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Six
    Dane
     
    Dane Michaels wandered through the forest at
the back of his family's farm. He knew better than to call her
name. Man, she could be a bitch when she wanted to be. She was
beautiful though, way cuter than Amy.
    He wasn't sure why she always insisted that
they meet out here. He was sick of it. It was always on her terms,
her rules. Sometimes she even blew him off entirely. She never gave
any excuse, just didn't show up. Today though, he wanted her there.
He needed what she had more than before and he hoped she would give
it to him quickly.
    Snow drifted down from the pine needles and
stung his exposed skin. The wind blew right through his wool coat.
He raised the collar around his ears and huddled into the thick
fabric. He hated winter.
    "You've come alone?" she said. Her voice was
smooth and as cold as the bitter air.
    Dane's head snapped right. She was standing
so close to him, close enough to touch, but he hadn't heard her
coming. Her platinum hair blew back from her face in the uneven
gusts. Eyes, like blue ice, cut through him. The cold didn't seem
to bother her. In nothing but a blouse and plaid skirt, she leaned
up against one of the lanky pines.
    "Yeah," Dane replied. "So."
    "I told you, I want to meet your
friends."
    "Damn…I've been bringing people back here
all year. You've met everyone."
    "Don't lie to me." Her face was suddenly
inches from his, the line of her mouth a grim warning.
    "You've met everyone in my class that's
worth meeting," he spat.
    "Then, who is not worthy?"
    Dane looked away. This was so not his idea
of fun. "Whatever," he said under his breath. He turned for home.
Her hand shot out, so fast he didn't see it coming. Fingers sank
into his forearm, tightening like a vice. The pain was
immediate.
    "Oww! God…stop! Let go!" Dane yanked his arm
toward his body but her grip was like steel. The pain was intense,
bone crushing. "Please!"
    That's when he smelled her, a spicy, sweet
scent that reminded him of fresh baked pumpkin pie. It surrounded
him, weaving into his nostrils and flaming out across his body
until every part of him was salivating for it. He met her eyes
again and a wave of pleasure washed over him like a warm bath.
    "Who have I not met, Dane?" she cooed. Her
voice was soft now, soothing. She loosened her grip.
    "There are two kids that I don't hang with
much. A girl and a boy."
    "Their names?"
    "Malini and Jacob."
    "You will bring them to me. I want to meet
them."
    "Why?" he asked, but his voice cracked, weak
and unsure.
    "I have my reasons. Bring them here at this
time in one month."
    Dane rolled his eyes. To get Lau here, he
would have to either overpower the kid or pretend to be his friend.
Neither would be easy but the thought of the second made him ill.
He considered telling her he wouldn't do it but then the smell came
to him again, stronger.
    "Do you have more of that stuff, from
before?"
    A thermos appeared in her hand and she held
it out to him. Dane wondered for a fleeting moment where she had
gotten it. He hadn't noticed the container before and she didn't
have a bag or a coat. She cracked the lid and the smell of cinnamon
wafted out. All at once he stopped caring about where it came from
and snatched it from her hand.
    He took a deep swig. The stuff burned, from
his lips to his toes, but then the rush he was waiting for came on
full force. Power. Pure liquid power coursed through his veins. In
that moment, he was enough. He was bigger than this farm, this
family, and this town. There were no boundaries to what he could do
or what he could be.
    He reached into his pocket
for a cigarette. Maybe he could do anything for this.
    "Tell me more about these two," she
demanded.
    Dane lit the end of the cigarette and took a
deep drag. "I think, maybe, I could tell you a couple of things."
He rubbed his arm. For some reason, it felt sore. As he started to
talk, he couldn't remember how he'd hurt it. But he had no problem
remembering everything he knew about Jacob and