Later I take out the trash. I throw the garbage bag inside the container and the second my hand is free someone grabs me by the waist and presses me hard against his body. I startle, but I immediately know who it is. “My sweet Aubrey. I can’t stop thinking about you,” Zack whispers to my ear. I hit him on the ribs with my elbow to force him to release me. Zack takes his hands off of me but just momentarily because as soon as I try to walk away he grabs me by the shoulders and forces me to face him. He leans his head to be closer to me, I can feel his fresh minty breath on my face. “Zack, are you insane?” I whisper because I don’t want anyone to hear us. “Do you know what will happen if someone sees us? Zack, I have told you a million

Leopold sleeps for hours, the sun goes down and he still soundly asleep. I decide to prepare his favorite meal for dinner in case he wakes up. I go to the kitchen, I take out two steaks from the freezer and I start to boil water to prepare mashed potatoes. Baxter is so happy to have Leopold back that he doesn’t even come to the kitchen when the smell of food reaches the upper floor. The dog stays beside the bed waiting for his owner to wake up.The doorbell rings. It’s probably Jareth checking on us. I leave the food and I open the door with a big smile. Outside I find a short chubby middle-aged woman with gray hair and a scowl on her face. The woman is wearing a sky blue Bearer dress and is carrying a big suitcase. The woman looks somehow familiar although I can’t determine why. “Who are you?” The woman asks looking at me up and down with a furrowed brow.

Now that Leopold’s mom is staying with us, I have no excuse not to go to the Bearer Center. Even though I dread to go back, I am received by some interest changes: thanks to Leopold’s close experience with death, the Matrons have decided to forgive him for yelling at Mother Addison and regard him once more as Estermond’s hero; this turned out to be a good thing for me because they are kinder to me; but it’s not just the Matrons who have changed, Alice is so thankful for what I did with the Andersons that she now treats me in a friendly manner, her change of heart is noticed by the rest of the Bearers, and so they decide I am no longer a pariah in the group. I go from being Aubrey the Eel to just being Aubrey, another Bearer from group 11. Eliza is also back, although she keeps to herself all of the time and barely talks to the rest of us. Fiona and I have tried to talk to her about her absence but she refuses to say anything.

The dress Mabel chose for me is breathtaking. I have never seen a dress like this before. I was expecting for her to sabotage me in some way, choosing a cheap fabric, an unflattering design or giving the dressmaker the wrong size, but none of that happened, the dress is spectacular and it fits me perfectly. I think it is safe to say the my mother-in-law is finally starting to accept me. Mabel even offered me to help me do my hair and she did an amazing job making it into a waterfall braid that suits my features just right. “Keep in mind that this is a very important day, Leopold is going to be in front of his superiors and all the family has to rise to the occasion. Please, girl, do not make a fool of yourself during the event, do not embarrass my son,” Mabel reminds me as puts the final touches to my hairdo.  

(Leopold’s P.O.V.)I pull Aubrey closer to me, I do not wish to let her go. I place my hands around her tiny waist. For some silly reason, seeing that boy, Zack Peterson, infuriated me. I am certain that he is in love with Aubrey, I can see it in his eyes along with something else I can not quite figure out just yet but it makes me not trust him. There is something about that boy I just do not like. I should not have left Jareth convince me to accept him in the 9th Unit, but I found no valid reason to reject him, his performance inside the Shark Youth Forces was remarkable, besides, he was brave enough to come forward and tell us about Aubrey’s innocence, which I find admirable. Probably I just do not like him because I am jealous, and it would be unprofessional of me to allow my feeling to make decisions for me. At least it seems like I have nothing to worry about, Aubrey is clearly not interested in the boy. She wants me, I do not