Helllooooooo!!! How are you all?

And 400 reads! Wowzerz! Thank you all so much. I love you all!

The chapter is dedicated to JustAnotherReader94 for her regular comments and votes!

I don't wanna take much of your time so here is the next chapter. Read on!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Like any other day, I woke up the next morning at exact 5:00 am. It was like my mind had an inbuilt alarm clock which worked everyday without failing. 

I rubbed my temples to ease the minor headache that I felt was building strong. Last night's sleep was filled with one nightmare after another. I wished I could be like one of those people who don't remember their dreams in the morning because I remembered every single one of them and trust me, they were sheer torture. I thought I had gotten rid of them years ago but they had been resurfacing again every night since last week. 

Sebastian was still lying beside me with his arms and legs in every direction while a little drool dripped from his mouth. He looked like a cute 5 year old boy. 

I covered him with the comforter again which he had kicked away during the night, and got out of the bed, the crispness in the air hitting me immediately. 

I must have forgotten to turn the thermostat on.

Padding out of my room and down the stairs, I walked towards the thermostat. After adjusting it at a moderate temperature, I took a dusting cloth from the cabinet lying near it and started cleaning every nook and corner of the living room. 

By the time I was done with arranging everything to its original place and cleaning the dirty dishes lying in the kitchen sink, it was already 7:15 am. 

We were expected to meet up at Shay's house by at least 9:30, so I still had some time on my hand. 

Knowing that Sebastian needed a dose of caffeine to kick start his day, I plugged in the coffee maker after pouring the required contents inside and then began sorting the things in the cabinets. To keep myself entertained, I had taken out some ice cubes and was munching on them. 

I heard footsteps and looked up to see Sebastian entering the kitchen while scratching his head. 

"It's 7 in the morning. Who wakes up to clean so early?" he sat down on one of the stool placed near the kitchen counter and poured the coffee in one of the mugs kept upside down on the counter. 

"Do you want some cereal?" I asked getting up after cleaning the last cabinet. 

"Yeah, I want the honey loops." He sipped the hot coffee and then asked, "Have you eaten anything?" 

"No, I don't feel like eating today," I replied, placing a box of Honey loops and a jug filled with milk. 

"This isn't healthy, Nor. You eat so much one day and then absolutely nothing the next," he stated with concern. 

I shrugged my shoulders at him and then decided to clean the refrigerator while Sebastian ate in silence. 

"I'll head home now. I need to pick up some stuff," Sebastian said after finishing his coffee and cereal. 

"Alright...till when will you be back? Keep in mind that we have to be there at 9:30," I reminded him when he came over to me to give me kiss on the forehead. 

"Yeah, I'll be here in half an hour," he said. "You should start getting ready now. Everything already looks absolutely perfect so you need to stop." 

"Hmm..okay. Be back soon," I said as he walked out of the door. 

I heard the door shut and the roar of the engine of his car signalling his departure. 

The digital clock by my bedside was flashing '8:00 am' in bright red when I entered my bedroom. Taking out my duffle bag from my closet, I packed two of my outfits along with some required accessories while sending a text to my dad telling him that I would be leaving for the weekend.  

After having taken a quick shower and getting dressed, applied a little makeup and rolled on my usual load of bracelets before exiting the bathroom. 

Still having some time before Sebastian arrived, I switched on the T.V and surfed through random channels. 

Sebastian's well dressed figure entered my bedroom after few minutes. He was wearing a black flannel shirt with a pair of blue jeans. 

"Ready?" he asked, taking my bag. 

Always a gentleman.

"Yup," I replied "So whose car are we taking...yours or mine?" 

"Darling, you have a vintage Porsche. Those are not the kind of car that you take on a trip outside of the city," Sebastian remarked as we walked down the flight of stairs. 

"So yours it is then," I declared and then took a walk around the floor to make sure that all the appliances were switched off. 

"Hurry up! We are going to be late," Sebastian whined like a child holding the main door open. 

"Alright, nancy boy, I am coming!" I walked out of the door towards the parked Range Rover. 

A medium size bag and a cooler was already in the trunk before he placed my bag along with them and then we drove out of the driveway for the 10 minute ride to Shay's house. 

"We brought food!" Sebastian announced entering Shay's enormous house behind me. 

"Finally somebody worth bringing along!" Mike exclaimed as he came running towards Sebastian and immediately taking the cooler from his hand. 

"Not now you idiot! At least wait until we get there." Sebastian slapped the back of Mike's head which he did a lot. 

I laughed shaking my head at the two idiots and then ran my eyes all over the two storey house. The furniture and the carpeting of the complete area was in brown and several other earthy tones which made the house give a vibe of warmth and comfort. 

"You didn't need to bring anything. My parents have already stocked the cabinet over there with enough food," Shay who was sitting with Liam on the couch told Sebastian. 

"Shay baby, its a cooler. What do you think is in it?" Sebastian said wiggling his eyebrows. "I said food to not to catch the attention of any parent's ears nearby." 

"Like I said, someone worth bringing along." Mike patted Sebastian on the back. "I am so proud of you, Sebastian Iver." 

Mike dabbed the corner of his eyes to get rid of his imaginary tears. 

"Where is everyone else?" I asked noticing the absence of Daniel and Chad. 

"Chad called and said that he would meet us at the lake near his house with his new girlfriend because he is running a little late. And Daniel is in the bathroom cause Mike spilled his coffee on him," Liam explained looking at Mike who had a sheepish expression on. 

"Oh and Abbey would be coming with us too. She'll be here any minute," Shay said, looking at me. 

I simply nodded my head at her. Abbey was one of Shay's friend. I talked to her too, but it was only because we had Shay as a mutual friend. 

"I don't think this stain is going to..." Daniel said walking out of the hallway on my right and then noticed me. "Hi..." 

"Hey!" I replied with a smile. 

Daniel nodded at Sebastian to acknowledge his presence and Sebastian responded with the same action. 

Well, at least they were not having a stare down competition. 

"I don't think it's going to go away that easily. I guess you should just change," Shay suggested, inspecting the huge stain smack in the middle of Daniel's white shirt. 

"Yeah, I think I need a shower too. The coffee is still sticking to my body," Daniel said, glaring at Mike who was pretending not to hear what Daniel saying. 

"Okay, no problem. We'll wait," Shay informed him. "The clean towels are in the drawer under the sink." 

Nodding his head at her, Daniel retracted back to the hallway from where he had come. 

"So what’s the seating plan?" Sebastian asked flopping down on the plush couch. 

"Well, Shay won't let her new car go in the woods and my car was having a problem in the brakes so I gave it in servicing. I asked Daniel if I can-" 

"Asked? I call that begging," Mike interrupted Liam, snorting. 

"Fine! I 'begged' Daniel to let me take his car. And since it's a 2 seater car so I'll be driving with Shay, obviously. So you, Norah, Abbey and Daniel will be riding together in your car," Liam said. 

"What about Mike's car?" Sebastian asked, clearly not very happy with the aspect of driving with Daniel. 

"Right...I haven't told you yet," Mike said opening the bag of chips which he had taken out of Shay's bag. "Funny story...I exchanged my car with my cousin for a motorbike." 

"A motorbike?! Are you shitting me? How can you be so stupid?" Sebastian exclaimed, his pitch getting higher. 

"Are you kids all set?" Shay's mom said looking at all of us, walking down the stairs. 

"Yeah mom, we are just about to leave," Shay told her mom. 

"Hi, Mrs Taylor," I greeted her mom along with everyone else in the room. 

Shay's mom smiled again looking at all of us and then turned to look at me. "Norah! Sweetie, you look beautiful," she gushed, her cerulean blue eyes shining. 

"Thank you and so do you," I complemented her back in all honesty. There was seriously no doubt that she was a beautiful woman and one can easily see from where Shay had gotten her genes. And it wasn't just the beauty, she was actually an awesome and totally laid back mom. That's why she was letting her teenage daughter to go to a cabin in the woods with her friends. 

"Hi!" a high pitched voice grabbed everybody's attention towards the front door where we found Abbey holding a bag in her hands. 

She was wearing a neon green dress with matching earrings. 

Oh... I guess I forgot to mention that her sense of style was quite flashy and loud but somehow she still managed to make it work because of her bubbly personality which was bright enough to give even the Sun, an inferiority complex.  

"You're late! We were planning to leave without you," Shay chastised Abbey who didn't look as if she gave a single thought on Shay's words. 

"But you're still here, so no harm done," Abbey replied in a carefree manner which I knew irked Shay a lot. 

"There is literally no point in arguing with you," Shay mumbled irritated and then looked at me. "Norah, could you please get my wallet from my room? I think I left it on my desk." 

"Yeah, okay," I said nodding my head and padded down the hallway which led to her room. 

I pushed open a door on my left revealing Shay's room covered in pure white wallpaper. Even the furniture was in white making it was safe to say that Shay was an avid fan of the colour white. It was out of the limits of my understanding that how the girl was able sleep in the room. It glowed like a torch when all the lights were turned off. 

Grabbing the blue wallet kept on Shay's desk, I left the room. I was walking towards the living room through the hallway when my eyes fell on the mirror of the bathroom which was visible to me because of the ajar door. 

I felt my heart miss a beat. 

Daniel was standing in front of the mirror.  

Without his shirt on.

A huge tattoo adorned the skin over his heart. Its details weren't really visible to me but I was still able make out that the design looked like as if his skin has been burned and has withered away revealing a new layer which was beneath the burnt layer. Several words were carved on the new layer with black ink which made a stark combination with his deep blue eyes. My eyes raked all over it…and more. 

A jolt of electricity went through me pulling me back to reality and making me realize how inappropriate it was for me to be standing there. Finally feeling like I had some life in my feet, I ran outside of the house after not seeing anyone in the living room. 

"Here.." I handed out the wallet to Shay. 

"Thanks...are you okay? You seem a little shaken," she asked knitting her eyebrows together and looking at me. 

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just tripped on the way," I answered immediately feeling every part of me still shaking. 

I walked towards Sebastian away from Shay to escape any of her questioning. 

Sebastian was leaning on his Range Rover with his arms folded. 

"You know if I had a ghost right now, even he would get scared of you. That's how pale you look," Sebastian teased me putting his hand on my shoulder. 

Before I could come up with a witty reply, I saw Daniel walk out of the house. 

His dark brown hair looked almost black because of being wet. He was wearing a pair of black denims and wasn't shirtless anymore. 

Obviously.

I am pretty sure I would have ran away all freaked out and embarrassed if he would have been though. 

I could have bet on my life that my face had transitioned from a pasty white to a tomato red within a moment. I felt as if my cheeks were on fire. 

"Where's your car?" Daniel asked Mike after seeing him on his new motorbike. 

"Oh, I exchanged it for this beauty." Mike proudly patted on the bulged oil tank of the bike. 

"Then how am I supposed to go?" Daniel turned to his step-brother. "Liam, I want my car back!" 

"No no no...you promised. You'll be riding with Abbey, Norah and Sebastian. No big deal," Liam said pointing towards Sebastian's car. 

Daniel's eyes shot to us and I was pretty sure that I turned even a brighter tone of red....if that was even possible. 

Daniel sighed closing his eyes and then said looking at my direction, "Fine" 

With every step that Daniel took towards us, my heart picked up a notch. 

It finally dawned on me that how uncomfortable this ride was going to be stuck in a car with both Sebastian and Daniel. Sure, Abbey would be there too but I doubted that it was going to make any difference. 

Oh lord, save me!

---------------------------------------------------------------

So? Did you like it? Please vote, comment, fan etc =)