Journal

I wish I could tell you how much I love autumn time. It is bitter sweet, the end of another summer, the days growing shorter, and the leaves curling in on them selves like shoulders hunched in the chill. But with that fist bite of early morning frost, out comes the knit sweaters, scarves. Boots padded with fluffy socks, and hats with earflaps. the winter is

Mob Random

“With the understanding that there may never be anything between us but a shared desire for peace, and my word that I will never force upon you any duty beyond the political expectations of the position, I implore you, Danica Shardae, to agree to be my wife.”

-----

He reached over and pulled the sparkling pins out of her hair, so that it fell in warm and heavy curls down her neck. The sensation of hair tickling her bare skin was unfamiliar and oddly pleasant.

“Much better,” he said, and she thought this time that maybe his voice was slightly uneven too.

-----

“You’re exhausting,” he said.

“I’m what?” She leaned against a tree, watching him close the last few yards between them.

“Exhausting, tiring, capable of wearing on my very last bit of peace.” He faced her, as if his attention was only on her, but she had no doubt that he knew where everyone near them was.

------

‘What is it?’ enquired Dr Elke, looking at Comely’s love child which was climbing with passionate enthusiasm over her feet.

‘It’s a mixture,’ admitted Ruth.

Dr Elke said she could see that and removed her shoe from the puppy’s grasp.

‘But full of personality?’ suggested Ruth. ‘Though not perhaps strictly beautiful.’

‘No, not strictly.’

‘Voltaire wasn’t beautiful either,’ said Ruth, ‘but he used to say that if he had half an hour to explain away his face, he could seduce the Queen of France.’

‘More than half an hour would be necessary in this case,’

----

“I don’t trust anyone who feels you should like them because they love themselves so much,”

Future Random

Time after time, Lance threw blows at me, and I dodged them, playing to my strengths. I was fast, I was light, and I wasn’t afraid of playing dirty. I was small and flexible and—as Lance muttered at one point—completely insane. The bond let me predict his movements, but it did little for letting him track mine, because even I didn’t know what I was going to do next.

“Again.”

I was really beginning to hate that word.

-----

There’s four of us and one of him.” After a brief moment’s pause, she amended her head count to better reflect our real odds. “Three and a half of us, one of him.”

Three and a half, as in three werewolves, one human. I narrowed my eyes. “For your sake, Lake, I’m going to pretend that Devon is the half.”

Dev, unquestionably the strongest person in this room, just shrugged and let me keep my delusions. “It’s because of my petite stature,” he said. All 6′ 4″ of him.

----

Leaning back against the pool table, Lake preempted my next request. “Weapons?” she asked, all business.

“Anything that will help us secure the perimeter. I’m thinking some strategically placed explosives wouldn’t hurt.”

Some people lived for the phrase strategically placed explosives. Lake was one of those people.

“On it.”

----

“For a genius thief, you really are a stupid girl, aren’t you?” “Yeah.” Kat closed her eyes. “I am.”

---

“What makes you think that Valentine’s change of plans had anything to do with Raven?” “Because,” I said with grim certainty, “only he can piss someone off that much.”

---

Still holding him by the arm, she looked up at the Doctor, fighting back her anger. She knew it ridiculous, but it was hard—so hard—to be reasonable when it was someone that you loved.

----

I can’t say what my first thought was as I sunk below the surface, because it was mostly a string of four-letter words.

---

“What's a little thing like revolution between friends?”

----

“Now, if they got everything they liked, they would be spoiled,” she told Dove. “And nobody likes spoiled regents.”

----

Emily watched her as she stood. “Be careful.”

Finley grinned at her as she swung her leg over the cycle she’d chosen and sat down. “Careful? Where’s the fun in that?”

And then she found the mechanism to make the beast move and she tore out of the stables without a backward glance.

The Color Pink Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I never believed the world could stand still until today.

The morning started out quiet enough. It was unusually warm for early March, and my scarf felt heavy around my neck as I made my way from the subway station to the block that housed St. Catherine's. My necklace was like ice on my skin as a breeze chilled the gold locket. Alexandra Leigh Morris was scrolled on the outside, and a picture of our family at the Lake house was tucked inside. It was taken last summer. A month before our portraits were to be taken both of my little brothers broke their arms, Nixon while playing soccer and Jackson fell out of a tree a week later. The twins paraded their first casts around like trophies, even in the small picture you could tell how proud of themselves they were.

I caught my reflection in one of the store front windows and sighed. This morning my dark curly hair was in a knot at the back of my head held in place with a pen from my desk. As per usual the short strands that framed my face seemed to stick out in tiny curlicues, as if I had poked my finger in an electrical socket. My curls never seemed to want to do anything but stick out all over the place, and refused to obey even handfuls of bobby pins. I ran my fingers back through my hair, stomping on newspapers that had blown across the sidewalk.

As I ignored the reflection in the windows I wished for the millionth time that I looked more like my mom whose delicate beauty had caught and held the love of the "Golden Boy" of the cities law world. Their Love at First Sight was the story that put me to bed for most of my growing up years.

The long list of stuff I had to do was scrolling through my mind as I headed towards the tall wrought iron gate where my best friend Kadee waited. She was attracting the gazes of the surrounding male population but not paying attention to anything but her phone that linked her to her boyfriend. Nick was already stuck in his early start period of Chemistry who normally would have been standing next to her, probably making her laugh with his corny jokes. Kadee was one of those people who was so beautiful that you wanted to hate, but somehow just couldn't, mostly because she was too nice.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!" I growled under my breath as the pen holding my hair fell out. I yanked the strands viciously away from my face and struggled to get them back in a bun. As I walked up, Kadee slipped her phone into a pocket, and smiling pushed my hands away from my head, swiftly but gently catching it all up in a rubber band from around her wrist. Why did my hair behave her and not me? Stupid.

She linked her arm through mine as we made our way up the marble stairs and through the masses of uniformed bodies.

"What's stupid?" She asked.

"My hair, Mondays, home work, the usual." I replied

The navy and dark gray plaid of the uniforms stood in stark contrast to the silver white of the granite that faced most of the school's buildings. Catching sight of a group of older girls I muttered, "We are adding the "B-Squad" to the Stupid list of the morning".

The Queen Bee and her B-Squad were the Popular group of girls at St. Catherine's, I always thought I could come up with a fairly good list of other fitting descriptions of them that started with the letter B.

"Lexie? Did you hear me?"

"What? Sorry." I started, and looked back at my friend.

"How was the train?" Kadee asked, trying to distract me from the glares of the groups leader.

"Good, as usual," I said staring at the floor.

"You really should let me pick you up. It would be a lot faster than public transportation". She said public transportation like it was a dirty word.

"No, it's okay. I like the train" I said, following the ritualistic first conversation of the morning. And usually it was true, I did like the train. It gave me rare time to my self that were usually too packed with school, friends and homework to have much down time.

I smiled as Kadee's phone buzzed and she yanked it out of her pocket, scanned the message and tapped her reply.

"How's Nick?" I asked.

"Good. Bored." She said, and flushed pink.

Kadee and Nick had just made the transition from friends to dating last week, much to the dismay of most of the boys in our school. Most of the students like Kadee and I had attended St. Catherine's since primary school. Nick was an exception, having moved to the city the previous year. He had joined our small group of friends and the rest was history.

"How is that going?" I asked

"Um.Good." and after a pause, "But he is spending a lot of time at home because his mom is still going nuts."

Kadee didn’t sound too happy about this. Nick's cousin Brandon was moving in with them next week and his mom, a serious perfectionist, wanted everything to be ready when he arrived. Even though his house swarmed with a small army of household staff, Nick was required to be at home during what he termed "the hostile takeover". I smiled at this, doubting that all the time in the world with Nick could ever be enough for Kadee who had harbored a growing crush on him for the past couple of months.

Once inside, we walked down the main hall and across a small walkway to the chapel and made our way to our normal seats in the back for Morning Prayer. St. Catherine's had made the transition to a non-denominational school ten years ago, but still maintained the Morning Prayer ritual that had been around since the school's foundation in 1880, although now it was used for announcements from the administrators as well as a small thought by one of the school's four Prefects. Meegan, one of the Senior Prefects, had just begun her announcement for a change in time for this weekends rugby match when Nick slid into our bench, flashing me a brief smile as he settled next to Kadee and took her hand. Meegan scowled in our direction, not much got passed her as the self proclaimed Queen Bee and undisputed leader of the B-Squad at St. Catherine's. Her icy blue gaze flicked away from our small group and back to the paper in her hand as if we were not worthy of her attention.

"We also want to let everyone know that the girl's lacrosse Spring Team is hosting tryouts this Saturday at 8:00 am at the North Field." Groans issued from around the large hall at their designated sleep time being interrupted at such an early hour.

I tuned out the rest of the announcements as I leaned back and slouched against the hard wooden back of the pew and gazed upwards. The tall gothic style chapel had always been my favorite building on the small campus. It felt so old and knowledgeable, as if it had seen the world pass by outside those tall mullioned windows.

When the announcements were over, the thought was given by Jared, a tall Senior who was the Head Prefect and Meegan's current conquest. After the school was dismissed I waved bye to Kadee and Nick and headed towards my first class of the day. The History rooms were located in the north wing of the main building and the windows faced the big trees that lined the front walls of the school.

I took my normal seat next to one of the windows and pulled out my homework, prepping myself for the boredom that was European History. I smiled at Heather and Erin as they slid in the seats next to me. Although Heather was pale with white blonde hair and Erin was a transfer student from India with skin the color of creamy coffee and masses of black hair, they were so alike that it was sometimes hard to tell where one stopped and the other started.

"Did you see Meegan's Jimmy Choo boots?" Heather asked, as if I wanted to notice the person whose sole purpose in life was to make others miserable.

"They were so amazing." Erin said.

They looked as if they were about to die with envy.

"I wonder how she got them so early, they aren't even supposed to hit the runway until next week." Heather sighed.

I smiled, knowing they would probably commit murder to get a hold of the chocolate over the knee boots that were going to be The Item this season.

"Too bad she is such a Poo that she would bite your head off if you dared to ask. But I my guess is that her mom pulled strings." I said. The whole world knew that Meegan's mom, Lanett VanAllen practically ruled the fashion world as the Editor in Chief of the industry's leading magazine.

They smiled at my use of Poo, having informed me constantly that Poo was a term usually used by those still in Primary School. Meegan, they said, was a Bitch. But my mother never approved of foul language, so I never acquired the skill that it takes to craft a good insult. Jason, a fellow track member patted my head in greeting as he walked past. He shook his head at my name-calling and slouched into the chair behind mine.

Erin opened her mouth, probably to correct my description of Meegan, as Dr. White coughed the opening of his lecture. She rolled her eyes and turned to face the board. It took only a few moments for the drone of Dr. White's lecture to lull me into the doze that would last for the rest of the morning. Most of the students said that Dr. White's lectures were as colorless as his name, and just as interesting. He had the unique talent that some teachers seem to possess of putting students to sleep. His voice blended in with the droning of the vent that was blowing out warm air by my side. Enjoying the warmth, I smiled to myself, and started plotting the afternoons shopping trip with my mom that would start as soon as she got home from her Doctor's appointment that afternoon. My mom and dad had been out of the country for most of the last few weeks, and as was tradition, a shopping trip was planned.

We rarely bought anything on these outings, instead walking around the Avenues down town with warm drinks or juice and wandering the boutiques that lined the streets. I hopped the Doctor's appointment wouldn’t run late because if we had enough time, we could enjoy a small stop at our favorite gelato café before we met my dad for dinner at Tuscany.

The rest of the day seemed to drag by as slowly as History, but soon the bell was ringing and students were swarming out of the school, making it look like an ant hill that’s been kicked. As I finished shoving my books into my bag from my locker, someone's elbow jabbed into my side making the books in my arms scatter on the floor.

"Move." came Meegan's voice as she opened the locker next to mine.

"Oh. Um. Sorry." I said, reaching to gather spilled textbooks. Meegan didn’t reply but gave me one of her signature frosty glares, the one that said, You and I are not even from the same universe. And silently I agreed. I wanted no place in the world that she was determined to rule.

As I made my way home, I was glad that Heather, Erin or Kadee had not been there to see the newest in a long line of wonderful moments with the Queen Bee. They were always telling me that I should stop taking her crap, but I knew that would cause much more trouble than it was worth, and after suffering with her since the first grade, I decided that I could live with it for three more, and then we would graduate and I would be rid of her.

As I opened our tall front door, and set my bag down I saw the note on the table in the entry hall. Snatching it up, I read my moms neat but loopy writing.

Gone to the doctor's appointment with Dad.

Back before you know it.

xoxoxo, Mom

I hoped that they wouldn’t be too late, and headed up the stairs and down the long hallway to my bedroom. With my parents gone, and the twins at Space Camp, the house was unusually quiet. I was halfway through the next day's math homework when I heard the front door open and shut. Shopping sounded a lot better than homework. I started gathering the books that had been spread all over my bed as my mom and dad knocked and opened my door. My mom's eyes were red, and my dad had his business face on. My mom sat down next to me on the bed smoothing the perpetual wrinkles out with delicate fingers as my dad pulled my desk chair over to face us.

Turning to me, my mom laid her hand on mine and said, "Alexandria," Something must have been wrong because my mom never called me Alexandrea.

"We need to talk."

"Okay.." I said worried about what had got my mom so upset.

" I have breast cancer."

The world stood still.

My thoughts seemed to scatter like startled birds and I couldn't focus on anything but that horrible word. Cancer. In a stunned haze I listened as they explained.

"You know that sore spot that I had under my arm?" My mom asked. She was speaking very slowly, like every word was causing her pain.

I nodded and she continued.

"Well, I went into the Doctor last week and they found a tumor in my left breast that was causing the lymph nodes under arm to swell up. They did a biopsy on Thursday and we got the results back today."

"Why?" I said, "Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?"

My dad looked at my mom then back at me and answered, "We didn’t want to worry you. We had no idea weather it would be a benign tumor that could be easily removed, or if it would actually turn out to be cancerous."

I wanted to smile at my dad's consistent over protectiveness, but my whole body felt num and frozen. As I looked down I was surprised to find wet spots sparkling on the tops of my crossed arms.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, forcing my voice not to tremble.

"We don’t know much yet," My dad said, "The doctors ran more tests today, and we will go back in the morning to talk to them and start some more in depth scans."

I could tell that my dad was trying to handle this like one of his difficult cases, taking it step by step.

I didn’t want to sound childish, but the question slipped out before I could stifle it, "Are you going to die?" I wished I could grab the words back as soon as they escaped. She sucked in her breath and her chin trembled. My dad came over, and sitting between my mom and I, pulled us together. I threw my arms around my dads chest and held on, praying that if I didn’t let go that everything would be ok.

"No. It will be fine" My dad said as if he could make it true by sheer force of will. I didn’t know how long we sat there, but it felt like too soon when my mom got up.

"I have to walk. I have to think." She said.

My dad got up, and stood next to her. She leaned on him, as if he were the only solid thing in the middle of a storm. My dad squeezed my hand as they left my bed room. A moment later I heard the front door open and close again knowing that they would head to the park down the street where my mom went to do all of her major thinking.

I sat on my bed in a stupor. This can't be happening to her. She's perfect. She doesn't smoke, she exercises, she is a healthy person. They must have made a mistake. It's wrong. Just wrong. I sat on my bed for the rest of the afternoon, waiting to hear them come home, but fell asleep before the front door could creak open.

I dreamed that I was walking through our house, but it has too many doors and hallways. I was looking for something, opening the all of the doors and checking the rooms. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that I needed to find it soon. As time passed, my search became frantic and I began running down the endless hallways and throwing open the doors only to find empty rooms that felt vaguely unfamiliar, the marble floors echoed my foot steps.

The Color Pink 2

Chapter 2

I woke up to my alarm feeling rumpled and grumpy, and for a second I couldn't remember why my head felt stuffy and congested. Then I remembered, and the weight of it crushed my chest.

Cancer.

The word felt like a ton of rocks, or a small elephant sitting on my chest. I heard my mom clattering around the kitchen and slipped my legs out of bed. My toes curled on rag rug that my grandmother had sent me after they had moved to Georgia. It was the color of the sand beaches that surrounded their house where we had spent morning after morning walking and collecting treasures to take home. I looked up at the map that hung above my desk, marked with a handful of pins for the places I had been, and even more for the places I wanted to go. It was a block of blue and green on a sea of red. I had convinced my mom to let me paint my walls a bright poppy red informing her that it was a motivating sort of color. Now it just looked like blood.

I pulled on my school uniform and shoved all of my school things into my bag, ignoring the fact that besides the small amount of math that I had gotten done before my parents came home, all of my homework was incomplete.

The wood of the hallway felt cold on my feet as I made my way towards the noise in the kitchen. My mom was already dressed and ready for the day. She turned around as I came in.

"Dad and I have another Doctors appointment this morning, and then we are flying to Huston to see a specialist. Tory will be staying with you, and we will be back on Friday." She came over and pulled be into her arms..

"You don't have to go to school today if you don't want to." She said, "I can call the school"

"No, its alright. I need to go."

This wasn't necessarily true. I just couldn't stand the idea of sitting at home doing nothing.

"Alright, but if you change your mind, call me."

I nodded against her shoulder.

"Do the boys know?" I asked.

"No. We should have a plan by the time we get home on Friday, and the boys will be back Saturday morning. We will tell them then."

I held onto her, and we both ignored the chime of the toaster. Finally I let my arms drop.

"Do you want some breakfast?" She asked as she moved to retrieve her toast.

I shook my head, my appetite usually small in the morning was nonexistent. But at a warning look from my mom, I grabbed an orange from the bowl on the counter. The clock in the hallway chimed and my mom gave me a quick squeeze as we both left the kitchen.

"I love you." she said kissing the top of my head.

"Love you too."

I got to school late, going straight to class having already missed Morning Prayer. The school day went by in a blur. I turned in what homework I had done, then stared out the windows through the remainder of the classes. It wasn't until after lunch that Kadee cornered me in our Art class.

"What is up with you?" She asked.

"Nothing, I didn't sleep well last night."

"Did you have fun shopping with your mom?"

"We didn't go. My mom and dad didn't get home till later." I lied shrugging my shoulders. I had forgotten about shopping, our plans felt a life time away.

"Hmmm." She said, and her questioning was cut off by the blaring of Jazz music, which signaled the start of class.

Unable to talk over the raging piano, we got our projects out. I stared at my painting. I liked art because as long as you got your projects finished on time, and didn't bother the other students, Professor Willow didn't mind how we spent our time in her class. She often encouraged what she termed "Personal Time" with our projects, so I didn't bother to look very productive, knowing that I would be left alone. At the end of class Nick met her outside the door and we walked back to the main part of the campus. Kadee didn't bug me while Nick was around, but she shot me a worried look as we separated to finish the day. The rest of the school was a daze. I left right after the bell rang, not even bothering to go to my locker.

Later that night the door bell chimed. I ignored the noise, thinking that Tory would grab it. But as it rang again, I rolled off my bed and went to answer it. I opened the door to find Kadee her arms full of a pillow and her over night bag.

"Where are you going?"

"I am spending the night." She stated firmly. "You shouldn't be alone"

"I'm not alone." I replied

"I love Tory," she said, "But sometimes you just need your best friend."

"Wait,"I said, my foggy brain trying to catch up. "How did you..."

"My dad told me when he got home." She said as she pulled me into a hug.

Kadee's dad had been our family's doctor as long as I could remember. The twins had idolized him ever sense he had given them their casts. I stood aside as she came in, and closed the door behind us. We made our way to the Play Room where we had spent most of our days playing and building blanket forts, although the boxes of toys had sense been replaced with a TV and comfortable couches. As we sat, I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my chest.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kadee asked sounding hurt.

"I didn't know what to say." I said to the pillow in my lap. "I still don't."

The Color Pink - Time Line

Movie at Nicks House with friends

"Intervention"

Bump into Brandon

"You do understand what clean means don't you?" She glared at him with ...

"Yes mother" he said hurrying away from the office door, "its in the dictionary right under Obsessive Compulsive"

"I heard that Nicholas"

"I love you mom" he shouted back over his shoulder as they rounded the corner.

Meet Brandon at school

QB "He looks like fun"

Museum

Foot steps make their way across the previously empty room, coming to a stop right behind me. I turn around to find Brandon gazing at the Turner Painting.

"Are you stalking me?" I blurt out. Silently calling myself all different kinds of stupid.

His mouth quirks up at the corner, and he points to the Guide pin on his chest.

"Yes, and I bought this pin in the gift shop as a disguise."

"Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrupt," I told him turning back to the Turner.

Mid-Terms

Paint Bedroom

"You will probably ruin your clothes"

"Probably, but I have more."

***********

"There have been days when our friendship was the only thing standing in the way of my jealousy"

"Wow. Nice bike, " I said. Which was a lie. It looked like a glossy black death trap.

Grief was like that. It gradually faded into a dull ache, until some simple sight or sound or scent hit me like a hammer blow.

His face was creased and lined by long years of sun and weather, and there were crinkles at the corners of his eyes that said he had smiled at some time in the past. He wasn’t smiling now.

“Don’t talk down to me.”

“Well, I could hardly talk up to you. You’re too short.”

“If there was such a thing as terminal literalism, you’d have died in childhood,”

‘I am a badass, and I recognize that you, too, are a badass,’ but they don’t say anything because they’re Wolverine and Magneto and it would mess up their vibe to explain.”

“I met Napoleon once,” said Erin. “We didn’t have an affair, though. He was shockingly prudish for a Frenchman.”

Only when I heard her bedroom door open and close did I give in to my beast instincts and do a wild animal dance around the room.

“And if you come back using words like ‘queue’ or ‘lorry,’ I’ll be very upset.”

it is way too early to be using words like ‘ergo.’

Thanks to the humidity, my hair felt like it had tripled in size. I could feel it trying to devour my sunglasses like some sort of carnivorous jungle plant.

I played as if I were alone in the world and had only this gift to pour into the heartbreaking emptiness.

“That wasn’t berating you,” I said darkly, even as she savored their passage over velvety land and watched the brilliant stars overhead. “When I berate you, you’ll know it.”

The Color Pink Character List

Alexandra Leigh Morris "Lexie"

Twiggie Lithe

Black Curly hair

quiet

Nixon -Brother

Jackson-Brother

Kadee- BFF

Nick-BFF's BF

Brandon - Nicks Cousin and Lexie's BF?

Heather-Friend

pale with white blonde hair

Erin-Friend

transfer student from India with skin the color of creamy coffee and masses of black hair

Jason -Friend

Meegan- Queen Bee

Jared-King Bee

Honor of a Thief - Aiden 1

The carriage bounced along, Aiden sat inside, glaring at the upholstery. She had been called back to the capitol by her parents from the small country estate that Aiden favored. A few days prior, a messenger had arrived weary from this long journey from the capitol to the estate that was nestled in a bay on the outskirts of the seaside city of Morgan. In the letter he carried her parents had told her that she was to return as soon as possible to their home in the capitol, Sedona. They were planning on presenting to court their only child and heir on her eighteenth birthday, in three months time. Unfortunately, there was no way Aiden could resist answering the summons. She was being forced to give up her haven, where she could ride her favorite horse on the coast, or study late into the night with out having to bother with social obligations. She had enjoyed the freedom that pants and a loose tunic had provided her, all of which she had been forced to give up for binding dresses now that she was headed back to the capitol.

The tight stays of her dress along with the bumping from the carriage made her back ache. She grimaced as she sat up straighter, and her stomach growled. They had woken very early that morning so that they could reach the capitol by early afternoon. The merchant caravan she was with had agreed to take her along, so that the rest of the small household could stay behind and finish the preparations to move back. They would follow a week later, but Aiden had to leave right away. Her heart longed to be back on the sprawling estate, left alone with her horse and her beloved books.

Even Cinnamon, her chestnut mare was gong to be returning with the rest to the household. It was not proper for a young lady of her station to ride for days, and then enter into the capitol astride a horse. Lost in her musings, she barley noted the carriage stopping, one of the horses had probably thrown a shoe.

Still scowling at the opposite wall she tried to think of excuses hat would help her get out of the capitol and back to her freedom as soon as possible. Hearing more shouts than was common for a small trifle as a thrown shoe, and feeling the prickling sensation of being watched, she pulled herself out of her longings, and turned around to get out of the carriage, but stopped short. Standing outside was a man whose face was shrouded by clothes draped around his head, leaving a slit that his laughing green eyes peered out of. He seemed to take everything in, while focusing on her.

She glared at him, glad she was sitting and that she had a dress to hide her traitorous knees that shook.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Aiden asked, proud that her voice didn't tremble. She saw his skin crinkle around his eyes, as if he were smiling....Was he laughing at her? What did she say? Was he laughing at some cruel joke he was going to play on her? But his eyes didn't look vicious, What did he want with her? She had brought nothing of value to him. Hidden at the bottom of her trunks were all of her favorite books. She had packed all of her clothing on top of them in an effort to hide them from her parents, who said she spent way too much time with her nose between the pages of a book.

Honor of a Thief - Aiden 2

She had packed all of her clothing on top of them in an effort to hide them from her parents, who said she spent way too much time with her nose between the pages of a book. He had still not answered her questions. Confused she asked "Well....?" Turning away from her he called for two of his men. Immediately two appeared, their faces masked like his. One of them called him "Your Majesty"... he that one told to stay and watch her, but he was not to touch her, then he and the other man left. He moved with a cat like grace. Who was this man? He didn't look much older than she was. And why was he called "your majesty"? Surly this man wasn't a king. She felt trunks being lifted from the rack on the end of the carriage. Her books! She must keep them away from them! What if he took them? What would she do while she was stuck at court without anything to distract her? She would go stark raving mad, that's what. All of the Balls, and social functions, she would go crazy. She had to stop him. She would not be able to survive with out her books.

Without stopping to think, she gathered up her skirts and all of the courage she could muster, and got out. Completely ignoring her "guard" Aiden walked straight backed with her chin held high, coming around the back she saw his "majesty" getting ready to hand down her worn trunks to another. "Don't you dare touch those." She told him, trying to put a commanding tone to her voice. "And why would I do that?" He responded. He was laughing at her! She heard it in his voice! "Because," She told him, "those cases are mine, and I don't want you poking through them." Please let him go, take anything but leave the books please! What would he do? Would he take them just because she asked him not to? What could she do if he did? She would not grovel in front of this man... but if it might save her books...She looked into his almost familiar green eyes, and saw laughter, not malice. "Well lads, I do believe we can afford to leave these ones to the lady." These words sent waves of relief flooding through her. She watched as the men loaded her trunks back onto the rack, and followed the man with the laughing eyes back to the carriage door. He opened it for her with a ridiculously extravagant bow, and as she got in, she tried to convey her gratitude without words. He and the other man walked away, leaving the younger one to once again stand outside her door. She gazed out the window, trying to figure out where she had seen eyes like his. About a quarter of an hour later, her guard disappeared, and was soon replaced by her nervous driver. She looked out of the small window, but saw no sign of the thieves. All up and down the line, the merchants were getting back behind their teams, a few looking a little ruffled. Her carriage started driving with a jolt; she sat back and continued to wonder at the man with the laughing eyes. Who was he, and why did he leave her trunks alone when he could have taken everything? She would have to ask some of her friends in merchant and guard guilds about him when she got to the capitol.

Honor Aiden Random

She danced another two times before the evening finally came to an end. She couldn’t remember the young men’s names, but they had been pleasant and polite enough. She was fairly certain they only danced with her because they thought she was Phoebe’s cousin and their mothers told them to.

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So Aiden did what so many rich girls did when confronted with a situation they did not want to face. She rolled her eyes back into her head and pretended to faint.

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She spun her stave and struck me in the backs of the knees, smacking the joint with enough force to bruise. I tumbled to the ground, teeth set against the moment of pain.

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“Listen to me, Aiden. He’s not a bad guy like your dad and Uncle Eddie are bad guys.” He took a deep breath. “Like I’m a bad guy. This guy? His name’s Arturo Taccone, and he’s a whole different kind of bad.”

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“Are you ever going to call me Kat, Marcus?”

“Not today, miss.” He repeated softly, “Not today.”

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The man who opened the door reminded Kat oddly of Marcus, the way he wordlessly took her wet coat and softly asked her to follow. There were marble floors and chandeliers, fresh flowers, and fires burning in two of the four rooms she passed. But there were no stacks of mail lying on tables, no coats or scarves hung carelessly on the backs of chairs. It was a place that valued beauty and order in equal measure, Kat knew. So she stayed quiet, following her guide toward a set of double doors more intimidating than the drawbridge. She stood silent, waiting for an audience with Arturo Taccone.

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Pretend and it will be true.

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Will snarled something Aiden couldn’t hear. She hoped it was rude. She tried to twist away from Jace. Her feet slipped and he caught her, yanking her back with agonizing force.

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Aiden wondered if Isabelle’s propensity for unsuitable footwear was genetic.

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Dasha sat on a rock and sighed. “Now, shall we just sit or would you like me to blather?”

“Blather please.” “With pleasure.”

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“I hate them,” Enna said. “Whoever is responsible for making me sleep outside without pillows, I hate them.”

“Mmm-hmmm . . . ,” Dasha said. Rin had noticed that the Tiran girl often had trouble remembering how to speak in the morning.

“If Finn were here,” Enna continued to mumble as she rewrapped her head cloth, “he’d let me rest my head on his chest at night. Or leg. Or arm. And then he’d find whoever was responsible for the whole sleeping outside with no pillows situation and hold him while I kicked him in the shins.”

“Hmm . . . ,” said Dasha.

“In the shins. Hard.”

“Just don’t you let go of that lofty dream, Enna,” said Isi. “Four or five days to Kel, where we just might have time for some shin kicking.”

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‘Would you like me to stop talking? Because I can. I have to concentrate, but it’s possible.’

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“Why, I’m just as true and honest as dirt."Jon said " And I’m even more charming than dirt.”