Nikolai “What are we doing back in Clyde?” Hope asked as the familiar scenery unfolded before us.“You said you wanted to learn how to shoot.” I tell her.“Really?” She says, her eyes were practically gleaming.“For a girl who cried because I was hunting, you’re too excited.” I say, flicking her forehead. She’s just too cute sometimes.“Well, I’m not hunting animals, I’m just shooting.” She says, rubbing her forehead. “Oh, and I don’t want to shoot trees either.”I laughed. She’s too harmless. She won’t hurt animals and plants. But then again she was able to kill that guy using her own hands. Ivan has purposely left out teaching her knife skills so far and she hasn’t mentioned it.  I don’t think she’s eager to relive those memories yet.“No, we won’t be shooting trees. I&rsq

Xavier It’s been a while since I’ve been to Los Angeles. NYC is exactly how you imagine it. LA is not. NYC is a better experience to visit. It opens itself up quickly. LA requires you to earn it. It reveals itself only if you are curious and if you make the effort. How long has that been? It was Christmas before freshman year that I last saw Jasmine. It has been two years since then. I went home last year too, but I didn’t see her. She never contacted me either. I checked my messages but they were still left unread. Did she went on a social media hibernation? But still she never forgets to reach out to me once in a while. I scrolled through our message history and true enough, the last messages were sent two years ago. I don’t know how I didn’t manage to notice that too much time have passed since I last saw or talked to her. I’ve been too busy, was all that I could say, but that was no excuse either. If only Hope didn&rs

Xavier How did my life turn out to be like this? I thought as I stared at the ceiling of our luxurious suite.This swanky hotel is tucked in One57, one of the city's tallest and most talked about residences. Stellar service, pin-drop quiet rooms, a sumptuous spa and modern but feel-good interior spaces fashion this Hyatt flagship as one of New York's pacesetters among true luxury.I can’t believe how my family acts as if we’re on a vacation. As if sealing a deal magically solves all of our problems. It feels like we’re selling our soul to a demon to live a good life only to be eaten out in the end.Brad Powell offered partnership to my family but we refused it. And yet we reached out to Nikolai Alexeev, who was just the same as him. No wonder he’s pissed enough to drive us into a corner. Now, we’re left with no choice but to ally between one of those two.Either way, we’ll be seen as one or the othe

Xavier “So, did you find out anything?” I asked when I met up with Chris at the annex office of our hospital.  It’s been twenty four hours and Hope hasn’t woken up yet. I would have been worried but her doctor, Mia Fernandez, assured me that it was her body’s typical response to trauma and stress. Nobody is allowed in her room except her brother, her doctor who double checks everything we give to her, and her guards.“We did dig deeper into Hope Alexeev.” Chris started. “We verified her documents and although they were as authentic as they can be. They were only created two years ago.”“And we also looked for the other girl who disappeared two years ago. We found her records and by keenly examining the fingerprints and comparing them with that of Hope Alexeev’s, they will have no way to deny that they were the same person.”“What happened to her exactly?&rdquo

Jasmine/Hope The blood pounded in my ears. My heart thudded in my chest. My hands shook and my feet tingled. My vision disfigured, as if I was looking through a fish eye lens. Breathing was hard. I cried as my chest grew tight and bile rose in my throat."I can't...I can't breathe." I inhaled quickly, grabbing my chest while leaning against Nikolai."What's going on?" Nikolai asked as he watched me gasping like a fish out of water.I sucked in another breathe and another. How was it I was breathing but the air felt empty of oxygen? I had to sit. Too crowded. Too many people here taking my air. I needed space. Xavier was too close, he was leaning in, telling me something. I waved my hand at him uselessly attempting to shoo him away. I was light headed. Dizzy.“Everyone get away from her.” I heard Doctor Fernandez say as she came towards me. “And that includes you, Nikolai.”Nikolai backed away and so did