Novel & Cerita Stepped Unscramble

It was a vivid picture that I couldn't shake off. I snapped my eyes open, wondering what was wrong with me. Why was I thinking about Ronnie in such a way? I didn't want to be attracted to her. She was my step sister, and I didn't want to complicate our relationship. I closed my eyes again, hoping to push away the image of her out of my mind. But Ronnie's image appeared again, and this time it was more intense. I sat up on my bed, trying to shake off the thoughts that were racing through my mind.

I insisted. "We haven't been friends for years for nothing, Ellie. I know you, and I know that you are lying right now because you're blinking rapidly, you are wiggling your toes, and you are looking everywhere except at me. So who is it? Your therapist?" I sighed, rubbing my temples. "My step-uncle," I finally said, closing my eyes tightly to push memories of him away. "Brother to your stepfather-to be?" I scoffed. "Well, dumbass, that's exactly what a step-uncle is," I snapped at her.

“Because the way that heart monitor was spiking, I thought you were flatlining—turns out you were just getting your freak on.” I didn’t even flinch. I just smirked, my voice low. “What can I say? Love’s a hell of a drug.” Alex made a gagging sound, dragging a chair across the floor and plopping into it like a pissed-off babysitter. “Y’all are insane. Like actually. Ariana, your leg has staples in it.” “And your head is stitched like Frankenstein,” I shot back. “What’s your point?” Alex pointed between us like he was solving a crime. “You two are step-siblings. This is forbidden, illegal in several countries, and definitely against hospital policy.”

I finally found the man I was crazily looking for, and at the same time, what an unlucky day — I found him, but I can't have him. I sighed. My eyes fell on his veiny hands on the steering wheel. His hand was gripping the wheel just like he held my neck in those nights — not tightly, just in control. My thighs clenched. Oh gosh. I looked ahead. Stop it, Elora. He is your step-uncle now. It's so disgusting. Even I was trying to remind myself how wrong this was now. My head voice wasn't helping me — it kept interrupting, saying, So what if he is your step-uncle? He is step, not real. Eww, I never thought I was this sick in the mind.

"Let's walk up." From the base of the hill to the church at the top, there were countless stairs, as if they were placed there by God to test the hearts of those who came. Rolf had never been into hiking. I had begged him over and over the first time, promising I'd take care of him, just to get him to agree. But now, at the very end, he was the one suggesting we climb. I didn't mind. I liked being active, and I liked the feeling of working up a sweat. Walking more wouldn't hurt.

W͟i͟n͟t͟e͟r͟ One step at a time right? Scoooot. Step. Scoooot. Step. See? Not that hard. Really not that hard. Even as I think those words, my body fights against me. Lots of slow, shallow breaths, inching forward until I'm just barely shuffling along. Shuffle. Shimmy, shimmy. Shuffle. I take another slow sliding step forward.

I didn’t have much money, and I wasn’t particularly capable. [After arriving here, the system told me that if I helped Miley take her company public, I would be allowed to go home. [I could have left much earlier, but I couldn't bear to leave you. [You were the only thing in this world I couldn't let go of. [The USB drive contains all the evidence needed to bring down Sean and Everdusk Group. [But now isn’t the time. [Dad asked Uncle Dylan to calculate everything. The best time to use it is when you’re twenty-five.

The code was clear: H-U-L-L--S-P-L-I-T-T-I-N-G. C-O-L-E--D-O-W-N. L-E-O--N-O-T--B-R-E-A-T-H-I-N-G. T-H-E--I-R-O-N--K-I-N-G--I-S--A-T--T-H-E--D-O-O-R.