Will-

I miss you. I know we've only spent a few hours apart, but I loved seeing you blush when I made fun of you. Come meet me tonight. Come to our special place, I'm not going to write where it is but you know where to go.

See you there.

-Prince Klove

Willow was never really a romantic, sure she'd had a few crushes when she was younger, but she'd really only had her heart set on Avery. And, well, Avery wasn't really the romantic type. Sure, he kissed her and whispered sweet nothings into her ears, and they met in secret, which was scandalous, but they did those things because they had to. He whispered because they didn't want to attract attention and they met in secret because their lives depended on it. 

Here she was, about to go meet Logan Klove, the king to be, in secret, and it was purely for romantic reasons. Well, friend reasons. Willow didn't know if she was ready to be in love again. 

Willow tried a few times to send a note back to him, but it seemed like all of the girls didn't want her too. Every time she was about to ask a maid, they stopped her. And oddly, her personal maids weren't around either. 

They say love makes you do crazy things, Willow believed that, she had done crazy things because of Avery, but Logan felt different than Avery. If Willow knew anything, it was to be careful. She wasn't going to have her heart broken again. And yet, Logan seemed really sincere. She could tell he was more than just a prankster, he was hurting inside somehow. Strangely enough, Willow felt the need to hold him tight, to save him from his fears, to seal the shattered glass inside him. She had known him for one day, but it felt like years. Why?

She was pretty sure he wanted to meet in the garden. It was basically the only place they had been together besides the dining room and Willow didn't think the dining room was really a 'special place.' Sure, the food was special, and Willow really liked sweets... but that didn't really count. 

Logan didn't seem like the type of guy to only care about looks, but Willow found herself wanting to look good for him anyway. She picked out a simple, yet elegant dress that wrapped around her and tied at her waist. It was white with blue flowers and it reached her ankles, flowingly.

This time, Willow brought shoes. 

Getting to the garden was a little harder this time because she was actually trying to find it. Before she had been wandering aimlessly and had just come across it, and even then she had needed help getting back to the castle. Maybe she would see Logan leave the castle as well and she could follow him? Five minutes of waiting came to no avail, and Willow didn't want to be late, so she set forth into the large outdoor space of the castle.

The garden had been on the outskirts of the property, Willow remembered that, so she figured if she kept walking in one direction she would eventually get to the general area where it was. Luckily, she was right.

After ten minutes of walking, Willow saw a light. It shone brightly, like a beacon, leading right to the small, secreted garden.

However, he wasn't there. Three girls that Willow recognised as other selected were waiting for her instead. Each wore a wicked smile, hungry like a predator ready to prey. The girl in the middle; dark hair, teal eyes, held up a gun, similar to the one Avery had wielded. 

"Oh come on! How come everyone has one of those except me?" Willow, She chided herself, you can't win them over by complaining. What do I do?!

"You didn't find yours? It was wrapped with all of the soaps and lotions, you know, a nice     room-warming gift." The other girl's cold voice cut through the air.

"Really?" No! Of course not, don't be stupid! The other girl merely rolled her eyes in response. "Are you affiliated with Avery?" Willow noticed when she said his name, the three girls softened, strange. It was like they changed personas. "If you are, I don't know why you're working with him! He's a total jerk and he's not human- he's something else! Just listen to me, I don't mean you any harm! I don't know what you have against me. Okay, actually I do, but we all have a fair chance with Logan, please I'm not cheating in any way! Do you think hurting me is going to make him like you more?" Willow really, really, really didn't want to be paralyzed again. She hated feeling helpless, and then afterward, stiff. 

Then the girl on the right spoke. She was smaller, and Willow saw now that she seemed a little afraid. "Who's Avery?" Despite the fear in her eyes, this girl seemed snarky.

"Do you believe we are unable to be strong on our own?" The third girl asked softly, she had long dark hair that was dyed silver on the bottom. "That we need the help of a man? We can be powerful too, just like the sea!"

"Seriously, Delta? Again with the 'we have power; water is pure?!'" The snarky girl asked.

"Blair!" The teal-eyed-girl whisper yelled, "You're making us less intimidating!"

"Oh, please! You act all high and mighty, Cassandra" Blair retorted, then to Delta, "Who made her captain? (Heathers the Musical reference! From Lifeboat XD) Why are we even here again?!"

Cassandra rolled her eyes, "Pu-lease how could you forget why we're here to..." She looked down at the blaster in her hand and her eyes widened. "Omigod! Ambush another Selected?!" In a quick motion, Cassandra had thrown the gun on the floor and kicked it away from her. 

And then the mask was gone. The three predators became prey. They were shivering from the cold, and from fear. The three of them glanced between themselves and Willow. Then Cassandra stepped forward. "Gosh, I am so sorry, I have no idea what happened! I- uh, all I remember is getting in bed after dinner and... then I wasn't me, it was like something had- I don't know..." She shoved her right hand out towards Willow, "I'm Cassandra," then she motioned to the girls beside her, "Blair, and Delta."

Willow shook Cassandra's hand and smiled meekly, "I'm Willow, uh Willow Lark"

"Please, you have to believe us! We didn't do this on purpose- I truly don't know what came over me, I-"

"I believe you."

"You do?" Delta asked quietly, hesitantly, as if worried Willow was lying. 

"Yeah, and I know who did this. Do you guys remember everything you did? Like from when you couldn't control yourselves, were you being manipulated?"

It took a minute, but Blair answered, "It felt like that, yeah." 

"But you were there, like, in your bodies? You witnessed it?"

"Oddly, yes."

"Okay... so you remember writing this note?" Willow held the note she had received from 'Logan' up to the girls. For the first time the girls answered without hesitation.

"Nope,"

"No..."

"I don't believe so, why?"

Willow handed the note to Cassandra and the two other girls huddled over her to read it. When they finished, Delta looked up at Willow with wide eyes. "So, if we didn't write this, someone set this up. Who was that guy you were talking about earlier? That guy who wasn't human or something?"

"Yeah..." Willow whispered quietly.

"Who? What's his name-"

"I'm going to find Logan," Willow decided, ignoring Delta's question. "He'll talk to me, I'm sure."

At her decision, Willow saw the familiar flicker of jealousy light up in the other Selected's eyes. But instead of dying down, the spark became a flame, a raging fire.

And then the girls weren't controlling themselves again. "So the emotions set you off!" The girls didn't responded, they evil glints in their eyes were back. Delta dropped down and grabbed the blaster before Willow could stop her. "Oh, shoot!" She tried the triggers that had humanized the three before.

"Avery! Uhhhh, Avery isn't human! You are being controlled! Magic? Please!!! You guys aren't yourselves! This isn't you!" It was no use, the girls were only coming closer. 

"Last words?" Delta asked, raising the weapon so it pointed at Willow's chest.

Willow answered snidely, "I don't think those things actually ki-"

"Last words." They were serious this time. Maybe it would kill her, maybe Avery had shot her in a place that wasn't fatal... if he did why? Was he going to use her for- Willow snapped back to the present. And then she did the only sensible thing one can do in a situation like this. 

She screamed. 

Anger, confusion, and fear fueled her yell and Willow felt her vision turning red. When her vision cleared the three girls with writhing on the floor. Just like Avery. 

Willow dropped down next to them and tried to wake them. "Cassandra! Delta! Blaire, please! Please be yourselves when you wake up..."

Cassandra came to her senses first. "It happened again, I don't know what set it off I-"

Willow responded quietly, "jealousy."

"Huh?"

"Jealousy set it off," louder this time. Willow blushed, embarrassed by the fact that they were jealous that Logan liked her more. 

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Um..."

"So..."

"Well this is awkward!" Blaire remarked when, she too, came to her senses. Delta woke as well. 

"It happened again when I told you guys I was going to find Logan." Willow cringed at his name, hoping that she wouldn't set them off again. When she looked up, the girls were staring at her confusedly. "I, uh, didn't know if you guys were gonna go wacko again..."

Delta smiled softly.

Cassandra giggled nervously.

"So what's happening to us?" Blaire asked.

"Avery. It has to be Avery." Willow looked at the girls with determination shining in her eyes. Then she held her arms open. The three other girls collapsed into a group hug.

Avery was manipulating innocent people, changing them. Heck, he could get them in huge trouble, and he didn't care. He had almost won before, she had to make sure he didn't again. 

Whoever he was, whatever he was, he was going down.