The doorbell rings one more time. Panic washes over me. Leopold is home, I didn’t have time to destroy the letter. I can’t burn it now because if I do it the smell of burned paper is going to alert him. My hands are shaking as I try to think of what to do with the letter. The doorbell rings a third time. I hide the letter inside the fridge. The cold hits my face as I open and close the door hastily, the chill sensation makes me realize that whoever is at the door is not Leopold. He has keys to his own house, he wouldn’t be ringing the doorbell, he would just come in. As I walk to the main door I wonder who could be outside, I dread it might be Zack who got impatient from waiting for me to go meet him, it would be reckless for him to visit a commander’s Bearer and it could get us into a lot of trouble. I know he is silly enough to do something like this in spite of the risks, although I have to admit that part of me still longs to see him face to fa

Alice turns pale as a ghost while Wendy keeps calling her slut out loud. Although she is not technically calling her that, Wendy is merely repeating what Alice said a few hours earlier when referring to Melody; unfortunately, no one besides Paula and me knows it, so from everyone else’s point of view, Wendy is calling Alice a slut. The whole group and a few bystanders look at Wendy astonished. Alice’s son starts to cry hidden behind his father’s legs. I guess Matron Mary Ann was within earshot because she arrives almost immediately and clasps Wendy by the arm to drag her away from us while she scolds her for using that kind of language.“Wendy, I told you to be in your best behavior…” she reminds her as she drags Wendy out of the Forum. Once the Andersons get over the surprise, their eyes glint with malice. They are the kind of people that enjoy others

(Aubrey’s P.O.V.) The show is starting, a thin and tall man appears on the stage. Along with the man, music starts to play and behind him, eight ballerinas come out from the back red curtain twirling graciously. The audience starts clapping as they watch attentively. Alice’s boy gasps, amazed by the slender ballerinas. The show consists of various types of dances one after the other. I’m so focused on watching them dance that I don’t notice Leopold until he sits beside me. He puts his arm around me and leans toward me.“Aubrey, we have to talk,” he whispers to my ear. I turn my eyes to see him. He holds my gaze and a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. I must seem surprised because I am. Why

I take a seat on the waiting lounge, my head is spinning. The idea of Leopold dying is unbearable. I can’t lose him, I would rather live with his sullen ways than being without him. He is ill-tempered and intimidating but deep down he is not so terrible. The truth is that I love him, maybe I shouldn't, but I do. Even I have a hard time understanding the way I’m attracted to him, but I am, I like to make love to him, to wake up next to him, to kiss him. There is still so much I want to experience next to him, to feel with him and to say to him. If he dies we will never have the chance to make things up. He can’t go like this, it will crush me. After today Mortensen won’t be a problem anymore. The sentence crosses my mind like lightning. After today Mortensen won’t be a problem anymore. That’s what Zack said… why would he say that? I asked him and

Grandma goes back to her house late at night, she is not going to be able to come stay with me tomorrow so I’ll have to kill time by myself. I go to bed but I am unable to sleep, I miss Leopold too deeply, I see his side of the bed empty and my heart aches. I wish I could be in the hospital with him.  At dawn, I turn on the TV and I change the channels distractedly, nothing piques my interest until I get to the news channel. The words SHARKS INFECTED on the screen in red letters make me gasp. I turn on the volume. “Ten Sharks have died in the last four days due to the Virus E virus. Many more are still fighting for their lives at the General Hospital, among them, Commander Leopold Mortensen, our national hero,” the news anchor says. I feel a void inside of