I'll Protect You (Original Version)

Cookies and presents: Park's therapeutic care for traitors

Dedicated to ShayJerabek for the lovely trailer she made for my book!

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I sat there in my seat, petrified. As if the basilisk from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets had crawled out of the creepy chamber and into the coffee shop, and petrified me through a reflection. The couple had stopped talking, looking at me with worry in their eyes.

I couldn't stay here any longer. But if I left right at the moment, Alec and Daniel would catch me. And apparently Darkwood is all bad now so wouldn't they just drug me and drag me into a car where they would take me to my enemy?      
        The stars seemed to be solving my problem for me. Alec and Daniel stood up, leaving the money for Alec's drink on the table before heading out into the storm. I got up instantly and peered out the glass window. There was a black car parked on the curb, which the two boys quickly got into.

The car began driving away, and the window began to fog up right at the moment. I needed to find out the license for that car. So I pushed the door open and frantically ran out. The snow was too much for my sight though, and the car was already too far and the license was lost in the blizzard.

"Holy mother of fudging blue dragons!" I screamed in frustration. Angrily, I pushed the door back open. The couple and the waitress (oh, and a barista who was pouring milk onto the counter instead of the blender) were all staring wide-eyed at me, probably hearing my curse because I had held the door open.

"I don't like to curse," I replied to the shocked looks. "Anyway, please don't tell anyone that I was here. And two, you're all getting gift baskets, even if I don't know your names. I'll find out somehow, but right now, I have to go yell at someone."

Well, actually, I did know their names. Our waitress was Mackie, the barista was Stephen (name tags, people, it's why we have them), and the couple was Jack and Fiona (and I overheard that due to the conversation they had while I was busy spying on the idiot Darkwood).

I dashed back out in the streets, becoming a popsicle once more as I ran down the sidewalks and past the stores. Soon, I was rushing up to the gates of the palace. The guards stopped me in front of the gates; I gave them the password, and the moment the gates began to slide away from each other, I was bursting through, sprinting down the path to the grand door like a crazy person.         
           I reached the doors in no time. My fist was banging on the oak doors, becoming a bright pink due to the combination of hitting them and hitting them when my knuckles were already frozen.

The one who opened the door was Logan. Quickly, he enveloped me in a hug, assisting the castle in its job to warm up my body from the cold. I was too jumpy (and much too iced together) to hug him back.

"Are you alright?" he asked, drawing away. "Where's Darkwood?"

Just then, the entire party came wandering down the stairs. Six was still here. They were all wearing expectant faces, waiting for me to explain to them what I had been up to, and why I didn't bring a dang coat.

Archer was the one my eyes zeroed in on. He was standing in the front of the crowd, looking a bit ashamed of himself. Good!
         I stormed up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his thermal, and began shaking him. "What the hell is your problem? Do you know what you did?"

"Park!" my mother gasped. "Let Archer go!"

"Why did you say it? He's been nothing but good ever since we took him in," I snapped. "You were like a big brother to him. But you pushed him too far. Now we all have to suffer the consequences."

There was silence. No one spoke--they were all too busy digesting the information that I just revealed. Archer had a tight face on, his dark eyes as wide as the moon as he stared at me. For once, Archer looked scared and uncollected, not composed and prepared.