Liana's POV
The bright sun was brimming vibrantly on my face, which made me groan in frustration and annoyance. I pulled my duvet covers all over my body in an attempt to escape the blazing sunlight. I was determined to go back to sleep, as I had become unusually exhausted and depleted for the previous day's strenuous activity of moving in. Likewise, I continue to close my eyes firmly as the flow of memories started flowing to the mind that snaps me back from reality.
Yes, we finally arrived here in New York City. We left our peaceful and scenic town in Australia yesterday morning, which had been delayed a bit slightly as our neighbors took the time and their turns in giving each of us some warm embraces and heart-wrenching farewells. Some even shed a tear, while some prayed for the entire family to guide us on our safe journey. I restrained myself not to break down crying, seeing all the nice and kind-hearted people that had become my second family in
Liana's POV"Let us dance," he whispered into my ear, and I nodded.He took me to the dance floor, and we swayed our bodies gracefully. I could feel him touching and contouring my body as we danced. And as weird as it may sound, I am loving every second of it. It was a whole new experience and sensation for me, and I wanted to live in the moment and forget all the terrible things, even just for a night.One more move and our bodies were now pressed hard on each other, and I could feel the heat piling up as we continue to grind seductively at each other."Oh, shit. Liana, you are so beautiful," I overheard Davis whisper through my ears. And it feels so good that I closed my eyes instantly.I could feel him nibbling the top layer of my ear with his mouth, his warm breath clouding up my sanity. I was already breathing desperately as I drew my arms around his neck, and clutched it forcefully, as though I was deathly scared that the unu
Liana's POV"You're a.. You're a virgin?" Davis asked in bewilderment, completely stunned, and he could not hide the disbelief on his face.I bit my lower lip and I nodded shyly. Why does it have to be so awkward and uncomfortable?"Shit, why didn't you tell me?" he growled under his breath, a complicated look on his face.I stared at him in a daze. Do I have to? I mean, what was the sense? I mutte+red to myself, but I never bother to say a single word or two.He gazed deeply into my eyes for a moment, then he reverted his gaze away from me in an instant. He seemed to be so lost in thought and was in a constant tough battle of contemplation within himself."Davis?" I called out to grab his attention, as I was becoming more confused, his expression was somewhat funny.He flickered his gaze on me. "You do not understand, Liana. I am not that type of person," he initiated.I rolled my eyes. "So, was making love al
Liana's POVAt the age of 17, I was able to feel a fresh and brand-new feeling I have never felt before. I have got to experience things that had never occurred to me ever since I was a child, nor even as a teenager. Who would have thought that I would be able to find my own happiness and freedom just before I even hit the legal age of 18 years, right?My parents seemed to become stricter and more stern towards me ever since we have finally moved here to New York City. They seemed to be so cautious whenever they see me dressing up and heading towards the door. They kept on asking me some random questions which I did not even bother to listen, analyze and answer. I just give them a cold, blank stare as they struggled so hard to fit their roles as beloved parents and family to me. As if I still cared for all of that now. Before, yes, I would be willing to trade just about everything and anything for my family to be happy and complete. In fact, I would be
Liana's POVHe listened carefully to my response, his mouth practically dropping to the ground. Then he heaved a sigh. "Well, lady. I hope you enjoyed it really hard. Let me just remind you that the summer's almost over, and you would not be experiencing these things as often as you like once you go to college," he lectured me with a stern look on his face."No," I answered dejectedly, my mind had finally made the decision by itself.His brows furrowed when he heard my refusal. "What did you just say, young lady?" he asked in a menacing tone."I said no, dad," I repeated without blinking.He gave out a hearty laugh. "Who the hell ever told you that you could make a decision like that for yourself? You are not even legal to move out and have your own space," he reminded me."I just don't care. I never plan, nor even wanted to go to college anyway," I answered back, firm and steady with my decision as I stand my ground.
Liana's POV Ever since that awkward night that I went home straight from the bar, where my father had caught me red-handed as I tried to sneak in through the kitchen backdoor and where an intense and dramatic confrontation took place, everything seemed to be getting in its right place once again. It was as though that sudden and unexpected argument in the middle of the night eventually made its place to put things in the right perspective and proper order. After that heated argument, I could distinctly remember my father preparing the bathtub for me to freshen up and calm my nerves through the warm and bubble bath. And I found a glass of warm milk on my bedside table as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, giving off an absolute impression that it was my mother who had taken the effort to prepare my favorite fresh milk that could finally put me into a deep and peaceful slumber O had never experienced for quite some time now. The next day I
Liana's POV I really do not know what has gotten into me, but hearing Davis' threatening words over the phone made me feel so nervous and petrified about something I am not fully aware of. It just feels as though his words were too serious and too menacing to remain oblivious and keep a straight face. "What do you mean?" I asked, trying to restrain a pang of panic that was starting to rise on the depths of my chest. I listened hard, and all I could ever hear was his heavy and calculating sigh on the other end of the line. He did not even bother to make an explanation, nor express any interest in elaborating further what he had actually talked about. In fact, I had not heard a single word or two from him. "Hello?" I repeated to call him once more, refusing to let go of the threat that had made me feel suspicious all over. "Nothing, Li. I was just tired," he finally said. Hearing his response made me stare at my
Liana's POV "Are you sure about that, sweetie?" my mother asked with a surprised look on her face, as she stared closely into my face. I nodded without even saying a word. "That was great, honey. What makes you change your mind?" It was my father's turn to ask, as he was seated across from the table I was sitting. I shrugged my shoulders dismissively. "Part of growing up, I guess," I responded nonchalantly. "Whoa, my baby's finally reached the age of maturity!" my father beamed with joy and happiness as his voice roared all over the kitchen. My mother looked so overjoyed as well, as she was totally puzzled that I would ever agree to their decision after being a rebel against it not so long ago. I stared at my father who was clearly overwhelmed with delight, and I shifted my gaze on my mother who seemed to be in shock. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders with boredom, and I continue to focus on digging with my cer
Athena's POV It was disheartening to realize that none of my dreams or ambitions are coming true after having so many. Until a friend of mine shared her experiences, she was told that dreams are just that: dreams, until they are written down on a piece of paper and meticulously planned for execution. That served as a wake-up call for me. And that's when I realized, yes, that's right, this is it! That is exactly what I am lacking! When it came to the execution, I kept on wishing and dreaming but didn't have a plan in place, as if I were hoping for some sort of miracle or magic to happen so that my wish would come true while I patiently waited for it, and it was then I realized how absurd this was all. To accomplish my goal, I wrote down everything I needed to do in a notebook, including the things I desperately wanted. I wanted to publish a book, so I created an action plan and began completing each item on the list one at a time. It wasn't ea
The Last Chapter "MOMMY!! Uncle Dimitri was so annoying!! I could not help but laugh whenever I hear my son complaining. "Sky! Don't go too far, alright?" Dimitri called out to my son. And my son Sky being so obedient, nodded and waved happily as he ran to play with his kite. "Hey, are you okay?" Dimitri asked me. I smiled and nodded. Eight years have passed.. Cloud, I'm not sure how I'm going to tell him about you. Sky expressed an interest in learning more about you as he grew older. I'm terrified and perplexed. Because the last time I told him about you, he was aware of how well things were going between us at the time. He knew there was no way we could be this far apart—because he knew you've been deeply in love with me since the day we met and that you'd waited so long just to be able to hold my hand respectfully in yours. He was well aware that I had fallen in love with your inconsequential effor
Athena's POV"ATHENA!! LOOK OUT!!" Megan suddenly screamed.Then suddenly, I just found the entire world spinning right before my very eyes.Then nothing.. But darkness.I tried to open my heavily drooping eyelids, as though I was forcefully knocked unconscious by some nauseous fragrance that has my world spinning around.After a few seconds, I finally recalled all the past occurrences before I had fallen asleep which instantly made me open my eyes and wander around.I was seated and tied up in a chair where you can see a fully painted ambiance in the room. White walls, white ceilings, and there was a window on the corner. It was filled with the chilliness coming from the air condition unit mounted to the wall, and there was a long table made with metal on each corner of the room with glass jars and lids on top of it. Judging from the overall appearance, it certainly looks like a laboratory that you
Athena's POVJust when I thought it was going to be the end of my once miserable life, a powerful voice echoed in my ears in the middle of the night. It was just a soft whisper, but enough to give me enough hope and strength.It was no other but Cloud.I watched as he carefully and steadily released the thick rope tightly wrapped around my body as I was groped into the branch of a tree. Then he gestured me to remain as silent and calm as I could until we could escape from the area of the incident.We were already running hand in hand, with no reason to look back, when the vivid image of Zidane, Lovi, and Chad's lifeless body, along with the missing heart on the facet of their chest, made my entire body shiver in fear and cowardness."Cloud, what the hell was going on?" As though I could no longer restrain the confusion that was starting to occupy my entire thoughts and consciousness, I asked as I muffled a sob.Clou
Athena's POVI was about to go into a deep slumber when I suddenly hear an ear-piercing, bloodcurdling scream from a distance. Along with its frightful screams in the dark, followed by the howling of the wolves from somewhere.Shivering because of the eeriness of the night, I tried to reach for my pillow and wrap it all over my body so I might as well find some comfort. I turned my body to another side and was about to give Cloud an embrace when I had come to the realization that there was no one sleeping next to me.Feeling dazed, I sat up and confirmed that he was, indeed, gone. Where the heck was he in the middle of the night? I wondered to myself. I pulled on a jacket and unzipped the tent. As I went out to search for Cloud, the cold and chilly breeze brushed through my skin that sends shivers down my spine.I was strolling around when I accidentally slipped because I could not see through the darkness of the night. I almost
Lovi's POVZidane's death had been a tragic event for us. We were just here for three days, yet the despicable crime behind his death was enough to spoil the vibe of the whole camping trip which was meant to celebrate Athena and Cloud's recent engagement. Yet, we were all gathered around to feel the remorse and sorrow of one of our friend's unexpected passing. What was alarming was that, his heart was missing, which means to say that he was one of those victims of the controversial crime lingering for over a year now. And to mention that if Zidane was killed right at this time and place, then there was no doubt that the serial killer of all the past crimes was just out here in the mountain, lingering with us. Probably watching us."Shit!" I overheard Cloud curse. He was holding his mobile phone up in the air, while Chad also did the same."No signal either. We should all plan to return to the city tomorrow morning," Chad informed us. I took a de
Dimitri's POVI have heard from Chad that they will be out camping in celebration of Athena and Cloud's recent engagement and that they will be staying there for a week. I have also learned that aside from the soon-to-be weds, they have a bunch of friends spending the time and celebrating with them. If I remember it correctly, they were 6 in total.In all honesty, Athena sent me a text message a few days ago inviting me to come with them, but I politely refused and used the excuse that I could not leave Detective Amiri alone seeing that this would be short notice. But in reality, I would gladly grab this opportunity just to accept her invitation if things were only different. However, it clearly was not, so I give myself some credit for being mature enough to respect myself even more by setting my boundaries and knowing my place and limitations.I heard a single knock at the door, where it revealed Detective Amiri. He was holding a folder with d
Athena's POVEveryone in the group was laughing and having a good time as we ate our dinner at the diner's when the doorbell rang, signaling that someone had just entered the vicinity. My attention was drawn away from the task at hand by the soft and subtle background noise, which piqued my interest. From the hallway, a familiar figure appeared out of nowhere after only a few seconds or minutes.In the end, Cloud noticed my distraction and shifted his gaze to the figure, which I had observed as his jolly and humorous expression on his face suddenly and unexpectedly vanished in an instant. We must have drawn Lovi and Chad's attention to his distressed appearance because they both turned their heads in the direction of where we were looking."Hi, guys," Megan said as she walked up to us and gave us a timid smile."What are you doing here, Megan?" When Megan suddenly appeared, it was Lovi who inquired, her brows furrowed in irritation and di
Megan's POVThis week felt like a bumpy roller coaster ride. All the synonyms and antonyms of misery that can be found in dictionaries were mixed in with it: sorrow and pain, shock and dismay, guilt and innocence, and everything in between. I've lost one person in my life who has stood by me through my witticisms and sobriety, and I'm devastated. My body has become frail, and I've become careless with the things I've been guarding for a long period of time. My immune system was undoubtedly weakened as a result of an exhausting and draining life challenge. I was almost convinced that this was the end of my life—I was almost ready to blame myself for all of those unhealthy matters and to feel ashamed. My sources of courage and energy have dried up, and I'm at a loss for what to do when it feels like living is a sinful pleasure. And what hurts the most is the realization that this moment marked the beginning of an unforgettable chapter in my life, one that
Athena's POVJust before you came across me, I allowed myself to drown and suffocate in an ocean of uncertainties. I figured it was fine as long as I got some, as long as I had a couple of them. I mistakenly believed that happiness consisted solely in giving your all to see someone smile, when in fact it is comprised of actually doing so while loving yourself at the same time. I've allowed myself to look outside of myself for happiness when it should have begun within me. And then you came along, making me feel valuable and sufficient all of the time. You look after me, taking advantage of every opportunity to demonstrate your affection. Even on your busiest days, you find the time. The fact that you never forget to check in on me is amusing, especially given the fact that it always happens when I am missing your presence the most. When I thought I was already deserving of less, you showed me that I am deserving of even more. And it was there that I disco