It's been 2 hours since the plane took off and I was already yawning. Don't sleep! Yeah. I know. "You look tired. You should sleep." Stefan, who was sitting beside me, busy watching the view outside, suddenly said. I had to beg him to take the window seat. I know I went sky diving but I was still getting used to heights. "You don't want me to." I rolled my eyes as I suppressed another yawn. "And why is that?" He turned towards me.

"If I sleep on a plane, I am sure to puke when I wake up. That's why I hate airplanes." I sarcastically smiled at him. "Is that so?" He smirked. I just ignored him as I continued my search to watch my next movie. The Thompson's had already reached Toronto. Stefan was the only one left behind as I desperately wanted to spend my Thanksgiving with my mom and Ethan before they leave. So he stayed back for me. I finally found a good comedy movie and started watching it.

**********
"So, why does your aunt have a yearly party here? Does she live here?" I curiously asked. "Nope. But they own a lot of hotels here. And we normally used to have the party at our clubhouse but you know what happened. The fire and all." He shrugged. After a tiring flight, we had finally reached the hotel we were going to stay for the next three days. And I was ready to sleep!

Due to the time difference, it was 5 am in the morning here, while it was still 2 am in California. "You should get some sleep. You look tired." Stefan said as he unlocked the door with the room card. "Yeah. I will. So in which room are you staying?" I asked. "This is my room." He informed. "So, which is my room?" I raised my eyebrows. He just shrugged. "Please tell me we are not staying in the same room," I whined. "We are," Stefan smirked. "Why!" I groaned. Okay. This may not be a totally bad thing. Shut up!

"I forgot to book two rooms okay?" He said. "Why did you forget? Just go down there and book another room." I growled. "Why Princess? Scared to share the room with me?" He smirked as he stood up and walked towards me. I just rolled my eyes. Unfortunately, he did not take the clue and kept moving towards me. "Stefan!" I whined as I stepped back but I was blocked by the wall. "Are you afraid to share a room with me, Princess?" He asked. He was standing not one inch away from me, staring right into my eyes. His eyes moved towards my lips and I felt the air around us tense.

Ignore him.

Kiss him!

Ignore him.

Kiss him!

Ignore him.

Kiss him!

Ugh!

Gathering up all the strength I had, I punched him in his stomach as soon as he was about to kiss me. He stumbled back and I released the breath I was holding. Thank god! I plastered a smirk on the face even though my insides were still churning from our staring contest. "I am not scared of anything, Stefie. I just don't want you to sleep outside in the corridor when I kick you out of the room. But, I guess you don't have a choice."

"Say whatever you want, Princess. The truth can never be hidden for long." He smirked. I just rolled my eyes and made my way towards the washroom to freshen up. I had lost all my sleep after the staring contest.

**********
"So, what are we doing today?" I asked Stefan. We had had our breakfast and now, we were currently roaming in the streets. "Well, I don't know. We could go and do some shopping if you want." He suggested. "Me?" I pointed to me. "And shopping?" I raised my eyebrows. He just shrugged in response. "Well, no. I dont want to go shopping. What are Sean and Selena doing?" I asked. "Mom said they are still not used to the Toronto timings. So they still sleeping." He informed.

"Okay. So what do we do? You are supposed to think of something." I shrugged. "Well, there is a famous aquarium around here. We could go there." He suggested. I dont know but I felt something was odd with him. He was always looking here and there, like someone is going to come out of nowhere and kidnap us. I stopped walking and turned towards him."What's wrong?" "Wh-Nothing, Nessa. Just keep walking." He shrugged.

"No. Something's definitely wrong. You never call me Nessa. How much ever I tell you, you still call me with your stupid nickname for me." I rolled my eyes. "Ne- Princess. Its nothing. Let's just keep walking and we'll reach the aquarium." He never made eye contact while talking. That means something was bothering him.

"How about we not go to the aquarium and go back to the hotel?" I asked him. His expression immediately changed at my words. It was like wanted to go back. Why didn't he just say so?! "Grea- I mean, are you sure?" He asked. "Yes. Something is bothering you and it will keep bothering you when we go there to the aquarium. Plus I have already been there. So, yeah. Let's go back to the hotel room." I shrugged and turned and started walking back towards the hotel.

We entered our room and I immediately went towards the bed. I heard Stefan chuckle. Good. His mood was back. "So, what do you want to do?" I asked as I lay on the bed. "Well, I could think of a lot of things to do." He hoarsely said. Yep! Stefan is back. I just rolled my eyes as I picked up the hotel pamphlet from the side table and started browsing through it. Suddenly, we heard a knock at the door. A very energetic Selena came into the room.

"Nessa!" She came in and hugged me. "Hey, girl! How are you?" I smiled. "Awesome." She grinned. "I am here too, you know. The least you could say is a 'hey'." Stefan glared. "Aww. Is Stefie jealous?" I cooed. "Hey, Stefie! Didn't see you there." Selena flashed an innocent smile. "Stefan!" I heard another voice and I saw Sean come running towards Stefan and hug him. "Now, you are my real brother." Stefan glared at us. Selena made a fake sad face, acting like she was about to cry. And surprisingly Stefan bought it.

"Hey! Dont cry! You are my sister too." He smiled as he engulfed Selena into a hug. I just sat there, smiling at them. Okay. Now you are missing Ethan arent you? Oh, my stupid brain. You know me so well. Well, I am your brain after all!

"Nessa! They have a huge swimming pool here. Want to go swimming?" Selena asked. Stefan answered before me. "Oh. No. She doesn't like swim-" "I am in. I would love to go swimming." I smirked at Stefan who was glaring at me. "Me too. Stefan, are you joining us?" Sean asked. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Stefan rolled his eyes. "Awesome! Come on Sel. We'll meet them at the pool." Sean said as he grabbed Selena and pulled her out of the room.

"I thought you didn't like swimming?" Stefan asked. "Well, you were wrong. I love swimming. How else can I hold my breath underwater for four minutes?" I raised my eyebrows, referring to our time at the cliff. "Okay. No need to remind me of that." Stefan playfully glared. I just chuckled as I stepped into the washroom to get ready.

I came out to see a shirtless Stefan standing in front of me. He was on a call, so he didn't know I was standing there. Why did he have to be so hot?! And why was he shirtless?! Duh! You are going swimming! I know that! "Take a picture, Princess. It'll last longer." And Stefan caught me drooling. Excelente! "There is nothing worth taking a picture of. I have seen way better." I smirked. "Whatever helps you sleep at night," Stefan smirked. I just rolled my eyes and made my way out of the room, towards the pool.

*********
I am standing in a warehouse. Emma is sitting there, tied up to a chair. A man comes and beats her with a belt. Her is blood everywhere. He starts to undress her. "Emma! Leave her alone!" I shout. But nobody seems to hear me. I try to move but I can't. It is like I am paralyzed or something. "Emma!" I shout. The man hits her again with a belt. She screams. "Nessa, help me!" She cries. "Emma! No!" I can't help her. I can't move. The man removes a knife and starts cutting her neck. She screams in pain. "Help!" I shout. "Somebody please help!" The man laughs. Just then Ethan stands in front of me. And suddenly we reach an unknown street.

"Ethan! Where are we!?! I have to help Emma!" I shout, but he doesn't seem to listen. "Ethan!" I call out for him. Suddenly, I hear three bullets being shot. And Ethan starts bleeding. "This is all your fault." He says. "Ethan! Someone help!" I shout for help. By now, Ethan's whole shirt is drenched in blood. And he slowly starts losing his balance. "This is all your fault." He says. I don't understand anything. Why is he saying that? I try to reach for my phone, but my hands are somehow already occupied. I look down to see me holding a gun. I am the one who shot Ethan!?! No. It can't be. Ethan is laying down. Dead. And it's all my fault. "I am so sorry Ethan! Please forgive me!" I scream. I hear some footsteps coming towards me.

I see my father walking towards us. "Dad! Help!" I shout. But he comes towards me and slaps me. "This is all your fault." He says. "Help him, dad!" I shout. But he doesn't listen. Out of nowhere, my mom appears beside my father. "Mom! Help him! Help Ethan!" I scream. "You are no one to me. You are just a stupid girl. This is all your fault. You are a useless tool, who can't even protect her own brother." My mom glares at me.

Suddenly, the whole world turns red. Ethan and Emma are standing in front of me. There is a knife in Emma's heart. Ethan is vigorously bleeding. "This is all your fault." They both say. My parents appear beside them. "You are no one to us. You are useless." They both say. "Noo!" I scream. Just them someone is pulling me from behind. I am unable to see him. He pulls my hair and drags me into a room and chains me to the wall. Then he comes and stands in front of me. Anthony? "Anthony! What are you doing?" I scream.

"Hello, Sweetheart!" He smirks as his hands start roaming my body. "Stop!" I scream. I try to release myself from the chains but nothing happens. Suddenly, I hear a click and one of my leg's is free from the chains. I use it to kick Anthony away and I remove all the chains. "Dont you dare move." I hear Anthony say and I look up to see him pointing a gun at Stefan's head. "No. Please. Dont hurt him." I beg.

"Oh, Sweetheart. You are right. I shouldn't hurt him. He at least has some worth. Do you really think you are worthy of him? You are nothing but a little piece of sh*t. You are so worthless that even your birth parents didn't want you. Your adoptive parents are also tired of you. And Ethan. I pity him. He has to stay with you. So, I'll end everyone from their misery and kill you." He smirks as he lets Stefan go and points his gun at me.

I look at Stefan. "Princess. You just have to wake up. Okay?" I am totally confused at his words. Before I can reply, another person steps behind Stefan, with his gun pointing at him. "You are worthless. You are the reason everyone is gone. Selena, Ash, Ethan. Everyone." "This is all my fault." I sob. I am the reason my parents divorced. I am the reason Ethan has to stay away from Shirley. I am the reason Stefan couldn't travel with his family. I destroyed everything. This is all my fault. "I am sorry," I say to Stefan. "Wake up, Princess." Is the only thing I hear.

Suddenly, the man behind Stefan cocks his gun and before I can do anything, he shoots. "You see. Wherever you go, destruction follows. I am doing the world a favor." That is all he says before he shoots.

And I wake up.

Stefan's POV

We had just finished dinner. I and Princess were back in our room, arguing over who is going to sleep on the couch. I dont mind sleeping on the bed with her, but I am pretty sure, I won't be able to control myself. "How about we play a game of rock paper scissors and decide who sleeps on the bed and who doesn't?" She smirked. "Rock, Paper, Scissors?" I raised my eyebrows. She can't be any cuter can she? "Yep." She said, popping the 'p'. "If you win, I sleep on the couch. If I win, you sleep outside." She added. "Why outside?" I rolled my eyes."It is what it is." She smirked. "Okay. Whatever. I am going to win anyways." I smirked and we started playing.

After five rounds, I lost by one point. Well, that happens when you are overconfident. Shut up! "Well, the door is that way," Princess smirked. I raised my hands in surrender and start walking towards the door. "Aren't you going to take something to sleep on? Like a pillow or something?" She smirked. I just rolled my eyes. I don't plan on sleeping outside. I was going to crash the twins' room. "Whatever floats your boat." She chirped as she lied down on the bed and I walked out.

**********
I seriously should have taken my cell phone when I had the chance to. Now, I am pretty sure I am going to wake Princess up. She is a very light sleeper. As I neared the room, I heard some noises coming from inside. I quickly rushed inside. "Stop!" Princess screamed. Oh no. She was having another nightmare. "No. Please. Don't hurt him." She said. Who is him? Think about that later! First, wake her up idiot! Yes. Right. I rushed over to her.

"Princess. You just have to wake up. Okay?" I called as I shook her. "This is all my fault." She cried as more tears started flowing down her cheeks. No. Please dont cry. "I am sorry." She sobs. Sorry for what? "Wake up, Princess." I shake her. Come on! Wake up! And her eyes open and she bolts right up. She is still shaking vigorously. "Princess..." I slowly call out. Her heads snapped in my direction. And then she does a thing that makes my eyes fall out of their sockets- she smashes her lips on to mine.

What the f*ck is happening?!

She is kissing me!

Princess is kissing me!

Nessa is kissing me!

Vanessa is kissing me!

Vanessa Macbeth is kissing me!

Vanessa freaking Macbeth is kissing me!

VANESSA FREAKING MACBETH IS KISSING ME!

Okay! I think we got the idea! Now kiss her back! Right! I was about to kiss her back when she suddenly pulls away. It was like she just realized what she was doing. She shuts her eyes tight and shakes her head, like to make her thoughts fall in place. Then, I think she realizes something as she snaps her eyes back open. She gets up and rushes out of the room. Wait. What? Is she okay?

As I run after, I could hear her muttering something. She rushes towards the elevator but after seeing that its not moving, she runs towards the stairs. Damn! That girl is fast as f*ck!

We have reached the hotel lobby when I finally catch up to her and hold her back from going any further by wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into my chest. "Leave me! I have to make sure they are okay! Please just leave me!" She screams. "Shh. It was just a nightmare." "I have seen them I have to make sure they are okay. My mom, Ethan, Ash, Lena- I have to make sure they are okay." She says, now in a more calm manner. "Everyone is fine." I console her.

"No. No. No. No. This is all my fault. This is all my fault." She starts crying. No. Please don't cry. I have seen her have many nightmares when Ethan was at the hospital, but this is different. "H-he killed them." She sobbed. "Princess. Calm down. Its all okay. Everybody's safe." "Anthony- he killed them and its all my fault." She closes her eyes as if to calm her down. "Princess. It was a nightmare. Everyone in fine. Everyone is safe." I said.

She is the strongest girl I have ever seen. She is smart and beautiful and many more things. And I can tell you from experience that you should never be on the receiving side of her punches. And when it comes to the people whom she loves, she will do anything for them. But she is scared to lose them. She already lost someone close to her and is scared to lose anyone else. But the thing I don't understand is that why is she so scared. It's not like someone is going to come to kill her because she is a part of some gang or something like- "I am sorry I kissed you." She sighed.

By now, we had reached back to the hotel room. She was sitting on the bed, while I was just standing, staring at her. "You okay?" I ask her and she nods. "Just a little bit embarrassed. Thats all." She shrugged. "Hey! You dont have to be embarrassed. I am just glad you are okay. And you cannot control the nightmares." I shrugged. "But I can control what I do after I wake up from one." She sighed.

She is talking about the kiss. Okay. Calm down, Stefan. She is referring to the kiss- which you did not return. I know! No need to remind me. But how I am supposed to react now!? Stop freaking out! I can't help it okay. I have never liked any girl as much as I like her. So I can't help it. "I ran out like a psychopath." She said.

Okay. She is not talking about the kiss. Why is she not talking about it?! Calm down! I take a deep breath to calm myself. "Are you okay?" I asked her. Talking always helps her feel better. And I love the fact that she trusts me with her thoughts. She does not trust anyone that easily.

"Anthony." Was the only word she said. "Can I ask what happened between you and him?" I know I should not ask about him, but I just couldn't help it. "When I first moved here, I was homesick. I was missing my home in Australia so badly that I couldn't focus on anything else. So we made a little trip to Australia for me. That time I met Anthony. And I hate to use the phrase but at that time, it felt like love at first sight." She scrunched up her nose in disgust. I sat down beside her and nodded, telling her to continue.

"We returned back to California but I just couldn't wait to go back to Australia and see him again. So, during Christmas, we made another visit. During that time, we spent a hell lot of time together. And he asked me out on New Year's, under the fireworks." I could see her smile remembering the memory but she immediately straightened her face. Well, if you ever want to ask her out, better keep your standards high up. I plan on it.

"Months flew by and I again went to Australia during the summer. There, I understood that he had cheated on me. We were having a long-distance relationship. He was my first boyfriend, and I kind of blamed myself. So I forgave him. But I had already sensed something different in him. End of summer, he tried to have sex with me. I denied it. Then he did what he does the best- force me. I ran away from him. The next day, he texted me that he was sorry. I denied his apologies. The next thing I know is he comes to my house, drunk. I was not there, so tried almost to kill my mom. But you know, she is my mom. She hit him. Hard. He was admitted to the hospital for a whole two months." She chuckled.

"Well, the Macbeths do hit hard." I chuckle. She just shrugged and laid back on the bed. "Since that day, whenever I went to Australia, he would find me and try to hurt me. But I am capable of taking care of myself." She smiled. "Or at least I thought so." She muttered. If I wasn't paying attention, I wouldn't have even heard it. "Hey. You can take care of yourself. You are the strongest person I know. Okay? Never doubt yourself." I assured her.

She just smiled and then a yawned. I