It’s nighttime.Those that needed to be notified of the unique situation Coraline and I found ourselves in had been briefed. My father had told me to do whatever it takes to ‘make sure that the both of us remain alive until the culprit is behind bars.’ Those were his exact words. He’s a real comfort, my father, and has such a way with words. Gerald was much more sympathetic to our plight and promised that he would stick around as well until this whole thing was over. Even if none of us would be able to do a thing if some gunman broke into the house and caught us all unaware, it felt nice to know that so many people are there in our corner.After I called my father, I called Erikkson and told him about the situation so I could get him to handle our anti-logging campaign and the activists. When I told Chief about what was happening, though, I got the strangest reaction.“We will come to the city,” he told me, “We would be able to hunt him before he can attack you.”Knowing that these we

I lie on my bed, but sleep does not come so easily.Just moments ago, I bid night to Coraline, my best friend who just confessed that she was in love with me.Me.Coraline, who was the former head cheerleader of the high school I attended, dated the captain of the football team and was the most popular girl in school. Coraline, who had been in an abusive relationship when I met her again after many years, became my best friend after it ended.I did love Coraline, but I never let myself wonder in which way. Until today, I did not let my thoughts stray to a territory that was not platonic. I felt like I was doing something wrong whenever I got those thoughts, as it made me feel like I would be taking advantage of Coraline. I mean, she was my employee. There were already enough rumors about us, claiming that she was exchanging sexual favors with me for her job. The rumors were disgusting, and whenever I heard them, I made sure to glare at whoever even dared to relay the untruths. If the

“Hey, Jace.” She says, attempting a smile. She suddenly looks shy.“Hey, Coraline,” I reply, “so…what do you say we stop beating around the bush about last night?”A startled laugh escapes and she shakes her head as if she is in disbelief.“Yeah, Jace, that seems like the best cause of action,” she sighs, “this shouldn’t feel so awkward, should this? I mean, it’s not like we’re strangers. We’re friends, for god’s sake.”“I think that’s the exact reason we feel out of place. The paradigm of our relationship has shifted, and it’s going to take some time for us to get used to it,” I point out, totally not spouting out facts I’d googled last night before finally succumbing to sleep about dating one's best friend correctly. I did not intend to commit mistakes in this particular venture.“I suppose,” Coraline replies coyly, and gives me a look under her lashes, “so, what do you think about this particular shift of paradigms?”“Well, I have reasons to believe that it just might be the best t

I do not tell Coraline about my phone.Instead, I immediately rush to the nearest electronics store, stalkers and murderers be damned, and buy a new phone. Unfortunately, this particular store only sells old brands and models, so I get a really cranky phone for my money.Because even after three hours, the backup isn’t finished yet!I think it’s Karma coming after my ass for breaking a perfectly good device in a moment of rage. I mean, there are people starving all around the world and I'm throwing iPhones around just to throw a temper tantrum. That makes me feel like a real adult, alright.So, thanks to my earlier loss of control, I am struck with some off-brand device that's taking forever to get set up. I need that email to enter the restaurant and claim the reservation.We only got one more hour to go before we need to get on the road. It’s going to take a little while to travel to Empire city, and we wanted to get there fairly early just so we wouldn’t be late because of reasons

“I’m sorry,” I tell her, a pout firmly on my face. I can’t seem to make it go away no matter how much I tried.We’re sitting in front of one of Empire City's most popular tourist attractions, the Regal Lake. Everything in this damn city was named to have some sort of relation to royalty for some reason. Mostly, this was a factor for much joking within the campus as well as everywhere else. This particular pace is familiar to me from the time I was living in Empire city.Coraline sits next to me, my jacket wrapped around her shoulders to give her warmth. Laurent must be parked somewhere around, surely indulging in a cigarette. It’s been about half an hour since our altercation at Helium restaurant came into place. After getting the refund completed, and some more arguing with the staff, we finally managed to make it out of there. But by then, it was too late. The mood for a perfect date had been tarnished, and Coraline looked exhausted.We mumbled something at Laurent after returning t