charizard, 🔥

The last thing he had wanted to do that day was go to a meeting for alcoholics, but that’s exactly where David had ended up being. While he had wanted to blame his parents or best friend or the night guard who had taken away his innocence for his addiction, he knew that it wasn’t their fault, not completely. They hadn’t forced him to start drinking, but at the time, he thought it was his only way to escape the crappy reality. It helped him a lot at first, but now, it only made him angry and lonely, which wasn’t the best combination. He’s known for years that he needed to stop, and while he had cut back a lot on his own, he would occasionally slip up. He wasn’t as bad as he used to be, but he knew he would never be one hundred percent fixed if he didn’t go to at least one stupid meeting. And he needed to at least try to control his limit, if not for him, then for the girl he was seeing and her son. David released a sigh as he walked into the room where the other addicts were, some already seated, and others in a conversation. The room was small and white, the only colors were the colored papers pinned on the bulletin board on one of the walls. They were forcing people to be stuck here for an hour to talk about their stories, and they couldn’t have at least make the place a little bit more cheerful? It was like hell. As much as the brunette male wanted to turn around, walk back through the door like he had never been there in the first place, and go back home to play video games or something for the rest of the night, the voice in the back of his head reminded him why he was there in the first place. For Rora and Rixon, he thought to himself. At that same exact moment, a woman, who he assumed was their counselor, spoke up, telling everyone to take their seats. He took one last look over his shoulder at the door, almost cursing himself for coming here in the first place, before he forced his feet to drag him to the closest empty seat. Leaning against the chair, he crossed his arms as his eyes roamed to the faces all around him. Some of the people in the room surprised him; if he had walked past them in the street or if they were a random client at the law firm, he didn’t think he’d ever guess they needed help. Others, though, seemed to fit in. David, while he didn’t look like he belonged there right now, there were times when he got into his binging moods and constantly looked hungover. All David had to do was sit through an hour of this, and then he’d be free to leave, maybe after grabbing a few snacks to take home. His eyes moved to the table where a bunch of snacks and refreshments were laid out, and on cue, his stomach growled quietly. When the female began to talk again, his eyes shifted back ahead of him, watching as one guy had raised his hand to volunteer to start this off. Who even does that? David blocked out most of his story, his mind wandering off to other places. David’s attentioned was brought back shortly attention, hearing the word ‘molested’. He stared at the girl, admiring the way that she just admitted that to everyone. Having been molested also when he was a teenager, he never spoke a word of it to anyone, not even his twin sister who knew the most about him. Though he didn’t tell anyone, he never forgot about those sleepless nights, having nightmares about it ever since. There were still some nights where he couldn’t bring himself to turn his bedroom light off. The dark haired woman sat down, and few a few moments, it was completely silent in the room, as everyone waited to see who would be brave enough to volunteer or if they’d have to be picked randomly. Before he could process what was happening, David stood up, all eyes on him. “Hi, uh, I’m David. I got involved with the wrong crowd when I was younger, and things happened while I was involved with them, so now I’m really messed up and alcohol is the only thing that’s been there for me after all these years.” Shrugging his shoulders, he sat back down. He hadn’t wanted to tell his entire life story like the two people before him had done - he didn’t need all these people to know he had partaken in an activity that killed a guy, or that he had been sent away to a boys group home when he was younger and he lost his innocence during his days there. They didn’t need to know about how he still has nightmares about those nights vividly, like he was there all over again. He shook his head, listening as to the next person went. When everyone had shared and they were dismissed, David got up, and, instead of going to the snack table like his original plan was, he found himself quickly heading in the direction of that molested girl. Tapping on her shoulder, he cleared his throat when she turned around to face him. “Clarissa, right?” He asked, remembering that was what she introduced herself as. “David. I just wanted to say that I admire how you told everyone about what happened to you. Not everyone would’ve done that.”

Clarissa timidly raised her hand. She had told her story numerous times, but it never got easier. “Go ahead” the female said. Clarissa stood up “so I’m Clarissa but most people call me Clary. I’ll keep this short and sweet” she started “hi Clarissa” others mumbled. “I’m a Dallas girl now living in Cali. I’ve struggled with alcohol dependency since I was 15 due to being molested and abused by my babysitter” she said before sitting down. She didn’t want to go into too much detail, which was for her private counselling sessions. She didn’t need to divulge everything to these people, nor did she want to.

- - - - past; 18 years old. - - - - All David could think about as he loaded his jeep up with boxes was how much he couldn’t wait to be out of that neighborhood. He couldn’t wait to get away from his “parents” who had made his home life unbearable, away from his so called “friends” who had come and gone whenever they pleased, and away from all of the bad memories that had built up through the years. Everywhere he looked held a memory, and while that specific memory might’ve been good, it always led to a bad memory. As he looked up at the house he had spent the last eleven years living in reminded him of the very first day he and his twin sister had been taken in by the Adkins family. He could remember how he felt, mixed and confused with  his emotions. They were kind and sincere (ha, that wouldn’t last long) people, but they weren’t his mom, and the seven year old had only wanted her. Of course that had been its own set of problems. The two people who appeared in most of his memories were Bryce and Rhys, both of whom he wasn’t on good terms with. It wasn’t like he wanted to be a bad terms with either of them, but his stubborn nature kept him from fixing things. While he couldn’t blame anyone but himself for the way his twin sister was pushing him away, he blamed Rhys for what happened between them, for what happened to him. He had just abandoned David, leaving him nothing but a pathetic text message explaining it, then had the nerve to come back recently, acting like nothing happened. Three years had gone by without so much as a word, but a lot had happened in those years. David hadn’t been the same hyperactive, hiding-everything-behind-a-witty-comment boy he was the last time his best friend saw him; no, he was angry, dark, shut off from the world all the time. If he didn’t like the person he had become, why would his best friend accept it? These were the thoughts that continued to plague the eighteen year old’s mind as he drove down the main road, away from the mayor’s house. He couldn’t shake Rhys from his thoughts, and it wasn’t until he was almost out of the city that he realized why. He hated even said goodbye to him. David might’ve been mad at the younger male, but they still had a lot of history together, having been David’s very first friend and sticking by his side while David adjusted to his new home and town. It was an instant connection back when they met, and no matter what had happened, he was like a brother to him. Without a second thought, David turned his jeep around, heading toward Rhy’s house. In a little over ten minutes, David parked his jeep in the clearing of the woods. He stopped in his tracks once he got out of his vehicle, looking up at the house that had been abandoned long ago. It had become David’s and Rhys’s hide out spot when they were younger, and while he had spent the three years visiting occasionally, he hadn’t been here since before Rhys had come back to Los Angeles. Forcing himself to keep walking towards the house where he knew the dark haired man teenager was, he turned the door handle, the door creaking as it opened. “I know you’re here, Rhys. You weren’t home, so I came here t-” he stopped mid sentence as he took in the scene before him; his best friend held a rope in his hands, his eyes red and a visible tear was streaking down his face. “Wha… what’s going on?” David asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer to that. - - - - present; 25 years old. - - - - David had never expected that he’d ever be a lawyer. When he was younger, he dreamed of being a professional baseball player or a drummer in a band, but everything had changed while he was a teenager. Still, though, it wasn’t until his first year of college that he decided that he wanted to be a lawyer, to help out those who needed justice, to help send the bad guys away. Never, in a million years, did he think he would enjoy his work or be one of the best lawyers at his law firm. It was only his first year there, and already, David Adkins was making a name for himself. He supposed he had his stubborn attitude to thank for that, for his ability to never give up on his client, and going to hell and back just to win. It wasn’t just about winning for him though, it was about doing the right thing, which he took pride in. As much as he loved work, though, he enjoyed when it turned 6 o’clock and could go back home, or, in this case, crash at his twin sisters for the night. That was one of the downfalls to having a roommate - whenever Cass was over, David either had to leave for the night or suck it up and deal with hearing it in his bedroom. He normally went with the first option, and took turns sleeping over at Aurora’s and Bryce’s house. But with Aurora taking care of a sick baby, David and his sister decided to have a bonding night. Unknown to him, it’d be cut short. He’d only been there for five minutes when he heard his phone beep, letting him know he had a text message. Seeing it was from Rhys, he opened it immediately, reading the words, need your help. come home. His eyebrows came together in confusion, before he looked up at Bryce. “I have to go for a bit. I’ll probably be back later, but I’ll call you?” He told her, feeling bad for leaving her, but Rhys needed his help right now, for whatever reason. He got into his jeep, and it was moments like these he was glad that Bryce and him happened to live in the same neighborhood. It only took him two minutes before he pulled into their driveway, running up their porch and into the house. He spotted Rhys in the living room, and after taking a second to catch his breathe, he raised his eyebrows. “I got your text. What’s up?”

Being alone wasn’t something that David minded much. Ever since he was younger, he had always felt like an outcast. It started when he was younger, after being adopted into a new family. What five year old wouldn't feel alone after being taken from their mom and placed in a house full of strangers? At least he had Bryce with him then, but the older they grew and the more sh*t they got into, the further they drifted from each other. By fifteen, David had been completely alone. Being sent to a group home for troubled boys and isolated away from the only person who had been by his side, David was depressed. Long after he came back home, he kept himself at a distance from his family and friends, including Bryce. Much like David, their relationship was broken. Loneliness became a constant feeling for the teenager, and it wasn’t long before he was accustomed to the feeling. It wasn’t until this night that David realized how truly lonely he was. He had his twin sister, he had friends and co-workers, and he had ex flings, but the feeling never left him, no matter who walked in and out of his life.  The twenty-five year old had never let anyone in completely; he was the type of person who didn’t like to feel or care, so he’d usually push the person away before they got too close. The only two people that remained in his life after all these years had been Bryce and Rhys Campbell, both of whom were his best friends. But not even they could wash away the feeling that something was missing, and it wouldn’t be until a beach party at Venice Beach that he would realize what it was. Although David had wanted to spend his night at home, with a beer, and catching up on sleep, he had let his roommate talk him into going to the party. Not even a half an hour there, though, and Rhys had ditched him after spotting his girlfriend, leaving the brunette male at the table where all the alcohol seemed to be. Ignoring the voice in the back of his head that was telling him not to drink, he poured himself a drink, filling the red solo cup to the rim. “Just one,” David muttered to himself, before chugging down the liquid contents in the cup, feeling the immediate affect on him. Many drinks and broken promises to himself that “this is my last one” later, David found himself stumbling over his own feet as he walked around the beach. His emotions were taking over, something whiskey always had a way of doing, and he needed to see Rhys. He was going to tell that asshole off for ditching him, not caring who it was for, he knew better than to trust David around alcohol. Stumbling around the party, he turned a girl around who looked like Rhys’s girlfriend, already raising his voice at the young woman. To his surprise, it wasn’t Cassie, but a complete stranger, who used all her forced to shove him backwards. He felt his body crash into a petite frame before feeling gravity take control, forcing his body onto the sandy beach, his head crashing into the sand. After making a complete ass out of himself, and feeling all the eyes on him, he opened his eyes,  locking them on the girl he obviously bumped into. She was blonde, and despite his blurry vision, one of the most beautiful women he’s ever seen. For the first time in what felt like forever, David Adkins was speechless. He felt his mouth dry up, out of nerves, and he felt queasy, either because he had a concussion from hitting his head, or it was what everyone described as butterflies. Even though he had his past flings, no one made him feel like this. Realizing he probably looked like he suffered brain damage from the blow to his head, he swallowed hard before his voice rasped. “I-I’m so sorry about that, I’m a little-” His words were slurring, and it didn’t help that he had to hiccup in the middle of the sentence. Smooth move, David, he scolded to himself, you’re drunk as f*** and can’t even speak to her. Real nice. “Drunk.” he finished, a sheepish smile spreading across his face, trying to sit up from the sand.

“What th- sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t,” David mumbled under his breath as he stared intently at the television. Displayed on the screen was his favorite video game, because yes, these days, David Adkins would rather stay at home playing video games than go out and get trashed. Not that he didn’t enjoy drinking occasionally, but he had a problem when it came to the alcoholic substance and he was trying to get better, which meant avoiding people who would spend their nights at the bar every weekend. So this was how he spends most of his nights after work, though usually he’d be with his roommate and best friend, but he was gone with his girlfriend for the night. “Ha, got you bitch!” He exclaimed, as he finally killed the main target that had taken him four tries already. He set the controller down to grab a slice of pizza as the words, but mid-bite, he heard a knock on his door. David’s eyebrows came together in confusion; Bryce had already went to bed, since she had to wake up early for a photoshoot, and the only other person who would come over was currently at home with her son. A soft sigh fell from his lips as the knocking continued, forcing David to get up from the couch. “I’m coming,” he said loudly, unsure if whoever was on the other side had even heard him. In no time, the male was at the door, surprised to find Emberlynn standing there. “Em?” He asked, confusion laced in his voice. Before he could ask what the girl was doing there, he noticed how upset she seemed to be, the tears noticeable in her eyes. “Are you crying? Come on in.” Grabbing her arm, he pulled her gently inside, shutting the door behind them. “You hungry? I still have some pizza from earlier. Help yourself,” he said, adding a shrug with his shoulders at the last part.

Boston University. Staring at the building, Noah felt a wave of jealousy flow through his body as he watched students walk around. This had been the college that Noah had wanted to apply to, the school where his mom had went when she was younger, and her parents before her, and so on. But, he had never got the chance to go there, having been on house arrest for much longer than needed, for something he didn’t even do. Not that anyone believed him, because back in his hometown, he was viewed as the hyperactive spaz who murdered his entire family, minus his younger sister, Emily. His dreams of going to college had been robbed of the then sixteen year old, all thanks to his father. He shook his head; no, he wasn’t going to think about this. He was here on business, not to dwell on the fact that everything he had, and everything that he wanted, he never got. Maybe one day, he’d be able to do it. To go back to school and experience what he hadn’t, but right now wasn’t the time. He needed a job, he needed to help pay rent and to buy his own things; he didn’t have enough money to set aside for college right now. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he forced himself to start toward one of the many coffee places on the campus, where he had decided to meet the girl he was interviewing. Arriving at the place a few minutes later, he grabbed a seat at a table in the back, making himself comfortable in the booth. When the waitress came up to him, he ordered a cup of coffee, deciding that one cup while he waited wouldn’t seem rude… would it? He was thirsty, so he shrugged it off as he pulled out his pad of paper he used only for interviews. Noah didn’t have to wait too much longer for the girl, because as he saw someone make their way way toward where he was seated, he nodded his head in greeting. “Saffron Nixon, right?” He asked, motioning with his hands to sit down.

One month ago. It wasn’t unusual for Colton to sleep in his car. He had no job, no money, no family; the only thing the twenty-three year old was the small bag he had packed before he left Chicago. Colton didn’t have the best past, and he needed a fresh start away from the city he had spent his entire life in. He couldn’t go anywhere without people whispering whenever he walked into a room, avoiding eye contact whenever the black haired male looked their way. It had happened years ago, and he had been proven innocent, but the gossip and scandal of it all was still brought up, especially in the neighborhood he lived in. He thought it wouldn’t hurt when he was released, but the house he had lived in held bad memories that he couldn’t stand remembering. That was when he decided to back up and just drive wherever he could. He had been in Boston for a little over two weeks now, and while he had planned on only passing through, he found himself drawn to the city. Two weeks with no money had been a struggle, but Colton had managed to feed himself and give himself shelter, thanks to his car. During the day, he’d spend the day looking for a job to help get started with his new life, and at night, he’d sleep in his car. It wasn’t the most ideal situation, especially for him, but he’d become observant while having nothing to do. There was this one house he had been drawn too, probably because of how pretty the girl who lived there was. He had memorized her schedule of when she left and how long until she came back, and he used that to his advantage. It started a few days ago; he snuck into her house, five minutes after she left to make sure she didn’t forget anything, then he’d take a quick shower and help himself to some food that he doubted she’d ever notice went missing in the first place. He felt bad about it, and knew what he was doing was against the law, but what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t even get one of those crappy motels, having no money. Today proved to be no different. Hearing the alarm on his watch go off, Colton woke up from his sleep. Any minute, the girl who lived up the road would leave to go to work, and Colton needed to get ready for the interview he had managed to sweet talk the manager of the Boston Globe into. Being a journalist wasn’t his dream job, but he saw it as a win/win. He’d be getting paid, win, plus, he’s always dreamed of being an author, so he’d be writing, win. Colton got his clothes for the day ready, and right on cue, the raven haired man saw Quinn’s car drive down the road. He waited a few minutes before he got out of the car, making his way into her house through the window. Immediately going into the bathroom, he was just about to turn the shower on, when the front door open and close. “Oh, sh*t,” he mumbled to himself, before tiptoeing over to the bathroom door, peeking through the crack and saw her, the same girl who wasn’t supposed to be home for another few hours. He always knew her turning around was a possibility, but he had never imagined it would actually happen when he was shirtless and standing in her bathroom. Holding his breath, hoping that she would quickly find whatever she was looking for and leave, he stood completely still, his heart racing against his chest in anticipation.

- - - - past; 7 years old. - - - - “And this will be your room,” the woman said, giving David a kind smile as he brushed past her and into his new bedroom. Even though he didn’t show it, he was excited that he finally had his own room for the first time since… well, ever. “Well… goodnight, David. I’ll see you in the morning.” He glanced back around, watching as the woman, who had introduced herself as Miranda, walked away. Miranda and her husband both seemed nice, but David still couldn’t help but to miss his mom.. his real mom. It had been two years since the last time he saw her, but there hadn’t been a day that went by where he didn’t want to go and find her, but he didn’t know where she was. She’d find him though, wouldn’t she? Sleep wasn’t something that came easily to the boy that night. It never did in a new place.  Instead, the seven year old stared up at the ceiling, his mind attempting to come up with all the ways this house and these people sucked. It was something that he and Bryce had done a lot after getting taken from their mom, they’d find the things they hated about wherever they were. In a way, it gave him comfort; he was used to it. But, this time, it failed. He couldn’t think of anything bad about this place. His own room, the biggest house he had ever been in, good cooking, a pool, a dog that belonged to the family named Morley. Even the young couple had been generous to them all day. As much as he loved that, a small part of him hated it. He hated that someone could be generous and loving enough to replace his real mom… the mom who had stopped caring about him and Bryce along the way, no matter how much David tried to fight that fact. Getting out of bed, David quietly left his room, tiptoeing down the hallway where Bryce’s room was. He knocked on the door, but without waiting for an answer, he entered the room. He didn’t need to ask if she was sleeping to know she wasn’t. David wasn’t sure it was the twin telepathy thing they had or not, but he knew it was never wrong. “I can’t think of a single thing I hate…” David whispered, knowing she’d know what he was talking about. - - - - past; 16 years old. - - - - For months, David Adkins had longed to be back home. The home that had never been a home to him, where he was constantly arguing with his dad and being reminded that he was a disappointment and a f*** up. It hadn’t always been that way. When Bryce and him had first been adopted by the Adkins, they had been loving and warming, encouraging, understanding, patient. That was the home that David had longed for the last eight months. But things hadn’t been that way in years, and David was stupid to think that maybe things would go back that way when he finally came home. Still, though, seeing his sister and his friends were the only thing that kept David going whenever he wanted to give up. Now that he was home once again, he wondered why he wanted to come back. His foster dad had been more of a d*ck to him than usual, greeting him with a “Well, I hope you learned your lesson and do what I say from now on.” His mom, on the other hand, showed concern but quickly dismissed it whenever her husband walked into the room. Bryce, though, acted cold toward him. When he first came home, she barely even looked at him, and whenever he tried to talk to her, she pretended like she was in her own little world. Maybe she was, but David wouldn’t know. He wasn’t part of that world. Not that he could blame him, because if the roles were reversed and Bryce had spent the last seven months denying his visitations, he probably would just as hurt and cold as she is now. But, she didn’t know how hard it was to look at her. To know that, despite their parents being assholes, she had it good. Way better than what he had, night after night. He wouldn’t tell her though. No. He’d just have to learn to accept her newfound attitude toward him. His friends? Well… he didn’t have any anymore. Rhys had almost two years ago, and the crowd he found himself hanging out with afterwards all ended up in jail after the incident that had happened. David was alone, completely and utterly alone. Their parents left not too long ago for some meeting that David didn’t care much to ask about, leaving him and his twin sister alone. He hated that they weren’t on speaking terms right now. Silence wasn’t something he liked very much, especially when it came from his other half. Forcing himself to shut his laptop closed, he pushed himself away from his computer desk and made his way to the same room that she had slept in for the nine years since they got adopted by the Adkins. He knocked on the door, and it wasn’t surprising that he was met with a deadly silence. The teen knocked a couple more times, and he was just about to give up when he decided that he wasn’t going to. He was going to get her to talk to him, about anything. He didn’t even care if the topic was the weather or about math homework. He walked right into her room, and for the first time since he came back home, he saw that there was actually something different about her. She looked almost the same as she did the last time he saw her before being sent away, but there was something off about her, he just couldn’t place his finger on it. “Bryoda… what’s going on with you? You’re different,” he stated matter-of-factly, though he knew she’d reply with something along the lines of “yeah, so didn’t you.” Because he had changed. He wasn’t the same David he had been eight months ago, and as much as he tried to act like he didn’t need anyone in his life, the truth was, he needed Bryce. He just needed to talk to her, to know that she’s okay and she needed to know that he was okay, even if he wasn’t actually okay. - - - - present; 25 years old. - - - - It was a big day for the twenty-five year old, who had just won his very first case since being employed at Miller & Harrison Law Firm. David beamed as he walked through the law firm, people congratulating him on the win. Being a lawyer wasn’t something that he had planned on doing when he was younger. Sure, he had heard that he would make a fine lawyer some day, with his stubborn attitude, argumentative side, and his ability to never give up, but it hadn’t been until he was seventeen that he realized that’s what he needed to be. Almost like it was what he was supposed to do in life. He never knew it would feel this great though to win a case. He wanted to celebrate it. While he had wanted to spend the night with the three people who meant the most to him in the world, Bryce, Rhys, and Aurora, two of those options were busy that night. Rhys was on a date with his girlfriend, and David knew he wouldn’t home until the morning, and the girl he was sort of seeing was at home with her son. Which left David and Bryce alone, not that he minded. He actually looked forward to spending time alone with his sister, since it had been a while since they did that. Even Tuesdays, they seemed to be busy during the early hours of the day, and they were only left a few hours at night to catch up on their television shows. A little over thirty minutes later, David arrived at his sister’s place. Carrying in a large pizza and other side ideas he had ordered from their favorite pizza place, he walked right on in without even knocking. “Bryoda!” He announced, setting the pizza up in the kitchen. “Guess who won the case? Come celebrate with me, I bought pizza, cheese bread, and chicken wings.” He was in the middle of filling his plate up, when he saw the quick flash of disgust cross over her face, causing him to pause. Just as quickly it was there, it was gone. “What? Did you suddenly get allergic to pizza or something?” He half joked, a chuckle falling from his lips, though he had a feeling this was no joking matter.

Linkin Park flowed through the speakers of his laptop, though he wasn’t paying attention to the music video that was playing with it. His eyes were focused on the television, making sure to lock the target on the cop, before sniping him on the shoulder. “Ha, got you,” Chase exclaimed to himself, as he watched the cop fall down. This is how Chase Donovan spent his days off from work; playing video games while blurring music through his North Tempe home. His roommate, Rhys, wasn’t home, so he didn’t have to worry about being yelled at to turn it down, not that his friend minded that much, but they wouldn’t wanna be yelling over the music to each other while taking turns playing. That was one of his favorite things about having a roommate with similar interests as him; they didn’t have to go out every time they were together to have fun. No, playing videos games and playing the drums and the guitar in their game room were enough fun for the two of them. His lips moved along with the words, memorizing all their lyrics, as he started up a mission on the game, one that resulted in his character having to deliver some “stuff” to this high end rich guy. Feeling the vibration of his cell phone next to him though grabbed his attention for a split second, and using one hand to control his driving, his free hand grabbed the phone. Seeing the text message from his cousin, Brooke, his lips turned into a small smile. Chase didn’t know his real mom or dad, but finding out he had real cousins that lived in Phoenix.. It was the closest thing Chase and his twin sister, Charlotte, had to their birth family. Of course, he learned that his mom had skipped out of Arizona long ago, to finally “follow her dreams”, but Chase doubted she actually made it far. For the longest time, the twenty-five year old had been curious about her, but as the years went on and she never tried to contact them, he realized that he couldn’t care less about her; she never cared about them, even when they were in her care, so why should he care about her? Dinner sounds great! Meet you at the park in ten. He quickly texted back, before looking back at the screen where he crashed into another care. “F***,” he muttered, before quitting the game and turning the console off. He stood up from the couch, making his way into his bedroom where he changed from the pajama bottoms and old t-shirt  he was still wearing. Once he was dressed, he left the house, locking up behind up, before getting into his jeep. The  park wasn’t too far away, which he found useful for someday when he had his own kids. “Long time, no see,” Chase said once he found Brooke and Blake on the playground, near the slides. “Hey, little man.” Picking Blake up when he ran over to him to greet him, he spun in a quick circle, laughing softly along with the young boy. “How’s everything been?”

After a few minutes, she pulled her phone out of her back pockets and found her cousin Chase’s number. It was still a little weird for her, finding out that she had family here. But her and Chase were getting to be pretty close. Looking up, she made sure she had Blake in her sight when she started a text to him. “Hey, not sure what your plans are today. Blake and I are down at the park for a little bit. I was wondering if you wanted to catch up, maybe come over for dinner or whatever.” She knew it sounded lame. He had a life, probably had plans. But she liked hanging out with him and Blake loved having him over when Chase had time. Sliding the phone back in her pocket, she walked more towards the playground so she could keep an eye on Blake, who was throwing his arms up in the air as he slid down the slide.

- - - - Summer ‘10: Los Angeles, California - - - - It started with a friend request on Myspace a few years ago. Then a message after seeing a somewhat depressing status, reading: Hey, I know we don’t know each other, but if you ever wanted someone to talk to… you can message me. Though she hadn’t opened up to him that night, the messages kept going. Chase looked forward to coming home from school, refreshing his page, just to see if he had a message from Aurora, and truth be told, she quickly became his favorite person to talk to. Myspace messages turned into phone calls, which turned into Skype calls. To say that he really liked her would be an understatement, but he would never admit that fact to her or anyone. At least over whatever device they were talking on. Meeting was obviously in their plans, though they never discussed when or where they’d actually meet up. Not until a week before Chase was about to graduate high school. The last month had been horrible for him, and not just because of his father’s behavior, though that didn’t help the situation any more. But his oldest friend in the world… the one person other than his twin sister that he trusted… couldn’t even remember Chase, and the worst part about it was that it was because of him. His best friend, someone who had become like a brother to him through the years, barely recognized him or any of their friends, and it was all his fault. How he had managed to survive an entire month without his best friend in the midst of everything going on at home, he had no idea, but he had longed for an escape away from everything. That was when he told his online girlfriend that he would be coming to Los Angeles the morning after graduation day. He hadn’t told anyone about leaving Phoenix, not even Charlotte he knew would protest, asking him not to leave her alone with their sh*tty parents. They weren’t always bad, but ever since their dad had decided to run for mayor when the twins were eleven, that was the only thing they seemed to care about. Good publicity of their “perfect” family, but the family was far from perfect. Their dad was having a secret affair, their mom began to drink a little too much, and Chase? Well, he had his fair as secrets that would remain just that - secrets. A soft sigh released from his lips as he pulled up to the curb, staring at the house that he hoped to be Aurora’s. He glanced down at the piece of paper that had her address written across in his messy handwriting. “It’s now or never,” he whispered to himself as he opened the door to his blue jeep he had gotten as a birthday gift two years ago. The entire way up to the front door, his heart was beating rapidly against his chest and the nerves were setting in. After six hours of driving, he was finally here, about to meet the girl who had been in an online relationship for a few months now. He was excited and nervous all at once, but he didn’t show any signs of them as his fists lightly tapped on the door, a lopsided smile on his face as he waited for someone to answer. - - - - Present Day: Phoenix, Arizona - - - - “Man, just think about it, will you?” Rhys Campbell told him, earning an eye roll from the twenty-five year old. He had been on this subject ever since he and Cassanova had decided to make it official, so that way they could have “couple nights” and all that cheesy stuff, but Chase wasn’t looking for anything. He had his fair share of relationships, but most of them had been a complete failure. Truth was, he wasn’t looking for anything, he just didn’t trust anyone enough for that. But he also knew how stubborn was, and he was determined to play matchmaker. “I’m sick of all these random people you bring home from the bar.” Chase took a moment to glare at his roommate and best friend, before they ventured back to the game he was playing, just in time for him to get shot to death. “Good one dude, you just made me die!” He exclaimed, sighing in frustration. He could hear an amused chuckle from Rhys, but he choose to ignore it. The conversation died down between the two friends, as Chase was too into his video game, occasionally muttering a “ha, got you sucker” or “that’s right, die bitch”, and Rhys was on his laptop, watching funny cat videos on YouTube. That was normally how their nights together went, but the dark haired male loved those nights more than anything. It was the ad that played - one of those stupid Eharmony commercials that never actually worked - that sparked the conversation back up. “I got it! I’m signing you up for a dating profile,” Rhys said. “Remember that one girl you dated back in high school? What was her name again? Amanda maybe?” He shrugged his shoulders, though Chase didn’t blame him for not remembering it. After all, he hadn’t really told anyone about it back then. It wasn’t until after he came back home to Phoenix and Rhys actually remembered him that he told him where he had been the last three months. “No.. it was Aurora.” As he said his name, he realized how long it had been since the two had actually talked. Their relationship didn’t end on a terrible note and was honestly one of the only ones that he had continued to be friends with, but as they got older and things got busier, they had lost touch. Chase paused the game as he stood up quickly, grabbing his phone. He ignored Rhys’s question about what he was doing as he held the phone up to his ear after finding her contact, waiting for her to answer. Last time they talked, he had heard that she had moved to Phoenix, and while they said they’d make plans… it had never actually happened. “Hey, Rora, it’s Chase. I know we haven’t talked in some time, but I was hoping we could hang out sometime soon if you’re not busy.”

“Come on, where are you?” Chase muttered to himself, lifting up the shovel and deposited of the sand that was on it. He continued to dig, despite the scorching hot sun that was beaming down on him, but he was on a mission. A mission that he hadn’t even been a part of his original plans. It had started with a walk down memory lane with his twin sister, Remi, and before they knew it, they were talking about their graduation night. Graduation night hadn’t been all that memorable, if Chase was being honest; he wasn’t excited to be leaving that sh*t hell of school, or starting college that would ensure he would be away from his d*ck of a dad. No, he was more miserable than anything that night, mostly because he hadn’t had his best friend next to him. Not really, anyway. The only good thing that he could remember from that night was how he and Remi had skipped out of a lame party that their dad was having for them - more like to highlight what a ”great” father he was- and collected many of their childhood memories together and put them in a box. He knew how cliche it was, but he didn’t care. He liked the idea of having to come back to unbury something that had once been important to him, though for the life of him, he couldn’t even remember what was in that shoe box. Of course, he had forgotten all about it in the first place until they they mentioned in it their conversation. “Did you find it yet?” Remi asked, and Chase couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at her. Maybe he would’ve found it quicker if she was helping him, but that wasn’t the case. Just as he opened his mouth to mirror his thoughts, the shovel hit something, and he knew right away that it was the box. “Found it,” he told her as he dropped the shovel away from him, getting down on his knees and finish the rest of the job. A minute later, he pulled out a beat up box. A smile crossed his face, as he opened it, revealing the contents inside. He looked through the his share of stuff he had put in it, rolled his eyes at his sister’s choices, but it was the letter that he had found that caught his attention. That night, they both decided to write a letter to themselves, to see if they turned out how they had pictured themselves all those years ago. Chase unfolded his letter, his messy handwriting, which hasn’t changed at all over the years, sprawled across the piece of line paper, reading: Dear future me, I think this is a stupid idea… thanks Remi, but here goes nothing. It’s graduation night, and honestly, your life is sh*t right now. Dad’s a bigger douche than usual. He’s using your stupid graduation as a way to make himself look like father of the year by showing how much he cares about you guys, but we both know that’s not true. All he cares about is himself, and I don’t even want to ask you if he’s gotten better, because I already know that I’d be disappointed with the answer. Rhys.. he doesn’t even remember me. He’s been trying, and he still hangs around because he knows we’ve been best friends for as long as we lived here… he just doesn’t remember. It’s not the same anymore, not with him. I guess that’s what I get… since it’s my fault anyway. I haven’t even told Remi yet, but I’m leaving for Los Angeles tomorrow night. I just need to get away from everything, away from my friends and family. I need to find myself. I think this is the way to do that. Remi will be furious at me.. But I’ll tell her, first thing tomorrow. Maybe even tonight. I hope things are better for us when you read this, whether it’s next year or twenty years from now. Please tell me that we’re happy, that our decision to cut dad and mom from our life sticks and that you never forgive that monster for all he’s done. Tell me that the nightmares have gone away, that you can sleep peacefully at night without those images haunting you. Tell me that you’ve gotten revenge for what that sick bastard did to you, no matter what it takes. If not, then do it. I don’t care where you are in life right now, we promised that we’d get back at him someday, so make him pay for what he did to you. -CAD. He hadn’t realized he had been holding back tears until he finished reading the letter. Some things in his life had gotten better over the seven years since he wrote this letter; he had cut his dad completely out of his life, his best friend had eventually gotten his memories back and forgave him, and over time, Chase had learned to forgive himself. He didn’t feel as ashamed as he used to with what had happened to him, no. Now all he felt was anger when he thought about those sessions with his therapist to the point where his blood would begin to boil. Things had gotten worse, too, or at least stayed the same. His nightmares never went away, not completely anyway. They still haunted him to the point where he had tried to kill himself once or twice by overdosing on pills. After his second failed attempt, he decided that maybe there was a reason he was still alive, though he didn’t believe that everyone had a purpose in life, he couldn’t deny that it felt good to hold on to hope for something. “Are you crying?” Remi asked, finally noticing his attempt to keep his sniffle quiet. “What did you write in your letter?” Chase shook his head, carefully folding his letter back up. “Just stuff about dad, mostly. About how life would probably be so much better if we were adopted by another family.”

The Hotel Cortez hadn’t been the most ideal place, and truth be told, Tyson hadn’t been looking forward to going there. But, he needed to. It was all part of being a reaper. The thought was one he still couldn’t wrap his head around - you would think that after years of being a reaper, of training with death, he would be used to it by now - but he wasn’t. At least, not anymore. Maybe it had been because he hadn’t been able to feel until recently, as part of the deal when he had accepted Death’s offer the night of the fire… the fire that killed his parents, leaving his younger sister all alone. Thankfully, though, he wasn’t making the journey alone. He wouldn’t have even considered Malia a good friend, more like someone who he knew through his sister, but it worked out: she needed a vacation, and he enjoyed the company, not that he’d ever admit that fact aloud to anyone. Even before his “death”, Tyson had been a loner. He had friends and girlfriends, but no one had actually known him, having kept the majority of his life to himself. No one would have been able to understand him, or help him, so he didn’t even bother to open up. That was another thing that he liked about Malia; she didn’t push, because she too had secrets and things she didn’t like to talk about. He didn’t need to take a whole lot of time to pack his things, so he did it quickly that morning before he was supposed to leave. He didn’t own much, and the things he did own was always at the ready. Tyson traveled light, and traveled a lot, so he hadn’t really had a place to settle down. Not that he could, he was technically reported as dead, burnt to a crisp. He shook his head, ridding the thoughts of that night. He didn’t want to think about it anymore, he didn’t want all the grief that would hit him hard, a side effect of not feeling anything about it after all these years. “Time to go,” Tyson told himself, taking a quick second to glance around the motel room that he’d been staying at since he had arrived back in Beacon Hills. - - - - - - - - The drive to Malia’s house didn’t take that long. As he climbed up the porch, he balled his hands into a fist, bring it up to knock on the door. Henry Tate opened the door almost instantly, glaring at Tyson. “Uh, hey Mr. Tate. Malia here?” He asked, his heart beating against his chest rapidly. He had never formally met Henry, but Tyson had known of him, from when he used to visit Beacon Hills during vacations, and he knew about the guns Henry kept. “Yeah, she’s here,” he replied after a moment, probably deciding on if he should keep Malia from going with him or not, but then coming to the realization that he couldn’t stop her. He motioned from him to come in, and he did just that. Walking into the living room, he immediately spotted Malia flopped on the couch. “Your dad let me in.” His eyes moved over to her luggage, which in comparison to his, was a lot and he shook his head, pressing his lips together. “Ready to go?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned to go back the way he came in, but Henry Tate spoke again, grabbing his attention. “If anything happens to my little girl…” he began, and it took everything in Tyson not to roll his eyes. It hadn’t been the first time someone had given him the “hurt my daughter and I’ll kill you speech” speech, and he’d rather avoid it all together at this point.

This was it, a new road trip to scratch off the bucket list. “Malia, are you sure you want to go?” Scott asked watching his friend pack her things. “Yes, I've done told Tyson I would tag along to help out. He doesn't need to go alone.” “What about us?” She stopped in her place and turned to look at the Alpha of their little pack, her brown eyes locking on his. “You will be fine.” She flashed her friend a soft smile who in return nodded his head and left the room. Once he left the room she returned to packing some clothes. Ipod in hand, she turned the device on as she placed the ear buds in her ears. Volume on med-low, she nodded her head to the beat of the music letting it take course through her body. Her hips winding and grinding back and forth. “I'm that flight that you get on, international first class seat on my lap girl, riding comfortable 'cause I know what the girl them need, New York to Haiti. I got lipstick stamps on my passport, you make it hard to leave” her voice echoed in the room as she sang, unsure if she was on key or not - like she really cared. “Been around the world, don't speak the language but your booty don't need explaining. All I really need to understand is when you talk dirty to me. Talk dirty to me, talk dirty to me, talk dirty to me.” Instantly she threw in the famous Michael Jackson crotch grabbing move, “Get jazzy on it.” Thunder rolled outside, shaking windows from how powerful it was. The brunettes eyes locked on the clear box that let her see outside her room. Lightening lit up the whole sky making it as if it could be daylight from how bright it was. “Great..” She muttered as she pulled her ear buds out and turned the device off. For what seemed like hours, she finally finished packing her bag. Falling back against the bed her eyes gazed at the ceiling. Was this trip going to be worth it? Most definitely. She needed a get-away from the pack and her family. Peter was always a jerk, Henry was.. too protective. She needed at least a week of freedom from worrying about everyone around her. Of course this hotel wouldn't be the best place to do that since she would have to worry about herself and Tyson. For a reaper, he still needed someone to tag along just for extra caution. ------------------------------------------------- The sun peaked through the window, dancing down the bed and right into the werecoyote's face. “ARRRRR.” She growled and rolled over and fell off the bed. Stretching, she slowly began to awake. Letting out a soft yawn she picked herself up from the floor which oddly enough felt better than the bed. Reaching for her cell phone she looked at the time, “crap!” In a fritz she grabbed her luggage she was bringing with her and shoved her phone in the back pocket of her shorts. Rushing downstairs nearly falling down them, she sets the bags down and looked over at Henry. “Has he came by yet?” she asks nearly out of breath. Her father shakes his head. Slipping her phone out, she checks the time once more. “Ugh.” Just as she was about to call Tyson to make sure he didn't forget her amazing hearing picked up the sound of his vehicle getting closer to the house. “Thank God,” she grumbles and falls on to the couch letting her heart rate and blood pressure get back to normal.