KAHLAN AND JUSTIN Justin made his way through the back door and found himself in a long hallway in complete darkness. He slowly made his way down but then stopped when someone with a candle crossed just a few feet in front of him. He held his breath. He walked slower and quieter. He peeked around a sharp corner into a room where a woman and a man sat in complete silence. The room looked to be a living room. The fireplace needed to be rebuilt. The walls needed to be repainted, the ceiling repaired. The fireplace was in shambles, but the pair somehow found a way to keep a nice fire going. Justin went in the opposite direction of the two, ending up in the kitchen. Everything looked charred, as if the home was engulfed with flames. Justin was going to continue making his way around the main level, when the soft whimpers of a scared girl caught his attention. He followed the sounds. Hidden away in the corner of the kitchen was a door. When the door was opened, there was a soft glimmering l

~ASHLEY AND JUSTIN~ Justin Cross stared down at his unlit cancer stick in thought. He had been given a second chance at life and here he was, lighting up something he was told would one day kill him. It was a bad habit that he needed to kick someday, but today wouldn’t be that day. The sun had barely been up and the heat burned his light skin already. He squinted his hazel eyes towards the parking lot when he heard a car door slam to a shut. A skinny blond marched up to him, hips switching with every step. Ashley Lauder, his ex girlfriend, displayed anger and confusion. He looked away from her, already knowing what to expect. He took a puff of his cigarette before putting it out. Ashley hated the fact that he smoked. She was one of those people who warned him that it could one day claim his life. “Hey!” the blond shouted, as she got closer, “Don’t act like you don’t see me.” He could hear the attitude in her voice. “Ashley,” Justin spoke with a bit of a nod, giving her the ackn

~SANDINO AND BROOKE~  “Sandino, what are you doing here?” Brooke asked when she saw Sandino standing in the main doorway of her home. He dressed in light blue skinny jeans and a dark green T. He looked as if the world were weighing down on him. He usually called before he headed over. It was a surprise. Usually Brooke liked surprises, as long as they were good, but something in the pit of her stomach told her this wasn’t a friendly visit. Sandino smiled, before pulling open the screen door and entering the Meir House, not waiting to be invited in. “Hey,” the young man spoke, taking off his favorite green beanie. He seemed to always do that when something was on his mind and he wanted to talk. Brooke always found it to be a sign of respect. “I wanted to talk to you. Are you busy?” She stared at him a moment. There weren’t many things to talk about that would require him to be

~KAHLAN~Everyone was dying to know what happened. I was dying to forget. Every word spoken, every moment, every sound was in my mind, replaying, every night. I went to bed early, ready to face the nightmare once again. As I closed my eyes and drifted off, I remembered doing just that the night Ryan kidnapped me.  I don’t know how, but I felt my eyes close. I think that I drifted off to sleep. I wouldn’t be able to tell you how long I was out, but the sound of groaning startled me awake. My eyes searched around the room quickly. I had momentarily forgotten where I was. In the corner of the room, I saw Justin’s body move. He was first hunched over and now he leaned back, his face staring up at the ceiling as he groaned in pain. "Oh Justin, are you okay?" I cried. He looked at me, his

~THE HANCOCK FAMILY~Mya and Amy both felt the intensity in the room as they all sat around the table for dinner. Paul Hancock and requested a family dinner, expecting his twin girls to be there. His daughter’s boyfriend Jason just happened to come along as well. He had planned on telling the girls everything, in a more private setting, but with Jason here, things already weren’t going as planned. Mya’s brown eyes slowly examined the faces of everyone at the table. Amy seemed to be doing the same. Jason looked uncomfortable. Julie, their fathers significant other, seemed to be staring Paul down, who looked a bit nervous. Something wasn’t right. “What’s going on?” Mya asked, being the one to break the silence and try to get everything out in the open. Paul and Julia glanced across the wooden table at each other. Amy sat up a little straighter, curious of the answer.“No more secrets,” Amy stated, backing her twin. She wanted to know what was going on and now. The silence was agony. “W