The People We Keep Novels & Stories

He said to me. "Okay." I smiled at him, eager to knows where it was. "Do you remember the first place we visited together when I got here?" He asked me. "Um," I thought about it for a moment, "Star King's Burgers?" He smiled, "Yeah." "That's where we're going?" I asked him because it wasn't so far from my place. We even could have just ordered in if we wanted to. He didn't give my question an answer, instead he asked me another one, "And do you remember that instax camera I got a few weeks back that you kept asking what I was going to use it for?"

Dave asked. “We all know what has gone on for years. The fact you all tried to play us, and now we are supposed to roll over and not say anything? If you all really think that, then maybe this will be the last time you see us.” Max said. “I won’t speak for Bailey, but I have no desire to be a part of this charade.”

When we got there, nothing would stop me from having what we deserved from the very beginning of this disaster and yet the beautiful love story we have. "Mommy.. Mamu.. Where have you been, guys? We are all just waiting for you. We have to go, or else we will miss the flight," Jaiz vocalized, meeting us as he saw us going downstairs holding hands. His excitement could not hide anymore, and neither I. "Of course, we will not miss our flight, little handsome.." Anika lifted and carried him. They are both so attached that my heart seems to melt, witnessing their fondness for each other.

Ru asked as the five of them climbed inside and Cutter pressed the correct button. “Yes,” Ivy replied, “retired. Most of the people who work and live here are either retired or angels. Younger Keepers are too valuable to spend their time doing these types of jobs.” Ru seemed to remember one of them mentioning back when she first started that there weren’t that many Keepers in existence, at least compared to Reapers, mostly because of issues with crossing bloodlines. “But the city seems so big,” she muttered. “It’s an illusion,” Rider explained. “And all the Keepers that are here aren’t really here—just like us.”

"Clara, I'm hungry. Where's my chicken soup? Oh, right. Jason said he's too disappointed in you and doesn't want to talk to you anymore. He told me to speak to you directly if I need anything." I clenched my fists and forced the words out through my teeth. "I'm never going back." She let out two soft laughs, full of disdain. "Where else can you go if you don't come back here? Everyone says you'll cling to Jason's family for the rest of your life, even if you have to become the family pet. Otherwise, you'll starve to death."

Because we had chosen to stay. I leaned against him, watching the horizon stretch out beyond the farm. We used to think we knew everything. Who we were. What we wanted. Where we were going. We were wrong about most of it. And somehow that made everything better. Because in the end, the most important thing we built wasn’t the shelter or the farm or even this family. It was the decision to stop pretending.

I did not have to be a rocket scientist to guess who was behind this. This photo album contained all the pictures Zach and I had taken over the years. I had bought this album not long after Zach came into my life, and every year we would fill it up with photographs of memorable trips. Zach had sworn he would cherish this photo album until the end of his days, because it was a tangible representation of our shared memories together. Alas, he allowed Thalia to defile it like a child's art project. Perhaps he himself had taken part in the vandalization.

Only us. Forever.

Mine. “Ah... it’s so small,” Eliha muttered under her breath, glancing around with a slight frown as she dropped her luggage just beside the couch. “Eliha,” Flora said, giving her a soft nudge with her elbow, “it’s cozy. Not everything needs to be golden and glittering to be good.” I chuckled softly, setting my own bag down. “We should be thankful. At least we have a roof over our heads and a quiet place to breathe. That’s more than what some people have.”

I wasn't throwing away my future for someone who never deserved it. From here on out, I'd cry for me, smile for me, live for me. We finally rolled up to our destination. The roads were thick with mud and lined with the injured—people sprawled out, limbs bloody and raw. Turns out, the place had just been bombed. These people? As torn up as they looked—they were the lucky ones. The OR was packed, so they lay there, right on the road. I didn't think twice. I jumped in and started wrapping wounds.