Wes fell asleep in the comfort of his bed. In his dream, he was back in the place where he was born and raised. He entered the palace garden, which was different from the way it looked now, and stopped when he saw a woman playing with what appeared to be a young child, no older than three years old. He could tell that it was his mother, and the child was a younger version of him.
Around a large tree, the kid chased his mother as she ran and laughed. Wes grinned as he watched them with delight. It was only momentary, though, as the sound of laughter quickly vanished. The boy could no longer see the woman because she had gotten away from him. The kid frantically searched for his mother near the tree and in the garden before leaving the palace grounds and stepping into the forest, jumping over stones and streams of water.
Wes followed the kid and saw him run before stopping at the woman's lifeless body. The boy sobbed. There was a man comforting the child, a hooded figu
The sun shone brightly in the clear sky the next morning. It was a nice day for exploring the campus, drinking iced coffee, or going on a date, but none of those things were on Willow's to-do list. Felicity addressed her team members who were gathered in a circle inside the booth that represented her club. "Increase our visibility, get emails or phone numbers for direct marketing, but remember to get as many new students to sign up as possible." After acknowledging her with a nod, everyone scattered to take their assigned positions. The clubs were organizing events today to obtain new members. Maxon's club occupied the booth next to Felicity's, and eight other clubs in the row were positioned next to or across from one another. Willow approached several students, informed them of the club, and persuaded a few to join. It was an hour of fake smiles and the test of her people-pleasing abilities. She didn't pause until Felicity approached her.
"—and I want to know why." He stood in awe as she fixed him with an unwavering stare. Her breathing was audible. "I don't know, Willow. Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?" "Just answer the question." "I don't know. What do you want me to say? I don't know why it was you." She moved a little closer to him and said, "I need a better response. I'm not special. And yet you came into the human world, found me and followed me around, married me, and then asked me to move in with you only under the condition that nothing romantic can happen." She shook her head, "So many conflicting signals, and I want to know why." "I don't know why I did any of those things. I am not accustomed to thinking too much. I don't analyze every little detail." She squinted her eyes with suspicion. "I think you're lying. I think you know why you did those things but you don't want to admit it because you're a coward." The door op
Willow, Felicity, and Luke drove in Luke's car to the outskirts of the city, where Maxon's party was. The two-story house was packed with people and blazing with loud music when they entered. "I'm gonna get us a drink," Felicity said before disappearing. She returned with 3 cups and Willow drank the beverage without any hesitation. "I'm going to talk to some people," Felicity said before disappearing again. "I'll come with you." Luke followed her. Willow looked around at people dancing, drinking, and having a good time; all this while she felt like crumbling. She entered a space where people were playing beer pong and pool and noticed Wes holding a drink while perched on the couch. Around him sat Maxon and his group. A girl that Willow vaguely knew from college sat next to Wes, eyeing him. "Willow, I didn't know you were invited," Melissa, a member of Maxon's club, said. "But now that you're here," she said, grabbing her arm and draggi
He drew her in and locked the door. She drew in a sharp intake of breath. There was no space left between. The air around them became suddenly hot and heavy, and she could hear her heart beating in her ears. He kissed her like he hadn't kissed any other and with one hand on her waist, he maneuvered her over to the bed. She fell on it with him on top. His arms were on either side of her as he pulled away to allow her to breathe. She stared into his beautiful eyes, breathing heavily, and then his swollen lips. She tugged on his black t-shirt, and in one swift movement, he took it off, slightly ruffling his hair. "I've wanted this for so long." His voice was husky. "Me too," she whispered, placed her hand on the back of his neck, and pulled him in for another kiss. His back muscles flexed as she ran her hands down his skin. She let out a moan. She could feel his abdominal muscles on her ribs and stomach when he leaned in to kiss her neck.
Willow woke up on a chair in a cabin situated deep into the woods. To her surprise, her hands and legs weren't tied to the chair. A yellow light bulb hung from the ceiling, illuminating the space. Slade stood near the counter, his back to her. It seemed like he was stirring something on the stove. Willow slowly got up from the chair, not making a sound. The door was just seven feet away. She vigilantly side-stepped towards the exit. "You could try, but you wouldn't get too far." He turned around. "Drink?" He held a cup of steaming tea out for her. "What do you want?" "To talk." Slade moved over to the couch and took a seat. He indicated for her to take a seat as well and she unwillingly did, knowing fully well that she had no other option. "So talk," she said. "And don't beat around the bush." Slade smirked. "Very well then. I want you to give your half of the map to me." He handed her the cup of tea. Sh
Wes lifted her chin with two of his fingers and saw the red marks and bruises on her neck. "Who did this to you?" He asked sternly. "We don't have time for this, Wes!" "Who did this to you?" He voice was louder this time. "Slade." She blinked. "And he could be on his way here right now so we need to leave!" His nostrils flared with anger. "Why? Let him run over here. I will rip his head off." She held onto his arms. "And risk exposing yourself? Put everyone else in danger? There's a house full of humans who don't know anything about this world. We can't do that to them." Wes gritted his teeth. "Fine. Let me get the car keys from Luke." He went inside the house. Willow followed him but stayed on the lookout near the front door. The trees ahead were rather calm and still. It caused unsettling anxiety in her as she tapped her foot on the floor. A few minutes later Luke and Wes walked out of
Wes parked the car in front of the house. She waited for him while he picked up the map from his room. So many things were going on in her head as she anxiously bit her lip although what she could not stop thinking about was who that old woman was. Her best guess was that she was someone from her father's adoptive family. If not that, then Willow had no idea of her identity. Wes came back in a minute and they drove to the university. Hand in hand, Wes and Willow sneaked past the guard who was sleeping soundly on his chair and dreaming about a lavish home and a hot wife. They entered the library through a window that Wes unhinged. It was quiet, too quiet, and dark. Willow turned on the flashlight on her phone and they made their way to the underground level, where hundreds of books sat on the shelves. "Hold this." She handed the phone to him and walked to the center of the floor, in between the rows and columns of shelves. He wa
Wes stepped closer to Willow. "Before you say anything else," he whispered in her ear, "we have been followed. I caught Slade hiding outside the library." "Why didn't you say something before!" "I didn't want you to get distracted." "Okay, how are we going to get out of this? He's probably here to murder me." "He will do no such thing. I won't let him," Wes said. "I have a plan." She looked at him expectantly. "What is it?" "How good of an actress are you?" *** Slade positioned himself close to the window of a vacant room that overlooked the library. On a quiet Sunday morning, the campus was practically empty. After easily sneaking in, he waited in the room for seventeen minutes before he finally saw Willow and Wes exiting the library. He hid behind the wall. Slade observed Willow stop moving and keep her hands on her knees while she struggled to breathe. Wes, who was walking ahead of her, notice