{Editing Status: Unedited}

I woke up with a groan the next morning, as the events of yesterday came flooding back. I was waiting for the sharp pain in my ankle to shoot up the side of my leg, but it wasn't coming. I sat up, and blinked. My vision wasn't blurry.

It was sharp and clear.

I carefully unwrapped the bandage from around my ankle. It was no longer red and swollen. I stared at it, shocked, and moved it slowly. There was some pain, but it was no where near as painful as it was yesterday. I swung my legs over the bed, and tried to put weight on it. I winced slightly; it was a tad sore. It wasn't meant to be this healed. I limped over to my mirror, and peered at the bandage around my head.

I unraveled it, and looked for the huge, gaping gash.

But it wasn't there.

Instead, there was small, faint line at the side of my head. I touched it, to make sure it was real, and it sure was. I shook my head, and laughed, bemused. How did it heal so quickly? I rubbed my eyes and shook my head again. I checked my watch. I decided to go to work today, even though Liana had phoned them to tell them I wouldn't make it. I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, brushed my hair and teeth, and hobbled down the stairs.

I grabbed a cereal bar, chewed it quickly, grabbed my jacket and pulled my shoes on carefully, and walked out of the door. I saw my old bicycle leaning against the railing of the porch, and considered taking it, instead of walking. I never used it anymore, because I loved walking and running rather than riding it. I peered down at my foot. It would be wise to use the bike. I wheeled it down the stairs, and swung my leg over it. I pushed off my good foot, and started cycling towards the village center where the store I worked at was.

When I arrived there, it was 7am. I was ten minutes early. I climbed off my bike, and rested it against one of the bicycle racks outside the store. I walked inside the store, the bell tinkling softly as I pushed the door open.

My boss, Sadie, looked shocked to see me. She was behind the front desk, shuffling some papers.

"Ivana? I wasn't aware you were coming in today!" she said, walking out from behind the desk. I shrugged my jacket off; it was warm in the shop. It was quite a big hiking/outdoors store, and it was popular with the locals, because there were many hiking tracks around the outskirts of Salem.

"I felt better this morning so I decided to come," I smiled, and Sadie nodded.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." She checked her watch. "I need to go and do some errands in town. Are you alright here by yourself? You can manage the store by yourself, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sadie, I'm fine. Go," I urged.

She sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm going. I'll be back in twenty minutes, max."

I laughed and nodded. She hurried out of the door. My work partner, Meghan, was away at the moment, so I was left on my own. I sighed, and sat down behind the front desk, and turned the computer on. It took it's time, as usual. I smacked the keyboard with my hand.

"Come on, you shitty computer," I groaned. I heard the bell tinkling at the front door. "Sorry, the store isn't open yet," I said, still tapping the keyboard with frustration.

"Oh, it's not?" I heard a deep, male voice ask. I stood up, to see who had just spoken. A tall, handsome boy, about my age, stood by the door. He was dressed smartly; a brown jacket, and chinos. I spotted a tie under his jacket. His hair was a light chestnut color, and his eyes were a sapphire blue. They sparkled in the light that flooded through the windows in the store. His hands were in his pockets. He was smiling at me, but his eyes were curious. "What time does it open?" He asked, still smiling at me. He walked over to the desk. His legs were long, so his strides were long.

"Um, in fifteen minutes," I said.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I didn't know. I'm new here."

"I can see that," I said, walking out from behind the desk.

"What's your name?" he asked. He was so tall; I felt like a midget next to him.

"Ivana Cain. And what's your name, new boy?" I asked, smiling.

He chuckled. There was a slight dimple in his left cheek when he laughed. "Lucas White," he grinned.

White? White?

"Are you the son of Mayor White?" I whispered, shocked.

He laughed at my reaction and nodded. "Yeah, one of them. I have an older brother," he said.

"Well, what can I do for you...Mr White?" I asked, and he chuckled.

"It's just Lucas," he said. "Although, my brother Evan would love to be called that. I just came in to ask if you had any rain jackets. We...well, I don't actually own a rain jacket."

I snorted. "So you come from a sunny state, do you?" I asked, leading him to the back of the store where the outdoors clothing was.

"California, in fact," he laughed.

"What? Why did you move to Salem, then?" I asked. He flicked through the rack of rain jackets. My eyes traced his features; his perfect jawline, his smooth, white skin. He chewed his lip thoughtfully.

"My dad heard there was a new mayor opening, and he wanted to take it. Plus, we wanted a change." He picked out a black rain jacket. I lead him back to the counter. He handed me the money, and I scanned the jacket for him.

"Thanks for letting me in before the store opened," he laughed.

I shrugged, casually. "No worries. You are the mayor's son, after all," I winked.

He grinned. "Will I be seeing you around, Ivana?"

"I hope so," I smiled. "It's not like Salem is a big village."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, it isn't," he said. "Bye, Ivana. Thanks for all your help."

"It was nice meeting you, Lucas," I smiled.

He winked, and left the store.

Well, he was...interesting.

Get a grip, I thought, giving myself a mental slap.

But how was I meant to get a grip when I just met one of the mayor's sons? I sighed and combed my hair with my fingers. This was just what I needed right now.

After work, I cycled to the coffee shop before it closed to get a quick coffee before I went home. I sat on the bench and sipped my coffee, watching the sun set behind the buildings in the village center, splashing red and orange colors everywhere. I was curious to meet the other son of the mayor; I wondered if him and Lucas looked similar. I drained my coffee, threw the empty cup in the bin, and cycled home.

"I told you it would be healed," Aurelia grinned, as I walked into the living room. She was sitting on one of the sofas, reading. Liana was sitting on the opposite sofa, texting. She looked up when I came in, and she raised her eyebrow at me.

"How the hell did you heal so quickly?" she asked.

I shrugged. I limped over to her sofa, and sat down next to her. "I have no clue." I glanced at Aurelia. She had been watching me, but she quickly looked away, back to her book.

"Can I speak to you quickly, Ivana?" Liana asked me.

"Yeah, sure."

Liana walked out of the room, and I followed her, up the stairs, and to her bedroom. I looked at my mother's closed bedroom door as I walked past. Liana shut the door firmly behind her, and she went to sit on her bed. I sat beside her.

"What's up?"

She looked at me. "Blake and I...we're kind of...dating now."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"We're dating..."

"Have you even been on a date yet?"

She sighed and shook her head. "No, but he wants to take me on one next weekend."

I took Liana's hand and squeezed it. "Liana, I'm happy for you. But..."

She ripped her hand out of mine. "Don't 'but' me, Ivana. Just, don't. Just tell me you won't tell Aurelia or Mom."

"You can't keep this from either of them. You and I both know that they will find out eventually."

"I don't give a shit when they find out. Just give me some time to actually relish the fact that a boy has feelings for me, alright? Is that too much to ask?"

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. "No, it's not, Liana. I just want to keep you safe. Mom is going to be furious."

"She doesn't have a right to be. I'm a girl. I'm getting older. It's a natural thing to want to date someone. I don't understand why she is so against me liking any boys! It's not normal. I hate how she has so much control over all of us. I'm going to grow up, lonely, because of her. I'm not having it, Ivana. I'm sick of seeing all my friends go out on dates and having their first kiss, like normal girls. I feel like such an outsider when they talk about boys, and shit like that. I like Blake, Ivana. I really, really like him back. And he actually likes me back. So let me just treasure this moment, before Mom steals it away from me." A tear slowly slid down her cheek, and I wiped it away with the edge of my fingertip.

"Oh, Liana," I whispered, and I wrapped my arms around her. "I'm proud of you. You know that, right?" I could feel her shaking slightly in my arms.

"I know," she murmered into my shoulder.

"And I'll always be here. I'll always, always protect you."

"Love you," she said.

I squeezed her tighter. "I love you, too," I replied, and kissed the top of her head. She broke away from me. "I won't tell Mom, okay? As long as you don't do anything stupid, I'm on your side."

She grinned, and held out her hand for me to shake it, like we were sealing a deal. I rolled my eyes.

"This is not an agreement, Liana. Don't do anything stupid."

She dropped her hand and sighed. "What do you mean 'stupid'?" She asked, her left eyebrow raised in an arch.

I gave her my "you-know-what-I-mean" look, and she groaned and threw her head into her hands.

"Are you serious, Ivana? I'm only sixteen. I'm not...I don't..."

I rolled my eyes. "I've been sixteen before, and I remember my hormones were out of control...well, most of the time. I know what it's like. Just...be careful, alright?"

She picked her head out of her hands and looked at me. "Yes, yes, I'll be careful," she groaned.

I laughed and nodded. "Besides, I don't have raging hormones like you do," she grinned.

"Yeah, but Blake might," I added.

She punched my arm and I chuckled. "You're a virgin, right?"

I suddenly grew very quiet. I never told her about that time when I was seventeen.

When I was out at a friend's house and there were countless amounts of boys there.

Yeah. My friend forgot to mention that part, when she told me to come round to hers.

Liana noticed my silence and she gasped.

"You're not? Why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you..."

"It's not important," I sighed.

"Uh. Yes. Yes it is," she protested.

I rolled my eyes. "I was seventeen. There was a hot boy at my friend's house. I'll also mention that I was slightly drunk, and my hormones were out of control. Did I already mention that he was hot?"

Liana laughed "What was his name? Do you remember anything from that night?"

"I remember his name was Jaime. I never got round to ask his last name. We were otherwise occupied," I coughed.

"But what happened?" she asked. Her eyes were bright as she leaned in, intrigued. I rolled my eyes. And this is why I didn't tell her.

"I hardly even remember. I just remember meeting him, and I was feeling extra flirty," I laughed. "I just remember him whispering in my ear that I turned him on, or something like that. And then he lead me to the bedroom upstairs and then...well, yeah."

"Oh my god," Liana laughed. "I can't believe you never told me. Was he good?"

"Yeah. Really good," I chuckled.

"And you never stayed in contact with him?" She asked.

"We called each other a few times, but then we kind of drifted apart. It was just a hook-up. I didn't have feelings for him, or whatever."

That wasn't exactly true. When I first saw him, with his floppy blonde hair and his bright green eyes, my stupid seventeen year old self thought she had found "her true love." God, was I stupid. I did feel pretty devastated when he stopped texting me after a few weeks, and I soon realized he had moved on. It was inevitable, really. I could never keep a guy, mainly because of my complicated life, but also because I sucked at it.

I wasn't fun, or interesting, really. I was pretty, and thin, but I wasn't a slut. Which is what boys liked, right?

Although, I certainly had lots of boys in high school ask me out, and I rejected most of them, mainly because I wasn't interested, or they were too boring for me.

The football jocks.

The captain of the swim team.

The lacrosse captain.

I rejected them all. They only wanted me because I was head cheerleader. They only wanted my body, and I wasn't having that. Sure, they were hot, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to let them use me, like they did to all the girls they dated.

Not to mention, Will, the captain of both the football and hockey team, had sex with every cheerleader in my squad. The nerve of him.

I was one of the girls who played hard to get, rather than putting herself out there to every boy she met. Jaime was the only one I really let my guard down for - I was a flirting machine that night.

It was a complicated thing, because I could have any guy - but I couldn't, because of my mother. It was ridiculous, I know. But you couldn't get on my mother's bad side, because she will make you regret it. She can be sweet to you one minute, and be beating you the next.

I didn't want to risk it.

But, even so, a small part of me wanted too.

---

A/N

Hey guys :)

I'm sorry for the long wait, I've been so busy. I'll try and update more regularly, I promise! This was an extra long chapter to apologize, ahaha. Hope you enjoyed it! I have so many ideas and I'm just itching to write them.

Olivia J. Clarke

(Picture: Lucas White ~ Max Irons)

© Olivia Clarke 2016

Salem