When Shalee returned to the dorms on Sunday afternoon, she expressed her surprise at finding me there. Normally when I went home for the weekend, I didn’t come back to the dorms until the evening on Sunday. I thought about just lying and saying that I hadn’t been there long, but I didn’t have the energy to lie, so I just told her that things got too dramatic at home, and I came back early. Apparently she took the hint that I didn’t want to talk about it and didn’t ask any questions.

Instead she told me of her Thanksgiving adventure. She spent Thursday with Danny and his family, and they drove to Oklahoma City late that night and stayed over at her house and celebrated the holiday with her family on Friday. She said there really wasn’t much to talk about except her dad kept walking through the living room at night, making sure Danny was where he was supposed to be.

“Apparently, he was afraid Danny was going to try to sneak into my room,” Shalee commented, rolling her eyes. “As if we’d even try that with my parents just down the hall.”

“Probably a wise choice,” I nodded.

“Yeah, I’d like to keep my boyfriend breathing,” she laughed.

I helped Shalee unpack her stuff, and I told her that I finally got around to listening to Underneath, and she was anxious to hear what I thought about it. We talked about music for a while before we decided to go out for dinner. Danny came along with us, and while we were out, we passed the movie theater, and I expressed an interest in seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Shalee, being the ever adventurous one, decided that we should just go and see it. Neither she nor Danny had seen any of the Harry Potter movies, but they seemed to enjoy it nonetheless. Shalee kept leaning over and asking me what was going on throughout the movie, but I didn’t mind. I was just happy she was generous enough to go with me to a movie she knew nothing about.

Surprisingly, I was actually happy that classes would be resuming the next day. Being back at the dorms with Shalee seemed to be just what I needed. I’d had time to think, so some of the things that had been wearing me down were off of my mind for the time being, and having Shalee around seemed to raise my spirits significantly.

I chose not to tell her about Drea though. I didn’t want to talk about it – not while I was just starting to feel a little better. I decided that maybe after I had a chance to let it sink it and not feel quite as bitter and angry, I would tell Shalee the news.

A few days after classes started again Zac called to tell both Shalee and I that he was moving in with Isaac. Shalee expressed her surprise at the news, but Zac explained that he and his brother had talked about it over the holiday and thought it would be a good idea – especially since Zac was twenty-years-old and supposed to be get married in about five months, and he had yet to live on his own.

His call, however, wasn’t just to inform us of the move. It was also to ask us to help him move his things. Shalee and I both agreed, and the following day after classes were over, I drove over to his parents’ house. Luckily, I was able to remember how to get there on my own. Shalee and Danny both planned to come over to help after they got out of class, but since I had nothing better to do with my time, I decided to help him get a head start.

Unfortunately, Zac was still in bed when I arrived. Jessica let me in and told me that I was going to have to tackle the task of getting him out of bed on my own. I took that as a bad sign and cautiously walked up the stairs and down the hallway to his room.

I pushed the door open - not bothering to be quiet in hopes that it would rouse him. But apparently Zac was a heavy sleeper because he didn’t move a muscle. He was sprawled out across his bed with his legs falling off either side of the bed with one arm tucked behind his head while the other was lying across his stomach. His blankets were falling off of his bed and only a portion of them were covering his midsection, which left his bare chest exposed.

‘God, he's beautiful.’ I thought, but as soon as the words entered my head, I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks. I suddenly felt very ashamed of myself, standing in Zac’s room gawking at him as he slept. I bit my lip and crept over to his bed. I started to reach out to shake him, but I stopped. I took another step back before I reached out to shake him. I wanted to make sure there was some distance between us in case he woke up swinging.

I shook him lightly, but he didn’t move, and from where I was standing it was hard to keep my balance, so I reluctantly took a step toward him and shook him again harder than before. He groaned and grabbed at the blankets and stretched slightly before he settled back into the bed.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Zac,” I said, shaking him with all the force I could muster. “Zac, wake up,” I said.

“What?” he groaned, swatting my hand away.

“I thought you were supposed to be moving today,” I commented. “And I’m here to help you pack. But if you want to sleep the day away, then I’ll just leave,” I said in a singsong tone.

Zac grunted and forced his eyes opened. He blinked a couple of times before his eyes finally focused on me.

“Hello, sleepyhead,” I smirked.

“What time is it?” he asked, stifling a yawn.

I checked my watch. “Almost noon,” I answered.

“Seriously?” he moaned.

“No, I’m lying to you,” I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes. “Are you getting up or what?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he muttered as he stretched out and the blankets slid to the floor. I thanked the lord above that he was wearing boxers because I was sure I would have had a heart attack otherwise.

Zac sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes as he yawned. He didn’t seem to be bothered by his lack of clothing, and I knew that I shouldn’t be either, but I was. I felt like such a prude, but I couldn’t help it. “Do you want me to go while you get dressed?” I asked, nodding toward the door.

Zac shrugged and shook his head as he walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a shirt and pulled it over his head before grabbing a pair of jeans off the back of a nearby chair and pulling them on. “See? All dressed,” he smiled. “But I need to go brush my teeth. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” I nodded as he brushed past me and stepped out of the room. I looked around for a moment before I decided to sit down on the bed. I looked around the room, noting how much stuff there was to pack, and I didn’t notice Zac come back into the room.

“Oh, look! Pretty girl on my bed again. But she’s not singing,” he pouted before a grin broke out across his face.

I rolled my eyes. “Not happening, buddy,” I replied. “One of us in this room is a professional singer, and it’s not me, so if anyone’s going to sing, it better be you.”

“Killjoy,” he said, glaring at me playfully as he combed his fingers through his messy hair.

“Whatever,” I answered. “So, where shall we start?”

“That is a good question,” Zac replied.

“Do you have any boxes?” I asked.

“Um …” Zac stared at me blankly and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked. “You want to move all this junk and you have no boxes to put it in?”

“Hey now, that’s my junk … I mean, my precious possessions,” he said, trying to look offended.

“Okay, I’m going to quote Shalee on this – Zac, you’re an idiot,” I said.

“Oh, you did not!” Zac said, glaring playfully at me as he started to walk toward me. I knew he was coming after me, so I jumped up out of the way just as he pounced on the bed. I bent over laughing as he slid across the bed and landed on the floor on the other side. “This is war!” Zac exclaimed from the other side of the bed. I watched as he stood up, looking determined and the smile immediately disappeared from my face as I shrieked and fled from the room.

I looked over my shoulder and watched as Zac came after me with a huge smile on his face. “You cannot escape me,” he said in a voice imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“It’s not my fault you’re an idiot,” I called over my shoulder and I hurried down the stairs two at a time.

“I am not an idiot,” Zac called as he followed me down the stairs.

“Yes, you are! You forgot to get any boxes to move your precious possessions,” I laughed as Zac chased after me. I ran down the hallway toward the kitchen, but Zac was on my heels, but since he wasn’t wearing any shoes, as soon as his bare feet hit the wooden floors, he slid down onto his butt.

I pointed and laughed until tears filled my eyes, but Zac wasn’t deterred. Instead he jumped to his feet and ran after me. We circled the island in the kitchen twice before I fled back through the door and ran back past the stairs and into the living room. However, as soon as I entered the room, my eyes settled on the television and my heart stopped beating.

The news was on and the reporter was talking, but it wasn’t her who had gained my attention. It was the picture in the top right hand side of the screen that drew my breath away. I tried to focus, and I somehow managed to process what the reporter was saying.

“29-year-old Earl Hagley of Moffett, Oklahoma is accused of terrorizing the city of Roland, Oklahoma. In November of 2004 Mariah Billings was found slaughtered in her home. According to the police, she had been raped and stabbed repeatedly. Her mother found her the next morning. She was first of Hagley’s alleged victims.

Over the course of four months, he terrorized a city and took five more lives. However, his seventh victim, who has remained unnamed due to her age, narrowly escaped his wrath. She was found by a member of the family and rushed to the hospital.

It was she who was able to provide the police with a sketch, and later identified her attacker. Hagley has been adamant about his innocence, but according to sources, several items belonging to the other victims were found in his possession.

Hagley is the son of Author Hagley, an architect based in Moffett, who also designed all seven houses of the victims. Hagley’s trial is scheduled to begin in early January, and the prosecuting attorney, Mariel Shane, says that the state has a strong case against Hagley …”

I was vaguely aware of Zac grabbing me by the shoulders, but I couldn’t react. I could hear him laughing, but everything around me started to fade in and out. It was as if the entire room was spinning around me.

Seeing that face on the screen was too much of a shock. It was a face that had haunted me in my dreams. It was a face I feared. I never wanted to see him again. He had already done so much to destroy my life.

I closed my eyes and tried to gain my composure, but instead his face flashed before me and I was back there to that night in my bedroom when everything in my life changed.

I struggled to open my eyes. I knew I had blacked out from being choked. I was still having trouble breathing, but that wasn’t what concerned me. I felt a sharp, searing pain between my legs. I tried to move, but my legs still felt heavy, but I could feel something wet between my legs.

I was horror stricken as I realized what had happened while I was passed out. I felt sick, but I couldn’t move. He was still there, sitting on my legs.

“Please,” I cried into the darkness. “Please let me go.”

He laughed, and I felt him shift forward until his face was just inches from mine. I focused on his eyes and all I could see was pure evil. “Can’t do that, sweetheart,” he whispered, his hot breath tickling my face, causing tiny goosebumps to pop up all across my skin. “You sure were good though. Another cherry. My favorite.”

I closed my eyes and tears slid down my face. The next moment I felt him moving off of me and off the bed. He then grabbed me by the arms. He pulled me up and traced the necklace around my neck for a moment before he wrapped his hand around the amethyst pendent and yanked it off.

“NO!” I screamed, pulling my arm free and grabbing the necklace he had just taken. My grandmother had given it to me. I didn’t know why it mattered so much, but I decided that he just couldn’t have it.

He seemed surprised by my sudden strength but it was only momentarily. He quickly recovered and grabbed both of my arms and held my wrists together. I struggled against him and his grip on my wrists became tighter, and I heard a cracking noise and a surge of pain shot through my left wrist as he reached behind him with his free hand and pulled something out from behind him.

As soon as he brought his hand back around in front of him, I saw it shine in the moonlight. It was a hunting knife. My breath caught in my throat, and he laughed, “Go ahead and fight now. That will make things all the more interesting. None of the others were as gutsy as you girl. I like a challenge though.”

I panicked. I started to struggle, trying my hardest to get away from the knife-wielding psycho, but his grip was too tight and my wrist hurt too badly, and I watched in horror as he brought the knife down and I felt it pierce me in the chest. The pain was excruciating, but still I struggled as he brought the knife down again and again.

When he released his grip on my wrists, I fell to the ground and my left leg snapped backward and I was sure I heard it crack upon the impact, but I tried to move backwards even as I felt the blood pouring from my chest, but my limbs all felt too heavy and the next moment he was above me again and his blood covered knife glittered in the moonlight as he brought it down one last time.

“JUDE!” Zac practically yelled as he shook me by the shoulders. I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. I looked up and found myself staring into Zac’s deep brown eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking deeply concerned. “You fainted.”

“I did?” I replied as I tried to sit up, but I still felt too weak.

“Have you eaten yet, honey?” I looked up and for the first time I noticed that Diana was standing over me as well.

I shook my head and closed my eyes for a moment before I opened them again and tried to sit up. This time Zac helped me up, and I nearly fell into him. My whole body felt like a heavy bowl of jello, but Zac helped me to my feet.

“Help her over to the couch, Zac,” Diana instructed. “I’ll go fix you something to eat. That’s probably why you passed out.”

“Yeah, probably,” I mumbled faintly as Zac helped me walk over to the couch. I sat down and held my head in my hands. I felt like a complete and total freak, but at least they just thought that my episode was because of not eating.

“Are you okay?” Zac asked quietly.

I nodded. “I’m fine. Just a little dizzy.”

“I’m sorry,” Zac said.

I looked up and frowned. “For what?” I asked.

“Chasing you around the house like an idiot,” he replied. “It was immature.”

“Zac, it’s not your fault,” I replied. “Besides, I’m fine,” I mustered up my best smile and Zac gave me a weak smile in return.

He sighed and leaned back against the couch. “I guess I really am a killjoy, huh?” I commented.

“Oh, shut up,” Zac said, rolling his eyes. “If you hadn’t fainted, I probably never would have caught you anyway.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” I commented.

“Is it working?” he asked, suppressing a smile.

“Maybe,” I smiled.

We sat quietly on the couch for a little while longer until Diana came back into the room with a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. “Eat up, and I’m sure you’ll be fit as a fiddle in no time,” she smiled as she handed me the bowl.

I took it carefully so that I wouldn’t spill it and smiled up at Diana. “Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” she said. “You have a grilled cheese coming next.”

“What about me?” Zac pouted.

“You’re well. Fix it yourself,” she replied. “After all, you’re moving out. You’ll have to learn to fend for yourself.”

“But mom …” Zac whined as Diana walked out of the room. “I feel so unloved,” he pouted as I took a bite of my soup.

“Your mom loves you,” I smiled.

“I know,” Zac sighed. Diana came back in the room a few minutes later and had two grilled cheese sandwiches, which made Zac happy. She told him that if he wanted soup, he’d have to get it himself though. I thanked her for the food, and she smiled and welcomed me, saying that I probably thought that that was all she knew how to cook since it was the same thing she fixed the last time I was over.

Once Diana was gone, Zac and I ate quietly, but as I was finishing my sandwich, I told Zac that I finally listened to Underneath, and he wanted to know what I thought about it. We spent a long time discussing the songs, and he explained to me about the struggle they had with their former record label, which seemed to spark a lot of the pain that was evident in the songs.

When Shalee and Danny hadn’t arrived by one, Zac called them up and they said they were going to get some lunch and then they’d be over to help. While Zac was talking to them, he asked them to go by and pick up some boxes for him. Shalee had the same reaction as I did and called him an idiot, but Zac finally admitted defeat and agreed that he was, in fact, an idiot.

While we were waiting for Shalee and Danny, Zac and I started talking about our families. It started with me asking where his siblings were and turned into a full discussion about each of them. Then he wanted to know about Emmy. I told him about her and Harris and my nieces. It seemed odd, but when it came to talking about Emmy, I could go on and on about how great she was, but when it came to talking about myself, I was always at a loss.

“So, is Emmy short for Emily or something?” he asked curiously.

“Nope, Emerald,” I replied.

“Emerald? Are you serious?” Zac asked.

I nodded. “But that’s her middle … actually Emerald Rain to be more specific,” I replied.

“That’s her middle name?” he asked. Again I nodded and he asked, “So what’s her first name then?”

“Thora. After our grandma – on our mom’s side of the family,” I explained. “I’m named after my grandma on my dad’s side.”

“So what’s your middle name?” he asked slyly.

“Amethyst Skye,” I replied, sighing. I knew he was going to think it was weird. Everyone did.

“Are your parents hippies or something?” Zac asked.

I rolled my eyes. “No,” I replied. “Okay … maybe my mom was a little hippy-ish, but my dad – no way.”

“So what’s with the names then?” he asked.

“Emerald and Amethyst are our birthstones,” I explained.

“Ohh,” Zac nodded. “Well, that’s cool.”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“So, why does your sister go by her middle name and you don’t?” he asked.

“Can you imagine being called Amethyst?” I asked, nearly snorting.

“I guess I see your point,” he laughed.

“My mom called me Amie though,” I said. “It was her special nickname for me.”

“That’s pretty,” Zac nodded. “I don’t have a special nickname.”

“And that’s why you feel so unloved, right?” I commented, rolling my eyes.

“Exactly,” Zac replied.

I sighed and shook my head. “Whatever, Zac. Whatever.”

“Hey, after my Thanksgiving, I can’t help but feel a little unloved,” he said.

“Why? What happened during Thanksgiving?” I asked, frowning. I didn’t really want to ask because I was afraid he would ask me about mine, and I still didn’t feel like discussing it.

“Oh, ya know … the usual – fought with Kate,” he said, rolling his eyes. “More like she fought with me and hasn’t talked to me since.”

“What were you fighting about?” I asked curiously. I figured since he brought it up that it was okay to ask.

“Well, originally she was going to fly down for the weekend and stay. She was supposed to come in on Friday afternoon, but she called on Thursday and said she wanted to stay with her family since her brothers were both coming home too. I said that that was fine. I didn’t mind,” he explained.

“Well, I think it pissed her off that I wasn’t upset about it – like I didn’t want to see her or something, ya know? Then she suggested that I come and see her instead, but it was so last minute, I told her that I probably wouldn’t be able to get a flight, so then she went into the rant about how I didn’t want to see her, and I didn’t even miss her,” he continued with a sigh. “It was just perfect. I mean, happy Thanksgiving, you’re a shitty boyfriend … fiancée. Whatever.”

“Do you and Kate always fight when you talk?” I asked curiously.

“No, not really,” he sighed. “I think it’s just the distance. Normally we see each other more than this, but with her in college, and me working on the new album with my brothers, there’s not as much time to fly out of state to see each other whenever we feel like it.”

“Well, I’m sorry about your Thanksgiving,” I commented after a moment. “And I’m sorry about your fight with Kate.”

“Yeah, well, it’s over now. She’ll come around eventually,” he shrugged. “So how was your Thanksgiving?” he asked.

I took a deep breath and sighed. “Let’s just put it this way – the highlight of my holiday was hanging out with you on Wednesday afternoon. Everything after that … disastrous.”