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Speaking of the Past

The more I talked to Amy, the more my mind started to drift away from the situation at hand. Not only was she a great person to talk to but her energy and charisma were almost unnatural, but not in a bad way. No wonder Nick loved her so much - she was a fountain of enthusiasm! And it wasn't at all fake or artificial, like another person's in this room.

I was beginning to like Amy very much and the idea of having a female best-friend who I can confide my troubles in seemed to brighten my mood. When Amy told me that she was fifteen, I couldn't help but be taken by surprise. She certainly didn't act like a fifteen year old! She was quite mature for her age but I didn't judge her in any way for being younger than me by three years.

Nick glanced at us occasionally as we laughed and talked quietly in a corner from the others. But he had a smile on his face, and seemed to be happy that we were getting along with each other quite well.

"So would you like to meet sometime next week?" Amy asked with that wide smile on her face. "It would be nice to have a female addition to the group. I need a girl friend to hang out with."

I nodded quickly. "Me too, and that would be great! When and where?"

"We can decide that later. Just remind me to give you my number before we leave tonight," she said.

I grinned and nodded, making a mental note to not forget that. Joining the others once more, we realized that the atmosphere had grown sullen within the room. I had been too occupied by Amy who added a cheerfulness to everything to notice what had been going on.

Katie really must not be liked by the others. I still hadn't gotten to know her but as for what I'd heard from Amy, Damien's doll was rude and rather pompous. Over all, she wasn't too nice of a person. And no one liked her; with the exception of Damien of course.

"So did you guys hear about Adam's new girlfriend?" Katie broke the silence with another one of her rumor-related questions. I groaned on the inside, as I suspected most of the others did. Amy was leaning against Nick, as he sat stiffly on the bed. She squeezed his hand comfortingly, as if to give him strength.

"No we haven't," Amy said, "and we would really love to hear it but Nick and I are just going to go on a little walk."

And before Katie could argue, the two of them jumped to their feet and hurried out of the room. Nick was really lucky to have a girlfriend who aided in making a quick getaway but now, the room was left with the four of us.

Leo was seated on the far end of Nick's bed, staring at the palm of his hand as if he was in deep thought. Katie, on the other hand, had conveniently snuggled up against Damien as the minutes had worn on. Her head rested against his shoulder, one of her arms tightly strung with his. Damien wasn't reciprocating her love however. He, too, seemed to be concentrating on something else entirely: me.

Ever since I'd come back into the room, he'd been watching me like a hawk as if waiting for the moment I'd make a random little outburst. And I had, down in the kitchen. But he didn't know about that, and my anger had now subsided. The two could get married and I wouldn't care a bit.

Sighing, I stood up and stretched lightly before saying, "Do you guys know where the rest room is?"

"Down the hall, second door on the left from here," Leo answered. "Do you need help finding it?"

"No that's fine." I'd answered before I could take it back and he frowned. Leo, too, wanted to get out of here with an excuse and I had accidentally denied him one. Giving him an apologetic look, I let myself out of the room, making sure not to meet Damien's eyes as I started on my quest to finding the bathroom.

Down the hall, second door to the left...

Down the hall, second door to the left...

Aha! Found it!

I knocked on the door first, to check if anyone was inside but getting no reply, I opened the door to the bathroom and stepped in, locking it behind me. Nick sure did live in luxury, I thought to myself as I glanced around.

A beautifully built-in tub and by its side, a closed shower area with one of those expensive looking glass doors. The room looked spotless and was the kind you'd imagine would be in the White House. Turning, I looked at the expansive mirror that filled most of the space and stared at my reflection.

I looked slightly flushed, tints of red in my cheeks. My hair hung loosely over my shoulder, falling down to my waist and it looked a little ruffled but clean nonetheless. Sighing, I took a few moments to brace myself for the next few minutes of 'Katie Collins time' and then exited the bathroom.

And that was when the electricity went off.

Lights falling dead, I circled around trying to remember my way back but only managed to confuse myself further. Blindly walking towards the source of light, my hand made contact against the metal handle of a door. Pushing it open, I entered the room and gasped lightly.

It was like a deck, along the length of a wide open-balcony. The room was bare and empty, except for a fire place and a rocking chair sat next to it. But my full attention was on the marvelous view of the city that it provided. It was truly beautiful.

Stepping forward, I slowly adjust the knobs that held together the massive windows together, the one thing that blocked out the wind from outside to enter the room. Pushing them wide open, I breathed in deeply as the scent of fresh air combined with cut grass and flowers hit me.

Looking down, I noticed a large garden taking up the backyard of the house. Right then and there, I wished I could switch houses with Nick. Leaning over the railing, I looked out at the city. Lights sparkled in a distance, like fireflies alight at the darkest times of the night. I smiled to myself as a cool breeze ruffled my hair softly.

A few minutes were spent in silence just watching the view in front of me. It was magnificent, but the moment was soon broken when the door opened. Looking over my shoulder, a figure appeared from the other side, glimmers of light entering the room. So the electricity had come back on, and the light from the hallway illuminated the face of the visitor. Tousled blonde hair and a lean build, it was none other than Leo.

"You're here. I've been looking all over for you!" I smiled and he analyzed the scene before closing the door behind him and slowly, almost timidly, making his way over.

"Is it alright if I join you?" he asked.

I grinned at him and shrugged. "Up to you."

We stood there together, both of us leaning over the railing as we watched the beautiful city in front of us. How much I wished I had a room like this at my house. I would truly spend every night looking out and just thinking. It was the perfect place for some peace and serenity.

And even Leo's presence didn't disturb that. In fact, the moment seemed more perfect with him here.

The moonlight beamed down on the city with a radiance that I could not explain with words. The flowers in the garden seemed to open up to the beautiful silver rays, welcoming the darkness of the night.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly in soft puffs of air. Night was my favorite time of all. The one time where I could just be myself without being disturbed. Even as a child, I could hide from the constant bickering of my parents, letting the darkness engulf me into a sleepless thought-train of emotions and hopes.

It never really got me anywhere but one can dream to their fullest.

I let out another sigh and earned a sideways glance from Leo. Eyebrows arched up slightly, he asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing... I'm just, thinking is all."

His lips curved upwards slightly and he said sarcastically, "Yes of course. Because that's what all humans do. We think."

Rolling my eyes at him, I straightened my posture and tore my eyes away from the view to meet Leo's concerned gaze. Blank...yet seemingly interested in what I had to say.

"I'm just...thinking back to old times," I said quietly. He waited for me to go on and so I did, strangely indulging him with my story without much thought.

"When I was a kid, I used to think I had the perfect little family. Mom, dad and I used to live in this great big house in Florida and we even had a little white Labrador puppy who I used to play with after school." I smiled fondly, remembering my childhood pet. "I'd never had a perfect name for him so I just called him 'Pup'. It grew on to me."

Leo smiled, leaning sideways against the railing to pay perfect attention to my story. He nodded and urged me to go on.

I paused for a second to question whether telling a guy who I'd known for less than week my life story was a good idea. But it was Leo. That, in itself, was an answer.

"We'd been this happy family you know. I didn't have any friends in school, and I didn't ever think I needed them because I had wonderful parents that loved me and Pup back home. But as most happy families go, eventually my parents started to fight. They didn't want the same thing...and so they chose to split apart."

I paused for a moment, searching Leo's face for any reaction. Getting nothing in response but a blank yet attentive stare, I continued.

"I was first taken under my mom's custody. She remarried, and soon had her own family but as soon as she met them she seemed to have forgotten about me. She was career-driven and just didn't seem to care at all anymore. My dad had moved out of our house, which was occupied by a bunch of strangers that I hated with the fullest of my heart. And it just wasn't the same without him."

"You really love your dad, huh?" Leo asked with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Probably the one man I will never feel tempted to kill in this life," I teased, sticking my tongue out at him like a child. Then I looked out over the city, finishing the story off. "He wanted to move away and start over. And that's how I ended up coming here."

Laughing bitterly, I added, "Of course my mom didn't care. All that mattered to her was a new family and satisfying the needs of her new step-daughter Caroline, who couldn't be more perfect really."

I didn't expect to cry but tears stung the corner of my eyes, threatening to spill over. Seeing my eyes grow glassy, Leo took a step closer to me and laid his hand on top of mine, lightly squeezed it in gentle reassurance. "Of course your mom cares," he said comfortingly, searching my eyes for anyway to help cheer me up.

"Well she has a funny way of showing it," I replied, my words wobbling. Oh great, I was about to cry. In front of Leo.

What happened next though, I hadn't expected at all.

I would never have imagined that Leo would be the type of guy to console a girl when she was dangerously looming on the verge of a breakdown. But yet, he stood there right in front of me and only a few inches apart. Squeezing my hand softly, he whispered, "It's all going to be okay Makayla."

"I've heard that one before."

Before I could stop him or have any sense of what Leo was doing, he tilted my chin up so I was looking right into the blue depths of his eyes. Except, unlike the last time when I had let myself drown inside of them, I noticed that there was hard emotion in his gaze. Warmth that I'd never thought I'd have directed towards me, especially from Leo.

His eyes seemed to bare into my very soul, looking at me completely. Past the sarcastic remarks, and the unnecessary words of mock cruelty. I felt like Leo was looking right through me...and not in a bad way.

"Trust me Makayla."

It was difficult for me to form any words at all in that moment but I managed to ask the one doubt I had on what he wanted me to do. "How can I? When people I've loved have dumped me so low as that...how can I trust you?"

A tidal-wave of emotions broke out in his eyes; a battle of persuasion as if he didn't have a choice but to convince me. "You should," he whispered roughly, voice blanketed with compassion I was witnessing the first time.

A sudden gust of wind blew a few strands of my hair to the front of my face, tickling me slightly. Before I had the chance to, he let go of the soft hold he had on my chin and tucked each strand behind my ear, never dropping his gaze from my eyes all the while. His other hand was now interlaced with mine in a way that had my heart racing furiously within me.

I stood still, mesmerized.

But before I could pull myself out of the spell I'd been placed into, I found myself leaning forward...and so was he.

--------------------CHAPTER END---------------------  

A/N: *cue evil villainous laugh* Yes, my lovely readers, that is where I will leave it. On a major cliffhanger. Heh.

Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter with your comments. And if you liked it, please vote. ^.^

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