her eyes, and the scent of smoke filled her nostrils. This was it; it had to be.

The sun had almost set by now, and the remnants of it were blocked out by the clouds. Snow was falling, and she closed her eyes as she made her way to the front door of the Manor.

What she was going to say to them, she didn’t know. She just knew she had to stop this somehow. She raised a hand and knocked on the large doors, smoothing out her old dress as she did so. She was shivering lightly in the snow. Her brown hair was pulled into a sort of half-ponytail, bits and pieces hanging down around her pale face. Her thin lips sat in a straight line, and she looked worried. She knocked again, becoming impatient. She began to pace on the front porch steps. If the clouds broke again and sunlight came through…

She knocked again, louder.
~!!~
K.C. heard the knocking on the door, but ignored it. She was in her room, thinking. She was slightly disappointed that Draven and Michi had made it back in okay, but she was also glad that Draven hadn’t figured out it was her. That couldn’t’ turn out well.

She was beginning to get annoyed with Leanne and her friends, and thought that perhaps they would make a nice snack. She didn’t like all the hype they were making over Christmas; it was a stupid tradition by humans. She didn’t like the smell that the tree gave off, either.

Ally sighed and glanced at Milo. "What are you doing?" She asked. He was confuseing her, here latly he been acting strange, and she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think. "Reading." Was all he said. "What are you reading?" She asked quietly.

Milo looked up at her. "Records." He said simply. He was reading his father's old records. He had always kept records on who worked for him. He frowned slightly when he found the name he was looking for; Anya Desdemona Crow. He flipped through all the notebooks he could, until he found all the records on her. His frown became deeper. She wasn't the bast maid. He could see that. There was a number of pay reductions, from things she broke, or people she offended.

He sighed, and closed the books, tapping his fingers on the desk. He wanted to remember, he needed to remeber, he felt like he should. Then something caught his eye. He reached for the old leather bond book. His brother's name was wirtten in an elegant hand on the front. Noah. He frowned, reading his little brother's thoughts was not something he wanted to. He opened the book anyways. It was so old, it was almost falling apart in his hand.

His eyes scanned a random page. His eyes widened, and he had to go back, and read it slowly. He had seen Anya's name. That's when he remembered.

Noah has always been the brave one. He wanted something he would go after it. Milo, well not so much. Both the borthers had a crush on the maid, through their father warned them against it. Noah would always go up to her, she would never talk to him. Milo would always watch form the sidelines. He firgured that if she wanted to talk to him, she would. She never did. Sometimes he thought she was, but she never did. He was always watching her, through he always seemed as if he didn't even notice her.

He couldn't believe he had forgotten about her. It made him feel even wrose.

~!!~
Sergei was packing Dimitri's bag for him. He was much better now, through he was sad. Viven been blaming herself for what had happened. But it was no one's fault. It was an accident. He smiled slightly, looking down at the mess in Dimitri's bag. He wouldn't be able to mess with him for a few weeks, and Dimitri wouldn't know about this until he got there. Oh yes, this was perfect. He zipped the bag closed, and walked down stairs.

"Mom, I'm ready." He called. "I'm gonna pick Dimitri up, and drop him off at the airport." He said over his shoulder, and stepping out of the house. He threw the bag in his car.

Moments he was pulling up to the hostpail. Dimitri was already waiting outside waiting for him. "You sure you want to do this?" He asked. Dimitri nodded. "Look." Sergei said with a sigh. "Don't you dare tell anyone what-"

Dimitri cut him off with a glare. "Bringing up crap again?" He said, in an angry voice. "I know not to tell anyone." He said, with a roll his eyes.

Sergei sighed. "This place isn't just going to teach you how to take care of yourself. You have to have treaphy!" He exclaimed. "They are going to ask you qustions, and they are going to look up your past. They will ask about the chrages." He said quietly.

Dimitri rolled his eyes. "I don't even talk to mom, do you really think I will talk to those head doctors?" He asked. It was true, he didn't even tell his mom about things. The only person he knew he would tell, if he ever did, was most likely Ember. She was his only friend.

Sergei nodded, and sighed with relife, moments later he was driveing toward the airport.

~!!~
Willow was watching him quietly. She had a small smile on her face. Thoughts were running through her head now.

She was dead. He was alive. She would always love him. One day he would move on, and find someone he could grow old with. When that happened she would be left all alone. She wanted him to move on, but she was being selfish. Just staying here with him was keeping him from moveing on. And what of he never did move on. She would never forgive herself for holding his life back. She knew she needed to let him go, but couldn't bring herself to. She wanted to hold him for all of time, but she couldn't, because one day his bones would trun to dust, she would be alone. If she looked at it, she was alone now. She was dead and he was still breathing. No matter how hard he tried, he would never undrerstand the pain of this, she was dead, and she was stuck here, watching everyone move on without her.

She smiled wider at him when he kissed her cheek, and left. After a moment or so, she walked over to the album. She sat down, and opened it to the very first page. It seemed as if his mother had started it shortly after her marriage to his fater, for those were the first pictrues in the album. She seen him a few times when she was alive, he never looked happy. But these pictrues showed him in a diffrent light. SHe flipped slowly through the album, every once and while looking at the date wirtten in the coner of each pictrue, in an elegant hand.

She laughed slightly when she got to Sam's baby pictures. She thought of a gummy bear when she saw them. She glanced at the date wirtten in the coner every once. She was smileing softly flipping through the pages. But somewhere between the ages five and six. After eight years the woman disappeared from the pictrues, and the pictrues became fewer, and the date in the coner was written in Sam's messy handwritting, half the time she couldn't tell what the date was. By time she got to ten she was crying, silently.

She has thought of it before, him growing older, but she has ever seen him growing older, so it didn't effect her as much as it should of have. Now it hit her hard. Seeing that he was always getting older, seeing it all put together, it just made her fully realize this fact. He was going to get older, and she was stuck at the age of seventeen.

By time she reached thriteen she could read his handwritting. And she wanted to stop so bad. Tears were slidding down her her cheeks, and she was bitting her lip, to keep her from crying out. Her shoulders were shaking.

Then she got to the present. That just about threw her over the edge. Her finger traced over her own smileing face, alive, and full of happiness. Appartently he cared for her enough to put pictrues of them in his photo album. But it made her realize she no longer had a place in his life. It was silly for her to just keep him for herself. Silly and selfish.

She slamed the photo album closed and move to the side of his bed. She brought her knees up to her chest, and buried her head in her hands. And she cryed. Her sobs were muffled by her hands, so they couldn't hear her downstairs. She knew what she needed to do, and she knew she had to do it tonight....

~!!~
Ash walked up the stairs. His mom was washing clothes, but Haven refused to come get her own, so Ash was walking up to give them to her.

He was worried about both his sister, and the girl staying in the house. They were both moping around like they lost everything. Cinder still had her family, her grades. Well, she wasn't mopping around no more, which worried him even more, maybe that was to quick. He wanted to know what she up to. Haven didn't lose everything. She still had people who cared for her. His mom had always cared for her and her sisters, and she was happy to welcome Haven into this house.

"Haven?" He called, knocking on her door, it swung open. He gasped at what he saw, and closed the door. His face was red. That when he realized she was cutting her back. "Mom!" He yelled, paniced, and turned to the door. "Haven? What are you doing?" He asked through the door.
~!!~
Cinder was in her room. She was brushig her hair, it may of have been christmas eve, but she had a date. It was with Jason, the boy who she was talking to at the theather. She didn't want to go out with him she didn't like him like that, and was still very much in love with Seth. She didn't show the displeasure on her face. She wouldn't let Seth see that she still cared for him. She wasn't stupid, no where close.
She stood up, and looked in the mirror, she resited the urge to kick it. SHe wanted to destroy her image, instead she smiled. She looked nice. She had ever needed to dress up for Seth, they never needed to go on dates, because he was always by her side. She stepped out of the room just as Ash yelled.

~!!~
Michi smiled as she watched Isabel run off, screaming. She closed her eyes and leaned against her door for a monet. She was happy. She felt as if she understood him better. She still wasn't sure what to do around him, but she did know she loved to be around him. She smiled again when she remembered that he played with her. It had surpised her so much, it confused her, but it made her happy, he made her happy. She hoped that she did the same to him. She, too, felt as if he was changeing her.

She opened her eyes, and walked towards his room. She knocked on his door quietly, smileing, just the tought of being near him could make her smile like that.

~!!~
Tobias looked up at the door. "Come in." He said with a roll of his eyes. He knew who it was by the sound of the a barking dog. He closed his book and set it on the desk, crossing his arms. He crossed his ankles as well, and looked like a lazy cat. He was smirking slightly.

~!!~
Christen walked into the libarary. He looked at Gem. He frowned when he saw she had no book. "Hey Gem?" He said, walking towards her. "Something wrong?" He asked, worry in his voice. He considered Gem a friend. No, he liked her more then that. But he wouldn't tell her, he didn't want to scare her.

He sat down on the floor in front of her, even through there was a chair not even five feet away. "Please tell me." He said softly.

~!!~
Tony was in Anne's room. He fell asleep on the chair, holding her hand. He was smaller to, he hasn't been eatting lately. He refused to do anything, and wouldn't leave his sister's side. He no longer anwsered the door.

His mom was the one that opened the door. Her face was full of worry. Worry for her daughter, worry for her son. He too was getting sick, but she knew he wouldn't die from it. "Yes?" She asked, quietly. She looked a wreck, but not mearly as bad as Tony did. The way Tony looked made people think that there was no coming back for him. She looked as if she still had some sanity left in her.

~!!~
It was Brooke who opened the door. "Hello December!" She said happily, and opened the door widely. "We are making hot coco." She said. She seemed so happy. She was even more so that her friend was here. "Moses came by earlier." She said without thinking. "He did something werid. He kissed my forehead, and I saw something!" She said. "I saw you, but you were so small, and you were throwing a snow ball at me!" She was even more happy that she had that one memory.

Simon came up behind her. "Hello." He said.

~!!~
Myame ran to the door. Sean wasn't far behind. She opened the door quickly. "Uh hello!" She said happily. She was always happy to see a new face. Sean came up behind her, and took her hand. She looked up at him with a smile. "Who are you?" He asked, he was not as trusting as his mate. This made Myame frown. "Come in." She said to the girl, smileing again.

Anya stared straight ahead, and then finally stood up and stretched. She needed to get over this. It was stupid to dwell on it, and if Milo would forget she had said anything, she would, too. It didn't matter; it never had.

She needed to set things straight with him, and now. She smoothed her white dress out and started to walk towards the Manor slowly. The climb up the hill was longer than she thought, and by the time she reached the top she was exhausted. She hadn't slept much the past few nights.

She reached up and knocked on the door after calming herself down. It should be simple; she had to make him forget she had said anything.
~!!~
Ember turned back to the window once the boy was gone, gazing into the empty room across the way. It made her feel empty, too.

She stood up and opened her window, the chilly night air rushing out to meet her. She stood up carefully, ignoring her cold feet; she had no shoes on. She jumped, and gripped the tree branch tightly, swinging herself up and over it. Soon she opened his window, and slipped inside, not bothering to close it.

She looked around his room, his empty, clean, spotless room, and closed her eyes tightly. Her hands were shaking. She walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge. She was remembering everything about him. If she could cry, now would have been the time.

She lay back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, as if to hold herself together. A few minutes later she stood up, her sadness replaced by anger. Anger at herself, anger at Dimitri, anger at what they both had to go through, anger at everything. She swept his CDs off of the shelf. They scattered around the room, and she spotted the ones she had given him for Christmas. She stepped on them.

She threw his clothes out of his drawers, swept things off of his tables, the sheets off his bed, everything. She soon stood back, looked at the horrible mess, and climbed back out the window, closing it behind her. She didn't know what had just drove her to do that, but she had. She was soon back in her room, with her face buried in her pillow.
~!!~
Sam stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah?" He asked. He looked at the table, where his father had made an actual meal. He blinked in surprise.

"Sit," His father said. Sam obeyed, however hesitantly, looking at the chicken on his plate.

"What's up?" He asked. His father looked down at his food, and after a few minutes of silent eating, spoke.

"I want you to meet someone," He said. Sam froze with his fork halfway to his mouth.

"Who?" He asked. His father sighed.

"Sam, we both knew that one day I might want to date again," He started, but Sam cut him off by standing up.

"That's garbage!!" He shouted. "And you know it!! For the past 9 years, you've been trying to get over mom by going to work, and drinking!" He yelled. His father tried to cut him off, but he wouldn't let him. "Yeah, I saw the alchohol, dad!!" He yelled. "I'm not eight anymore!!"

He was practically shaking with anger. "How can you betray mom like that?!" He shouted. "If she were here, do you think she'd be happy with all that you've done?! And then you can turn your back on her like that for some other girl from your work?!" He yelled. HIs father stood up now.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!!" He yelled. "This is my house, and as long as you live under my roof, you'll live by my rules!!" He yelled.

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want to live under your roof anymore!" Sam yelled. He threw the plate with his food on it at the wall, where it shattered. Then he turned and stormed up to his room.

"Samuel, get back down here!!" His father shouted. Sam stormed into his room, and slammed the door closed behind him. The few pictures on his wall shook and one fell to the ground, where the glass shattered. It was ap icture of his mother. He picked it up in his shaking hands, and leaned his head back against the door, and drew in a shaky breathe. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He didn't even seem to notice that his hand was bleeding, or that Willow had been crying, too.
~!!~
Haven jumped when the door opened, and the knife fell from her hand, where it clattered to the floor. The full force of the pain finally hit her then, and she fell to her knees, letting out a cry of pain and sorrow. Tears streamed down her cheeks, though Andrea's words still echoed in her mind. The flesh on her back was cut deeply, the tattoo barely visible beneath all of the torn flesh and blood that was still pouring out of it. She was staining the carpet red.
~!!~
Seth looked up as she came back, and then he remembered; she had a date. He felt a tug at his heart, but he ignored it, following her instead. That was when he heard Ash yell, and then a cry that made him flinch. What was going on??
~!!~
Draven heard a knock on the door, and stood up, sighing. He figured it was Isabel again. He opened the door, and was smirking.

"Boo," He said, showing his fangs. Then he realized it was Michi. He grinned, something he hardly ever did unless he was hurting someone.

"Hello," He said instead, stepping back, so she could get in.
~!!~
Isabel opened the door and grinned at Tobias. Toby ran in before her, and made himself comfortable on his bed. Isabel herself ran over to Tobias.

"Hello!" She chirped. "My mom told me to come play with you, because Draven was scaring me and she was busy or something," She said quickly, in one breathe.
~!!~
Gem was pulled out of her thoughts by an all too familiar voice; it was Christen.

She smiled at him, shaking her head as he sat down in front of her. She pulled her legs up onto the chair, then suddenly nodded.

"It's---" she started, but cut herself off. She wanted to tell him; he was her friend, and though she wouldn't say so aloud, she liked him. A whole lot. She bit her lip, shaking her head. "It's my brother," she said quietly. She realized then that he probably hadn't even known she had a brother.
~!!~
Ella and Alex walked into the living room. A christmas tree was up, and decorated. They put it up every year, and usually made each other a present, since they had no money. It was deocrated with normal decorations, and also pictures of them as children, and a few family pictures. There was one that was Alex's favorite; it was of her and Dominic, around 10 years old. He had an arm around her shoulder, and she was giving him bunny ears. She had made it into an ornament a long time ago, and it had been her favorite ever since.

Ella laughed. "I'm going to go work on your present!" She exclaimed, and ran up the stairs. Alex sat down on the couch, looking at the fireplace in front of her that was still burning. She wondered where Dominic was; probably upstairs, she decided. She was making both of them a present. She was making Ella a homemade book mark, though her artistic skills were less than good. And she was making Dominic a small scrapbook with pictures she had found of them together as kids. She had a lot more than she thought she had, once she had started looking for them.

Alex pulled her knees up to her chest, looking at the fire burning in the fireplace. She decided then, to stop worrying, and to just let whatever happened, happen. With Dominic and with Issac, with everyone and everything. She was just sick of worrying, and wanted to take things one day at a time from now on.

Ella was up in her room a few minutes later, working on a drawing for Alex, and another for Dominic. She was an amazing artist; she always had loved to draw.
~!!~
Anne turned to her brother, and saw that he was asleep. She smiled slightly, and tried to sit up. She started to cough, and once she started, she couldn't cough. She couldn't breathe. When she finally did catch a breathe, she gasped and lay back. She had tears in her eyes, but refused to let them fall. She held her brother's hand tighter, focusing on keeping her breathing regular.
~!!~
Sandra smiled slightly, seeing Tony’s mom. She was glad that she had at least a little hope left in her. She had her hands behind her back, and smiled at her. “Um…Can I come in?” She asked softly. “I have something to give Tony, and I just wanted to see how she was doing…” She said quietly. She didn’t think she needed to say who.
~!!~
December had to smile at her friend’s smile and joy as she opened the door, in spite of the current conditions. Upon the mention of Moses, she froze. He had given her a memory back? Why?

She shook it off; not now. She couldn’t worry about it now. She turned and saw Simon, and a smile made its way to her face. She picked up the small bag by her feet, and handed it to him. “Merry Christmas,” she said quietly. Then she turned to Brooke, and handed her the square package. “To you, too!” She said. “I know it’s Christmas Eve, but you can open them now, if you want,” she said, hardly seeming to notice that they were still standing out in the cold.
~!!~
Sage heard a knock on the door, and looked at the others. Soon they all stood in the main room, Rainy practically clinging to Leanne. She still didn’t feel very safe around here.

Piper blinked in surprise as she caught the scent of humans, but shook it off; she didn’t drink human blood, anyways, not until she had to every few years.

She looked at the boy, who didn’t seem to trust her, and the woman who invited her in. She simply nodded and stepped in, the snow falling off of her. She looked at everyone in there silently, not yet saying anything. Leanne looked confused, and Sage looked suspicious.
~!!~
Elianna hadn’t moved from her spot on the bed. She didn’t know what to do; she felt torn.

Ally opened the door quietly. "Hello, Anya." She said happily. "Milo is in the study. The one that use to belong to his father." SHe said pointing to the stairs. "You know where it is?" She asked softly.

Milo was still flipping through Noah's journal. He had a deep frown on his face.

~!!~
Willow had looked up when she heard yelling. SHe frowned when he slamed the door. Somehow she managed to dry her eyes, and walked over to him. She down next to him, tearong a piece off the shirt she was wearing, she took his hand, and pressed the cloth to it.

Tonight. Tonight she would leave, after he fell asleep. She wouldn't say good-bye. If she did say good-bye she would break down, and cling to him, and that would do no good.

She pressed down harder. "Sam." She said softly. "Please don't cry." She begged. She folded his fingers over the cloth, so he would hold it down himself. She wipped away some of his tears. "Please, Sam." She said, warping an arm around him, and laid her head on his shoulder. She hoped that he didn't notice she had been crying as well. "It will be okay." She said, hoping he didn't notice how unsure she sounded. "Sam," She said pulling away. "I promise everthing will be better one day." She said. "Okay? Just rememebr that. Everything will be okay, one day." It was as if she was aplozing early for what she would do.

~!!~
Jona ran up the stairs. Ash looked at her. "Haven had a knife." He breathed. "She was trying to cut open her back. There was alot of blood." He said quickly.

Jona frowned and grabbed a towel, and rushed into the room. Haven." She said, and pressed the towel to her back. "What were you thinking?" She asked.

Cinder walked toward the room.

~!!~
Michi smiled at him, and stepped in. "Hello Draven." She said softly. "How are you?" She asked. She walked to his chair, and sat down. Not caring if she took his seat. She was smileing widely at him.

~!!~
"And if I don't want to play?" Tobias asked, bordly. "You now as fun as you like to think you are." He teased.

~!!~
Christen blinked. "You have a brother?" He asked. "He's human?" He asked. He didn't know this. "What's wrong with him?" He asked. "What's his name?"

~!!~
Tony opened his eyes. "Anne? Are you okay?" He asked. Stupid qustion.

~!!~
Ms. Lands frowned. He's upstairs with Anne." She said softly. "I can't get him to leave her side." She sounded worried.

~!!~
Simon looked into the bag. He smiled slightly, and looked at December. "Thanks. Happy early brith-day." He said, and he disappeared. Brooke took her present, and grabbed her wrist pulling her inside. She pulled her to the sofa. And she sat down. She smiled, and and started to unwrap the present. She didn't knwo what to say when she opened it. She flipped through the pages, unsure what to do. She stopped on one page. She smiled, and pointed to a pictrue. Thats what I remember." She said. The pictrue was of them both, covered in snow, they were both laughing, and they looked about 10.

~!!~
"Why are you here?" Myame asked quickly.