All Chapters of The Fake Empire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Aiden WilderPOVThe drive back to Kansas was quiet, I had the radio on, I wanted to be alone, so I got permission from coach August to drive myself home. I borrowed one of Axel’s cars stored in my parents garage. Not my finest moments, but I told my mother I’d asked him when I haven’t spoken to Axel since his visit after Lydia died.The rain soothed me. I had the radio on but I wasn’t really paying attention to it. I wasn’t listening, not really, until the piano started playing, something about it drew me in.When the drums, and guitar came in I turned up the volume. It must be new I’ve never heard it before.It was a pop song. Not that I listened to them all the time, I’d like to think I keep up with the latest trends.When a soft voice starts, it’s trembling, fragile yet steady, a complete contrast to the pop song theme.“I sat alone in my shower, singing to your ghost…”My grip on the steering wheel tightened. Something about her words eat at me.“I danced with your ghost, so cold

Aiden WilderPOVThe night had stretched long past midnight. I knew I should be in bed by now, I needed to be up at four but I couldn’t go to bed. I was sitting in the dim lit study of my apartment, the entire apartment was quiet, too quiet for my liking. I has a half finished warm whiskey on the desk next to it, my phone glowed on the chat of Teigan and me, I liked the quiet most days, but since discovering my grief, I’ve been broken up inside. I didn’t like the way it made me feel. I didn’t want to feel this way.I knew trying to sleep would be pointless, I watched the screensaver on my laptop. A picture Lydia and I took on our trip to Boston to see her parents. She was so excited we took the picture in the backyard of her childhood home. She had the brightest smile on her face. I was hugging her from behind with my arms around her kissing her cheek. We were so happy then.Sleep evaded me because I was consumed with thoughts of Lydia and our entire relationship keeps replaying in my

Raeleigh CampbellPOVI leaned back against the hotel chair, phone in hand, my foot on the end of the seat, staring at the text thread between Craig and I, we decided not to tell each other our names until we’re face to face, that lingering fear of him not wanting anything to do with anything to do with me after he learns about who I really am. It stuck to me like glue.Craig:The day after the Super Bowl. Just us. Away from all the chaos of the game. You’re in?My thumb hovered over the keyboard, my heart thundering in my chest. I’ve been waiting for this moment from the moment he brought it up. There was a time I dreamt of this moment quietly, when I dreamt of meeting him, Craig being my soulmate. Now I don’t even feel worthy of being his friend. I don’t feel worthy of meeting him, yet now I am excited to meet him. Now after seventeen years it was finally happening. I was finally going to meet him.Yes. I’ll be there. Can’t wait to meet you.I hit send and a rush of excitement sprea

Aiden WilderPOVThe Wilder / Jacobs family Christmas had always been loud. There were so many family members everywhere. Everyone was talking over one another, we’d host most of the events, my family was the centre of the attention most of the time.My mother had an eccentric aunt who mostly lived in Italy, who was an actress at one point but didn’t quite make, then she married a man who had it all. Aunt Zarah was spoilt as my mother would call her, she was cut off and soon married Lorenzo Silva they had a son Aleksander he was eighteen years old now. My aunt couldn’t have children so they had him via surrogacy. My aunt loves Aleksander more than she does her riches and finer things in life.My mother would say, the only person in the world who could get aunt Zarah to think about anyone but herself is Alek.The only time I saw the Silva family was at last Christmas. But that would change next year when Alek stays with my parents because he’s attending college here in the states.When

Aiden WilderPOVThe Wilder house always felt so much smaller after dark on New Year’s Eve. Not in a bad way of course with almost the entire family here, my cousins and siblings filling the room with music, laughter and clinking of champagne glasses. The smell of my aunts cooking brought a sense of nostalgia I desperately wanted to share with T.My cousin Grayson tuning his guitar to play Christmas carols. Grayson signed with uncle Aaron’s company when he was ten and every year since he’d play a Christmas carol for us at New Years. They’d spend Christmas with his father’s family and spend New Years with the Jacobs/ Wilder family. It was tradition.Yet instead of enjoying these traditions with my family I wanted someone to share it with. I slipped out onto the back porch needing some air.The December cold bit at my skin, but I didn’t mind. The cold helped clear my head. I looked at the endless stars wondering T was doing right now. Was she working? Was she spending New Years with her