“What are we going to do when Dad gets back?”

Terra’s eyes flicked in Alex’s direction as he spoke quietly to Kole a few feet away.  If he was trying to be secretive about the conversation, it wasn’t working.  Over the years Terra’d learned how to tune in on certain conversations, listen for certain sounds.  It’d been crucial when listening out for the guards over the cries of the girls in the prison wards.  Listening out for trouble had become instinct.  So it was only natural for her to tune in now on the boys’ conversation, listening to each nervous word.

“We could just hide her upstairs,” Kole replied.  “Dad never goes into our rooms.  He respects our privacy, remember?”

“Yeah, but you’ve been disappearing a lot lately,” Alex pointed out.  “You do realize that he notices that, right?”

Kole sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.  Terra knew that she was imposing on them, that she was creating quite a problem, but where else did she have to go?  She couldn’t just waltz into her old home like she’d never left.  She couldn’t do that to her mother.  She’d rather have Mary believe her dead than put her in danger.  These boys knew about the Government, what they did.  They put their own lives in danger just like she had.  Her staying here would make no difference whatsoever.

Terra tilted her head to the side, concentrating on Kole instead of the conversation.  She could see what Faye saw in him.  A fit build with a kind looking face.  Not only that, but she couldn’t help but feel like he was the perfect fit for Faye.  They had the same personalities, yet they were changing each other as well.  Terra didn’t know Kole all that well.  In fact, all she knew about him was the footage from the cameras.  But she could tell that through this whole ordeal he was changing.  He and Faye had transformed into different, stronger people.  And she knew that Alex could tell, too.

“Yes, I know he notices,” Kole muttered.  “I’m not stupid.  But, Alex, what other choice do we have?  I’m not throwing her out.  She’s Faye’s sister.”

Alex cast a glance in Terra’s direction.  Terra stared back unblinkingly, showing him that she knew exactly what they were talking about.  His eyes widened, and he seemed utterly taken aback that she had no shame in showing that she was eavesdropping.  What difference did it make if she knew or not, anyway?  They were going to tell her in a few moments anyway.

“I understand that she’s Faye’s sister,” Alex whispered.  “And I understand that we can’t just throw her out.  But this is getting really dangerous, Kole.  You heard the broadcast—”

“And Terra said we could find a way around it,” Kole whispered back.

Terra felt her lips prick into a small smile.  Kole put so much faith in her, she thought distantly.  And why?  Because Faye did.  Faye would put her life in Terra’s hands, and Kole would undoubtedly do the same.  Terra probably should have felt a huge weight on her shoulders, but she didn’t.  All she could feel was the utter amazement that after all of these years Faye’s love and trust never wavered.  Even after she found out all Terra hid through the years, she still loved her more than really anything.

Terra didn’t know what she’d do without Faye.

“But what if Terra can’t find a way around it?”  Alex visibly tensed.  “What if they push us back against a wall and there’s nowhere to run?”

“There’s always a way to run,” Kole said determinedly.  “Even in the prison wards there are ways to sabotage.”

“Not if the punishment is death, Kole.”  Alex’s eyes seemed to plead with his brother to see, and Terra felt a tug on her heart.  Their bond was strong, Alex’s and Kole’s.  As strong as hers and Faye’s.  “What if they catch you and put you to death?”

“Then I die and you get pissed off,” Kole said, cracking a small smile. 

“I’m serious.”

“I know.”  Kole sighed.  “But we can’t concentrate on the dangers, Alex.  Not when we’re doing what’s right.”

Alex sighed deeply, bringing a hand down his face and shaking his head.  “I know that you’re young and this is a huge adventure for you.  And I know how deeply you care for Faye.  I get it.  And I encourage it.  Hell, I think this is the best thing that could ever happen to us.  But the second your life becomes threatened, we’re done.  Do you hear me?  I am not going to let you die because of a girl.”

Kole laughed softly.  It wasn’t a laugh with humor, no.  It was a bitter laugh aimed toward this whole situation as a whole.  “But Alex, don’t you get it?  My life has been on the line this entire time.  And I knew that.  And I think it’s worth it.  And you must too because you haven’t stopped me.”

Alex froze, his eyes wide.  It was like he was just realizing how much he and everyone had risked.  “It didn’t hit me until now,” he admitted.  “Kole, I’m just—”

“Worried, I know.”  Kole put a hand on Alex’s shoulder.  “But that doesn’t change anything.  Because right now what we have to concentrate on is hiding Terra, keeping all of this from Dad, and how to get the girls over the Gate without anyone noticing.”

Terra stood up then, stepping toward the boys with a determined look in her eye.  Kole and Alex both looked up as Terra moved forward.  Apprehension was clear in Alex’s eyes.  “I promise that the second your father suspects there’s someone else here, I’ll leave,” she said.  “And he won’t.  Because I’m good at hiding.  You may not think it because I ended up getting stuck in the prison wards, but I am.  And,” she added, a smirk pricking up on her lips, “I do have a plan on getting the girls over the Gate without anyone noticing.  That is, if you’re willing to hear it.”

The | Gate

“If you had let me kill her right from the beginning this wouldn’t be a problem.”

Courtnie’s fingernails dug into her palm as she glared her brother down.  They stood in front of Terra’s empty cell, one on either side of the door.  Courtnie couldn’t bear to be in touching distance of Fortis right now.  If she was close enough, she’d probably tear his eyes out.  This was his fault.  His fault.

“If you didn’t insist on keeping up with this pointless battle, none of this would be a problem.”  Fortis returned her glare.  “You don’t get it, do you Courtnie?  All of these people here hate us because you’re obsessed with a pointless cause.”

“Don’t turn this on me!” Courtnie practically shrieked.  “This is about Terra escaping, not you losing sight on what’s important.”

“Me losing sight on what’s important?” Fortis seethed.  “Jesus, Courtnie—”

“Shut up,” Courtnie snapped.  “Just shut up.”

What were they going to do?  That was the question.  It’d been Courtnie’s idea to broadcast a message to Cesve stating no one was allowed in the woods.  Terra was probably laughing her ass off right now, Courtnie thought bitterly.  She was probably enjoying herself immensely, wherever she was.  She could have been anywhere.  Anywhere.

However, Terra escaping wasn’t the only problem.  Her escaping meant that she wasn’t working alone.  Who was helping her?  Who aided this escape?  Were they inside the building right now?  Did they work here?  It was impossible to tell at this point.  Somehow Terra had managed to take control of all the cameras, even the security cameras in the building.

“I told you it was her fault the cameras were down,” Courtnie hissed.  “I told you she’d tampered with them.  But no, Terra is innocent because she’s your blood.”

“I understand that you’re upset, Courtnie—”

“Upset?” Courtnie spat.  “I’m beyond upset, Fortis.  You wish I was upset.  No.  I’m far past that.”

“Well, whatever you are you have to get over it.  Because that’s not going to bring Terra back.”

Courtnie smiled maliciously.  “And she’s not coming back.  When I find her, I’m going to kill her.  And you can’t do anything to stop me.”

Fortis opened his mouth to object, but Courtnie was already gone, spinning on her heel and storming out of the prison wards, back to her office.

The | Gate

“Are we sure this is going to work?” Faye whispered into her cell phone as she tiptoed down the stairs.  It was almost pitch black, making it very hard to see as she navigated her way through the house.  Under normal circumstances Faye wouldn’t be out and about so late, but this was not a normal circumstance.  No, now was the time that called for her to be out and about at two o’clock in the morning.

“I’m sure,” Terra replied.  “No one should be awake at this time of night, so no one will see you coming.”

“But what if they are awake?” Faye asked softly.

She’d asked this question many times of course.  It’d been three days since Terra and Kole called, telling her the plan.  Errika and Faye insisted on waiting a couple of days before attempting, seeing how everyone’s guards were bound to be up due to the broadcast.  The people of Cesve weren’t stupid.  Everyone would know that Courtnie only broadcasted that because it was a measure she had to take.  Three days didn’t seem like a long enough wait, but Faye knew that they couldn’t afford to wait any longer.  Courtnie was obviously going to start searching for Terra sooner than later.

“They won’t be,” Terra assured Faye lightly.  “And if they are—which they won’t—just act like you’re not going into the forest.”

“Where would I be going?” Faye challenged.  It wasn’t to make it difficult for Terra.  It was a legitimate question.  She wasn’t one to think of a good lie on the spot.

“You’re going to the store because you’re on your period and ran out of tampons.”

Faye blinked.  “It’s quite alarming how fast you came up with that,” she told her sister as she made it to the bottom of the stairs and headed toward the kitchen.  She grimaced as she whacked her knee on something unknown, bending over and biting down on her lip to keep from swearing.  She just hoped that no one heard that. . . .

“Are you okay?” Terra asked, concern appearing in her tone.  “What was that?”

“I banged into something,” Faye muttered.  “I’m fine—”

“Faye?”

Faye spun around, her eyes wide as they landed on Kat.  Kat’s hair was all out of place as though she hadn’t cared enough to pull her hair back properly before finding out what the fuss was about.  This shocked Faye more than it probably should have.  Kat’s appearance seemed to mean everything to her, yet she’d rushed down here like this was more important.  She must have really wanted to catch Faye in her wrongdoings.

“Kat,” Faye whispered harshly.  “What are you doing up?”

Kat’s expression hardened.  “I could ask you the same question.”

“Kat, I really can’t afford to talk to you right now,” Faye snapped.  “Please, just go back to bed.”

“And what, let you sneak out?” Kat snapped back.  “Where are you going, Faye?  Why are you sneaking around all the time now?  What are you hiding?”

“Kat—”

“Faye, you have to hurry,” Terra said softly.  “We don’t have much time to get you out of the forest on the other side before people start waking up for work.”

Faye paused, inwardly groaning.  Terra was right of course.  Not only did Errika and Faye have to get to the Gate from their side without anyone noticing, but they also had to get to Kole’s house without being noticed.  She legitimately could not afford to stand here and have a conflict with Kat right now.  “Kat,” she muttered.  “I need to go.”

As Faye turned to leave, Kat grabbed onto her arm.  “Nuh-uh,” she hissed.  “Where are you going, Faye?”

“Okay, I don’t like this kid anymore,” Terra said with an irritated voice.  “We don’t have time for this.  Put me on speaker.”

“But Ter—”

Faye’s mouth snapped shut.  Holy shit.  Had she just slipped Terra’s name?  She’d ruined everything now.

“Ter?”  Kat pulled away, letting out a gasp.  “Do you mean Terra?  Faye, she’s dead.”

Faye could hear Terra sigh.  “Put me on speaker, Faye.”

Faye bit her lip before doing as she was told, knowing that she was going to regret it immediately.  What was Terra going to tell Kat?  Kat couldn’t have her life put in danger as well.  Kat may have been annoying, but she wasn’t that annoying.

“Kat?” Terra’s voice came from the receiver.  “Can you hear me?”

“Who are you?” Kat asked softly, fear clear in her voice.  “And what are you and my sister up to?”

“Honey, I’m afraid that’s none of your business,” Terra said lightly.  “Now I need you to do something for me.  I need to you to walk your butt back upstairs to your bedroom, and I need you to go back to bed.  Because it is quite important for Faye to leave now.  And, while you’re at it, don’t tell your mother about this because there isn’t really a need to.  Faye will be back soon enough.”

Faye felt her stomach tighten.  The irritation was evident in Terra’s voice, and she could all but imagine the annoyed expression on her face.  Terra was never one to get irritated with Faye, so this was new.  Even though the annoyance wasn’t directed in her direction, it still made her uncomfortable. 

“You’re Terra, aren’t you?” Kat whispered.

“Go to bed, Kat,” Terra said, the light overtone leaving, replaced with pure agitation.  “Now.”  Her voice directed at Faye now, she continued, “Faye, hon, please ignore your sister and hurry.  We don’t have much time.”

Terra hung up.

Faye snapped her phone shut and placed it in her pocket.  Her eyes collided with Kat’s, and she knew that Kat had no doubt in her mind that that was Terra on the phone.  “Don’t tell anyone about what just happened,” Faye said coolly.  “Do you understand me?”

“I thought Terra was dead.”  Kat’s voice trembled.  “You and Mom said she was dead—”

“She is dead,” Faye snapped meanly, her hands flying in the air.  “Dammit, Kat, you’re going to get me killed.  I’m leaving, now.”

Faye spun around and ran for the door, not at all caring about being quiet now.  Kat had cost her precious time.  Time that she did not have.  And now she had to rush to Errika’s house before it was too late.  Otherwise they were doomed.

The | Gate

“Terra talked to Kat on the phone?” Errika hissed as they snuck through the night.  “Is she crazy?  That was such a bold move.”

“Terra’s bolder than anyone we know,” Faye whispered.  “Does it really surprise you that she did?”

Errika fell silent, her footsteps the only sound coming from her as they continued down the street.  Their only source of light came from the assorted street lights.  The stars and moon seemed to be blocked out by clouds, only making this seem so much more frightening than it was.  Worried thoughts cluttered Faye’s mind.  What if Kat ran and woke up their mother?  What if Kat told their mother that Terra was alive?  That thought disturbed her most of all.  If Kat told their mom that Terra was walking around, how would Mary survive that?  To know that the past seven years had been a complete and utter lie?

“Kat knows it was Terra on the phone,” Faye said. 

“I don’t doubt that.”

“What if she tells my mom?” Faye demanded, shooting an anxious look in Errika’s direction.  “My mom will never survive that, Errika.  You know that.”

Errika glanced Faye’s way, and Faye knew that Errika agreed with her.  Losing Terra may have been unbearable, but finding out your daughter had a secret agenda and was arrested by the Government that’d been lying to everyone about everything would be worse.  And having to explain how Faye found out Terra was alive. . . . She wouldn’t be able to do it.  That would put everyone’s lives at risk.  “She won’t tell your mom,” Errika said finally.  “She’s too afraid.  If Terra can come back from the dead, what else can she do?”

Faye nodded, but she wasn’t convinced.  Kat could be really stupid.

She just prayed that she wasn’t that stupid.

The | Gate

Courtnie typed away at her laptop, her eyes narrowed.  She had no doubt in her mind that Terra had come in here and copied all of her files, no doubt in her mind at all.  The fact that her copy of 27 Dresses only proved that.  Over the years Fortis brought down the movies in hopes of winning Terra’s affections.  Though it never worked, she did enjoy watching the movies of both boys and girls together in harmony.  A gross, utterly wrong harmony. 

“Aha,” she muttered, clicking onto her computer history and pulling it up.  No one, not even Fortis, knew just how advanced her computer was.  It was disguised as an ordinary laptop—no different from anyone else’s.  But, in reality, it had a high tech security system that could track every single action that was done on the computer. 

Flash drive – copied all of information on device, the history read.

Courtnie sat back in her chair, her eyes narrowing even further.  Where had Terra even gotten a flash drive?  How had she managed to destroy things even from inside a cell?  And how had she managed to convince someone to let her out of her cell without them being so terrified of being caught that they refused?

She clicked onto the Flash drive part of the history message, swiftly reading the information on it.  Her computer could read all of the information on it, even when and where it was last used.  The latest technology really had its perks.

Apparently there were enough gigabytes on the flash drive to hold the entire camera system, various viruses that could be injected into different software, and the entire contents of Courtnie’s laptop (which held more data than any computer in Cesve).  Courtnie read on, an evil smile growing with each word.  Oh poor Terra, her mind cooed.  That poor, mindless little girl.  She had no idea about the power Courtnie held, had no idea that she could still track her even though she was long gone.

She had no idea about anything. 

That was the best part.  Terra might have thought she knew everything with her little smirks and her gaze that said she knew more than you did, but she didn’t.  And it was because of that that she was going to go down.  Courtnie would bring her down.  And she would enjoy it.

Courtnie’s eyes landed on a certain piece of information and she grinned.  I’ve got you, Terra Caldwell.  I’ve got you.

The | Gate

“How much longer are you going to be, exactly?”

Kole barely looked at Zander as he crowded with everyone else around the computer screen.  Terra moved swiftly through the files as she tried to find the one she was looking for.  Part of Kole felt sorry that they were using Zander’s place the way they were, but most of him couldn’t be bothered to care.  This was the only place they could go without any family members really discovering anything.  Zachary wouldn’t go on the computer even if he could.  He was the type of boy who enjoyed going outside, not playing video games.

“Chill out, Zander,” Terence muttered briskly as Terra paused to read over some information.  Kole squinted, attempting to read what she was looking at.  It looked like a list of people.

“Is that my name?” Faye asked suddenly.  “What is this?”

Kole’s eyes glided over to Faye.  Her red hair seemed especially red today.  Maybe it was the extra fire she seemed to hold lately.  Or maybe it was the new way that Kole was looking at her.  He wasn’t just looking at her anymore.  He was seeing her.  He was seeing the greenness of her eyes, seeing the way her hair flowed down toward her hips.  He was seeing her curves, the shape of her jaw as she spoke to Terra.  He could see her now for what she was: utterly beautiful, utterly perfect. 

“It’s a list of everyone in Cesve,” Terra replied.  “It states the citizen’s name, the father’s name, the mother’s name, and then any siblings they have.”

“Who are my mom and dad?” Faye asked, her eyebrows creasing.  “I mean—Mom is my mom, but—”

“I know what you mean, Faye.”  Terra gave her a half-smile.  Her eyes held so much respect for Faye, Kole noticed.  Terra was truly a great sister, he knew that.  To be trapped in the prison wards and never lose sight of what was truly important . . . that was amazing.  If Kole had been trapped in there for so long, he would have been driven mad.  But Terra didn’t.  She kept going, kept plotting and waiting for the moment when she could be reunited with Faye again.  He respected her on so many levels and he barely knew her.

Terra paused as she read over Faye’s information.  “Your mother is a woman named Cecilia Banks, and your father is a man named Caleb Frost.”

Kole froze before muttering a, “Frost?”

Everyone spun around to face him.  Kole’s eyes flicked to Alex swiftly before returning back to Terra’s and Faye’s.  “My last name is Frost,” he said.  “Does that mean Faye and I are . . . related?”

Terra laughed, shaking her head.  “No, you’re not related.  You’re not really related to your father, or to Alex.  I’m guessing your father and Caleb are related, though.  I’ve seen pictures of your dad and the eyes have a resemblance to Faye’s.”

Kole shook his head, not comprehending anything that Terra was saying.  Well, he comprehended it a little, but not much.  How could he not be related to Alex, to his father?  They were his family, the only people that he was ever close to.  It seemed utterly ridiculous that they weren’t related.

“Do I have any blood-related siblings?” Faye asked.

Terra nodded.  “Yes, you have a sister.  Her name is Tannie.”

Kole watched as Faye’s eyes widened.  She was remembering Tannie, he realized.  She knew this girl, had interacted with this girl.  What was that like—interacting with a sibling and having absolutely no idea you were related?  Had that happened to Kole?  Did he have a blood-related brother, a blood-related sister?

“That annoying girl from the Campout?” Errika exclaimed.  She whistled through her teeth.  “Wow, I’m sorry to hear that.”

Terra snickered.  “Why don’t we see who you’re related to, dear Errika?”

Terra scrolled through the information for a few moments before she stopped, her eyes widening.  Kole leaned forward and his own eyes widened.  What?  “Oh my god,” Terra whispered, awe and amusement clear in her voice.  “Well, that totally makes sense.”

“What?” Errika demanded immediately, pushing forward so that she could get a better look.  “What is it?”

Kole turned to Alex.  Of course, he thought.  Of course.  They looked so much alike; it made perfect sense. . . .

“Errika, why don’t you turn around and give your older brother a hug?” said Terra. 

Errika spun around, her eyes locking on Alex.  Alex seemed utterly confused for a moment, but then realization lit in his eyes.  At first they just stared at each other, but then Errika rolled her eyes, grabbing Alex by the arm and pulling him to her, wrapping her arms around him.  Kole almost laughed as Alex hesitated before hugging her back.  This was his first time hugging a girl, he thought with more than a distant amusement.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Zander demanded again as the siblings drew apart.  “Anything in particular?  Or did you just steal all of Courtnie’s information for the hell of it?”

“Zander, what’s your problem?” Terence demanded, cocking an eyebrow.  “You’re usually chiller.”

Zander glared.  “It’s almost four o’clock in the morning and Zachary could wake up at any minute and see us all crowding around the computer like a bunch of idiots.  So excuse me if I’m a little rushed.”

Kole stared at Zander.  He’d changed a lot since his dad got tossed in the prison wards.  He’d become more responsible, more cautious about what he did and when he did it.  Zachary was all that really mattered to him now.  Zachary’s needs were what came first, not theirs.  And Kole didn’t blame him for that.  If he were in Zander’s position, he probably would act the same way, too. 

“I took all of Courtnie’s files because she’s bound to have something that we can use,” Terra said.  “She’s the head of the Government on the girl’s side.  She has all of the information on Cesve that she could possibly have.”

“Is there any information on why we’re separated?” Seth asked.  He was acting strangely kind for someone who had a serious temper problem.  He always seemed ticked off nowadays, but today he was perfectly fine.  “Like, why they’re doing this in the first place?”

Terra twisted around in her seat.  Kole watched as her eyes flashed, and a deep anger bubbled inside of her.  She hated the Government so much.  Kole hated the Government, too, and with each day he despised it even more.  But Terra?  Her loathing was on a completely different level.  Her hatred had time to settle, to simmer, to grow.  “Oh, you guys didn’t know?” she asked, her tone bitter.  “The reason they keep us apart is to prevent what’s going on between Faye and Kole.”

Kole’s eyes locked on Faye, and hers locked on his.  He felt his fingers tingle, and his heart began to beat faster in his chest as he thought of his lips on hers, of kissing her on the porch.  He wanted to kiss her again, wanted to hug her and hold her hand.  But he couldn’t do that right now.  It wasn’t the right time.

“What?” Terence demanded.  “Is something bad happening to them?”

“No.”  Terra shook her head.  “They’re falling in love.  And the Government doesn’t want that to happen.”

“Why?”

The question came from Zander.  He had his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw working.  His father was put away because of this.  Kole knew that Zander was going to be pissed that the reason they kept the two genders apart was a completely idiotic one.  Families were torn apart because the Government wanted to prevent love?  Why?

“Because a long time ago,” Terra explained, “the Government found that love was destructive.”  Her eyes locked on Kole.  “Would you die for Faye?”

“Yes,” Kole said without even thinking about it.  And, as the words left his mouth, he realized they were true.  He’d die for her in a heartbeat. 

Terra nodded, a small smile curling on her lips.  “Good,” she said.  It was like she expected him to say that.  And, seeing how well she read people, he didn’t doubt that she did.  “And can you imagine your life without her?  Can you imagine yourself with anyone else but her?”

Kole’s eyes made their way to Faye again.  “No,” he whispered.  He felt a pierce in his stomach at the thought of having a life without Faye in it.  He’d known that feelings were brewing inside him, but he didn’t know just what they were or how strong they were.  The thought of losing Faye . . . it was worse than really anything he could imagine.

“Do you want to feel like this about anyone else?”

“No,” Kole said immediately.  “Of course not.”

Faye smiled at him, and he smiled back.  She felt the same way, her eyes and smile were telling him.  She couldn’t imagine a world without him in it, didn’t want to.  It was impossible, unbearable, out of the question.  She wanted to be with him, and only him.  He didn’t really know what that meant, but he loved it.

“People back then felt the same way,” Terra said with a nod.  “And rightfully so, too.  Love is a beautiful, powerful thing.  But when people lost love, some people never recovered.  In occasions such as a break up, a divorce, or a death, boys and girls alike went out of their mind.  Many people killed themselves because of it.  There was a time when so many people were killing themselves because of love that the Government decided to take action.  Cesve was born.  Volunteers built the Gate, and boys went one way while girls went another.  Books were burned that had both boys and girls in it, movies, too.  Every connection between boys and girls was broken. 

“However, there was one problem: reproduction.  In order for the human species to not run out, people still had to reproduce, to have babies.  So, when lovers were trying to go over the Gate to see each other, the Government came up with a plan.  Why not just arrest them and have them do the reproducing?  No one had to know.  And so it began.  And now it’s still continuing hundreds of years later.”

Everyone was silent.  Kole brought a hand through his hair, letting out a long breath of air.  To think that these feelings stirring around inside him were the reason for why girls and boys were separated.  It seemed utterly ridiculous—so completely stupid.  It was one thing to try and prevent people from killing and hurting themselves, but to separate them completely?

He couldn’t believe it.

“That’s so stupid!” Errika exclaimed, her hands flying in the air.  “Why did people just work out their problems instead of avoiding them to the point of this?”

“I don’t know, Errika,” Terra murmured.  “Maybe if you were alive back then they would have.”

Errika sighed.  “Hell yeah they would have.  Like I would have let them do something so incredibly stupid.”

Kole couldn’t help himself from laughing.  Errika’s face was turning red with anger as she threw her arms around and ranted.  It got to the point where Faye had to shush her out of fear for waking Zachary up.  At this Zander shot her a grateful look.  Errika continued ranting, however, just at a lower decibel.

“It’s getting really late.”  Faye glanced around, her eyes wide.  “It’s getting dangerous, staying here.”

Terra nodded.  She stood up, wrapping her arms around Faye quickly before holding her out at arm’s length.  “You go home and get some sleep.  I’ll call you if I get any information.”

“I’m not putting you on speaker phone again,” Faye told her, cracking a small smile.

Terra rolled her eyes.  “That girl needs to get ahold of herself, honestly.”

The two girls hugged again before pulling away completely.  Terra gestured with her eyes for Kole to follow them out, and Kole complied immediately, falling into step beside Faye as she and Errika made their way for the door.  Kole’s hand slipped over Faye’s as they exited the door and stepped onto the porch.  Faye smiled brightly at him.  He smiled brightly back.

“I don’t understand how this could be a bad thing,” Faye said, tilting her head to the side.  “If anything, this is the best thing that could happen to anyone.”

Kole brought a hand through her hair, his eyes devouring her face.  He didn’t understand it.  “I don’t know,” he murmured.  His hand came to rest on her cheek.  “But we have it now, and that’s all that matters, right?”

Faye nodded.  Kole grinned before bringing his lips to hers in a kiss.  Unlike last time, it wasn’t awkward, wasn’t completely confusing.  It was perfect.  As their lips moved together, and Faye’s arms wrapped wrong Kole’s neck, Kole felt as if nothing could ever get in his way.

“Kole,” Faye muttered as they pulled away.  Her eyes had darkened, a deep concern brewing within them.  “I have a bad feeling.”

Kole’s hands, which had found their way to her waist, tightened their grip on her.  “A bad feeling?” he asked.  “About what?”

Faye shrugged.  “I’m not sure, exactly.  I just feel like something bad is going to happen.  Something really bad.”

Without really thinking about it, Kole brought Faye into an embrace.  Her arms wrapped around him tightly, and he found himself bringing a hand through her hair.  It was like his body knew what to do more than he did.  “Everything is going to be fine,” he assured her. 

Faye pulled away.  Her eyes drifted toward Errika where she was waiting at the bottom of the porch.  Unlike last time, Errika seemed uneasy, as though she was actually afraid of getting caught.  “Okay,” she said softly.  She tossed Kole a brief smile.  “I’ll see you soon.”

And with that, Faye was gone, hurrying down the porch and to Errika, where they soon disappeared out of sight as they rushed down the road back toward home.

Kole sighed, bringing a hand through his hair.  Faye had been right to feel the way she did.  To feel like something was wrong, like something terrible was about to happen.  Deep down, Kole felt it, too.