The tension in the house is starting to become unbearable. Everyone's scared, twitching at the smallest noises and staring at the blood stains and bullet holes dotted all over the walls and floor. We, along with many cadets, cleaned up as best as we could, but our home has been left with battle scars, just like the rest of us. At least, Blake isn't limping anymore and Maeve has stopped wincing at the slightest movement, but we've all been left with some sort of mark, whether it be physical or mental. As I was warned, I've been struggling to eat and sleep with the burden of the lives I took too heavy on my shoulders. I wish I could say I've gotten past it, but I had another nightmare last night and a flashback this morning.

So, Adam had the idea of getting us all out. Ice skating was ultimately decided, but of course it had to be done in true 'thief fashion'; breaking into a rink in the late hours of the night so we can have the place to ourselves.

I land on the other side of the fence, brushing off my hands on my dark jeans. Through the bleak darkness of the night, I watch as Enoch somehow manages to open the back door and sneak in.

"Let us know when you've done it," I hear Danielle whisper. It's so strange seeing her now, swapping out her sparkling, expensive dresses for ripped jeans and a dark leather jacket. She still looks effortlessly chic, but she seems ten years younger and full of carefree excitement.

"What's he doing?" I ask Maeve.

"He needs to turn off the alarm system," she tells me. "And he'll probably turn on the disco lights and crappy pop music while he's at it."

"Have you done this before?"

"Lots of times," Blake says, appearing at the other side of me and interrupting Maeve, who gives him an agitated look.

"I would say I'm surprised we haven't been caught yet," Colby smirks. "But then again, it is us."

There's noise from behind the door and Zavier turns to us, excitement obvious in his usually stormy eyes. "We're in," he says.

As soon as we enter the building, I can already hear the music that gets louder as we walk through a corridor and down a set of stairs. We walk through a final door and I'm immediately in awe with how the place looks.

The rink is huge, the surface of the ice flat and smooth with no one using it. There are fairy lights dangling from the ceiling and neon disco lights illuminating the place with bright colours. There's a chill in the air, not much warmer than it was outside, but I know I'll warm up as soon as we get going. I've only been ice skating once when Tristan took me with a bunch of his friends, and I ended up having the time of my life. Though, I was very young back then. I doubt I've remembered how to skate since so much time has passed.

I watch, smiling, as Maeve, Chelsea, Colby and Enoch run over to a desk and jump over it, presumably looking for their skates in the back. The rest of us follow, Adam running with Danielle on his back and the two of them laughing hysterically. Once we've all found the skates in our sizes, we sit in the seating area to strap them on.

"A fiver says that Colby will be the first to fall," Chelsea says from beside me. I'm glad she could be here with us, having given Posie to a cadet to watch over her. It wouldn't feel the same without everyone here.

Maeve snorts from my right. "He's always the first to fall."

"Am not!" he shouts from the other side, before returning to whatever animated conversation he and Jayden were having. It's always nice to see those two together, knowing Colby's feelings for Jayden. I wish I knew what Jayden thinks about it, if he even knows at all, but it's clear the two of them enjoy one another's company. They laugh together as if to prove my point, and I smile at the genuine happiness they share. It's an emotion that our group has been starved of recently.

"It'll probably be me," I say, closing the last strap of my skate. "I don't have much coordination."

"'Don't have much coordination' my ass," Maeve scoffs. "You have the perfect aim."

I stop myself from thinking about shooting those cadets before a flashback can consume me. Tonight's meant to be an escape from all of that. I take a shuddering breath and sit up straight, making eye contact with Blake. He gives me a small, soft smile, and instead of thinking about the lives I took that night, I think of the way he held me afterwards. I still don't know what's going on between us since that night, but I would be lying if my skin didn't spark every time I think back to it. His warmth, his touch, the way he opened up to me and let me into just a few horrific details of his past. It heated up every part of my body when all I felt was cold.

"You can still have good hand-eye coordination but still trip over your own feet," Chelsea laughs. "Take Enoch for example."

We chuckle and watch as he struggles to get his skates on. I'm pretty sure they're on the wrong feet, but no one has the heart to tell him. I'm sure he'll work it out soon enough.

"Right, come on," Maeve says excitedly, standing to her feet. She awkwardly steps in front of me with the thin blades of the skates and holds out her hands.

"You know if I go down, you're coming with me, right?" I smirk.

She just shrugs and I take her hands, letting her help me from the seat. "That's all part of the fun."

She leads me to one entrance to the rink, stepping onto the ice before me and staying upright with ease. I watch as Danielle and Adam get onto the ice from another entrance, holding hands as they effortlessly glide across the frozen water. I step on, too, practically hugging the wall in an attempt to not fall on my ass. Maeve does a lap while everyone else gets on, the boys showing off already as they speed ahead of one another, and when she makes it back to me, I've barely made it round a quarter of the circle.

"It's really not that scary," she chuckles. "You'll get the hang of it."

Before I can answer, Blake comes to an abrupt stop in front of me, his blade digging into the ice and sending chunks of it slamming into the wall. His face is full of amusement, but that look doesn't effect me as much as it used to. To be fair, it is pretty funny; a girl who has killed people can't even pluck up the courage to go out onto the ice.

"Maeve, I think Colby needs your help," he chuckles, nodding over to where Colby is sat on the ice. I guess we owe Chelsea a fiver. "I'll babysit this one."

I give him a look as she laughs and skates away, but I'm unable to bite back a smile. "I don't need your help."

"Sure you don't," he smirks. He watches me as I make it a few more metres, but then I get distracted. Jayden makes his way to the centre of the rink, jumps and spins a number of times, and lands perfectly.

Blake's eyes meet mine again. "I bet you could do that."

"Not today I couldn't," I laugh.

"Come on, Aurora," he groans. "Get your butt off the wall and skate with me."

"I'll fall!"

He rolls his eyes, but the action shows no ounce of annoyance. "Do you trust me?" he asks.

"Can I trust you?"

We stare at each other for a few seconds, before he reaches forward, grabs my arm, and gently but firmly forces me away from the wall. I squeal, willing myself to stay upright as I slide closer to the centre of the ice, and when I look over to glare at him, I see him laughing at me. Zavier and Jayden whiz past me, racing ridiculously fast, as he makes his way over to me.

"See?" He says, still chuckling. "You're fine."

I grab hold of his arms for support, and instead of pushing me away again like I thought he might, he holds onto mine, keeping me steady. It would be difficult not to notice how close we are, how I can feel the heat from him against the coolness of the building and how he smells like expensive cologne and faintly of smoke. The combination isn't actually so bad.

"You're an ass," I laugh, hitting him playfully.

He just shrugs. "I know."

We start moving then. Blake has hold of my hand and I fear I might cut the circulation to his fingers as we make it one lap round the rink. The others skate past, trying out tricks and racing one another, and I want more than anything to join in. I wonder how many times we'd have to break in here for me to fully get to their level.

I start to feel more confident on the fourth time round. We're taking it slow, Blake never getting bored and leaving my side. We're here for a long time before I feel like I've got the hang of it, and eventually I let go of Blake's hand and start moving on my own.

I forgot how freeing it could be. It feels like I'm floating, hovering a few inches off the ground with nothing holding me down. As a kid, it was rare that I could do this sort of thing. I couldn't play with the other children in the playground, I couldn't ride bikes or go to amusement parks. I only went ice skating with Tristan when Mum was away for a few days, and as soon as she found out, we never heard the end of it. She probably hit me.

Then there's the recent fear that has holding me down. The fear of killing people. The fear of the people closest to me dying right in front of me. The fear of what might happen next, and what Danielle will ultimately decide about getting revenge on the Drakan thieves.

But right now, in this moment, there's nothing there. No fear, no memories. It feels so good.

I'm soon joined by Danielle. She takes my hand in hers and leads me to the middle of the rink as a slower, more relaxed song starts playing. We laugh as we dance together, Danielle trying to twirl me around and me very nearly falling over. I feel like I'm having so much fun, and as Danielle laughs loudly at Adam falling while in an intense race with Zavier, I know that she is, too. She's been forced to grow up so fast, she's been through what most people wouldn't experience in a lifetime, so seeing her act so young and carefree is the most beautiful thing.

"What's wrong?" she asks me, placing her hands on my shoulders. She looks concerned. Did I zone out?

I shake my head. "Nothing," I say, but then I smile. "Can I have a hug?"

She chuckles warmly, pulling me to her. "You never even have to ask."

I don't really know why I had asked, but I don't regret it in the slightest. Instantly I'm surrounded in the most calming and beautiful scent, her arms wrapping tightly around me and mine around hers, feeling her shiny and healthy hair tumbling down her back. Mum- Delilah- had never really given me this kind of affection. Nobody had until I stumbled across this world.

Chelsea suddenly appears behind me as Danielle and I pull apart, and she jabs me in the side. "My turn," she exclaims, and I laugh as I hug her too before she challenges me for a race.

We're here at the ice rink, racing and laughing and making memories with the family I've always wanted, until the early hours of the morning.