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"Many lost their
lives in the explosion. We were only able to find two survivors."

I feel tears prick my
eyes. In the end, I was only able to help myself. Would it always be
like this?

"How did you
survive?"

"I don't know."
My voice breaks a little, and I stop to take a few steadying breaths.
"I remember voices. I think someone carried me out. Gonzales
wanted to use me to barter with you all. The men carrying me didn't
have faith that Gonzales would come out victorious. They left me
somewhere."

"Yes," Agent
Caldwell nods. "According to the report, an agent found you half
a mile away from the compound. You were bleeding profusely, but still
alive."

"Yes." I
swallow. "I remember they said something about how I wasn't sewn
tight enough."

"No. Your medical
record states that there was a recent surgery performed on you where
one kidney was taken out. The man who performed it knew what he was
doing. However, your wound was not closed properly and an infection
occurred." I nod. I knew all that already. The pain in my
midsection was proof of that.

"Can you tell me
how you found me?" I asked.

Agent Caldwell frowns,
glancing at the mirrored wall beside us. "I suppose you have a
right to know."

"I do."

"You're correct in
assuming that your friends would jump to the conclusion that foul
play was involved. Your friends and Reid searched for you and waited
approximately forty-six minutes before calling Captain Bill Paxton."

"Using the map you
created for Captain Paxton and based on what you've told Reid, both
were able to estimate a general location for the compound. The detail
that helped us the most was your description about a stream that
broke through some rocks. One of our agents who'd surveyed that area
before recalled seeing something like that. We immediately put out a
call for officers and within three hours we were ready to move. We
did an aerial scope, but of course, the compound was carefully
hidden. We had to go in by foot. Reid was quite…
forceful
that we enter the building immediately, fearing that your life was in
danger. He somehow snuck in with the officers and stormed into the
compound." She pauses, something sparkling in her eyes. "It
was quite foolish, and I've had a few words with the officers who
allowed that to happen, but without his help, we would not have
reached to you in time. He moves like something unreal. I hear he is
an athlete?"

I nod. "There's
nothing he can't do with his body." I flush when I realize how
that sounds.

"He was the one
who cornered Gonzales, did you know that? The agents were right
behind him, of course, but Reid tackled him down as if he was a
child. That's what they told me anyway," she adds. "A fight
ensued and agents were forced to launch a small grenade through
several hallways to block exits. We believe Gonzales was burned to
death. A few officers as well as Reid corroborate that story. He
personally put in a statement of Gonzales's death."

I'm silent for a long
time after she is done. It's still surreal that he's gone. "What
about the drugs? The organs?" I ask.

"Everything has
been burned. We have arrested several men, and many are willing to
cooperate and provide names in exchange for a plea deal."

Agent Ames moves her
hand closer to mine. "We have destroyed the head of the snake,
Ms. Hendricks. Now, we are merely finding the rest of his body
parts."

"We are sorry you
did not trust law enforcement enough to come to us right away,"
Agent Caldwell continues. "We hope what we've done has shown you
that there are officers that follow the law, and are here to protect
the community. Those that have not," her voice turns cold, "have
been accounted for and they will be punished in accordance with the
law."

Good.
Nothing is
perfect and the cops won't get everyone, but news of this will
travel. Maybe some will be afraid enough to stop their illegal
lifestyle.

I hear chairs move.
"Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Ms. Hendricks. We
hope you have a speedy and safe recovery. If there is anything you
should need, please don't hesitate to contact us." She hands me
her card. I take it, and put it in my pants pocket. We shake hands.
"You are a strong woman." She tells me.

I shake my head. "I
am a survivor."

"A hero."

I'm rooted to the
floor.
Hero.
It sounds foreign and heavy like it carries too
much goodness that I don't have.

"There are many
types of heroes. Many heroes are dark and flawed- they're survivors.
They don’t fall even when they're expected to." Agent Ames
smiles at me. "Goodbye, Ms. Hendricks." She follows her
partner out. I watch them, dazed.

Sometimes life is a
wasteland. Sometimes secrets can't stay buried. Sometimes your past
will find a way to hunt you down.

When that happens, you
let it come.

You fight back.

I tug at my shirt
nervously, wondering for the hundredth time
why
I should even
feel nervous. I've ridden this man bareback. I've kissed his lips,
and felt his muscles clench over my body. I've felt him inside me.
I've faced death with him.

Today, I face life.

"Hey." I
jump, startled. "I'm sorry," Pax's voice is immediately
apologetic. "I shouldn't have walked over so quietly." He's
thinking about everything that's happened, about Braidon watching me,
and taking me when I least suspected it.

"No," I shake
my head, thinking about my words before I say them. "I'm not
going to let Braidon and Gonzales overshadow my life- not anymore."

He doesn't say
anything. His long legs climb two stair steps to get to me. He plops
down beside my body. "I could've come and got you from your
room."

"I like the
breeze."

We sit on the steps
leading to my dorm for a while longer, watching students walk back
and forth. Spring semester is in full swing, and the snow has become
nothing more than white slush beneath our feet. Somewhere in my mind
I register that this is the first time in a while that the silence
between is not wrought with emotion. The quiet is calm, serene even.
It feels like how it used to feel.

"Hey," he
says casually, "would you like to go somewhere with me?"

"I thought that
was the plan."

"I just wanted to
make sure you didn't change your mind." He flashes me his
dimpled grin and I can't help the flutter that passes through my
chest.

"No," I say
softly, looking ahead. "I've made up my mind now."

I feel him tense beside
me. We haven't talked for weeks after leaving Minnesota. I needed
space and time to readjust myself to society. I hate the memories.
Sometimes I wake up at night, and I can feel the blade he used to cut
me open. I can feel him pulling my insides out. The scar on my
stomach from the torture is thinner than I expected, bumpy and dark
against my peach colored skin.

"I see," Pax
replies softly, drawing my eyes to him. I see the familiar strong
cheekbones, the fluid shape of his nose, the curve of his square
chin, and the tight line of his lips. He looks a little angry, but
mostly uncertain.

"Should we go?"
I ask.

"Yes," his
reply is stiff. His hand brushes against mine as we walk to his car.
The breeze plays with my hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the
blonde brown strands curl gently over his arms. He opens his car door
for me, and I slip inside, securing the seat belt over me.

"Where are we
going?" I ask as he reverses out.

"A place where we
can talk."

Yesterday I had called
Pax, asking him to meet me somewhere to talk. He'd offered to come
pick me up. The familiar campus buildings whiz by and soon we're
cruising down the highway, heading deeper into the city. After a
while I notice something brown looming ahead.

A cliff.

Our
cliff, a
small part of me whispers. He pulls onto the side of the road and we
park. I open the door, letting my feet touch the gravel. A small
smile plays on Pax's face when he sees my expression. "No one
will disturb us here. Well, except for some birds."

"That should be
okay," I laugh.

We start walking, and
it feels natural to slip my fingers through his. There's something
special about this place. It makes me feel freer. Pax's fingers grasp
mine lightly and his thumb tickles the middle of my palm. It sends
awareness through every part of me, and I fight the urge to shiver.
Soon we reach our spot. Snow still covers the ground so Pax takes off
his coat and spreads it on the snow.

"You'll get cold,"
I protest.

"I have a sweater
underneath."

The surface area of the
coat is small so Pax and I are sitting with our whole sides touching.
Out of habit, I put my head on his shoulder and he puts an arm around
me, letting it hang limply over the curve of my shoulder.

"It's just as
beautiful in the winter," I sigh. The skies are a clear blue. I
can actually feel the warmth of the sun. If I close my eyes, I might
even believe it's spring.

"Yeah." Pax
looks down into my face. "You want something to eat?"

"You made
Paninis?" I ask in surprise.

"Not really."
He pulls something from his sweater. It's a small bag of Twizzlers.

"Random."

He shrugs. "I
bought it for one of the kids at the hospital. He didn't finish it."

My face softens. "How
are the kids?"

"Good. Some are
doing better than others. I've had a lot of time to visit them
lately. They really help me put things into perspective." He
turns to me. "Sometimes you just need a little reminder, you
know?"

I know.
I take a
deep breath, watching it appear and fade in the wind. "I never
got a chance to thank you. For everything. For believing I was worth
pursuing. For showing me how beautiful the love between a man and a
woman can be. For never giving up, even when I gave you every reason
to." I turn my face toward his. His green gaze is intense and
searching. "I want to apologize," I whisper. "I don't-
I'll never be okay with what you did with Alaina. I don't think
there's a reason on earth that will make that excusable." A
picture of them kissing flashes into my mind. The familiar pain is
there, but it's a dull ache now. Soon, the picture is replaced with
Pax's face and the feel of his presence when I woke up in the
hospital.

"You know Grandma
always said I was a survivor," I continue. "I understand
what that means now. It means making it through something, and
ultimately coming alive in the end." I shake my head, biting my
lip. "But… that’s not enough. Not anymore,” I confess
softly, thinking about everything that’s brought me to this point.
“I want to
live
, Pax. And it means being strong. It means
not letting what happened in your past overshadow your future. It
means being able to look behind you and not letting it stop you from
going forward."

I turn to face Pax, our
bodies so close I feel him when he breathes. "I want to move
forward, Pax. I hate what you did, but I hate the thought of not
having you in my life more," I admit. "I don't want one
action to destroy everything we’ve built together."

"What are you
trying to say?" he asks slowly.

I take the plunge. "I
love you. I love you," I repeat, saying it louder. "Our
love should be stronger than our past. It should be strong enough to
make our future." I lean in closer, letting my mouth drift
closer to his. "You're my one, Pax," I whisper. "You're
my one leap of faith…"

He grins, smiling so
broadly that it takes my breath away. "…and I'll always be
here to catch you."

He kisses me. I sigh
when I taste him, wondering how I could have gone so long without his
warmth. He pulls me closer, and my hands squeeze his back. We stay
like that, each person holding the other up, until the sun starts its
descent. Then we get up holding hands, loving the feel of our bodies
together.

"Ready to go
back?" I ask.

"No." He
holds my hand tighter. I look at him in confusion. "I'm ready to
go forward." He glances at me then down at our intertwined
hands. "Together."

I go on tiptoes to kiss him.
"Together."

THE
END

* * *

Do
you enjoy paranormal fantasies? Turn the page for an excerpt of my
book, "Flame", the first book in my Young Adult series,
"Fireborn".

A
Fireborn novel

Some secrets
change your life forever.

Have you ever felt
invisible? I do. Everyday. I can't get close to anyone, and people
can't get close to
me
. Everytime I feel a friendship
beginning, something inevitably happens, and I become invisible
again. Unseen. Ignored. It's been a part of me for so long that it's
hard to imagine anything different.

Then the Saguinox
arrive, and my life is forever altered. People are fascinated by
these beautiful creatures who look and talk like us. They're
alluring. Seductive. Intoxicating. And two of them are going to my
school. Rhys is everything I shouldn't want, but his eyes are like
something from a memory. I can't help but be intrigued. He's the only
one who can really see me.

Some secrets
you're better off not knowing.

I had been found
on a cold winter night with nothing but a blanket, and ashes covering
my skin. My mother saved me from death, and took me in with love. But
she couldn't save herself. I didn't think heroes were real anymore
until the day Kaiden saved me. I couldn't believe in miracles until
the day he revealed I was the miracle they had all been hoping for.
Deep inside I always knew my past mattered.

I just didn't know
my life would depend on it.