The winter break was slowly coming to an end and I felt a tear fall from my right eye as I packed away the last bits of my stuff into my duffle bag. I quickly wiped it off my cheek as I heard Seth make his way down the stairs from the music room, with Ness' case in his arms. I turned my face away from his view as he came to stand next to me, because I couldn't stand to look at him at that moment. I knew if I did, just once simple glance and the tears would spring forth violently. Leaving somewhere that you consider your home was always difficult, but for me, the simple act of leaving Seth, caused a fundamental crack in my heart to form.

I didn't want to be away from Seth anymore. Even though I enjoyed Anthabask Academy and I was falling in love with my new family, albeit slowly, being separated from the place where my heart lived on, was devastating. Maybe sensing my discomfort, Seth wrapped his strong, tattooed arms around my waist and placed his chin on my shoulder, "I know this is hard, but it will be ok. We will be together really soon, it's only a few months."

While I knew that what he was saying was true and I would survive, I had already made my decision what I was going to do once getting home. I decided it last night while I laid in Seth's arms, praying for sleep to consume me. I decided that I was going to appeal to Killian's desire for perfection and show him that he should allow me to test out of my studies. I needed to be with my band, on the road and fulfilling my dreams; not stuck in a gothic style academy, living out the simple moments until I was free.

I knew saying goodbye would devastate me, but as I looked into Seth's eyes later that day at the airport, I knew that I wouldn't be the same until we were back together again.

"Roller skates," Kimmy said, in between the bouts of sobs and tears which occupied her current state.

"Electric guitars, forever!" I hugged her tightly before having to peel myself away from her.

I hugged Seth's parents tightly and then turned to Seth. His face showed all the sadness that was currently hiding behind the facade of being ok with the situation. I buried my face in his chest and inhaled his scent deeply one more time, before I had to leave to make my way through security. I stood on my tiptoes and cupped his face in my hands as I grabbed his bottom lip between my teeth and pulled him into my mouth. I made sure that all of the emotions that I felt for him were in that one kiss. I made sure that when he thought about the last time he kissed me it would be imprinted on his brain for as long as I needed it to be.

I pushed away from him and made my way through security, trying to keep myself together. All I wanted was to break down and collapse on that dirty airport floor, but I knew I needed to do this. I needed to be strong for both of us. I turned around once I was clear of security and I blew him a kiss, which he caught in a swift motion; then he grasped the invisible kiss and placed it close to his heart.

The flight home didn't take long, but navigating through baggage claim was a pain in my ass. People crowded the platform and pushed and shoved for their stuff. I caught a taxi back to the Academy and when we pulled up, I looked up at the steep gothic architecture and thought about the first day I had arrived at the school and my initial impression of the buildings. It still felt like being here was simply a cruel dream and that one day I would wake up and everything would be back to normal; mom would be in the kitchen making blueberry muffins, Seth would be tuning up my car in the driveway and Kimmy would be lounging on the couch watching the latest SpongeBob Squarepants marathon on television.

Sitting in the taxi, I remembered how I felt so small standing there at the front walkway of Anthabask with everything I owned. Standing there now, I knew that in the short few months I had been there, I had grown. I wasn't the secretly heartbroken Talia anymore; the girl who had a really strong exterior and a witty and sarcastic mouth. Now, I was strong both inside and out, and I had Minnesota to thank for that.

I maneuvered up the stairs of the dorm building and made my way to my room. I fumbled for my key, but the door thrust open to reveal a casual looking Lizbeth, who immediately wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm so glad you're back! Ok, you need to tell me EV.ER.Y.THING!" she stressed the word everything, as she pulled me into the room and I dropped my bags on the floor by my bed and plopped down next to her.

I told her all about my trip. I told her about Seth, the proposal song, and then our night together. Her mouth stayed in a constant 'o' shape the entire time and all I could do was chuckle and think that before long, I might need to tie her jaw closed. For a moment, I found the courage within myself to also tell her something else, something that I worried she would never forgive me for; but it was time to come clean about everything.

"Lizbeth, I need to tell you something and I know that you could hate me for it, but I can't keep secrets anymore," I braced myself for the Lizbeth glare that I had become accustomed to.

"Whatever it is, I doubt I could hate you. You're my sister, Talia. I do love you, even if we had a rocky start."

I hesitated, because I knew this revelation could potentially put a wedge in the bond that we had slowly developed over the course of the last few months.

"Remember that first day when you gave me the three tips?" Lizbeth nodded at my question and I took a deep breath before continuing, "Well, I didn't follow the third tip."

"Yeah, you and Damian were study friends. I'd say by that alone you definitely didn't follow the advice."

"No, you don't understand. I hung out with Paxton and Damian outside of studying. We became friends," I let my words penetrate the silence as she just stared at me, probably unsure what to make of it. I hadn't let out the biggest revelation; that our friendship was much more than that.

"Well, I could say you have crap choices in friends, but I won't. I do think-" I cut her off mid sentence because I knew where she was going with this.

I found myself attempting to reveal the huge secret about my relationships with the two boys, but it sat on the end of my tongue, like it was hooked in place, secure to never fall off and be revealed. I didn't know why I couldn't tell Lizbeth; I knew I trusted her and believed that she would love me regardless, but my shame got in the way and caused me to pause.

"Whatever it is, you'll tell me when the time is right," Lizbeth said, as she got up to head out of the room, with her laundry bag strung over her shoulder.

As the door shut behind her, I knew what my next step was. I knew what I needed to do in order to get the closure that I desperately desired where all things Reever were concerned. I headed in Lizbeth's direction and caught her before she made her way to the elevator.

"Hey, can you give me a ride into town? I mean if you're not busy."

"Sure, I was going to head to the house anyways to do my laundry. Where do you need dropped off at?" she responded, yet I didn't feel like she was prying by asking.

"I need to grab some stuff at the market, but I can walk back to school afterwards," I replied and Lizbeth just nodded and waited while I grabbed my backpack and wallet from the room. Before I headed out to meet her, I used two phone numbers in my phone for the first time ever. Calmly composing a two texts, I held my breath.

Talia: Can you meet me in town @ Chippy's, say in an hour? I really need to see you

As I was headed down the hallway, my phone buzzed an incoming text.

Paxton: Yea, NP. Done with practice in 30. See you then, I've missed you.

My heart raced, but a wave of relief flooded me. I needed to do this. I needed to lay all my cards out on the table, no matter how hard the simple action would be. As we headed down the hill my phone buzzed again and I looked down to see Damian's name flashing across my screen.

Damian: Oh, so she is alive and knows how to use my number for once ; ) Yea, let me grab my stuff and I'll head over. You mind if I'm really early cause I've got to meet my dad in an hour???

Talia: No... That's cool, I'll be there soon. Need to stop off and grab some stuff..

Damian: Alright, I'll be there waiting then.

After several minutes in the car with Lizbeth and having to listen to her singing some Ariana Grande song about dangerous women and how boys make you... oh who was I kidding... I didn't care, even if it was catchy. I didn't care, because the nervous knots in my stomach where doing acrobatics in a manner which was causing a wave of nausea to flood over me.

Lizbeth dropped me off in front of the supermarket, which was within a short walking distance of Chippy's and I headed inside, in order to grab some essential items. I was glancing over the different shampoos in the long aisle, trying hard to locate the one that I knew Seth used a lot. For some reason, I missed his smell and I knew it didn't bring him closer to me, but the smell of his citrus scented shampoo would bring me comfort on days when missing him was really hard.

I was lost in thought and tugging on the straps of my black backpack when I heard a voice coming down the hall. I couldn't make out what she was saying, but when I looked around, I didn't notice anyone else in the aisle with me.

"Claire!"

I felt her hand touch my shoulder and I turned to look at her. She was beyond beautiful, with shoulder length golden blonde hair, which rested in large ringlet curls around her face. She was disastrously tall; I figured she was at least five foot, ten inches, but her stiletto heels caused her to tower over me like a giant. She had a perfectly oval face and complexion, with only a faint hint of age lines around her eyes. Oh god, those eyes though. They were a pale greenish-blue that teetered almost on a hazel spectrum and I had see those eyes before, yet when I looked into them I never saw the venom that this woman's eye concealed. Her eyes were colder than Antartica and I instantly felt small and weak in their presence.

"Oh, I am sorry. I thought you were someone else," her voice was sultry and it sent chills slowly crawling up my spine like ice cold spiders slowly crawling up a wall. I opened my mouth to speak, but she interrupted me, "Actually, I don't think I was wrong at all... I know you."

I felt myself gulp down the wad of nervous saliva that had built up in my mouth the moment she began to speak to me. She searched my face for recognition and then she did something that caused me to cower slightly in fear. Her perfectly polished hand raised in the air and hovered above my head, before it lovingly stroked down the length of my fire red strands; it stroked my hair much like an evil witch would slowly pet her animalistic familiar.

"It's like looking in a mirror. You look just like Claire. So, my dear husband was correct when he came home spouting his tale of the bastard child of Killian returning to Meeds Hollow. Tell me dear, how does it feel to know that you will always be the daughter of the beautiful whore and that tyrant?" her hand clasped my chin violently and thrust my face upwards to look at her. In that instant, I saw all the poison of the Reever family in that singular look. I saw exactly what Lizbeth had told me that day in the car about the toxic Maria Reever, matriarch of the Reever clan. I was standing in the presence of the Queen of Hell, herself; the wife of that monster, Julian.

In that moment, I shut my eyes violently, willing the Heavens to teleport me somewhere safe, out of this woman's presence. I clenched my eyes shut, a singular tear escaping the confines of my closed eyes, a singular tear shed for the vicious words Maria spoke about my mother.

"Look at me, girl!" she ordered and I found my eyes opening to settle on her vicious face. Her hand gripped my chin tighter and pulled me closer. "You will listen and you will listen good, little Talia Grey. You will do as you are told and you will go be with my dear sweet Paxton and stop this foolishness. You are his to do with as he pleases. Call it a payment for your lying mother's deceit," she stroked my hair again with her free hand and I felt the small beads of sweat develop on my upper lip.

She released my chin in a violent thrust and smoothed down the front of her fitted royal blue Armani Collezioni, long sleeved jersey dress. She sneered at me, before placing her golden ringlet curls behind her ears and calmly composing herself like the moment we had just shared was nonexistent. Her vicious eyes scanned the expanse of my being, like she was memorizing every inch. I felt like I was being sized up as her eyes trailed my Ramones t-shirt and down to my ripped black skinny jeans and spiked Converse hightop sneakers. Her eyes stalled for a second as I grasped the straps of my backpack tightly to my body and she grabbed my left hand.

"Well, well, well, what is this?" her fingers ran over Seth's promise ring and if her evilness could have cracked stones, a giant fissure would have developed in that onyx stone. Her demeanor suddenly shifted back to the viciousness that I had witnessed a few moments before, but thankfully the moment was interrupted.

"Talia?" the boy's voice broke the uncomfortable moment and I turned slightly, my eyes coming to rest on Lizbeth's boyfriend Liam. His spiky blonde hair was neatly out of his face and his chiseled jawline was clean shaven. He was dressed in his uniform, which consisted of a white polo shirt with the market's name embroidered across the left. His crisp black slacks were covered up by his red apron and his gorgeous hazel eyes had an air of concern to them.

"Is everything ok?" he asked as he came to stand next to me, his head and shoulder tic occurring more frequently due to his nervousness. He cleared his throat a few times, while squinting his eyes, which distracted Maria's glance from me and onto Liam.

"No problem, Liam, I was just catching up with the daughter of an old and very dear friend. Please say hello to your mother for me, "Maria responded before she turned and walked down the aisle towards the counter, the sounds of her black Jimmy Choo shoes echoed on the hard floors of the supermarket.

I felt the tears leave my eyes as I grabbed up the bottle of shampoo and placed it in my small basket. I felt Liam place his strong hand on my shoulder and turn me towards him, wiping the tears off my cheeks.

"Talia, are you ok?" he asked, as I just nodded and sniffled. "You need to be careful about Mrs. Reever, she's not a very nice woman. Where are you headed next? I have a break, so I'll walk you."

"I was headed to Chippy's and I'd like that."

He led me to the counter and waited for me while I paid for my purchases, stuffing them into my backpack and heading outside into the cold and crisp air. Liam walked me the short block to the diner and gave me a hug, before heading back to the market to finish his shift. I understood in that short amount of time, why Lizbeth was so taken with Liam. Even though he was quiet, his mere presence was instantly comforting and made you want to spend all your time with him. He was a genuinely good guy, just like Seth.

I entered the diner and noticed Damian, sitting back in a secluded booth dressed in his leather jacket and grey beanie. He looked up at me through his back rimmed glasses and smiled the warmest smile. My heart ached for a moment, because even though I had made my choice to be with Seth, I still had feelings for Damian and that tiny shred in my heart that loved him regardless, was sobbing at the realization that I was going to say goodbye to him as anything more than a friend.

I slid into the booth and instantly, Damian reached for my hand, but I pulled it away and placed it in my lap. I had a hard time looking up at him and knew the minute I looked into his eyes that I would feel my heart break.

"What's going on, Grey?" he asked, as he slid his coffee cup away from him and leaned towards me with a confused look on his face.

I felt the tears well up in my eyes and my jaw clenched as I tried to compose myself. I looked up at him with red puffy eyes and I saw the hurt grace his face. I didn't need to say anything, because that simple look told him everything.

That one simple look from me, shattered his heart, while mine broke in the process.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Hey Guys!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please don't forget to vote and comment

So Talia is going to "break up" with the boys. Do you think she will be able to let Damian go? (I don't think it will be easy to let Damian go *cries*)

She also meets the matriarch of the Reever family..... That woman gives me chills.. Thoughts?

<3Amina

Meet Maria Reever :)

Oh! I think I've cast Liam for the second novel. Tell me what you think about him being played by Lucas Till? Anyone better you have in mind?