Author's Note- Unedited. Going on hiatus until Wednesday.....

Chapter Eleven

Jo slept next to her parents that night.

I stayed in my room with my gaze fixed on the ceiling. When sleep failed to come and pull me out of the mess, I resorted to looking at the pictures in my backpack. The last time I'd seen them was a year ago- when I first packed them up.

Shaking fingers opened the plastic baggy, revealing the small stack. I looked at the top photo first; me on the monkey bars with a book in my tiny fingers. Mom thought I looked cute, so she took the photo and showed it to everyone she could.

Next to me, the bed dipped. I ignored it and kept my eyes on the pictures as I flicked through them. When I got to the picture on the beach, a hand reached out and stopped me from seeing the next one.

"That's you?" Declan whispered. He was so close his hand was on the small of my back. I resisted the urge to shiver at his touch. He was so close to me....

"Yeah," I pointed to the little version of me. I felt embarrassed looking at old pictures of me. Perhaps it mad me feel weak to miss the old days.

"I thought that was one of Mom's other models," He frowned. "I have that picture on my fireplace. Mom says I looked cute holding her hand." He was staring at the picture intently, like he wasn't sure it was him.

That's Declan? I knew Declan sooner than high school?

"That's you?" I sputtered. "I thought it was a cousin or something."

Then he was holding my hand. "Some things never change."

I froze in place, unsure of what to do. He was holding my hand! Looking up at him, I inspected his face. Stubble on his chin and messy, messy hair. His eyes were such a gorgeous blue, haunting almost.

"Can't sleep?" I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder. He put an arm around me, releasing my hand. Delicately, he rubbed lazy circles with his fingers on my skin.

"I'm stupid," He told me. "I hurt you." He slid my long sleeved shirt off my shoulder and inspected the bruise from when he shoved me. I winced at the thought of him knowing he caused me pain.

I tried to scoot away, but he spun me around to face him and stroked my cheeks. My eyes fluttered closed.

"You have these adorable freckles," He grinned, tracing them with his thumb. "All over."

I blushed.

He started to lean in. His lips were barely brushing mine.

Should I let him kiss me?

****

Summer of freshman year came so quickly I was grateful as could be.

I road my bike everywhere; grocery stores, appointments, and my favorite; the library. The sun beat down on my back as I pedaled down the uneven roads, past the high school and the park. I cut through the back parking lot of a church and parked my bike at the metal rack. My backpack was full of books to return and I was beyond excited to search the shelves again.

I stopped when Layla's old friends started to leave the Starbucks next door.

Head down, I casually entered the small library, meeting a blast of AC. I opened the metal box up front, put my stack of books in, and shut it gently. The librarian knew me by name and grinned, handing me a list of book recommendations to check out.

I headed to the teen section like always, stopping to pick up the books I reserved. Before I could pull out the latest Jennifer L Armentrout book, the bell by the door dinged. Declan Blaze was holding a smoothie and smiling at the librarian. He handed her a stack of books to return before starting my direction.

I froze, staring at him like he was a ghost or something.

The books in my hand clattered to the floor with a loud thud. I scooped them up and faced the shelves in a lame attempt to hide. Ruby Red flew into my hands from behind as Declan pinned me back against the shelf.

"Aww, fancy seeing you here, I was just returning Alex's books and I saw you," He smirked, taking pride in my torment. "Nerdy girl can't get a boyfriend huh?"

I bit back the tears and tried to shove past him. He let me go with a smile.

"Loser," A shake of his head was the final thing I saw before my vision blurred with tears.

***

"Imogen," He said quietly, his breath tickling my lips. His forehead was on mine, undoing my control. I was going to let him kiss me and I wasn't going to stop it! This boy had caused me pain and now he was messing with me again. I was sure of it.

My good sense jolted back with a start, leaving me to push him away. I shook my head and looked down, face on fire.

"Sorry." Was all I said before leaving the room. As soon as I was out of sight, I collapsed against the wall and wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to keep it together. Crap. I'm losing it.

Tristan was the one who came to talk to me after Declan left to take watch. Looking For Alaska was in my fingers, but I couldn't get past the page I was on. He sat down next to me and chuckled.

"You didn't let him kiss you," He thought it was funny. I smacked his arm.

"I don't want to kiss that troll," I spat, flipping the page ferociously.

"He thinks you do."

"He's wrong."

"Liar," Tristan spoke softly. "It's okay to have feelings for someone."

"Bull," I slammed my book down and stood up. "I don't have feelings for him!"

"Whatever, Imogen, dinner's soon," He stood up and hugged me before leaving. I heard him muttering about PMS and wondered why he had to be right. Why does he have to be right about everything?

***

I don't remember falling asleep. I just collapsed onto my bed and fell under my blankets in a heap of annoyance. Tristan was right- I had wanted him to kiss me but I stopped it because I was an idiot.

"Wake up," Jo tugged my arm and forced me to follow her into the kitchen. They'd made tuna sandwiches on bread from the freezer. I sat down next to her and didn't look at anyone as I ate.

"Where are you from?" Jane smiled at us. She was so kind, even after such pain had been experienced.

"Small town in New York. Nothing special," Tristan replied politely.

"How old are all of you again?" Jeremiah wondered.

"Eighteen," The twins said together.

"I'm nineteen as of last month. Imogen is only fifteen," Tristan took a bite of his sandwich to avoid my glare.

"Only fifteen?" Jane gasped. "You seem so much more mature than that!"

I blushed and picked at my nails.

"That's right," Declan realized. "You're only fifteen."

"Sixteen today," I whispered realizing what day it was. My birthday was today and I couldn't care less. Good thing no one heard, they just went back to talking about how life used to be.

I set my paper plate in the trash and used a wet paper towel to clean my hands off. Before I could shut the door to my room, Declan swung it opened and blocked it before I could leave. Arms crossed over his muscular chest as he looked me over.

"You didn't tell us it was your birthday," He frowned at me. I sat down on my bed in defeat.

"I had no idea it was a big deal," I glared, grabbing my book from the bedside table. Just ignore him and he'll go away...

"Just like how I didn't know it was a big deal to try and kiss you. Don't worry, I won't waste my breath on you anymore," His tone was harsh.

I shivered and stood up to face him. "You are so full of it, Blaze. Same you, too. Trying to play with girls even after the world ends. You're such a pig. Now get out of my room."

He left with a slam of my door.

I spent my abundant free time that night pouting like a child.

I seemed to spend a lot of time pouting over how much my life sucked now. Declan Blaze screwed with my life once and now I was letting him do it again. I wasn't even really mad at him anymore so much as mad at myself.

"You can't keep doing this," Tristan told me upon entering. "You let him get to you."

"Whatever," I kept my tone flat, as though I was unaffected by all of the chaos of the night.

"Not 'whatever'," He joked. "That word sends knives into my heart-"

"You poor, poor little baby," Sarcasm seemed to be the only response I was capable of now.

He laid down next to me with a smile. I curled up closer and let him rub my back like he used to when I was upset. Tristan was the older brother I never had and I was beyond grateful for him.

"Imogen, if you like him, let him in. If you don't, cut off all the ropes," He said after a while. "You're just letting him mess with you now and it isn't a good thing."

"You're right," I regretted admitting it, but he was completely and utterly right in an irritating way. "Can I go for a walk?"

"Be careful," Tristan handed me a gun and patted my shoulder. "Go through the window to avoid Declan."

I should've stayed.

The trees towered over me, rustling to the wind like a dance. I could hear the birds flitting from branch to branch. Water from the creek hitting the rocks, making the type of sound you'd hear on a relaxing sound machine.

It was colder than usual, my favorite kind of weather.

I hoped winter would fall this year. It hadn't last year, but I couldn't help but pray that maybe it could happen.

I slipped my jacket off my shoulders as I stepped closer to the creek. Bathing seemed appropriate at this time anyway. A camisole and shorts were all I was wearing as I slipped into the cool water and got the dirt off my skin.

The woods weren't overly quiet, so the water noise covered the sounds of footsteps approaching me. Hands grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me out of the water, dragging me along the beach. I screamed.

He covered my mouth and eyes as he shoved me into the van.

I managed one final cry before the doors slammed shut and the engine roared to life.

It took me a minute to realize what had happened.

I'd just been taken.

And I had no idea where.

Declan's POV

The night seemed peaceful even though I was in an awful mood. No Creatures had to be killed so it was just me and my thoughts.

She was on my mind. That girl who I loved and wished I'd treated her better.

I was glad to know she was safe. Even if she wasn't mine I knew that for sure.

Polishing my gun, I stood up and paced the driveway. All I could hear were the leaves dancing on the trees and the faint sounds of a creek somewhere in the distance. Everyone was in the house. I was just being paranoid about the twisting in my stomach.

Then I heard her scream. A bloodcurdling scream that tore me apart the minute it started. I only had time to call her name before I caught a glimpse of a van speeding down the road.

Author's Note- THE NEXT CHAPTER IS NOT FINISHED! I'll post it in two parts so part one will be up before hiatus after some editing. Never fret about the evil cliff hangers. I can't wait to see how it all plays out.... Question of the day: who's your favorite character? Bonus question: What do you want to see happen?