Lyne felt a cotton fabric beside her and she squeezed it, trying to feel him. She exhaled and turned sideways, placing her arm on the bed. When she didn't feel anybody save the cotton cloth, her eyes flung open. That was when the memories came rushing in. 

She sat up and took in all the details in the room she was sleeping. It had a familiar scent. Almost like she was home. A mantelpiece faced her and when she looked to her left side, she could see a high table with lots of books on it. It was organized and looked more like cleaned out. Unlike what she saw when she last came here. 

Looking to her right side, she saw the door to the room open. She got down, noticed the change of clothes, and went through the door. She was met with drawn curtains and a tall, well-dressed, or well-armored woman, holding a mug and looking outside the window.

"You're up so early." She called and Chloe turned, shocked a bit.

"So, are you." She replied, leaving the window.

"I don't wanna think about the fact that you sleep in those and that's because you may need to fight some emergency. I mean, they look," she looked into Chloe's eyes and lowered her voice. "Really uncomfortable."

Chloe laughed nervousness coloring her tone. 

"Well," she hesitated for a while. "Want a coffee?" She asked, stretching the mug.

"Er..." She stared at the mug, clearly reminded of the time Zeidan ordered his staff to make those for them when they were in his suites. Had those moments been all lies too?

"No. I think I'll just do with water."

She moved to a lone cushion and sat down there, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hmmm." Chloe moaned. "No wonder someone's got clean skin and face like her mother's."

"Tell me about my mom." She proposed to Chloe who immediately wished she hadn't brought up the matter. 

"I just...I wasn't privileged to meet her or know her so..."

"I understand."

"You can refuse if you want."

"No. You deserve to know." 

Chloe replied, walking to a stool and sitting down on it. 

"It has been pretty rough."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Hey, Chloe!" 

"Hey, Gilly!" 

A beautiful slim blonde teenager showed up in the small room apartment, a bag hung on her shoulder. She had long, straight golden hair that had made her the boy's favorite for as long as she can remember. She had long beautiful legs and many times, she had been offered to work as a model but couldn't pass as she wasn't eighteen yet. 

"I don't wanna become a model until I'm eighteen." She would always say.

Chloe on the other hand was just a fifteen years old brunette; with shoulder-length wavy hair with green eyes. The only thing that fascinated people about her was her eyes. They said it always made her look beautiful especially when she is wearing a green shirt. It always made her stand out. Chloe was the nerd in their family. And ever since the death of their parents, she as the older sister has been holding the both of them up. Until the arrival of the Skull brothers of course.

"Heard anything from Tyler?" Chloe asked Tara who was grabbing a toast from her hand and taking a bite, rushing to get ready for work.

"Nothing." She replied hurriedly. "I just have to get to work fast."

"You know you don't have to work so hard. I mean, pressure yourself so hard until you break down."

Gilly stopped by the door, turning to face her. 

"Dorathy Williams, I won't die, don't worry."

She chuckled as she looked at her fourteen years old sister. "You better don't, Gilly Williams."

And she turned outside, not knowing what was waiting for her outside the world. As she grabbed a Werewolf series novel that she had been reading, she thought about their journey from different states after their parent's death before finally settling in LA. And then, they found out that their alcoholic parents had gotten into a deal with some drug gangs called the Skull Brothers. Now, they have had to keep running for their lives to different places with different names. 

When they started moving, they changed their ID and others from bearing Tara Williams and Dorathy Williams to Gilly and Chloe Palmer. Well, staying in LA had taken much longer than they expected. Six months with no sign of the Skull Brothers until they broke down their door while she was reading Alpha Chains by Carley Gold.

"Hello, Dorathy." The leader, a scruffy-looking man called and she sat up, with trepidation.

"Skull Brothers." 

"Ha! I'm thrilled to know that you still recognized us." He paused a few feet away from where she sat, his men behind him.

"Grab her." 

"No! No! You can't do this!" She kept yelling as the men came to grab her. Fortunately for her, something hit their leader on the head, causing him to fall. 

By the time she would look up, she was shocked to see Gilly standing at the entrance, with a fire extinguisher can in her hand. 

"Just about time." 

The men dropped her with a thud and rushed to Lyne who raised her leg to kick one of them. The man held her left leg but she jumped and kicked him in the face with her right leg, sending him across the room.

"Cool," Chloe muttered.

One of the men carried a fruit basket on the table and tried to hit her with it, but she held it with one hand, punching him in the jaw with the other hand. She could hear his bones crunching and it made her scream. Gilly was always a badass and always knew how to do it when it comes to defending herself. 

Another man flung a baseball bat towards her head but she bent backward and dodged it but not missing grabbing his arm and pushing him towards the wall, hitting his head against the wall. 

"You don't mess up with my sister and expect to go scot-free!" She hit his head against the wall again, causing blood to splatter about.

"Not today!" A thud. "Not tomorrow!" Another thud.

Chloe watched this on and on until she felt an arm wrap around her neck with a knife pointed towards her throat.

"Gilly!" She cried and her sister turned, dropping the unconscious man. 

"I'll take your sister away. Until you bring me my money, I will not release her." 

It was the leader of the Skull Brothers. His stinking breath was whooshing over her face.

"No." Her face was determined. "I know what I'm good at and I know my sister is a problem solver. I'm nothing but a fighter." 

"Gilly" Chloe whimpered, watching Lyne raise her hands.

"Take me!" 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Chloe placed her hands on her niece, kissing her forehead.

"You're a fighter, just like your Mom. Do anything you can to keep this baby."

Lyne nodded her head. Picturing the image of her Mom being dragged along by the Brothers into a van.