All We Are

Sixteen

*****

"When it's cold out, when the night is still, and you're standing alone, I'll be racing when the lights go out, and you're losing control. Oh, higher, higher, higher we go. Tell me, tell me the journeys's only just begun."- Watch Me Rise, by Mikky Ekko

*****

Rose

Blake and I walked back into the house side by side. Nate was ahead of us. We walked into the living room where Carter, David, Anna, Cal, Hunter, and Reagan were all piled on the couch and around the living room, and James and Sarah each sat in separate arm chairs. I took a seat on the arm of the chair by Sarah. Nate walked over to James and whispered something in his ear. A scowl instantly appeared on his face, but he didn't look my way.

Blake walked in and took a seat by Hunter. Nate looked inbetween the to of us. "Okay Rose, your safety measures are going to be a bit stricter. Always have someone with you, even in school, lock your doors, get rid of that spare key, if James can let himself in so can anyone else." Nate shot James a smirk. James punched Nate in the arm. "Whenever you're not in school, it doesn't matter where you are, just have someone with you, and someone to drive you or drive with you. Also, at night, we were talking about maybe having one of us come stay with you at night in the guest bedroom. We'd rotate of course."

"Is the living with me really necessary?" I asked.

"Yes," Nate replied.

I nodded slowly.

"Cal." I heard Anna say to him.

"Yeah babe?" He replied to her.

"I left my phone in your car." She explained. "Can you unlock the car for me?"

"Yeah." He answered and pulled out his keys from his pocket.

"Thanks babe." AnnaCate pecked him on the cheek.

I watched Anna sashay to the front door.

"Oh and," Nate added, "Self-defense classes will start hopefully this week or next, for you girls."

Sarah smiled warmly at him.

"Oh my God!" We heard Anna shriek from the front of the house.

Cal leapt up and ran to where she was, we all followed after him. I brushed past Hunter to see what Anna was doing...or what she was holding. It was a piece of paper. Anna looked scared. Nate approached her, "May I see it?" He held out his hand. She gingerly placed it in his hand. His eyes scanned the paper. A worried expression took over his face too. He then handed the note to Sarah, who read it, and blanched. Then it was passed to me. I read the following:

Next time I hit, I won't miss. ~R

My heart dropped, and guilt engulfed me again.

-

The following two weeks came and went. It was very crazy. The seasons were beginning to change, and now it was winter. The leaves had turned, and fallen to the ground, in Gresham. The temperature had dropped to highs of fifty degrees. There was frost covering the grass, and the trees, and people's car windshields, in the mornings. I loved it. Winter was the greatest season, in my opinion.

And the best part was, there weren't any other threatening notes, and Ryan had still been keeping a low profile, but Nate's special security plan for me was still being strictly enforced.

Each night someone stayed over. I was okay with a person staying over, but I was avoiding one person staying over in particular. So far the only people who had had "Rose duty" were Sarah, AnnaCate, Hunter, and a mortified David.