The Keeper 9

3 Months Later

Bella was panting heavily, sweat on her brow, and her body trembling slightly. Katerina was straddling her hips with her hands pinning Bella’s wrists above her head, and breathing just has heavily. They stared at each other for a few moments.

“How was that?” Bella asked once her breathing was somewhat under control.

“It was pretty good, but you can do better,” Katerina replied. Bella lightly hit her head on the mat beneath her.

“Damn it. I can’t get it right,” she growled in frustration.

“Relax, Bella. It’s only been three months. It took me years to get to where I am and that was with practicing for four hours every day. Be patient,” Katerina replied as she stood up, helping her girlfriend up as she did so. “Let’s take a small break, clear your head, and then we’ll try again.”

The two girls walked over to a bench and downed some water from their water bottles. It’s been about three months since Bella’s birthday and the couple have been growing closer and closer as the weeks passed. Bella still hadn’t told her mom, but she was beginning to think that Diane suspected something. Bella had caught her staring at the two of them whenever Katerina came over for dinner or when they were watching a movie with Bella’s mother; it was as if she were observing them and trying to hide it.

Bella also had no plans on coming out in high school, at least, not to anyone outside of her circle of friends. She normally didn’t care about what others thought about her, but she’s seen how cruel teenagers can be to homosexuals in high school and she wanted to avoid such torment. Katerina was very understanding and never pressured her to come out until she was ready.

The seventeen year old watched her girlfriend out of the corner of her eye and felt the now very familiar feeling of lust rising up in her. Katerina was slightly sweaty and she was wearing tight black sweats that hugged her curves perfectly. Her black tank top clung to her torso in all the right places. She watched a bead of sweat slowly make its way down her neck and in between her breasts beneath her top.

Things have heated up in physical department between the two girls. Several make out sessions have become much more steamy and intense since they first started out. Bella has been scared to take things any further; further being able to touch Katerina intimately. Every time she tried, she backed out at the last second. Katerina had noticed some frustration with Bella and wanted to help her, but she also wanted Bella to move forward when she was ready. She never wanted to pressure Bella, but it had started to take its toll on her. The nineteen year old like to think that she had total control over her body, but when it came to Bella, she was so close to losing it when they were physical. Her libido demanded she take things into her own hands, but she wanted to move at Bella’s pace.

Katerina took a deep breath to control the moisture that had started to grow in her nether regions. She turned to her girlfriend with a smile.

“Ready to go again, sport?” she teased. She had learned that the younger girl disliked the nickname and looked extremely beautiful when she scowled every time she heard it. Katerina saw Bella’s brow furrow with an almost glare. Katerina winked and quickly pecked Bella’s lips to stop her protest, then jumped up to start again.

Katerina and Diane had been very serious on Bella’s birthday about starting martial arts classes. The nineteen year old had tried to refuse Diane’s money, but the woman insisted. So, Bella was taking self defense classes at a reduced rate, at Katerina’s persistence, three times a week from Katerina. Bella couldn’t see how much progressed she had made, but Katerina was adamant when she told her girlfriend she was doing as well as to be expected, which was true.

After every lesson, Katerina and Bella would go out on a date whether it was going to the zoo or seeing a movie or taking long walks in the park near Katerina’s apartment. They’re relationship was going extremely well. Bella knew that she could very easily fall in love with Katerina and was well on her way.

After the lesson that day, the couple decided to head over to Katerina’s apartment to watch a movie and eat dinner. Tonight’s movie was Shawn of the Dead. Both have seen Dawn of the Dead and loved that one, so the comedy version was a lot of fun to watch. Bella and Katerina loved watching movies at home together. It allowed them to just be together and not worry about Bella’s mom suddenly appearing when if they were making out or cuddling.

Currently, after each had showered to get rid of their work out sweat (Bella had clothes at Katerina’s apartment for just that reason), Bella and Katerina were lying on the couch in the living room with Katerina slightly sitting up against the arm rest and Bella lying between her legs against her chest. Katerina had her arms wrapped around the younger girl as she held her close. She loved nothing more than then to hold the girl in her arms for hours on end, inhaling her intoxicating scent. Both were so comfortable, they doubt even an earthquake could make them move.

The couple laughed and giggled throughout the movie. When it was over, they both stood up and went to the kitchen to start making dinner. Katerina had also been teaching Bella how to cook and that night, they decided to make lasagna.

Bella loved cooking with Katerina. It was fun and educational, but she also felt so comfortable and at home when she was doing something so domestic with her girlfriend. Sometimes, she would picture the two of them several years later in a home in the suburbs with a few kids, still cooking dinner together. It was at these times when Katerina would ask her what she was smiling about. Bella would give her a secret smile, softly kiss her lips, but didn’t answer.

One of the things that Bella and Katerina loved most about their relationship was that they never ran out of things to talk about. They could talk for hours and hours about anything and everything. But they were also comfortable to just sit in silence without any pressure to speak; content with just being in each other’s presence.

“Want to pop in another movie? It’s the weekend, so I don’t have to be home until later,” Bella suggested once they had finished doing the dishes from dinner.

“Sure, sounds great. You can go pick out one. I’ll finish these up,” Katerina replied with a smile. Bella dried her hands, then went to the living room to choose from the hundreds of movies that Katerina had stored in the coat closet, which only had three coats (two for Katerina, one for Bella).

The younger girl looked through her choices, wondering what she felt like watching. She smiled mischievously when she saw Freddy vs. Jason.
Horror! Perfectly cuddle friendly movie she thought as she pulled it out.

She looked at the back. It looked gruesome, but she would put up with disgusting images in order to get as close to Katerina as possible. Not that she needed an excuse, but it was nice to feel safe in her girlfriend’s arms.

She put the movie in and sat down just as Katerina came into the living room.

“What did you put in?” she asked, sitting down next to the younger girl.

“You’ll see.”

After an hour into the movie, Bella was pretty much lying on top of Katerina, her face hidden in the crook of the nineteen year olds neck. Katerina held the girl and rubbed her back in an attempt to sooth her. She tried hard not to laugh as she heard her girlfriend squeak in fear when she saw a scary part.

“Why did you pick this movie when you know you’re easily afraid of horror films?” Katerina asked after a particularly gruesome part.

“I don’t know,” came Bella’s muffled reply since she was, once again, hidden in the crook of Katerina’s neck. The older girl chuckled at her girlfriend’s antics.

“Well, I do know of something that can take my mind off of the evil, scary killers,” Bella whispered as she traced Katerina’s ear with her lips, barely touching the skin. Katerina shivered.

“Really? And what would that be?” she asked as she tried to remember how to breathe properly.

“It’s better if I show you,” Bella whispered before she started sucking and nibbling on Katerina’s ear lobe. The dark haired girl moaned in approval.

“That—that works really...well,” she whispered. She found it hard to put her thoughts into words as her mind spun.

Bella absolutely loved the taste of her girlfriend’s skin. It was a drug that she easily became addicted to and always tried to get her fix as often as she could. She moved down slightly as she started to lap at Katerina’s neck with her tongue and grazing her teeth against her pulse point, which was racing.

Katerina’s hands had found their way underneath Bella’s shirt so that she was rubbing the deliciously soft skin of Bella’s back. She gently dug her fingernails into the skin whenever Bella hit a particularly sweet spot and moaned when she felt her teeth against her pulse. She wanted so much to touch Bella more intimately, but was afraid that Bella would get upset. However, after three months of waiting and warring with her hormones, that night they finally won the battle.

Katerina slowly moved her right hand up Bella’s bare side, gently tracing her ribs when she felt them. She felt and heard Bella’s breath hitch slightly, but she never stopped kissing her neck. When she didn’t hear or feel her girlfriend try to stop her, Katerina moved forward. She nearly gasped when she felt the bottom of Bella’s bra and the swell of her breast. Waiting only a few more seconds to give Bella a chance to stop her, Katerina moved her hand up. She cupped the bra encased breast and gently massaged and squeezed it. Bella gasped and her breathing became ragged as Katerina lovingly caressed her. When Bella pulled away from Katerina’s neck, the older girl began lightly kissing and sucking her girlfriend’s ear lobe, which made Bella moan quietly. Katerina traced the lines in Bella’s neck, across her throat and up her neck. She eventually made her way to her lips and they kissed passionately and hungrily.

Bella’s mind was spinning and her body was in overdrive. She’s never felt so aroused in her whole life nor has she felt so good at the hands of someone else. She used one hand to affectionately grabbed Katerina’s neck to pull her into a deeper kiss, while the other hand slowly rubbed up and down Katerina’s body. She really wanted to take off the older girl’s shirt so she could feel the smooth skin she knew was waiting beneath it, but, instead, she pushed her hand underneath the raven haired girl’s shirt. She marveled at the smoothness and softness of Katerina. She wanted to taste every inch of skin on her beautiful body.

Katerina felt Bella’s hand on her bare skin and shuddered. She’s never been so attracted to someone; no one has ever been able to make her feel this way before. She continued to massage her girlfriend’s breast, but she wanted more. Her hormones were greedy that night and they demanded skin on skin contact. She decided to take a chance as her hand gently made its way underneath the bothersome bra.
Thank God Bella hates wired bras. This makes it a lot easier Katerina thought dimly in the back of her mind.

Bella felt her eyes slightly roll in the back of her head when she felt Katerina cup her breast without a bra hindering her. She moaned into Katerina’s mouth. When she felt Katerina slightly tease her quick hardening nipple, Bella pulled away gasping for air. She looked into Katerina’s eyes and saw lust, need, and love. Bella was barely aware of her actions. She was sitting up and pulled Katerina with her. At first, Katerina thought she had gone too far and was worried that Bella was upset. Those thoughts were soon dismissed once Bella attacked her lips with renewed vigor. She was nipping at her bottom lip with her teeth, forcing Katerina’s lips open for her tongue to push through. The older girl moaned at the sudden aggressiveness Bella showed.

Bella straddled Katerina’s hips and imbedded her fingers into the older girl’s hair. She pulled her close as she kissed her with passion that Katerina hadn’t seen before. Bella ground her hips into Katerina’s, who moaned as fire spread throughout her whole body. She slid both hands up Bella’s shirt to begin caressing her breasts again, only a bit more aggressively than before.

Bella was nearly delirious with arousal. She only just had enough self control to not take Katerina completely right then and there. She was about to make a move towards Katerina’s breasts herself when there was a knock on the door.

“No,” Katerina whispered. Her head fell back against the couch and her eyes were squeezed shut, clearly distraught. The knocker rapped the door again.

“You should get that,” Bella said as she moved off of her girlfriend. She took several deep breaths and Katerina walked to the door, muttering angrily. She opened it to find her elderly neighbor Eileen smiling at her.

“Hello, dear,” she said.

“Eileen. Hi,” Katerina greeted.

“I’m sorry if I’m interrupting something, but I’ve seem to have misplaced my key to my apartment and I need to call the locksmith,” the older woman said.

“Yeah, sure. No problem. The phone is straight through the kitchen. I’ll get the phonebook for you,” Katerina said, allowing the woman to come into her apartment.

“Oh, you have company. I’m sorry to bother you,” Eileen said, seeing Bella on the couch, watching the end of the movie. She turned the TV and stood to introduce herself.

“Hello, ma’am. My name is Bella. How are you doing?” Bella asked, smiling politely.

“Nice to meet you, dear. My name is Eileen, Katerina’s old and forgetful neighbor,” the woman replied, smiling as she shook her hand.

“It’s no bother that you’re here, Eileen,” Katerina said.

“You’re such a sweetheart, Katerina. Well, I won’t be too long. Don’t let me get in the way,” the woman said, taking the phonebook Katerina gave her with the number marked.

“Take your time,” the nineteen year old said. Eileen went into the kitchen.

“I should get going, Kat,” Bella said.

“You sure? I mean, you can stay if you want,” Katerina suggested.

“No, my mom will be wondering where I am soon, plus I have some homework to finish.
I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“All right,” Katerina said reluctantly. Bella put her shoes on and grabbed her jacket.

“Bye, baby,” Bella said with a quick, chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.

“Bye.”

Bella started to leave, but Katerina grabbed her hand before she could make it out the door.

“Look, I’m sorry if I went too far...you know, back there,” Katerina whispered. Bella smiled softly and raised her hand to stroke Katerina’s cheek.

“You did nothing wrong. I promise, I am anything but upset about that,” the younger girl replied. Katerina beamed.

“Good. Have a good night, Bella.”

“You too, Kat.”

One more soft kiss and Bella left Katerina alone with her elderly neighbor.




Author's Note:
I am sorry! that it took so long. I hate that I made you guys wait. However, I think I will be updating much quicker, so yay!
I liked this chapter, although it's not my favorite. I've done a lot of explaining in the past chapters and not so much physical moments between Bella and Katerina.
Coming up soon: some drama happens at Bella's school and she does something that has severe consequences at school, home, and with Katerina. Don't know for sure if they will be in the next chapter, but they will happen over the next few ones. Hope all is well and sorry again for the wait.

Wild Cat

Target Chapter 2

“Hey, Alexis,” came a cheery and very familiar voice for one I only heard for the first time yesterday. I turned away from my British Literature textbook to see Target right next to me, her happy smile aimed right at me. We were in our second period waiting for the bell to ring.

“Oh, hello Target,” I said cautiously. I remembered what she said last night in the store and I really hope she was kidding, but she probably wasn’t since she was talking to me this morning.

“How are you?” she asked. I couldn’t believe that someone was so...awake at nine thirty in the morning.

“Fine. And you?”

“Pretty good. How was the rest of your shift?” she asked, her smile still there.

“Kind of boring,” I replied, telling the truth.

“Oh, that sucks. Did you get your History homework done?” she asked.

“Yeah. That’s what’s great about slow, boring shifts. You can get your homework done,” I replied, surprised that she remembered we shared the class.

“That’s always a bonus. Maybe I’ll come visit you the next time you’re bored on your shift. Can I see your phone?” she asked. Target was hitting me with all of this information so quickly, I barely caught what she was saying. For some reason, I didn’t even think about not listening to her and complied to her request. She took my phone and started pressing some buttons.

“What’s your number?” she asked, her own cell phone in her hand. I rattled off the area code and seven digits for her, which she quickly added to her phone and she gave mine back.

“Yay! Now I can talk to you whenever. Too bad I can’t see you blush over the phone,” she added giving me a wink. I blushed and avoided eye contact. She giggled madly.

“Oh, my God. That will never get old,” she said when she calmed down.

“Glad I could be of service,” I muttered. I cleared my throat. “So, you were serious about the uh...blushing thing? You’re really going to do that?”

“Of course. When I say I’m going to do something, I usually back it up. Unless I say I’m going to skydiving tomorrow, then I probably won’t,” she said, giggling slightly. Then, she gasped. “Wait, do you want to?” Target asked.

“Want to what?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Go skydiving? That would be so much fun, don’t you think? Yeah, let’s sign up for classes!” she said, looking like she was about to start trembling with excitement. I vaguely wondered if someone could break their face from smiling so much.

“Uh...I’d rather not, if that’s okay,” I said. Her smile disappeared and her face was genuinely sad. I felt my heart wrench. I knew that I hated to see this strange girl sad and I never want her to feel that.

“Oh, why not?” she asked, looking slightly defeated.

“I’m terrified of heights. I’ll pass out in the plane,” I said, speaking the truth. I’ve done it before when I had the window seat.

“Really?” she asked, looking like a curious puppy again.

“Yeah, I did it when I was twelve,” I said, blushing. She started giggling again as the red tint on my face appeared.

“That’s okay. I wouldn’t want you to pass out,” she said, her smile back as if nothing happened. I returned her smile with my own. I was right. I was going to get along with this girl just fine.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of class, and Target glided her way to the desk next to me, which was empty. I felt like smiling again when she did this.

Looks like I have a new friend I thought happily to myself.

Throughout the rest of the day, Target and I walked each other to our classes, talking and laughing the whole way. The new student was incredibly funny and was very much in touch with her inner child. She wasn’t immature emotionally, but she was so easily amused and I could make her laugh with just a blush, which I think I broke a world record of how many times someone can blush in a few hours.

“Come on! Let’s eat outside! It’s beautiful,” she declared, taking my hand and dragging me to the front of the school, not letting go until we were seated in front of a large Maple. I normally eat with my group of “friends” (we only hang out at lunch and barely say anything to each other), but all of them always ate inside.

“So, what do you do for fun in this town?” Target asked, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I shrugged, digging into my pizza.

“There’s not a lot to do activity wise. Some people go to Hartford and see a movie or go to a club there, but it’s forty five minutes away so I normally don’t go. Personally, I just hang out at someone’s house and chill; have a movie night or something like that,” I explained.

“Cool. I haven’t had a movie night in so long. Let’s have one this weekend!” Target exclaimed, grinning up a storm. I raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously?” I asked.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, looking like that confused puppy again. I had a sudden and very strange urge to pet her hair like I would when a puppy was being adorable.

“I don’t know. You don’t even know me. I mean, we only met less than twenty four hours ago,” I pointed out. Target rolled her eyes and then laughed.

“That’s the idea, silly. To get to know each other,” she said happily, throwing her arm around me and gave my neck a playful squeeze. I couldn’t help but laugh. This girl was perpetually happy and it was rubbing off on me already.

“Well then, when you put it that way, I would love to have a movie night with you,” I said. She withdrew her arm and pumped it in the air in victory.

“Awesome. You can come to my apartment. I want you to meet Rose. She’ll love you. After school on Friday, let’s go to the movie store and that shop you work at to pick up the supplies,” she instructed, looking very serious suddenly, as if we were talking about war strategies. This only made me giggle.

“Supplies?” I asked.

“Duh! We need goodies. Chocolate, popcorn, soda,” she listed off. She gasped. “Can we get Twizzlers? I love Twizzlers!”

I laughed because of her child like attitude. I haven’t laughed this much with someone in a long time and it felt incredible. I was really going to like being friends with Target, blushing or no blushing.

“I suppose we can get Twizzlers, but only if you behave,” I admonished as if talking to a little kid.

“Aw,” she huffed and crossed her arms. Then, she turned to me and smiled mischievously. I suddenly felt nervous.

“What?” I asked. She only stared at me, her smoky gray eyes with their foggy swirls bored straight into my eyes, as if trying to stare deep into my soul.

“Can we please get Twizzlers?” she asked. Actually, it was more like a purr. Her voice was low and her eyes were growing more hypnotic every passing second. I couldn’t look away, no matter how hard I tried. I was speechless and stunned.

“Alexis. Please?” she asked, her face inches from mine, her breathtaking eyes never blinking or breaking their gaze.

“Yeah, of course,” I whispered, my lungs strangely forgetting how to work properly.

“You promise?” she asked, her still voice purring and low.

“Yes, I promise,” I said. I wasn’t even sure what I was promising, but I knew that I should do whatever she asked.

Then, the eyes were gone, their hypnotic spell broken. I was still stunned and blinked several times, completely confused as to what just happened. I was taken from my reverie by a fit of giggles and turned to look to at Target.

“Wha—what the—what in God’s name was that?”I demanded, raising my voice. I was trembling slightly from what just happened.

“I just bewitched you,” Target said, winking at me and continued laughing.

“How did you do that? What—I don’t—” I stuttered, only making Target laugh harder.

“It’s a secret weapon I have. It has yet to fail me. I just look into someone’s eyes and make my voice all low and pleading. If I want something bad enough, I pull out my witch-y side and they succumb to my will. Do you even know what you promised me?” she asked.

“Something about...Twizzlers,” I said. “You asked if we could please get Twizzlers.”

“Good, you remember. I’ve actually had people forget what they agreed to,” she said, giggling and started eating again.

“But...how do you do it?” I asked. “Because I would love to learn.”

“I don’t know. I think it has to do with my eyes being such a strange color,” she stated. I could agree with that statement, except I didn’t like the word strange.

“They’re not strange. They’re beautiful,” I said shyly, looking at my hands. Target was quiet and I was afraid I offended her. I glanced up and she was biting her lip and playing with a blade of grass. Then, my mouth opened slightly when I saw her that her cheeks were flushed.

“Are you blushing?” I asked.

“No,” she said and looked away. I burst out laughing.

“Serves you right, since you keep making me blush nonstop,” I said. Target turned to look at me, closed her eyes, and stuck her tongue out like a five year old, which only made me laugh harder. Soon, Target joined me and we giggled like little kids in front of the high school.

That’s when the bell rang.

“Come on, Target, time to get back to class,” I said, standing with my garbage.

“Aye, aye captain,” she said, giving me a mock salute. I only chuckled and shook my head.

Author's Note:
So, there's the second chapter of Target. I hope you like it. I really enjoy writing Target's character. She's probably one of my favorite character's I've ever written about. Peace out :D

Wild Cat

Taken Away Chapter 3

When she made it down stairs, everyone was at the table waiting for her. She sat down next to Bethany and across from Alyson, who had Olivia next to her. Blake picked up her spoon and was about to begin eating, but Olivia cleared her throat. Blake looked up and saw that no one else was eating.

“We always pray before eating to thank God for providing the food for us,” Olivia said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Blake turned to Alyson, a look of mock shock on her face.

“You never told me you were God,” she said. Bethany snorted and tried to stifle her laughter while Alyson gave her a small smile, but Olivia gave Blake a look that could kill; the middle child was anything but intimidated by the nineteen year old.

“I was just kidding. I’m sorry,” she said to Olivia, however there was a hint of sarcasm in her apology, something that Olivia picked up on.

Everyone at the table then folded their hands together and bowed their heads. Blake followed suit just to show respect for the family, even though she is an atheist.

“Bless us, O Lord! and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen,” they all said together.

Blake felt a little out of place, but pushed that feeling away. She placed her napkin on her lap and began eating her chili.

“So, how was school today?” Alyson asked Bethany after a few minutes of awkward silence.

“Boring and slow,” she stated with a shrug. She didn’t elaborate, so Alyson turned to Olivia.

“How were classes?”

“Same as usual,” the eldest daughter replied in a bored tone. There was another silence.

“Oh, I forgot. Patrick called for the estimate on your car. It’s written on a post it next to the phone,” Alyson said, remembering what the phone call from earlier had been about.

Olivia stood up and went to the counter in the kitchen that had the phone on it and looked at the post it.

“Are you serious?” she growled in audible frustration. Alyson sighed, knowing why she was upset.

“What?” Bethany asked.

“I’m going to be completely broke,” Olivia replied. “Stupid piece of crap car. I have to get rid of it. There’s no way I can afford to pay for this.”

She sat back down in a huff, looking very stressed. Blake felt bad for the older girl, even if she hasn’t treated Blake very well. She was clearly very upset about this.

“What’s wrong with your car?” she asked.

“I need to replace the fuel pump, whatever that means,” Olivia replied, stabbing at her food with a scowl.

“Without a fuel pump, your engine will quickly starve. If the fuel pump is bad, then everything in your car will eventual die. Not all cars have them, particularly older motorcycle models, but when you need one, it’s important to get it replaced right away,” Blake stated. “What kind of car do you have?”

Olivia, after blinking at the younger girl a few times before answering.

“A crappy 1983 Ford Mustang,” she replied.

“Hm...if you want, I can get a few things together and replace it myself,” Blake offered. The whole table was suddenly very quiet and stared at her.

“Where did you learn how to fix cars?” Bethany asked. Blake suddenly felt even more out of place than she did before. She put her hand behind her head and scratched the back of her neck.

“Uh, my dad taught me when I was little. Also, growing up around cars for your whole life, you generally learn a thing or two about them,” she explained.

“How much would it cost?” Olivia asked.

“You wouldn’t have to pay for anything. I can get it—” Blake started, but Olivia’s face became stern and interrupted her.

“How much would it cost?” she repeated firmly. Blake sighed.

“One hundred dollars, one twenty max depending on the prices here.”

The eldest daughter looked at the orange post it note in her hand, her face looked like she was concentrating really hard. Soon, she mimicked Blake and sighed.

“You’ll really do it?” she asked. Blake gave her a small smile.

“No problem.”

“All right. When are you able to?”

“Well, my own cars are coming in the morning, so tomorrow afternoon I can run to an auto shop or whatever and get the supplies I’ll need. Do you have tools here, Alyson?” she asked.

“Yeah, in the garage,” her biological mother answered.

“Great. Then I can have the auto shop bring your car here and I can begin working on it. What time are you done with classes?”

“I won’t be back until four thirty,” Olivia replied.

“I’ll probably be done by five if I start around three,” she answered.

“That would be...great. Thank you,” the older sibling said with the first real smile she’s given Blake since they met.

“No problem,” Blake said with a shrug, showing that it wasn’t a big deal, which it really wasn’t to her. She enjoyed working on cars.

The rest of dinner was pleasant with light chatter and small talk. Blake found out that she would be starting school on Wednesday at Bisbee High School as a junior, which she was actually very excited about. This will be her first time as a student at a public school, something she’s wanted since she was in middle school. When the meal was over, Blake went back up to her room (after Alyson declined her offer to help with the dishes) and fell on her bed and a heavy sigh. It’s been a very long, very emotional day and she was exhausted. Right when she thought about taking a shower and going to bed, her cell phone started ringing.

Blake pulled out her red and white Samsung A 767 Propel phone and answered without even looking to see who it was.

“Hello?” she asked in a tired voice.

“Spill right now! I want to know everything!” commanded a very familiar, very thick British accented voice that made Blake immediately smile and forget about her shower.

“What makes you think I want to tell you anything?” Blake asked, the teasing in her voice very obvious.

“Bitch, you better talk or I swear to every deity there is that I will find a way to that small ass town and kick your ass so hard, you won’t even know your own name,” Blake’s best friend growled.

“Jessica, we both know I could take you in a fight any day,” Blake informed the girl on the other end. “And just chill, all right. I’ll talk.”

“Good, and I would totally win!” Jessica Porter declared. Blake rolled her eyes, even though the other girl couldn’t see it.

“Whatever, Jess,” she sighed. “Well, what do you want to know?”

“What’s your mum like? And your sisters? Is the town really small? What’s the house like?” she fired at Blake.

“Slow down, babe. You’re going way too fast,” Blake laughed, but answered her questions in order. She took about fifteen minutes explaining what her new family was like, their reactions to her, especially Olivia’s initial and immediate dislike to the seventeen year old, along with addressing the rest of her friends’ questions.

“Damn girl,” Jessica said when Blake finished.

“Yeah, I know. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be fine here. They’re nice enough and hopefully fixing Olivia’s car will get me some brownie points with her.”

“I don’t know. Once she finds out you’re a les, she might get a bit shirty with you,” her friend replied.

“I know, but when have I ever truly cared about what people think about me. I’m only trying to get on their good sides because I live with them. Also, I want to make things as easy as I can for Alyson. This has to be really crazy for her,” Blake explained.

“You’re getting soft,” Jessica said in an accusatory tone.

“I am not,” Blake huffed, scowling at nothing.

“You are, too,” the British girl taunted.

“Whatever,” the teen billionaire said, sick of the conversation. “How are the girls?”

“They’re good,” Jessica replied. There was a heavy pause and Blake waited for her to continue. “We miss you,” she finished sadly. Blake sighed again.

“I know, I miss you guys, too.”

There was a silence as the two best friends let their feelings wash over them.

“Look, you just take it easy down there,” Jessica said, breaking the peace. “Find some hottie and show her a good time.”

“Well, I’ll finally be able to go to a public school, so maybe I’ll be able to find someone who isn’t a stuck up bitch who thinks she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Blake said, frowning again at the memories of some girls who’ve tried to get with her.

“There’ll be someone. I mean, who can resist the great Blake Harris?” Jessica asked. Although she was teasing slightly, she was actually quite serious.

“I’ll remember you said that,” Blake replied and both girls laughed. That’s when Blake heard a girl talking in the background on the other end of the phone. “Do you have a girl there?” Blake asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, she just got out of the shower.” Blake could hear the satisfactory smirk in her friend’s voice.

“What the hell are you on the phone with me for? Go have fun,” Blake ordered. Jessica laughed lecherously.

“Oh, don’t you worry about me and my fun. I’ve had plenty of it already,” she said.

“Whatever. I’ll talk to you later,” Blake said.

“Later, girl. Love you,” Jessica said.

“Bye, babe. Love you, too,” the guitarist said, then hung up and tossed her phone aside.

“Was that your boyfriend?” came a voice at the doorway. Blake looked up and saw Alyson standing outside her room.

“Boyfriend?” Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. She resisted the urge to laugh out loud.

“I didn’t mean to listen in. I was about to go to Bethany’s room when I heard the last few seconds of your conversation,” the woman replied, taking a small step inside the bedroom.

“Oh, no, not a boyfriend. My best friend back in Detroit,” Blake answered.

“I see. What’s her name?”

“Jessica Porter.”

“How long have you known her?”

“About three years. We went to Kent Preparatory School in Year Ten and instantly hit if off when we were both sent to the headmistresses’ office on the first day of term,” Blake said with a nostalgic smile.

“Kent? Isn’t that in—”

“England? Yeah, it’s a boarding school I attended for about six months,” the teenager finished.

“You certainly have been around the world,” Alyson said.

“Yeah,” Blake said; her smile slowly disappeared. There was a few seconds of silence and then Alyson cleared her throat.

“Well, I just wanted to say good night to you girls. I work the graveyard shift, so I’ll be in my office from ten tonight until five in the morning. Do you know what time your vehicles will be arriving?” she asked.

“I was told sometime between seven and eight AM.”

“Okay, well, I’ll be up around noon so how about we head to Target at twelve thirty so we can get your school supplies and the things you’ll need for Olivia’s car.”

“Sounds good,” Blake replied.

“And thanks, for helping out Liv. That was very generous,” Alyson said. Blake shrugged.

“It’s no problem.”

Alyson nodded.

“Well, good night, Blake,” she said.

“Good night,” the teenager replied.

Alyson left the room, closing the door on her way out. Blake stared at her ceiling, going over what has happened in her life that’s led to where she was now.

She was arrested for breaking and entering her school she had been currently attending. She was with a few of her friends that often went out on weekends just to make a bit of trouble and get a thrill for breaking the law. They entered the school and trashed the headmistresses office. Normally, Blake doesn’t react to teacher’s comments on her behavior, her lack of propriety, and her intelligence. However, this headmistress had the galls to insult Blake’s deceased parents, something that Blake never stands for. So, she decided, with her friends, to vandalize her office.

However, a woman who lived across the street called the cops when they saw five girls break into the school. Blake, who saw the cops before her friends, pushed them out the window while she distracted the police. Her friends got away while she was arrested. She went to the station, was booked and bailed within a few hours. Her au pair/guardian was...less than pleased to put it mildly. If Blake was still in Detroit, she’d still be grounded since Collette said it would be done when she was no longer angry with Blake. It was settled that as long as Blake paid for the repairs, there would be no charges pressed against her. The school decided to expel her, which was no surprise to the teenager.

However, only a few days later, Collette received a second call from the police station. They asked if she should come in with Blake right away. Collette was even more upset and demanded that Blake tell her what the call was about. The seventeen year old had no idea and was a little afraid of what was they wanted. Nothing had prepared her for what was the truth.

When Blake was twelve years old, she found out from her parents that she was adopted. When she asked about her birth parents, she heard a very interesting story. When she was three years old, in the middle of the night, a woman her adopted mother was friends with in high school appeared at her and her father’s door in France. Her name was Aimée Dupont and she pleaded her old friend to take Blake. She would not leave until Anastasie took the girl, which the woman of the house eventually did after several minutes. She took the small and very skinny girl in her arms and stared at her frightened face, her eyes showed confusion and fear.

“Shh, it’ll be okay, sweetie,” Anastasie whispered in French, trying to soothe the small child in her arms. She looked back up at the frantic woman on her step, only to see that she was gone.

“Aimée?” the woman called out. She was nowhere to be found. “David!” Anastasie called to her husband and shut the door behind her.

The two adults, one French and the other American, called the police. The authorities searched and searched for Aimée, but the search was unfruitful. They could not find the woman anywhere and David and Anastasie were given a choice.

The couple had been married for three years already and had been, without success, trying to have a child. They were planning on seeing a doctor soon to see if there might be something wrong with one of their reproduction systems. Now, however, fate seemed to step in. The police said that, since Dupont had begged Anastasie to take the child, then she had the option in being a foster parents the small girl until they could find out if Dupont was her mother. David and Anastasie stayed up all night discussing what they should decide. In the end, they chose to accept the offer.

After a year of searching for the woman who appeared at the Harris’ door and a year after they welcomed the little girl, who told them her was named Blake, the police gave the Harris’ permission to adopt her, which they did without hesitation.

And so, Blake became a part of their family. One of the most significant events that happened was when they discovered a certain talent Blake had. When she was four and a half years old, six months after her official adoption, David and Anastasie took them to Anastasie’s parents house where Blake would be formally introduced as their granddaughter. After a half an hour, Blake went into the living room without her new parents’ knowledge, sat down at the grand piano and started playing with the skill of a professional pianist. The adults followed the beautiful music and was more than shocked to see that it was a four year old.

The new parents took Blake to be tested and, a few weeks later, was declared a certified musical genius at the age of four. She was given proper lessons by a music instructor and was taught how to play the piano, violin, and flute, which she mastered perfectly. At the age of five, Blake saw a street performer playing his acoustic guitar and wanted to one to play for herself. She was given one for her birthday and an electric one for the anniversary of her adoption, which was decided to be her birthday since she didn’t have a birth certificate. By the time she was ten years old, she had mastered the piano, violin, flute, both electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar, bass, saxophone, oboe, and was learning the drums; however, the guitar, especially the electric, always held a special place in her heart. It was the one she played with the most enthusiasm and dedication. She’s written over a thousand songs for the guitar, however many are unfinished. How Blake’s genius works is that all she has to do is listen to a song or composition once and she’ll be able to play it on her own and commits it to memory. She has countless songs memorized.

When Blake’s adopted father’s business suddenly boomed overnight, giving them more money than they could ever dream, that’s when Blake’s talent could truly be explored. They had the funds to get her the best instructors, instruments, agents, and publicists. She was famous in the music world before, but now she was gaining even more fame much quicker. She was paid a lot of money to put out records, however, when she was twelve years old, she decided to stop playing music for money. She outright refused, stating that there was too much pressure and she just wanted to relax and be a kid, which was becoming more and more difficult every year. It eventually came to stopping performing entirely, except for her band in Detroit; even then they only did local gigs at dance halls and parties. Blake was still very passionate about her music, but she hated everything that came with the fame of being a musical genius. Now, she only played for herself (again, excluding her band) and for fun, which she enjoyed immensely.

When it comes to music, Blake spared no expenses. She bought the highest quality composing technology, sound and recording system. Her laptop was custom as well as the software she used. When she practiced, she didn’t hold back, no matter where she was. Music was her life and it was one of the very few things she was completely selfish about. She wouldn’t accommodate to anyone’s preference, within reason. For example, she wouldn’t start playing her guitar with the amplifier volume as high as it goes at three in the morning. However, playing her instruments after dinner at six thirty at night is something she was just fine with doing.

Now, a few weeks ago, when the police called her into the station, it wasn’t for any crime that she committed. Blake, who was proud to say that she’s never one to be stunned speechless, could no longer say that after that night. It turns out, her whole life was a lie. Aimée, the woman who Blake thought was her biological mother, turned out to be anything but. She was actually a nanny for Alyson Christenson, a mother of two girls at the time. When Alyson and her husband (who died in the Iraq War in 2004) took their eldest daughter, Olivia, to her ballet camp in Wyoming by plane, they left their fourteen month old daughter, Blake, in the care of their nanny. However, they made a mistake that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Aimée kidnapped Blake and took a plane to Brazil, then disappeared to God knows where. They spent years searching for her (in this time, Alyson had another daughter), however, turned up with nothing. It was as if Aimée and Blake fell off the face of the Earth. Blake and her family would never know where she went. Two years later, showed up at the Harris’ door, which was how Blake came to be in the care of her adopted parents. They would never find out what made Aimée give Blake away, but she was glad it happened.

The police informed the Blake and Collette they found this out because, when Blake was born, her biological father, a successful military man, had all of his family’s fingerprints scanned into every police record in the United States in case anything were to happen to them. So, when Blake was arrested and fingerprinted, her prints matched up with the ones in the records from all those years ago. She was given a picture of her biological family and the call was made to the detective that was put on the Blake Christenson missing person case, who in turned, informed the Christenson’s that their long lost daughter was alive and healthy. Blake found out that Alyson and her husband, after five years of searching, decided there was nothing they could do and knew that Blake couldn’t be alive. They had a funeral for her, burying an empty casket for closure, and moved on with their lives.

Then, suddenly, after so many years, they find out she’s alive and well. So, Blake came to live here.

I’m seventeen, I only have one year until I’m eighteen anyways. Besides, I was kicked out of my old school and this gives me a chance to be a normal kid. And...I want to know what this family is like, Blake thought after reviewing her life.

When she found out about her new family, at first, she was angry that they wanted her back. She loved Detroit, she loved Collette, and her friends were there. It was her home and she didn’t want to be taken away from it; however, after a long talk with Collette, who was, while very sad, all for Blake’s departure to Bisbee to live with her biological family. She made Blake feel guilty for her anger towards the Christenson’s. Her words resonated through her mind at the memory.

“This family lost their daughter, their sister. If someone told you that you’re parents were actually alive, wouldn’t you want them back, even if they had a whole other life somewhere?” her au pair asked.

Blake felt a deep and heavy sadness at her question. She answer was obvious. Blake was not a selfish being—in fact, she actually considers herself one of the most selfless people compared to the high society types she grew up around—but she would demand her parents return to her in a heartbeat, even if they were happy without her with their other life.

So, she sympathized with the Christenson’s and left for their home, leaving a sad, but proud Collette behind her. Blake promised herself that she would not be her normal rebellious self with this new family because her parents taught her better than that. These people she was now living with had felt years of sadness and pain, she would not add to that by acting out if she could help it.

The seventeen year old took a deep breath and decided to go to bed. She was exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions she went through and she hadn’t slept well for a week, too nervous about meeting her family. She changed into her pajama’s, or rather, what her opinion of sleepwear was—a black sports bra and a pair of red boxers. She brushed her teeth and fell onto her new bed. It wasn’t as comfortable nor as large as her one back in Detroit, but she still went to sleep within minutes to hitting the pillow.

Author's Note:
Whew! Yes, finally, another chapter on one of my stories :D yay! I know this chapter doesn't have too much going on, but I really wanted to get to explaining how and why Blake came to be where she was. It makes sense to me, but I can see if it gets confusing for anyone else. Any questions on Blake's life, just ask and I'll answer them as quickly and as best as I can. Hope everyone is good and sorry for such a long wait! Peace out!

Sorry everyone :(

Wow guys, I had no idea it had really been this long since I've updated. I am sooo sorry for those of you waiting for the next installments. Ever since finals about a month ago, I've been pretty busy looking for a second job and working and catching up with old friends during my summer break. I promise, I will update all of my stories ASAP!! Again, I apologize and thanks for being so patient.
Always,

Wild Cat

Target Chapter 1

This story isn't about me, even though I’m telling it. Sure, I play a big role in it, but there is someone else whom this story is truly about. This person came rolling into this out of the way town and changed not only the town itself, but my life forever. The real star of this story is...well, her real name is Bethany Anderson, but she hates that name. She prefers to be called Target. There are three people who knows the story behind that nickname. Myself, her guardian, and Target herself. She is incredibly sensitive about the story.

This story begins and ends in a small town in Chester Village, Connecticut; population 6,106 located in the south east side of the state. We are a quiet town. It always reminds me of that song in the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, when Belle sings the song about how boring a “provincial life” is. That’s basically Chester Village in a nutshell. There’s Katie the baker, Sam the repair man, Andrea the mayor, and Phil the chief of police. However, I am nothing like Belle. I very much enjoy living in Small Town, USA. I have two loving parents and an annoying, but cute nine year old brother. I was a junior in Chester Village High when my life changed and had a few friends. My parents have steady jobs that allows us to live a comfortable life. I’ve never needed anything in my life. In school, I have an almost solid 4.0 grade average.

I’ve lived in Chester Village my whole life and, even though many people complain about one day escaping the small town life, I never want to leave. While other students are excited to leave for college, I cringe at the idea. I like my sheltered, safe life and I'm not even sure if I was going to go to college. I plan on graduating high school and then going to work in the town’s convenience shop that my mother owns, hoping to one day own it when she retires. I already work there as a part-time after school job and a full time job during the summer.

Then...everything changed when she arrived in our town, disrupting our routine and comfortable living style. However, now after everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is the story of Target.
It happened when I was in school, during my second period British Literature class. It was the middle of the first semester and we were studying Shakespeare when there was a knock on the door. The teacher, Mrs. Greene, stopped her lecture on the Englishmen’s most famous plays to go to the door and opened it.

“Oh, Mr. Danielson,” the English teacher said, her voice showing her surprise. “To what do we owe this visit?”

“I have a new student for you,” the principal declared. The room suddenly broke out into a low rumble of shock and whispers. A new student? They only came every once in a blue moon. Surely someone would have heard that a new family had moved into the town. Genevieve, the wife of the head of City Counsel, must have known; she’s the town’s gossip and nothing ever slipped passed her, which meant that everyone knew about everything within a few hours.

“Really? I wasn’t informed of this,” Greene stated.

“Well, we only found out this morning, so don’t feel left out,” Danielson replied.

“Oh, well, come in then. Let’s meet them,” my teacher said, stepping aside. The other students craned their necks, some stood from their seats, to get a look at the new junior.

There were a few gasps, a low whistle, and the volume of the whispering rose. This new student, a girl of seventeen, was absolutely gorgeous. She was now easily the town’s most beautiful girl, surpassing Emily Jamison. She stood up straight at five feet, seven inches with brilliant, long red hair that went to the middle of her back. This was the kind of hair that every girl would kill to have. It was thick, wavy, and the perfect shade of red. It was the color of Jean Grey’s hair in the X-Men III: Last Stand movie. She probably weight about one hundred and thirty pounds with an athlete’s body; lean and muscled, but slender and curvy in all the right places. She reminded me of a swimmer—her stomach was flat, her breasts were, at a glance, a C cup. Her hips flared out just right and her legs were thin, but not like sticks. Her face was befitting of a supermodel; perfectly angled nose and high cheekbones that were sprinkled with light freckles. Her was skin pale and fair, the kind that girls spent all kinds of money on beauty products to get. Her neck was slender and long and her eyes were absolutely mesmerizing. They were a dark, smoky gray that looked like they were swirling like a fog in the light. Her smile was wide that reached her eyes, making them sparkle, only adding to their beauty. She was wearing jeans that hugged her legs and a light blue, short sleeved blouse.

Just looking at her made all girls feel a little bit of their self esteem fall. I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. I couldn’t believe that people that beautiful existed in real life.

If this is what she looks like, I wonder what her parents look like. They must be stunning to produce a child like this I thought.

I didn’t see what the everyone else looked like, but I assumed every guy was drooling and many of the girls were either envious or shocked, like me.

“Boys and girls,” the principal called attention to the students. Some groaned; we hated being addressed like little kids. “I want you all to give a warm welcome to Be—“

The beautiful girl cleared her throat, interrupting the man and gave him a raised eyebrow. He looked surprised and the class was as well. Mr. Danielson always demanded respect from his students and no one ever cut him off.

“We discussed my name in your office,” the new girl said, her voice light and smooth, despite its serious tone; but what everyone observed was her noticeable Southern accent. Her statement caused many people in the room to give each other looks of confusion. What was she talking about? The principal looked as if he was trying to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

“You were serious?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t believe her. The girl gave the man a disarmingly sexy, crooked smile and a wink, making many students gasp.

“As a heart attack,” she replied to his question. He sighed and shook his head lightly.

“Very well,” he said. “Class, this is...Target. She’s new and I expect you all to treat her as kindly as possible, like I know you’re all capable of.”

Target? I asked myself, raising an eyebrow. I wasn’t the only one to perform this action and I knew everyone else was thinking the same thing.

“Did you just say Target?” John Valenski asked.

“Yes...she prefers to be called Target over her birth name,” Danielson said, frowning somewhat.

“Why?” John continued questioning. The girl named Target looked at him, cocking her head to one side, looking like a confused puppy. She looked absolutely adorable with that expression, I decided right away. All she needed to do was push out her full lips into a pout and anyone would crumble to whatever Target desired.

“Because that’s what I want to be called,” she answered, as if it were obvious. There was still that twinkle in her eyes that told everyone she was very happy at the moment. John didn’t respond, probably because he didn’t know what to say. Target gave the class a brilliant smile.

“Well, Mrs. Greene, I’ll take my leave,” the principal said. He was about to walk out the door when he paused to look at the English teacher. I was near the door so I could hear what he said.

“Good luck with her,” he whispered. Mrs. Greene looked taken aback by her boss’ statement.

“What? Why?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” he assured, then left the room. The teacher shook away her confusion and closed the door.

“Well...er...Target, you can take a seat in the back desk. You can see me after class so I can give you a list of the books you will need for the course,” she instructed the new student.

Target flipped her beautiful hair over her shoulder and looked at the teacher.

“What are we studying now?” she asked, her Southern accent easily showing through her speech. It wasn’t that annoying twang, but it was incredibly endearing, I realized.

“Shakespeare. Take the notes you can and I’m sure that someone in the class would be more than happy to share their notes with you after class,” Mrs. Greene answered.

“All right, thanks teach,” Target said with another heart breaking crooked smile and took her seat. She took out her notebook and opened to a fresh sheet of paper.

“Uh, Target. Would you like to maybe properly introduce yourself and maybe tell us a thing or two about you,” the teacher said. It was so rare they got a new student that was from out of town, ever she was anxious to get to know her.

“Sure thing, ma’am,” the girl said and stood. Her body movements were so graceful and confident. For some reason, I knew I would get along with this girl very well if given the chance.

“Well, as the principal stated before, my name is Target. I just moved here this past weekend. My mom and I are very excited to be here,” she said with her smile. She didn’t even look nervous. “We moved here from Mississippi because of my mom’s job. She’s opening up a new art gallery downtown. I love to play soccer and meeting new people.”

“Thank you...Target,” Greene said, still having a hard time seriously calling a student the name of a famous chain store. The girl smiled and sat back down, crossing her long, muscular legs and flipped her hair back again.

The whole time, since she walked in the room, I hadn’t taken my eyes off of her. There was something almost hypnotic about her that I wouldn’t allow me to turn away.

“All right, class. Let’s get back to Shakespeare,” Greene said, even though it was going to be difficult to keep their attention on the lesson.

The class actually passed rather quickly with everything that happened and soon the bell rang for second period to be over and signaling that third period would start in five minutes. I gathered my notebook and textbook and put them in my backpack, then, with one last look at Target, left the room.

Throughout the rest of the day, everyone seemed to be buzzing about the new girl. The guys were already half in love with her, the popular girls were trying to get her into their “crowd,” and the shy cliques were too timid to speak to her.

I had two more classes with her after British Literature. One was fifth period History and the next one was last period Foods class. She was not the least bit shy. Target would sit down at her table and immediately strike up a conversation with whoever was next to her, despite what they looked like. She laughed easily, which sounded like music, and her smile was more contagious than a yawn. Unfortunately, I didn’t sit next to her in any of my classes, but in Foods class, we usually switched up the table groups every few weeks and it was about that time, so I might have a chance at having a conversation.

I’m not a freak and no one teases me about how few friends I have, but I was one of those shy people that wouldn’t initially talk to her; however, it didn’t matter who you were, Target would talk to you.

I walked home, a house just down the block from Main Street, which was where our shop was located, and I thought about the new girl during the five minute walk. She was indeed a strange girl to be sure; you’d had to be if you voluntarily named yourself after a store. What I really wanted to know was why she did call herself Target. Was there a story behind it? Was it just a silly nickname given by a friend from her old school? It was obvious she didn’t like her given name and didn’t want anyone to know it.

“Hello?” I called out when I walked inside my house. It was a simple two story house, the perfect size for four people. It was white with dark green shudders and a small porch in the front.

“In the kitchen!” called out my father. I made my way to said location, dumping my backpack in the entry way along the way.

“Hey, dad,” I greeted the patriarch of my family, Christopher, with a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, girlie,” he replied, which was his usual greeting, no matter where or what time it was.

“How was school?” asked my mother, Janet, as she came into the kitchen. She greeted me with a kiss on my own cheek.

“It was...definitely interesting,” I stated, unable to think of any other way of putting it.

“I’m guessing you met the new arrival,” my mother said with an entertained smile.

“You knew about them coming and you didn’t say anything?” I asked, surprised.

“I only met the woman today when she came into the shop to buy some things for her new place. They actually live in an apartment above that abandoned store that used to be the barber shop. She’s turning it into an art gallery. That should be different,” my mother answered, meaning different in a good way.

“Her daughter is definitely different as well,” I said. “And I don’t mean that as a bad thing.”

“Oh, Target is not her daughter.”

“What?” I asked. “She said her mom moved here for a job.”

“She probably just said her mom because that’s the easiest thing to call her without raising too many questions. The woman, her name is Rose, is her guardian. They’re not even related, or so she told me,” my mother replied.

“What happened to her parents?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I thought it would be rude to ask.”

I sighed.

“Well, Target is definitely someone who is going to be raising a lot of eyebrows.”

“Why would you say that?” my father asked.

“She is...I’m not sure. There’s something different about her. For one, she is absolutely stunning. I mean, drop dead gorgeous,” I answered.

“Really?” my mother asked.

“Yeah, more beautiful than Emily.”

“Emily Jamison? But she’s won every beauty pageant since she was ten years old,” Christopher stated, surprised.

“She makes Emily look like a hobo,” I replied.

“Wow, she must be pretty,” Janet answered.

“Yeah. Also, she’s very charismatic and very outgoing. I swear there’s not a shy
bone in her body. And she’s got a Southern accent to boot.”

“Well, I would love to meet her,” Janet said, smiling in anticipation. My mother loved meeting interesting people. While she enjoyed the local people in town, she always got excited when someone new and fun came around.

“How did you know her name was Target?” I asked, just realizing what my mother said earlier.

“That’s what Rose called her. When I asked her about it, she said that Target would kill her if she gave away her real name. Apparently, the girl doesn’t like it very much, but why have such a strange name as Target, I’ll never understand,” she answered.

“Her own guardian calls her by her nickname? Weird,” I said, then shrugged. I agreed with her mother. Target was definitely the strangest nickname I’ve ever heard.

Later that night, I was working a shift at the shop, which was called Janet’s (creative, I know. Insert rolling eyes here). I worked the four to seven shift and was the only worker on the clock. There were only four employees. Myself, Valerie Johnson, Peter Harris, and my mother. The shop closed at seven and opened at six in the morning. The shop sells everything from Scotch tape to a little kid’s birthday party supplies to tools.

At around six thirty, the store was empty and I was sitting at the register, doing my History homework when doorbell dinged, alerting me to a customer. I lifted my head to greet whoever it was when my throat stopped working.

It was none other than Target, rolling in on rollerblades and that same incredible smile on her lips.

“Hiya!” she greeted with a bright laugh. I swallowed hard.

“Hello, can I help you with something?” I asked with a polite smile of my own.

“Yeah, I need to get some hangers. Do you have any here?” Target asked with her smoky gray eyes twinkling into my blue-green ones.

“Of course. I’ll show you,” I said, deciding I wanted to walk beside her...while she rolled down the aisles.

“Thanks a bunch!” she said, giving me that unnerving smile that I was helpless in returning. “You’d think that we’d remember to pack hangers, but we must have forgotten them or something.”

She laughed and my mouth suddenly turned dry at the sound.

“But you know how it is,” she continued when she finished laughing. I smiled sheepishly.

“Well, not really. I’ve never moved before. I’ve lived in the same house for my entire life,” I replied. Target raised both her eyebrows.

“Really? Wow...that must be...strange. I’ve moved so many times, I can’t imagine staying in one place for more than a few years,” she said.

“How many times have you moved?” I asked.

“Well, let me think,” she said, turning her gray eyes to the ceiling. We had reached the hangers by now, but neither of us made to grab them. “I believe that this move will be my sixth since I was four.”

“Wow...that’s stranger,” I said. She giggled.

“Yes, I suppose it is. But, strange is not something that’s new to me,” she admitted with a smile as she looked me directly in the eyes. For some odd reason, I blushed and turned away. “Oh, my God!” she gasped. I quickly met her gaze again.

“What?” I asked, confused. She looked quite surprised by something.

“You are so utterly cute when you blush!” she practically squealed. This only caused me to blush harder and she giggled like a school girl.

“Oh, my word. You are going to be a lot of fun, I can just tell,” Target said. She honestly looked like she was about to start jumping up and down while clapping with enthusiasm, which would have been difficult with rollerblades. I went another shade of red.

“What do you mean I’ll be a lot of fun?” I asked, confused by her statement.

“Someone who blushes so adorably so easily is definitely fun to mess with a little,” she said, a mischievous smirk played on her lips.

“What? You’re going to start picking on me?” I asked, horrified.

“Not the way you’re thinking. I won’t be mean about it. I am not a bitch,” she said with a good natured laugh. “I might tease you a bit, just to see that cute blush creep up your cheeks.”

I was speechless. This girl, who was named Target! was saying that she was going to make a hobby out of making me blush. Before I could say anything she took three packets of hangers in her hands and rolled off to the cashier. I sighed deeply and followed her. She paid for her merchandise and almost rolled out the door before she stopped and turned around.

“Oh, silly me. I forgot to ask, what’s your name?” she asked.

“Alexis Kostas,” I answered.

“Pretty name. I’m Target. Well, I suppose I’ll see you later,” she said with a wink. Despite my objectives to my body, my face still flushed at the action. She laughed.

“I am so excited,” she giggled, then left.

I collapsed in my chair and sighed deeply.

“I wonder if she’ll go through with it,” I quietly asked myself.

The Keeper 8

Katerina was stunned into silence, unable to process what Bella just informed her of. Before her was the deceased twin sister of her girlfriend. Bella had never mentioned siblings and Katerina only assumed that she had none.

“Your...twin sister?” the older girl asked quietly.

“Yes,” Bella answered, not looking at Katerina. “She died five years ago; we were twelve.”

“How...?” Katerina asked. She couldn’t even imagine the kind of pain Bella felt.

“We were at the beach in March. It was really hot out and my mother and father decided to treat us to China Beach. Keira and I were ecstatic, we loved swimming and had taken lessons for years. It was very crowded that day, especially with all the tourists and also the regulars looking to cool off. When we got there, Keira and I didn’t even put on our suntan lotion and ran straight for the water, ignoring our parents’ cries to come back so we didn’t burn,” Bella explained. Her voice was deadpanned and monotone, completely devoid of emotion. “We were splashing around and wrestling in the water. We soon decided to have a race. There was no specific finish line, though, but we wanted to go out further, away from the crowded part of the water.”

Bella placed her hand on the cool surface of the headstone and rubbed it
back and forth, as if trying to soothe it.

“In our excitement, we didn’t realize how far out we swam. She always had more endurance than I did and stopped swimming only a few yards ahead of me...but that was all it took. She got caught in an riptide.

“A lot of people think that riptides pull you under and keep you under, but that’s not true. The undertow that pulls you under only lasts a few seconds before you’re above the water again. The lethal part of riptides is not knowing what to do if you’re caught in one. You’re not supposed to swim against the current and toward the shore. It’s nearly impossible to do and eventually, you’ll get so tired you can no longer swim and you’ll drown. We didn’t know you shouldn’t swim to the shore...and that’s what Keira did.

“We were already tired from swimming for so long and doing the race. To me, it looked like my sister was just goofing off and swimming around. I was floating on my back, trying to regain my breath and energy. I didn’t even see her struggling and the waves and people was too loud to hear her shouting my name if she was.”

Bella was silent for a few minutes and Katerina didn’t say anything, knowing that more was still to be said. The seventeen year old took a deep breath.
“I didn’t see her anymore, so I went back to shore to see if she swam back to mom and dad. She didn’t. After looking for her for an hour, the lifeguards had everyone come out of the water,” Bella said. She spoke in a whisper. “When the water was clear of all the people...that’s when we found her body. She was face down, floating near the shore fifty yards away from our spot on the beach. The lifeguards tried to revive her, but it had been almost two hours since—”

Bella wiped away the tears that had silently crawled down her face as she retold her sister’s death.

“Bella...I’m so sorry,” Katerina said and gently grabbed her hand.

“She’s supposed to be here with me. She’s supposed to celebrate our birthday with me...but she’s not here. No matter how long it’s been, it still hurts. We were so close—the best of friends, then she was gone. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I don’t even remember what my last words to her were. I never told her how much she meant to me, how much I appreciated and loved her,” Bella said, her voice cracking. “I’ll never watch her grow up with me and see what kind of person she’d become. Would she have been like me, or would we have grown different over the years? Would she be proud of me? Would we still be as close as we were when we were young?”

Katerina pulled Bella into a very intense hug and held her close and tight as she tried to console her heartbroken girlfriend.

“Of course she’d be proud of you,” Katerina whispered into Bella’s hair. Bella only cried harder into the older girl’s shoulder.

They stood there for a few minutes as Bella released her sadness onto Katerina. When the parted, Bella dried her face.

“There’s more...” she whispered.

“What?” Katerina asked, shocked. How much more pain could Bella have gone through?

“While we both loved our parents and they loved us both, I had always been closer to our mother and Keira had always been closer to our dad. After her death...my dad became distant and started drinking. It probably didn’t help that Keira and I were identical twins, so he was reminded of her every time he looked at me. After two years, he just left. No note, no goodbye, nothing. We have no idea where he is and we haven’t heard from him in three years; we don’t even know if he’s alive or not,” Bella explained.

“Bella,” Katerina whispered.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. There really isn’t anything to say,” the younger girl said. “This is why I don’t like celebrating my birthday. It’s extremely difficult and painful to celebrate the day my sister and I were born when she’s not here to be with me. I can’t bring myself to be happy because she should be at my side, each of us compromising what kind of cake to get and wondering what kinds of presents we’d receive. Which of our friends to invite to the party and the decorations we should use. I can’t decide all of that on my own and I don’t want to.”

“If I’d had known...” Katerina said.

“It’s my fault. I should have told you sooner.”

“No, it’s not your fault. I should have listened to Kayla,” the older girl said. Bella looked at her, her eyes and faced confused.

“Kayla?”

Katerina sighed.

“I went to her a few days ago and asked what I should do for your birthday,” she answered. “She told me to leave it alone, but wouldn’t tell me why. I didn’t listen to her because I thought I could pull you out of this birthday funk.”

“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t try,” Bella said, lacing their hands together. Then, she looked down at her sisters’ grave and actually smiled a little. “Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any.”

“For what?”

Bella didn’t answer, but she sat down on the grass instead and patted the ground next to her. Katerina took the hint, puzzled at what was going on.
“On the fourteenth day of every month, I come here and talk to Keira. I let her know what’s going on in my life and how mom is. Last time I was here was when we decided to go on our first date and I told her about you,” Bella explained. “I know it sounds crazy, but I just know she’s here when I talk to her.”

Katerina put her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders and pulled her so close, she was almost on her lap.

“That is not crazy; I believe she is,” she assured Bella as she nuzzled her neck with her nose and mouth. Bella relaxed completely in her arms with a silly grin that Katerina couldn’t see.

“Okay then. Keira, there’s someone I want you to meet. This Katerina, my girlfriend,” Bella said out loud. Both girls felt a slight tingle up their spines as Bella, for the first time, introduced Katerina to someone as her girlfriend; it didn’t matter to either of them that that person was no longer alive. “Katerina, this is my sister, Keira.”

“Hello, Keira. It’s a pleasure to meet you and happy birthday,” Katerina said. There was a small part of her that felt a little strange for talking to someone that wasn’t physically there, but she knew that this moment was extremely important to Bella and she wasn’t going to mess it up for her.

“I promised you that I was going to tell you about my date with Katerina the next time I visited,” Bella said. So, the living Peterson sister told the deceased one about her time with Katerina, who added a few missing pieces that Bella accidentally let out.

They spent and half an hour talking to each other and to Keira, both of them getting their own words in. However, Bella realized the time and said her mother would be worried about her. They stood and stretched their muscles out.

“Bye, Keira. Love you, sis,” Bella whispered as she touched the granite stone. She gave it a sad, longing look, then turned to walk away. Katerina made sure that Bella was out of ear shot before she looked at the headstone.

“I’ll take good care of her,” she said quietly to Bella’s sister, whom she truly believed could hear them. Then, she turned to catch up to her girlfriend.

In the car, Katerina noticed that, while Bella was still sad, she was in a much lighter mood than she was before they left and this made Katerina’s heart soar. She hated seeing the younger girl so down.

They reached Bella’s house and Katerina was invited inside, which she accepted. When the two girls stepped inside, Diane was sitting in the living room waiting for Bella to come back.

“Hey mom, is it okay is Katerina stays for a while?” she asked. They both noticed Diane’s look of surprise, but also elation as she smiled widely.

“Of course,” she answered immediately. “Are you hungry, Katerina? I can whip something up for you girls if you want?”

“Actually, if it’s okay, I have some food I had packed for Bella and I in my car,” the dark haired girl said.

“That’s great,” Diane beamed. Katerina left to get the picnic she made.

“So, what happened?” the mother asked her daughter. Bella gave her a sad smile.

“I told Katerina what happened with Keira and Dad,” she answered. “Also why I hate my birthday. Then...” this smile wasn’t sad, but it was small. “She sat down with me and talked with Keira, as if she were alive. She didn’t’ think it was crazy or weird; she completely supported me and comforted me.”

“Bella, that’s wonderful, honey,” Diane said, tears in her eyes as she hugged the birthday girl. “She seems like an amazing friend.”

“You have no idea,” Bella whispered. She had to bite her lip to keep from grinning too much.

Katerina came back a minute later and the three women sat in the living room and ate the food the nineteen year old made, while laughing and joking. Katerina told Diane about her self defense business.

“I think I might have to quit the AmericInn. Some of the women I’m teaching have suggested the class to their friends and I’m now having at least three people each session,” Katerina said. Bella raised an eyebrow.

“Really? You didn’t tell me that,” she said.

“Well, I’ve just been thinking about it recently. It’s been getting pretty busy. I’ll feel bad if I do quit because I haven’t worked there very long,” the instructor explained. “Also, if business keeps growing like it is, I’m going to purchase a small building to turn into a gym to hold my classes.”

“Kat, that’s wonderful!” Bella squealed and hugged her lover.

“That will be quite risky and expensive,” Diane pointed out. Bella chuckled.

“I’m not too worried about the financial aspect, but I don’t want to fail either. I’ll hire an advisor, learn the ropes and everything. Perhaps an accountant to handle the money,” Katerina said. Diane looked at the older girl with her eyebrows raised, clearly surprised by the amount of money she was willing to spend on a business that might not even take off.

“Mom...Katerina’s very, very well off,” Bella explained. This only confused Diane further.

“My aunt left me an extremely generous inheritance several years ago and I was able to access it when I turned eighteen,” Katerina said. “I’ve never held any desire for college, so I began to work just to pass the time. I’ve thought long and hard about what I would use my money for because I don’t want to waste it away and I figured that I’d start investing. I have a few stocks in the Stock Market and I was planning on investing in real estate, but then the housing market started taking a turn for the worse and I began to put it off for a while.”

Diane was certainly taken aback.

“Well...you seem like a very well put together young woman. I’m very impressed,” Bella’s mother said as she smiled at Katerina, who blushed slightly.

“Thank you,” she murmured. Bella smiled with pride. Diane suddenly started laughing quietly.

“Maybe you could teach Bella a thing or two about defending herself. Keira would always win their wrestling fights,” she said. Bella scowled.

“Not always. I could win a few. I was stronger than her, but she was always faster,” the seventeen year old said, crossing her arms. Diane rolled her eyes and shook her head at Katerina, who laughed. Bella turned her scowl to her girlfriend.

“I would love to teach her some moves,” Katerina said.

“Kat! You’re supposed to be on my side,” Bella hissed.

“I am, you goof!” Katerina exclaimed, playfully pushing Bella’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to defenseless if, God forbid, something were to happen to you. I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t share my knowledge. Don’t worry, I won’t be working you to a black belt or anything like that, but just enough to get yourself out of a sticky situation.”

Bella sighed and looked between the two women and knew there was no way to get out of this.

Well, this is a good thing. Not only will I learn how to kick some ass, I’ll also be able to spend more time with Katerina Bella thought with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” she agreed.

The arrangements were made and, too soon for the two lovers, it was time for Katerina to go home.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Bella offered. Diane went up stairs to get ready for bed as the two girls went outside.

“I have a present for you,” Katerina said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Being a girl, Bella instinctively knew what it was.

“Kat...you shouldn’t have,” Bella whispered, but was actually happy.

“Of course I did,” her girlfriend said with a slight scowl. Bella smiled and opened it, then gasped. It was a silver Claddagh ring.

“Do you like it?” Katerina asked timidly. Bella looked up her, looking positively delighted.

“Oh, Kat! It’s beautiful! Thank you!” she said and hugged the older girl.

“I’m glad,” Katerina breathed out, relieved. She wasn’t sure if she was going too far with that, but it seemed that she did just the right thing. She put it on Bella’s right hand ring finger and they hugged again.

“Happy birthday, Bella,” Katerina whispered into Bella’s ear, then kissed her lips tenderly and lovingly.

“Thank you,” Bella said. There was so much feeling put into those two words and Katerina knew it wasn’t just for the ring.

“You’re welcome.”

They stood there in another embrace, then Katerina left. Bella watched her go down the street, and then she went back inside to her room.

“You know Bella, I really do like Katerina. She is a very nice girl. I’m glad you’re friends with her,” Diane said as she stood in the bathroom doorframe while her daughter got ready for bed.

Bella felt a slight twinge of guilt for leading her mother on about her and Katerina being only friends, but she wasn’t even close to ready to come out to her yet.

“I know, she’s great.”

Bella finished washing her face and went to her room. Her mother joined her and, before Bella got under the covers, Diane hugged her in a tight, motherly embrace.

“Happy birthday, love,” she whispered, kissing Bella’s head. When Bella didn’t reject her words, Diane feared she was about to cry with joy and didn’t want to do so in front of her daughter. “Good night, honey.”

“Good night, mom.”

Diane left the room and shut the door. Bella changed into her pajamas and laid down in her bed and sighed into the comfortable pillow. For the first time in five years since her sister’s death, Bella went to sleep on her birthday with a smile on her face.


Author's Note:
Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. Things have been so hectic lately with school and my friends. But I finally got this chapter done :) I hope you guys liked it. The part where Bella tell Katerina how her sister died was actually very difficult for me to write. I have a sister two years younger than I am and we are extremely close. In chapter 4, when there is a description of how close Bella and Keira are, that's me and my little sister, Katie. So, when I was talking about Keira's death scene, it was very hard for me to not picture Katie. I teared up even :( But, I am happy with the way it turned out. The part about the riptides is actually true, so for those of you who like to swim in the ocean, be careful about the riptides! Well, I'm hoping to get another chapter of "Taken Away" done soon and I'll also continue with "Target" as well. Hope you are all well :)

Wild Cat

New Story...Maybe?

Author's Note:
Hey everyone! This is a new story idea that I suddenly got a few days ago. I got the idea from the Disney movie Beauty and The Beast (which I actually mention in this prologue) when Belle is singing her opening song "Belle" when she talks about living in a small providence and how she wonders if "There's more than this provincial life." During the song, the villagers start singing about what a strange, but special girl Belle is and it sort of got me thinking. What if a girl who is very strange but special as well came into a modern day, very small town. What kind of an effect would she have, especially on the narrator (who isn't the strange girl)? I don't really have a real plot to this. I only have some ideas and the story is writing itself. So, let me know what you guys think. Should I continue writing this or not? Thanks guys!

Wild Cat

Target

This story isn't about me, even though I am telling it. Sure, I play a big role in it, but there is someone else whom this story is truly about. This person came rolling into this out of the way town and changed not only the town itself, but my life forever. The real star of this story is, well, her real name is Bethany Anderson, but she hates that name. She prefers to be called Target. There are three people who knows the story behind that nickname. Myself, her guardian, and Target herself. She is incredibly sensitive about the story.

This story begins and ends in a small town in Chester Village, Connecticut; population 6,106 located in the south east side of the state. We are a quiet town. It always reminds me of that song in the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, when Belle sings the song about how boring a “provincial life” is. That’s basically Chester Village in a nutshell. There’s Katie the baker, Sam the repair man, Andrea the mayor, and Phil the chief of police. However, I am nothing like Belle. I very much enjoy living in Small Town, USA. I have two loving parents and an annoying, but cute nine year old brother. I was a junior in Chester Village High when my life changed and had a few friends. My parents have steady jobs that allows us to live a comfortable life. I’ve never needed anything in my life. In school, I have an almost solid 4.0 grade average.

I’ve lived in Chester Village my whole life and, even though many people complain about one day escaping the small town life, I never want to leave. While other students are excited to leave for college, I cringe at the idea. I like my sheltered, safe life and I'm not even sure if I was going to go to college. I plan on graduating high school and then going to work in the town’s convenience shop that my mother owns, hoping to one day own it when she retired. I already work there as a part-time after school job and a full time job during the summer.

Then...everything changed when she arrived in our town, disrupting our routine and comfortable living style. However, now after everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is the story of Target.

Author's Note:
So, what do you think? I kind of like it, but should I continue posting it? Let me know! :)

Wild Cat