MEET CHRIS

Slowly, he knelt to the ground, pulling me closer. His jaw was flexed and determined with my waist clutched between his hands. He warned, “I'm going to kiss every inch of you." While he rubbed the tips of his face across my stomach, circling my naval, air escaped from the groan in my heart, until it felt like I couldn't breathe. The base of my neck titled toward the ceiling, as he kept his promise, one caress after another. And when my eyes closed, the umbra of silence crackled between us. There was no rush in him. Nothing holding either of us back. Complete ataraxia overtook my body, and an unexpected tremble pulsed through the seat of my spine, even though he hardly touched me. Sensations spread, heating up the hallow of my stomach. The way he grazed over my skin was incredible. His mouth parted like gentle feathers, tickling, igniting my wild. As much as I wanted to escalate, to ravish him, he wouldn't let me. He took complete control of our sweet rhythm together.

CHRIS'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

He pressed a button on the wall, which allowed the

ceiling to open wide. The night was strikingly boundless, 

twinkling in every direction. My gaze drowned in its luster . . . its 

perplexing formation. For several moments, I was in awe of 

the rainbow of darkness, exuding from the array of diamonds, 

which sprouted from the very ground we stood on. 

“We don't keep the stars in our pockets,” Chris uttered. “We 

look in the sky and stare at them.”

*

CHRIS 

Sweat, metal, and the scent of blood. The sound of water dripping.

I wasn't the first one to see these black walls. 

TTSP Novel Sneak Peak

Chatoyant vases and pottery equipment were scattered on the floor, the same way it’d been in the attic. Scraps of old yellow wallpaper, once expressive and bright, were now muddied, stained, and shriveled. Jennifer had obviously attempted to make this place look cheerful, but the room reeked of death. Burnt decay was trapped between the walls, etched in the remains. Because the roof was missing and the ground was cluttered with scorched items, there wasn’t much room left to move around in. I noticed the shoe prints were gone too, so I imagined them leading towards the table where the pie had been . . . where Jennifer’s body had deteriorated in my dream. From where I stood, I could see the edges of the table tucked behind the living room sofa. Stumbling back, I caught myself on the nearest wall.

“Are you alright?” Chris asked.

For a moment, I closed my eyes. The dream was real. There was no more blaming the pills for my hallucinations. These so-called coincidences had proven themselves valid: the crow statue, the key-locket, the scarf, and the mysterious letters were leading me closer and closer to her. Missy knew it. I knew it. And Chris knew it.

“I'm here for you,” he said. 

 I nodded, getting the chills across my arms. “This is where she died.”

MEET JACK

"The ungrateful twat won't last a second without my money." 

"You've worked with me for a long time, Chris. You've become like a son to me. If you asked for the sky, I would give it to you on a plate. Most of what I've built at the Cove is because you've been at my side, like a loyal prodigy. You've amazed me, up until now. I was about to give you my world. Which is why it's such a shame to see it go to waste because of your weakness for something you can't have. You my boy don't have what it takes to be with Calise. Would you let go of this inheritance, this fortune of taking my place, all for some childish fantasy that's already forbidden?

And you know it's forbidden."

Rest in peace DAVID BOWIE
January 8th 1947 - January 10th 2016

MEET TRE

“It’s not about getting the bags,” he explained. “It’s about not getting caught. Missy’s job, her whole mission in life is to snatch this flag off your pocket. If she’s successful, if you can’t outrun her, you lose. It doesn’t matter if you come back empty-handed as long as this rag is still hanging from your ass.” He pointed to the five trees I’d be climbing; each one held a 

small black pouch. "Capiche?"

*

How you move your body is not as

important as the feeling. You should know this.

INVINCIBLE

My friends were part of me, and it was natural for me to stick up for them. No matter what, I was going to defend them, because I knew who we really were. Blue was not a criminal. Neither was Tre, or Kevin, or Chris. Or me.

We were supernatural. We were invincible.

With this realization, the back of my neck burned, and I started reading the actual words on the sheet. Sure enough, they were building a case against my crew for multiple counts of identity theft and robbery. Charlie’s brother had definitely spied on them and taken their photos. The center of my world sharpened. Like a pencil point, I was focused on everything around me, and I sat there, keeping a straight face. There was no point in giving Charlie the slightest satisfaction of thinking he had a case, because he didn't. I knew the truth, and there was no accusation in the world that could shake me down.

 “Is that all?”

He studied me with a squint in his eye, as though calculating my tension level. Which was zero to none. “You're calling these people your friends. But really, they're crooks. It's simple. Either they're hiding the truth from you.” He sounded like he’d spent most of him time imagining they were guilty. “Or you're in on it.” He smiled, fully assured he was right. He'd given me a mouthful of something he didn't completely understand.

As I put the folder down, I was ready to enlighten him; to give him an honest piece of my mind, so he could remember this conversation for the rest of his life. In a low soft voice, I finally replied, “You're wrong.” 

Keeping my voice low was important, because I was absolutely right about his wrongness. Nothing in this folder could shame or take away the true spirit of who these people were. “This is crazy talk. Complete rubbish. I don't believe you would bring me here and accuse my friends, and myself, of being crooks. It's not true.” 

MEET BLUE & KEVIN

"Oh brother. So what. Are you guys like a thing now? Great. Absolutely perfect. 

Should I say congratulations?"

“Aye, Coach. Would you tell this girl 

I’m as loyal as they come?”