INICIAR SESIÓNEVELYN. I heaved a deep breath before my hands knocked on the door. My feet nervously tapped against the wooden porch of the house that belonged to my foster parents. Every second that passed, my mind was racing with thoughts. I had no idea what was behind this door. The streets hadn't changed much, the house either. It had always been this warm beige colored bungalow and as I stood there, it was easy for the memories to come flooding back to me. I couldn't believe I was going to see Dylan again after so long. He had no idea I was coming because none of my calls ever went through so here I was in South Dakota, knocking on his door. The last three weeks for me had been a blur, journeying halfway across the states and staying longer in motels because I had cold feet, I'd been so nervous about coming home but finally, I had mustered enough courage to show up here. I had no idea how fast fly by so fast but occasionally, I thought about Hazel and wondered why she never reached out
EDEN.The sound of my revving motorcycle drew close before coming to a halt and I alighted from it in a helmet and a black racer jacket. I walked towards the door, nodding to the security guards that stood right in front of it and it was only when I got inside that I took off my helmet and pushed a hard lump down my throat."Have you got anything?" A voice echoed from the darkness. In the room was a large table on top of which was a hat next to a gun and when a chair drew forward, I tried to make out the face of the man behind it. "Nothing yet,” I cupped his chin, my voice a lot lower than the raging figure behind the desk."Do you know how much time we have left—not much!" A hand slammed into the desk, only his eyes glinting in the shadow. “I’m sorry,” I whispered and there was a long pause. A pause that allowed my heart to creep into the back of my throat."I don't want your apologies,” He rudely struck back. "All I want is for that bastard to pay back what he owes me.” The boss ad
HAZEL. "It's been three weeks,” I forced the words out of my mouth. My voice cracked the second I mounted the podium next to my aunt in a coffin. I was in my black dress, my hands trembling by my side, and my heart still in immense grief and sadness. My eyes were puffy. I had no makeup on, either. Time seemed nonexistent since Agnes passed. Since I heard the news and fell to the ground in the hospital that day. Nothing made sense. Nothing was worth it anymore. "I'm sorry, your aunt didn't make it,” Bryson’s voice kept echoing in my head over and over again as the weeks passed. The sight and scent of the hospital haunted me too and whenever it all came back, overwhelming me, I would just burst into tears. I had cried until I couldn’t anymore. For days, I tried but no tears came out. Until now. I thought I had it under control. I swore I wasn’t going to cry at her funeral. There were flowers everywhere and a bunch of sad, long faces. The air was filled with the lingering feeling
EVELYN. "You've reached Hazel Bennett, I'm probably busy or something so please leave a message that I would probably never get to—" I hung up the phone before her voicemail recording even stopped. I had tried calling Hazel for the umpteenth time but to no avail and I would've left her a message if only I didn't know she never checked her voicemail. My eyes dropped to the suitcase in my hands and I let out a sigh. My flight was tonight too so I couldn't drop by Nicholas's house before leaving which meant I couldn't see her. Everything happened so fast, from deciding to visit my foster parents to booking the flight and ultimately packing my bags. I knew I needed an escape, or perhaps maybe just a time away. I just didn't want Hazel to think I abandoned her. So I drafted a letter and left it on top of her dresser, hoping that one of these days, she would come here when I'm gone then she'd see it. I wasn't sure how long I would be gone, either. It all depended on whether Dylan was oka
HAZEL. I was numb. While my whole world crashed beneath my feet, I was numb. There was a piercing sound that rang through my ears and the throbbing of my heartbeat in the back of my throat was loud. I had never felt this miserable until now. Merely the thought of losing my aunt rendered me so powerless and weak. I dropped to the ground, holding her up in my arms. Agnes’s eyes were closed and her body was cold and her light grey hair fell across her forehead."Something's wrong,” I called out to Nicholas and there was a crack in my voice. I threw my head over my shoulders, watching him grasp his phone to call 911. He was just in his eyes about to ask me to marry him but oh how everything can change in mere seconds. There I was with the crippling fear of losing Agnes. Something I never thought was possible, at least not for many years. And even those years, I never looked forward to. "Call for help!" I yelled, hoping it was loud enough to quiet the noisy thoughts that raced through
HAZEL."Nicholas," I called out his name, finally urging him to continue our much-needed conversation. I walked into the room and closed the door behind me. He took off his jacket before turning to me."I'm sorry I lied to you," I couldn't quantify the extent of regret I felt the entire day. When Nicholas looked at me, I had hoped to God that he saw that I was genuine, and thankfully he did because something melted his heart in that moment. "Everyone lies," His voice was low and his jaw, tight."For some reason, everyone always lies to me, it's been that way since I was a kid. First, it was my Dad saying that my Mum was the only one that he ever loved then it was my mother telling me that she was fine with whatever he was doing—that she was okay when I had to watch her break herself from inside out," Nicholas said and I started to notice the water in his eyes."And then I grew up and still, the lies didn't stop. I became powerful and out of fear, people still lied to me. That was why
HAZEL."What?" Nicholas asked.A hundred thoughts raced through my head. I hadn't seen any of my family since I left Seattle seven years ago and I knew if Elijah was aware I was back, it was only a matter of time until they knew too.My father. Fuck. My father.Each time I closed my eyes, I was tak
HAZEL."How is she?" I was waiting by the door when Nicholas came back from the hospital. He had woken me up that morning saying Giselle was in an accident. I spent the entire day pacing around the house, waiting for him to come back and tell me she was okay.All my attempts at trying to reach her
GISELLE.Hazel's call came in while I was driving. She had called for the one millionth time but I wasn't going to answer it. After the article came out, I was a mess. I remember staying at my phone in disbelief."Surely it isn't Hazel?" I asked, staring right at her picture on the front page. It c
HAZEL. "I can explain."My stomach knotted as I scrolled through the now viral article, hundreds of comments came in by the second. Fuck! All I thought about in that moment was Giselle."This is bad. This is really bad." I hyperventilated while Evelyn stood in front of me, her arms crossed while s







