Forbidden

~Chapter Twenty-Nine~

A/N: Hello, you lovely people! Here is the next chapter, like I promised. :-) I just realized that there really aren't going to be that many chapters left of this...aw...:-( But then I'll have completed my very first novel on Wattpad, which is pretty dang exciting! And all with your support. <3

This chapter is dedicated to 1DirectionIsLife. Every one of her stories have made me cry--in a good way--and have remained on my mind for hours afterward, distracting me from my own writing. She is an absolutely brilliant author, with beautiful, flawless flow of her writing and perfect grammar. Her plotlines as so creative, and she just makes me even more speechless and in awe of her talent with each chapter. Go read, young ones! She will steer you in the right direction! :-) Plus, she's just a super sweet person and is nearly always available to talk. So go! Go fan and read...and stuffix! ;-)

Picture on the right is of Melissa Gilbert, whom I've cast as Gina Elliot (Mom). :-)

ENJOY! I would really love feedback on this chapter, because it doesn't feel like my best.

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~Chapter Twenty-Nine~

Meaghan sat at her kitchen table, an open math book lying in front of her, seemingly forgotten. She tapped her pencil against the edge of the table, a frenzied rhythm, her mind wandering from the simple equations beheld  by her gaze. She was seated a cautious distance away from the enticing sunshine, the curtains half-closed to block her seat from the searing heat. Here, in the privacy of her Earthen home, Meaghan was too tempted to reach forward a hand, yearning to revel in the warmth of the sunlight, feel its power, enjoy its sense of peace. But she couldn’t. Never again would the sun be allowed to lure her into its comforting clutches. She was destined to a life of darkness for all eternity.

            But that wasn’t what Meaghan’s mind was latched on as her gaze darted blankly forward, her pupils unseeing, her stare blurred from her intensified thought process. The forbidden sunlight was far from her thoughts: instead, Griffin took center stage.

            Griffin’s actions a few hours earlier had both thoroughly confused and hurt her. Meaghan had replayed the scene thousands of times, inspecting every last detail. His alluringly mischievous expression imprinted itself into her brain, his smirk and cocked eyebrow rising to view every few moments. His seductive, assured tone implied that he was completely positive of what he was doing, that he was certain that his actions were correct. Meaghan craved the thrill she had felt when his lips grazed hers. But every time his leap back popped into view, she felt hurt singe her chest. Had she done something wrong? Was it her fault? Had she leaned forward too quickly, appeared too eager? Had she burned him too badly from her hand? A forbidden romance came with a price, after all. That afternoon, theirs had been the sting of a thousand licking flames racing through their palms. Had it hurt so badly that Griffin had to jump back? Or was it just Meaghan herself?

            Meaghan dropped the pencil, her head replacing it in her hands. She rocked from side-to-side, confusion and pain evident from her wounded expression. It wasn’t in her team’s blood to doubt themselves, to second guess their decisions, to take the blame for any wrongdoing. Yet here she was, acutely aware of her mistakes that afternoon and letting the weight of the blame rest on her shoulders. She cringed at the thought: hopefully Ari wasn’t scouring her mind. He already thought she was a weakling, his pathetic twin that should have never been awarded the position of power she held. Meaghan was proving him right, though she so desperately wanted to show him that she was fully on their side: she was still too infuriated at the Purities’ decision to want to go back there, though her previous life still haunted her, calling to her from her dreams.