sorry I've been pretty inactive but I did just move to college lollll 

its pretty fun and I really do recommend leaving your hometown, not staying local.

Venus took a deep breath. She would need to in order to calm her racing heart. She stood at the door, preparing to knock. But how could she? She realized that there was only one direction she could go, and that was forward. And in order to go forward, she would need to forgive and forget. 

It would take time, for she wouldn't go pouring her heart out to the entire town. Although she hated to look vulnerable, she had to swallow her pride, and rethink her priorities.

She shook her head, feeling childish. She forced her hand to knock on the door, and waited outside for a couple seconds. She waited, and then turned on her heel when she heard nothing. A waste of time. Bitterness began to swim through her like a a school of fish making their way through a pond.  She eyed Reese's door once more.

As Venus reached the end of the porch, she heard the door open behind her.

"Venus!" Moira called out. And so she paused and turned around to see her old friend. She had her blonde hair in space buns, and for once she wasn't wearing that dark of makeup. She had liner rimming her eyes, but natural lips and no fake lashes. She wore a simple grey tee with some leggings underneath. She looked...like she was being herself, as she truly was.  The mask had come off. 

"You look different," Venus said flatly.

Moira gave herself a once over, and shrugged. "Fitting, right? Seems like everything is different now." She gave a small smile, and took it back, almost as if it would scare Venus away.

"Yeah, seems like it."

Moira crossed her arms, as did Venus. The two stared at one another. Tension cut like a knife. Moira's eyes stayed locked Venus, daring her to speak - to move. To do more than she had the past week.

"Why are you here, Venus?" Moira put a hand on her hip and waited. As Venus was about to answer, the words got caught up in her throat. It was like she remembered every second of her and Moira laughing. Both at the diner, at Venus's dilapidated apartment, or at bars. The rift in their friendship had hurt, little as they had tried to deny it.

And when realizing this, she came to the conclusion that Moira was her closest friend, despite how little they really knew about each other. 

"I guess to talk."

"About what? I tried to talk to you Venus. All you did was shut me out." Clearly Moira was still bitter about showing her vulnerability to her friend.

"Yeah because you pissed me off," She retorted. Moira was about to talk again, but said nothing. "Come in. Reece is busy and won't be home for a while." Venus nodded and followed Moira inside. 

She took in the homey feel and sat down on the couch as she had before. Moira did the same on the love seat, crossed her legs, and waited. No one spoke for what seemed like minutes. Finally, Venus had had enough.

"I'm really pissed at you for hiding things from me." She started.

"Yeah I got that, thanks. Anything else?" 

They narrowed their eyes at one another in stubbornness. 

"Before everything, were you really my friend? Were we even friends?"

Moira leaned back and sighed before uttering a "fuck" under her breath. "I think we were friends. I haven't had a whole bunch, but you and Will were the closest things I've had to friends. Well, more you than him, but still." 

Venus nodded, agreeing completely.

"I see. Well, as mad as I've been at you, I understand you had to keep your secret, and it wasn't yours to share. I get that. I'm trying to be understanding."

Moira nodded. "Add in that I never knew anything until Reese came along."

Venus nodded, feeling a little better.

"I think we should talk more about that. Venus, that night at the bar when you met Reese-"

"I know. I know something happened that I wasn't told." Venus remembered the night vaguely. Too much to drink, and a foggy ending where she laid in Demetri's bed by the end of the night in different clothes. The way the night went black after she went to use the bathroom.

"It was Wilson and Diego. They were lurking around the bar and well, they found you in the bathroom. They tried to attack you..." 

Moira kept talking but her words blurred. Instead of listening, her eyes blackened until she could hear and see what was happening that night at the bar. The way they'd came at her in the bathroom, and the terror she had felt.  That same fear seemed to build in her although she wasn't in that moment, but she had to gulp it down.

"-and then when Reese did what he could, Demetri came and obviously you were going to go with him."

"You let him take me?" She asked her.

Moira nodded nonchalantly. "I did. We did. At first I didn't want to. I had heard so many horrible stories about Demetri Williams. But I had seen the way he looked at you. It was almost sick...like you were...just...like it was against the laws of nature for you to come with us. Like we were doing something illegal by taking you with us instead of him."

Her explanation put a knot in Venus's stomach. This connection with Demetri needed to be figured out. The scariest part seemed to be that everyone around her knew about their connection.

"What did Reese do to me? Does he ever...do things to you?" She asked. Moira frowned.

"Reese is a good person. I know it's hard to believe right now, but he is." Her eyes hardened and try as she might, Venus couldn't find any other reason to ask Moira about Reese.

"I'm sorry I tackled you the other night," Venus said, looking down at her hands. She had felt bad for fighting with her, but she was so angry. She couldn't help it, she had to let it out.

"Me too. But it needed to happen."

Venus chuckled. "I guess it did."

"So, are we cool or what?"

Venus looked at Moira, studying her eyes. They were so sincere, and curious. Could she trust her again? Nothing was at it was before. But that was also how the world worked. It progressed, it couldn't go backwards, not really. Neither could the two of them, but perhaps they could progress together, and start fresh.

"If there are no more secrets. Then we're cool."

Moira smiled, and held out her pinky. "No more secrets."

The two had spent the afternoon talking about everything that had happened. In fact, Venus had told her everything about Demetri, which she admitted felt nice to get off her chest. Moira listened intently, eating up Venus's words like honey. By the end, Venus sat still, waiting to hear from Moira. 

"Damn. Okay. Well...what do you want to do now?"

"I've asked myself that so many times. But for some reason I just can't allow myself to forgive him right away."

Moira smirked. "Then don't." Although the words were simple, as well as the ideology behind them, Venus gasped. Of course she could just forget about him, but something in her made her hesitate. Had it been anyone else, they'd be out on their ass. And that brought Venus all the way back to square one; asking herself why she couldn't just treat him like any other person who had screwed her over.

"I'm surprised, I thought you would have told me to-"

"Suck his-"

"Moira! Ears!" Venus said, clasping her hands over her ears. The two laughed a genuine laugh.

"Seriously though. Not to bring up all the shit that's happened but...well you know everything now. This is your game, not his. You call the shots from now on." The more the gutter punk spoke, the more Venus was liking what she had to say. She was right. This was all Venus's game now. She would decide, officially, what was to happen next. She had done so with Moira, but it would be Demetri's turn. Should she decide that he gets one.

After talking with Moira, Venus left to work, getting a call from Marge. As she walked up the diner, she felt a piece of crumpled up paper in her dress pocket. She recoiled her fingers from the note as soon as she stepped into work. There, she saw Will talking with Brooke in the corner. It was a lazy Monday, with hardly any customers. 

As the door shut, Will looked over at Venus. Her heart swelled lightly at the view of him. He was innocent in this whole ordeal. The only friend who hadn't lied to her face, or wanted to use her, and she hadn't seen or talked to him in what felt like years. He smiled at her, and she felt like a small part of the world was still decent.

Punching in on the register, Will walked up to Venus. 

"Hey stranger," Will said with a smile. Venus smiled, putting a hand on her hip.

"Hey," she said back with a grin. Will eyed her up an down with a raised brow before pursing his lips.

"What? What's that face about?" She asked, losing her grin in her confusion.

He rubbed his chin then his head. "You just, seem happy?" He said. Laughing, Venus cuffed his shoulder. "I can't smile?" She asked. Will  rolled his eyes. "How dare you smile in my presence, what a disgrace, a dishonor-"

"Will!" The two laughed.

This, the familiarity felt like what she had called home. 

And in that moment, laughing with Will, she realized that this was home, although she had tried to shake the idea of a home from her head and heart all those years by herself. Yet this whole time, she wasn't truly by herself. Granted she didn't know these people as well as she believed she did, this was home. These people were strange and confusing. As far she knew, they were the same in that aspect. 

"Really, everything okay? You've been gone so much lately. I'm even resorting to hanging out with Moira now," Will said with a snort. Venus smiled. 

"I'll be fine. I wasn't feeling good lately, some type of flu or something but I'm getting over it."

"Well good," Will said with a charming smile, "I need someone a little less crazy to be around who doesn't make me want to bang my head into a wall."

The two laughed and began their shifts. 

The night had begun to pick up, and slowly she felt more like things were normal. She wished she could just continue on like this, working, laughing, and sleeping. But that was then, and this was now.

As the night was coming to a slow close, Venus heard one last customer came through the door. 

V E N U S

The three of us sighed in unison and then dragged ourselves outside into the dining area. 

"Dad?" Brooke stepped out in front of us and welcomed her dad, Landon. My heart froze and my breath was knocked out of me. His pale blue eyes first saw Brooke, then me. I could hear my heart beating in my chest, the sound mimicking that of a quarter horse on a race track.

The two blondes sat down at the nearest table, delivering a sigh from Marge who began to count the register.

Will began to clean, and it seemed like everyone had a job but me. I couldn't move, I could only stare at the Silvers. Landon's eyes peered my way as he talked with his daughter. I narrowed my eyes at him. I knew who and what he was. I wasn't to be made a fool of any longer.

"Venus."

Brooke called to me at the booth she sat at with her father. With lead feet, I forced myself to walk over to them. I hardened my face, and hovered over her and her dad. But I wouldn't look at him. I couldn't. 

"Can you sit for a second?" She asked. Her dad crossed his palms on the table and waited for me. His image often resembled that of a snake, with those cunning eyes.

I did as she wanted, taking a spot next to her. 

Sitting across from Landon Silver felt strange, knowing what I know. It almost felt like staring your captor in the eyes for the first time. He hadn't directly wronged me, but he would be willing to. 

"Venus. I'm sure you remember me," Landon started. With my silence, Landon continued.

"I would like to apologize for keeping you in the dark about what has been happening around you. However, now that you've been made aware of the situation within the town, I have a proposal for you."

I crossed my arms. 

"First, I must ask, why are you in this town?" 

His question shocked me, and I felt anger build into my body. "I owe you no explanations of why I'm here, nor what brought me here."

"Fair enough. I'll get right into it though. You know what we are," He motioned to Brooke, "and I know that if Brooke were in your situation, I'd want to do everything I could to guide her into the right path."

"If you think you're going to get me to pick your pack, then you're batshit crazy."

He scoffed but with humor written on his face.

"Just listen Venus, I wouldn't be allowing the two of you to talk if I didn't think it reasonable," Brooke said, pressing her hand to my shoulder. I shook it off, feeling cold towards her. 

"While I'd ultimately like for you to pick my pack, I have something I feel you'd want in exchange for your loyalty."

Humored, I raised a brow. "Oh, and what could that possibly be?"

"Your freedom. I can get you out of this mess once you give me your loyalty. The truth is, I don't need you to win a war. It's as simple as that. My pack has been trained at young ages in various skills.  But a side must be picked no matter the circumstances. If you know anything, your loyalty relies on that of a blood promise. Just a simple prick of the finger. You'd have money, and transportation to wherever you would like to go. Leave this behind, leave this diner, this toxic area of liars."

My stomach churned as he explained himself to me.

"What happens if I don't take this offer? You can't kill me. You won't." I leaned on the table, mocking his fingers.

"You're right, you cannot be harmed by my pack or Demetri's. But then there are Peacekeepers. Our government. If the council discovers that you are not going to choose a pack, they'll kill you off and wait until a new Guardian appears. And she will. She always does."

The thought of a random group of people with magical abilities ready to track me down made me nauseas. 

"Just think about it. You have no need to make a choice yet. The Great Battle will not happen until the snow sticks to the trees."

"Snow? It's October, and it never snows here."

"Things change the day of the Great Battle. It's a historic day that seems to repeat itself every time it happens. There is always snow, and there is always a choice to be made," Brooke explained with a sad look in her eyes. She pitied me, and as much as I hated that, I didn't have it in me to hate her. 

"If I were to leave, and take that offer of yours, how do you know that the Peacekeepers wouldn't just come after me?"

"I can make few promises. One is that you'll be safe from them. I'm pulling a lot of strings and it's a one time deal. I'll give you a week to make a decision. Think it over, Venus.  A life where you can leave this behind, and live for yourself, not for others." With that, Landon easily slid out of the booth, and left us there.

Brooke gave me a nervous once over. 

"I'm sorry it has to be this way," She said with a frown. 

"Yeah, me too."

I walked home that night with uncertainty as my shadow. Landon's deal was so enticing. To be free of everything in my past. However when I came to this town, I thought I'd already done that. How do I know that shit won't follow me to wherever I go next?

A few hours ago I had convinced myself that this was home, and now I was wondering if this was worth risking everything. I realized I wasn't ready to make any risks yet. No one knew me well enough, nor I them, to make such a choice.  

I would need to find out who was worthy of my sacrifices. Demetri had a lot of making up to do. Only then should I figure out what I needed to do.

I pulled the shabby note of from my pocket, reached for my phone, and dialed the number.

It rang a few times, and just when I was about to call it quits, he answered.  "Venus."

"Demetri."