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I should find a club around here. I wonder how hard it would be to convince her to join me. I can’t exactly leave her, so I’d have to bring her.
    On second thought, imagining this scene isn’t hot. I could see Cali knocking out a stripper or two for the simple reason that they might look at her the wrong way. Scratch that thought. Back to this situation sucking ass.
    CALI
    My phone lights up with a return message saying, Invalid Number. Of course.
    I unpack the few things I have and organize them in the closet. I remove my laptop from my other bag and place it on the small metal writing desk.
    I settle into the firm wooden chair in front of my laptop, waiting for it to power up. While waiting, I glance out the window at the mess of trees butted up against each other. It’s the only positive feature about this place so far. I can’t help but to feel jealous of those trees. It’s almost as if they’re teasing me with their freedom. They’re allowed to dance in the wind and enjoy the security of being near other trees who live exactly the same way. It’s a simple enjoyment I’m not allowed to experience. Although, the last few weeks were the longest I’ve been without a bodyguard. And it was wonderful, exuberating really. I made an asshole kill himself. I can’t think of anything better than that.
    The ping of my inbox pulls my attention back to the screen. I don’t keep my email account on my phone like most people, mostly since Dad has always given me hundreds of reasons why it’s a bad idea. Not that I like to listen to him, but I can see some legitimacy to some of his reasons. My laptop is pretty secure and it’s a little harder to lose than my phone. I click on the e-mail icon and twenty unread messages show up in a bold stream. Most of them are from Lex. I think it’s safe to assume she’s wondering where I’ve gone. She’ll forget about me in a week. They all do. I open the e-mail from Sasha. She knows not to ask me where I am or who I’m with, but she still sends me an email every day telling me about her life in a corporate office, and the hot men cloaked in expensive clothes, who all appear to be oozing with money. She’s the center of attention in her office, being the only female in her department. She’s stunning, which I’m sure is blatant to all of her male co-workers. She also works part time at a small restaurant in the center of town every night. She doesn’t like to be bored, so she spends every free minute she has working.
    Our moms were best friends when they were our age. Sasha and I were born only a few months apart, making us as close as sisters, which is why she knows enough to know not to ask anything. She’s connected to me, which is why I can’t be around her. Reaper knows her. And he’d do anything to find me. After Krissy’s funeral, I made Sasha move out of her apartment and change her number.
    She seems happy in her new town now and finally admitted to having her eye on someone at the restaurant she works at. I guess he’s the chef or something. From the way she was talking, I had a feeling someone had to have been attracting her attention for the past few weeks. She was careful to tiptoe around the subject, though, probably knowing how miserable I am right now. Probably knowing how little I care about who’s dating who . . . even if it is her. She’s aware of the ‘no boyfriend’ rule I’ve declared for myself. I don’t want to be the cause of another innocent person’s death. Therefore, I will remain single, alone, and dejected for the time being, but that doesn’t mean she can’t live a normal life. She doesn’t realize it makes me happy to know she’s making friends and meeting guys. I want her life to be normal. She wasn’t born into this mess and shouldn’t have to live like she was.
    I send her a quick note telling her how happy I am for her. I want her to live the life I hope to live some day. I want her to marry and have a family—to leave the