Ugh I'm so frustrated because I wrote this chapter at school on the computers here and they're shitty so they accidentally deleted it so I'm rewriting it so it might be shitty cuz I'm really impatient.

Pic of Will to the side played by .... get ready... AUSTIN BUTLER YEAHHHH

(Thanks for correcting my Chapter number! A you

not edited.

I glanced down at my chubby fingers. Dirt was imbedded into the crooks of my digits along with dried up blood. Confused, I looked down, noticing my old pink and red scarf. Holes and scratches covered the once bright garment.

"Venus? Venus where are you?" A voice seemed to echo around the black room. My eyes frantically searched around for a sign of life or light but I was blinded by darkness.

"Mommy!" I called, my voice high pitched and not seeming as though it was mine. I looked down again. I was wearing that pink tank top dress, a white daisy plastered in the middle. My oversized navy green jacket made a scuffling sound as I began to run forward. I wasn't sure why I was running, but it seemed like my feet just wanted to carry me far and fast.

As I began to run with my seemingly smaller legs, I noticed I wasn't alone. There was something following me. It was far but keeping its distance on purpose. Suddenly, an animalistic growl vibrated off the walls of the shadows. Terror crept inside my belly, causing the hairs on my neck to rise.

I pumped my small arms and continued to run.

"Hey."

It was a blurry voice. I paused for a second, staring up, but seeing nothing.

"Venus-"

It was clearer.

"Venus, wake up!"

I shot up, forcing mass amounts of air into my burning lungs. I looked up to see Will staring at me with concern.

"Will? What . . what are you doing here?" I gasped. I looked at my hands and noticed my white knuckles. I had been clenching my bed sheets so hard. I let go, feeling relief surged through my tense hands.

"I didn't see you yesterday at work I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He scratched his head and cleared his throat. I took a deep breath and sat up on my couch. I pushed away the sheets, allowing myself to cool off.

"Thanks, I'm okay though. How'd you get in?" I asked him.

"Your door is jenky so I just jiggled the handle a bit and I came in," He said with a grin. I rolled my eyes at him.

"So you snuck into my house, you creep," I said with a forced laugh.

"Yeah yeah, you're lucky I didn't kidnap you in your "slumber"." He laughed. I smiled.

"Honestly though," His tone changed, causing me to stare up at him. "You were mumbling and freaking out. Were you having a nightmare?" He asked, sitting by my side. I sighed and clasped my hands together.

"Just a weird dream but I'm fine," I told him. But I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Are you sure? You can tell me you know," He said, placing a hand on my knee. I studied it, then him. His eyes were wide and full of curiosity. I didn't want to lie to him but he seemed worried enough and I wasn't about to place even more on him.

"Nothing happened. Just a dream that's all. But," I cleared my throat, "Thanks for waking me up, I have work soon anyways."

He drew back his hand as though it'd been struck with fire. I frowned at the look of hurt on his face.

"Fine. I'll see you at work," He said as he got up and turned his back to me. I felt my heart spike, knowing he felt left out and hurt.

"Will!" I called out. He paused and turned his head to me.

"I . . ." But what was there to say?

"Let's all do something tonight. You, me and Moira, what do you say?" I asked, hoping it'd brighten his spirits. I waited for a moment, not taking delight in this silence. Then, a small smile appeared on his face. "Alright. We'll go to Joes afterwards."

I smiled, glad he wasn't going to hold a grudge.

-

After Will left, I put on my pale yellow work dress, and put my hair in a side braid before taking off for work. Leaving the house, I couldn't help but think about my dream. It was no secret it was a dream about my childhood, but why it resurfaced, I couldn't fathom. Not only was I a child in the dream, but there was that familiar growl I'd heard. It didn't sound human and screamed strange. Then again, everything lately seemed strange.

I shook my head, trying my best not to focus on what used to be, however the memories kept forcing their way to the front of my head.

I arrived at work, and quickly checked in. I fell into my usual habits of cleaning up the tables and preparing silverware.

"Hey." I jumped at Moira sat there unamused, sucking on a lollipop. "Jesus Moira, don't sneak up on me like that," I hissed as I walked back to the counter.

"Calm your tits Aunty Susan, I just wanted to talk to you about something is all," She said with an eye roll she had perfected over the years. I shrugged. "What's up?" I asked.

"We should talk about this out in the back," She said, casting her eyes to Will and Marge who were setting up the kitchen. I stared at her, wondering what was so important before nodding. She led me to the back where we usually threw away garbage. I closed the rusted door behind me and followed her out.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. There's two things I wanted to talk to you about. I'm seeing someone," She said with a small smile. I grinned, happy for her. Moira didn't really date much so hearing her say this and say it to me off all people made me feel giddy.

"Who is he? What's he like? How long have you two been together?" I ushered. She licked her lollipop and stuck it through her ruby red red lips.

"His name is Reece."

"Hm, Reece. Cool name, what's he like? Hair color? Eye color?" I asked, wanting to know more about this mystery boy. Moira giggled like a school girl.

"Blonde hair, gorgeous, lip piercing, blue eyes. He's a great guy, really, but . ." She trailed off. My happiness faded into confusion. "Is he trouble?" I asked.

"Kind of. But, then again so is Demetri - which is what I wanted to talk to you about," She said, twiddling her fingers and seeming nervous. I studied her, feeling anxious. I had known Moira was more of punk than gutter and I could only hope that what she had to say wasn't too bad.

"I mean, I've heard-"

"Then why do you hang out with him?" She asked, eyes hardening. "How do you-? Well, our run ins weren't exactly planned," I murmured.

"Well I just want you to be extra careful alright? I really like Reece, I've gotten to know him, and he knows a lot about Demetri and I've heard some things."

"Like what? For all you know, Reece could be lying?" I offered gently. She shook her head at me.

"Reece wouldn't lie to me. I'm just telling you, he's a dangerous guy."

Was she nuts? Why was she throwing all her trust into this guy she just now told me about. "Why are you telling me this?" Moira wasn't one to get into other peoples business or stick her nose where it wasn't wanted.

"Because your my friend Venus. I don't want to see him get you involved in his shit, okay? Just promise you'll be careful around him."

"What does that even mean?" I asked, feeling exasperated. Everything made zero sense or so it seemed lately.

"It means limit how much you open up to him, he'll use it to his advantage. I could be wrong, maybe he's a good guy, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous."

With that, she turned her back to me and stalked off back inside the restaurant, her black stilettos clacking in rhythm. I let out a frustrated groan. I barely knew him but the way he seemed to enter my life all the time lately didn't seem like much of a nuisance. I just wanted to know more about him, he made me curious.

Yet it was strange that Moira felt the need to warn me about him. Just what did everyone mean by saying he was trouble? If he really was, then I had no choice but to look out for myself, that was what I always had to do since I was 16. I couldn't deny the fact that there a strange . . . "connection" between me and him but I didn't understand what it meant.

The only thing I knew for sure was that I couldn't allow myself to be swallowed up by trouble that seemed to follow me when I was a kid.

-

One by one, our shifts ended. Moira, Will and I began to walk around the corner to the bar.

"You are such a child!" Will shouted with a laugh. Moira stuck out her tongue. "Don't bash on my comics you bloat," She hissed. I laughed.

"Don't hate me, Oh Marvelous One," Will said as he turned to fake pray to Moira. I laughed. "Please, peasants aren't welcome in my presence, go off yourself," Moira seethed with a malicious grin.

"Venus likes superheroes too you know," Moira said with a wink sent at me. I stared at her. Her demeanor was much different than how it was earlier when she spoke with me. Supposedly, her new boyfriend was supposed to be meeting us at the bar. Hopefully he was semi normal. I needed normal. And a night out with friends drinking seemed as normal as it'd get right now.

"Yeah, but I'm not crazy over them. I just like those kinds of movies, or shows, like the old show Heroes," I added with a shrug. "Or Teen Titans!" I added.

"She's more of a kid than I am what with her cartoons," Moira said, playing with her black pointed dangle earrings. Will laughed but I scoffed.

The sound of chatter and music hit my ears as we stopped in front of a clear door. I opened it, welcoming the noise of people laughing and clanking balls of at the pool tables. The three of us walked in, making our way to the bar. I meandered through the mass amounts of people who sat at their tables with their company and sat down first on the little stool I always sat at when we all came here for a night out.

The bartender greeted us as he began to mix up some drinks in a tin can.

"Apple Martini," Moira said, sitting next me. Will sat on my other side. "I'll have a Blue Moon," He added. The bartender, who was strangely young and boyish smiled and then stared at me, waiting for my order.

"Eh, I'll have a Stella," I said over the music. He grinned and turned his back to begin making our drinks.

"So, where's this boyfriend of yours?" Will asked, munching on some peanuts. I smiled.

"He's coming in right now actually," She said, her eyes locked on the entrance. I followed her gaze to see who she was looking at. There was a man who had - like she had mentioned - blonde hair that was longer in the front and sweeped to the side of his forehead and hung down to the side of his face. He bit down on his black lip piercing and began to walk over to us.

He wore black pants, boots and a tight black shirt with a denim jacket. He was what many would say a "bad boy", with looks to match. He was definitely attractive, and though he also seemed intimidating, I hoped he was a nice one.

Moira hopped off her seat and eagerly went to greet him as he walked towards her. The two met, and he threw his arm around her and began to walk our way. She seemed to fit into his arms perfectly as his hand wove through hers.

"Guys," She said, the guy smiling a warm smile. "This is Reece. Reece, these are my friends Will and Venus," She said, introducing us. Will gave the a nice hand shake and smiled. I did the same. As our hands touched, I felt the room grow dark but with a strange intensity. I recoiled immediately, shocked. He seemed to have noticed it too but he covered it up like it never happened.

So much for a normal night out.

That was the same connection I had felt when I was around Demetri. Dark but enticing. Were these two friends or maybe from the same family?

"It's nice to meet you," I said, hoping no one could tell how fidgety I now felt. Reece grinned. "I'd been waiting to meet Moira's friends for quite some time now. I'm glad we made it happen."

I smiled, and turned when I realized our drinks were here. Out of the corner of my ear, I saw Moira and him sneak in a fast kiss, and it seemed like the two were totally into each other. Though he gave off a weird vibe, I was happy for Moira. I knew all of us had grueling pasts, so if Reece was her light at the end of the tunnel, then I was happy for her.

The four of us began to get to talking and soon enough, Reece was one of us. I learned that he was a lot like Moira, what with how he was perhaps a gutter punk as well, enjoyed horror movies, piercings, tattoos - which apparently he has one on his back - and he seemed to really like Moira.

"So, what do you do?" I asked him, taking another sip of my beer. Will nodded enthusiastically and Moira giggled, her cheeks giving away her buzz.

"Oh, I work with a company who excels in making deals and making sure companies are working in their right ways. We try to keep the peace between corporations," He explained with a smile.

"Oh that sounds cool, I'm just a lame waitress," I said, giggling. I gasped, realizing Moira and Will weren't the only ones who were a little tipsy.

"Waitresses are cool!" Will said with a laugh, making us all laugh.

"If I could choose, I'd be an . . I would work at google!" Will added. "Why such a dopey place?" Moira asked, drinking her 2nd fruity drink in a swift chug.

"Because! You get free food, and there's a slide," He slurred his words, letting out a small chuckle. I laughed at him, so did Reece.

"I guess. I'd be a dragon slayer," Moira said, putting her hands on her hips. Reece bent over and laughed. "You'd totally die. The dragon would make a Moira smore out of you," He said. She crossed her arms.

"I'd kick major dragon ass and you all know it."

We all laughed until our stomachs hurt. Not only did my stomach hurt, but my bladder did too. "Hey I'll be right back, my bladder is about to explode," I said with a laugh. The three of them laughed and nodded, dismissing me.

I hopped off the stool, feeling a little clumsy, but made my way through the crowd. I stumbled a little over myself and groaned. Perhaps I was a little more than tipsy.

"S'cuse me," I said, moving through a couple who was about to kiss, but hey my peeing habits were more important than their lip lock. They could wait, I couldn't! They scoffed in disbelief at me but I didn't look back and stopped at the girls room. I entered the little hallway and walked in to find the room.

I found the door that led to my salvation, let myself in, and relieved myself.

After washing my hands, I was about to walk about, but I paused, hearing some odd noise outside.

"He'll kill us for this."

"He's too much of a pussy to do it, and he knows it. Diego, c'mon."

I felt my heart froze and the color began to fade from my face. Diego, that name sent tremors down my spine. I felt my skin prickle and I couldn't help but want to run but where would I go? They were outside. I looked around, hoping to see a bathroom window, but in the midst of my search, the door busted open to reveal two guys clad in black hoodies.

I screamed but one slammed the door while the other came up behind me and stuffed his hand over and into my mouth. He picked me up from behind but I kicked my legs up, making him fall down.

"Dammit, hold her still!" The guy holding the door said. It was Diego, I recognized his voice.

I began to squirm and kick. "Shut your fucking mouth and stop moving!"

A knife was staring me straight in the face, threatening to end my life. I stared at it, wide eyed as tears began to fall from my eyes. "That's what I thought," he said. The guy still keeping me bound didn't let up as I was pressed against him on the ground. I prayed someone would walk in. Someone.

I closed my eyes, wanting to scream. Suddenly, the door opened and the guy holding it was thrown to the ground, his knife falling to the ground. Reece came in, someone beside him. The guy was dragged off me, leaving to me lay on the ground. I heard groans but I could barely focus. The drunk side of me left me unsure of which body part did what.

"Hey, hey are you okay?" Reece bent down next to me.

I stared at him, seeing two of his face sway side to side. "Let's get you out of here," he said, grabbing my arm and helping me up. I stumbled and fell onto his side. I looked back as we made our way out of the hallway to see a knife sticking out of one of the guy's backs. Was it real or was it drunk me not sure what was happening?

"Oh my God, what happened?"

Who was that, was it Moira? My eyes loosely closed as I was dragged out of the building, feeling cold air surround me. We began to walk but I don't know where.

"Venus, Venus oh God, talk to me!" Moira shouted in my face but my stomach began to lurch. I leaned over, hands on my knees and vomited.

Reece's hands held up my hair as I did so. As the poison left my system in waves of nausea I began to realize what happened.

"What . . What just . . happened?" I panted.

"You're super drunk right now," Moira said handing me a water bottle. I took it, wiped my mouth with my sleeve and stood up straight, leaning against the cold brick building.

"Those guys . ." I trailed off. What did Reece do to them?

"Get your hands off her." It was a dark, deep voice, who held authority. It was familiar, who's was it? Why did I know that voice? A pounding sensation took place in my head and I felt like I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"Moira, let's go."

"No, you said he was trouble, I'm not leaving her with him!" Who and what were they talking about?

"He is, but he won't be around her. Trust me."

I looked up through my mess of hair.

"What are you - doing here?" I panted. Demetri bent down and looked at me. I closed my eyes. This was embarrassing.

"I don't need you're help," I slurred. "Sounds like you do," he said, wrapping my arm around him and starting to walk but I kept stumbling, feeling like a new born deer using legs for the first time. "Dammit, why'd you let this happen to yourself?" He growled before sweeping an arm under my knees and lifting up, carrying me.

"I just wanted . . drink time with friends," I muttered, letting out a silent hiccup. I leaned against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. I heard him sigh, but everything was distorted around me. The more I listened to his heartbeat, the more it lulled me to sleep.

Demetri's POV***

I stared at her as she leaned her head against me and fell asleep in my arms. Reece was right to call me though I silently knew it would kill him to do so. Diego and his goons were becoming a dangerous nuisance lately and the more they stuck around the worse things got, especially for Venus. They knew that by attacking her, it would bait me, but luckily, Reece was there with his mate to take care of things.

I had to get this sorted out before Venus realized just who I was, and just what she was getting into.

Ah I'm so sorrry I have really bad writer's block right now please don't hate me, I'm so sorry!

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