I jumped at the sound and automatically spun in the direction it came from. It didn’t sound too far away. Maybe the next ally…

All I knew at the time was that I needed to go and see what it was. Which I would regret later.

I ran over to the next ally. No one. Next one. Nope. Next one. Not- wait. What’s that. I seen four figures leaning over a lump on the ground. Something was shining on the ground. The gun.

I could barely hear them talking. “Fang, we can’t leave it here,” I heard a male voice say. It sounded deep. But not old.

“Yeah I know. We gotta dump it in the lake. If we tie it to a few bricks it’ll sink… won’t it?” I heard someone say, Fang I guessed.

“Yeah I think. If we go to the-” snap! “Wait. What was that?”

Crap! I looked down. I stepped on a pop can and it sounded like a snap.

Five heads flicked into my direction. I ducked behind the wall again.

My heart was thudding in my chest so loud I thought the people heard it. My throat was closing in anxiety and my mind was screaming at me to run as fast as I could. But if those people still have a bullet in the gun, I bet that they could shoot me before I got across the street.

“Demo, can you go check that?” Fang asked.

“No way man,” I heard the voice hiss. “If someone’s there I don’t want them to see my face!”

“Todd?”

“No way.”

“Jacket?”

“Have you lost your mind?”

What kind of a name was Jacket?

“Fine.” I heard footsteps coming my way. Oh God.

Run you idiot! my mind was screaming at me. Run! If you stay you’re gonna die, so run! NOW! My feet wouldn’t move. I tried to run. To run to the police, the school, the house. Anywhere but here.

“Come out come out wherever you are,” I heard Fang tease.

Run! RUN NOW!

“Caught ya,” I heard him say then someone grabbed my throat and something else was pressed against my neck.

I tried to say something but couldn’t. My words were caught in my throat, along with the knife at my neck. Threatening to take my life away from me.

“Crap!” I heard a voice say. It sounded like Todd.

“Wait, is that a girl?” I heard another say. Jacket I guessed. I still didn’t get what kind of a name Jacket was.

I was thrown to the ground and my head hit the edge of a trash can. Bang! I started to get dizzy and gray spots sparkled across my vision. I didn’t hit my head hard enough to get knocked out, but my head definitely hurt! I closed my eyes concentrated on getting rid of the pain.

“Be a little more careful man. We don’t know what she saw or heard. Maybe she didn’t hear or see anything,” I heard a voice hiss. It was too low for me to know who it was that was hissing it.

“You know what? I wasn’t even thinking about that. I was thinking about why she was there. But now that you mention it… she could’ve heard and seen everything,” I heard another voice hiss. Definitely Fang.

I heard someone suck in a breath. I opened my eyes to see who it was but didn’t have time to look.

I felt someone grab my hair and yanked me from the ground. Pinning me to the wall and holding a gun to my head. I sucked in a breath and glared at the man threatening my life.

I didn’t have much time to evaluate what he looked like, but from his voice, it was Fang. “Where you spying? Who were you spying for? Why are you here? What did you hear? What did you see? Talk to me!” he hissed at me.

“Dude, give her a chance to talk and she might say something,” I heard a person say. It was the same person that was defending me earlier.

“Shut up will ya Jacket?” Fang asked. So it was Jacket that was defending me.

Fang looked at me and pressed harder with the gun. “Talk.”

“I’m not spying,” I said through clenched teeth.

“I’m not playing around here.”

“Neither am I.”

Fang looked me over once and seemed to see that I was telling the truth. “What did you hear?” he asked me.

If I lie then I’ll die. If I tell the truth, I die. I might as well tell them the truth. “I heard someone say, ‘We can’t just leave it here, Fang,’ and everything after that.”

“Why were you here?”

“Well I was in the ally over there and I heard a gunshot and then I came to see what happened.”

“Why were you in the ally?”

“Because I didn’t want to go to school.”

“Why not?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Why not?!”

“Because I-”

“Dude, she’s Demi Bradshaw.”

Fang looked at Jacket and at me the at Jacket then at me again. “Oh.”

I glared at him. “Can I go now?”

Fang looked at me sort of… interested now. “I would say yes, but I want you to hang out for a little bit with us. You mind?”

I stared at them and Jacket nodded eagerly at me. “Uh… sure. Wait. What was that gunshot for?”

“Uh nothing.” The gun wasn’t removed from my head yet.

I stared at them all. Now that I could finally relax, kind of, I could see what everyone looked like. Fang had sandy blond hair with deep blue eyes. Such a deep blue that it reminded me of an ocean. An ocean that you could drown in if you weren’t careful. He had high cheekbones and was very well built with large arms and wide shoulders. He was about a foot taller than me so I had to look up a little to see his face.

Jacket had such dark hair that it was almost black and deep brown eyes with gold flecks. He was only about six inches taller than me and was wearing a large black and red jacket. He had high cheekbones to but had less muscles than Fang. He was pale and very, very handsome.

Todd was black and was wearing an oversized white t-shirt with baggy black jeans and a chain dangling from the sides. He had really short hair with a fire design down the sides. He had thick lips and talked with a sort of edge to it. He was the shortest of the group.

Demo looked like a DJ. He had black headphones around his neck with a oversized black jacket on and a skull tattooed on his ankle. He was a little shorter than Fang and had a dark complexion with thick black eyebrows and long black hair falling over his eyes.

Demo and Todd bent over something and dragged something farther back into the ally and Fang slung his arm around my shoulder and started to walk out of the ally.

“What’s your name?”

“Uh, Demi.”

“Demi. Demi. Sounds just like Demo’s name. That’s weird.”

I shrugged. Jacket came up and stood on the opposite side of me.

“Hey I’m Jacket.”

“I’m Fang,” Fang said.

“Yeah I figured that out when you had the gun to my head.”

“Oh. Yeah. I’m sorry about that. I thought that you were a spy to some other group.”

I nodded, then looked at Jacket. “How did you get the name Jacket?”

Jacket laughed. “A jacket saved my life.”

I raised my eyebrows.

He shook his head. “Long story.”

I just kept walking. They took me to the dock next to the lake and sat down on it, patting in between them for me to sit down.

I know that they killed somebody. That’s what the mound was on the ground in the ally. They’re some kind of gang. Fang had a gun. He must’ve been the one to shoot him. I wonder who he shot though. And Jacket stood up for me. Why? He never even met me. Has he? I doubt it. I would’ve noticed him. And Fang. What was up with him? He’s so… odd. So fast and always in a defensive mode. He always had his shoulder high and his hands like claws. Even sitting he looked dangerous. Every angle you seen him in screamed “Stay away! Dangerous! Will attack!”

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?” Fang asked. He slung his arm around my shoulder again.

“Just why you always have your arm around me,” I said.

“Well we’re together now.”

“What?”

“I really like you a lot. I think we’re a cute couple. You so small and defenseless and me big and strong. We’re really cute togetha. So we’re together now.”

I shrugged his arm off of my shoulder. “Uh, no. We’ve known each other for ten minutes.”

“But, Damen, we’ve accomplished a lot in ten minutes.”

“Yeah and right after you learn to say my name right we’ll go get married.”

“What?”

“It’s Demi. Not Damen. De-mi.”

“Oh well we’ve only known each other for ten minutes.”

“Exactly!”

He shook his head. “Come here babe. We can talk about this later.” He reached for me to pull me in for a kiss and I put up a shield between our lips.

“Fang stop!”

He stopped and sighed. “Well you’re nothing like Jazzy.”

“I have no idea who the heck Jazzy is but if she thinks that your together and ready to make out in ten minutes, I’m definitely not like her.”

Jacket laughed next to me.

Fang gave him a cold glare, then he looked at me. “It’s no big deal.”

“Exactly. And I think I should be going now.”

Jacket stood up with me and Fang did as well.

“No come on. Look I’m sorry okay? It’s just been that I’ve been pretty lonely after Jazzy left okay? I’m sorry. Don’t go.” He grabbed my hand before I could take a step away. For the first time I saw him he looked vulnerable. He didn’t have his shoulders hunched up and his hands weren’t claws and his eyes weren’t wary and dangerous looking. His eyes were sad and I could see that he didn’t want me too leave.

“Fine. I’ll stay.”

I started to sit down when I heard cop sirens flaring and a car spun in a donut in the gravel road behind us. All three of us turned around.

“Fang! The cops are after us man! We gotta run!” Todd yelled.

Fang was on his feet in a second and Jacket was right behind him. Fang grabbed one side of me and Jacket grabbed the other side and they dragged me to the side and threw me in. I looked out the window after they closed the door and then I seen what was in the ally. A snapped rope was tied around the body. It was floating face down in the lake with his arms and legs sprawled out in all directions. It had red hair the floated around it. A girl. Long red hair, floating around her like a net.

I gasped. “Oh my god.”

Jacket looked at me then out the window and his face went white. “The rope came untied man. It’s floating.”

“What are you-” Fang started to say, then saw what he meant. “Crap.”

Fang looked at me. “You don’t know what happened. You would know if you seen what happened.”

I ignored him. Sure I knew he killed somebody in the ally. For some crazy reason I looked past that. Maybe I was hoping it wasn’t true. But I did know. But seeing it right in front of my eyes… well that was different.

The car sped off. “Oh my god,” I repeated.

Jacket looked at me. “Demi you don’t understand.”

“I want out.”

“Demi listen.”

“Let me out of this freaking car NOW!” I screamed.

Todd didn’t slow down. I opened the door to jump and almost made it out when Fang snatched me and pulled me. The door slammed shut and Fang pulled me over to where I was sitting in between him and Jacket.

“Let me out of this god forsaken car now!” I yelled.

Jacket laughed and I turned to glare at him. “What is so funny?”

“It’s just that I don’t know any one that says godforsaken here.”

“Well you just met one. Now let me out NOW!” I screamed. Todd didn’t slow down.

Demo turned around. “Dud if she opens her mouth and tells that we’re the one that killed her we’re gonna have to shoot her. You know that right?”

Fang and Jacket looked at me. “Are you gonna open your mouth?”

I didn’t say anything. I just stared.

He sighed and looked down. “Please say that you won’t. I really don’t want to have to kill you,” he said.

I could feel Jacket stiffen next to me. “Just say you won’t. If you don’t think that he will, he will. Trust me. He’s done it before,” Jacket whispered in my ear so no one could hear him.

I said nothing. Fang sighed again. “Well I really don’t want to do this… but.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gun.

Well this is a good way to die, I thought. I die trying to turn in a killer. Well, killer’s.

The last thing I heard was the click of the gun being cocked and Jacket screaming no, then the car ran into a tree and I could see nothing.

“Do you see what we got her into?” I heard Jacket hiss at Fang.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s a criminal!”

“No she’s not. We practically kidnapped her. She had nothing to do with this.”

“She knew that we killed that chick and she said nothing! And the police know! And thanks to your touchiness she’s gonna turn us in!”

Fang sighed. I could barely see it but I did. I was laying on something cold and damp. Like a cave floor maybe. I heard a small dripping noise in the distance and there was a musty smell. My head throbbed and my leg was twisted in a very uncomfortable position, but I didn’t dare move it. I wanted to hear what they had to say.

“I’m sorry okay? I’ve just been really sad since Jazzy left. And it’s not like you getting a girlfriend helped it. I guess I got sorta jealous.”

“What do you mean, ‘you getting a girlfriend’? I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“You will soon.”

“What?”

Fang sighed again. “Did you not see her looking at you. She wouldn’t have cared if your arm was around her, but it was a big deal with me. And… that’s never happened before. I’ve always been the getter one out of you and me. I wasn’t used to someone looking at you more than me.”

“She doesn’t look for looks man.”

“How do you know?”

“Because if she did, she would’ve been all over you. And she would’ve run when she seen you. Everything about you screams danger.” Good, I thought. I’m not the only one.

Fang looked away. “She’s just special. I can see it in her eyes. Did you not see it?” What is her talking about?

“Yeah I did. The way her eyes changed color. When she was mad at you it was like a violet blue. When she was scared it was a dark brown. When we started walking out of the ally, her eyes were bright blue.”

“It’s based on her mood. And you know what that means.”

“What does it mean?”

Fang and Jacket looked at Todd and Demo.

I swear that Fang’s eyes had a tint of red to them when he saw them. “I told you guys to wait in the car!” he yelled.

Todd and Demo retreated immediately. Fang sighed and his eyes looked calmer. “We have to take care of her.”

Jacket shook his head back and forth. “I still can’t get the image out of my head.”

Fang grabbed his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “Dude, I know we got in a lot of crap and we can’t get out of it. It’s for the gang okay? She knows what we did and we both know she’s gonna turn us in. I know what I did was stupid in the car and I wasn’t really gonna shoot her, I was just trying to get her to believe I would. We have to watch her now though. We can’t leave her alone that means. One of us are gonna have to always be with her because they want to hurt her. We both know it.”

“Who’s after me?”

Fang and Jacket both looked at me surprised. “You’re awake,” Fang said.

“Yeah I just did. Who’s after me?”

“That’s a long story. We need to get going,” Jacket said and he came to lift me off the ground. I pushed him away.

“I can walk myself.” But once I was on my feet I fall straight down until Jacket catched me and lifted me back up in his arms.

“Yeah I can tell.”

I grimaced but let him carry me out of the cave.

They sat me down in the car and Todd turned around to look at me. “I swear I didn’t mean to hit you like that. I didn’t mean to hit the tree. You just started screaming and I guess I got kinda distracted.”

“It’s fine Todd.”

He nodded and turned around and started to drive away. I hope my Sarah and Frank don’t mind if I’ll be late for dinner.

“Where did you get the new car?” I whispered to Jacket.

He just shrugged and looked out the window. He knew where we got it, he just didn’t want to tell. The outside of it was black. That’s all I can really tell you. I’ve never been very good with cars.

I looked at Fang. “Where did you get the new car?”

He shrugged. “We borrowed it from a friend of ours,” he said, then chuckled. He looked out the window as well.

We sat like that in silence for a long time. Finally I pulled out my phone and Fang grabbed it and almost threw it out the window. “Wait!” I yelled.

He looked at me. “I can’t let you turn us in!” he yelled back.

He looked at him in disbelief. “I was calling Sarah and Frank to say that I’m at a friend’s house so they don’t call the cops!”

“Oh.” He gave me back the cell phone hesitantly. I held out my hand waiting for him to drop it. He didn’t.

“Tell me their number.”

I stared at him in even more disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“No. I can’t risk it.”

I glared at him, and then told him their number. He held it up to his ear until it was ringing and then told Todd and Demo to pull over and had me put it on speaker phone.

After ten seconds Sarah answered. “Hello?”

“Hey Sarah.”

“Oh. Hello Demi.”

“Yeah, hi. I was just telling you that I’m staying with Chessy tonight. Okay?”

“Yeah sure. Just be home after school tomorrow. Or call me if you can’t.”

“Okay. Bye Sarah.”

“Ba-bye!”

The phone read “Call ended!”

I texted Chessy: if sarah asks I’m at ur house. k???

The reply came: will do. have fun!!!

Fang nodded and looked away. I glared at him. “You want to hold on to it? Just in case?” I asked him.

He looked at the phone, then at me. “Is that an offer?”

I gave him a shut-up-if-you-know-what’s-best-for-you stare then handed my phone to Jacket.

“Don’t let him touch it. He’s not afraid to shoot me, remember?” I said sarcastically.

Fang grunted and looked out the window and I deliberately leaned into Jacket. He put his arm around my shoulders and I leaned my head against his shoulder. Fang gave us one glance and a glare at Jacket. Jacket cringed at the glare but didn’t remove his arm.

We showed up at a cheap motel. It was called, Bob’s Inn. “We’re gonna have to stay here tonight if we want to get where we’re going without wrecking,” Todd said.

He cut the engine and walked in to get a room.

“I’m sorry,” Fang said. He didn’t look at me. He kept looking out the window.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m sorry.”

Jacket sucked in a breath. Later I would see how rare it was for Fang to apologize. But at that moment, I was trying to figure out what he was talking about.

Before I could ask Demo came out and waved us toward one of the doors. I jumped out of the car over Jacket’s lap faster than a rabbit jumped away from the lion.

We walked into a hideous room with striped bedcovers and floral wallpaper.

“What died in here?” I asked, looking around.

Fang chuckled then looked at Demo. “Call the rest of the gang, will ya? Let them know we’re all right.”

Demo nodded and pulled out his phone.

“There are more of you?” I asked.

Fang laughed and so did Jacket and Todd. “We aren’t even the start of it,” Jacket said and high fived Fang. They did that weird thing guys did when they high fived and grabbed each other’s hand and pulled themselves to each other and chest bumped.

I looked at them. In an odd sort of way, I kinda wanted to be a part of it. Their gang and all. I wanted to have a family. I wanted to have somewhere to go and I want to know how to fight. I want to be part of this. All of this.

“How can I get in?”

Fang, Jacket, Todd, and even Demo looked at me and stopped muttering into the phone.

“What?” Jacket asked me.

“I want to be a part of this. The gang.”

They all stared at me and an awkward silence fell over the room. Jacket started laughing and Fang joined along and soon everyone but me was laughing.

Fang looked at me. “Oh that’s funny. That is hilarious! Like you really want to be in a gang and-” he kept talking and talking and Jacket looked at me.

Jacket patted Fang’s shoulder and Fang looked at him. “She’s not kidding,” he said, not looking away from me.

Fang looked at me a long time. “You have got to be kidding me.”

I shook my head. “I’m not. You guys seem to have a good time.”

Fang laughed, but it wasn’t a humorous one. “You want to join a gang to have a good time?”

I shook my head again. “No I want to be a part of this because I want to be a part of you guys.”

Jacket gave me a long look. “Demi, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I do. I know you killed that person and I know that you will kill more. I’m fine with that. I want to be a part of it.” What am I saying? Do I really want to kill people?

Fang looked at Jacket and waved Demo and Todd over. The all huddled, reminding me very much of football players.

They whispered to each other, but I could hear fragments of it.

“She already knows to much… If she’s part of it then…” Fang muttered.

“We can’t risk it… you’ve known her for a day and she… she’s seen too much we have to get rid of her…” Todd hissed.

“Are you crazy?! She just… She won’t turn us in for… She’s totally safe…” Jacket muttered.

“I’m with Jacket and Fang. She’s isn’t gonna hurt… and we can’t let her walk off and we definitely… That would just lead to a whole pattern of things that… so we can’t just…” Demo whispered to Todd.

Silence. “Fine… but if… and we… Okay?”

Everyone nodded and turned back to me. I felt like I was being interrogated.

“Here’s the thing. There’s something that has to be done for you to join. And I don’t think that you would enjoy it very much,” Fang said.

“What?”

“Jacket? You want to explain?”

Jacket’s eyes widened. “What? Why me?”

My stomach churned. Is it really that bad?

“How about we just tell you later when we are around everyone else.”

“Why? Is it… really that bad?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“I’m warning you that it’s not pleasant.”

Oh god. “I’m really tired,” I said suddenly, changing the subject.

Jacket and Fang and everyone else seemed to understand and picked sleeping arrangements. I was sleeping with Fang and Jacket while Todd and Demo got the other bed.

Oh dear, I thought. I get to sleep with Fang. That’s just lovely.

Once we all got settled in I was in between Jacket and Fang. Fang seemed to have a hard time not pulling me into him and having me cuddle with him while Jacket had a hard time not laughing at Fangs pain.

I fell asleep and imagined what hell was going to be in for me when we get back to Burksville.

TWO DAYS LATER

I lay on the table that was set out in front of me. I know what’s going to happen and I know I’m not going to like it. Jacket explained the whole thing. In fact, he had such faith that Fang, that Fang is the only one that I’ll let do it. Draken and Ean are not allowed to do it. I refused to let them.

Twenty figures in black surrounded the table and I pressed my face against the table. They talked to me about this, I thought to myself. I wanted to be a part of this. I needed to be. These people understand me. I wanted to do this.

The hot metal stick came out of the fire, blazing red, showing me that there is no turning back. I grimaced. Once I got home, Sarah and Frank never suspected a thing. I did not go all the way to California to grab Zeklos and come back for nothing. Zeklos is to help clean up the messes. I know what I got myself into and I don’t want to turn back.

“Mia… Mia… Mia… Mia…” the people around me were chanting. Mia was my name Catalan.

“Mia Bradshaw. You know the consequences and the privileges of being a La Mort. You may join our brothers and sisters if you abide by our rules, and accept the one consequence of this decision. Do you accept?” Fang asked me in a very low and powerful voice.

“Yes.”

He reached over the table and lifted up my shirt to expose my lower back. “I now announce you, as a sister of our family, a La Mort,” he said. As he lowered the hot metal to my back. I gripped my hands at my sides and grinded my teeth together, I shut my eyes and concentrated on why I was here. Why I wanted to be a part of this.

Then I felt the pain in my back. It burnt my skin and I could smell the smell of burning fresh. I bit my tongue so hard that it drew blood. Oh my GOD! I gripped my fist harder and bit harder on my tongue, holding back the urge to scream. I could feel the a be made on the back of my neck for La. Just four more letters. I imagined why started this. Why I wanted to do this. The M in Mort is done. Just three more. I imagined the first time I found these people. There’s the o. Two more. That’s it. I scrunched my nose at the smell. The r’s done. Just one more. Only oooooooone more! I waited for the t to be done. There’s the first line. Just one more to make the cross. Aaaaand done. I can’t even explain how much I was relieved.

“Mia Bradshaw. Welcome to the family.” He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips.

Now I know what you’re thinking, why did I kiss him? That’s how the ritual goes. If it’s a man joining, then a girl is the one that carves it in him, but it goes in his arm. If it’s a girl, it’s a man that does it, but it’s a tramp stamp. And in the end, they seal it with a kiss. They exchange their souls. Well that’s basically how they do it. After that I was lifted off the table by Fang and he sat me on the ground and had to hold me up, as they usually did, so I didn’t fall from the slowly fading pain.

Everyone cheered and led me to the table, where I there drank the goblet full of wine. The goblet was gold with silver frames around it. I drank it as I was supposed to and then turned around and held it up, to show my last chance.

You see, if you don’t drink from the goblet, it shows that you’re having second guesses. And you can’t have that. So if you don’t drink it immediately they kill you. Immediately.

After all of that we were celebrating my joining. We were in the very ally I first found this gang. There was loud music and liquor and dancing people everywhere.

Jacket came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed my neck slowly and I giggled.

“Hey sexy,” he murmured in my ear a way that made my knees feel like jello.

“Hey,” was all I could say.

“Welcome to the family,” he said, and he kissed my lips, slowly and soft. It was one of those melting kisses. The ones that made your knees go weak and your mind race.

I was to into the kiss to see Fang glaring at us from the corner. The gun in his hand. Later I would regret kissing Jacket. But for now, I was enjoying it as much as I could.

ONE MONTH LATER

I showed up at the meeting place for all La Mort’s. So this is what the shed looks like. Well it’s not exactly a shed. They call it a shed so if someone says “Meet me at the shed,” and someone we don’t want to hear it does, they’ll just look for regular shed’s. This was a building. An old school building actually. We all met on the second floor, but I was still on the bottom, walking to the room that Jacket described to me when he texted me.

I walked to two large doors and pulled them apart to be exposed to a huge empty room. Well… mostly empty. There was a table. It had a long candle stick on it. When I walked closer to it I could see two little glints on the table on opposite ends. Then the doors closed behind me. I spun around. “Jacket?” I called.

No one answered.

“Jacket? Very funny. Where are you?”

I started walking to the doors. Then I heard something like a lighter being lit behind me. I spun around to see that the candle stick was lit and that the glints on the table where plates. I guess that me and Jacket are having dinner.

I looked up to find Jacket, only, the thing is, it wasn’t Jacket that was there. It was Fang.

I didn’t even bother talking to him I kept walking toward the door. How dare he text me acting like he was Jacket and have me meet him here and then make a stupid romantic dinner for us when he knows that I LIKE JACKET NOT HIM AND JACKET LIKES ME!

“Mia wait!” he yelled, and he ran in front of the door just in time to catch me.

“No. Get out of my way,” I said to him in a flat voice.

“Just listen to me!” he yelled.

“I’m good.”

He sighed. “Do you think that this is me trying to set up a date with you?” he asked me.

I stared at him. “That’s not what this is?”

He shook his head. “No. But that would’ve been a good idea to get you to show up.”

I glared at him. “Why did you act like you were Jacket?”

“Because you wouldn’t have shown up.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t have. What do you want?”

“You to do something for me.”
I stared at him for a long time. “What do you need?”

“Do you know our little friend Hannah?” he asked me.

Oh. This was a mission. I turned around and walked to the table, Fang right behind me. I sat down at the table and Fang sat across from me. He pulled out a pizza box and a slice of pepperoni pizza on my plate.

I looked down at the pizza then at Fang and laughed. He seemed shocked and gave a confused smile. “What’s so funny?”

“You just… you turned off the lights, set up candles, put out really nice plates like a really expensive dinner, and you serve me pizza?”

He smiled now to. “Yeah I guess.”

I shook my head, still smiling, and picked up my pizza and started eating. After I got done with that slice, I reached over and took another one. Fang just stared.

“What?” I asked.

“You just grabbed another piece.”

I nodded my head. “Yeah. That’s what you do when you’re still hungry and there’s more to eat,” I said to him in a well-duh voice.

He kept looking at me. “Why is it such a big deal that I got another piece of pizza?” I asked.

He shrugged. “In front of guys girls usually try to eat a little so they don’t look like hogs.”

I laughed. So that’s why he was staring. “You think it’s weird that I don’t care what you think?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “Most girls rarely eat around here. Well, in front of me they don’t eat at all.”

“Duh. You’re like super hot and they want to seem really thin and pretty and weak so you’ll feel the need to protect them or because they don’t want to seem like they eat a lot.”

“So you admit that I’m super hot?” he asked, wriggling his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes. “So what’s up with Hannah?” I asked him.

He gave me a confusing glance. “What about Hannah? What do you-” Understanding took over in his eyes. “Oooh. Right. The mission. So Hannah seems to have gotten pregnant.”

I stopped chewing my pizza and stared at him. “What?” I asked in disbelief.

He nodded, his eyes full of sorrow. “Someone noticed it tonight. She’s been wearing really big clothes, but none of us really thought anything of it. Until today when Raven reached over to get something and she felt Hannah’s stomach. She’s at least six months pregnant according to Raven.”

“And you want me to take care of it,” I said.

He nodded. “You don’t have to. I just picked you because, well, you seem like one of the least harmless people here. But you’re the second most dangerous. I’ve seen what you can do. And I’ve seen your acting. You’re really good. I have no idea how you learned to fight so well but you’re the second most deadliest. Not that anyone but you and me and Jacket know. And you can act like someone is lost in the woods or you lost your puppy or something.”

I nodded and shrugged. “Okay I’ll do it. I need you to call me at a certain time though and act like someone and say that Sparky got out.”

“Who’s Sparky?”

“My puppy.”

Fang looked at me for a long time. You don’t have a puppy.”

“I do now,” I said, and smiled evily.

He smiled back. “I’ll call you at 8:30. Be around her at that time. Right now it’s 8:20. You have ten minutes. I’ll call you and you take her out in the woods. Then end it.”

I nodded and stood up, starting to walk away.

“Wait, Mia, come back here.”

I stopped and looked back. Fang was holding a gun in his hand. I walked over to him. If he was going to shoot me I want him to know that I’m not scared. He reached out for my hand and I gave it to him.

He put the gun in it but didn’t let go of the gun of my hand. “Use this. It’s not only her fault, it’s also the father’s. See if you can find out who he is.”

I nodded. Then the least expected thing happened. Fang grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. At first I thought that it was for him to kidnap me or something, but then he let go of my hand and wrapped his arms around my waist. Pressing his mouth to mine. I was to shocked to do anything but one. I clenched my hand into a fist and punched him in the face.

He broke away and cupped his cheek. “AWE MAN!” he yelled. “Okay. Two things. One, I totally deserved that. Two, why did you have to punch me!”

“Why did you kiss me?” I asked him. I turned around and stomped out of the doors and went up to the meeting room which I realized wasn’t a meeting at all. It was a party. There was music and food and alcohol. A lot of alcohol.

I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. 8:23.

I looked around for Hannah. Ah, there. I spotted her straight black hair. I walked up to her. “Hey Hannah!” I exclaimed.

“Mia! We haven’t talked in a long time!” she exclaimed back. I pulled her into a hug and definitely felt her baby bump.

I showed no emotion on my face. As if I didn’t see a thing.

I looked at the clock on the wall. 8:29. He should call any seconds. I acted like I was interested at a graffiti painting on the walls. Then my phone rang.

“This is the right time, right?” Fang asked through the phone.

“Yes.”

“So act like you’re devastated.”

I stopped breathing, putting a shocked face on. “What?!”

“That’s good. Don’t start crying or anything, but look like you’re really scared.”

Fear uncovered in my eyes. “When?!” I asked, hysterically.

Hannah looked at me questionably.

“Remember that you need to look in the woods and need help. Go”

“I’m on my way now. I’ll get help so I’m not alone.”

I hung up, keeping a devastated expression on my face.

“My dog ran away. I need to go look for him. Can you help me?” I asked in a pleading voice.

She nodded. “I’ll do anything. Where are we going?”she asked me.

“My parents have the roads, my aunt and uncle are looking in the country, they want me to look in the woods.”

She stopped dead. I turned around to look at her questioningly. “What’s wrong?” I asked her, fake wonder in my voice.

She gave me a suspicious look. “In the woods?” I nodded. “Alone?” I nodded. “Just the two of us?” I nodded. She bit her lip. “To be honest I’m kinda nervous.”

“Why?” I asked. But there was no fake wonder in my voice.

“It’s just…” she looked around nervously. “I’m scared of the dark,” she whispered.

I laughed. “Trust me, that’s the least of your worries,” I said to her, then bit my lip, realizing that I almost made a slip.

She shrugged. “Oh well. I’ll still help.”

“Perfect,” I purred. I turned my back so that she couldn’t see my evil smile.

We walked to the woods and started in. “Spaaaarky!” I yelled.

“Sparky! Come here boy!” Hannah yelled.

We yelled like that until we got deeper into the woods. I bent down, acting like I was looking in a bush. Hannah stepped by me and I pulled out my gun.


I cocked it. She froze. “I’m really sorry about this Hannah,” I said.

“You little-”

“Ah-ah-ah,” I said.

I did feel kind of sorry for Hannah. She didn’t know this was coming and she died trying to help me find my fake dog.

“I thought you were my friend,” Hannah said, hurt.

“I am. And trust me, I’m being a huge friend by doing this.”

She snorted. “How?!”

“Imagine what everyone would do to you if they found out you were pregnant? They would torture you. They would cut your stomach open, pull out the baby, and burn it alive along with you.”

She didn’t say anything.

I did feel sorry for her, so I’ll make it quick. I aimed the gun at her head. “Bye, Hannah. I really am going to miss you,” I said sympathetically.

“Yeah, bye,” she said moody.

I pulled the trigger. BOOM!

I leaned over the dead body. The eyes were still open. They were dangerously empty.

I shuddered and dragged the body to the near creek. Dropping it in.

“Nice job,” Fang said behind me.

I jumped and turned around. “Are you stalking me too?” I asked annoyed.

He shook his head. “No. I was just seeing how good you were gonna do. You didn’t bother ask her who the father is.”

I shrugged. “She was dying by helping me find my nonexistent dog.”

He thought about it, “I guess you’re right.”

I started walking to the meeting place again. I could hear him moving his arm, so I guessed that he was going to put his arm around me again.

“And if you try to put your arm around me again, I’ll break it,” I said.

He sighed. “I guess that’s fair.”

TWO MONTHS LATER

“We have to get rid of him,” Jacket whispered to the group. “He wants to take us out. Him and his gang. If we take him out, we can take his gang out easily. They won’t have direction and they won’t be able to attack us. They’ll be forced to turn to us.” I watched him as he talked. The words he was saying reminded me of a medieval battle pep talk.

Fang nodded in agreement. He looked at me. “You have to get him distracted, and when he turns his back, take him out. We’ll finish the rest.”

I nodded. “Where is he?”

“He’s at the dock, waiting for one of us to go and meet him. He doesn’t realize how dangerous you really are and he won’t suspect you to be able to kill him.”

I nodded again and reached for the gun in Fang’s hand. He pulled it back. “No. You need this,” he said, and handed me a knife. “We can’t make any noise. But I have to tell you this, put up a fight. Make him fight a little so he thinks he has a chance. Then he will realize how weak he really is when he gets beat by a girl.”

I glared at him.

“Well, you I meant to say.”

I nodded and grabbed the knife, putting it in my pocket. I had a pair of black gym shorts on and a red tank top. Our team color is red. Which is really funny because I had a red bandana in my drawer that I never seen.

“Okay. So when do we go?”

Fang pulled out his phone. “He’s there now. We have to hurry. And remember, his name is Lorence.”

I nodded and walked out of the ally. This is why I joined the gang. To let out my anger on people. This is why the lower part of my back says La Mort. This is why they call me Mia.

I walked to the dock, my legs feeling numb in the cold night air. I knew I should’ve worn jeans tonight. But I had to get out fast before Sarah and Frank came up to see what was going on up stairs.

I seen the old dock after a few minutes and I could see a shadow follow me up to it which I knew was Fang and Jacket moving silently.

I could see a figure standing on the dock, waiting for me. I walked up to it and stopped right in front of him. The light was shining on him just right so I could see everything about him.

He had black hair falling over his eyes and pulled back in a short pony tail with a tight, black T-Shirt on and baggy black shorts with black and white high tops.

He gave me a gleaming smile. “Hey,” he said in a low voice.

“Hi. So you’re Lorence, right?”

“Yeah. And you’re the La Mort I’m supposed to be meeting, right?”

I nodded. “That’s me,” I said in my best I’m-so-small-and-defenseless voice. I made it sound like I had a really high voice and slumped my shoulders and sucked in my stomach to made it look like I was a lot smaller than I really was.

“Well we need to talk about how our fighting’s going. Because so far, you’re little group has killed seven of my people.”

“And how many of us has your little group killed?” I asked him expectantly.

He shrugged. “A couple.”

“Twelve. You’ve killed twelve of us.”

He shook his head. “Whatever. The point is that we need to get rid of this fighting because it’s killing us.”

I nodded. “I know. That’s why this has to end now.”

He looked at me for a long time then laughed. “So you’re gonna kill me? Is that what you’re saying?” he asked me humored.

I nodded. “That or you’re group backs off of us.”

He looked at me again. “Yeah good luck Goldie Locks.”

I smiled. Oh don’t worry, I thought. I will.

I reached for his throat at a speed that surprised even him and he backed off before I could cut into anything. I didn’t pull out my knife yet. I wanted to look defenseless.

He reached over and grabbed my arm and threw me to the ground and pinned me. “You still want to fight? You know, you’re actually hot for a gang member.”

I smile my sweetest smile. “Awe thanks. You know, that might actually be a compliment if it wasn’t coming from you.”

I kicked him off of me and rolled over to push myself up. Once I was off the ground he looked at me now. I wasn’t slumping my shoulders or bending my knees any, or sucking in. Now he seen what I really looked like and he looked surprised. “You know, you actually looked like you were a little kid. Now you look like the Devils Angel.”

“You’re a little off there. I’m the Devils Daughter.”

I ran to him and kicked him in the stomach so he fell over. He reached out to grab my arm which I didn’t pull back so he could pull me down, to make him think I wasn’t as tough as I was. He was laying on his back with me laying on top of him and smiling. “You really are beautiful. How about we just kiss and make it all better?”

I rolled my eyes. What is up with guys wanting to make out with girls that they just met?

I smiled at him and leaned down as if I was actually going to while my hand reached into my pocket and gripped the pocket knife.

“You know you could leave your gang and join us,” I said in a seductive voice. “I would really like for you to be with me. It would be a lot of fun. We could go and kill of your gang and you can become a La mort.” I flipped open the blade in my pocket.

“That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.”

I had to sound like I really wanted him to. Catch him off guard. I leaned down and kissed his neck. While he couldn’t see my eyes I looked over where Fang and Jacket were watching. Lorence can’t see them in the darkness but I can. They looked at me questionably and I gave them an It’s-just-an-act look in my eyes. Jacket nodded but looked like he didn’t like what I was doing. Fang didn’t like it either He was still moping about me picking Jacket over him.

I pulled back and looked into Lorence’s eyes and pulled my hand out of my pocket. I put my hand next to his face so he couldn’t see the knife.

“What do I have to do to get in?” he asked me, like he really wanted in. Which he probably did. So many people want to join us now, since we’re the dominant one. We made a group that would talk to them separately, but the person wanting to join wouldn’t know that they were in it. Most of the people wanted to join so they wouldn’t get killed.

“Oh there’s the thing,” I said. I pulled up the knife to his neck and Lorence’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You can’t.”

“You wouldn’t,” Lorence mumbled. He looked at me with begging eyes, eyes I was so used to seeing.

I bent down and whispered into his ear. “Try me.” Then I leaned up and looked into his eyes, waiting for him to dare me to do it. “You still want that kiss?” I asked.

He said nothing, but looked at me with pure hatred and fear. I leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips then looked him in the eyes as I sat up and smiled at him.

“Don’t worry,” I said to him. “We’ll inform your group that you were going to leave them.”

“You wouldn’t actually kill me would you?” he asked in a shaky voice that he tried to hide.

“Oh but that’s the thing,” I said in a cheerful voice. Then I felt my face go beautifully dangerous. “I would.”

And with that I slit his throat and his eyes widened. Then went blank.

Jacket came out with his hands clapping. “You know,” he said to me. “I almost thought that you were going to let him join.”

Fang laughed. “So did I,” he said. He seemed disappointed. His whole expression said, “So you kiss a guy you don’t know for two minutes but you won’t kiss a guy you know for two months.”

I laughed.

Fang pulled out his phone and his eyes widened. “Well, looks like we’re going on a trip. There’s a guy name Hernando that we need to take care of.”

Hernando. “Where is he.”

Fang looked at me and smile. “That’s the fun part. Looks like we’re going to Mexico.”

My eyes widened. “Looks like it’s a good thing I took Spanish,” Jacket said and laughed.

“When do we go?” I asked Fang.

He looked at his phone for a few seconds. “Now.”

Mexico is actually a pretty nice state. The people around here haven’t tried to attack once like everyone says they would. I don’t know how we got in Mexico, we don’t have passports or anything. But there was a very big flee market going on in Progresso and I just had to check it out. The only people that came with me was Jacket and Fang. We’re the only ones that need to come. I’m the second most dangerous one in the group, right next to Fang.

I seen a very pretty, black flower that was clay attached to a silver chain.

I looked at Jacket. “Ask that woman how much this is,” I said to him.

He looked at the woman. “Cuánto es ese collar?”

The woman looked at him. “Son las 3 dólares.”

He looked back at me. “It’s three dollars.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to her. “Keep the change.” I said.

I looked at Jacket for him to translate. “Mantenga el cambio.”

She looked at me and nodded gratefully. “Gracias, muchacha.”

“She said thank you.”

I nodded at her and walked down the aisle until we went all the way through.

When we were done me and Jacket walked up to a bar. “Do you want anything?” I asked him.

“What do you want?” he asked me.

“A Pina-Colada.”

He nodded. “Yo quiero uno Pina-Colada y un Daiquiri de fresa.”

The man nodded. “Que será de siete pesos y sesenta y tres centavos.”

Jacket reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to the man. The man handed back three dolloar bills and some change which Jacket stuffed in his pocket.

The man started to work on the Pina-Colada.

“How do you know so much Spanish?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “My moms friend’s uncle used to live in Mexico and I talked to him a lot,” He said to me. I listened to all the things that he had to say about his moms friends uncle.

“Disculpe, sus bebidas se llevan a cabo,” the Mexican man said behind me.

Jacket turned around and grabbed our drinks and handed my Pina-Colada to me and I sucked it up through the straw.

We sat down and talked to each other for a long time until Fang came by. “God where have you guys been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” he yelled.

I waved him off. “It’s fine. Now we need to get down to business.”

Jacket and Fang nodded. He waved at a man across the beach and the guy that Jacket waved at came over slowly.

The guy looked at me, Fang, and Jacket once he was standing next to our table then looked at Jacket. Jacket and the man started muttering words so fast that I didn’t understand over half the things that were being said.

Suddenly Jacket looked at me. “This man knows Hernando. He’s going to send a message for him to meet us outside of a bar. He can speak English so you won’t have to have me there to translate. You will be able to take him out easily. He may put a little bit more of a fight than Lorence did, but, not that much bigger.”

I nodded. “When are we meeting him?” I asked.

“Tonight at nine thirty, when it’s dark and no one can see. You’re going to have to draw him near the ocean so no one will see you.”

I nodded again. This will be easy. “Can I use a gun?”

Fang and Jacket nodded. “If you do and someone hears it, there will just be a big gun fight,” Fang said to me. Jacket nodded in agreement.

“So I have to use a knife again,” I said disappointed. Fang and Jacket nodded again. I sighed. “Knives are so boring. There’s no boom or trigger and you can’t cock it and scare the crap out of the person you’re about to kill.” I sighed.

Fang and Jacket gave each other a long look. They both laughed. “Yeah I’m really happy no one around here can speak English,” Jacket said as he bellowed.

Fang laughed so hard he started to tear up. “What is so funny?” I asked frustrated.

Fang and Jacket stopped laughing, looked at me, and then started laughing again. “It’s just that… you’re so… bloodthirsty… and you… always like to… scare the people that… you attack!” Jacket said in between his long laugh. I could see people around us starting to stare.

“Guys tone it down!” I hissed to them. They just started laughing harder and I sat there, waiting impatiently, for them to shut up.

I stood by the bar, waiting for Hernando to show up.

“Now remember,” Jacket said to me a few minutes before while he was walking me here. “You have to lure him away from the bar and near the ocean so no one will see it and you can’t let him make any noise. You can’t hurt him until you get next to the ocean so the waves will drown out the screams. And try not to torture him.”

I nodded at all the things he said. “I have a question.”

“Ask away.”

“Why are we doing this?” I asked.

Jacket looked at Fang who answered, “I really have no idea. We kinda do favors for other people and this was one of the favors that people asked for.”

I nodded again.

I snapped out of my memory when I heard someone walking up to me. “Are you the La Mort?” I heard a Mexican voice ask. I instantly slumped my shoulders and bent my knees and sucked in to make myself look smaller than I really was.

I turned around and seen a man no older than me with black hair and brown eyes that I could barely make out in the dim lighting. “Yes I am. Are you Hernando?” I asked.

He nodded and reached out to take my hand. “That’s me. What do you want?”

To be honest, I have no idea. “You know what I want. That’s what we’re here for.”

“Look if this is about Richie’s money I have no idea what-”

“That’s not what this is about, I assure you.”

He nodded. “Then what do you want.”

“Think about it,” I said smartly. “I think you’ll figure it out.”

He nodded. “I have something to show you,” he said to me.

“Where is it?” I asked him. He pointed next to the dock.

“Right over there. We have to get on the dock and you’ll see it there.”

I nodded. This was easier than I thought it was going to be.

We walked up to the dock and when we were on the edge he suddenly grabbed my throat and I felt something sharp against my throat, a knife I figured.

He hissed in my ear. “I don’t know who you’re working for but I’m not stupid. Tell your leader to leave me alone because I had nothing to do with it!”

I was stunned. The only thing that I could say was, “What?”

“I’m not the one that killed him!” he hissed. “I didn’t even touch Brandon. We talked for five minutes then he left.”

Ooooh. That’s why he was supposed to die. He killed someone.

I could tell that Fang and Jacket were watching because I seen a moving shadow out of the corner of my eye that Hernando didn’t. I held up my hand just enough for them to know it was a stay-back sign but nothing suspicious to Hernando.

“I actually had no idea about this,” I said amused. “Tell me more.”

“I don’t want to play any games!”

“I wouldn’t either if I was a killer.”

He gripped my throat tighter, but not enough to scare me, or make me wince. He seemed displeased with me not fearing him.

Soon he just let go of me all together and I turned around to face him. He was actually quite handsome. “So tell me more.”

“Look,” he said, running his hands through his hair, “I didn’t do it and I don’t know who did.”

I laughed. “Dude for the last time, that’s not what I’m here for and I really don’t care. And second, it’s all too easy to see that you did do it. The guilt is as noticeable in your eyes as a gorilla is in a cage full of mice.”

He seemed to look me over for the first time. “You know, you’re actually pretty hot,” he said, and all at once, he lost his Mexican accent. That’s weird.

“What is up with guys checking out girls that they just met?” I asked annoyed.

His eyebrows pulled together. “I don’t know I was just saying.”

I nodded. “And do you want to start making out too?” I asked.

“Is that an offer?”

“Wow guys are hopeless,” I said.

He shrugged. “What happened to your Mexican accent?” I asked him.

He looked at me. Then he threw his head back and groaned. “Crap.”

I stared at him.

“I have to act Mexican here in case the person that tries to kills me comes.”

I silently laughed. Too late. I’m already here.

I turned my back on him and stared at the ocean. There was a few moments of silence.

“Umm… you’re not afraid that I’m going to attack you when you’re not looking?” he asked me with a nervous voice.

I turned my head to the side but not enough for me to look him in the eye. “No. Should I be?” I asked him. I gave him a if-you-do-attack-me-I’m-going-to-kill-you voice.

“No not at all.”

“Good.” Okay, so he’s just like Lorence was. I could probably do the same thing I did with Lorence. I could probably kiss him and catch him off guard and when he thinks that there’s something between us I could kill him.

I spun around and stared him in the eye so fast that he seemed to stagger back.

“You know, I never met anyone like you before,” I said in a flirtatious voice.

His eyebrows went up but I could see some defense in his eyes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Most guys are too shy to do anything, but you, you aren’t.”

His defense is going down.

“You really think so?” he asked me. He started to stand straighter and widen his shoulders to look bigger. I bit back the urge to laugh in his face.

“Yeah. You know…” I walked forward and did that whole walking-your-fingers-up-the-guys-chest thing. “You and I could get along really well. You and me could take over my gang.”

His eye brows went farther up and he wrapped his arms around my waist.

I smiled and lifted my head up to his while he lowered his to mine and our lips met. Sending a warm shiver down his spine that even I could feel. I pulled the pocket knife out of my pocket and wrapped my arm around his neck, making it look more like and embrace. Until the blade touched his neck and cut his skin until he could see what was really happening.

He looked at me with pain and hatred. “Not really,” I replied to his earlier comment.

He tried to say something but couldn’t. I lifted up my foot and kicked him over the side of the dock.

Jacket came out clapping his hands, just as he did with Lorence’s death. Fang was right behind him, but he had that oh-there-she-goes-again-with-that-kissing-a-guy-that-she-knows-for-two-minutes-but-she-still-won’t-kiss-me expression. I almost laughed. You see, even though me and Jacket have been hanging out a lot lately, we aren’t exactly a couple. We’re more like… friends with benefits. And apparently Fang doesn’t realize that.

“I’ll go get our stuff in the car and we can head home,” Jacket said and ran off. He said something that I couldn’t quite understand and ignored. Once he was gone I turned to look at Fang who was glaring at me.

“What?” I asked him.

“Don’t ask what! You know exactly what!” he yelled back with such rage that most people would flinch if they didn’t know Fang like I did. His bark is waaaay worse than his bite.

“Well can you explain it to me so I know exactly what you think I should know?” I asked sarcastically.

He walked toward me and reached out to grab my throat and I held up my knife to threaten him. “You wouldn’t hurt me,” he said amused.

“Try me,” I said with no emotion in my voice. And for a few seconds, Fang actually seemed scared.

“Then explain one thing to me, will ya?” Fang asked me.

“What?” I asked impatiently.

“Why do you kiss them when you know them for two minutes but you still won’t kiss me.”

“We have kissed,” I said to him.

“The ritual doesn’t count.”

“We also kissed in the room when you acted like you were Jacket and gave me the mission of killing Hannah.”

“It wasn’t a kiss. You’re fist ended it.”

“It’s still a kiss,” I pointed out.

“No it’s not! I real kiss is something that doesn’t end in pain.”

“Well the ritual.”

“I already said that doesn’t count.”

“That doesn’t end in pain.”

“Yeah but it wasn’t a kiss it was a seal. It was a promise, not a kiss.”

I stared at him. “Are you seriously throwing a fit about me not kissing you?” I asked in a disbelieving voice.

He nodded.

“Okay Fang. Listen up. You’re the leader of the group. You’re the one that all the girls want and they literally drool over you when you walk by them in the ally or on the street. You are the biggest catch in the gang to most girls and you could have your pick of any of them. You don’t have to throw a temper tantrum because one of them doesn’t like you!” I yelled.

“Yes I do!” he yelled.

“If you can have any girl of your pick then why is one so important?!”

“Because I don’t want any of them I want you!” he yelled.

I was stunned into silence. “Fang, no offense or anything, but I don’t like you like that. I like Jacket like that. Not you. Okay?”

“Then why are kissing other guys?”

“You mean Lorence and Hernando?” I asked.

He nodded.

“The ones that are now dead?”

He nodded again. My face boiled with rage. Of all the girls he can have in the world, he has to throw a fit about one. And I get to be the luckiest one of them all!

“They’re dead! I killed them! It was an act!”

“An act that they all enjoyed! An act that you enjoyed! And you cannot deny that you didn’t enjoy it.”

“I can. Watch this. I didn’t enjoy kissing those pervs.”

He rolled his eyes. “So you can kiss people that you kill, people that you like, but not me?”

I thought my skin was about to boil over. “You want me to kiss you? Fine!” I reached out and yanked his shirt toward me, bringing him with it. I pulled him down so that his lips smashed against mine. When I tried to pull away he gripped my hands that were holding his shirt, not letting me push away. He pulled my arms up so that they were resting on his shoulders and his arms wrapped around my waist. Our lips moved together in synchronization. Like they were perfectly made together. Like they were always meant to be.

I have to admit, I enjoyed the kiss. I didn’t expect it to be this way. I expected it to be a peck and then me storming off to the car. Not us making out and me just waiting for Jacket to come and find us like that. Which he never did. He didn’t come back the whole night. And somewhere mixed in between that kiss and my dizziness, our clothes were off and our bodies were tangled together. Never getting interrupted until it had to end.

I was the first one to speak. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I said to him.

He looked at me. “What do you mean?”

I sighed. “Well I was thinking more of a peck on the lips and stomping off to Jacket sort of thing. Not a peck on the lips then a make out then sex sort of thing.”

Fang laughed. “I definitely didn’t see us go from that big fight to this happening,” he said, gesturing over to our clothes that were in a big pile. Then a cold thought hit me.

“Jacket should be here in second,” I said.

Fang didn’t have to read minds to know what I was thinking. He was up and putting his clothes before you could say hurry.

After we had our clothes back on Fang kissed me one more time. “We can’t let Jacket know about this. It will just crush him,” he murmured into my neck.

“I know,” I said. I kissed his cheek then started to walk off to where we left the car. Jacket was sitting in the car asleep.

I walked up to his window and knocked on his window. He jumped and stared at me for a long time then glared and rolled down the window. “Where were you?” I asked him.

“Where was I? Where were you?” he asked me.

I stared at him. “What? You were supposed to come and pick us up after you got everything in the car.

He stared at me for a long time. “Are you deaf? I told you to come to the car when you were ready because I could already tell that there was going to be a fight.”

I stared at him for a long time and then I understood. Oh. That’s what I couldn’t understand he said when he was walking to the car. “Oh sorry.”

He rubbed his eyes. “I know I can’t drive. Fang? Wanna drive for me?” He asked. Fang nodded and opened the door to let Jacket get out. Jacket got into the back seat and sprawled out across the whole seat. I giggled and walked to the passenger side and opened the door and got in. Fang got in and started the car.

“You know I never asked you,” I said to him and he gave me a dangerous stare obviously saying don’t-say-anything-about-earlier. I nodded. “Why do they call you Fang?”

“Oh. Because of this,” he said and he pulled back his lip to expose huge fangs. And I mean vampire fangs. They were long and pointed and definitely… scary. How had I not noticed them when we were kissing.

“One time when ever me and Jacket were fighting I bit him and there’s two marks on his arm from where I bit him.”

“Sure is,” Jacket slurred. “And it hurt like one-”

“Can I see it?” I asked turning around. I could see the tired in Jacket’s eyes but he pulled up his jacket sleeve to show two large scars right next to each other. I grabbed his arm to pull it closer for a better look. “Oh god. That had to hurt,” I said.

Jacket’s sleepy eyes looked amused. “Yeah. You ever burn yourself?” he asked.

I shuddered at the thought of the pain from the La Mort sign on my lower back. “Yeah. La Mort remember?”

“Well it hurt worse than that,” he said, and I shuddered at that. I don’t know anything that hurt worse than that.

Fang seemed amused and now that I know about them, his fangs shined in the light. Wow.
“Have you, like, accidently cut your lip or anything?” I asked him.

He thought for a few minutes. Well last year I fell down a flight of stairs and it literally sliced open my lip. You can still see the scar.”

I looked round his mouth and, sure enough, there was a puckered line about an inch over to the right of his lip down to the middle of his chin. Now that I think about it, there are a few scars. There’s one down his eye and one that looks like someone clawed their way down his neck and one that looks like someone stabbed him just showing from underneath his shirt.

“How did you get that?” I asked, gesturing to the claw marks down his neck.

“Kitty.”


I stared at him in disbelief. “You cannot seriously say that a kitten did that to you because the marks are like two inches apart.”

He shook his head. “No. Her name was Kitty. She got mad because we kicked her off from the gang and she tried to kill me so she clawed me trying to get away from me when I had to get rid of her.”

“What about that one?” I asked, gesturing to the one that stopped right above his eyebrow and started again right on his cheek going down the middle of his cheek.

“Someone threw a knife at me and I didn’t move in time.”

I stared at the one that was on his chest. “What about that one?” I asked and swallowed.

He pulled up his shirt, looking uncomfortable. “Nothing.”

That must’ve been one fight.

I sat there thinking about Fang and me last night. Our wonderful night, when a thought hit me like a baseball and I stiffened. Fang looked at me curiously but didn’t dare say a word.

I opened the glove box and pulled out a napkin and a pencil and wrote down:

I’M NOT A VIRGIN ANYMORE!

I pointed the note toward him to where he could see it but Jacket wouldn’t see anything at all. Fang nodded at it understanding. Wow. This is not what I expected it to feel like. I always thought that I would feel grown up and nice but instead I felt… dirty…

TWO MONTHS LATER

I woke to the light shining in my room and smiled. What a beautiful day. I turned to get a better look outside when I suddenly felt sick. I jumped out of my bed and ran into the bathroom and threw up. Once I was done I leaned up against the counter, supporting myself up. Ugh, I feel horrible. My stomach started to growl and I grabbed it, discovering something that almost made my heart stop.

There was a bump. A little bump. I spun around and stared into the mirror, lifting up my shirt to expose a little bump. Oh god. No. I didn’t think about it. We didn’t… oh god.

ME AND FANG DIDN’T USE PROTECTION!

I stared at my stomach with wide eyes in the mirror. Oh god this can’t be happening. Oh no no no no NO! I can’t be… pregnant. I can’t be. Oh no. Pregnant with the gang leaders child.

My breathing stopped altogether. No. I can’t be pregnant. I’ll be killed. The gang will kill me. They’ve done it before. I’ve done it before. Her name was Hannah and she was a middle class La Mort. One day she showed up and we could see her plain baby bump. I was the one that had to lead her to an isolated place and finish her off. I just shot her head and she was gone. We still never found out who the father was.
I was too shocked to cry, scream, or be mad. The first thing I had to do was tell its stupid father. Oh stop it! I scolded to myself. You didn’t think to use protection either! This is just as much your fault as it is his you idiot!

I walked into my room and pulled out my cell phone scrolling down to Fang.

I pressed Call and waited for him to answer. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

“Hello?” a sleepy voice said.

“Fang? We have a problem.”

“What is it?”

“Meet me in the ally.”

“Who is this?”

“It’s Demi.”

“Mia? You’re name’s Mia, remember?”

“Shut up! Meet me in the ally in ten minutes. It’s important.”

I waited for him to reply, biting my lip. “Okay fine. I guess. But I better not regret this.”

“You will. Just not the way you wish you would.” Before he said anything I hung up.

I put on a pair of gym shorts and an old T-Shirt to cover my baby bump and pulled my hair up in a ponytail.

I walked out the door with Sarah yelling, “Be back before five!”

I ran to the ally and waited there for five minutes when a very sleepy Fang walked around the corner. I ran into his arms and cried. “Oh Fang. I didn’t want this,” I cried.

He was still tired and was trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He lifted his hands up and watched me while I cried. Slowly he lowered his hands down to comfort me. “Hey it’s okay,” he said in a croaky voice.

I shook my head back and forth. “No it’s not,” I said and I sobbed harder.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

I shook my head. “You’ll get really really mad.”

“No I won’t,” he said soothingly. “Now what’s wrong?”

I pulled back and looked at him. I could see in his eyes that he would try to keep that promise. I pulled him farther into the ally so no one would see if they walked by.

“Kiss me,” I said to him.

He looked confused. “What?”

“Just kiss me!” If this was the last time he would talk to me, I want it to be good and sweet.

He looked at me confused but grabbed my waist and pulled me forward and pressed his lips to mine and pulled back to look at me again. Not good enough. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into me so that every inch of our face was pressed together. This was the way I wanted it. Fang started to slide his hand up my shirt but I stopped him for two reasons. One, that’s how we got into this mess. Two, he would see the baby bump.

I pulled away from him. “Now promise you won’t be mad.”

“What? Why?”

“Just promise!” I yelled.

“Fine I promise! Now what the heck is wrong?” he asked and he seemed to be losing his patience.

I turned to the side so he could see me from a side view and lifted up my shirt. I closed my eyes and waited for the blows. When they didn’t come I opened my eyes to see Fang walking away. “Fang!” I yelled and ran up to him.


I grabbed his shoulder and he spun around with fire in his eyes. “How can you do this to me?” he yelled.

“You think I’m to blame for this?” I asked.

“Well who else did it?”

“YOU!” I yelled.

“I did nothing! How can it…” he trailed off remember what we should’ve used but didn’t. “Oh god.” He ran his hand through his hair.

“What are we going to do?” I asked him. He shrugged.

“We have to kill it.”

I thought about it. Either way it meant death for the baby. Either way it was going to die.

“How?”

“An abortion.”

I stared at him. Oh my god he did not seriously just consider killing my child. My hand flew up to my stomach protectively. “It’s your child!” I accused.

He stared at me in disbelief. “You just considered it!”

“I know. Fang, I’ve killed plenty of times before, but I can’t kill this baby. It’s not it’s fault it’s ours. Why should we punish it for our mistake?”

He stared at me and looked sorry. “Babe, listen, it’s not your fault and it’s not my fault. It’s mother nature.”

“I can’t think about killing it,” I said and I buried my head into his shoulder.

“Let me do it for you,” he said, running his hands up the side of my stomach.

“What do you mean?” I asked as his fingers danced along the small bump where the baby is.

“Let me do it for you,” he whispered seductively in my ear. His breath was warm on my neck and I shivered.

“Let you do what for me?” I asked breathless. His hand gripped around my waist while the other was pushed against my bump.

“Kill it for you.” I froze. WHAT?!?

I pushed away from him but not enough. He was stronger than me. “You want me to let you kill my baby? Our baby?!” I screamed. His hands didn’t move from where they were.

“Babe listen. If you don’t kill it, the gang’ll find out about it and kill it for you. Except if it’s born, they’ll put it through a lot of pain. If you kill it instantly, like an abortion, or let me do it… it won’t be in pain.”

I looked at him. “Are you serious? Abortion is where they burn the baby alive and you want me to punch me in the stomach and break every bone in its body and let it die painfully?” I asked.

He stared at me. “I’m sorry I got you into this. I didn’t think about… this. I didn’t think that it could happen.”

A tear dripped down my cheek. “Neither did I…” I said.

He wiped the tear away with his thumb. “But we can’t have this baby. It will literally kill us both. And if we don’t die… then what will we do with it? Put it up for adoption? Because you and me both know we can’t take care of it.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“There’s no other choice,” he whispered in my ear.

I sobbed. “Maybe there is a way. Maybe you and me could runaway somewhere or something and not come back until after the babies born. No one will suspect it. We can tell the gang we had to run from cops and I could tell my parents that I was at Aunt Maggie’s house.”

Fang looked at me for a long time, considering. “You know… that might actually work.”

I looked up at him for a long time. “Would you really do that for me?” I asked.

“I’d do anything for you,” he murmured into my neck.

“We have to leave soon. Now,” he said.

“I know. Who are we going to leave in charge of the gang?” I asked.

“Jacket of course and-” Fang stopped. “Oh crap! Jacket! If he finds out about this it’ll kill him!” he yelled. He threw his hands up into the air and scratched the top of his head. “How are we supposed to tell him?”

“We can’t!” I yelled.

“What?”

“You and me both know Jacket. And he’ll turn us in thinking that we didn’t think he was good enough for me or something like that. And you know he will.”

Fang looked tortured. “I can’t just leave without an explanation!”

“You have to.”

He thought. Then he looked at me. “You right him a note not mentioning anything about you being… pregnant,” he said, struggling with the word. “I’ll go pack my bags and pick you up in ten mintues. ‘Kay?”

“Okay.” He leaned down and kissed me softly.

“I’m really sorry I got you into this,” he said.

“It’s my fault. I should’ve thought about protection.”

“No I should’ve-”

I laughed and put my hand over his mouth. “Just go pack!”

He smiled and kissed me one more time, then left me alone in the ally. I jogged back to my house and started packing and wrote a letter.

Dear Jacket,

I’m really sorry that we can’t bring you along. The cops are going to be coming after me and Fang and we can’t risk getting you into it because it could expose the whole gang. We don’t have time to explain what we’ve done, but we might not be back for a while. A long while. I don’t think it will take a year, but it might. We’ll see. And you still need to tell me why your name is Jacket.










Love Always,










Mia Lee

I sealed the letter in an envelope. I wrote a separate letter for my Aunt Maggie explaining everything from me being pregnant to being with Fang to having to stay with her for a while that I’m going to give to her when we see her. I put down my phone number on the paper for her to call and put it in my bag with the letter to Jacket when Fang pulled up into my driveway and honked. I grabbed my bag and dashed down the stairs to see a surprised Sarah.

“Sarah I have to go visit Aunt Maggie. I can’t explain but it’s urgent. That’s where I’ll be if you need me and my phone’s on. Thanks!” I said and I ran out the door. As I walked across the lawn I heard Sarah behind me.

“Do you really think you can surprise me like this? Get back here! Wait… who is that? Demi Bradshaw!” she screamed as I climbed in the car and rode away.

“I am sooo grounded when I get home,” I said and laughed. I suddenly felt very tired and I yawned. Fang reached across and grabbed my hand that was sitting in my lap.

“Go to sleep. I’ll pull into a motel later. Just sleep for now,” he said. And that was all he had to say for me to close my eyes and rest.

“Mia. Mia? Mia!” I heard Fang whisper. He was shaking me slightly. I opened my eyes and seen his eyes two inches from mine.

“Hey,” I said sleepily.

He shook his head and smiled. “Where’s that letter? I need to give it to Jacket. He’s going to meet me here any second.”

I nodded and reached into my bag, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to him.

Fang looked at it then nodded and ran off into the woods. A few minutes later he returned and jumped in the car. “I told him that we were getting run down by cops just like the letter said. Wait. You did put that in… didn’t you?” he asked.

I nodded sleepily.

“Okay. We’ll be at a motel in about an hour and a half. We have to get away from here.”

I nodded sleepily again.

“Just go back to sleep babe. You’ll be fine. I got you. We can discuss everything later.”

I nodded sleepily again.

He sighed and reached over and grabbed my hand. His hand seemed so big and tough around my small hand. I was always one of the smallest in the groups, which gave me more defenses. I’m also the fastest and the second most deadliest.

I closed my eyes slowly and waited for the bliss of sleep to come. After a long half hour, it did.


I woke up when the car stopped.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“White Water Creek.”

“What town?”

“I don’t know.”

I frowned. “That’s not very helpful.”

“Sorry babe. I don’t know what town it’s just a place we can sleep.”

I nodded. That sounds nice.

“Wait here. I’ll go get a room.” I nodded again.

He jogged off and walked through the doors. I closed my eyes. Why am I so tired? What time is it anyway? I was too lazy to open my eyes and check the dashboard. I fell asleep instantly and woke up when my door was opened and I was picked up and cradled in someone’s arms. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Fang carrying me into a room. I acted like I was still asleep when he laid me down. He looked at me for a long time then shook his head.

“I’m such an idiot,” I heard him mutter to himself. “She’s such a beautiful girl. She has so much going for her. But I had to jack it all up by throwing a fit about her kissing me and look what happened. I got her pregnant. I just messed up her whole life. I didn’t even stop to think about her. Now her life’s ruined. She’s going to be a mother to soon and the gang is probably going to kill her. I can’t believe I was so stupid!”

“It’s not all your fault,” I muttered with my eyes still closed. “It was mine too.”

He looked at me. “I didn’t know you where awake.”

“I wish I wasn’t.”

He chuckled and sat on the bed next to me. Putting his hand over my stomach. “I really wish that you weren’t… pregnant.”


“There’s still the small chance I’m just getting sick and fatter,” I said to him with an it’s-all-good voice.

He smiled. “I can’t imagine you fat.”

I looked at my stomach. “wait seven more months. You’ll see me very fat.”

He laughed and leaned down and kissed my mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close. Fang’s hands went on my hips and pulled me up from where I was laying so I was sitting on his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and didn’t let me go. We sat like that for a while. Kissing each other. Soon enough my sleep took hold and I had to let go.

“You have to go to sleep babe. You’re like the walking dead.”

I smiled sleepily, my eyes half closed. “That’s something every girl wants to hear come from her bo-” I cut off abruptly. I was about to say “boyfriend”. I didn’t know what we were. Whether we were friends, dating, friends with benefits, or if there was anything for us at all.

“Bo- what?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly and shook my head back and forth quickly.

“No tell me,” he pushed.

I kept my mouth shut and refused to speak. He poked my side. “Tell me,” he said, and there was like a pleading in his voice.

“Well…” I said hesitantly.

“Well…?”

“I was about to call you m-my boyfriend,” I stuttered. I looked away embarrassed and waited for him to laugh. He didn’t.

I felt his hand on my chin and he moved my face so I had to look into his eyes. “Do you want me to be?”

“I don’t know… Do I want you to be?” I asked nervously.

He chuckled. “I was asking you the question babe.”

“Do you want me to be your girlfriend?” I asked him. Afraid of the answer.

He seemed thoughtful. “Well… if you were eighteen I would ask you to marry me,” he said softly.

My breath caught in my throat. “Really?” I asked, touched.

He smiled then leaned forward and kissed me lightly but tenderly. “Really.”

I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder. “Yes.”

“What?” he asked.

“Yes. I want you to be my boyfriend.”

His eyes widened as if he didn’t expect me to say that. “Awesome,” was all he said and he kissed me again. But this time it wasn’t out of sweetness. It was more out of surprise and happiness. I kissed him back.

“Now you really do need to go to sleep.”

I sighed. I can’t agree more. I laid down on the bed and covered up. Fang laid next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. I laid my hand on top of his holding it and closing my eyes. I let sleep overcome me.

I was sitting in a chair at a table with a little girl sitting in a high chair. My baby. I was feeding him food when something covered my eye sight. I couldn’t see anything. I yelled and clawed and kicked and punched, trying to get to my baby. Fighting to keep her close to me. I gripped empty air as I was dragged and thrown into the back of a car. They tied my arms and legs together so I couldn’t move. I heard my baby crying in the distance. Crying for me.

“My baby!” I screamed. “Give me my baby!” I fought and fought and fought against the things that were keeping me from my daughter.

After ten minutes of fighting and losing, we showed up at our destination. They ripped me out of the car and tied me to something. Something long slender and cool. They tied my hands above my head and my feet to the ground.

“Oh god no! Mia! MIA!” I heard Fang yelling.

“Fang! Fang! Help!”

“I’m coming babe! Hold on!” I felt hands pulling at the ropes.

“Fang stop! She had a baby! You know the rules, we have to kill the baby and her and the father.”

“I’m father idiots! Let her go! NOW!”

“You’re the father?” I heard a hurt voice ask. Jacket.

“Wait. Jacket isn’t the father?” I heard a voice ask.

“No way. Fang is so not the father of that kid.”

“I told you I wasn’t the father!” Jacket yelled. Someone pulled off my blindfold and I could see around me. There was a fire in front of me. One that was about five feet wide. I seen my baby laying in a box over on the other side and Jacket was tied to a pole with his hands above his heads. He seemed mad. Then he turned to glare at me. “I can’t believe you. You don’t even like Fang!” he yelled at me.

“Jacket you don’t understand. I didn’t-” a hand slapped my face. I looked up to see Jacket standing in front of me. He’s the one that just slapped me. He must’ve been untied.

A hand came up and grabbed Jacket’s shoulder, turning him around. Fang decked him in the face. “Don’t touch her!” he yelled then reached for me again until two guys came up from behind and grabbed him. Fang turned around and punched one in the face and snapped the other one’s neck. That’s my Fang.

“Someone grab him!” Jacket yelled. Five guys came up and grabbed Fang. He fought for his life along with mine and his daughters.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you!” He screamed at every single person in the ally. It was a wonder no one came to see what all the screaming was about.

Three guys slammed Fang up against the post and tied him. Fang didn’t give up for one second. He fought and kicked and thrashed at every person he could reach. When they were done tying him up they stepped back, inspecting their work.

The corner of Fang’s mouth was bleeding and his eyes were blazed with hatred and fury. I was waiting for hell to come out of his eyes.

Jacket walked up to me, looking at me. He reached out and brushed his hand against my cheek. I glared at him. “I can’t believe you’re doing this!” I hissed.

He shrugged. “I can’t believe Fang knocked you up. The world’s full of surprises.” I glared.

“You are unbelievable. It would’ve been different if it was with you.”

He nodded. “You’re right. I wouldn’t feel mad. And I would be the one on that pole,” he said. Pointing to Fang. I caught a glimpse of Fang and he gave me an I’m-so-sorry look. I gave him a it’s-okay look.

I stared at him for a long time. “Out of all people, I thought you would understand the most.”

“Give me a kiss. Our last kiss. If you do, I just might let you live.”

“Go to hell,” I said to him with no emotion.

“See ya there,” he said to me. But no matter what I said, he leaned forward and kissed me. Right in front of Fang. Right in front of everyone.

He backed up and looked at me. “You know, I just might save you for last.”

“What?” I asked and Fang’s eyes went wide.

“No! YOU CAN’T DO THAT! It will DESTROY HER!” he yelled.

“She’s going to be destroyed any way,” Jacket hissed. Then he looked at me. “Besides. You want to see the person causing your death to die, right?”

I smiled at him sweetly, then looked at Fang. “I do actually,” I said brightly. Fang’s eyes went from anger and sadness to pure depression. Then I looked at Jacket. “Jump in,” I told him, gesturing toward the fire.

Jacket glared at me. “Bring me the baby.”

Those words sent cold chills running down my back and through my whole body. “What? Wait, why do you want her? No!” I screamed.

Raven Torega handed Jacket the baby. Raven gave me a I-really-wish-there-was-another-way look. But I could tell that if she watched me burn alive, she would show no emotion. Just like everyone else here.

Jacket moved the baby toward me. Letting me look at it one more time. “Say goodbye,” he said.

No. He’s going to burn her alive. “No! No! NOOOO!” I screamed in a blood curling scream. “NO DON’T TOUCH HER!”

Jacket gave me a cruel smile then backed up towards the fire. “No! Jacket stop!” Fang yelled. “Don’t put her through this! Don’t hurt the baby or Mia! Just kill me! Leave them alone!”

Jacket looked at him. “But then there would be no fun.”

Then, without emotion, he tossed my daughter into the fire. The baby screamed and writhed in pain. “NOOOO!” I screamed as loud as I could for so long that my lungs hurt.

I started sobbing watching my daughter as she cried in pain. “No,” I whispered.

“Babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to put you through this. I didn’t want any of this to happen,” he said to me. He wasn’t crying, but I could feel the pain in his voice. He wanted to cry, but didn’t want to give Jacket the happiness to see it. I wouldn’t either. I wiped my tears on my shoulder and glared at Jacket.

He frowned. “Well that didn’t work. Throw in Fang.”

My eyes widened. Not him too. “No! Fang! NO!” I screamed.

“Don’t look Mia!” he yelled. “Whatever you do, don’t look!” he yelled. Then, as his last words I ever heard him say, he said, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said. Then his body was thrown into the fire. I looked away, closed my eyes, not wanting to see my fiancé burn to death. When the yells and cries stopped, I opened my eyes. Then thought hit me that made me want to cry. When he was about to be thrown in the fire and killed, he just worried about me. He didn’t yell for them to put him down and leave him alone. He didn’t yell to throw me in first. He yelled for me not to watch his death. Then his last words were, “I love you.”

I looked at Jacket with a hatred I’ve never felt for anyone before. I never even felt this much hatred for Devin’s killer. Jacket was the worst person in the world.

“I hate you. I hate you more than I hate my brother’s killer. I’ve never felt this much hate for anyone before. But you… you are unbelievable. You killed a baby and my fiancé. Go ahead and kill me.

His face went slack at the word fiancé. “You’re… what?”

“My fiancé,” I said, and I twisted the ring on my finger so he would notice it. He looked like he wanted to rip my finger off to get the ring to disappear.

“Throw her in the fire.”

I looked at him, not mad, but happy. He wasn’t going to keep me alive to torture me like I thought he was going to.

As I was edged to the fire I stared right into Jacket’s eyes. “I’ll get my revenge. Trust me. I’ll see you in hell.” And with that I was thrown into the fire. I embraced the heat, accepting my fate. Then I wanted it to leave. It laughed at me, licking at my skin. Burning my hair and surrounding my body like a café of torture. I couldn’t help but scream.

It wasn’t like the babies screams or like Fangs screams. They were tossed on the edge, not on the straight not coals. I barely heard someone yelling and then I was pulled out of the fire. I closed my eyes, waiting to be thrown back in. Someone laid me on the ground, my head resting on someone’s lap. I opened my eyes to see Jacket’s face, inches from mine.

“Oh my god what have you done!” he yelled. My automatic reaction was to push him away, but I couldn’t feel my legs or arms to move myself.

“I’m so sorry,” Jacket whispered.

I tried to open my mouth to say something. I could tell that Jacket didn’t mean to throw me in the fire.

Then I seen it. Another Jacket was behind him smirking at me. Jacket had a twin. Worse than that, he literally had an evil twin.

He looked back. “What have you done! Do you know who this is? This is Demi Bradshaw!”

The twin’s face dropped. “WHAT?!” he dropped next to me. Looking like he just seen a ghost.

“Where’s Fang?” he asked. Then he look around. The twin’s face looked ashamed.

“Where is Fang?” Jacket asked again.

“He sorta burned.”

Jacket looked like he lost his mind. “You what! YOU BURNED HIM IN FRONT OF HER?!?” Jacket punched the twin in the face. “Do you enjoy ruining peoples lives? She was the best thing that came to mine. You ruined it. Where’s her baby?”

The twin looked away. Jacket looked like he was about to kill him. “YOU DID NOT BURN HER TOO!” The twin said nothing. “I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU!” Jacket roared.

“I’m sorry!”

“Jacket?” I barely whispered.

Jacket looked down at me. “Oh my god Mia I’m so sorry.”

I shook my head, even though the motion hurt my whole body. “It’s not your fault. Tell Sarah and Frank I love them.” Jacket shook his head. A tear escaped from his eye. “And Jacket? Thank you. For everything. For helping my baby and me and Fang. Thanks for that.”

“Can I ask for one thing?” Jacket asked me. His eyes looked hurt that he wanted to ask this.

“Anything,” I said in a weak voice. Gray spots danced across my vision. My eyes blurred in and out.

“Can I have a kiss? Just one?”

I smiled the biggest smile I could manage. I just imagined what I looked like right now. I could feel hair still on my head but it was black from being burnt. I knew that. I knew that there were red patches all over my body from being burnt and I knew that most of my clothes were burnt, still covering me though. “Yes,” I said. And with that Jacket leaned down and kissed my lips. And for a few seconds the pain was nothing. I didn’t want to lose Jacket. I didn’t want to lose life. But then again, I already lost everything. My daughter, my fiancé.

The kiss was over to soon and my eyes started to droop. I held on to everything that I could. It was like falling down a shaft. A never ending shaft. Trying to grip on to everything that you can to stop from falling.

“No Mia. Stay with me. Come on Mia, stay with me.”

My eyes drooped closed but my breathing kept going. I seen Fang.

“Come one babe,” he said, and he held out his hand. In his other hand he was holding my daughter. My daughter. Their okay. The pain is gone and I was with my family again. I wanted to run to him and hug him closer than anything I ever held close. Fang was here with me and my daughter was safe. I was surrounded by darkness but I wasn’t scared at all. I felt a safeness. I felt belonged. I felt loved. I didn’t know that you could feel so much from darkness, but I did.
I reached out for his hand but I stopped. Did I really want to die. Yes. I did. I wanted to be with Fang forever and watch my daughter grow. I grabbed his hand and I felt my breathing slow.

“Mia keep breathing!” I heard a distant voice yell. I felt a slight pressure on my chest.

“Come one. Let go Demi. Let go.”

“Don’t leave me Mia!” Jacket yelled farther away now. The voice was fading and Fang’s was coming nearer.

My breathing was nearly gone. Then, very clearly in my ear, the last words I ever heard, I heard three words leave Jacket’s lips. “I love you.”

Then something stabbed into my stomach

I sat straight up in bed, sweat pouring down my face. Oh my god that was a horrible dream. Then the same stabbing happened in my stomach again. I looked down on the mountain on my stomach. It happened. Then a musty smell came up. Oh my god, my water broke.

“Fang! Fang!” I yelled. He burst through my door in his Hulk pants and shirtless.

Then his eyes widened. “Oh my god. Maggie!” he yelled. Then he ran to me and help me out of my bed. I had on an oversized T-Shirt and Aunt Maggie’s old maternity pajama pants.

Aunt Maggie came in with a pink robe tied around her and bunny slippers. Her brown hair was in waves down her back and her mossy green blazed. Once she seen the scene happening she nodded and ran out of the room yelling, “Get her down stairs and in the car! I’ll grab her stuff and be down in a minute!”

Fang walked me down the stairs slowly. “Breathe slowly. In… and out… In… and out…” I did as he said and he put me in the back seat and walked to the other side to sit beside me. I breathed slowly.

Aunt Maggie came out with a suitcase and hopped in the car and drove to the hospital. When we showed up seven months earlier, she accepted us with open arms. But she made us stay in different rooms. She didn’t tell my mom anything because she knew how important it was and I didn’t even have to give her the letter. I just kept it in my suitcase. She never found out about the gang but I know she knows something is different about me. She even said specifically, “Need to know only.” Which was totally fine with me.

“Breathe slowly, slowly, okay, babe? You’re breathing like you’re hyperventilating. There you go. In, and out, in, and out,” Fang said, coaching me through it.

“You know,” I said. “It sounds like you’ve done this before.”

He smiled. “Not once.”

I gave out a little laugh. Then it kicked. “Oooooh. Ow.”

Fang had a man-I’m-glad-I’m-not-her expression.

We showed up at the hospital soon. They took me to a room and changed me into a hospital gown, then they laid me down on the hospital bed.

The pain grew more and more until it was barely bearable. There isn’t even a way to describe it. It definitely isn’t as bad as being burned alive though…

Wait. I wonder… man it would be weird if the baby was a girl.

After a while, it was time to have my baby. The doctor came in and informed us that it was time. Well… at least I think he did. He came in and said something to Aunt Maggie. I couldn’t understand a thing. I was really dizzy and fuzzy from everything.

Then the doctor propped up my legs and sat in front of me. Fang came and stood by me, holding my hand and Aunt Maggie helping to catch the baby when it comes out.

The nurse calmy talked. “Now, sweetheart I need you to push really hard until I count to ten. Okay?”

I nodded my head dizzily.

“Okay. Now… push. One, two, three,” and she continued to count. While I pushed, for some reason I wondered how long I’ve been in labor. I’m going to have to ask that. I think I might have been asleep for a bit of it. I didn’t scream or cry, but man I wanted to. I think I might have put Fang through more Fang than I have from how hard I squeezed his hand.

After about five minutes of it, I heard the words, “And here it is!”

I let out a huge breath and flopped my head back. I never want to give birth again.

Aunt Maggie out an, “Awe!” when she seen the baby. I looked up to see her eyes wide and happy looking at my baby. Then she looked at me and smiled. “It’s a girl,” she informed me.

The dream was forgotten when I heard the cry of my baby.

“Give her to me,” I said dazedly.

The nurse put a towel on my shrunken but not gone stomach and laid my baby in it, rubbing it to get off all the blood and stuff. The she wrapped it up and handed it to me. The baby didn’t stop crying, but it didn’t have to. It was beautiful. She. She was beautiful.

Fang gasped. He reached down as if to touch her the pulled his hand back. I looked at him. He looked… scared. Scared that he was going to hurt her. I reached up and grabbed his hand slowly pulling it down to where he cupped her cheek. His hand was a little shaky, but it stopped soon as he seen her. Out daughter. Our child. Our blood.

He put his other arm around me and kneeled by my bed, staring at her. We looked at her for a few minutes.

The nurse had to take her to clean her up and the doctors and nurses and Aunt Maggie left to give me and Fang a minute.

After they were gone, Fang sighed. I looked up at him. “What?”

He looked at me. “I’m just really glad that we didn’t get an abortion,” he said in a relieved voice.

I smiled and laughed and he bent down and kissed me on the lips.

“We have something we need to discuss,” he said.

My eyebrows pulled together. “What?”

“What her name is.”

“What do you want it to be?” I asked. I honestly don’t care what her name is. I’m just happy I have her and Fang.

He shook his head. “You can’t trust me with this.”

“Sure I can.”

“You name her.”

I thought about it for a minute. “What’s your moms name?”

“Hana. Why?”

I thought. Sarah and Hana. Sana. No. Umm… Sienna. Sienna. Yeah I like that.

“Sienna.”

“Sienna,” he said. “I like that. How did you come up with that?”

“Sarah and Hana. Sienna.”

“Oh I see. You got a little Twilight going on here.”

I giggled. “It worked for Bella getting Renesmee’s name. It’ll work for us.”

He looked down at me. He had a very warm look in his eyes. “I love you,” he said.

I smiled at him. “I love you too.” Then he bent down, and kissed me softly and slowly.

I crawled into the car, holding my baby close. Fang sat in the back with me and didn’t take his eyes off of Sienna. Aunt Maggie started the car. “Well thank god that’s over,” she said.

I laughed. “What do you mean?”

“Now you can go home.”

I froze. Crap. I can’t tell Sarah.

Fang nudged me. “Can we stay a little longer? Please? Just enough for us to set up a plan.”

“Oh of course dear. I just don’t want your mother to think that this happened while you were here.”

I shook my head. “It takes nine months until you have a baby. I’ve only been here for seven.”

Aunt Maggie gave me a stern look through the rear view mirror. “You know what I mean.”

“I know.”

We drove home and when we arrived, the Johnson’s ran out. “Ohmygod is this her?!” Mrs. Johnson screeched.

“This is her,” I said. Mrs. Johnson rushed over and I handed her the baby.

She looked up at me and smiled. “She’s beautiful. What’s her name?”

“Sienna.”

“Sienna. That’s beautiful.”

The black woman looked at my baby closely. Marcus ran up and pulled on her pants leg. “Momma. Who is dat? And why is Dee-dee’s tummy smaller?”

I smiled at him. “Marcus,” I said to the six year old. “This is my baby.”

He looked at me and his eyes widened. “You a mama?!”

I nodded. Then ran up his little sister, Baye. “Bee-bee!” Marcus exaggerated. “Dee-dee had a baby!”

Baye looked at me, then my tummy, then at the baby in her moms arms. She gasped.

Then came Mr. Johnson. “So I see that you had your baby.”

“How’d you guess?” I asked.

He laughed. The old man scratched his head and looked at my daughter.

“Her name is Sienna,” Mrs. Johnson said to him.

He looked at her. Then at me. “I think we’ve bugged them enough. Let’s go back inside and let them have their time.”

Mrs. Johnson looked at him then at me. I was biting my lip considering what color to paint the baby’s room, but it looked like I didn’t like them touching her.

Mrs. Johnson handed me my baby. “I hope that she isn’t too much of a problem. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to call.”

I smiled at her sweetly. “Thank you.”

They all went back to their house as we did ours. Me and Fang went up to my room. It was dark outside and the crib was shining.

“What a busy day,” I said. I laid down Sienna in her crib and covered her up. She wasn’t crying, and she looked so peaceful. She breathed evenly. Fang came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I know. She’s beautiful.”

“She is.”

“Just like you,” he whispered in my ear, and kissed my cheek. I sighed.

“I am so freaking tired,” I said.

I untangled his arms and walked to my bed, plopping down on it.

He laughed, looking at me curiously. “Is labor really that tiring.”

Now I laughed. “Nope. I loved every second of it,” I said sarcastically.

He chuckled and sat down next to me. I yawned.

“Babe you need to go to bed,” he said to me.

I looked over at Sienna. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

He took my shoulders and pushed me down on my pillows, then covered me up. He took off his jacket then his shirt and climbed into bed with me.

“Aunt Maggie’s gonna throw a fit if she sees you and me in bed together,” I said.

He chuckled. “Yeah. But I want to sleep in the same room as my daughter.”

I sighed. It will take a long time to get used to that. We both crawled in bed and cuddled up, falling asleep in each other’s arms.

I woke up early. The morning sun was shining through the window. That was such a crazy dream.

I sat up, being greeted by a crib in the corner of my room with a sleeping baby in it.

Oh. It was real. I got up and walked over to the crib, peering down in it, looking at Sienna. She’s so gorgeous.

I threw on some new clothes and started walking out the door when I had the strangest urge. I turned around and peered at the duffel bag laying by the closet. Do I really need it? I guess. I walked over to the bag and dug through. I found my knife and pulled it out. Wow. It’s been a long time since I seen this. It was a dagger. It laid in a little pouch with a thing that snapped shut, right above the blade so it can’t fall out. I put it in my back pocket and threw on my jacket.

I walked out the door, down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the back door. I ran across the back yard to the road. I slowed to a walk once I got to the pavement.

Where am I going again?

Away. For now. I need a break from this. I walk to the old abandoned building a couple blocks down, I stopped walking when I got to the front of it, looking at the crumbling concrete walls, graffiti peeking out from the sides and vines growing through the broken windows. This is something that you’d see in a horror movie. I walked through the broken down door and to the stairs.

There’s broken concrete and ripped furniture everywhere. Cracks going up the walls with some kind ooze coming out of the walls. It’s really gross. I sat down on one of big concrete walls and closed my eyes. Breathing in the smell.

I thought of all the things over. I like this. I love this place.

What am I going to do? How am I going to tell Frank and Sarah? I just imagined. I would walk in with my bags and they would greet me with warm hellos. Then Fang would walk in behind me holding Sienna. They would kick me out for sure. And what about the gang? What will they do? Will they let me and Sienna and Fang live since it’s also Fang’s child to? Or would they kill me, Fang and Sienna? If they do kill us how will they do it? Who am I going to move in with? Or will I even move in with anybody. Will I just move in with Fang or will his parents kick him out to? What’s going to happen to Sienna? Will she be safe or in danger? Who will she move in with? How will she grow up? Will she be okay living with me and/or Fang. Or whould we give her up for adoption? So many things went through my head and so many things I considered. And then I heard the shatter. Like a vase being dropped and shattered. I jumped up from the rock and reached for my back pocket, pulling out the knife.

I walked through the door that went into a hall. There was a pile of shattered glass by a door. I felt like I needed to run, but I can’t. I have to see what this is. I walk to the door and peer around the corner. There was a dark shadow and a lump on the floor. I shift the knife in my hand to where I can stab someone quickly if I need to. I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath and thought. I have to take care of this. I walked around the corner, fighting the urge to run. I have to face this. I see a dark figure and I grip the knife tighter. I can't run, I tell myself. I can't run. I have to fight! But then I seen the face of the person looming over the lump on the floor. Oh god. Not him again.

“Jacket?!” I hissed.

Jacket looked up at me and he dropped to his knees.

“Demi.”

I just stared at him, not paying attention to whatever was laying on the floor.

He jumped up to his feet and took two long steps toward me and gathered me in his arms and hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back.

“I was so scared I wasn’t going to see you again,” he whispered and pulled back to look at me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

He looked down to the floor and so did I. It turns out that it was a body on the floor. After all the bodies I’ve seen before, this didn’t surprise me. I sighed. Then I looked back up at Jacket.

“I can’t believe I see you right here!” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“The cops were after me and Fang and we had to run fast. I barely had enough time to write you that note.”

“Where have you been staying?”

“Oh. Me and Fang have been with my Aunt Maggie.”

He nodded. “When do you think you’re coming back?” he asked.

“Soon. We didn’t know how long we had to wait.”

He nodded again and he had a concerned look on his face. “What else happened?”

My stomach fell. “What do you mean?”

He stared at me harder. “There’s something you’re not telling me. Something big.”

I swallowed. “No I don’t think so.”

He stared harder. I looked over his features. His beautiful brown eyes that seemed like you could melt in them. His hair flipped over his face and his normal over sized jacket.

“You still haven’t told me why you’re called Jacket.”

He laughed a small little laugh. He wasn’t as concentrated. “Oh. Well one time I was in a fight with Fang and I found an old Jacket in a creek. Fang pushed me in and tried to drown me, thinking that I was trying to kill him. I pulled out my knife and he took it from me then stabbed me, but not deep enough. Then something just hit him or something cause he pulled me out of the water and wrapped the Jacket around my side where he stabbed me and kept me alive till we got to the hospital.”

I just stared at him. Fang tried to kill Jacket? What?!

“Oh.”

He laughed. “It’s nothing.” Then he pulled up his shirt enough to reveal a long jagged scar going down his side.

“He didn’t just stab you,” I said. I touched the scar, feeling it’s puckered edge.

“No not really. It sorta slipped when he pulled it out.”

I gaped.

Jackets phone sang the chorus “Mockingbird” by Eminem. He picked up the phone and mumbled things into it.

I accidently stepped on pile of gravel and made a crunching sound. I heard the person on the phone say, “What’s that?”

“Oh, that was-” Jacket looked at me. I shook my head back and forth rapidly and mouthed the word no. “Me. I just stepped on something.”

“Oh. Okay. Well you need to head on back. We’ve gotta problem. We heard from Fang. He’s coming back tomorrow and we need to get this cleaned up before he gets back.”

“Okay I’m on my way now.”

Jacket hung up the phone. “You are going back tomorrow apparently.”

I nodded. I’m going to talk to him when I get home.

He hugged me again. “See you tomorrow.”

Then he walked out the door and I felt like piece of my heart left with him. Even though I knew I’d see him tomorrow, but I’d really miss him until then. I know that this is dangerous. I think I still like Jacket. I dropped to my knees in front of the body. Oh no.

Hey, Jacket forgot to take care of this body. I pulled out my match box and lit the body on fire. We’re on concrete, it won’t burn the whole place. I waited for the body to be done and I scattered the ashes and headed home. I still have to talk to Fang.

I woke up early. The morning sun was shining through the window. That was such a crazy dream.

I sat up, being greeted by a crib in the corner of my room with a sleeping baby in it.

Oh. It was real. I got up and walked over to the crib, peering down in it, looking at Sienna. She’s so gorgeous.

I threw on some new clothes and started walking out the door when I had the strangest urge. I turned around and peered at the duffel bag laying by the closet. Do I really need it? I guess. I walked over to the bag and dug through. I found my knife and pulled it out. Wow. It’s been a long time since I seen this. It was a dagger. It laid in a little pouch with a thing that snapped shut, right above the blade so it can’t fall out. I put it in my back pocket and threw on my jacket.

I walked out the door, down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the back door. I ran across the back yard to the road. I slowed to a walk once I got to the pavement.

Where am I going again?

Away. For now. I need a break from this. I walk to the old abandoned building a couple blocks down, I stopped walking when I got to the front of it, looking at the crumbling concrete walls, graffiti peeking out from the sides and vines growing through the broken windows. This is something that you’d see in a horror movie. I walked through the broken down door and to the stairs.

There’s broken concrete and ripped furniture everywhere. Cracks going up the walls with some kind ooze coming out of the walls. It’s really gross. I sat down on one of big concrete walls and closed my eyes. Breathing in the smell.

I thought of all the things over. I like this. I love this place.

What am I going to do? How am I going to tell Frank and Sarah? I just imagined. I would walk in with my bags and they would greet me with warm hellos. Then Fang would walk in behind me holding Sienna. They would kick me out for sure. And what about the gang? What will they do? Will they let me and Sienna and Fang live since it’s also Fang’s child to? Or would they kill me, Fang and Sienna? If they do kill us how will they do it? Who am I going to move in with? Or will I even move in with anybody. Will I just move in with Fang or will his parents kick him out to? What’s going to happen to Sienna? Will she be safe or in danger? Who will she move in with? How will she grow up? Will she be okay living with me and/or Fang. Or whould we give her up for adoption? So many things went through my head and so many things I considered. And then I heard the shatter. Like a vase being dropped and shattered. I jumped up from the rock and reached for my back pocket, pulling out the knife.

I walked through the door that went into a hall. There was a pile of shattered glass by a door. I felt like I needed to run, but I can’t. I have to see what this is. I walk to the door and peer around the corner. There was a dark shadow and a lump on the floor. I shift the knife in my hand to where I can stab someone quickly if I need to. I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath and thought. I have to take care of this. I walked around the corner, fighting the urge to run. I have to face this. I see a dark figure and I grip the knife tighter. I can't run, I tell myself. I can't run. I have to fight! But then I seen the face of the person looming over the lump on the floor. Oh god. Not him again.

“Jacket?!” I hissed.

Jacket looked up at me and he dropped to his knees.

“Demi.”

I just stared at him, not paying attention to whatever was laying on the floor.

He jumped up to his feet and took two long steps toward me and gathered me in his arms and hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back.

“I was so scared I wasn’t going to see you again,” he whispered and pulled back to look at me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

He looked down to the floor and so did I. It turns out that it was a body on the floor. After all the bodies I’ve seen before, this didn’t surprise me. I sighed. Then I looked back up at Jacket.

“I can’t believe I see you right here!” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“The cops were after me and Fang and we had to run fast. I barely had enough time to write you that note.”

“Where have you been staying?”

“Oh. Me and Fang have been with my Aunt Maggie.”

He nodded. “When do you think you’re coming back?” he asked.

“Soon. We didn’t know how long we had to wait.”

He nodded again and he had a concerned look on his face. “What else happened?”

My stomach fell. “What do you mean?”

He stared at me harder. “There’s something you’re not telling me. Something big.”

I swallowed. “No I don’t think so.”

He stared harder. I looked over his features. His beautiful brown eyes that seemed like you could melt in them. His hair flipped over his face and his normal over sized jacket.

“You still haven’t told me why you’re called Jacket.”

He laughed a small little laugh. He wasn’t as concentrated. “Oh. Well one time I was in a fight with Fang and I found an old Jacket in a creek. Fang pushed me in and tried to drown me, thinking that I was trying to kill him. I pulled out my knife and he took it from me then stabbed me, but not deep enough. Then something just hit him or something cause he pulled me out of the water and wrapped the Jacket around my side where he stabbed me and kept me alive till we got to the hospital.”

I just stared at him. Fang tried to kill Jacket? What?!

“Oh.”

He laughed. “It’s nothing.” Then he pulled up his shirt enough to reveal a long jagged scar going down his side.

“He didn’t just stab you,” I said. I touched the scar, feeling it’s puckered edge.

“No not really. It sorta slipped when he pulled it out.”

I gaped.

Jackets phone sang the chorus “Mockingbird” by Eminem. He picked up the phone and mumbled things into it.

I accidently stepped on pile of gravel and made a crunching sound. I heard the person on the phone say, “What’s that?”

“Oh, that was-” Jacket looked at me. I shook my head back and forth rapidly and mouthed the word no. “Me. I just stepped on something.”

“Oh. Okay. Well you need to head on back. We’ve gotta problem. We heard from Fang. He’s coming back tomorrow and we need to get this cleaned up before he gets back.”

“Okay I’m on my way now.”

Jacket hung up the phone. “You are going back tomorrow apparently.”

I nodded. I’m going to talk to him when I get home.

He hugged me again. “See you tomorrow.”

Then he walked out the door and I felt like piece of my heart left with him. Even though I knew I’d see him tomorrow, but I’d really miss him until then. I know that this is dangerous. I think I still like Jacket. I dropped to my knees in front of the body. Oh no.

Hey, Jacket forgot to take care of this body. I pulled out my match box and lit the body on fire. We’re on concrete, it won’t burn the whole place. I waited for the body to be done and I scattered the ashes and headed home. I still have to talk to Fang.

“Why didn’t you talk to me first?” I yelled at Fang.
He shrugged and looked down, trying to avoid my eyes I assumed.
“That’s not an answer. Tell me why exactly you called Demo and told him that we were coming back, when I wasn’t completely ready to come back. I still have to figure out how to tell my parents that I have a kid!”
He shrugged again and kept his eyes on his feet.
I fumed. There is no way he’s doing this. I grabbed his chin and yanked it up so that he was looking down at me. “Tell me why you did that.”
I didn’t mean for it to sound that evil, but even I could detect the venom in his voice.
He flinched, but only a little. “I just thought that…I don’t know it’s just…You don’t understand.”
I stared him in the eye. “Make me understand.”
He stared right at me for a few seconds. “I can’t you don’t understand.”
I threw my arms up in there and groaned. “Why aren’t you even trying?!” I yelled.
“Because you won’t listen! Have you ever thought for one minute that I wanted to go home?! Ever?! I have family too! It’s not all about you you you!” he yelled at me. I felt the incredible urge to punch him, but I restrained myself behind my back.
“It’s not about me!” I screamed. “This is about Sienna! How are we supposed to hide her from the other’s?! How are we supposed to tell my parents?! What are we supposed to tell your parents?! We needed to discuss this together! You can’t make all the decisions!”
“I wanted to talk to you but I wanted to stay here! If I talked to you about it I would’ve decided to stay here because here I have no gang, here there’s no danger, and here’s Sienna is safe!”
“Which is why we needed to talk about it!” I screamed in his face. He’s being so stupid.
He shook his head and laughed. “I don’t know why I’m even talking to you. You’re not worth it.”
That’s it. He turned around to walk away.
“Hey,” I said and tapped him on his shoulder. He turned around and I punched him in the face.
His head moved to the side, in the direction the punched forced it to go. He looked at me with fire in his eyes. No, literally. His eyes had some sort of creepy red tint.
He grabbed my hair and backed me up to where I hit the side of the house. We went outside to talk so that Aunt Maggie wouldn’t hear us.
He pushed his arm up to my neck. Not hard enough to cut off my air, but hard enough to make it difficult to breathe. His face was so close I could feel his breath on my face. I glared at him.
“What are you gonna do?” I asked him in a mean but teasing tone.
His eyes were still red tinted and his breath was strong and mean. For some reason he reminded me of a miniature bull.
“You gonna hit me? Do it. I dare you,” I said to him in the same tone. He pulled his hand back to slap me. I watched him, waiting for him to hit me.
Then something passed in his eyes. I was there but before I could tell what it was it was gone. It was something like sadness, shame.
He let out a breath and let his hand that he was about to hit me with fall to his side. He looked down and to the side. I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching.
He dropped his arm holding me up against the wall and turned away.
“Go. Now.”
I stared at him for a while.
“GO!” he roared in a voice that actually scared me. I backed up to the other side of the house then leaned against the wall. What just happened?
I heard him yell and I risked a peak around the corner. He threw something on the ground and punched a tree, like, reeeeally hard. I could see the blood from over here. He stared at it for a long time and shook his hand and started talking to himself.
“This is all my fault. I got her pregnant. I had to find her at the ally. I made up the decision to leave. I had to be such an idiot and keep pressing stuff on. Ugh!” he punched the tree again.
He’s going to break his hand, The back of my mind told me. I listened to it and thought about going out to stop it when he fell to his knees and yelled in the air. It reminded me of when a man burns to death and he yells. I didn’t like it and Sienna didn’t either, because I could hear her cry outside.