Gonna start putting warnings in the beginning of chapters for the safety of the readers. I don't think there's anything that needs a warning in this one but if you do see anything, let me know. Also, enjoy a drawing that I based Tj off of! I had a few other reference images but this one was the most accurate. Enjoy the chapter!

.:..:.:.

Tj's p.o.v.

The sun was just about to rise. Hues of orange and yellow were peeking out from the greens of the mountains, and the animals were already roaming our front yard, starting out their morning routine of bothering our family pet Chester and invading Dad and Pop's veggie garden. A particularly familiar blue sheep was nestled in our pumpkin patch already, chewing up on the leaves of our early pumpkins. The chimney smoke from the Boner household was just starting to rise, and soon with it, the echoes of Aunt Sonja and Uncle Tucker's arguments. Kandy would be far away from the both of them, up in the mountains or camping out on top Waglington's tower. Waglington and Martha were probably on their way to the Boner's household right now to talk over the latest conflicts, and afterwards they would try to talk Kandy into coming home when she always declined the offer every morning. Then Martha would invite her in, Kandy would stay the rest of the afternoon, leave late at night and come right back the next morning.

I wasn't sure of everyone else's routines except those I'd watched and noticed every morning, and my family's of course. Nobody in the household woke up until ten usually, so I still had two hours before I was disturbed by anyone.

Nowadays it was hard to sleep on my own. The pills I took were supposed to help with sleep, but all they really did was put me to sleep. They didn't stop the nightmares. They just kept me from waking up from them.

Ever since the purge took place a month ago, everything moved in slow motion for me. Days were longer. Conversation felt dragging and boring. Nothing excited me. Maybe I was supposed to feel happy that we had won the purge. I wasn't.

The machines that usually kept my mind turning at all times, the robots as Nicky called them, laid in piles near my bed, tossed away in disinterest. Dad said I was acting more down than usual lately and I agreed. Nothing seemed to have color anymore. I couldn't find a single thing that held my interest for more than a few seconds. In the mornings I made some coffee to help with the energy deficiency I'd been feeling from the pills, and I'd go outside to watch the sunrise with a blanket wrapped around me, for the purpose of relaxing I guess. I didn't feel relaxed. Cranky and exhausted were two words I would've used instead.

"Good morning, Tj."

Even Nicky sneaking up behind me to poke my back didn't surprise me or bring me any emotion at all. I murmured a measly hi and sipped on my bitter coffee. He took a seat beside me on the balcony, in the large cushy chair fit for two. "I see you're taking my advice on the coffee. Feeling any better?"

I shrugged wordlessly. Speaking was too hard. I've spent too much of my life speaking. Nicky sighed. "I guess that's a no. No improvement at all?"

I lightly shook my head. "You should go. I'll probably go back to bed soon."

When Nicky took hold of my coffee cup. I realized my hands had been shaking while I was holding it. He took mine in his after setting the cup down on the table, and looked me deep into the eyes. "I'm asking you this because I'm worried about you. It's starting to get chilly. The weathers changing, everyone says your mood changes during winter months. Is there any reason for that?"

"I don't always get sad during winter, that's exaggerating." Although, after looking back on all the previous years, I did always feel a bit down during winter months.

"Really? Because from what I've heard, you're always like this when it starts to get chilly. Your Dad says you don't go back to normal until winter is over."

Winter was my least favorite season. My arthritis wasn't as bad anymore, but before Nicky had given me medicine, it used to be the reason I refused to leave the comfort of my room. The cold made my body ache terribly. I hated winter months.

"You talked to my Dad?" I whispered.

"He called me this morning, worried about you. Said he heard you...um, crying, last night."

I felt my cheeks heat up in complete embarrassment. "I wasn't crying. It was this movie I had on, the sound...Dad must've thought it was me." It was me. One-hundred percent. But I would never admit to crying alone in my room over nothing. Especially if I was admitting that to Nicky.

Of course, Nicky didn't believe me in the slightest. He gave me a look, a pitying look, one I wished didn't exist. "Well...anyway, your dad asked if I could come give you a check up."

I sighed. "I really wish you wouldn't." I wasn't in the mood to get flustered and nervous around Nicky. Most of the time I was that way. I just wanted to enjoy that tiny little ten percent where we could talk without me acting like a nervous wreck.

But he was already taking out his tools, from the bag I hadn't even seen him bring in. "Better safe than sorry. I'll make it quick. How many hours of sleep have you been getting?"

"Dunno. I slept all day yesterday and into the night."

"Lots of sleep then." He took out his little flashlight microscope and pushed it into my ear, as I groaned in protest. "Have you been feeling nauseous? Dizzy?"

"No. Just tired."

Once he checked both ears, he flashed a light into my eyes and in my throat. Then he felt of my forehead with his warm hand. I didn't even have the energy to question myself about how much I enjoyed his touch. When he withdrew the hand, he looked drawn back at the reaction he didn't receive. "Wow. You're lifeless today."

He tried to take my limp hand in his own, but I snatched it backwards and stole my coffee off the table. "Thanks," I mumbled. I wasn't in the mood to get my hopes up.

At that, he frowned. "I'm really worried about you, Teej."

"You shouldn't be," I replied after a long sip from my drink. "I'll be fine in three months, won't I?"

"You shouldn't have to suffer for three months," he said sternly as he stuffed his equipment back into his bag. He glanced up at the drink in my hand and sighed. "Is that coffee even working?"

"No." I gave the drink a mean look. "It tastes terrible."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smile a little. "Why are you still drinking it then?"

"It's warm!" I responded in childish, defensive tone. "And we're out of hot chocolate."

"I have some in my office?"

I shook my head. "I don't wanna sit in that office all day while you poke me and scare me with big words."

"I won't play doctor while you're there. We can just sit and talk."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Talk about what?"

"Talk about..." He seemed at a loss for what to suggest. "Um, things?"

Okay, I had to giggle at that. "What kind of things?"

"I have no idea. I'm turning into the most boring person I know."

As we sat trying to figure out what we could talk about, I expected to hear the usual arguing that filled the void of silence in the mornings, Uncle Tucker and Aunt Sonja, but instead there was faint music drifting over the land. I had no idea what the song was. The only music we had around here was whatever Kate could play on her violin, and she wasn't a very good musician.

"Ry has this record," Nicky said dreamily. "Springsteen. He's amazing."

"You have records? My parents don't have any. We don't even have cassette tapes, it's terrible."

An idea must've came to him, because suddenly he was smiling bright with both eyes wide in excitement. "Let me show you something."

.:.

"Who's first?" He was flipping through the huge box of music collection like they weren't even interesting, but I was in love with them already and I hadn't even heard a single one yet.

"Springsteen," I said excitedly. "You said he was good."

He found it within two seconds, pulled it out of the record casing and set it up on the player. For a minute I thought somehow it had gotten broken, because all I heard was crackling and scratching noises, but then the real music began spilling out of the speaker.

Nicky did a goofy bow, holding out a hand for me as he grinned. "Care to dance?"

I shrugged, suppressing a smile. "I don't really know how."

"I'll teach you." He took hold of my hesitant hand and pulled me up from my chair, nearly causing me to spill hot chocolate all over him. He took the drink from my hand and sat it down so he pull me to the center of the room to dance.

Everybody's got a hungry heart

Already, I had stepped on his shoes twice and my movement was sloppy and awkward the entire time he lead me around the floor. But he didn't seem bothered. He looked to be the definition of ecstatic, actually.

I met her in a Kingstown bar
We fell in love, I knew it had to end

Finally, after many failed attempts to dance the proper way, he pulled me flush against him and did the old penguin waddle in a circle maneuver that I was used to. I thought it was a little intimate, the way he was holding my hips and how close our faces were to each other, but I didn't want to pull away. He looked as if he were in a happy trance as he gazed at me. All I could do was smile and blush awkwardly as we waddled in a circle while the music continued to play.

Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart

"Ready for the dip?" He asked excitedly. I nodded, even though I had no idea what was happening. Before I knew it, he was twirling me around in a circle, before he pulled me super close and leaned me back almost to the floor, hiking my knee up to his waist and putting his face super close to mine.

My stomach was in a nervous knot, but it slowly unraveled as Nicky leaned closer, so close that I could see the many hues of blue and green his eyes were. His lips brushed against mine. Why was he so close to me?

He wants to kiss you.

I yelped in surprise at the thought, which put us off balance and caused the dip to break and both of us to fall to the floor. Nicky landed on top of me, red unruly hair tickling my forehead. Somehow my glasses had fallen off during the fall. I started giggling out of sheer embarrassment. "I ruin everything."

He was still on top of me, chuckling and fiddling with something in his hands. I couldn't see anything without my glasses. Luckily, the thing he had been fiddling with was my glasses. He slipped them back onto my face. His fingers brushed against my ears, making little tingles rake up and down my sides. "My fault for trying to be smooth."

When my vision was clear again, he was right in the line of it, as close as he had been before. His pink plump lips were in a pout, his eyes contemplating something he was thinking of doing. I loved his hair so much. Red looked so good on him, it always did. I brought my hands up to the sides of his face and played with the stubborn strands on the sides. It must've felt good to him, because his eyes went lazy and his pupils went the size of moons.

He probably still wants to kiss you.

I looked him in the eyes. "Do you want to kiss me?"

He nodded eagerly. "More than anything."

"Do it then."

He did. It was magical. His lips were so soft and warm, I didn't know it was humanly possible to enjoy something so much. I knotted my fingers through his hair as he deepened the kiss, letting his tongue swipe across my bottom lip, asking for permission to slip it inside. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go that far. I didn't even know if I was kissing him right, how do you kiss somebody correctly? And did I want to do this? Did I even want to let Nicky into my life like this, and trust him not to hurt me?

You'll never get another opportunity. Nobody else wants you like this.

At the terrifying thought, I parted my lips and let him in. He took it easy on me, only partially allowing his tongue in as he sucked on my bottom lip. I was in heaven.

Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart

Until our tongues touched, and then I was a little grossed out. He must've sensed this because he drew it back immediately, instead going back to the vanilla kissing, which was what I much rather preferred.

My lips starting getting a little tired after awhile. Nicky sensed this too, so he moved his lips from mine and instead started to trail little tiny kisses all down my neck and shoulders. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

"R-Really?" I was breathless and delirious. My face felt like it was on fire as he moved back up to my neck and kissed a little more roughly.

"Ever since I came home, I've been thinking about this. About you. I just wasn't sure if you felt the same." His fingers slipped under my sweater and he started to feel up my sides. It tickled to me, but I tried to keep the giggles at bay because this was a serious thing.

"I-I think I felt something too, but I assumed you didn't like me that way." I tensed when his fingers wandered downward, where they fumbled with the buttons on my pants. "Nicky?"

He pulled out of his lust filled haze for a moment to look up at me. "Yeah?"

"Um, c-could you slow down a little?" The heat in my groin protested, but my throbbing head was telling me that this was way too soon for so much intimacy.

"Of course. Sorry, I'm just...excited." He chuckled nervously. "I really like you a lot."

"Why?"

He looked at me sideways. "Because you're amazing, Tj."

The blush came back with a vengeance. "Oh. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Would it be too sudden of me to ask you out?"

My heart failed. "Oh my god."

"It's completely fine if it's too soon! I mean, I was just asking-"

"I-I don't want to ruin your plans-"

"-you might be super uncomfortable and that's okay-"

"No! I-I'm...I'm fine with it."

"So...yeah?"

"Y-Yeah, sure. I guess we could try? But promise we'll still be friends if it doesn't work out. I-I don't wanna lose you."

He smiled. "I don't wanna lose you either. So," he paused to take both my hands in his, "I promise we will be friends no matter what happens. Okay?"

"Okay."

.:.

Nicky definitely wasn't a slacker in the relationship. The morning after our agreement, I was woken up by a knock on our front door, and I was greeted by a glowing Nicky with a handful of white lilies in his hand. He stayed the entire day watching movies with me, and my dads had to literally drag him from my room to make him leave. We didn't tell them about our dating. Nicky felt bad about it, while I on the other hand felt grateful I didn't have to suffer through the teasing my family would surely inflict on me if they knew.

The following morning started similarly, but Nicky came in through my bedroom window this time so he wouldn't wake the entire family. The flowers he gave me were white tulips, tied by a big beautiful red bow. We played board games quietly and repaid each other in cheek kisses when one of us would win. I don't think I'd ever had so much fun playing board games before. But again, Dad came in my room after a particularly loud moment when I won within a thirty second time frame and Nicky flipped the board in protest. Nicky was dragged by the ear and kicked out the front door.

"Look," Dad had said sternly after coming back from his Nicky butt kicking. "I know you're crazy over the guy, but he can't stay here 24/7. He's got parents that want him home."

I was still pouting, so my only reply was short. "I know, Dad."

He had grinned. "You'll see him tomorrow, and you're not gonna die before then so relax. Whatever happened to that Derek guy you used to be crazy over too? He hasn't come over in awhile."

My heart had stopped. I'd completely forgotten about Derek. I hadn't seen him in a week.

"You forgot about him, didn't you?" Dad laughed.

And that's why I was at the Haag residence today, a basket of Derek's favorite foods in one hand and a cheesy action thriller in the other. They were his favorite movies and I had no idea why. It was just a bunch of explosions and intense stare downs, but it was what he liked, so I stole it from Dads collection and brought it over for us to watch. I'd already cancelled plans with Nicky before hand, vaguely telling him I was going out to do something important and that I didn't need any distractions. Which wasn't necessarily a lie, but I hadn't replied back to his texts that asked what I was doing exactly.

I knocked on the door of the little home. Within a few minutes, it slowly creaked open and a brown eye came into view through the opening. "Doll face?"

"Hey!" I replied cheerfully. "I haven't seen you in awhile, so I just thought-"

"You shouldn't be here."

I was shocked at the rude cut off. Normally he was so nice. What had gotten into him today?

"Why shouldn't I be here?" I said sassily.

The door opened a bit wider, revealing the messy condition of his hair and the grave look in his eyes. They were bloodshot and he had dark circles around them. He was frowning. "Your boyfriends gonna shove his foot in my ass if he finds out you're here."

Boyfriend? How did he know Nicky and I were dating?

"How did you-"

"He told me."

"And he said to stay away from me?"

"Pretty much."

I could feel my blood pressure rising. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Doll, he said stay away. I'm thinkin' that includes phone calls too."

My shoulders sagged. "But you're our friend."

He shrugged. "Not anymore, I guess." He tried to shut the door, but I stuck my foot inside and stopped him from it.

"You are on our side. You are my friend. If he has a problem with it, then something has to be done about his attitude. Did he say why he wanted you to stay away?"

Now he was avoiding my stare, as if he had done something wrong. "I flirt with you all the time. He don't like that."

I scoffed angrily. "Flirting? You're just being friendly."

He said nothing at first. "Doll...it was flirtin'. I liked you a lot. I wanted to date you."

He liked me?

"You...you liked me?"

He still refused to look at me. "Used to."

I felt so much guilt. "Derek, I'm so sorry-" I went to hug him, but he pulled back and nearly closed the door.

"No, you don't gotta feel bad, alright? Nicks has known you longer, he's got dibs. You're happier with him anyway."

"Nobody has dibs. If I had known you liked me, I wouldn't have said yes to Nicky."

"Doll, he asked you first. It doesn't matter now. Just go, alright?" He tried to close the door again, but I refused to let the conversation end so horribly. I slid my foot in again and pried the door open. Derek feebly tried to keep it closed, but somehow I was stronger and pushed it the rest of the way open. I gasped in horror when I took in the full image of Derek.

He looked as if he hadn't showered in a week. His hair and face looked dirty and greasy. His white t-shirt was stained with what looked like ice cream and vomit. He was having a harder time than what he was letting on. His eyes were avoiding mine as they welled with tears.

"...Derek-"

"I know I look like shit, okay? But I'm fine, I ain't...I'm fine."

"I'm coming in."

"Doll, it ain't clean in here-"

"I don't care, I'm coming in." As soon as I walked past the door, I could smell everything. It was everything between old food and horrible body odor. I tried not to make a face as I took Derek by the wrist and dragged him around until I found the bathroom. I pointed at the shower and gave him a stern look. "Shower. Now."

He nodded obediently and went inside. After I shut the door behind him, I did a pan of the room and observed how messy it was. There was food and garbage laying everywhere. Where the heck were Nade and Naudia?

I found the garbage bags under the sink and began throwing stuff in it. Some of this stuff looked a month old, and most of it had only one or two bites taken out of it. I turned on the lights, sprayed down every surface with disinfectant, and sprayed it down again with fragrance. After I cleaned up half the living room, I went upstairs to find Derek some clothes to change into. The room at the end of the hall had posters of action thriller movies on the door, so I assumed it was Derek's and walked in.

And I thought the living room had been bad. Derek's room was a pit of garbage. I noted to grab three trash bags before coming back up again, then went after the drawers he had placed on the far back of the room. I picked out a black t-shirt and some pajama pants with skeletons on them, then I dug around cautiously for a pair of underwear. All of his had pictures on them, it was kind of cute. I grabbed the pair with smiley stars on them and headed back downstairs, thankful for the fresh air as I walked out of his room.

I slid the clothes under the bathroom door and went back to cleaning. He came out while I was disinfecting the couch, an ashamed look on his face. "Doll, you don't gotta do that."

"Somebody has to," I snapped back at him. "You can't live in filth. Where are Nade and Naudia?"

He shrugged. "They said they were takin' a vacation on the mainland for two months."

I looked at him with wide eyes. "Two months?"

"Two months," he confirmed gloomily. "Gettin' married and havin' their honeymoon there. I told em' I'd be okay."

"You told them that and you don't know how to clean up after yourself?"

"I got mad and I just...lashed out on the house. I'm sorry, doll. You really don't gotta do this." He took a trash bag from the holder and started helping me pick up garbage from the floor.

"I just don't understand how one guy can make this much of a mess in just what, a week? I saw Naudia and Nade last week, they couldn't have been gone that long."

"Charlie came over," he said quietly.

"Charlie? You're friends with Charlie?"

"Kinda. He knows how it feels."

"How what feels?"

"To be fuckin' alone all the time."

My chest throbbed with guilt. "So you guys worked together to make a mess?"

He looked around, as if he were surprised by how much filth was in the room. "Didn't mean for it to get this outta hand, to be honest."

My watch beeped. Of course it was Nicky, with a text that read where are you? I pressed ignore and went back to garbage pick up. Derek was eyeing the watch wearily. "Doll face, if Nicks don't want you to be here-"

"I'm staying. You need help, even if you don't want it."

"Alright, you can stay if you want. But don't lie to Nicks. At least tell 'im you're here."

"So he can yell at you?"

"So you don't gotta lie to him. I mean, I don't like him too much at the moment, but it don't mean we have to lie to the guy."

He did have a point. I texted Nicky back.

At Derek's. I need to talk with you later.

~

"These are the best chicken sandwiches I ever ate, doll. You're the best." Derek declared this after scarfing down his eighth sandwich of the night.

"Made them just for you. Feeling better now that you're not living in filth?"

He nodded furiously, his unruly black hair bouncing with every nod. "This house ain't never been this clean before. Ma's gonna croak when she gets back and see somebody's got better cleanin' skills than her." His eyes caught on the television again and he focused his attention back on the movie. He really did love those stupid movies to his hearts content.

I worried about his health. Of course the food part of it was fine now, but the dark circles under his eyes didn't look necessarily healthy. He just looked miserable. I knew he probably acted worse when I wasn't around, but right now he was trying his best to smile and act like he was okay. It was really heart breaking.

"I can stay the night?"

A slow frown took over his lips. "No, you should go home. Your dads might get worried or somethin'."

"I don't want you to be alone all night."

"Well, I been alone for a week now. I'll be alright, doll face." He roughed up my hair teasingly and I groaned.

"You could come over to my house? I'm sure my dads would let you stay since Nade and Naudia are-"

A knock coming from the front door interrupted me. Derek's smile faded in an instant and his eyes went dim. I patted him gently on the shoulder to comfort him a little, and stood up to go answer it. I didn't know what he was so worried about anyway, it was probably just Dad or Pop looking for me.

But when I opened the door, neither Dad nor Pop were there. Nicky's face was absent of emotion as he stared back at me. Immediately, the anger I felt for him earlier came flooding back.

"You told Derek to stay away from me? He's our friend."

His face remained annoyingly blank. "We're dating now, I didn't want him flirting with you anymore."

"Then you should've told him not to flirt with me! Instead you tell him to stay away from us? We're his friends, he's on our side!"

At this, he crossed his arms and frowned. "He would've flirted with you anyway, I know how he is."

"How he is? He's depressed right now. His house was a mess. His mother is getting married and he doesn't want her to. He needs a friend."

The frown on his face didn't budge. And when I felt another arm brush against me, I knew all chances of getting him to change his mind were lost. Derek was glaring at him. He was glaring back.

"So you're playing the depressed card now, are you?" Nicky snorted.

Derek's eyes went black. I knew what he was about to do before he even moved. He lurched forward and swung hard, and the blow hit Nicky in the nose full force. I stared in shock as Nicky touched the blood trickling down his mouth, stared at it, and grew angry. He lurched forward too, but I was ready this time. I stepped in front of Derek before the hit landed. It hit me instead, right in the eye and right against my glasses lens. It smashed into pieces and the glass cut me everywhere, a piece even went into my eye and I yelped as it scraped against me. The force of the hit knocked me off my feet, and now somebody was picking me up off the concrete in a hurry.

"You busted his fuckin' glasses, dick head!"

"I didn't know he was going to step in front of me!"

"Jesus, just run ahead and go to your damn office, he needs a doctor!"

There was silence as the person who was carrying me ran as fast as they could towards the office. My eye hurt so bad. My cheek hurt too. I wanted to cry but I was scared it would move the glass in my eye and scratch it further.

The running stopped suddenly, and I could hear Declan's voice. "Give him to me."

I was handed over presumably to Declan. In a few seconds I was laid down on a table and someone began touching my cheek. "Tj?" I heard Declan ask softly. "Can you hear me?"

"Y-Yeah." He probably thought I was unconscious or something, but really I just didn't want to open my eyes.

"Is there glass in your eye?"

"Y-Yes. It hurts."

"Would you like me to put you to sleep while I work on you?"

I nodded, choking down a terrified sob. Something was strapped over my head and across my mouth and nose. Funny smelling gas started to seep through whatever was on my face. I began getting sleepy right away.

"Declan?"

"Yes Tj?"

"Don't tell my dads what really happened. Please." I didn't want them to think badly of Nicky. It had been an accident, he would never actually hurt me on purpose.

"I'll keep the explanation simple," Declan replied gently. "Relax. You won't feel a thing."

.:.

I didn't feel a thing. But I did feel really fatigued and tired when I woke up. My right eye was bandaged up, so I couldn't see out of it. Pop was at my bedside holding my hand. He looked really worried, but he hadn't noticed I was awake yet.

"W-Where's Dad?"

He jumped at the sound of my voice, sighed in relief when he saw me up. "In the waiting room, he's talking to Declan. How are you feeling Teejie?"

"Just tired." I tried to ignore the large IV stuck in the middle of my hand as I looked around the white room. "Where's Nicky and Derek?"

"Also in the waiting room." His face went relieved to stern in a quick second. "What did those boys do? Declan said you were too hysterical to say what happened, and the boys haven't said a word since we got here."

"Poppy-"

"Don't poppy me! What did they do?"

"It was an accident. They were both angry at each other. I was stupid for stepping in front of them while they were fighting. Don't be mad at them."

He tried to be mad for a second, but then his lips twitched into a smile for half a second, and he laughed. "Well. I've done that before too. And I guess I can't blame you for doing it."

My eyes widened. "You have?"

"Your father and Tony Modestep were fighting. I thought it would be a good idea to step between them. Your father got me really good in the nose. He felt very bad about it afterwards and I forgave him."

"Do you think Nicky feels bad about it?"

"I can guess that he does. Tom felt terrible. Wouldn't stop fussing over me for days. What were they fighting about anyway?"

I couldn't say me. That would seem kind of big-headed to someone else.

"Uh...you know, boy stuff. I don't know."

Pop raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Okay then. Teejie, you can tell me anything. I used to be a teenager too. I dealt with boy stuff all the time."

I resisted the urge not to gag. "Pop."

"Okay, fine. Be a secretive teenager then. Leave your old Pop in the dust while you hang out with boys all the time, I certainly won't mind." He pouted and crossed his arms, pulling the old innocent Poppy move that got me every time.

"Do you really want to know what they were fighting about?"

"I would."

"They were fighting...over me, I think."

"You think? What happened before the fight started?"

"Nicky was mad at me for hanging with Derek, and Derek said that a week ago Nicky forbade him to be around me. It was really stupid."

"Well that's odd. I thought you guys were friends?"

We were, until I decided that dating Nicky was a good idea.

"I don't know," I lied. "They're both acting weird."

A slow smile started to make its way on Pop's lips. "I bet those two like you."

I had to feign disgust, even though I knew what he was saying was 100% true. "I don't know. What's so like-able about me anyways?" I was dying to know how I'd gotten two people to like me in that way. If I hadn't been absolutely hideous before then I most definitely was now that the entire right side of my face had been mangled. I felt around my cheek for the places where the glass had been stuck, wincing when I brushed against the bandage that was taped to it.

"Tj. You're a very handsome and intelligent young man. I'm sure anyone would be lucky to have you as their little boyfriend." Pop planted a slobbery kiss on my bandaged cheek and I groaned.

"Am I at least gonna be able to see after all of this?"

"Of course. Declan got the glass out pretty fast and there was little damage to your eye. Oh my little baby, you must be hurting so bad." He tried to touch my cheek but I leaned away as he did.

"Pop, it hurts when you touch it."

He withdrew the hand immediately. "Sorry, I forgot. I'll give you some space and go ask Dec when you can go home, okay?" He patted my leg and kissed the top of my head before retreating out if the room. Sighing, I wiped the spit from my forehead with my sleeve and fixed my messy hair. The door opened again, but it wasn't Pop back yet. Eli slipped in quietly and shut the door behind him.

"One of them did this, didn't they?" He asked lowly.

"It wasn't intentional. I stepped in the way of a swing, it was my fault."

He frowned. "And you're dating one of them, aren't you?"

How did he just know everything about everything? It was unfair. "I- yes, I'm dating Nicky, but you can't tell anyone-"

"That he hit you?"

"Yes, and you can't tell anyone we're dating either. I don't wanna get teased by our whole family. I just want things to be private right now."

The frown on his pursed lips refused to leave. "Has he apologized to you yet?"

"No. But I'm sure he will."

"He nearly caused you to go blind in one eye."

"You're exaggerating."

"Declan isn't being truthful. It cut your pupil. If it had been any deeper, you would be blind in your right eye."

"And you know this how?"

"They were whispering about it, Declan and Champwan."

"Well...you shouldn't have been snooping. Does Declan know that Nicky-?"

"No. But I think he suspects it. Nicky's crying. Declan's voice is tense. He's angry and he's not showing it."

He's angry at Nicky. Will he punish Nicky? "I hope he's not mad at Nicky...he didn't mean to do it, I was the one who stepped in front of him."

"If the force of his hit was strong enough to bust through titanium steel glasses that Gaines made, then the hit would've been bone breaking to somebody without the extra layer of protection. You might've saved Derek a broken bone or two. I think you did good."

I blushed. "Thanks."

Eli finally smiled. "Everything will turn out okay. Don't worry too much. We've already put in a request to Gaines for your glasses to be repaired."

Thanks gods. I could barely see out of the one eye that I still had. "That's good. Uh, is Dad still here?"

"Still in the lobby, restraining himself from choking your friends. Is there a chair in here?"

"Yeah. To your right, three steps I think."

He found it easily and relaxed himself into it. "I feel like you're uncomfortable, so I'll switch topics for now. I want your advice on this. Pop suggested I purchase a cane."

"A cane?" I didn't think Eli needed a cane. Sure, sometimes he needed a touch of help when directly placing objects, but he wasn't completely dependent on help. He had managed his whole life without a cane, or any sort of help at all.

"I feel as if it would only draw unwanted attention towards my condition, and I have enough of that already."

I hated seeing him struggle with his disability. It was rare that he talked about it and especially rare that he showed any signs of frustration about it. I tried to remember the last time he had mentioned his disability, and it had to be the time he was leaving twice a week for lessons to help him. "What happened to um...echo-...echo-"

"Echo-location?" He finished for me.

"Yeah! What happened to those lessons? I thought you were going twice a week to the mainland for lessons."

He shrugged. "I wasn't really improving. I have good hearing, but I don't think it's for me."

"So how does it work anyway?"

He made a clicking noise with his tongue. He did it consecutively five times in a row. "The sound is supposed to bounce off of objects and help me place them. It doesn't work for me though."

"How do you normally place things?" I'd never stopped to ask Eli about his point of view on things, which was probably more interesting than anyone else's.

He brushed some stray white hairs from his eyes, momentarily giving me the false impression that he could see it there and it was annoying him. "I've lived here for what, fifteen years? I memorize everything, and if somethings changed I can usually guess where it's been moved."

"How were you so good at fighting in the purge?"

"Predictions."

"You can predict that well?"

"No, you guys are just extremely predictable." He chuckled.

"So um...why'd you go after me in the purge? After our trade? You said you wouldn't."

The frown returned, and I felt bad that I had caused it to resurface. "Ianite ordered us to do it, by any means necessary. You had a bounty on your head for a lot of points that would've won anyone the game. I didn't predict that you would jump. I'd forgotten the force field of protection only stretched from the beach to the woods, and not beyond the cliff. We really believed for ten minutes that you were dead."

It still amazed me that I survived, but only because of Derek. Ten minutes of being under and he still went after me.

"I can't believe that I stayed under for longer than ten minutes, completely unconscious, and I didn't die."

Eli went silent for a moment to ponder about it. "A normal person wouldn't be able to survive for five minutes."

I raised an eyebrow, my good one. "Are you saying I'm not normal?"

"Somethings obviously up with you. Don't you agree?"

"I dunno. I've always been weird."

"You've always been different," he corrected me. "That doesn't mean that you're weird."

There was a knock at the door. Declan poked his head in, a gentle smile on his face. "Hello. How are you feeling?"

"Better," I answered shyly.

"That's very good. Would you be comfortable with some non-family visitors?"

Non-family visitors. That meant Nicky and Derek, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to see either of them right now. I kind of just wanted to talk to Eli for the rest of the evening and then go to bed early.

"Um, could it wait?" I asked carefully.

He nodded. "Of course. Rest well, I'll be in to check on you in the next hour." He closed the door back behind him. I couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking now that I'd rejected their company. Were they upset?

"They'll understand," Eli assured me. "You need some time away from them anyways."

.:..

The next week I spent purely with my family and nobody else. Eli occupied my room most of the time, but sometimes Kate would come in to hug me or ask how I was doing or give me a hot chocolate. When I would pass Charlie in the hallways, he would stay silent instead of picking a fight with me. Sometimes he even said a hey or a hi. It was a nice change from his usual behavior.

The phone rang non-stop, but I never answered it. When any of my siblings answered, they always covered for me, saying I was resting my eye or sleeping off some pains. My eye was getting a lot better actually. Declan came over once to say I could take the bandage off in a few days if I felt like it. He failed to mention how Nicky was doing and the absurd amount of phone calls he made to me everyday. I didn't bring it up. He seemed tired and stressed enough already, and I didn't want to add to it.

Derek called too, but only twice a day. He never asked for me, but asked about my health. Usually Kate answered his calls and kept her replies short and sweet. "He's doing just fine on his own," was usually what she said to him, but sometimes it varied. "He's fine, Derek. You can stop calling any day now."

But he didn't stop. It was sweet of both boys to keep calling, but I just really wanted time with my siblings at the moment.

My glasses came four days after I went home. They came in a small black box with Tj written in fancy letters on the top. Gaines had put a note inside along with the brand new pair of black titanium steel glasses that I nearly peed myself over. The note was probably the best part about the whole package though.

Tj! My brightest student. I hope you enjoy your new pair of fist-proof titanium steel lenses! Mianite himself enchanted the glass so no more pesky incidents will occur. Best wishes to your eye! - Gaines

I found myself really missing Gaines. Two years ago, we had been inseparable. He'd taught me everything I knew about machines and gadgets and inventing. Sometimes he even let me assist him in some projects for the island. When I went through my moody teenager phase of staying inside 24/7, that was when we had grown apart. I made a silent promise to visit him next week when all this would be over.

When I peeled off my bandage for the first time, I nearly swallowed my own tongue. It was bad. Not. My eye was only red and irritated, but my cheek was covered in thick, angry-looking scabs. I could see out of my right eye but it hurt to blink and really focus on things. I slid on my glasses after the examination and took another look. Gods, it looked worse now that I could fully see the whole thing.

I decided to let my family decide on the severity. I walked into the living room where everyone was hanging around our biggest TV in the house, watching some kind of scary movie. I sat down in front of the TV and silently let them look at me. Kate squealed. She tackled me into a hug and nearly knocked me over in the process, and then everyone migrated over to hug me and ruffle my hair and tell me I looked amazing.

It was a good confidence boost.

By the end of the week, I was ready to go visit my boyfriend and my best friend again. As an apology for taking so long to answer their calls and texts, I made a picnic basket full of goodies to take over when I visited them. Chicken sandwiches for Derek and a big salad for Nicky, along with some other things I knew they loved to eat. I picked out a nice outfit, curled my hair, and put a few dabs of concealer on the areas of my cheek where scabs remained. I snuck out early while the family was still sleeping and made my way down the path towards Derek's house. I found myself in love with the outdoors again. The morning sunshine was beautiful and warm, the birds were chirping peacefully, nobody was yelling their heads off or arguing. It was an unusually warm winter day. One of the best I'd seen in awhile.

The pathway to Derek's house went past the boardwalk. It was the perfect spot for a picnic, and so that's where I planned to meet up with Nick and Derek.

If I hadn't looked twice, I wouldn't have seen it.

Under the boardwalk there was a lot of space. Plenty enough space for two people to fit under, and plenty enough space for two people to make out in secret. My picnic basket thudded loudly when I dropped it, but they hadn't heard it.

Something in me clicked, then. Something awful that had been hidden inside for too long.

.:.

Jordan's p.o.v.

"No. Damn. Way."

I giggled and scooped up my winnings from the middle, a box of mini chocolates and a shiny looking pair of gold nuggets, while Tom sat on the opposite side of the table gaping at me.

"Since when the hell did you get so good at poker, Sparklez?"

"I've always been good at poker. We've never played it until now."

"Ah. That's right. You know, as your husband, I'm entitled to half of that." He pointed at my winnings. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Of course you want to play lawyer when you lose. I'm keeping the chocolate, but you can have the nuggets." I pushed them towards him and he took them gladly, shoving them into his jacket pocket. After a minute, he stared at the cards and frowned.

"This is so boring," he sighed.

"Would you rather be blowing up temples, Thomas?"

He sent me a glare from across the table. "I don't do that anymore, Mr. Sparklez."

"You would if given the chance."

"'Yeah, and this time it would be Ianite's temple too."

"Dont say things like that. You never know who's listening."

"I hope the fuckers heard me."

"They apologized."

"Don't care."

"The kids are fine."

"Really? All the nightmares they've been having, that doesn't count? That big talk we had to have the first night they were back, the one where they were all cryin', that doesn't count? The purge traumatized them."

"A few of them seemed to like it."

"I know you're trying to get in Ianite's good graces again, but I'm not having this talk with you. I'm not forgiving shit. End of story."

"The balanced way of handling this is-"

"Fuck. Balance. They were fine before all this. They were doing okay. Now they're all..." He motioned towards the empty living room around us, and the silence that came with it. I hated silence. I wanted to hear footsteps and laughter and arguing and whatever else I used to be annoyed by but now missed so dearly. I missed them all so much.

"They grow up, Tommy. Would you have liked to stay crammed in a house as a teenager?"

"I don't know. Can't remember anything about being a teenager."

"Neither can I."

"See? That too, that...memory loss bullshit. That just didn't happen."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean-"

The conversation was gladly cut short by the phone ringing in the kitchen. Tom looked at me. I looked at him.

"Your turn," he said quickly.

"Nuh-uh, I am too comfortable to move right now. And I got up to get the cards ten minutes ago, it's your turn."

He groaned loudly and tossed his head back. "What if we just ignore it?"

"It could be important?"

"It could be drunk Mot again, with the latest sob story on why Dianite doesn't love him."

"You're being insensitive."

"I'm being lazy."

"Please go get it? I'll put up the cards and make us lemonade later."

He scrunched up his nose in thought. "Alright." I watched in amusement as he slithered out of his chair and over to the phone. Once he picked it up, he answered in a French accent. "Zis is ze Zyndisparklez residont?"

I laughed quietly. He sent me a wink followed by one of his famous smirks, one that he used to flirt with often.

When the smirk disappeared, I knew something was wrong.

"Where?" He asked in a hurried manner.

A pause.

"He's doing what?"

I jumped out of it chair faster than I ever had, knocking over a drink in the process. I quickly walked over to where he was standing and got super close to the phone so I could hear the receiver. It was Champ's frantic voice coming out.

"I-I don't know what to do! He won't listen to a word I say and Declan can't pull him off!"

"I'll send Charlie over there, I think he's nearby." And with that, Tom hung up. "We gotta get to Decs now. Can you call Charlie while I get our armor?"

"Sure, but what's-"

"I'll explain on the way, just hurry."

.:.

I could hear his screaming as soon as we stepped out the door. By then, I didn't need explanations. I ran as I could to Declan's to save whatever was hurting my baby.

When the house came into view, I could see Declan and Champ standing outside the front looking utterly terrified. Charlie met us as we got closer, and Declan hurried over as we approached. "I honestly think he's had some sort of breakdown."

"Show us," Tom interrupted quickly. Dec led us to the side of the house, where we could finally see what was going on.

I saw the roots first. Angry black tendrils wrapped around the Jones house, consuming it. The yard was torn up completely. What grass remained was wilted and all the crops and flowers along with it, The picnic table was chopped in half, straight down the middle, and every tree within a mile of the place was barren and dead. Tj stood in the middle of it all, taking an axe to a flower bed. I'd never seen him so angry before. He was screaming his lungs out and using every breath to curse unintelligible things.

Charlie went forward first. He tried taking the axe from Tj, but it didn't work. The roots caught hold of Charlie and flung him backwards. He went flying across the yard and into another damaged flower bed. Tom and I winced. Dec and Champ stared in shock.

"I'll try again," Declan said gruffly. Before he could step into the battle zone, I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

"No. I'm going." Tj wouldn't hurt me. I trusted him, he would never hurt me.

"Sparklez-" Tom tried to catch my own arm, but I yanked mine free and started walking towards the center of the mass destruction.

He was still screaming with every breath. I watched in horror as he kept swinging the axe down, showing no mercy whatsoever to the poor heart shaped flower bed. He won't hit me. He's my baby.

When he paused for a single second after bringing the axe down, I wrapped my arms around his tiny waist and squeezed. "Teejie, you need to stop."

He went still and quiet. I kept talking.

"What happened? Did something happen?"

He was shaking, I noticed. Badly.

"You can tell me what's wrong, Teejie. Tell me and we can try to fix it. The sooner you tell me, the sooner we can-" I took the opportunity to turn him around so I could see him.

There were tears pouring down his flushed, dirt-smeared cheeks. His glasses were broken again. His hair was caked with dust and soil. I took off his damaged glasses and wiped away some of the tears with my thumbs. "Tell me what's wrong, baby."

The blank expression he'd been trying to keep cracked, turning into one of distorted pain. He collapsed. Luckily he was as skinny as a twig, or I wouldn't have been able to support him. He started sobbing into my shoulder and I rubbed his back soothingly. He was saying something in between sobs, but I couldn't hear him.

"I can't hear you, Teejie."

He raised up for only a moment to shout "He cheated! He cheated on me!" And fall back into hystericals.

Then it all started to piece together. The good moods he'd been in lately. The constant phone calls he insisted on answering himself. All those flowers he started getting every morning. I glared at the heart-shaped flower bed he had demolished.

Nicky Jones did this to my baby.

And as if he had been summoned, there he was. He stood behind Declan and Champ, with a look of concern on his face. I wanted to slap it off of him.

"Tj? Are you okay?" The devil dared to ask.

Tj physically shook when he heard his voice. He raised up from my shoulder and glared at him, full force. "How could you do this to me?" He asked in a grief stricken tone.

Nicky remained very still. "What? Teej, I don't know what you're-"

Tj broke free from my arms and went charging at Nicky, but Charlie had long since recovered and quickly grabbed him by the waist as he started screaming again. "I SAW YOU! I SAW YOU!"

The vines were spreading towards the Jones family, but I was quicker this time. I weakened what threatening plants I could see, using the powers I hadn't touched in years. They were wonky and untampered with, and Tj's vines were much faster than any I had ever conjured. One caught Nicky's foot and he yelled, horrified. Tom severed it with his sword and stood guard in front of the Jones family.

Nearly the whole islands population was gathered now to watch, and I felt useless to the situation as Tj kept screaming and screaming his throat raw, while Nicky had the nerve to just stand there and look guilty. He did cheat. By the look on his face, he knew what he had done.

After the screaming died down and Tj became a sobbing mess again, we took him home. I assumed Dec and Champ would ask for some payment for the destruction of their backyard, but I decided that would come later. Later, after everyone had explained to their kids what they had just seen. After I explained to Teejie what he had done and how he had done it.

Slowly, the news traveled around the rest of the island, and all the kids came home, all of them worried about Tj. Rosie came that evening, too. I had the sneaking suspicion that she had seen this beforehand and failed to tell us.

We decided we would tell them that only Rose and Tj had powers. If they hadn't shown any signs yet, maybe they were normal. Maybe they could go their whole lives without being plagued by the acolyte powers we'd been given by the old gods. Tom didn't seem as hopeful.

"If Rose and Tj both have them-"

"Later," I mumbled, stirring the cake mix a little faster. I could hear them all in the living room trying to comfort Tj.

"The gods will find out."

"I'm sure they already know." Declan had probably told them.

"This is so unfair. Historian's bitch said nothing about-"

"Her name was Akemi. She is the reason we are still living. Do not call her that."

"Akemi never said shit about this."

"Maybe she didn't see it."

"And why didn't Rose tell us?"

"She can't tell us everything. She has vows to maintain."

"She could tell us the important parts!" He exclaimed, waving his arms around. "Like the part where our son tries to murder a whole family with scary vines!"

"Keep your voice down!" I hissed, pointing the spoon at him. The kids were still talking in the next room. Maybe they hadn't heard him.

"Why are you not freaking out? What if one of them gets hurt? What if one of them murders someone else by accident?"

"It won't come to that."

"How do you know?"

I poured the rest of the mix into a pan and shoved it in the oven. "We're going to pray. We're going to ask the gods to watch over them."

"Yeah, and what'll it cost? They'll put them in another purge and make 'me kill each other."

I felt a pull in my stomach as I shut the oven door. A portion of black ink peeked out from my shirt sleeve. I cursed, shutting my eyes and forcing myself to relax. Tom had probably seen it.

"Sparklez? Are you-?"

"Fine. It's gone now."

He pulled up my shirt sleeve to examine the skin there. No tattoos. He looked as relieved as I felt. "Christ."

"I shouldn't have used them today."

"No, it's alright. You had to."

"I could've done something else. Anything else."

"Listen to me, okay? Listen to your favorite hubby. As long as I'm around, macho purple hair Jordan isn't coming back. Alright?"

"I guess,"

"Alright?"

"Yes. Alright."

"Good. Let's go cheer up our babies."

.:.

Tj's p.o.v.

I knew this was an outcome. I knew the risks. I knew I had a chance of getting my heart broken, but I never thought Nicky of all people would be the one to break it. He promised he would take care of me. That I wouldn't regret the decision of letting him into my life like that.

"Don't think about him, he's a jerk. You're such a good little boyfriend, you deserve so much better." Kate kissed my forehead and kept playing with my hair. Nicky used to do that. To make me stop worrying so much.

I choked down a sob and covered it up with a scoop of cookie dough ice cream. What am I going to do without him. Without them.

"Nooo, don't cry twinsie...come here, you can rest your head on my lap while we watch your nerdy robot movie." She patted her lap and I laid my head into it, sighing when I felt my headache lighten. She started massaging my temples again and I let myself drift off, into a world where Nicky hadn't cheated on me.

Where he still loved me. In my dreams.

When I woke back up, I had a different visitor. Eli sat on the end of the couch with my legs propped on his lap and his fingers tracing the outlines of prints on my feet. He used to do that when we were younger, to memorize what hand prints looked like in his head. He smiled suddenly. "I sense someones awake. How was the dream?"

"Nicky still loved me in it."

"Speaking of said douchebag, Charlie went down there earlier to beat him up."

"What? Oh no, oh god he didn't actually-"

"No, Dad stopped him. But he didn't say anything about Rosie 'accidentally' letting a live skunk into Nicky's room."

"Rosie's still here?"

"Yup. She wants a one on one with you real bad, but I was next in line."

I scoffed, wiping lazily at the tear streaks still lingering on my cheeks. "Why would anyone stand in line just to watch me be pathetic?"

"It's the family's first break up. We all have to be here for you."

"Does that mean Dad and Pop forced you to stay with me?"

"No, it means your family loves you and wants to be with you during a bad time. We all feel for you. We all want to murder Nicky and Derek."

A fresh wave of tears came spilling down at the mention of their names. The image came back, of them sucking each other's faces off under the boardwalk and smiling about it afterwards. I grabbed a pillow and hid my face in it.

"I threw Charlie," I admitted miserably.

"Because you were hurting. He said he didn't mind, that he just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I could've hurt Poppy."

"But you didn't. Come on big brother, stop worrying." He poked my toes playfully. It tickled.

"Do you think Declan and Champwan are mad at me for messing up their yard?"

"Probably not. Charlie said they looked super disappointed in Nicky. Maybe the yard thing balances out with the cheating thing."

I heard the phone ring. Then the sound of someone picking it up and slamming it back down. Eli must've sensed my confusion.

"He's been trying to call you ever since we got home. I think Dad is about to rip the land line out of the wall."

"Nicky? He's been calling?"

"Yeah. You aren't gonna answer him, right?"

I wanted to. I missed him.

"No," I replied hollowly. "I won't answer him."

"But you want to."

"Yes. A lot. I...wanna know why he did this."

"Did he ever show signs of cheating behavior? Make any false excuses to get out of things, seem uninterested when you both talked, mention Derek a lot?"

I raked through memories from the last six weeks for the signs. He always acted so happy to be with me, and he seemed interested in me, and he never made excuses to get out of things. Of course he mentioned Derek a lot, but we both did. He was part of the group.

Does all of this mean there's no longer a group?

My chest throbbed in a horrible way. Not only had I lost a boyfriend, but I lost my best friend as well. All in one day.

"Tj?" Eli nudged my foot. I let my face fall into the pillows surrounding me and cried silently into them. My life is over. I'll be alone again. I'll be stuck in my room all day working on those damned machines while everyone else is out with friends. I'll live the rest of my life in this house, and I'll die alone because nobody else wants me anymore.

"I'm...I'm not good with tears," Eli admitted awkwardly. "I'll send in Pops, okay?"

I nodded and kept my face in the pillows, letting my tears stain their soft material. The phone rang again. I heard a crash as Dad presumably ripped out the land line from the wall. It was a relief that I wouldn't have to hear that constant reminder that he wanted to talk to me, that maybe he felt bad for what he did to me.

I felt the couch dip slightly from the added weight of somebody. "Hi."

Hi Pop was on the tip of my tongue, but it never left my lips. I felt too embarrassed to speak. He had to pin my arms to calm me down, to keep me from causing any further destruction to the Jones's backyard. He watched me turn into a complete maniac.

"Is Charlie okay?" I mumbled.

"He's fine."

"Are Declan and Champ mad?"

"Of course they are. This is a very bad situation."

My chest tightened at his words. "I'm sorry...I didn't even realize w-what I did until-"

"Teejie, they aren't mad at you. They're angry with Nicky. They already told me not to worry about the back yard."

"But their garden? They eat everything from that."

"We'll send them half of our supply. You picky eaters don't eat veggies anyway." He laughed softly and patted my head. Normally all of this touching from my family would make me uncomfortable, but today it was what I craved.

I sat up from my pile of pillows to clean up my face with some tissues. I realized quickly that I couldn't find them, because everything was blurry. My glasses were broken again. What was I gonna do now?

"Hey Pop, could you go get my contacts?"

"I'll do you one better." I felt fingers brush against my face as my sight was restored. For a minute I blinked, thinking Pop had fixed my glasses, but then I realized that there were no familiar black frames lining the sides of my vision. I turned my head to stare at Pop in surprise.

"You healed me? You can do that?"

"Just for a little while, maybe a few days at least. It'll last until we can get you some new glasses. I know how much you hate those silly contacts."

"Can I heal people too?" I whispered. He shrugged, moving a strand of hair away from my eyes.

"You might be able to. We'll just have to see."

"How come I've never seen you use yours? Until now, that is." I couldn't remember a time where I had seen Pop do any of these things. He'd never healed any of us. He had never used his abilities to make the farm grow faster. Why wouldn't he use them?

"I've had a lot of trouble with my powers. In Ruxomar, when I used them too often, they made me crazy. I know you've seen the photos of the purple hair, haven't you?"

"Yeah. Dad had it too."

"Well, he did that to make me feel better. My hair actually turned purple. I had weird markings all over my body. I'm still not sure what that was about. I try not to use them because I don't want to trigger that again."

"Will that happen to me?"

"I doubt it. You used yours a lot today, and I see no purple hair or scary tattoos."

"And Rosie doesn't have any. Maybe that part didn't get passed down."

"I sure hope so."

"You won't have to use them again, Pop. I'll do whatever I can to keep myself under control."

He smiled wearily. "Thank you, Teejie."

.:.

Who was I praying to? I wasn't sure anymore. Dianite was too close to my family, it felt odd to ask him for favors. It had to be one of the other two gods. I prayed for guidance. I prayed for answers. I knew it was selfish to ask Rosie for fortune-telling, so this was the next best thing. I knelt at the foot of my bed and called Ianite, then Mianite. There was major doubt they would answer me. After all, they had an entire domain to worry about. How could they afford time to worry about-

"Ahem."

Mianite was in my room. The soft white glow he gave off made the room light up instantly. I felt suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed about the state of my room. "Oh! Lord Mianite, I'm so sorry. I didn't think you'd-...I-I should've went to the temple."

"Nonsense. I am here now. I heard your prayers for guidance, young one. Guidance with what?"

"Uh, a few things. My powers, for one. My...my future, too. I'm not sure if that's allowed. Do you need some kind of sacrifice beforehand?"

"My sister and I owe you several favors for the purging ordeal. I can offer you guidance on both matters without price."

"Thank you."

"You are not alone in your abilities. A majority of your siblings show signs of harnessing great powers beyond their comprehension. You will soon be joined by them."

"Okay. Okay, great." I had predicted that. I knew Rosie and I couldn't be the only ones.

"As for the future-telling," he interrupted, looking disapprovingly around the room. "You were unclear about what you wanted to see."

"I-...it's kind of silly."

"Do not be bashful."

"...Who will I end up with?" I choke out. "Who's going to be-? I mean, if it's not Nicky or Derek. Who else would want me?"

He seemed taken aback by the question. Maybe that was too much to ask.

"You can be brutally honest," I tried, hating how weak I sounded. "You can tell me if I end up alone. I can deal with that."

He was silent for a moment. His unsettling white eyes felt piercing in the darkness.

"You are not meant for them. You are meant for another."

My heart soared in my chest. "Then there is someone?"

"Yes. A more suitable match than what the two Dianitees could offer. You have always been wise beyond your years, Tj. You are not suited for two witless teenagers."

I was making mental notes in my head. Not a teenager. Not associated with Dianite. "Do I know them?"

"You will soon."

"...what are they like? I-I know that's asking a lot, you don't have to-"

"They are devoted. Loyal. You will be happiest in their presence. It is a match that rivals any other you've seen in your lifetime. Stronger than the bond between your parents. Stronger than the bond between a certain wizard and your sister."

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I'll pay you back for this, Lord Mianite."

"No payment is needed. I ask that you live in the present rather than the future. There are many things you must experience before you meet the one you are intended for."

"Thank you. I will."

The light went out. The room was dark again. I scrambled to find a notebook and a pen to write down every word he'd said. Pop said the gods were cryptic sometimes. Maybe there was a hidden message in his phrasing.

After a few hours of staring at the notebook, I decided I would try to sleep. At around the exact time I decided this, Kate burst into my room.

"Wh-"

"Take me to Declan's," she whispered. She was holding her chest and making wheezing sounds.

"Your heart?"

"Not working."

I stripped off the blanket and hurried to throw on whatever clothes I had laying around. "We should tell the dads, they'll want to come too."

"They're worried enough as it is. Just take me, we don't have to tell them."

"They'll be more worried if they hear it from Declan later."

"Stop being logical," she whined, leaning against the doorway. She was really sweaty and pale.

"Let Charlie come too. He can carry you."

"I can walk, stupid."

"No, you can't. I'm getting Charlie."

She groaned loudly. "I don't want the entire family to be there. It's not even a big deal, this happens once a month."

"It can be a new tradition," I chided at her. She whined some more as we headed to Charlie's room first.

We woke up the dads and Charlie. Rosie happened to be sitting in the living room at around this time and apparently she had been waiting for it to happen. Eli heard us from his room and insisted he come too. I could feel Katie's death stare the entire walk to the clinic. Sadly, she couldn't compete with how anxious I felt to be in the same vicinity as Nicky Jones.

.:.

They rushed Kate into a room as soon as possible. The dads went with her. That left me and my other siblings in the waiting room to entertain ourselves. I hadn't seen Nicky yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't here. I had a clear view of his room from where I was sitting, and from here it looked like the door was locked. He's locked himself in. Should I have felt happy or conflicted? I felt a sort of mixture between both at the moment.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Eli whispered to me.

"I wanted to," I told him.

"You know if he comes out of that room we're gonna kick his ass, right?" Charlie also whispered to me. I found it odd that the whole family was sat in a square behind me so that they all were in my earshot. Rosie was sitting beside me being surprisingly quiet, with her multi-colored eyes set on the hallway I had been looking down previously.

"No butt kicking," I said sternly. "It'll stress out Pop and Dad."

"But we will seriously give him the greatest of death glares," I hear Eli murmur. "Ones that could kill."

"Can we talk about something else?" I asked quickly.

"Alright. How are you feeling since the big bad breakup?" Charlie asked.

I shrugged a little. "Better." Even though the anxiety of just being within fifty feet of him made my chest feel like an elephant was sitting on top of it.

The front door jingled as it opened, the bells atop the arch bounced as if the visitor was a happy one. But their joyful sounds were misleading, because the person who walked through the door was the second most one I didn't want to see. Derek's eyes went straight to me as soon as he stepped into the room, all of my siblings did the same to him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Charlie snarled.

Things were already spiraling and I felt as if I was on the verge of passing out. Derek made a mad dash towards me, I thought for certain he was about to kill me for whatever reason, but Rosie jumped to her feet and shoved him backwards. "You stay the hell away from my little brother."

Her little brother? Even though the situation was growing out of control, that one little comment made my heart swell with happiness. She really cares about me.

Derek grew angry. "If you idiots would listen to us for five seconds-" he tried to push past Rosie, though as he did, she pushed back just as hard and pulled out a dagger. My heart stopped.

"We're listening," Rosie sneered. "Now spill."

Derek glared at her. "It's supposed to be a private conversation-"

"Either you say it from here or you don't say it at all," Rosie all but snarled. "You aren't going near Tj again for as long as I live."

"Fine! Jesus..." When Derek's nearly black eyes went on me, I froze in my spot. "Have you ever heard of a poly?"

"What's that?" Rosie budded in before I could ask.

"Do you know what it is?" Derek asked me again.

"You're gonna have to be more specific. Poly means multiple."

"Exactly! Multiple people, yeah?"

"What the hell are you getting at?" Charlie barked. I noticed he'd scooted his chair up super close to mine in the time that Derek had walked in.

Polyamory. I'd heard of it before, in a book somewhere. I had never actually seen anyone do it.

"Are you talking about a polyamorous relationship?"

"Yeah! That!"

"What about it?"

"That's what we wanted, doll face! Me and Nicks, we were practicin' for when we was gonna tell you-"

"That's bull," Rosie spat angrily. "Don't do this to him. You've done enough already."

But Derek kept talking, never breaking eye contact with me. "-and Nicks was nervous cuz he'd never kissed nobody before, so I told 'em to kiss me for practice! Look, I got proof!" He dug into his pocket until he found what he was looking for, and then he held it out for me to take. It was a little black box and a receipt. I took it hesitantly and studied it.

"What kind of proof is this?" I asked indifferently.

"Open the box!" He insisted. "It'll explain everything, promise!"

So I did. As I lifted up the small black lid, glittering gold caught my eye. Three beautiful rings laid in a row, each with different engravings on them. My name was on the middle one. Nicky's on the top and Derek's on the bottom one. I checked the receipt for a date of the purchase. It was two days before I'd caught Nicky cheating on me.

"You wanted a three-way relationship?" I asked in amazement. He nodded eagerly.

"Me and Nicks are always fightin' over you and it makes you sad, so we thought it'd be a good idea if both of us got to share you. Y'know, if you're alright with it. So whaddaya say?"

The room went silent.

He was telling the truth. The date matched up and, well...he'd never lied to me before. Neither had Nicky. Why was I so quick to believe Nicky had cheated?

"So...Nicky didn't cheat? You didn't betray me?"

By now, Rosie had lessened her hold on him. After a moment, Derek slid through her guard to walk over and hug me, like he hadn't seen me in years.

"No! We'd never do that to you princess, we love ya to the moon and back! Nicks has been dyin' to talk to you all day about this. He said you wouldn't pick up the phone or somethin'."

I looked to my siblings for an answer on what to do, forgive him or speculate. They looked pretty clueless as well.

Charlie spoke up for me. "You realize if you're lying about this, we will find out. Right? And beat you within an inch of your life?"

At this, Derek became slightly defensive. "Hey, I've nevah lied to doll face before. Or Nicks."

"Then promise Tj you will never hurt him again," Eli demanded sternly. "So if you do lie next time, we'll know about it."

"Fine," Derek snapped at him. He turned to me and took both my hands in his. "If I ever make you cry again, you got every damn right to sick your family on me. I ain't gonna hurt you no more. Neither is Nicks. I promise."

"We promise." Unmistakably familiar warm arms wrapped loosely around my hips. I sank into them, already convinced 100% that they didn't mean to do what they did, and they felt bad for hurting me. Maybe it was a mistake, trusting them so fast after what happened, but I didn't care. I wanted them back. I loved them.

And by the way they were both hugging me right now and treating me like the most valuable thing they had, I think they loved me too.

.:..:.:.

I like how I've went from watching jordans streams seasons 1-2 to watching tom season -1 because my attention span has become so shit in the last few years

I know most of these chapters so far are surrounding only Tj but I'm gonna get to the other siblings soon, so stick around! I'm also writing a one shot for season -1 and it will be posted pretty soon ;)

Love you all! Hope you have a good night <3

- Lee