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You're Crying?" He Said. "no, I- " I Tore My Gaze Away. "just Dust. From The Path. Simon's That Way." I Tried To Pass Him, But He Stooped, Trying To Get A Loom Of My Face. When I Wouldn't Let Him, He Caught My Chin. I Jerked Back, Flinching At His Touch, Heart Thudding At It, Too. I Told Myself Simon Was Wrong. I'd Never Be Dumb Enough To Fall For Derek. But I Had. With Him So Close, My Stomach Kept Doing Weird Flips. It Wasn't Fear. It Hadn't Been Fear For Awhile. "you Have Been Crying," He Said, Voice Softer.

-Kelley Armstrong

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You're Crying?" He Said.

Kelley Armstrong

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You're Crying?" He Said. "no, I- " I Tore My Gaze Away. "just Dust. From The Path. Simon's That Way." I Tried To Pass Him, But He Stooped, Trying To Get A Loom Of My Face. When I Wouldn't Let Him, He Caught My Chin. I Jerked Back, Flinching At His Touch, Heart Thudding At It, Too. I Told Myself Simon Was Wrong. I'd Never Be Dumb Enough To Fall For Derek. But I Had. With Him So Close, My Stomach Kept Doing Weird Flips. It Wasn't Fear. It Hadn't Been Fear For Awhile. "you Have Been Crying," He Said, Voice Softer.

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If It Gets Too Bad, Go. I’ll Understand.” I Won’t.

All Right, Then. Emergency Medical Situation, Take Two.” He Leaped To His Feet, Staggered, Keeled Over, Then Lifted His Head Weakly. “chloe? Is That You?” He Coughed. “do You Have My Insulin?” I Placed It In His Outstretched Hand. “you Saved My Life,” He Said. “how Can I Ever Repay You?” “undying Servitude Sounds Good. I Like My Eggs Scrambled.” He Held Up A Piece Of Fruit. “would You Settle For A Bruised Apple?” I Laughed.

How Long Could We Do This Before You Started Bitching?" Simon Said As We Turned Down Another Street Of Apartment Buildings. "what?" "we've Been Walking For Two Days Now, And You Haven't Complained Once. It's Damned Annoying, You Know." I Looked At Him. "if You Don't Complain, Then I Can't Complain. Not Without Sounding Like A Whiny Little Snot.

Believe Me, I Have Better Things To Do Than Sabotage Your Friendships. No One Else's World Revolves Around You, Cassandra." -paige To Cassandra

And Unless I'm Remembering It Wrong, Mermaids Don't Sing And Sirens Don't Swim." "ariel Sang In 'the Little Mermaid'," Corey Said. Sam Came Over To Join Us. "do I Even Want To Know Why You Remember Her Name?

All I Could Think About Was Him, And How Much I Wanted This, And How Incredibly Lucky I Was To Get It, And How Tight I Was Going To Hold Onto It.

Derek Caught My Arm Again As I Started To Move--at This Rate, It Was Going To Be As Sore As My Injured One. "dog," He Said, Jerking His Chin Toward The Fenced Yard. "it Was Inside Earlier." Expecting To See A Doberman Slavering At The Fence, I Followed His Gaze To A Little Puff Of White Fur, The Kind Of Dog Women Stick In Their Purses. It Wasn't Even Barking, Just Staring At Us, Dancing In Place. "oh, My God! It's A Killer Pomeranian." I Glanced Up At Derek. "it's A Tough Call, But I Think You Can Take Him.

I Thought You Were All-seeing.” All-knowing, Not All-seeing!” He Snapped. “i’m A God, Not Santa Claus!

Could You Please Put This--could You All Put These--could You Get Dressed, Please?" The Woman Only Bestowed A Serene Smile On Me. "we Are As The Goddess Requires." "the Goddess Requires You To Be Naked On My Lawn?

I Might Be Half Derek's Size, But I Was The One Who Sounded Like A Two-hundred-pound Beast Plowing Through The Woods.

Antonio- "just In Time, Pete. Five More Minutes Of Reading This And She'd Have Been In A Coma." Peter- "are We Such Bad Company That You'd Rather Hide Out In Here Reading That Old Thing?

Wild Dogs? Or Just Clayton? -nick Sorrentino (bitten)

A Stereotype Becomes A Stereotype When A Significant Percentage Of The Population Appears To Conform To It.

God, I Loved Him. I Could Insist I Was Okay With Just Being Friends, That I'd Find Someone Else And Get Over Him, But I Was Fooling Myself. There Was No Getting Past This. I Loved Him, And Fifty Years From Now We Could Be Married To Other People, Never Exchanged So Much As A Kiss, And I'd Still Looking Into His Eyes And Know He Was The One. He'd Always Be The One.

I Let Out A Laugh That Sounded More Like The Yip Of A Startled Poodle. "superp-powers? I Wish. My Powers Aren't Winning Me A Slot On The Cartoon Network Anytime Soon... Except As A Comic Relief. Ghost Whisperer Junior. Or Ghost Screamer, More Like It. Tune In, Every Week, As Chloe Saunders Runs Screaming From Yet Another Ghost Looking For Her Help." Okay, Superpower Might Be Pushing It.

He Looked At Me. " I Do Know How To Deal With Demons, Savannah." "i Know. Sorry." "so I Get A Hug?" "no, But I Won't Smack You, And We'll Call It Even.

Young Writers Need To Be Encouraged To Write - Just Write - With No Restrictions On Form, Style Or Content.

Speaking Of Death, Leblanc Boasted He Could Kill Me In The Waiting Room. I Broke His Wrist. He Wasn't Impressed.

Storytelling Is My Passion, And It Rises From A Love Of Reading.

Hello, Aaron," Brigid Said, Sliding Up To Him And Running A Finger Down His Chest. "you're Looking Good . . . As Always." Aaron Lifted Her Finger Off His Shirt And Let It Drop. "put Some Clothing On, Brigid." She Smiled Up At Him. "why? Tempted?" "yeah, To Cover My Eyes.

I Opted For The Rear Door, Both As A Courtesy And So She Couldn't Freak Out About Me Showing Up On Her Front Doorstep For All Of East Falls To See. Being The Village Pariah Does Make Social Calls Most Trying. -paige

But Was It Wrong To Put Yourself First? That’s Called Survival, Right? If You’re Running For Your Life, You Don’t Get The Luxury Of Being Nice. They Were Going To Learn That. It’s Fine To Wave The Pompoms For Teamwork—all For One And One For All—but When Push Came To Shove, These Guys Wouldn’t Be Risking Their Lives For Chloe, Maybe Not Even For Each Other. I Was Sure Of It. Once Things Got Worse, It Would Be Every Kid For Himself. It Always Is.

Rafe Grinned. "so We Are Dating?" "no. You Have To Pass The Parental Exam First. It'll Take You Awhile To Compile The Data. They'd Like It In Triplicate." I Turned To My Parents. "we Have Kenji. We Have My Cell Phone. Since We Aren't Officially Dating, I'm Sure You'll Agree That's All The Protection We Need." Dad Chocked On His Coffee.

I Must Have Been Sound Asleep If I Missed All That Shouting-simon What Shouting?-derek You Mean That Chole Just Told You She Followed A Ghost Onto A Roof, And You Didnt Blast Her All The Way To Canada?-simon He's A Little Off This Morning-chole More Than A Little I'll Say.-simon

He's Having A Vision," I Said. "that's What Happens." (maya) "attractive, I Know," Corey Said Between Gritted Teeth. "and Now I Get New Witnesses To My Humiliation. Wonderful." "we're Used To It," Chloe Said. "derek Used To Do That When He Changed. Only Worse." "thank You For Sharing," Derek Muttered. She Grinned. "you're Welcome.

He Obviously Needed More Practice, But No Matter How Often I Abandoned Him Out There, His Sense Of Direction Never Seemed To Improve.

Chloe? It's Me." After A Pause, He Added, "derek," Like I Could Mistake That Deep Rumble For Anyone Else, Like I Could Mistake That Little Part Of Me That Perked Up Like An Eager Puppy Saying, "it's Him. Quick! Go See What He Wants." God, How Had I Been So Blind? It Seemed So Obvious Now.

Nuh-uh. No Deals With The Devil. I’ve Learned My Lesson On That One. ~jaime Vegas

What's Next? If There Are Vampires In There, They Probably Drink Artificial Blood Plasma Substitute.

I Called Clay From The Suv. "how'd It Go At The Paper?" He Asked. "she Called Me Perky." "ouch.

Love And Hate. Same Passion. Same Impulse

I Found Something" Simon Said As He Walked In. He Whipped Out An Old-fashioned Key From His Pocket And Grinned At Me. "it Was Taped To The Back Of My Dresser Drawer. What Do You Think? Buried Treasure? Secret Passageway? Locked Room Where They Keep Crazy Old Aunt Edna?" "it Probaly Unlocks Another Dresser," Tori Said. "one They Threw Out Fifty Years Ago." "its Tragic, Being Born Without An Imagination. Do They Hold Telethons For That?

It's Because When We Sneeze, Our Soul Flies Out Our Nose And If No One Says 'bless You,' The Devil Can Snatch It.

So, When I Spotted A Cougar Stretched Out On A Thick Pine Tree Branch Near The Park Gates, I Wasn't Surprised. I Can't Say The Same For The Women Clinging To The Branch Above The Cat. She Was The One Screaming. The Cougar-a Ragged-ear Old Top I Clled Marv-just Stared At Her, Like He Couldn't Believe Anyone Would Be Dumb To Climb A Tree To Escape A Cat.

This Is What I Wanted. This Guy. This Life. This Me. I Was Never Getting My Old Life Back, And I Didn't Care. I Was Happy. I Was Safe. I Was Right Where I Wanted To Be.

We Have Kenjii. We Have My Cell Phone. Since We Aren't Officially Dating, I'm Sure You'll Agree That's All The Protection We Need.

Einstein Theorized That Time Travel Was Possible, But He Was Looking At It As Unidirectional, Going Forward. Traveling Into The Past Is Much More Problematic, As Countless Stories Have Demonstrated!

Stuffing People Into Boxes Is For Those Who Have Issues About Their Own Box.

What's The Woman Doing There?" He Asked. "covering A Scratch On The Hood. She Was Cheaper Than A New Paint Job." He Flipped Through A Few More Pages Of Barely Dressed Women And Classic Cars. "nick Used To Have Magazines Like This When We Were Kids. But Without The Cars." He Rotated A Photo Sideways. "or The Bathing Suits.

And Stop Doing That,” He Said. “backing Away, Giving Me That Look.” Like You’re Scaring Me? Maybe You Are.” He Stepped Back So Fast He Wobbled And Caught Himself, And The Look On His Face—it Vanished In A Second, The Scowl Returning. I’d Never Hurt You, Chloe. You Should Know—” He Stopped. Paused. Then Wheeled And Started Walking Away. “next Time? Handle It Yourself. I’m Done Taking Care Of You.

He Lunged Again. This Time I Stood My Ground And He Checked His Leap At The Last Second....and Toppled Sideways. I Didn't Hide My Laugh That Time. His Face Twisted Fast, Grabbed My Pajama Leg And Wrenched, And Down I Went. "bully

One Second He Was In My Face, Making Me Feel Stupid And Useless. The Next He Was Like This: Hovering, Concerned, Worried.

I Grew Up Writing About The Paranormal, And I Blame Too Many Saturday Mornings Watching Scooby Doo.

There Are Just As Many Bitches Out There As Bastards. Equal Opportunity Asshole-ism.

Just Show Him That I Didn't Need His Apology, I Guess. Show Him That I Was Okay. Better Than Okay. I Was Happy, In Spite Of Everything He'd Done To Me, And No, I Didn't Forgive Him. God Help Me, I Would Not Forgive Him.

I Have To. I've Been Fighting It All Night. I'm Going To Lose. My Battle Is As Futile As A Woman Feeling The First Pangs Of Labor And Deciding It's An Inconvenient Time To Give Birth. Nature Wins Out. It Always Does.

And He Says I Have Lousy Timing

Elena?" "yes, Unless Nick Found A Woman In The Forest, Which I Suppose Wouldn't Be Too Surprising.

Yes," I Said "you Were Saved By A Girl. Horrible, Isn't It?" He Slid Out And Looked Down At My Bare Legs. "not Just A Girl, But A Half-naked One. Now That's Hot. If I'm Still Unconscious, Don't Wake Me, Okay?

Maturity Is Highly Overrated.

No. Harsh Truth Was Better Than Comfortable Lies. It Had To Be.

They Found Me At The Kitchen Table. Derek Said, "there's Something We Need To Tell You," And From The Look On Andrew's Face, I Think He Expected Derek To Say He'd Gotten Me Pregnant.

Rae Burned Me. She Has Matches Or Something. Look, Look..." Tori Pulled Down The Collar Of Her T-shirt. "leave Your Cloths On, Tori," Simon Said, Raising His Hands To His Eyes. "please.

Urban Survival Rule 22: Never Annoy An Armed Man.

You Were Just Worried About Me." An Exhale, Relieved That I Had Understood. "yeah" I Turned. "because You Think I'm Worth It" He Put His Fingers Under My Chin. "i Absolutely Think Your Worth It." "but You Don't Think You Are." His Mouth Opened. Shut. "that's What This Is About, Derek. You Won't Let Us Worry About You Because You Don't Think You're Worth It. But I Do. I Absolutely Do.

Where's Simon?"..."is He Okay? Why Isn't He Here?" She Glared At Derek. "where'd You Leave Him?" Passed Out In An Alley." Derek Frowned In Thought. "not Sure Where, Though.

Maybe I'm Being Selfish, But I Choose You." He Leaned Over, Lips Brushing Mine As He Whispered, "i Always Choose You.

Release The Demon Under Promise That I'd Be Repaid Handsomely, My Enemies Destroyed? Hmm, Where Had I Seen This Before? Oh, Right. Every Demon Horror Movie Ever Made. And The Horror Part Started Right After The Releasing Part.

I'd Seen More Cops In The Last Few Days Than On A Weekend Law And Order Marathon" - Paigne Winterbourne

When You Accept A Leadership Role, You Take On Extra Responsibility For Your Actions Toward Others.

I Glanced Up To See Liz And Smiled. "thank You." "i Just Went Along For The Ride. After That Happened-" She Waved At Derek. "you Know How Blind People Need Seeing Eye Dogs? Well, Apparently Werewolves Could Really Use Opening Door Poltergeists.

He Was Tall And Scrawny With A Face That Could Be Mistaken With Keith Richards On A Bad Day.

Maybe My Expectations For Honesty Are Too High.

First You Buy Me A Mocha. Then You Let Me Help You Hide A Body. Now You Take Me To A Biker Clubhouse. Best. Day. Ever.

You Guys Are Weird," Tori Said. Simon Sat On The Crate Beside Me. "that's Right. We Are Totally Weird And Completely Uncool. Your Popularity Is Plummeting Just By Being Near Us.

I Told Him What My Dad Had Said. That Got Him Laughing And As We Pulled Into The School Parking Lot, Even The Sight Of Rafe Waiting For Me Only Made Him Roll His Eyes. We Got Out. I Glanced At Daniel. He Sighed. "go On." "you Sound Like You're Giving A Five-year-old Permission To Play With An Unsuitable Friend." "if The Shoe Fits..." I Flipped Him Off. "watch It Or I Won't Marry You," He Said. "truck Of No Truck." I Laughed And Jogged Over To Rafe. "did He Just Say...?" Rafe Began.

You'll Wrest A Burning Sword From An Angel, But You're Afraid Of Bats?" "i'm Not Afraid Of Them. I Just Don't Like Them. They're...furry. Flying Things Shouldn't Be Furry. It's Not Right. And If I Ever Meet The Creator, I'm Taking That One Up With Him." "that I'd Like To See. Your One And Possible Only Chance To Get The Answer To Every Question In The Universe, And You Ask, 'why Are Bats Furry?'" "i Will. You Just Wait.

Sure. You Get All Slutty With Rafe. You Freak Out. You Cry Date Rape Drug.' - Hayley

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