If Dad hadn't made me feel like Elena was one crazy lunatic who always chased us around like a goose, maybe I would have noticed how beautiful she was.Aside from the black gown and veil that she seemed to always wear, which hid her pretty face, she felt quite normal to me, not all crazy as Dad did put it sometimes.I stared at her, hiding the disbelief in my eyes. When Lola told me Elena had come to look for me, I tried to dismiss the fact that maybe, just maybe I wouldn't get the chance to meet her someday, because I wasn't sure of what I was going to meet. I tried to convince myself that it could be another Elena, it didn't have to be the mysterious one.But here I was, staring into the cunning and desperate eyes of the same woman who had found a way to always locate me and my family. What was it that was important that somehow always made this woman locate us?I gave a nervous chuckle at her statement and decided to walk out of the cafeteria. I thought I was ready to face whatever

Micheal's POV.A few hours ago…It was Nico, it had to be Nico. The ferocity and rage I felt inside was second to none. What was in that scumbag that girls didn't seem to have enough of?The bar was a few walks away from my dorm. I wasn't in the mood to entertain chitty chats from my roommates and I definitely wanted to cool off, taking a few beers might just be what I needed.I sank into the dim corner booth, nursing a scotch that tasted like regret. The echoes of my argument with Ella about Nico were still raw, leaving a gaping hole where joy used to reside. The bar buzzed with Friday night revelry, a stark contrast to the storm brewing within him.Suddenly, a voice broke through the haze. "Rough day?" A student just like him, maybe a year or two ahead of me, leaned against the corner of the booth, a mischievous glint in his eyes.I grunted, not in the mood for company. But something about the guy's easy grin disarmed me. With a sigh, I poured out his woes. "It's just this girl…she

Nico's POVMy hands clenched into a fist, my knuckles turning white from the force. Mother was on the line sobbing over Father again, and this time it was worse, he beat her.According to Mother, Father had been sleeping out for some days since he came back from his trip, which wasn't news to me. But what made it worse, he brought his whore into the house to spend a night with on their bed.An argument began shortly after they had arrived and Father insisted on taking the lady upstairs to the room. Mother declined and that was when Dad hit her. He came back downstairs with the lady a few hours later after he must have had a good time with her, and they got caught up in a heated argument again, Mother, Father, and the stupid lady."God help her soul I find her.." I muttered as I walked around the school's environment."Don't do anything stupid Nico," Mother warned."How could you possibly say that," I was furious, "God really should help her, because if not…all she would have left are

The chuckles and giggles around the house sprouted me out from the bed. I had left school a few days ago and planned to have my birthday at home with Dad and Nana, along with a few friends of mine.Today was it, today was my birthday, and I felt oddly strange about it. I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't want to expect anything. Ariana and Claire pushed the idea of sending invitations to a few of our friends, left to me, I just wanted to hide myself in my house and blow off the candlelight off a little cupcake while making one simple wish; that mom be present.18th birthday always seemed something to be pumped about, turning into an adult, making your own decisions, and the rest of them. But my 18th birthday, although it made me feel excited before, was currently making me feel nervous. There were going to be a lot of people coming to my house for the first time, a lot of whom I was never friends with, but would be exchanging birthday greetings as soon as they walked in like we

"You know, you can stare at me all day or... you can talk...it's your choice," Nico smirked.Nico had never been more gorgeous with his amber eyes staring at me like that. I looked up at him as his huge body towered mine.He was here, Nico was really here. Ariana did say she gave him an invite but I didn't think he would come. It gave me a lot of chills to see him in my house. The music blanked out and suddenly I zoomed away with it.His lips moved, but I didn't hear a thing."Ella, hey Ella," Claire snapped me out of my night dream. "I would be in the kitchen...setting the cakes," she teased with her eyebrows.I knew what she was doing, and gratefully, I wanted to be alone with Nico, but at the same time, I didn't want to, because there was this new weird feeling always lurking around whenever he was near."Al..alright," I stuttered.Nico moved in to close the gap between us. He scanned me from my head down, causing me to swallow hard. "You...you look stunning Ella," he smiled softly