The Rouge

Chapter 13

Heat sucks. It sucks so much. You know how everyone rather be hot or cold. I like being cold. I hate being hot. And a symptom of heat, well heat. Cold showers are not your friend. And the fact that Marcus never goes anywhere without me makes it that much harder. I think he's into self-inflicted pain. I remember Sky telling me about her first heat. 

"Just wait," Sky's laughing was infectious, "you'll get your heat."

"I'd have to have a mate first."

"You'll get your mate."

I smiled, "I know, now whether I should be excited,"

"Of course you should," she cut me off. "Having a mate is great."

"It's digesting. You and Fred are that disgustingly cute couple that makes everyone around sick."

She shook her head laughing. "Oh, Ally, your mate will be in for a ride. And when you go into heat, well Fred and I couldn't keep our hands off each other. We-"

"I don't need to know!" I cut her off quickly. "You're my best friend but what you and Fred do alone, I don't want to know about."

She just laughed at me, "Still lots of cold showers, heat is known for being excessively hot."

"Great," I groaned, smiling at her, "I hate being hot."

"Don't worry you mate will help you."

I nodded, "First I would have to find him."

She was dead soon after that. The same time I gave up on mates all together. Sky was the one trying to convince me of them. But when I watched her died. I watched any hope of a mate being a good thing. That was one of the last conversations I had with her. She had made so much progress. I had almost believed her, and then she proved me right. Mates got you killed. And the people you love always die.

I pulled out the photo album I had kept hidden under my bed and stared blankly at it. "What's that?"

I glanced at Marcus and then returned my gaze back to the album. "Nothing."

His eyes narrowed, "Ally,"

"It's nothing, Marcus, just an old photo album."

"Huh,"

"What?" I asked.

"It's just that you don't really have any pictures at you cabin. None of your parents or family."

I turned my face away so he couldn't see the pain in my eyes or the lie on my lips, "It's just so no one will try to track down my family."

"You're lying. And even I'm smart enough to know that you don't open that album. No creases on the binding edges."

"Just let it go, Marcus."

He turned my face towards his, "Alicia, you can't just keep running from your past."

"Please, just let this go, Marcus." I can't go through it all again. The last time I opened this book was when Sky died. I sat there with Jonah crying over her, over my parents, over everyone I had lost.

"Alicia,"

"Marcus, I can't."

He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. "Can't or won't?"

"Both," I whispered. "I just... I haven't seen their pictures in so long. Not since Sky."

"Then maybe it's time."