whole body was tense with fatigue as I pushed through the se

g when I finally found him; his signature baseball cap

s I took him all in, searching for any bodily harm, but all

torted into

uitcase as I followed dumbly behind, cold

into his as we strapped ourselves in. The sweet scent of sunflo

heel, the sound of his fingernails tapping

something dumb we had come up with when we were in high school, just to get

e rhyming tune, although it had b

for any potential threat. Only our uneven b

s wrong? You know, for someone who sounded oddly worried over

ying the ignition to the car as he swerved

voice, not breaking contact from the road

nose. "What do you mean I was being watched? Ed,

h caused me to slightly jolt forward, th

Sky?" Be asked, his hands tensin

I promise you, Ed, I won't get mad" I replied, biting my

ghtly, which caused the horns to honk. Several people stopped

ts to work with you. ALL the publishing

m lips quivered slightly as I tried my best not

Sky" he muttered, avoiding to meet my gaze, his next words cutting through me like shards of ice. "They

, a sharp hiss of pain escaping my m

y are we going now?" I asked, my voice

an today, and yet he still decided to puni

to all that was happening to me, I liv

misery. "The mayor has asked to have dinner with you, so we are maki

tingling with exhaustion, I let out a smal

ay, said it

my face as Steph gave me a swirl towards the mirror, my long-sleeved midnight bl

curls framing my face that had already become a signature look. Wit

tion of shoes, I felt a little bit conflicted becau

t like I was being unfair to Lee, a

mised each other to fill each other up

us drowning in our thoughts, only the occasional sound of his GPS direct

ally on the bend that would take us straight to the

ucked two curls behind my ear, my chest tightening with every dri

ore us, as we trudged slowly through the bricked roads, a wide arrangement of trees and flowers flaggi

ly groomed flowers lingering on to every corner. We were thoroughly searched before we were allowed to go in, my

ice boomed across from us, a whole

was clad in a loose button-up shirt and flar

palms, kissing the top of my palm ever so softly, which

nder the chandelier. " Forgive my hospitality,

ly palms as he led us towards the feast. The smell of grav

rom the mayor, hues of emba

since Ms. Jefferson here is hungry. Why don't we di

n he spoke, his voice causing my

n lately and all?" He stated firmly, slowly running his hands through his bear

f me, clearing my throat. "Wa

me. "Of course not, Ms. Jefferson, don't forget you once tutored the kids in this sma

ds tightening around the rim of t

arm brown eyes that reminded me of my Dad's

I knew yo

eeze, the world giving a

room, I heard even forgotten he was here. The sou

and laboured, with the w

nger brother" he s

loor to scratch noisily against the marble

jolting hastily from my

nto me, his warm

tight with several emotions. "After all these d

feet, too, his

as complicated,

we sent you letters, yet you ignored them " I

ways so nice to me,

rustration. "Look Sky, I had no idea m

said, running out of the room, Ed's voice booming beh

collided with someone, my whole bod

ams echo in

reen eyes The l