I was walking to the forest, wanting to see Haiden. After a sleepless night, I needed to see Haiden. I needed to get to know the new him or else I would be left wondering about him for the rest of my life.
From where I was in town, I could see the forest. It was huge. The trees towered high into the sky, showing me they were hundreds of years old. I had never truly explored the forest due to its vastness and I made a mental note to one day.
Nearing the forest, my heart skipped a beat as I anticipated seeing Haiden. But before I could cross the street to the forest, I heard sirens. Following the sirens were screams and I whirled around, wondering what was happening. Nothing happened in my town, so worry slammed into me.
I saw a young man sprinting towards where the sirens were and my eyes followed him. Panic was written across his face and I wondered what was going on. Was there a fire?
Suddenly, another man followed the man and this time, he screamed, "The Demons! The Demons are on the loose!"
Frightful screams followed his words and with wide eyes, my heart stopped. They were here. Haiden and his group were here.
I took a step forward, towards the sound of the sirens, but then I forced myself to stop. Thinking to what Blake told me, I knew they were dangerous. They were killers and it would be naive to approach them. Haiden alone I could handle, but four other criminals I wasn't so sure. That was why, I ran home.
*****
I stepped into my home and shut the door. My heart was racing as I realized how serious The Demons were. They weren't some imaginary group, but instead real life criminals who were on the loose. My town wasn't safe and walking to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, I realized I was taking what Haiden was too lightly.
With my thoughts clouding my mind, I hadn't heard Chelsea ranting to Peter in the kitchen. So when I entered it, I was surprised to see them there, looking furious as they stood by the sink. I had rarely seen them mad, so it was a shock.
"I can't believe they've escape!" exclaimed Chelsea. "They're a bunch of grown children and our forces can't take care of them?"
"They're powerful," Peter said, his eyebrows furrowed. "More powerful than we would have ever expected. It's understandable."
"They should have killed them." She leaned back, pressing her back to the counter. "They should have given them a death sentence for their horrible crimes."
"I agree," he said. "And next time they're caught they'll be sent to hell. Exactly where they belong."
I stepped back at their words, stunned. That was the last thing I wanted. Haiden couldn't be killed.
My shoes must've made a sound because Chelsea and Peter looked at me. Upon seeing me, their eyes softened and I stared at them, stunned. I wanted to tell them not to let that happen, but there was no way I could without explaining why.
"Luna, you're home," Chelsea said, her voice soft. "Good. It's not safe outside."
"Have you heard that The Demons are on the loose?" Peter asked. "Better to stay home from now on. It's not safe and we don't want anything to happen to you."
"I... I'm going to go to my room," I said, feeling sick.
Turning around, I forced myself to go upstairs to my room. My legs felt weak and my heart felt numb, knowing that Haiden could possibly face death. No matter what he was or how bad he was, I didn't want that to happen.
Entering my small bedroom, I went over to my bed that was placed against a wall, in a corner of the room, and fell on top of it. My soft covers felt welcoming and I buried my face into them, wishing to forget. I wished I could forget about everything, even Haiden, but I couldn't. He had touched me and left a permanent mark I couldn't get rid of.
But yet, it was time for me to give up. Although I would always think about him, I had to stop trying to get to know him better. He was dangerous and he was attacking my town I loved. I had to stay away and finally give up.
Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I didn't know who it was, but I muttered come in as I got up and sat cross legged on my bed. Blake was who had knocked and I looked down, not in the mood to talk.
Blake walked over to me and he sat on my bed. A hand touched my chin and it tilted my chin up, so that I was staring into Blake's eyes, seeing a sadness in them that made my heart drop.
"Who's causing you all this unease?" he asked. "Who's making my Luna so unhappy?"
I flushed, unable to help it. He was onto me and I had to cover up the truth.
"No one," I said, forcing a smile. "I don't have friends, remember? Well, other than you."
"Luna, don't you trust me?" he asked, voice gentle. "You can tell me anything."
I knew that, but yet I didn't want to open up about Haiden. Not yet, at least. With my conflicting feelings over him and the fact that he was a criminal, he had to stay a secret.
"Seriously Blake, it's nothing," I said, smiling wider. "I'm fine. I just feel uneasy at the thought of murderers being on the loose."
To my surprise, Blake took my hand. He intertwined our fingers and I stared at him, surprised. We were close, but we had never held hands before.
"You know I'll protect you, right?" Blake said, growing serious. "I'll never let anyone hurt you. I rather give up my life than see someone lay a single finger on your beautiful face."
Blake looked serious, but his eyes expressed an affection that caught me off guard. He had always been sweet, always been caring, but he had never been like this. I had never seen Blake act like this.
"And you know why?" He smiled. "It's because I like you. I like you, Luna."
My eyes widened as I became shocked. I hadn't expected his words. Never had I once thought that Blake liked me. It was unbelievable and I was speechless.
"And I'd like to think you feel the same way," Blake said, looking hopeful. "Because ever since I laid eyes on you when my parents let you live with us, I've been in love."
I didn't know what to say. All this time I thought we were best friends. I never thought of us as anything more and I didn't know what to say because of that. The last thing I wanted was to break his heart.
"Honestly..." I began, heart racing. "I... I didn't know you felt this way."
"Really?" Blake said, surprised. "I thought I made it obvious that I like you."
He had, but I had been stupid enough to think he was just like that with everyone. Blushing, I realized I wasn't the brightest person. I didn't seem to notice much and I was chasing after someone who shouldn't be found. Sighing, my heart dropped as I realized I needed to reevaluate myself.
"I'm sorry, Blake," I whispered, thinking of something fast because I wanted to be alone. "I don't know what to say now, but can you give me time to figure everything out?"
"Of course," he said. "Anything for you. I'll leave you alone now."
He squeezed my hand and got up. Without another word he left my room and I exhaled lightly. Everything had been so calm these past five years and now everything was changing too quickly. It was overwhelming.
Bringing my knees to my chest, I hugged them and closed my eyes. When I closed my eyes I saw Haiden, looking serious, but my heart felt warm. It was a pleasant feeling and I groaned, knowing Haiden was definitely why I had never thought of Blake as more than a friend. That had to change and I needed to forget about him, somehow.