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me from the moment I arrived, maybe even before that.”
    “I don’t see how anyone could possibly hate you, you’re so damn charming, after all.” Ian chuckled.
    “Ian, you can’t honestly say you’re happy about this mission of ours.”
    “No, but I understand their motives. It would be a perfect opportunity for The Man in Black to wreak havoc.”
    “If that’s what Victor says.”
    “I think you need to give Victor a chance,” he said. “Maybe you’ll find that he’s not as much the villain you think he is.”
    “You and I are going to have to agree to disagree on that one.”
    *****
    Victor stood up, irritated. Why does she have to be so damn frustrating ? he thought. Walking over to the filing cabinet, he pulled out the manila file marked ‘Celaine Stevens’. Thumbing through its contents, he found everything he’d asked Caine to dig up: school transcripts, driving records, surveillance photographs, DMV records, and newspaper articles. Articles from the attack on The Lakes Mall, depicting photographs of the lone girl lying lifeless atop the remains of the decimated parking ramp.
    Then there were the articles showing the aftermath, of a grieving seventeen-year-old girl at the foot of three coffins. Coffins that contained Carol Stevens, Jacob Stevens, and Dr. George Stevens. Victor’s lip curled into a sneer.
    “Like father, like daughter,” he growled, promptly closing the file and returning it to its place inside the cabinet.

Chapter Five

The Dream
    I climbed the stairs of the fire escape, jumping from the last step onto the roof of the building. From there, I jumped from building to building, running across the desolate storefronts until I reached the one I was looking for. In the brisk air, a mixture of rain and sleet fell from the sky, creating a slick coating over my ledge. My thinly-lined jacket provided little protection from the elements. Shivering, I removed my helmet and squatted down on the pavement with my hands in my pockets. What I was doing wasn’t healthy. It was crazy and completely irrational, but such is love. No matter how hard you tried to make sense of it, love truly remained senseless.
    Chase’s bedroom was dark, which told me that he was probably either asleep or at work. I’d been gone for so long that I didn’t know what his schedule was anymore. All I knew for certain was that he wasn’t alone. His nights were spent in comfort and security. And as happy as I was that he had someone who made him smile again, it still felt like I’d been hit with a battering ram every time I saw it.
    It should be me . Why couldn’t it have been me? Thoughts littered my mind, forcing me to toss them aside. As painful as being away from him had been, in the grand scheme of things, I believed I had made the right decision. Even if that decision had really been made for me. Still, I couldn’t help but remember the way he looked at me, our forbidden rendezvous on the rooftop of my apartment, and how he made me feel like no one in the world mattered as much to him as I did. Now, I knew that was no longer the case. There were memories to be made with someone else.
    If only he could know I was here; if only I hadn’t had to lie to him.
    In the last couple of months, my visits had been less frequent. Anymore, I made them to ensure his safety. My existence fed upon the knowledge of his presence in this world. I’d already failed Lucy, I wasn’t going to fail him too. Eventually, I’d have to quit coming here, but for now, I couldn’t stop myself from making the trip.
    The rain began to pick up in intensity, rolling down the leather folds of my jacket. I pulled my hair back with the hair tie I kept securely around my wrist and slipped my helmet on over my face. Below me, I heard a commotion on the street. Peering over the ledge, I saw Chase walking arm and arm with the blonde-haired girl I’d grown accustomed to seeing him with. She was trying to rush down the street out of the rain,