Bryan Callent has always made easy work out of teaching. Monotonous, sure, but he preferred it that way. When he starts working at a new High School and befriends the black sheep of the senior class, things slowly start to change. Renée Kinley is quiet, stubborn, and shows no real interest in her schoolwork but as the year progresses and bruises appear far too frequently, Bryan decides he has to do something, or risk a girl losing her future, or possibly her life.
Warning: Dark themes, mentions of abuse, and occasional strong language
Elliot's partner was his whole world, but after Allan's death, his ghost haunts Elliot's dreams. Everyone tells Elliot to move on, but he isn't sure he can.
*****
It's been a year since the love of Elliot's life, Allan, passed away. Everyone thinks he should have recovered after that much time, but Allan still haunts Elliot every night. He struggles to maintain relationships with his family, and despite a coworkers interest he can't summon up the courage to date. Elliot is living for the past, because to live for the present means he'll have to live with a hole in his heart. But the question Elliot has to face chases him through his monotonous days: is mourning Allan with everything he has truly living?
[[word count: 40,000-50,000 words]]