On the brink of her 18th birthday, Zoe overhears a heated argument between her foster parents about her birth parents. Driven by a need for answers to the visions that have haunted her, Zoe flees in search of the truth. Armed only with a birthmark a...
The night is frigid, and I can hear the wind howling outside the house. I carefully try to make my way to Aria's room without making a noise that would wake people up.
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As I get close to the door to her room, I hesitate, but I open it swallowing a lump in my throat. The room is dark and looks empty. I wonder where she went in the middle of the night, and as I start to exit the room, I hear a sob. Aria. She is sitting in the corner of the room, crying. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy.
I get close to her and place my hand on her shoulder, and she shudders. She looks at me dejectedly. She hugs me tight and starts crying harder. It breaks my heart to see her in this state.
"Aria," I start, but she interrupts me.
"I like him, Zoe," she says, her voice breaking. "I like him, but he likes you," she continues.
"Xander?" I ask.
"No, not him. Zayden. I've always liked him but never had the nerve to tell him," she says.
"And now he confessed that he likes you," she continues crying again.
"Aria, I like Xander," I confess. She looks at me, stunned by my confession. "What about poor Zayden?" she asks, wiping her tears. "I know Aria, but I don't know why but I feel a strong bond towards Xander from the moment I saw him," I tell her, taking her hand into mine. "It feels like I've always known him," I continue.
"I admit, Xander and you look good together," she says, her voice breaking from all the crying.
"Thank you, Aria. I think Zayden and you look good together as well," I confess.
"Really?" she asks, surprised.
"Yes, really," I tell her, reaching for chocolate in my coat. It has always been 'our thing' from our childhood. Whenever she felt sad, I would give her a chocolate and sit with her till she's okay.
"Here, take this," I hand her the chocolate, and she takes it without complaining.
She breaks it into half, and we share it, sitting on the cold floor of her room, gazing into a distance, looking at nothing in particular.
"Do you think he'd fancy me?" she asks, smiling sadly.
"Of course, he would. You are a kind girl with a heart of gold. Not to mention, you look gorgeous. If I were a guy, I would have asked you out myself," I tell her, patting her head. She laughs.
"Mission Zayden begins at dawn," I whisper in her ear, leaving the room after seeing her off to bed.
