Chapter One

I sat there in the all white room staring at all four white walls. I was tempted to demand a paint job but that will only get me another week locked in here without leaving. A loud buzz and the sound of the door opening had me tensed in the shoulders.
“You have a visitor,” a deep throaty voice said from the near the door but I didn’t look up.
“Your point is?” I asked staring at the white tiled floor.
“I don’t have time for games,” he growled. He grabbed my arm and threw me out the door. I fell to the floor and looked up at him through my auburn colored hair. He was one of the security officers that dragged me in here three months ago. One thing about me is I never forget a face so his was etched into my mind. He pulled me up by arm and dragged me down the hall as I glared at him the whole time. I saw my mother sitting in the middle of the visiting room and I tried to break away from the officer’s tight grip.
“Let me go!!” I yelled and pulled away. He lifted me easily off the ground with one hand. I kicked and banged on him but he didn’t even flinch. He threw me into the chair across from her and pointed at me. I gave up my fight to escape and looked down at the table.
“How are you Jayde?” she asked me.
“Go to hell,” I answered.
“I know this is hard but this will be good for you,” she said. I didn’t look up at her while I began scratching the table with my nails.
“I don’t want you here,” I snarled.
“I know but I just had to see you,” she said reaching for my hand but was disappointed when I pulled away.
“Get out,” I snarled.
“What happened that night, Jayde?” she asked. Tears filled the rim of my eyes and I balled my hands into fist. I turned my head and avoided the many eyes staring at me.
“Why do you care? It was him before me, right? That’s how it’s always been. Four birthdays, six performances, twelve assemblies and nine auditions. You missed it all!! Because of him! But he’s gone now and I am all you have now. Save it because I don’t need you!” I yelled. I stood up and walked out the visiting room with the same security officer who brought me in here right behind me.

Chapter Two

I sat in my room for hours laying in my bed and staring at the ceiling. I thought about the night that I was brought in here. The lawyer my mom hired was going on about how lucky I was to have him as a lawyer. I rolled my eyes and ignored him.
“How long do I have to stay here Max?”I asked. He looked nervous but he cleared his throat.
“Nine to twelve months,” he answered.
“Are you kidding me?” I yelled. He flinched and straightened his suit. “You can’t be serious!!”
“That was the deal Jayde,” he said. “This isn’t permanent.”
“What am I suppose to do in a mental hospital for a year!!” I shouted.
“Relax Jayde. It’s not that serious,” he said.
“The hell it isn’t!”I had shouted and tried to run but was grabbed by several pair of hands. One pair belonged to the security officer that escorted me to the visiting room. A sudden chill ran up my spine and I knew what was about to happen. “Please let me go.”
“Put her down,” a voice I knew too well said from behind me. I turned around to find my step father grinning at me like the piece of nothing I know he is.
“You are going to pay for this,” I growled. He reached and pulled a piece of hair that fell into my eyes back. I was about to kick him when hands started to pull me away.
“I will come back for you,” he said, smiling. I was kicking and screaming as they dragged me away. I noticed that my lawyer kept looking back as if he was analyzing what just happened. When me and Max was alone he began asking me questions about my relationship with my step father.
“Do you really want to know the relationship between me and that bastard?” I had asked. He nodded and I had pulled my knees up to my chest. “When I was seven my mom married Vince. He was an ok guy then but I was young and I didn’t know any better. By the time I was thirteen I would notice the little things he would do, like look at me every time I walked across the room. He could be watching the greatest game in history but would never miss my entrance or exit.
“When I was about fifteen he would hug me when I was leaving for school. There was this one week that mom was away on a business trip. I had to go to school during that week. He tried to kiss me on that Monday. I had asked him what he was doing and he had asked me to stay home. I ran out the house like the wind.
“When I got home that day, he was waiting for me. He had asked me how my day was. I said ok, trying to keep my distance from him but he seemed to keep coming closer to me. I told him I was going to call it a night and went up to my room. I locked the door behind me. I called my mom that night begging for her to come home but she was convinced that I missed her so much that I would make up lies about her husband trying to touch me. She didn’t come home.” I looked up at Max to see if he was still listening. He was basically leaning on the table waiting for me to continue.
“I woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water. The house was quite so I figured Vince was sleep. He was sitting in the kitchen when I got downstairs. I grabbed a glass and retrieved some water. He reached for me and I dropped the glass. He grabbed me by my waist and tried to kiss me. I kept pushing him away but he was too strong. I reached for something behind me and found a crystal glass vase. I didn’t know what to do with it so I smashed it across his head. He fell to the floor and I called the police. I had to the police that someone was in the house and hit Vince in the head. They believed me.
“Mom came home right away and that’s when I started hating her. She didn’t believe me when I told her he was trying to touch me but she came when she found out he was in the hospital. She has told me that I must have been so scared. I pulled away from her when she tried to hug me.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” he asked.
“If my mom didn’t even believe me, who else would?” I asked angrily in tears. He asked one of the officers outside the door for some tissues.
“You still should have told them Jayde,” he said handing me a box of tissues.
“Told who?” I had asked.
“I can try to make a case of this,” he said going through some paper work.
“What’s the point? It’s my word against his,” I had said. “Just leave it alone and please get me out of here.”
“Before you go, what happened that night the police arrested you?” he asked.
“He tried to rape me. I tried to kill him,” I said coldly. I walked out the door with two officers as they guided me to my new hell.

Chapter Three


I shook the memory out of my head and closed my eyes. I heard the loud buzz again and the sound of the door opening. I sighed heavily and covered my eyes.
“What is it now?”I asked annoyed.
“You have been released,” Max’s voice spoke from the doorway. My eyes flew opened and Max was smiling at me.
“Really?” I asked getting excited.
“Yeah, didn’t your mom tell you?” he asked.
“No, she said she came to see me.” I said feeling a little guilty but not enough to actually care.
“Well pack up kiddo,” he said clapping his hands. I jumped from off the bed and ran to give Max a hug.
“But how? I still have at least six months in here,” I said letting him go.
“Made a deal with the judge and he said ok,” he said.
“What’s the catch?” I asked. He sighed and played with his blue tie.
“Anger management class every week,” he said. I sighed but didn’t argue.
“Fine,” I said. He looked at me shocked and nodded.
“Let’s get you out of here,” he said.
“Wait, where will I go?” I asked confused.
“For now, you will have to move in with your mom but Vince doesn’t is away on a business trip.”I looked at him for a second like he was stupid. He sighed and hung his head.
“Fine. I will pay for you to stay in a hotel for a little while,” he said. I jumped up and down giving him a hug.
“Thank you Max!” I squealed. “You are the best lawyer ever!!”
“Come on. We still have to get your things,” he said. We walked down the long hallway to the main office of the building. Judith, the secretary was sitting in her normal space at the desk.
“Congratulations,” she said smiling at me. I smiled back and nodded. I held my breath and watched as Max signed my release papers.
“All done,” Max said and exhaled.
“So this is not a trick?” I asked once more.
“It’s not a trick,” he said. I followed him out the front door. I took a large inhale of the fall air. The different color leaves laid scattered on the concrete motionless, no longer a part of a living part of nature.
“I hate these scrubs,” I said looking down at the white scrubs and my white tennis shoes.
“I see,” he said. He walked to a giant SUV parked at the curb. I looked at him confused and he shrugged. I climbed in the passenger seat of the car.
“I will go in and out. It should be that easy,” I said.
“Yeah let’s hope so,” he said pulling the car out of the parking space. We drove in silence as I watched everything we drove by. He soon pulled up in a familiar drive way. I sighed and climbed out of the car. I walked to the door and knocked because I no longer had my key. Mom opened the door and I walked right past her. She called my name but I wasn’t listening. I regretted not listening when I ran smack into Vince.
“Welcome home kiddo,” he said cheerily.
“Not staying long enough for a welcome,” I said running past him. I flew up the stairs and ran in my room closing the door behind me. I locked the door and began packing. I was done in no more than five minutes. I heard a honk of a horn and knew that was my cue. I grabbed my bag and swung it over my shoulder. I opened the door and ran down the stairs. My mom was standing at the door and so was Vince.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Vince asked.
“Where ever I want. Have you forgotten? My birthday was two weeks ago. I’m eighteen now and I can do whatever I want,” I said. I reached for the door knob and pulled the door opened. I walked out with no problem. Max waited in the car the whole time. He looked confused when I started glaring at him.
“What?” he asked.
“I thought he was gone?” I asked.
“That’s what I was told,” he said shrugging. I placed my bag in the backseat. I buckled my seatbelt and closed my eyes as we drove off.

Chapter Four

We pulled up in a hotel parking lot. I was exhausted and haven’t eaten all day. I followed Max into the hotel. He spoke with the hotel clerk for a little bit and she gave him a key card. He turned to me as the hotel clerked answered her desk phone.
“Ok Jayde. Here,” he said handing me two cards. One was my room key and the other was Visa card.
“What’s this?” I asked confused.
“It something to get you started. Nothing much,” he said shrugging it off. He gave me a hug and waved away. I followed the hotel clerk’s instructions to my room. The room was nice and it had a sweet florescent smell. I threw my bag in the floor and looked out the window. I could sesee ever thing from here. I walked away from the window and found a fresh pair of clothes. I was so happy that I finally have something else to change into. After I was settle in some fresh clothes, I went back to the window. There was a cars honking and they seemed to be honking at a slow guy moving across the street.
“What the hell?” I asked. I looked carefully at him. He was clutching his arm and it seemed to be dripping. Was he bleeding? I grabbed my room key and ran out the door. I ran down the stairs to the lobby. When I got outside, the guy was leaning on a light post and was breathing heavily.
“Are you ok?” I asked approaching him. He looked at me and smiled. I looked at him confused.
“Much better now,” he said looking at me.
“You hurt. I will get a first aid kit,” I said turning to head back to the hotel but a bloody hand caught my wrist.
“Don’t even bother,” he said holding my arm.
“At least come up and let me see help you,” I said to him trying to offer my help in anyway.
“Fine,” he said. He looked like he has been through hell. His shirt was torn at the sleeves and his jeans were stained. His face had bright pink scratches that cover his left cheek almost completely. I let him lean on me as I helped him in the doors. I leaned him against the wall while I pressed impatiently for the elevator. I heard a ding and the doors opened. I helped him on, leaning him against the wall of the elevator and pressed the floor.
“What happened to you?” I asked.
“Nothing I can really explain,” he said grinning.
“By the way, my name-“I started to say but he interrupted me.
“I know your name Jayde,” he said. I stared at him in shock for second before I found my voice.
“How do you know my name?” I asked.

Chapter Five

I stared at him waiting for an answer when the elevator doors opened. I helped him off the elevator and too my room. I walked him to my room and fumbled with the room key. After I got the door opened, I help him sit in the nearest chair.
“May I use your bathroom?” he asked. I nodded not wanting to speak. He gave me a short glance before he limped to the bathroom. I sat on my bed and waited for him to come out. I waited for a while before he came out looking better than he did when he went in. His shirt was still torn but there was no more blood. He was walking normally now and the scratched were hardly visible anymore.
“How do you know my name?” I asked. He looked at me and he stared at me. I waited a while without a response. I shrugged and leaped of the bed. I walked past him and went to the bathroom. I scrubbed the dry blood on my wrist and watched as it swirled down the sink. I came out the bathroom and tried again with a different approach. “What is your name?”
“Mitch,” he said easily. I nodded and walked back to my bed. I sat at the corner. He stood standing across from where I sat. I pulled my knees to my chest like I always do and stared up at him. He had jet black hair that fell in his hazel brown eyes. His arms were muscular and he stood very still.
“What were you doing in the middle of the street?” I asked. He just stared at me and I figured that was another one of his questions he wasn’t going to answer. “Ok, do you need anything? Maybe some food?”
“No, I’m fine.” He spoke calmly.
“Well, I’m starving,” I said hopping up of the bed. I grabbed the card key and the Visa card and headed for the door. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”
“Do you mind if I tagged along?” he asked me.
“Not at all,” I said. I opened the door and held it open for him. He held it and waited for me to go first. “Thanks.”
I walked to the elevator and pressed the button. I hummed to my favorite Paramore song and avoided Mitch’s eyes. And it’s obvious that your dying, dying. Just living proof that the camera’s lying, lying. And oh oh open wide. Cause this is your life so smile. Cause you’ll go out in style. The song continued in my head until the elevator came. He followed me into the elevator and pressed the lobby button.
“Paramore fan?” he asked.
“Yeah. Big fan actually,” I answered. I looked down at my converse. They has Paramore scribbled on the front of them with little hearts surrounded it. I heard him chuckle. The sound was musical and kind of familiar. I pulled my hair out of my face and continued humming to the song I was singing. The elevator opened and I walked off to the counter. The lady from earlier recognized me and smiled. I returned my smile with hers.
“I am going out for a little while and I was hoping of you can personally take care of my messages?” I asked her.
“Sure dear,” she said sweetly. I quickly thanked her and was out the door. I could smell the rain and I wished I had brought a sweater. The air whipped my hair around me as I looked around for a good restaurant to eat at. I found this small Italian restaurant across the street. I looked both ways before crossing and wasn’t surprised that Mitch was beside me the whole time. I walked in the restaurant and was greeted by a lady in a white shirt and slacks. She wore an apron around her slim waist and she smiled at us.
“Table for two?” she asked Mitch.
“Yes,” he answered. She sat us by a window. I loved being able to see the people outside considering it has been a while since I have seen people. I wasn’t paying much attention when the girl asked me what kind of drink I wanted.
“Uh, I will have coffee. Light and sweet please,” I said snapping out of it.
“I will be back with your drinks,” she said walking away.
“Did you order something?” I asked. He nodded and I looked out the window and saw that it had started to rain and people in the street were hurrying to their destinations. There was a little girl that started jumping in the puddles that were forming. I frowned when her mother pulled her away from her mom.
“By the looks of your facial expression, you have a thing against mothers or at least yours,” he said. I nodded and folded my hand across my chest. The waitress put out drinks in front of us.
“Are you ready to order?” she asked me.
“I will have two plain slices of pizza please,” I ordered not even looking at the menu.
“What will you be having?” she asked Mitch. I stared at him while he thought.
“I’ll have the same,” he said. She smiled and nodded.
“I will be right back with your orders,” she said and turned away.
“Copy cat,” I said and he chuckled. She came back a few minutes later with our food. I looked at the slices and laughed.
“Is something wrong?” the waitress asked.
“No. It’s just that if I knew the slices were this big I would have ordered one,” I said still laughing.
“Would you like to change your order?” she asked concerned.
“No, this is fine. Thank you,” I said. She smiled and walked away. I looked at Mitch who was staring at me. “What?”
“You have a pretty laugh,” he said picking up his pizza and staring at it. I could tell he was just avoiding my eyes but I picked up my pizza and took a bite out of it. Half way through the first slice I started getting full. I sipped at my coffee before I dared took another bite of the pizza. I waved to the waitress and she knew I was ready to go. She came over to our table with a little black book.
“Will that be cash or credit?” she asked.
“Cash,” Mitch answered before I spoke. I looked at him confused. He barely ate anything and his glass was completely full of soda. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. He handed it to her and she walked away. She came back with ninety dollars in change. He gave her twenty and stood from up out of his seat. I followed and exited the restaurant.
“I could have paid for it,” I told him.
“Where would my manners be letting a lady pay for dinner?” he asked rhetorically.
“Thank you,” I said. He nodded and walked me across the street. “Are you going to be ok?”
“Yeah, I will be fine,” he said. “Maybe we can get together sometime.”
“I would like that,” I said. I smiled and ran into the hotel and out of the rain.

Chapter Six

When I got in the building, I was surprised to see who was there. Mom was waiting in the lobby with Vince sitting next to her. I pushed my damped hair out of my face and stared at them
“How did you find me?” I asked.
“Max had to tell us where our daughter is,” Vince said.
“I’m not you daughter,” I hissed at him.
“But you are mine,” mom chipped in. I so badly wanted to scream. My face felt hot and my hand were balled into fist.
“Leave me alone,” I said.
“We just wanted to bring you your late birthday gift,” he said. Mom stood up and pulled a guitar case from behind her chair. She held it out to me but I didn’t take it. When she I wasn’t giving in, she laid it in front of me. I looked really closely at my mom for the first time in years. He brown hair was a mess and she had bags under her dark brown eyes. She put a hand in her the bag she had strapped across her chest and pulled out a little box. She placed it on the guitar case.
“Happy birthday,” she whispered. I looked at her in disgust. It has been years since she has remembered or tried to celebrate it so what has changed?
“Nice of you to remember,” I said coldly. She placed a hand on my arm and I moved from under her touch. She frowned and walked past me. I watched as she left the hotel with Vince still sitting there watching me.
“Your making this too fun for me,” Vince said when she was gone.
“Really? Well maybe I should end your fun here,” I said, my voice was dripping with anger.
“How do you plan on doing that?” he asked, grinning.
“You’ll regret the day you even walked into my life Vince. I swear on my father’s grave you will,” I said.
“Kind of funny since your father isn’t dead,” he said standing up. I planted my feet and tightened my fist.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“You will see,” he said standing in front of me. He reached for my face and I slapped his hand away. I looked away from him and saw mom standing in the doorway. He didn’t see her though. She stood silently and watched what he did next. He pulled me by my waist and into his arms. I tried to pull away but he was too strong.
“Bastard!!” I screamed as he tried to kiss my face.
“Get off of her!!” my mother yelled. He let me go quickly and I stumbled to the ground.
“It’s not what you think,” he said smiling.
“Jayde, run!!” she yelled. I got to my feet quickly and ran past her out the door. I was half way down the block when I ran into Mitch. He was talking to a tall guy dressed in all black.
“Jayde?” he asked looking confused. I gave him one last look before running past him. I ran for six blocks before I stopped to catch my breath. My legs were tired and I was gasping for air.. I didn’t realize I was crying until someone started rubbing my back. I looked up to find Mitch looking down at me with sympathy. I quickly began wiping at my eyes and stood up straight. I looked away from Mitch to try to hide my face.
“This is your,” he said, handing me the guitars case and the small box I never opened. “Is it your birthday?”
“No,” I said trying to make my voice sound normal. “There late birthday presents.”
“Who were those people?” he asked curious.
“My mom and a monster of a step dad,” I said. I took the strap of the guitar case and slung it over my shoulder. “I have to go.”
“Can I walk you back?” he asked. I was going to tell him yes but I need time to figure out what was going to happen from here.
“I’m sorry. I just need to be alone,” I said looking up at him. He smiled a little and I began walking back to the hotel.

Chapter Seven

When I got to the hotel, I began looking for Vince or Mom but neither was in sight. I went up stairs to my room and found the door cracked open. I opened the door and found mom sitting on my bed with a man’s arm wrapped around her. I could tell from here that it wasn’t Vince but I didn’t recognize him. Mom looked up and ran to my side. She threw her arms around me and I hugged her back. For the first time in years, I didn’t wish that she would disappear. I was happy that my mom was here to comfort me.
“I am so sorry,” she sobbed. I rubbed her back comforting her because there wasn’t anything I could say to make her feel better.
“So am I,” I said. I walked her to the bed, the whole time eyeing the mysterious man still sitting there. He stared at me and I felt like I knew him from somewhere or recognized him.
“Where is he?” I asked coldly.
“Gone. For good,” she said looking at the man.
“What is this?” I asked holding the little box up in front of me.
“A gift from me,” the man said. His voice was familiar and musical. I know I have heard it before.
“And who exactly are you?” I asked trying not to sound rude.
“Lance,” he said. He seemed to watch me very closely. “A friend of your mothers.”
“Cool name. That was my dad’s name or so I was told,” I said shaking my head. I opened the box and looked at the bracelet inside. It was very pretty and it had my name in Diamonds on the front. On the back there was an inscription: To my daughter.
“Uh, I think someone made a mistake along the lines of making this bracelet. The engraving is wrong,” I said looking at him.
“No. It’s not,” my mom said. She seemed to smiling down at the bracelet. She ran her finger over my name. “I remember this.”
“I’m getting a headache,” I said sitting in the chair close to the bed.
“I’ll get you some water,” the man said getting up and walking into the bathroom.
“Mom. You said my father died,” I said looking up at her.
“I had to,” she said. I thought back to what Vince said when I swore on my father’s grave.
“Here,” she said reaching into her pocket and pulling out a picture. She handed it to me and I took it. I looked at the picture. Mom was standing next to Lance and they had a baby in their hands. I have seen the picture before but it was folded so that Lance wouldn’t be seen.
“Here,” Lance said. He was handing me a glass filled with water. I looked at it and then looked up at him. I had dyed my hair but it was originally pitch black. His eyes, like mine, were a really dark brown that almost looked black. His skin was flawless and he his hair fell around his face.
“Dad?” I asked trying to see what his response would be. He sighed with relief and put the glass down. I heard a knock at the door and mom went to answer the door. Lance took the bracelet and looked at it.
“I had this for eighteen years,” he started. “I never thought I would actually be able to give it to you.”
“Why did you leave?” I asked.
“Because I had to keep you safe until you were old enough. Your old enough now and thing will begin to change Jayde,” he said.
“I thought you were dead my entire life,” I said on the verge of tears.
“It was pretty hard trying to keep my distance. The first time I held you, I didn’t want to let go. You were the most beautiful thing in this world to me but the only way to keep you safe was to leave you,” he said. I always wondered why I never looked like my mother. My mother always said that I resembled my father and I did. It was like looking in a mirror.
“We have to go,” mom said. Lance looked at her and flinched.
“Fine,” he said. He took the bracelet and he gently grabbed my wrist. He put it on my wrist and followed my mother.
“Mom?” I asked. She ran to my side and kissed my head.
“Don’t go to the house unless your with someone. Mitch is going to keep you safe. Stay with him and soon you will be able to find us,” she said in a hush whisper.
“Mom, where are you going?” I asked like a sad little girl watching her mom leave her alone with strangers.
“Don’t worry. I am so sorry this is happening like this,” she said kissing my head and running out the door with Lance at her heel. Mitch was standing in the doorway and he was staring at me.
“You know my parents?” I asked him. I began wiping the tears that started falling down my face.
“More than you will ever know,” he said. I looked over him. He had changed his clothes and he wore a black shirt and black jeans.
“Come in if you want,” I said. I moved the guitar case from my shoulder and placed it on the floor. He came in closed the door behind him. He stood there and watched me open the guitar case. The guitar was a black acoustic with pink and white star stickers. I picked it up in my hand and adjusted the strings to my liking. I started strumming until I finished the acoustic for my favorite Paramore song.
“You good,” he said smiling down at me when I stopped.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Your dad is a guitarist,” he said.
“I didn’t know that,” I said looking down at the guitar.
“Can I try?” he asked pointing a hand at the guitar.
“Do you play?” I asked him.
“I dabble a little bit,” he said.
“Here,” I said. I handed him the guitar and walked over to my bed. I laid on the giant bed and watched Mitch tune the guitar. I looked up at the ceiling and listened while he strummed. I recognized the song All the Right Moves by One Republic. I started to sing along to the beat. I listened when the song drifted to an end and I heard clapping. I looked up at Mitch who was smiling.
“You have an amazing voice,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said looking at the ceiling. “What time is it?”
“Ten after eleven,” he said.
“Can you play another song?”I asked him.
“Sure. Any request?” he asked.
“Anything is good,” I said closing my eyes. He played My Hero by Paramore and I drifted to sleep.

Chapter Eight

When I woke up, Mitch was gone. I looked through my bag and got some clothes. I went into the bathroom and locked the door. I ran the hot water and stared in the mirror. I looked like a mess and I still felt a little tired. I stripped down and walked in my shower. The hot water felt hot on my skin. I let the water fall on me for a little while. When I was finished I shut the water off and wrapped a towel around me. I dried off and got dressed. After I was fully dressed I went back to lay down. Mitch was sitting on the edge of my bed flipping through an iPod. He looked up at me and went back to flipping through his iPod. I grabbed a pair of sock and put them on with my converse. I grabbed my room key and left closing the door behind me. I heard the door open and close. I walked down the stairs not wanting to wait for the elevator. I stopped at the front desk to collect any messages. I had one call from Max and another from Lance. I said thank you to the hotel clerk and walked outside. It was drizzling outside but I didn’t mind.
“Would you like an umbrella?” Mitch asked. I shook my head no and kept walking down the block. I saw the dude Mitch was talking to yesterday and I stared at him. He looked a little like Mitch but a little older. He was just as muscular too.
“Is that your brother?” I asked him.
“Yeah,” he answered. I nodded and walked over to him but Mitch caught my arm. “Don’t.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Just please,” he begged. I looked at his brother who didn’t notice us and walked in the opposite direction. I began walking to my mother’s house. I needed to go back. There was things that I still needed to get. It was a twenty minute walk and the rain had picked up. Mitch walked beside me the whole time and he didn’t say a word.
When we got there, every light in the house was turned off. Mitch held me close behind him as he led the way through the house. The house was empty but it looked like someone was looking for something. I ran up the stairs to my room to find that it was completely trashed. I stepped over a whole bunch of books and clothes and went to my closet.
“What are you looking for?” Mitch asked as he came up from behind me.
“A notebook,” I said.
“What do you need a notebook for?” he asked. He looked around my room and I motioned for him to be quiet. After a few seconds of searching I found the notebook I was looking for. It belonged to my mother and she has given it to me on my sixth birthday. I also pulled my black suitcase from out of the closet. I began shoving clothes into my suitcase and I looked under my pillow where I hid my cell phone.I pressed the green button and waited for it to turn on. I had forty six missed phone call and a hundred and twenty six unread text messages. I grabbed the charger from the socket in the wall and threw it in the suitcase.
“Where are the keys to the car?”I asked myself. I tried to remember three months ago when I had to drive to get to places.
“Are these it?” Mitch asked holding up keys with a Mickey Mouse key chain.
“Yes,” I said jumping up and down. He handed it to me and looked around the room.
“Someone’s in the house,” he said in a whispered rush. He looked out the window and grabbed my suitcase. He dragged the zipper closed and tossed it out the window. I swallowed the scream that threatened to escape my lips. He picked me up and cradled me to his chest. He held me so that my mouth was covered by part of his chest for when I screamed as he jumped out the window. He placed me in the damp grass and was prepared when I began hitting his chest repeatedly.
“Why did you do that?” I said still banging on his chest. He grabbed my fist in his hand and held them. He looked past me as if he was trying to see something behind me.
“I need you to stay here,” he said. He looked at me with intensely serious eyes. He waited for my response.
“Ok,” I said. He let my hands go and disappeared. I listened to the noises in my house and someone jumped in front of me. I was relieved to see it was just Mitch.
“Are you alright?” he asked me.
“Are you? Is that blood on your face?” I asked reaching up to touch his face but he grabbed my hand.
“It’s not mine,” he said. He pulled me up to my feet and hid me behind his back. I followed behind him to the driveway. I didn’t see him grab my suitcase but he held it in the hand that was not holding me close to him. He reached for my other hand that was clutching the car keys. He took the car keys from me and the lights of the silver Lexus lit up as we approached. I heard a noise come from inside the house.
“Get in,” Mitch ordered. I climbed in quickly and watched him as he got in and threw my bag in the back seat. He quickly put the key in the ignition and turned it.”Seatbelt.”
I fumbled with the seatbelt and he drove off in full speed. I held on to the dashboard. I finally got my seatbelt fastened and I was getting car sick.
“Slow down,” I said clutching the dashboard with my fingernails.
“Sorry but I can’t,” he said in a rush.
“Oh god,” I cried out. He reached into his pocket and dialed a number. After a second of waiting, he was speaking in a rush to whoever was on the other line. I tried to listen in but he was talking to fast. I looked out the window and regretted it when I saw a giant grey wolf running beside the car. I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Relax Jayde,” Mitch said. He closed the phone and was focusing on the road. I cringed away from the door as the wolf started pawing at it. “Open the door.”
“Are you insane?!!!” I yelled looking at him.
“Just get in the back seat,” he said. I looked at him for a second and climbed in the back. He reached over and opened the passenger door. The wolf leaped for the door and I screamed. I jumped back and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, Mitch’s brother was sitting in the passenger seat looking back at me.
“Hey how’s it going?” he said grinning.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I said clutching at my stomach.

Chapter Nine

The car pulled up in the hotel parking lot and I was the first one out the car. I bent over and hurled. I felt a hand rubbing my back. I stood there bent over for a minute until I knew that I was done.
“Are you ok?” Mitch asked me.
“No,” I said wiping my mouth at the corners. He held my waist and guided me to my hotel room. He laid me in my bed and covered me with the blanket. I closed my eyes but didn’t fall to sleep.
“So that’s Lance’s daughter?” I heard Mitch’s brother ask.
“Yeah,” Mitch answered.
“I thought she would be more-,” he began but was cut off by Mitch.
“More what Felix? More like Veronica?” he asked angrily.
“Well yeah Mitch. I figured she’d be more like Veronica,” his brother said.
“Give me a break,” Mitch said. I heard the sound of my guitar being strummed.
“You say that like you hate Veronica,” Mitch’s brother.
“She tried to kill me the other night. Did you forget that already?” Mitch asked.
“I don’t know what to tell you little bro,” Felix said.
“Veronica is not my concern anymore,” he said. I heard the guitar stop playing and the door open and close. I opened my eyes and saw Mitch staring down at me. He stared me in the eye without saying a word.
“Your brother seems nice,” I said sitting up.
“Yeah, a real knight in shining armor,” he mumbled. I patted the space next to me and he sat at my side.
“Who did you call earlier on the phone?” I asked. I leaned my head on the bed rest.
“Lance. I had to tell him about the people in your house,” he said.
“Who were they?” I asked.
“Hunters,” he said.
“That wolf. Was that…” I said letting the question hang in the air.
“Yes, that was my brother. So much for keeping that a secret,” he said shaking his head.
“You can do it too?” I asked. He nodded and watched me carefully. I nodded and shut my eyes.
“We have to leave this hotel tomorrow,” he said.
“I know,” I said sighing. “Who’s Veronica?” I open my eyes when he didn’t answer. He looked at me and shook his head. I shrugged and closed my eyes again.
“Why did you grab that specific notebook?” he asked. I opened my eyes and stared him in the eyes.
“My mom gave it to me when I was six. She said it was the only thing left of my dad. What a lie that was?” I said trying to smile.
“I have known Lance for a long time. Every day he wished that he could be by your side. I remember running with him to watch you when you were little. He always had to fight his temptation to pick you up and hold you in his arms. You were very special to him. I could see that. Lance was my closest friend and because of all that he has done for me, I vowed to protect you with my life. I vowed to be your guardian for him,” he said. I stared at him and he stared back. I smiled.
“That’s sweet,” I said.
“He would do the same for me,” he said looking away.
“What does being my guardian entail?”I asked.
“I am sworn to protect you for the rest of my life. I have to be where ever you are at all times or at least very close by,” he said.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“Not that I can think of,” he said.
“Can you be released as my guardian?” I asked.
“No. It’s permanent,” he said. “Think of it as a bond we have that will get stronger very soon.”
“How could you bond to someone you don’t even know without hesitation?” I asked.
“It was easier than I thought. It was like the bond made itself,” he said shrugging.
“ Wow,” I said closing my eyes.
“Did you know that you barely cried as a kid?” he asked me.
“No,” I said.
“Even when you were sad you didn’t cry,” he said. I opened my eyes and saw him shaking his head in disbelief.
“I don’t remember my child hood,” I said. I hopped off the bed and went into the bathroom. I took the glass of the sink and filled it with water. I rinsed the bitter taste in my mouth out and wiped the corners of mouth. I looked in the mirror at my reflection. I turned away from it quickly and left the bathroom.
“Are you ready to eat?” he asked me. I nodded and headed for the door. I ran down the stairs and into the lobby. Felix was sitting in the lobby with a girl sitting by his side. I walked past him but he grabbed my wrist.
“You look better,” he said letting me go.
“I feel better,” I said walking away. I looked at Mitch who was concentrating on something. He saw me looking at him and his attention was on me.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked me. I looked around at all the restaurant and looked at the Italian restaurant.
“I guess we can go there again,” I said pointing at the place. He shrugged and we walked across the busy street.
“Mitch!!” we heard Felix yell from behind us. We turned around and saw Felix with the girl he was with at his side. She wore stilettos and her jeans hugged her waist tightly. Her shirt hovered just over her belly button. Her brown hair fell in waves around her face. Her dark brown eyes stared at me blankly and she smiled. “Can we join you guys?”
“Ask her,” Mitch said nodding to me. Felix’s eyes turned on me and I nodded without thinking.
“Great,” Felix said, grinning. I followed Mitch into the restaurant and was happy to see the waitress from the last visit greeting us again.
“Nice to see you two again,” she said smiling.
“Likewise,” Mitch said. I smiled at her.
“Table for four?” she asked him.
“Yes,” Mitch said. We followed her to a booth and I picked up the menu and scanned threw it. Nothing seemed to catch my attention.
“What would you guys like to drink?” she asked us.
“I will have a coffee,” I said looking at her.
“Light and sweet?” she asked.
“Yes please,” I said putting the menu down.
“I’ll have a Coke,” Mitch said.
“We’ll have your strongest alcoholic beverage,” Felix said looking at the girl. She was smiling back at him.
“I’ll be right back with your drinks,” the waitress said.
“So you’re the great Jayde huh?” the girl asked me.
“It’s just Jayde,” I said. “Your name is?”
“Amy,” she answered.
“Nice to meet you,” I said lying through my teeth.
“Same to you,” she said. She watched me and I shifted uncomfortably. “It must be nice to have Mitch as a guardian.”
“He’s a nice guy,” I said grateful when that the waitress had just approached our table with our drinks.
“Here you go,” she said putting our drinks in front of us. I looked at Felix who had just wrapped his arm around Amy. I turned to look at Mitch who was staring out the window. I sighed and took a sip of my coffee. “Are you guys ready to order?”
“Two plain slice for me and her. What do you guys want?” Mitch said looking at Amy and Felix.
“We’ll have the spaghetti,” Amy told the waitress.
“Coming right up,” she turned on her heels and left. I had to fight the urge to follow her to get away from this table.
“You guy should really have some of this,” Felix said offering his drink.
“I don’t drink,” I said shaking my head.
“Loosen up,” he said pushing the drink my way.
“She said she doesn’t drink,” Mitch said giving Felix a cold look.
“I see your protective nerves have kicked in,” Felix said moving his drink away from me. He sipped at it and stared at Mitch. The waitress put our food on the table and walked away before I could ask for the bill. I picked up one of my two slices of pizza. I bit it and focused on chewing. I heard my name being called and I looked up immediately.
“Sorry?” I asked. It was Amy who had spoke and she cleared her throat to speak again.
“I was just saying that it looks like you could get out a little more,” she said.
“No, I’m fine. I’m not too big on excitement,” I said picking up my coffee with a surprisingly steady hand.
“Too bad. It looks like you would be a really fun person to hang with,” she said. Felix was watching me but I shook my head.
“I’m just not that type of person,” I said taking another bite out of my pizza.
“Babe, we better get going,” Amy said.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Felix said. “It was nice hanging out with you guys.”
“We should do it again sometime,” Amy said holding a hand out for me to shake. I took it and shook it. Her grip was so firm it almost hurt. She let me go and stood from her chair. I watched as Felix through a few twenty dollar bills on the table and pulled Amy by her waist out the door.
“That was creepy,” I said taking another bite. I put the pizza down no longer hungry.
“Tell me about it,” Mitch said. He grabbed his soda and took a sip.
“Felix is older than you by how many years?” I asked.
“Three,” he answered.
“You seem like the responsible one,” I said. I looked at my pizza and frowned.
“What?” he asked me.
“Nothing,” I said shaking my head. I stood up from my seat and waved to the waitress. She came quickly and she looked more at ease then she did when Felix and Amy was here. I honestly couldn’t blame her.
“Ready to leave?” she asked me.
“Yeah,” I said. I gave her my Visa card before Mitch could pull his wallet out. He picked up the bill off the table. He handed it to her.
“Keep this,” he said handing it to her. She left and came back with the card and receipt. I signed it and handed it the receipt back to her.
“Enjoy the rest of your night,” she said.
“You too,” I said. I walked out the door with Mitch at my heel. We walked in silence back to the hotel.

Chapter Ten

“What time do we leave tomorrow?” I asked Mitch. I grabbed my guitar and stared at the bracelet on my wrist. It was really pretty and I like it a lot.
“Early,” he said leaning against the wall near the bathroom.
“Ok,” I said. I strummed an old song I wrote and listened carefully to the sound.
“I don’t know that song,” he said.
“I wrote it when I was eleven,” I said.
“Sounds pretty,” he said.
“That is until you hear the lyrics,” I said and I stopped strumming. I yawned and headed to the bathroom.
“I’ll be right back,” Mitch said from outside the bathroom door.
“Ok,” I said. I changed into my pajamas and went to lay down. I turned out the light and closed my eyes. I fell asleep before Mitch got back.

I woke up screaming. Every part of me burned. I heard Mitch’s voice in the back ground. His hands held mine down and his body weight held my legs from kicking. I squirmed under him trying to escape this pain.
“Make it stop!!!” I cried.
“Just hold on Jayde. It’s almost over,” he said. I shook my head from left to right trying to fight against Mitch’s strength. I heard him groan and then his lips were on mine. I still could feel the burning but I couldn’t move or fight. I felt tears falling down my face as the burning intensified. I tried to pull away from Mitch but he held me closer. I scratched at his hands and closed my eyes. The burning began to fade and I started to relax. When the pain was finally gone, I moved my face from Mitch’s. He tried to take a few steps back but I grabbed his shirt. He sat down next to me without saying a word and wrapped his arms around me. I sobbed in his arms as he rocked me back and forth.
“ It’s ok,” he repeated over and over again. I sobbed until I fell back to sleep.

Chapter Eleven

I woke up groggy and my head was spinning. Mitch was sitting in the chair across from my bed sleeping. I tried getting out of the bed without making noise but for some reason my legs wouldn’t obey me and I fell to the ground.
“Ouch,” I whispered.
“Are you ok?” Mitch asked rubbing his eyes and standing up.
“I was trying not to wake you,” I said sitting on the floor. He held out a hand for me and I grabbed it. He pulled me up from the floor and back on to the bed.
“You should be resting,” he said.
“But I’m not tired,” I whined. He looked at me sleepily and shook his head.
“You should rest,” he said. I looked at him and saw that his hands were dried with blood.
“Are your hands ok?” I asked. He looked down at them and shrugged.
“Just fine,” he said.
“Did I do that?” I asked trying to remember.
“It wasn’t your fault,” he said.
“I can only remember the pain,” I said. I felt a chill go up my spine and I shivered.
“The pain is sometimes a little unbearable,” he said. “I had to grow through it alone.”
“Really,” I asked wrapping my arms around myself.
“Yeah. I was told that kissing someone that is going through the changed make it hard for them to move and easier for the change to occur,” he said rubbing his eyes and yawning.
“Thank you,” I said pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them.
“No problem,” he said. “Be your guardian might not be half bad.”
“Were you expecting a spoiled brat?” I asked.
“Not at all,” he said. I ran a hand through my knotted hair.
“What did you mean by change?” I asked curiously.
“The change into a werewolf. Like your parents and like me,” he said.
“My parents?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine my parent’s turning into wolves let alone me turning in to one.
“The best part is that you’re a pure blood werewolf which means your twice as stronger than me or your parents,” he said smiling.
“That’s kind of cool,” I said grinning.
“You’re taking this pretty well,” he said.
“There is no point in arguing,” I sighed.
“Are you ready to pack up?” he asked me. I nodded and grabbed my duffel bag from the floor. I began packing my clothes. I tossed the hospital scrubs in the trash. Mitch packed up my guitar and I went into the bathroom and changed. I put on a pair of black jeans and my favorite Paramore t-shirt. I walked out the bathroom and saw a giant silver white wolf growling at the doorway. I turned to see what the wolf was growling at and I saw Amy standing at the door. I couldn’t stop the growl that escaped my lips. I started to leap for Amy but the white wolf jumped in my way. I looked at it and backed away slowly. The wolf nodded at the window and I nodded back. I went to the window and jumped. I landed on four paws instead of two feet. I didn’t know exactly where I was going so I headed to the nearest trees. I heard a growl and a grey wolf was chasing my through the trees. I made my hind legs kick faster and I sped off. The grey wolf growled louder and began to speed up. I ran faster trying to keep as much distance from the wolf as possible. I looked back to see if the grey wolf was there but it was gone. I stopped running and looked around me. I could see and hear everything around me but I wasn’t prepared when the grey wolf leaped in the air and landed on me. He bit in to my side and I yelped out in pain. I heard a wolf a few miles away that howled sadly. The grey wolf bit into me even harder and I finally was able to shake him off. I couldn’t see clearly but I began running. I felt a nose nudge me when I stopped running. I looked up at the white wolf and watched as it quickly turned into Mitch.
“Oh god,” he cried. “Are you alright?”
I whimpered because I couldn’t talk in wolf form. He rubbed my head and touched my wound. I yelped in pain and whimpered again when he moved his hand.
“I need you to turn into your human form,” he said holding my head. I shook my head and lowered it. “Jayde, I need you to. Just concentrate.” He looked sad so I licked his face. I focused going to back to my human form and was shocked when it worked. I was on my hands and knees coughing up blood. I held my side while it bled out. Mitch scooped me up in his arms and started running. I held my side while he held me. He laid me in the backseat of the car and looked through my suitcase for a shirt. He pulled out my white cashmere sweater that I hated so much and tore it at the neck. I smiled weakly but hissed when he pressed it to my wound.
“Thanks for ripping my sweater,” I said cringing from the pain.
“This is bad. You don’t heal fast yet,” he said examining my wound.
“Relax,” I said. “It doesn’t even hurt that bad.”
“I could kill Felix for this,” he growled. His face was red and his fists were clenched into fist. I put my hand on his face and closed my eyes.
“Just relax. It doesn’t matter,” I said.
“No!!” he growled pulling away from my hand. “He crossed the line this time.” The pressure that Mitch had on my wound disappeared and so did he. I moaned and tried to sit up. It hurt but I had to find Mitch. I climbed out the car and was greeted by Amy.
“Awe, is little Jayde hurt?” she asked.
“This is nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you,” I said holding my wound and standing straight. The pain was going away and I felt myself healing.
“I liked you better when you had no attitude,” she said putting a hand on her hip.
“I always had an attitude. Maybe it’s timed that we are properly introduced,” I growled. I fell to all four and leaped at her. Amy was in her wolf form and she rolled out of the way. I growled her and she pawed at my face. I felt blood trickle down my eye. I really hoped she knew who she was messing with. I jumped and clawed at her back she yelped and growled. I bit at her neck and felt her blood slide down my throat. I jumped back and watched her as she scurried away. I ran in the direction of Mitch with only my nose guiding me to him.

Chapter Twelve

When I finally found Mitch, he was in his human form beating on a very bloody Felix. I switched into my human form and hauled Mitch of him. He tried to fight me to get to Felix but I shoved him and he backed into a tree. He realized what he was doing and put his head down. I walked to Felix and put my converse to his neck.
“You bit me,” I said in disgust.
“You healed,” he said in shock.
“Yeah well your little girlfriend pissed me off and sped up the process,” I said. I lifted him by his shirt and threw him into the trunk of a tree. “Back to the subject. You bit me.”
“You don’t seem like the one to hold a grudge,” he said as he stretch out his back after hitting the tree.
“But you don’t know me, now do you?” I asked. “Why did you attack me?”
“Your very hot when you’re. It’s kind of cute,” he said.
“Let me know if this is cuter,” I said. I lifted my fist and punched him in his already bleeding nose. He grabbed his nose and laughed.
“Very cute,” he said. I didn’t see him coming so I couldn’t have stopped him. Mitch was punching and beating on his brother.
“Mitch!!”I yelled but he wasn’t listening. By the time Mitch stopped, Felix was unconscious. I grabbed Mitch’s hand and pulled him away. His whole body was shaking and he was breathing heavily. I pulled him and we started running. We ran all the way back to the hotel and into the room. I closed the door behind Mitch and rested my head against it. I turned to see that Mitch was sitting on the chair. He was staring at his bloody hands. I walked over to him and kneeled down in front of him.
“Are you ok?” I asked. He shook his head no. I went in the bathroom and wet a wash cloth with warm water. I wiped his hands free of blood and then his face. I saw that his shirt was tore in the back. Three long claw marks were on his back. I started to pull his shirt from over his head and he let me. There were scratches everywhere. I pressed the rag to the deep scars on his back. I cleaned the blood off his skin as his body began to heal itself. After I knew that cleaning the blood would hurt him, I tried to get the blood that was from the biggest wounds. I turned to see if there was any scratches on his chest and froze at how muscular he was. I shook my head and heard him chuckle.
“What?” I asked looking for any scratches.
“I saw that,” he said.
“Shut up,” I said, my face getting hot. He reached for my shirt but I stopped his hand. He tried again but this time I let him. I looked down at my side and saw that my wound was still there but it didn’t hurt at all. It looked pretty deep and it was still bleeding. He took the rag from me and wiped around my wound. I sat very still as he worked. He ran his fingers gently across but I didn’t feel any pain. He pulled me up to my feet by my arm. He held my waist while he examined me. I hadn’t noticed that my arm was bleeding and I figured it must have been when I fought off Amy.
“You don’t heal as fast as me but the pain goes away faster,” he said.
“I don’t mind,” I said shrugging. He began wiping at the wound. He stood up and I saw how much he toward over me.
“How was your first day as a werewolf?”he asked me.
“I could do without the violence but other than that-,” I said but then Mitch’s lips were on mine. I raised my eyebrows in surprised and melted in the kiss. He pulled away and was smiling down at me.
“You were saying?” he asked.
“Pretty damn good,” I breathed. He chuckled and pulled me in for another kiss.

Chapter Thirteen

I woke up laying on Mitch’s bare chest. His hand was wrapped protectively around my waist. I was still in my clothes from last night. I stretched and Mitch shifted under me. I looked up to see if I had woke him up. I gently moved his hand off my waist. I grabbed some clothes out my duffel bag and went into the bathroom. I closed the door and locked it. I ran the hot water and stripped. I washed the blood from my body and hair. I wrapped a towel around my waist and dried my hair. I quickly dressed and looked at myself in the mirror. I yawned and opened the bathroom door. Mitch was stretching on the bed. He smiled when he saw me. I smiled back.
“We have to leave now,” he said. I nodded and began re-gathering my things. I had left the suitcase in the car so most of my stuff was there. He picked up his shirt and held it in his hand. I looked in my bag and pulled out a extremely large t-shirt. I handed it to him and he gave me a questioning look. I shrugged and put the rest of my stuff in my bag. I pulled the bag over my shoulder but Mitch took it and placed it in his shoulder. He grabbed my guitar and held the door open for me.
The familiar lady at the front desk eyed Mitch and my bag.
“Leaving so soon?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Did you enjoy your stay?” she asked handing me a piece of paper to sign. I signed my name at the bottom and handed her the room key.
“Yes I did,” I said smiling. She nodded.
“Come again,” she said waving as I walked away. Mitch was waiting at the car. He was staring at the backseat of the car. It was covered with blood from when I was laying there.

Impressum

Texte: This is my book. Do not steal.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 04.08.2011

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