Jessica sat up in her bed, her thick duvet wrapped securely around her. The house was unusually silent. Lila was spending the night with Brian and Elizabeth had once again turned in early leaving Jessica all by her lonesome. AJ and Nick were out with a bunch of old friends from high school. In a way Jessica was thankful for the solitude.

Her life had been moving so quickly these past few months that she hadn�t really had a chance to adapt. She had always been one to shun change but recently it had become a welcome option. If anyone had told her even a month ago that her life would have changed so drastically, she never would have believed them.

For Jessica, happiness was not something she actively sought out, just something she secretly craved for. Now that she had finally achieved it, she was having a rough time adjusting to it. On the outside she seemed outwardly happy but on the inside she was impatiently waiting. Waiting for that moment when all her happiness would be taken away.

Her thoughts shifted to Nick just then. He was so good for her. Whenever she was with him, she felt whole and complete. Somehow all the pain and hurt that Justin had put her through hurt a little less with Nick around. When he was gone though it hurt the most.

Over the course of the past year, Jessica had learned to become independent. She had learned to deal with her problems and fears by herself. In the past few days though, she had come to depend on Nick so much that it was scary. She couldn�t quite understand it. She had survived so long without anyone, but now it felt as if she couldn�t even go another day without Nick by her side. Her dependency on Nick was all so strange and new to her especially after such a short time.

With a sigh, Jessica yawned sleepily. She turned off her bedside lamp and snuggled under the covers. Her eyes roamed her room for a few minutes before she finally managed to shut them. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly trying to block out all the haunting images of Justin which taunted her each time she closed her eyes. She pictured Nick instead - his face, and his smile and soon she drifted off to sleep.

Lila woke up early the next morning in Brian�s arms. Brian lay next to her sleeping soundly, his bare chest rising rhythmically. She tore her eyes from Brian�s sleeping figure as the memories of last night came flooding back to her. For Lila, what was normally a wonderful experience had been terrible. She had exercised all her strength last night to remain from crying.

Lila had never imagined that things would come to this. She never dreamt that she would ever have to go behind Brian�s back in such a deceitful manner. Call it fear or insecurity; whatever it was, it have given her the courage to put her plan into action. The plan that would keep them together forever. Turning back to Brian, she gently traced the outline of his face with her fingertips. Brian stirred but didn�t wake. He would be so disappointed if he knew. To Brian what had seemed like a romantic evening had been anything but for Lila. Riddled with guilt, her conscious had kept her from enjoying anything about the night.

Slowly, she rose from Brian�s bed giving Brian�s sleeping figure a parting glance. She headed towards the bathroom, opening the door quietly. She didn�t want Brian to wake up just yet. She wasn�t sure if she could face him. Stepping into the bathroom, she avoided the mirror. She didn�t want to see the face in the reflection. It wasn�t her.

Lila turned on the water waiting impatiently as the water ran and the thick steam enveloped the bathroom. Normally Brian would have been welcome to join her in the shower, but today she was thankful he was still sleeping.

Stepping into the shower, she let the hot water soak her skin. She lathered her body with soap and began scrubbing furiously in an attempt to cleanse her skin. No mattered how hard she tried though she just couldn�t get rid of that dirty feeling. It was a feeling she was sure would cling to her for forever. It was worth it to be with Brian though. Wasn�t it?

AJ stood, looking out at the waters ahead waiting for Mya. Mya had left the details of their date up to him. Somehow he had known that she wouldn�t be interested nor impressed by a fancy caf� or showy restaurant. That was why he had settled on the beach. It just seemed right to him.

Next to him was the small picnic basket he had carefully prepared for the two of them. Unsure of just what Mya would like, he had packed a little bit of everything. As AJ stared off at the water, he realized just how little he really knew about Mya. There were so many things that she didn�t know about him either.

When AJ had invited Mya out, he hadn�t really considered it anything like a date. In his mind, it was just two people getting to know each other better. It wasn�t until he had arrived home and had time to contemplate his actions, that he realized he couldn�t stop thinking about her. He wanted to learn everything he possibly could about her. He felt almost the same way he had when he and Elizabeth had begun dating. Almost, except his urge to gain knowledge of Mya was stronger.

Shifting his gaze slightly, to the left, his eyes caught sight of her. He sucked in his breath slightly awestruck as she made her way over to him. She was absolutely breathtaking. Even clad in such simple attire, she looked like something from a magazine. She wore a pair of tight fitting dark blue jeans and a white tube top. Her jet-black hair was tied up high upon her head a few tendrils framing her face.

Suddenly AJ was unsure of just how to act. Her presence was so mind-boggling. As Mya approached him, he saw her eyes, filled with the same unmistakable sadness, which had now become familiar to AJ.

�Hey. Sorry I�m late,� she said apologetically. Being late was definitely one of her flaws. She could always been expected to arrive anywhere and everywhere later than everyone else.

�It�s okay. I was early anyway.�

�So, AJ tell me where exactly are you taking me,� she asked with a smile.

�Well actually we�re not going anywhere,� he responded.

�But I thought�� her face flushed with embarrassment as her sentence came to an abrupt finish.

�No!� AJ said with a laugh. �I just meant we�re not going anywhere because we�re staying here � on the beach,� AJ said sheepishly gesturing towards the picnic basket.

Relief flooded Mya�s face, as she understood. For a split second, she had felt such an incredible sense of disappointment. Almost as if she had lost something precious to her.

AJ motioned for Mya to move closer and the pair sat down, the picnic basket in front of them. As she watched AJ arrange and rearrange the spread of food, a feeling of happiness washed over her. Just being there with AJ, someone she barely even knew made her feel happy again. AJ made her feel alive. At that moment, Mya couldn�t think of anywhere that she would rather be.

Jessica arose sleepily late the next morning to the sound of the doorbell�s chimes. She buried her head in her pillow hoping that whoever it was would just go away. A minute later though, the incessant chimes rang throughout the house again. Jessica threw back her covers in annoyance and climbed out of bed.

Looking at her bedside clock, she realized that it was quite late actually. It was almost one o�clock. She had been so tired recently that she had managed to sleep more than usual. As she trudged sleepily down the hall, she passed Elizabeth�s room. It was amazing that despite the fact that Elizabeth�s door was wide open, she still managed to remain peacefully asleep in her bed.

As Jessica made her way down the stairs, the doorbell sounded yet again. �I�m coming!� she yelled somewhat angrily. Yanking the door open, she came face to face with a pudgy UPS delivery man. �Can I help you?� she asked rather curtly.

�Sorry to bother you ma�am, but I have here an urgent package for a� Miss Jessica Abbot,� he answered consulting his clipboard.

Urgent package. Jessica repeated to herself now wide-awake. �Where do I sign?� Jessica inquired slightly agitated yet eager to discover the contents of the package.

�Here and here,� he indicated with a stubby finger. Using the pen he supplied for her, she scrawled her loopy signature.

�Thanks ma�am. Sorry to bother you again,� he said handing her a thin manila envelope.

Grasping the envelope carefully under one arm, Jessica closed the door and made her way up the stairs. She sat down on her bed with the envelope in her lap. She turned the envelope over and noticed her name scrawled on it with a firm line under it. The crude handwriting looked so familiar to her, but she couldn�t match it with a face.

Her hands shaking, she ripped open the seal of the envelope. As the contents of the envelope fluttered out onto her bed, Jessica raised her hand to her mouth stifling a horrified moan. Her hands shaking terribly, she picked up the two pieces of the once intact photo holding one in each hand. What terrified Jessica the most was that someone had jaggedly separated the picture down the middle using a pair of scissors. [Next Chapter].[Table of Contents].