When Ai finished her story, they sat in silence for another while. Then Zoe felt the soft warmth of Ai's hand against her chin, wiping the tear that was hanging there. Zoe flinched at the sudden expression of affection. Ai softly pulled Zoe's gaze to her own and Zoe fought every instinct in her body that was telling her to fight back. Ai's icy blue eyes were swimming with tears and filled to the brim with a pleading look that Zoe fought hard to ignore. She couldn't become emotional and get backstabbed again. She would not let this woman control her. "So you just left him and let him die, is that it?" Zoe replied bitterly, still staring into the tearful eyes of the woman before her. Ai placed both of her hands on the sides of Zoe's face. "Zoe. . ." "No." Zoe ripped the soft hands away from her cheeks and stood up from the sofa. "That's exactly what you did. You left him and he died because of you. Because of you, I lost everything." "Zoe, you're looking at this all wrong. I was forced to leave him and when he died you have no idea the sorrow and anger that I felt toward Mantha for. . ." "Don't. Say. His. Name," Zoe hissed, emphasizing every word with more and more bitterness and hatred. "I'm sorry." Ai put her head in her hands and then looked back up at Zoe. "But Zoe, you have to believe me." "No," Zoe spat. "I don't have to believe you. And I don't believe you, and I never will. I will not be hurt again." She could almost see Ai's heart sinking as Zoe looked down at the regal woman sitting before her, broken in grief. "You will not have me." And with that, Zoe turned on her heel and ran toward the door that she came in from.

as the saying goes, you can't cheat death. -a paranormal short story

COMPLETED (Book One in Fear Series) Fear. It is what drives us. In this thrilling short novel, young adult readers experience the beginning of the suspenseful journey of Zoe Elizabeth Alexandria, a girl destined to fight the Terrors--creatures of pure fear--and faces her darkest fears in the war to save humanity from destruction. The battle against fear is overwhelming. Will Zoe be able to rise, or will she fall?