CALISE'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

He was my hero, my friend, and my coach. He was also someone I trusted with my whole heart. When he told me they were never romantically involved, I believed him. Bottom line. He couldn’t possibly be the one responsible for writing these love letters to Jennifer. Sure, they were poetic and sweet at first, but the last letter sounded threatening and possessive, like the mysterious author could've gone to drastic measures to keep Jennifer to himself. I knew from experience, Chris wasn’t the possessive type.

CALISE'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

I'd been under the impression our relationship would only be a

professional one. The day he asked me what I wanted, I tried to 

play it cool. I hadn't admitted how I really felt. Good thing my 

feelings overrode my lame attempt to be cool.

TTSP Novel Sneak Peak

         A curl fell over my eye as I stood directly in front of him,  

dropping my bag. “I missed you."

This time he gaped at my lips as though they were edible and made for him alone. "Me?" 

Being with the crew today was like having vegetables before dessert, and somehow hanging out with them was preparing me for something far more delicious . . . like Chris was always the prize, lingering inside everything I did. “Even when you're somewhere else, it feels like we're together. Thanks for letting me meet Melissa, by the way,” I added. “She's really pretty.”

This amused him somewhat. “Hmm." Folding his arms slowly, he added, “She's my cousin.”

Out of surprise, I covered my mouth and asked, “Your cousin is here?” No one even mentioned their relation to each other. Somehow I must've missed this one small (important) detail. Now, as I searched his profile, I realized they both looked noticeably similar. “Wow. It must be cool having your cousin here. I thought family members weren't allowed." 

He nodded and replied plainly, “She's an exception. She turned a few years ago. It rarely happens, but it's nice having a piece of my old life, something to remember my old city by.” At the mention of his old city, he stood a bit taller than usual, rounding his shoulders.

“Where's your old city?” I was interested to know where a person of his caliber emerged from.

“D.C.” His gaze was openly inquisitive, searching through mine. “Tonight, I never left the ceremony," he admitted solemnly. "I ended up watching you until it was over. I couldn't stop looking at your sweet face.” The back of his hand found its way on my belly, making it tremble from the sudden collision of his touch. “I have something for you,” he uttered.

“You could've come out the shadows and danced with me,” I finally said.

"I don't think so," he replied. Then he whispered underneath my hair, "You were my star tonight." 

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