Next chapter I want to put a disclaimer, even though I said that I wouldn't for blood, but you'll understand (ish?) on Saturday. But that is not today my friends, because it's Wednesday! And June, but less excitement (Sorry, I'm not a summer person, bleh.) But we all know what's after summer!

Back on topic, sorry, thank you, thank you, thank you for reading, I really hope you are enjoying it, and if not please let me know what needs to be improved on. I'm always willing to work on making my writing better. 

Voting and commenting always helps me out, and of course, I love all of you no matter what. 

To the playlist:

The Middle by Jimmy Eats World

Stuck in the Middle With You by Stealer Wheel

Here It Goes Again by OK Go

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Mom is already home fixing up dinner when we get to the house. I go to the sink scrubbing the dirt from my hands, my dad sticks his hand under the running water, slapping some toward me. "Hey." I laugh.

"Smells delicious hun." Dad goes to my mom, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She smiles, turns to him, and kisses him on the lips.

"Ew, children present." Aaron gags from the table.

Dad pulls Mom against him, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. "When you find someone to love, you'll understand."

"Can I help you?" I come up next to Mom.

"Sure." She steps away from Dad and begins giving me instructions. While I'm chopping carrots, Dad disappears into his study, so my mom leans over to me. "How was school?"

"Great, actually." I smile down at the food I am cutting.

"That's good, I was really worried on Friday. When Mr. Raka came down and asked for you to spend the night, I was hoping that would help you feel better." After a moment of silence, her voice takes on a serious tone. "Thea, did you go to the Woodman's house? Is that what was upsetting you on Friday? Did you see anything? Did anyone hurt you?"

I shut my eyes. "Yes, yes, yes, and no."

"Can you tell me what you saw?"

Shaking my head, I look at what I'm working on. "I'm scared for him, Mom. I have no idea what to do, but I am sure that it would be worse for him if the cops came."

"We can keep it between you and me."

"I know you," I turn to her and smile. "You're too kindhearted, you'll want to help."

"Can you promise me you'll never go over there again?"

I nod. "Yeah, I promise. I'm going to hang out with Charlie and Harper before class."

"That's okay, do you need a ride?"

"No, I'm okay." I wash my hands and head out the door, the warmth of day shifted to cool evening. Briefly, I considered approaching the Raka house instead of attending this party. Levi gave me a code for the gate and said I could enter anytime during the day without knocking.

Ultimately, I turn towards the directions given to me.

At what point did my life return to normal? Today seemed ordinary enough, could I disregard the kites, or whatever, and allow myself to embrace my teenage years? Something told me it's no longer possible for me, but why? Charlie is friends with Nya and has got her normal human life. But I couldn't be controlled by them. I chanced another glance back towards the hill, I could still see their house in the low light against the dimming sky. Is this going to be the death of me?

No, do not think that. There's no chance I'll succumb to the existential debate between eternal life and what awaits me, a mere human girl. Normal. I guess I'm not normal after all.

The lake is a 20-minute walk from my house, the water itself is breathtaking, the glint from the sun illuminated the soft waves. Doubt anyone could boat here, but people kayak where I walked up. Charlie spots me first, but my eyes are on Abe and a girl he is talking to, not Laura, a different girl altogether. I am teasing him on the bus, but witnessing it ignites a new response within me. "Thea." She sang out, coming up to me, and I tore my eyes away from him as he looks up. "We'll stay a half hour; the studio is like a 10-minute walk."

"That works." I acknowledge her as Abe scoots his way over.

"I need to go say hi to Heather and Wyatt." She turns and spots Abe. "Behave." Then she bounds away with an energy I doubt can be replicated.

"Hey." He tries to force a smile, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I didn't mean to interrupt." I rub my arm at this sudden awkwardness.

"What?" He glances back at the girl who is now talking to someone else. "Not interrupting anything. She's a friend of my sister, Imma. She was asking me about her."

I sense a heat in my cheeks, a self-consciousness. He's free to do what he wanted, though. "That's nice that her friends still ask about her."

"Come on, I want you to meet some people." Without the hesitation he had been holding since we met, he takes me by the hand and pulls me along with him. The roughness of his chapped hands, the warmth they held, the gentleness that wrapped around my fingers made all the bad feelings of the negativity that came with this past weekend fade. With him, everything appeared normal again, and even though the harshness of reality did try to surface, I'm stronger with him.

The people we met are nothing memorable, two guys I recognized from class who a few minutes into the conversation I forgot their names, but it is nice to have him at my shoulder doing most of the talking. He gestured with his hand, waving it around, and when he let it drop, it brushed against mine. We walked towards the edge of the water as the others moved on to a different conversation, passing by Harper, who was whispering in a girl's ear, who, in return, was giggling. Right at the brink of walking into the water, we stopped, looking over the dazzling, glistering wonder as the sun cascaded a fire show of rays against the water's surface.

"The lake's name is Golgotha. There were these kids on a boat that capsized."

"What? Really?"

That half smile reappears before he looks back over the water. "Nah, I'm messing with you. It used to be a graveyard."

"Hilarious." I cast my eyes over the late summer wonder as a breeze cause ripples in the water.

"Thea,"I could tell by his voice, a low tone amidst the chatter and singing, along with a shrill laugh and a splash in the background, that he is carefully choosing his words. "I'm sorry about the Laura thing, I wasn't the same person last year."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, it doesn't change anything."

"We're going to be late." I cast Charlie a sidelong glance but couldn't bring myself to gaze at Abe.

"Alright. Maybe Nya will beat us there then." But now I know, I know she wouldn't.

Charlie snorts at this, leading me away. "See you at school, Abe."

I return that one gaze that I don't intend to, one brief glimpse, but I remain longer as he mirrors that half smile towards us, with half of his face illuminated in the shimmer of late summer, while the other half stays in the shade of the trees. He lifts his hand in a half wave, and I do the same.

Charlie spoke as we headed towards the class, telling me about some gossip that I had never taken in, my mind spinning with thoughts. It felt nice. It felt normal.

We slip into the class in the middle of the teacher's lecture, but she doesn't seem to notice or care. As we take our seats, Charlie leans into me.

"So," Charlie says with a big smile. "You and Abe."

"What about us?" But I feel the heat in my cheeks, his face lit up in the sun still burning in my thoughts.

"You two seem very close." She teases.

"He's really cool, you know? I mean, you know." Fumbling over my words, I stop and take a deep breath. "I'm aware what people are saying about him, and I saw how his dad is-"

"What?" Charlie looks concerned. "You mean Friday his dad was home?"

"He came over while I was there, I had to hide in the closet."

"That explains Alfie." She shakes her head. "He didn't even say anything."

"I think he was embarrassed that I saw."

"I'm sorry Thea, we shouldn't have sent you, next time I'll step up and do it."

"Why? What would you have done differently?"

"He doesn't hang out with people at his house." She looks at me as if to make a point. "He normally takes his work, and we leave."

"Oh." I look up at the teacher as she steps away so we can start working. The class theme, ironically, is a peaceful space. I sketched my California room while the door opens and closes.

Nya jumps into her seat and smiles at us. "Sorry, I'm late."

"If you were really sorry, you'd be on time." Charlie pokes at her.

"It requires time to look this pretty." She smiles, and Charlie breaks into laughter. After explaining the theme for this class, Nya leans into Charlie's ear and whispered something, and she turns to me.

"I need to use the bathroom; I'll be right back." She turns and heads to the bathroom behind the stairs.

"I wanted to apologize for everything that has happened. I know it's probably been hard to ignore what happened, and I really wished you didn't have to find out, especially like that."

"It's okay, seriously, thank you for all you did for me to keep me alive." I smile.

She returns the smile and is turning back to her work when she remembers something. "Oh, also, I want to give you a head up that Levi is stationing people outside your house at night until we catch Jason."

"Why? I thought he said they can't come in unless they are invited in."

She shrugs. "I think he's being extra careful, that's all. Milo told me not to tell you, but I'm telling you, anyway."

"Was someone outside my house last night?"

"Yes, I was." She smiles at me. "Pretty boring, but nothing happened, so that's good."

"Who is going tonight?" Charlie is coming back to us.

"Uhh." Nya looks as if she prefers not to tell me.

Charlie took her seat, and she goes back to painting. I stare hard at Nya, and she mouths one word at me, one word that makes my stomach drop.

Milo.