Liam looked at me for a moment before he nodded and said, “I’ll talk to him about your pay. I think he just didn’t want to seem like he was playing favorites since there’s no solid proof as to who started the fire, but if you’re doing this, I think that more than makes up for the incident.”“Thanks,
AriaI had been having that same nightmare for almost my entire life.It was always the same: Sarah standing over me, preparing to strike. That feeling of fear, of knowing that she was going to hurt me and that no one would come to my rescue, because no one ever cared.And then that black dog leapin
He glanced at his watch again. “It’s late. Let me drive you home.”I couldn’t argue with that, so I followed him out of the building and into the parking lot. He unlocked his sleek black car with a click of the fob, but as we climbed in, he turned the key in the ignition and nothing happened.“Dammi
AriaI groaned softly, pushing myself up to a sitting position. I was still in my clothes from the night before although my shoes had been removed at some point, and my head was pounding something fierce from a night of sleeping on a sofa.Darren appeared in the doorway with a cup of coffee in his h
Darren sighed, glancing at his watch and then at me. “I don’t know. Aria probably doesn’t have time…”I shrugged. “I could spare a couple hours.”Lucas grew even more excited at that, so much so that his little wolf ears began to poke through his hair. Darren quickly tugged Lucas’s winter beanie dow
AriaMonday morning, the vast majority of the office—me, Darren and Liam, Lily, Melissa and Brandon, and even Lucas—went to the park to oversee the Puppy Playground setup.Sarah was there too, of course, because she had to get involved in everything. But I just kept pretending that she wasn’t there,
Darren’s eyes widened as he saw Lucas’s current state. He reached for him, his brow furrowed, but Lucas darted out of the way and hid behind my legs.“I didn’t mean to!” Lucas exclaimed tearfully.Darren sighed and dropped to a crouch, holding his arms out to Lucas. “It’s okay, buddy, so long as she
Aria & Third Person Aria I couldn’t shake the image of those glowing eyes out of my mind. Darren always had beautiful eyes, as did Lucas. I had always loved the appearance of heterochromia—such a unique trait in what I once thought was a mundane world. But seeing them glow like that… somehow,
Bella put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Aria. We’ll figure something out.” “But—” Just then, a smooth voice interrupted. “Is there a problem here?” We turned to see a tall man approaching, his dark suit impeccably tailored. His mask was sleek and black, covering half of his face but revea
Aria We’d been at this for hours now, primping and prodding in preparation for the masquerade tonight. Bella was like my drill sergeant, commanding me to don this color eyeshadow, smear this lipstick shade across my lips, spray just the right amount of perfume. It felt like we were teens again, ba
“Sarah,” I greeted coolly. “What brings you here?” She eyed the bags in our hands, noticing the mask peeking out of mine. “Shopping for the masquerade, I see? How… quaint.” Bella arched an eyebrow. “And what’s wrong with that?” Sarah let out a mocking laugh and checked her nails. “Oh, nothing.
Aria “Come on, Aria! This one is perfect for you!” Bella exclaimed, holding up a floor-length emerald gown that shimmered under the thrift shop’s dim lighting. I laughed, shaking my head. “Bella, that dress would make me look like a sequined asparagus.” She burst into giggles. “Yeah, but you’d
Bella raised an eyebrow. “Are you?” “No!” I exclaimed. “Well, maybe. I don't know. Darren and I talked about it, and he admitted that he might have been a bit... lenient with me.” “Hmm,” she mused, swirling her wine. “Well, at least he acknowledged it.” “Yeah, but it’s more complicated than th
Aria I hesitated for a moment but then nodded, following Darren as he led me to a fallen log near the edge of the clearing. He sat down and gestured for me to join him. I sat, but kept a small distance between us. “Listen,” Darren began, “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said the other ni
Tracy frowned, genuine concern etched into her face. “Oh no, that wasn’t my intention at all. I just thought she was checking in on you, maybe worried about your workload.” I sighed, once again feeling at a loss for words. Tracy seemed genuinely apologetic, even if it was unprofessional of her to
Aria I stared at the employee points board, blinking a few times to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. Lily’s name was gone—completely erased from the board as if she had never been there at all. My heart skipped a beat, a knot forming in my stomach. Lily always saved up her points like her life
The plaza was bustling, rows of tables with posters and brochures advertising various fields, from tech to business to environmental work. I weaved through the booths as I sipped my coffee, half-curious and half-cautious. Eventually, I found myself at a booth for animal sciences: wildlife rehabili