Beginning They didn't have to wait long. Perhaps fifteen minutes later, while they were all mulling over another pot of coffee, Philip's phone rang. He spoke into it for a few moments, then set it on the table and turned on the speaker phone setting. "I trust you are satisfied, Mister Sapienti?" Bobbi Leigh's voice … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Seventeen
Charade Elia looked desperately uncomfortable the entire way to Bobbi Leigh's office, and Sierra couldn't blame him. But they had agreed to do this, and neither of them saw any other way out. They needed Bobbi Leigh's help. "I knew I would have to see her again to pull this off," he admitted, "I guess … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Sixteen
Bargaining The coffee room turned out to be just a break room, but Sierra had to admit it was the nicest break room she'd ever seen. Though unoccupied, given the late hour, Sierra guessed that wasn't its common state. It looked more like a posh coffee house with plush chairs and side tables scattered around, … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Fifteen
Alliance Cammy's eyes dropped shut for a second, then she let out a shaky breath and opened them. "You knew?" she asked Elia. "I didn't," he said, his jaw set. "Not really, until last night. I suspected, yes. But I thought maybe you didn't realize. It wouldn't be the first time." Sierra stared between the … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Fourteen
Landslide "Okay," Sierra said, glancing between Cammy, who stood staring at the stone as if mesmerized, and Elia, who also could not seem to take his eyes off of it. "We got what we came for. Let's find the others and get out of here." Cammy started and looked up at them. "Of course," she … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Thirteen
Plans "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Bobby said, stepping in. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting this guy off Elia's back, and that stone sounds like seriously shady business. But you're talking about stealing something from a super bad dude who probably has it under heavy protection. Aside from the question of if … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Twelve
Accord Sierra and Elia shared a weighted glance, and then they began talking. Taking turns, they managed to get out the whole story, starting with Elia's parents sending him away to hide his magic from Orsino and leading up to Sierra seeing J.D.'s body on the news. "Wait, that body that was mangled on the … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Eleven
Exposed The whole band seemed to be feeling the lack of Tuesday's practice. They hadn't engaged in their usual conversation beforehand, just jumping in to start playing as soon as everyone was there. Sierra was glad of it. Diving right into the music let her work out a lot of her stress and anxiety about … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Ten
Upended Sierra dragged her feet getting ready the next morning. She waited until she heard the others leave for Mass before getting out of bed, taking her time with her shower and packing. Elia was already in the kitchen, fixing a pot of coffee, when she made her way downstairs. "Are you packed?" she asked … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Nine
Respite "Explain to me again why we're doing this?" "I told you," Sierra sighed, reaching up to adjust the rear view mirror, "Papá won a state education award and mi familia is getting together to celebrate." Elia stopped flipping through the comic book he was reading to shoot her a skeptical look. "I'm not part … Continue reading Never Be the Same: Chapter Eight
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