WINTER"New York City, please be nice!" I said to myself as I loaded my last suitcase into the trunk of my new car.The girls walked out of the building with gloomy expressions on their faces. In fact, Melanie was crying. She wiped her tears before walking up to me, but her eyelashes were still wet."Oh, Mel," I whispered, pulling her into a hug. For the umpteenth time since I decided to accept admission to NYU, I got cold feet. I expelled a heavy breath. "Maybe I should just stay back and take a gap year.""No, you would do no such thing," Nico disagreed with a tsk. "We don't want to part from you. But going to New York would give you a much-needed break from that dickhead.Nico sighed deeply. She joined in and kissed me on the cheek. "Besides, we could always hang out during the holidays. We will get through this, Win.""You sure?""A hundred percent!" Nico nodded hard. "We are the three musketeers, remember? Best friends for life!"I winced a little as she squished me and Melanie.
WINTERIt happened so fast that there was no way I could have stopped it. Even if I tried, keeping it in my mouth would have made me sicker.The people around gasped as soon as the vomit hit the ground. Some of them retreated while looking at me in disgust.As I wiped my lips with the back of my hand, Eric came to my side and held my shoulders. "Are you okay?"I nodded even though I knew that I was far from being okay. My belly was still aching and my throat was irritable.He peered into my face and shook his head. "No, you are not. Let's get you to the clinic.""No!" I insisted. "It's just a stomach bug. I'll be fine once I take some water and rest."Eric's eyebrows drew together with skepticism. "A stomach bug? That's strange. Have you eaten anything weird lately?"I shook my head again.Although I had been having a hard time because I was regularly on junk food and no longer got any home-cooked meals, it wasn't that bad.Eric held his forehead, looking at me as if he was having an
KAI-VIIThe clock was ticking. Fast. I had to find the orb or whatever was removed from that gemstone before Ratio lost his patience with me.If I didn't find it soon, I am a goner.I didn't want to die. Not when I was just recently given another shot at life. I depended on Ratio for survival. My life wasn't mine. It was Ratio's.Seven must have transferred the energy into something similar to a ring. Maybe it was a necklace or even another ring.Fuck! I should have questioned him before killing him. I should have been more careful! I mean, why did it never occur to me that I wouldn't have been able to hurt a single hair on Seven's head if he had the real gemstone on him?I was stupid to have thought that Seven would carry something so important on him 24/7. If I had something so strong in my possession, I would have kept it safe.Something told me he had hidden it somewhere in this huge house. The strange feeling I got whenever I was in this mansion was unmatched. At first, I dismis
KAI-VIIThe boom reverberated throughout the room all so soon. Sparks flew from the spot. The sound of screeching metal pierced the air almost as a large cloud of smoke went off. Coughing, I waved off smoke from my face.The smoke made my eyes sting, but I fought back the tears as I walked through it. A section of my throat itched while I coughed hard. Covering my nose, I held my breath all in a bid to brave the polluted air.I looked down at the hole. The flooring that surrounded the hole was shattered. However, the steel box still looked as good as new. The only difference now was that there was a huge hole where the rotating lock used to be.My lips instantly curved up in a smile."Yes!" I punched the air in jubilation.I went on my knees, slipped two fingers through the hole, and pulled. The heavy metal cover gave way from the safe. Anticipation made my heart pound. I trashed the piece by the side and picked a flashlight to look into the dark safe.As soon as I turned on the flas
SEVEN"Dad! Dad! Where are you?"Debris of concrete and glass fell on my body as I was on all fours. There was a sharp sound in my ears. So loud that I could barely hear the words that were coming out of my mouth.There was smoke and dust everywhere. I couldn't see anything. My eyes were on fire. My body was on fire. Everything was on fire.It was as if my skin was peeling off my bones. The pain was like nothing I had ever felt. Even when I shifted for the first time, I was able to handle the excruciating pain.This particular one was hellish. I was in hell. The deepest parts of hell!"Aargh!" My roar echoed in my ears. It set off something I couldn't place my finger on. My fingernails sank into the dirt on the floor. I slowly came to my feet and looked around."No, this can't be!" I shook my head in denial. A party had been ongoing a few moments ago. What happened? What was that book I heard? How did my birthday party resort to this?"Dad!" I called out again, waving my hands in t
WINTERIt had been a couple of days since I fainted in the bathroom. Although I woke up hours later in the same spot, it got me another good rest.A hundred and sixty-two missed calls. That is how much I woke up to on my phone the next morning. I had left Melanie hanging on the phone, so she was dead worried. She was already making plans to catch the first flight to New York when I finally answered her calls.Of course, it took me a lot of effort to convince Melanie and Nico that I was good.The only explanation for my fainting was a stomach bug. It was strange, but after changing my diet, I hadn't felt this good in a long time."That would be all, class," said the professor who had been babbling about the print media in the 18th century.Most of the students in the class stood to their feet and rushed out through the door. Again, I didn't know why they were always in a hurry to leave. I never sprinted even when I had other classes to attend.This was my last class for today. I inten
WINTERIt was as if someone was beating a drum in my head by the time I regained consciousness. From the antiseptic smell in the air, I knew that I was in a hospital even without looking.I held my banging head and winced in pain. I tried to open my eyes, but the light above was too blinding. It was as if someone was shining a torch straight on my face.With my face scrunched up, I covered my eyes and took a deep breath."Hey, you are awake!"I felt a squeeze of panic as soon as I heard that voice. Oh, Moon Goddess! No! "Thank goodness!" The familiar voice came into my ears again. I thought I was hallucinating, but it seemed I wasn't. That was Seven's voice, wasn't it?As a chill chased up my spine, I opened one of my eyes. His face instantly came into view in the blinding light. Seven! What was he doing here?"I was so worried about you, Winter. Are you okay?"A mixture of sadness and anger swirled in my heart at this moment. "Of course, I am not okay. How could you even ask me tha
WINTER"I am what?"In a flash, I jolted up from the bed. The pillow that was on my back instantly fell to the floor. "You are pregnant. Congratulations!" the doctor repeated, his smile annoyingly broader.I burst out laughing. "Doc, you have got to be kidding me! I am not pregnant."Lines of confusion appeared on his forehead. He glanced at the file and then looked at me again. "It says here that you are about four weeks pregnant. That explains the nausea and constant dizziness. You really are preg—""No! Don't say that again!" I screamed. "I can't be pregnant. I am not pregnant!"The doctor was taken aback. He flipped the file close and looked at the name on it. "You are Winter Sharp, aren't you?"I didn't respond. There were several tabs opened in my head. It was a mess. I struggled to get my thoughts straight, but failed.The room was silent, and the only noise that could be heard was my breathing.Eric walked over to the doctor, took the file, and peered into it. "Doc, are you s