Heather’s POV

We ended up driving through the city. We gazed at the lights and Moose practically jumped out of the window. I turned to see Kate practically doing the same. Suddenly Luke turned down a dimly lit alley and turned off the engine. We hopped out and he led us through a door and into an elevator. I turned to see Moose looking around dumbstruck.
“It’s a little small,” he started but was cut off by the elevator jolting to life and lifting us upward. I smiled a little and waited patiently for the elevator to stop. When it finally did stop Luke turned to us smiling.
“This is what we call the vault.” He said happily. He pulled the doors open and inside was the greatest thing I ever saw. Kate and I wandered out of the elevator completely awestruck. I spun around to see everyone there practicing their dance moves. We were greeted by several people like the Santiago twins and the Ticks. The Ticks talked Luke into showing Moose around but Kate and I kindly declined. We wanted to explore on our own. We found one area uninhabited and we quickly ran to it. The floor was smoothed out like it was made for ballroom dance so Kate and I got up and decided to practice our own dance we made up that was a mix of the Tango and Salsa. We were just having fun when we turned to see all eyes on us. I felt a blush rise up into my cheeks. I stepped down and looked around. I saw Moose smiling at us and Luke was smirking and shaking his head and the rest looked amazed.
“What was that?” Luke asked us taking a step closer. I smiled brightly remembering the day we made it up.
“Well one day me and Kate were swimming and we heard a tango song and we didn’t know the real tango so we made up our own.” I explained joyfully. He smiled and looked at the rest of the group.
“Well, I think we all agree that these girls are good.” He said finally. The rest agreed and we smiled happily. We all gathered around the table so they could warn us about the Samurai and how they would battle us again. Luke walked over to a monitor and stared at it for a few seconds. “Hey guys, come on I’ll show you the club.” Luke motioned for us to follow him so we did.
When we walked into the club our ears were assaulted with loud music and loud voices. Kate and I stuck close but we soon found out we had lost the guys. I looked around for an escape when I saw the bathroom sign. I turned to her and got her attention.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom I’ll be right back!” I yelled into her ear. She nodded and I ran into it quickly thankful for the slight relief. I walked up to the mirror and checked my appearance. I still wore the same stuff I was wearing earlier and my make-up was starting to look dull. I groaned at the reflection in front of me and turned to walk out but I saw three girls in my path.
“You think you can just battle the samurai once?” The shorter one asked. Out of no where music started playing and they started dancing. I looked for an exit but couldn’t find one. I did what I did best and I started dancing like crazy. I did flips and a few windmills before pumping the soap into my hand and blowing a few bubbles. I went and got some water to and before she knew it the girl at the door had eyes full of soapy water and I was running for my life.

Kate’s POV
After Heather went to the bathroom I just stood there awkward. I was dancing along with the beat and the crowd around me when I felt hands on my hips and breathing by my neck. I turned ready to attack somebody but stopped when I saw who it was. Kid Darkness… he had a smiled on his face and I stepped back. Oh man, I couldn’t let my hormones control me. He kept advancing forward so I kept slowly moving back. This went on for awhile until there was less and less people and my back hit a wall. Oh crap, I was in for it now. He walked forward and put a hand on either side of my head. He got closer and closer and I felt faint.
“What’s your name?” he asked quietly. I looked up confused but then cleared my throat.
“Kate.” I said, short and simple. Alright I’m doing great I just can’t cave…I can do this.
“I was really surprised when you beat me in the park, well you and your little friend when you went to help that kid. You’re a great dancer and not bad looking either.” I saw him smirk underneath his cap. I felt my heart rate speed up.
“Yeah well it wasn’t really fair, three against one. Besides I’m sure anyone could beat you, you’re not THAT good.” I spat. I saw his smirk grow, great fuel his energy with my sad excuses at making him angry. He laughed a little.
“I like you. How about you and I go out sometime.” He said. I looked up about to cave when I heard a loud noise and remembered Heather.
“Sorry, not my type, I’m a pirate.” And with that I slipped under his arm and ran towards the dance floor. I could have sworn I saw his face fall and he looked defeated.

Heather’s POV
After I ran out of the bathroom I saw Moose running out of the boy’s bathroom being chased by some guys. We met up on the floor and saw that we were both being chased and cornered. Moose was shoved to the ground and before I could help him up a pair of hands already had him on his feet. I turned to see the pirates standing there and I saw Kate run out of the crowd towards us looking a little shaken. Soon Kid Darkness appeared and started towards Moose. Kid Darkness looked pissed but when he looked over at Kate I saw his eyes and they just looked sad. Luke stepped up and told them to leave but then the most gorgeous blond stepped out of the crowd.
“Now now Luke don’t be so violent.” He said. I was so caught up in the sound of his voice that I didn’t even pay attention to the rest of the argument. But then suddenly he turned to me and smiled even wider, if possible. “I’ve seen you; you were one of the ones to beat Kid Darkness. Well if I must say you are quite beautiful. What’s your name?” he asked. It took me a moment to realize that he was the bad guy here. I swallowed my drool and stepped forward from the crowd to properly face him.
“Not. Your. Type.” I said, my voice sounded hard and brutal but my insides were like jelly. A chorus of ‘ooooooh’s escaped from the crowd and he smirked a little.
“Well, you may not tell me now but I’ll figure out…in time. I’ll see you around.” He said while kinda tapping my chin and winking. I felt myself blush and I stepped backwards. The twins said something to him about respecting ladies and he just disrespected them. Out of no where Carlos jumped up and then this hug fight broke out between everyone. I was grabbed by one twin and I saw Kate being grabbed by the other and we made our way back upstairs.

Kate’s POV
Before I knew it Heather and I were back up stairs and panting really hard. I looked to see the twins looking a little down, I knew that they were from Argentina but people didn’t need to keep criticizing about how they talk. I wanted to go up and hug them and apparently Heather had the same idea because she hugged the one closest to her.
“I love the way you talk,” she said sympathetically. He smiled and hugged her back. I hugged the other twin and soon they were both back to their normal hyper selves. I felt my eyelids growing heavier and a yawn escaped my mouth. I looked around to find Heather to see where we could sleep but I found her passed out in the sponge pit. I laughed and I looked at the twins.
“Is there anywhere we could crash?” I asked. They laughed and nodded. The twin Heather hugged pranced over to the sponge pit and hauled Heather up over his shoulder and carried her to a different part of the vault. There were two pre-made beds already and he laid her down on one and covered her up. I laid on the other one and smiled at the twins appreciatively. They smiled back and left the room. I laid my head down on the pillow and waited for sleep to over come me. I listened to the sounds; down below was the club, beside me was Heather snoring quietly, in the other room was the twins talking amongst themselves, it sounded like Luke was coming in with the rest of the pirates. I heard him walk towards the twins.
“Where are the girls?” he asked somewhat frantically. I heard one laugh.
“Man, they’re asleep in that room. Don’t worry we saved em!” He said enthusiastically. I heard laughter and the quiet sounds of footsteps spreading around the vault. I reckon everyone was going to sleep and that’s what I did. I fell asleep to the sound of my new family.
Heather’s POV
I awoke to the sound of music drifting through the vault. I got up and started searching for the source of the music. I ended up in a room with a towering wall of boom boxes. One of them was turned on and was playing a fast rhythm but nobody was there. I began to dance, swaying with the music. I added some flips and slides and turns. Nothing was stopping me I was a force of power that no one could control, well until I felt my jean shorts rip. Wonderful. I looked down at my torn clothes and decided I had to go shopping. I walked out and saw a girl standing there with bright red hair.
‘Um, hello… I was just…” I started but she held up her hand and smiled.
“Follow me.” She instructed. I followed her as we walked to a part of the vault I had never been to. She ushered me into a room and motioned for me to sit on the couch. I did as I was told and sat down while she made her way over to the closet. She pulled out a pair of cut off jeans and a dark blue tank top with a thin red cardigan. She threw the clothes at me and then pulled me up and pushed me into a bathroom. “Take a shower and get ready, we leave in an hour.” I hurried up and showered and got dressed. I put on some foundation and mascara and let my hair down so it could dry. The natural curls bounced as I made my way to the door and exited. She looked up from her book and smiled at me. “You look so cute!” She squealed. I raised an eyebrow at her realizing I didn’t know her name. She must have caught my confused look because she quickly added, “Oh I’m Anala by the way. What’s your name?” she gave me a warm smile and I instantly liked her.
“I’m Heather. Thanks for the clothes; I really need to go shopping.” I said. She smiled and then grabbed my wrist and drug me out of the door and towards the elevator. We made our way to the street. She let go of my wrist and we slowed our pace to a normal walk. We talked about everything from music to dance moves to books. She was a really interesting person. She was also incredibly nice. We talked about our families. Turns out her family is really rich and they supported her going to live in the vault with the other dancers. I told her about my family and how I keep getting thrown around from family member to family member. She looked truly sorry and before I knew it we were in front of a bunch of clothing stores.
“Alright split up and pick whatever you want, I’ll buy it for you.” She smiled. I looked at her and began to tell her no but she stopped me and pushed me into a store. I sighed and began looking around. I was looking at a pair of new mini shorts when I felt someone standing behind me. Thinking it was Anala I smiled and turned around and showed her the shorts, only it wasn’t Anala.
“Oh those would look great on you. You have a very nice set of legs if I do say so myself. So are you going to tell me your name now or do I have to follow you until I figure out?” Julien asked with a smirk on his face. God if he was anymore beautiful I would have fainted. I started to answer him trying to get rid of the blush on my face but before I could Anala busted in.
“Heather! Hey I found the perfect pair of shoes…” she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Julien. Her eyes grew dark and she rushed up to my side and grabbed my wrist. “Come on let’s go. It’s too crowded in here.” She said pulling me away. Julien was wearing a smile on his face and I knew he had won this one.
“I’ll see you later Heather!” he called after me. I felt my face heat up and I turned and ran out of the store with Anala. We finished shopping for me and Kate and then we walked home. It seemed as if everything was normal between us but I knew she was thinking of ways to beat Julien’s crew. I, on the other hand, was thinking how beautiful my name sounded coming from his mouth. God I hope everything works out okay.

Heather’s POV

Anala and I got back to the vault and saw that everyone was awake and dancing. I saw Kate with the twins busting out to the samba. I took all the bags from Anala and took them to Kate’s and my room. I set down the bags and started unpacking all of the stuff. After an hour of unpacking and sorting I flopped down on my bed and shut my eyes. I was listening to all of the chatter outside and noticed that one voice was missing, Luke. I hopped up and went to search for him. I checked everywhere, upstairs and downstairs. I decided that is was time to check the roof. I climbed up a ladder and opened the door at the top. I peered through to see Luke with some girl. I felt my wall go up and I knew she was bad news. I didn’t like her and I didn’t know why I just knew that I couldn’t trust her.

Before they figured out I was watching I quietly closed the door and descended the ladder. I was walking back to my room when I felt an arm snake around my waste and pull me backwards.

“Nuh uh girl, you’re dancing with me!” I heard a cheerful adolescent voice say in my ear. I smiled and turned around to see Moose smiling at me. I grabbed his hand and an evil smile broke across my face.

“Okay Moose try and keep up though.” I said. I heard a chorus of ‘oh’s and I felt my spirits lift. I heard him scoff and then the dance battle began.

Kate’s POV

I turned to see Heather and Moose having a dance battle, of course Heather was mopping the floor with Moose but I kept my mouth shut. He looked nervous and so I gladly stepped in seeing as how I was the only person to beat her in a dance battle in the second grade, which is why we’re such great friends now. I pushed him back and smiled at her doing a quick windmill and ending in the splits. I saw her smile get wider and I knew I was in for a serious workout.

2 Hours Later

Heather and I flopped down on the couch exhausted. We had finally called a truce and took a break. Everyone else sat down astonished including Luke and some girl named Natalie, which Heather glared at every chance she got. I wonder why she didn’t like Natalie, she seemed alright with me. I looked over at Heather to see her glaring at Natalie again. I poked her in the arm and made a look towards our room. She got up angrily and bid everyone a goodnight. I followed shortly after and when I closed the door I saw that glare again.

“What is wrong with you?” I asked. I saw her look at me astonished. She got up and cracked the door just enough to see everyone sitting out in the other room and talking.

“What’s wrong with me? Her, that Natalie girl! I don’t trust her and I think she’s jeopardizing the competition.” She whispered and then closed the door and flung herself onto her bed. I looked at her shocked. She turned towards me with an annoyed expression. “What!?” She shouted. I sat down with that expression still on my face.

“Heather you’ve seen this movie before, why can’t you remember if she’s a bad guy or not?” I asked I saw it dawn on her face and then she shared the same look as me.

“I don’t know, I can’t really seem to remember what happens… I think we’re going to have to wing it.” She said finally. She opened her closet door and a crap load of clothes were hanging up. She pulled down a new pair of silk pajamas and put them on. She turned to me and smiled. “Check your closet, Anala and I went shopping today.” She said happily. I looked and there were so many clothes I couldn’t think straight. I turned to see her sitting down holding a pair of mini shorts. I went and sat down beside her.

“What is it?” I asked. She looked at me with a blush creeping up her neck. She threw the shorts back in her closet and slammed the door shut.

“Nothing just something Julien said. We bumped into him today.” I was about to explode when I saw the look she had on her face. I knew that she really liked Julien and as her best friend I wasn’t going to say anything. Hell I liked Kid Darkness so I’m not one to talk. I hugged her and then went and crawled under my covers. We said our goodnight’s and shut out the light. I fell asleep only to dream of a guy that I hope I will be meeting very soon.

Heather's POV

I got up before everyone else so I could exercise and stretch without waking anybody up. I threw my hair up in a bun and pulled on some comfy red sweat pants and a black and white tank top. I slipped on my tennis shoes, stuffed my iPod in my pocket, and pulled on my sweat band before I crept up to the roof. I peeked out to make sure no one was there and then pulled myself up and shut the door quietly. I began stretching my legs and arms. Then I set off on the course doing jumps and splits and back flips. After about an hour I had already but up a sweat so I decided to go for a jog. I crept down the fire escape and pulled my iPod out and pressed play. Owl City blared through my headphones as I started to jog.
I had jogged at least a mile before I got a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I stopped and looked around but I didn’t see anybody so I kept jogging. That feeling was still in my stomach and I was about a mile and a half away from the vault so I did what all smart people do, I ran like hell. It didn’t help matters that I was already beat from exercising so much before but now I was just pushing myself. I literally felt my heart in my throat but I kept running. My ear buds fell out and I heard footsteps close behind me. Just when I thought I had the upper hand though my ear buds tripped me up and I face planted into the asphalt.

“Damn it all to hell!” I screamed out. I looked down and my whole right arm was covered in a warm red liquid. The same liquid was flowing from my nose and mouth too and I’m pretty positive I sprained my ankle. I tried to get up but two hands grabbed a hold of me first. They were roughly dragging me into the nearest alley and I was trying to scream but the blood was stifling it. I knew it; I knew that New York would be the bloody death of me! I hope that whoever this guy is I can at least give him one good kick in the misters before I go out.
I was trying my hardest to get away but I felt myself slowly loosing consciousness from all the blood loss. Oh crap! I forgot to tell Kate how hot I think her step-brother is! Well I guess it will go to the grave with me. I swear if I get out of this though I will tell her that I dig him. I would rather die at her hands than this creep’s hands. All of a sudden though the hands released me and newer gentler hands replaced them. I looked up to see Julien standing there looking down at me with worry.

“Are you okay? Heather, can you hear me? Don’t close your eyes just look at me, only at me okay? Dear God! I hope she’s okay. I have to get her back to the vault,” I heard him ask and then whisper the last part. I snuggled into his chest more and I was able to mumble a few words out. “What? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you,” he said. His voice was dripping with concern and I couldn’t help but feel bad for putting him through this.

“Sorry for bleeding on your pretty shirt,” I said louder this time. I saw him smile and I felt his fingers brush away the stray hairs hanging in my face. He started walking and it felt like forever before we reached the vault. He set me down in the lift and I smiled at him sadly. “You’re leaving me?” I asked feebly. He smiled sadly back at me.

“I have to, I can’t show my face up there or they’ll think I did this to you. I would never hurt a girl like you, you’re different somehow. Anyway I know that your friend will be up and looking for you so you’ll be taken care of. Oh and tell her Kid Darkness said hi,” he said as he pushed the button and the lift doors closed. I watched him walk away as I was carried up and the doors to the vault creaked open. I heard a sigh of relief and then a blood curdling scream. I counted down in my head, 5-4-3-2-1-BOOM!

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?!?!?!?!? WHO DID THIS TO YOU!?!?!?” I heard Kate scream. I smiled up at her and I was only able to mumble out a few words before I passed out.

“I tripped,” I could’ve sworn I heard Moose let out a laugh in the background.

Kate’s POV


I watched as one of the twins ran over and picked Heather up off of the lift. She looked terrible! There was a giant gash from her knee to her upper thigh and her lip was swollen and bloody. Her nose also looked in really bad condition; it wasn’t broken but it was almost there. I followed him into our room and he set her down on her bed as gently as possible. Anala brought in a large bowl filled with hot water and a wash cloth. Jacob came in with a first aid kit and asked everyone besides Anala and myself to leave. They did as they were told and shut the door behind them.

Jacob reached up and pulled up Heather’s shirt to reveal a large bruise covering her whole left side. I cringed and waited patiently for the inspection to continue. Jacob also pulled down the top of her sweats to see that she also had a large bruise on her hip. He pulled them back up and got into the first aid kit and pulled out some weird string and a needle.

“I’m going to need you two to clean out the gash on her leg and the rest on her face,” he said while he put gloves on. He threw us each a pair of gloves as well and we put them on obediently. I looked up at him while I was putting my gloves on to see him sterilizing the needle.

“How do you know how to do this stuff?” I asked curiously. He looked up at me and smiled.

“Three and a half years of med school. I dropped out to dance and my family wasn’t happy about it. I was the only one in my village to get in on scholarship to a school here in America. After I got enough money to survive, and I found the vault, I dropped out,” he said. I looked back to see Anala already working on Heather’s gash so I picked up another wash cloth and helped her. 10 minutes later the wound was clean and Jacob set to work.

I got up and walked out to the others. They were all sitting around and talking and I heard them stand up and rush towards me. I was staring at the ground and the questions kept coming.

“Is she okay!?” Moose yelled.

“What happened?” Luke asked frantically. I waved my hand at them to shut up and they did. Jacob walked out behind me with Anala. The bowl of hot water was now blood red and you could tell everyone feared the worst. The rags were just soaked with Heather’s blood and I saw Moose sink into the nearest chair and lay his head in his hands. Jacob stepped up with a smile on his face.

“She’s going to be alright. She needs plenty of rest and someone there to watch her at all times but she’ll recover. I’m afraid she won’t be able to battle at Red Hook though,” Jacob finished. Everyone sighed in relief and some even got up to go check on her. I knew what she’d want when she woke up so I headed to the kitchen.

“Does somebody want to go out and get some orange juice and ingredients for chocolate ship cookies? I’ll pay!” I yelled so it would carry through the vault. Soon everyone was in the kitchen and staring at me weirdly. Moose was the first to speak up.

“You’re going to have to explain,” he said. I smiled and then got two bowls from the top of one of the cabinets.

“When Heather wakes up she’s going to want two things; orange juice and chocolate chip cookies. Now I know it’s a lot of work but she obviously went through something bad so why not go the extra mile to make her feel better? Plus I don’t know where the store is,” I finished. I heard someone chuckle and I turned to see Natalie walking towards me.

“I’ll go and don’t worry about the money, I can pay,” she said. I thanked her and she left. The others spread out through the vault to dance or play video games. The twins and Moose stayed back with me and we talked about pretty much everything until Natalie came back with everything I asked for. The twins put the orange juice in the fridge and I got out all of the tools I would need to make cookies. I saw Natalie already measuring out the flour and sugar. I looked at her funny.

“You don’t have to help me. I can do it if you want to go do something else,” I said. She shook her head and waved me off.

“I love baking. I think that Heather deserves the best cookies possible right now,” she finished with a smile. Soon enough we had a TON of cookies and I heard a scream of pain. I dropped what I was doing and I ran in to check on Heather. She was writhing in pain and holding her leg and side.

“WHAT THE HELL!?!? ARE THESE STITCHES?!?! SON OF A B**** THEY HURT LIKE HELL!!!!” She screamed. I laughed and she looked at me with so much hatred I almost ran out of the room. “WHAT!?” she screamed at me. I looked at her and smiled.

“They wouldn’t hurt so much if you would stop moving, plus your whole left side is black and blue. You’ll get used to the stitches and they won’t hurt at all. You’re wound is still new. What the hell happened to you by the way?” I asked. She let her head fall onto her pillow and thought for a minute. Her eyes shot opened and then she signaled for me to shut the door. I did so and then sat back down and waited patiently. She leaned up near my ear and began whispering.

Heather’s POV

“Alright so I was exercising right and I felt someone was behind me when I was jogging so I started to run like hell. I was already worn out from all the earlier exercising but that wasn’t my problem. My ear buds fell out of my ears and they tripped me up which got me my wounds. I was running pretty hard and it hurt like a b**** when my face collided with the pavement. Oh dude before I forget to tell you that your step-brother is TOTALLY hot. Anyway the guy chasing me was dragging me into this alley and I was fighting as much as I could but then right when I was about to give up the guy dropped me and ran and Julien picked me up and he brought me back to the vault. Now I’m in immense pain and I’m hungry!” I yelled. She looked blank for a moment and then got up and left the room to return with cookies and orange juice. “I LOVE YOU!” I screamed and totally inhaled the plate of cookies and knocked back the orange juice. She took the plate and cup from me and stood up. She went to turn and walk out but she stopped.

“Wait, you think my step-brother is hot!?” She yelled. I raised my hands and then pointed at the stitches in my leg. She sighed angrily and I knew that once I was better I would get it. She was walking out of the door when I remembered something.

“KATE WAIT COME BACK!” I screamed. I heard her sigh and she re-entered my room. I smiled at her. “By the way Kid Darkness says ‘hi’,” I said happily. I saw her blush and mumble something and then she walked out. Ah this is going to be fun; I wish I didn’t have stitches though I hate needles! Wait! Who gave me stitches in the first place!? They better have sterilized that needle or I am going on a hunt!

Heather’s POV


I lay in that bed for a week or so because I wasn’t aloud to get up. I actually almost succeeded once but those damn twins chose that time to walk in with food and they quickly set it down and forced me back into bed. I would scream and yell as much as possible to annoy somebody enough to the point where they’d let me up but unfortunately they didn’t; they just bought ear plugs. I was getting really antsy for the outside but I knew that’d we’d be at Red Hook soon enough. As if on cue the crew walked in all dressed and ready to go. I went to sit up as well but a dozen pairs of hands shot out to stop me. I looked at them confused and Luke stepped up and sat on the edge of my bed.

“You’re not competing in the battle today. I don’t want to hear any arguing; you’re obviously not in a fit state to dance and we don’t want you to hurt yourself. We’ll be back in a few hours so don’t do anything stupid,” he finished and then got up and walked out. The crew stood there waiting for my reaction but it didn’t come. I saw relief on their faces while they walked out. I heard Moose laugh.

“Well that went better than I thought,” he said happily. Kate was last to walk out and she was shutting the door so I was able to hear her response.

“Oh just give her a few seconds; you’ll see that Luke made a mistake,” she said calmly. As soon as the door clicked shut I picked up the alarm clock on my side table and hurled it at the door. I let out an ear splitting scream and a long line of fowl words that I usually don’t say. I heard a few people gasp and I heard Luke storm into the room outside my door.

“What the hell is going on!?” he shouted. I heard Kate laugh and I could only imagine she was pointing at my door. I chucked everything I could get my hands on at the door all while screaming profanities.

“Luke I swear to all that is holy when you get back I am going to kick your ass! If I could stand up without twenty people tackling me I’d do it right now! You better pray I don’t catch you by yourself or you’re in for it buddy!” I screamed. I heard a few laughs and I heard Luke choke/cough.

“Does she really mean that?” he asked whom I could only assume Kate. I heard her sigh and beat on the door. I shut up instantly and stewed in my own misery.

“Maybe, it depends on how pissed off she is the next time she sees your face,” she answered and then walked away. I heard a few people pat him on the shoulder and then they scurried off behind Kate. Soon everyone was gone and I was by myself. I checked my stitches and saw that my wound was now just a scratch. I got up slowly and winced at the pain in my leg and sides. I gritted my teeth and made my way up to the roof. I sat and inhaled the night air. I lay down and looked up at the stars. I heard footsteps padding towards me and I sighed loudly.

“Okay, okay, I’ll go back downstairs! Geez get off my case,” I sighed out angrily. I heard a chuckle and shot up because I knew who that belonged to. I instantly regretted my decision because as soon as I shot up an immense pain shot through my body. I winced and lay back down slowly. Julien made his was over to me and sat down. I looked up to see him staring at me. I turned away quickly and blushed.

“You know this is on the borderline of stalking right?” I asked. Again he let out a chuckle and I sat up slowly. He helped me by pushing on my lower back. After I was sitting up all the way his hand remained where it was and he scooted closer to me. I rested against him not because he was so yummy but because I was totally fatigued from all the extra effort it took me to get up on the roof.

“Yeah well what if I am stalking you? Are you going to do anything about it?” he asked. I looked up at him and smiled.

“Well I’m already going to kick your butt at the World Jam so I guess you can stalk me for a while longer,” I said nonchalantly. His smile widened.

“It seems to me like you’re stuck here while your crew is at Red Hook, am I right? What makes you think that they’ll let you compete in the World Jam? If you were a Samurai I would let you compete,” he finished quietly. I was actually processing what he said when I remembered my family and what all they’ve done for me the past week; how they waited on me hand and foot and how they always came to talk to me when I got bored. I got to my feet and started walking away quickly. Before I climbed down the ladder I turned back to Julien with a frown.

“I would never turn my back on my family; not for you, not for money, not for anything. When the pirates beat you at the World Jam, me competing or not, it’ll be the family I’ve had the past few weeks as a prize; not some stupid reward. I wish you luck Julien in wherever your life ends up,” I said calmly and then I started to descend the ladder. I heard him get up and he walked over and grabbed my hand and made me look at him.

“What if your “family” doesn’t win and you all are kicked out on the streets? What will you do when your precious pirates’ ship wrecks and you all drown huh? Where do you think you’ll go when everything goes to hell? You’re friends will be at rock bottom and where are you going to be?” He asked dangerously close to my face. I looked back with all the hate I could muster.

“I’ll be at rock bottom with them because that’s what families do! They stick together, but you wouldn’t understand that huh? You sent your little sister in to spy on us but what is she actually doing Julien? She’s becoming a pirate and one way or another she’ll end up with us at rock bottom if we fail or she’ll be with us at the top when we win,” I said and then I jerked my hand away and continued down the ladder leaving him awestruck. I got back in and lay down in my bed. I fell asleep quickly and dreamlessly.

“HEATHER WAKE UP!!!” I heard Kate scream in my ear. I shot up, again regretting the decision and while holding my side I glared at her and said through gritted teeth.

“What?” I saw her eyes get a little guilty because she startled me and made me jump which caused me pain but then she got excited again.

“WE WON!” I looked at her and smiled.

“Great,” I said sarcastically. I turned over and flung the sheets over my head. My conversation with Julien replayed in my head and I couldn’t help but be upset about it. I knew that I wouldn’t be competing in the next round and that made me sad. I heard Kate sigh and run out of the room to celebrate with everyone else leaving me alone to wallow in my own misery.

Kate’s POV


The next few weeks were so hardcore because we were preparing for the next battle. Our victory at Red Hook was great, and trust me we did our share of partying but it was time to get real and work extra hard to win the next one. I was definitely worn out every night when I went to bed; everyone was. Luke pushed us to our limits and we knew that if we won this next round that it’d be even harder preparing for the World Jam. What is really making me upset though is the way Heather has been acting. Every time someone tries to talk to her she just nods her head and excuses herself. She’s spent a lot of time in our room sulking, too. I decided that I couldn’t worry about it now I had to run some errands, meaning I needed some air so I could clear my head.

I crept past Luke’s room, where he was currently sitting and talking to himself, and hopped on the lift. Once I got down to the street I just started walking. I walked for a while until I turned into a park and saw a large crowd. I was able to see a familiar Asian mopping up the floor with a poor innocent kid. I laughed to myself and thought ‘Hell I can do some battle’. I walked to the front of the crowd in time to see Kid Darkness shove the kid out of the circle.

“Anybody else want to get stomped?” he asked cockily. I tried to hold in my laughter but failed terribly. I bust out laughing and everyone got really quiet. He spun around quickly and searched for the person that dared to laugh at him. Of course his pissed off look was wiped off his face when he saw that it was me doubled over and barely breathing. He grabbed my arms and pulled me up against his chest with his face mere centimeters away from mine. “What about you? You seem easy to beat,” he smirked and I heard laughter erupt from the crowd. I held my own smirk and got closer to his face.

“Last time I checked I “stomped” you. You might want to watch who you’re dissin’ kid,” I said icily. I heard the usual chorus of ‘oh’s and I couldn’t help but chuckle. He looked at me challengingly.

“Just you and me this time, none of my crew and none of your crew, one on one,” he said. I thought about it for a minute and smiled.

“Kinky,” I said and winked. He laughed, an actual laugh folks, and winked back. The music started up and he did his thing and I couldn’t help but just stare at his fine abs; seriously I could eat cookies off of those things. Finally it was my turn, of course I was a few beats late because I was focusing on him but I got nudged into it. I did a few flips and the splits and a windmill or two. We danced back and forth like that for what seemed like forever. I was having a lot of fun and I think he was too. Finally though I tripped up and I gave it to him. Everyone cheered but I was the one that got clapped on the back. He smiled and came over and sat by me.

“You were really amazing. You would have won if we would have kept going, I was getting worn out,” he laughed. I was still trying to catch my breath but I laughed too. He sat there for a moment and then checked his phone. “Do you want to go get some ice cream or something?” he asked me. I looked at him and I thought ‘why the hell not? He’s hot’ so I nodded yes and he got up and held his hand out for me. I pushed it away and got up quickly.

“If you want to hold my hand you’re gunna have to catch me Romeo,” I said and then before he could comprehend I shot off toward the ice cream stand. I didn’t dare turn around but before I could reach the ice cream stand I felt two arms snake around my waist and swing me around. I couldn’t help but let out a high pitched giggle/scream. I felt his breath on the nape of my neck.

“Caught ya, I guess I win again,” he whispered in my ear. I laughed and he let me down and pulled me over to the ice cream stand where I got a vanilla cone and he got chocolate. We were walking quietly for a while and I felt his hand slide into mine. I smiled to myself as I licked my ice cream. This was perfect, but then an image popped into my mind. It was of my crew. I felt guilty for doing this and my face obviously showed it because he stopped and looked right into my eyes.

“Sorry,” I mumbled and went to continue walking but he pulled me back.

“No, what is it? Why are you so upset all of a sudden?” he asked. I looked up at him and debated whether I should tell him or not. I decided that it didn’t really matter.

“My crew, they wouldn’t like this. I must be stupid,” I said the first part and then whispered the last. He frowned at me and took my ice cream and his and threw them away in the nearest trash can. He ran back over and grabbed my hand and dragged me towards a more covered part of the park. There were trees everywhere and soon I saw Japanese style lanterns and I heard soft music playing. I saw several people just sitting and talking or dancing and I looked up at Kid Darkness and he smiled at me and got really close.

“Let’s forget about our crews tonight, let it just be about two people; you and me,” he said and then kissed my forehead. He pulled me towards the middle of the dancing area and we started to slow dance. I felt safe and comfortable and I was actually having a good time. I leaned into him more and his arms just tightened around me. I had some time to think; which is never a good thing. I looked at him confused and he cocked an eyebrow at me.

“What’s your real name? I don’t want to keep calling you Kid Darkness even though it’s pretty cool,” I said quietly. He smiled at me and hugged me closer and got right next to my ear.

“Daniel,” he said. I smiled at him and we kept dancing.

A few hours later we were in front of the door to the vault. I was practically clinging to him and I know that he didn’t want to leave me either. His arms tightened and I felt him sigh. He checked his phone again and groaned. I looked up at him sadly and he kissed my forehead again. He let go of me and handed me a small slip of paper.

“We’ll see each other again soon, until then there’s my number. Call me whenever you want. Goodnight Kate, sweet dreams,” he said as he ran off into the darkness. I sighed inwardly as I made my way inside and up the lift. I got up to the vault and I heard loud screams behind the door. I ran inside to see that Heather and Natalie were screaming at each other. I could see that Natalie was pissed and Heather was just trying to walk away. Natalie walked up and pulled her back and Heather was about to jump her when they were pulled apart by Carlos and Jacob.

“YOU’RE JUST PLAYING HIM!” Natalie screamed at Heather. Of course Heather fired back with more venom.

“DON’T YOU DARE TALK TO ME ABOUT PLAYING PEOPLE! YOU’RE NOT ONE TO TALK MS.PERFECT!” she screamed back. Natalie’s face went stark white and she got quiet for a second before the screaming match continued. Carlos dragged Heather into our room trying to calm her down but he was obviously impressed by her outburst, it is Carlos. Jacob dragged Natalie to where she was staying and I saw everyone just standing around pondering over what the two were yelling about. I whistled lowly and just motioned for people to continue with what they were doing before the fight broke out and they did so slowly. Oh we were in for a show.

Heather’s POV


I was dragged to my room by Carlos, who was saying how cool it was of me to just snap like that; of course, it is Carlos. A few seconds after he had practically thrown me in my room and made it clear I wasn’t leaving to go beat Natalie’s ass Kate walked in. She was obviously half in a dream and half confused at the sudden outburst. She looked at me confused and I looked to Carlos and I gave the door a pointed look. He raised his hands innocently.

“Hey I can get the hint, but if you walk out to go and try to beat Natalie’s ass I’ma have to tackle ya. Luke won’t like you killing his “lover”,” he said. I laughed and just waved at him to leave. He flashed a quick smile before leaving. What I haven’t really told anyone is that Carlos is the only person I would talk to the past couple of weeks. We just happened to end up by ourselves one day and he told me his story and I told him mine and then we started dancing and he was good, real good. I turned to Kate and she was still looking at me weirdly. I sighed and leaned across my mountain of pillows to pull out a box from my drawer. It was a small velvet box but inside was a beautiful pair of ruby earrings. They were real and tucked in the side of the box was a note.

Dear Heather, I know you must be severely pissed at me and I don’t blame you. I just wanted you to be on my side so bad I got angry about it. Truth is my sister is in there to spy but I doubt she would ever turn on me and I know that’s low but it’s for my crew. These are for you, they reminded me of your fiery spirit and they would look gorgeous on you. My sister is having a large birthday party soon, all formal, and I would like to know if you would be my date? If you would, meet me at the harbor tomorrow night, I have another surprise for you.




Love Julien

After Kate was done reading the note she picked the earrings up and gawked at them. They were absolutely gorgeous and not something you could buy nowadays. I had a feeling these belonged to a relative of his and that part really freaked me out. I looked at her and she was staring at me with her mouth wide open. I slapped it shut so hard you could hear her teeth smash together. She glared at me and then handed the earrings back to me.

“Are you going to go? I mean what would the others say?” she asked. She looked at me fearfully and I just shrugged and fell back on my pillows.

“I want to go; I’m not scared because of the crew. I’m scared because I’m not good with these kinds of things, you know me. Should I go?” I asked. She looked between me and the earrings and she shook her head ‘yes’. I smiled and sat up and hugged her.

“Then it is decided; I’m going to meet him at the harbor tomorrow. So do you want to know what happened with me and princess?” I asked. She mumbled ‘yes’ and I lay back down. “Alright so apparently she went to go see him today to give him a report. Well when she was about to leave he handed her the box and at first she thought it was for her but then he said to give it to me. She got confused and asked him what was going on so he told her everything; and I mean everything, including the secret conversation we had the other night. She got pissed because it sounds like I’m using him but I’m really not. Anyway she confronted me about it and then she said I couldn’t see her brother anymore and I told her where to go and then that’s when you came in,” I finished. She sat there for a few minutes and nodded her head. Then out of no where –SMACK- I collided with the floor.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!? S***!” I screamed. Kate was glaring at me with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Not telling me about your secret conversation! We tell each other everything! Why can’t you trust me?” she asked obviously pissed. I knew her though and I knew that she didn’t walk in all puppy and kittens and world peace and s*** just because the air was really fresh downstairs.

“Well where were you the last few hours? Why are you so happy huh? You look like you just beat the dragon’s lair!” I said. She looked at me and blushed but she also looked pissed.

“No I think you’d know if I went to your mom’s house and slayed her!” she screamed and then got really quiet. That was the worst subject to talk to me about; my mom. Evil reincarnate, she is the worst. I looked at her but then busted up laughing. She joined in and soon we were holding our sides and barely able to breathe.

“You’re right! She’d send me a Facebook message from the underworld!” I choked out. I had tears rolling down my face and I was on the floor hugging my bed post. After I said that Kate fell onto the floor in a mess trying to regain normality but failing miserably. Soon we were sitting on my bed breathing heavily and still chuckling every couple of seconds. Finally I looked at her and smiled.

“You first,” she said. I laughed but I did as I was told and told her about my meeting with Julien on the roof. She looked a little pissed at first but when the part about me defending our family came up she smiled. It was like 20 minutes later and I had just finished so I looked to her.

“Your turn Starshine!” I sang happily. She blushed a bit and then proceeded to tell me about her day with Kid Darkness. I was mad; yes I know I shouldn’t be talking because I talk to Julien but bloody hell I didn’t go on a date with him! She finished tell her story though and looked at me cautiously. I forced a smile but on the inside I was burning with rage! Well I wouldn’t say burning with rage more like simmering with anger, you get the point. I looked at my phone and saw that it was actually incredibly late. I showed Kate and she nodded, took the hint, and went and crawled in her own bed. I shut out the lights and lay there in the dark thinking. Night time was my thinking time. Everything was quiet and calm and dark. It’s harder for me to think during the day because of all the interesting things to see but at night everything is dark like when your eyes are closed so it doesn’t really matter.

About an hour later I heard Kate talking quietly in her sleep. I spent the whole time pondering over both of our predicaments and I didn’t know what to do. I heard her mumble something about ‘Kid Darkness’, ‘betrayal’, ‘crew’, ‘battle’, and ‘love’. Then she turned back over and I heard her no more. Now is the time I wish she didn’t mumble. My thoughts drifted to Julien and everything about him: his dancing, his smile, his eyes, his hair, his voice, his arms, his abs, oh sweet lord his abs! He took my breath away and I knew that if it wasn’t for our crew rivalries I would be there with him, snuggled under his blanket, in his arms, right now.

Heather's POV

My converse were tied and my new mini shorts were paired with a red tank top and a black and white striped cardigan. I was wearing the ruby earrings that Julien had given me and I kept my new can of mace in the back of my shorts hidden by the back of my cardigan. I heard the door open and Kate walked in with skinny jeans on with converse and a black long sleeved shirt on with the red cardigan I lent her. I smiled at her and she looked back at me with a matching grin.

“I don’t want that to get dirty so… well I’m sure you know where I’m going with this,” I smirked and got a glare in return. She was about to throw something at me but I waved her away and went and looked out of the door. “They gone?” I asked. She came up behind me and looked out of the door for a second.

“Yeah they all went to bed,” she said. I was about to step out when she dragged me back in the door and closed it to where we could just barely see out. “Wait!” she hissed. I looked at her confused but she just pointed behind me and I saw that someone was sneaking out. They opened the door and I saw that it was Natalie and she had a bag with her. I was about to go off on her but Kate continued to hold me back and soon I saw that Natalie wasn’t alone. Jacob had been standing there and he started to talk to her. They were too far away for me to hear so I just waited for them to disappear. After they did I doubled checked to make sure no one else was up and I slipped out of the door. Kate came out behind me and closed the door quietly. We slipped out and made our way down to the street. The orange light danced across out faces as we turned towards each other.

“Be careful Heather, no more incidents where you end up half dead on the elevator okay?” she said warily. I laughed and waved her off. I pulled my new can of mace out and showed it to her. She looked at me funny. “Where the hell did you get mace?” she asked.

“Carlos went out and bought it for me. He said he would have rather gotten me a taser or a gun but I told him that I would rather have mace,” I said. She nodded at me and then gave me a hug.

“I’ll see you later Heather. Be careful! I’m serious, mace or not you’re prone to damage,” I laughed and watched her walk in the opposite direction. I turned and made my way to the harbor.

Harbor

I made it to the harbor unharmed and sat down on one of the docks and watched the boats; it was beautiful. The lights danced across the water and I couldn’t help but become entranced by them. I was so amazed by them that I didn’t hear the footsteps until they were right behind me. I looked up and there stood Julien in all his glory; he was more entrancing than the lights. I got up with his help and he held me close to him.

“Hello gorgeous,” he whispered. “I thought you weren’t going to come. I’m glad you did,” he pushed my hair back behind my ear and he noticed the earrings. He smiled widely. “You wore them! I’m glad you liked them,” he said. I smiled and blushed a bit.

“Well they are the most gorgeous earrings I have ever seen. So what was my other surprise?” I asked. He smiled and shook his head slowly.

“Oh no, you don’t get that yet. First we swim,” he said then before I could comprehend what he said he picked me up and jumped in the water. It was warm and when I resurfaced I was glad that I left my cell phone back at the vault. My can of mace was floating by where Julien had surfaced and he grabbed it and looked at it. “Glad you got something to protect yourself,” he said. I laughed and he swam over and set it on the dock. I climbed up on the dock and slipped off my cardigan and converse. Julien threw his shirt onto the dock and I was obviously staring at his abs. He chuckled and pulled me down close to him.
We swam for awhile and then we I was about to get out and get dried off he grabbed me and turned me to face him. He lifted me onto the dock and then climbed up behind me. I sat there for a few seconds when I felt him press his lips against mine. His hand made its way to my waist and my hands encircled his neck. We slowly lay down on the dock and he was propping himself up so he wasn’t really laying on me. My lips were on fire and I let out a sigh. He took this opportunity to deepen the kiss and I was pulling him towards me because I wanted, no, needed him closer to me. He obliged and we turned over to where I was straddling him. His hands found my waist and my hair. I had to breathe after awhile so I pulled back and he had the biggest smile on his face I’ve ever seen. I was smiling too and I got up. He stood up too and I slipped my cardigan, which was now dry and my converse back on. He went to go but his shirt back on but I stopped him.

“No! Leave that off, you are just too hot,” I said. He smiled and threw his shirt over his shoulder. His hand found mine and we walked to his car hand in hand. He opened the trunk and pulled out a large box. He handed it to me and I opened it. Inside was a beautiful ruby red silk gown. I looked up at him and he was holding the passenger side door open for me. I got in after giving him a kiss. We drove in a comfortable silence back to the vault. I was about to get out when he grabbed my hand and pulled me back. He kissed me again more passionately than the last two times. I felt myself melt and when we broke apart he smiled at me and pecked my cheek.

“Goodnight Heather,” he said. I said goodnight and then walked up the alley to the door. I watched him drive away and I smiled to myself. Then I noticed I was holding a piece of paper. I opened it and there was a phone number and Julien’s name. I made my way up to the vault and walked in a trance to my room to find Kate sitting in her pajamas watching a scary movie.

“Where did you go?” I asked her. She picked up the ice cream and movie case. I laughed and she motioned to the little mini fridge and I looked and saw she got me some Ben and Jerry’s, nice.

“Why are you soaked?” she asked pausing the movie. I laughed and changed into my pajamas.

“Went for a swim,” I answered. I sat down and she pressed play and we continued watching the movie.

Kate’s POV

While Heather was out I didn’t really go to get ice cream; I went out to meet Kid Darkness, err, I mean Daniel. I know I should have told her but I couldn’t. Daniel is my own little secret. Meeting up with him means no crew, no best friend, just me and him. I snuck up to the roof at night to call him and I would text him when Heather wasn’t looking. One night he asked me to meet him at the park where we had our first “date”. I waited until I saw Heather round the corner and I sprinted to the park. I walked under the trees by myself until I felt hot breath run across my neck sending shivers down my spine.

“Daniel that better be you because if it’s not someone is about to get beat down,” I said quietly. I heard that familiar laugh and I turned around and saw him smiling at me. I threw myself into his arms and we just stood there like that for an eternity. I heard him sigh happily and I smiled at the fact that I made him feel like this. I snuggled my head under his chin and we started swaying back and forth to invisible music. Soon I heard him humming and we started spinning around under the trees. I got really dizzy really quickly and ended up stumbling but instead of face planting into the grass Daniel caught me and we rolled down a small hill. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe and Daniel was just lying next to me smiling brightly. After I had calmed down I felt him start to stroke my hair and it was my turn to sigh happily.

“Kate, has your friend told you about Natalie’s birthday party?” he asked me after a few minutes of silence. I looked up at him and nodded.

“ Julien gave her these gorgeous earrings! I wish I could go too.” I said dreamily. I felt Daniel’s weight shift and he leaned over me and got really close to my face.

“Will you go to the ball with me?” he asked. I smiled but then a sad thought entered my mind.

“I have nothing fancy to wear though.” I said sadly. He chuckled again and leaned in so close I could feel his breath hot against my face.

“I’ve taken care of everything.” He whispered and then ever so slowly he pressed his lips against mine. I was so happy that I didn’t realize my arms had slid around his neck and his hands were on my waist. I pulled him closer to me and deepened the kiss. I felt him smiled into the kiss and then relax. I pulled back slowly and his facial expression was nothing less than euphoric. After he lay back down in the grass I snuggled into his chest and kissed along his jaw line every so often. Sometimes he would lean down and peck my lips or my nose or cheeks. We laid there for about an hour just talking and kissing until he finally pushed himself up and held his hand out for me to take.

We made our way up the hill and he pulled me along after him towards a car parked under a large tree. He opened the back door and pulled out a large box and then two smaller boxes. I opened the medium box first to reveal a pair of purple high heels encrusted with little sparkling white jewels; next I opened the smallest box to reveal a purple clutch and I felt something inside. I opened the clutch to reveal a velvet box that held a pair of the most beautiful purple earrings I’ve ever seen. Then he handed me the largest box and I opened it to find a gorgeous dark purple ball gown with white jewels decorating the top and a white mask. I looked up to him astonished.

“How did you know my favorite color was purple?” I asked him. He looked down and I saw him smile from underneath his hat.

“Well, I talked Julien into working his magic with Heather and she told him; actually she told him a few things about you. You’re afraid of cows?” he asked sniggering. I punched him in the shoulder and he pulled me up and kissed me. “I think it’s cute” he whispered in my ear. At that moment I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to hug Heather more. She just made my night the most special night ever! I will murder her for telling him about the cow thing though. I looked at my phone and sighed deeply.

“Daniel I have to be getting back, Heather should be home anytime and I told her I would be there.” He nodded and opened his car door for me. We drove all the way back to the vault and I turned to him sadly. “I’ll see you at the ball then?” I asked. He smiled and leaned in and kissed me.

“Maybe before then, beautiful.” He said. I smiled and got out of the car and watched as he drove off. I decided to pick up some ice cream at the convenient store before I ran back up and quickly changed into my pajamas. I put on a scary movie and about half an hour later Heather walked in dripping wet and smiling.

Heather’s POV
Kate and I had our dresses and masks on. We were waiting behind our door for everyone to go to sleep before we snuck out and to the party. The ride was long and we were both sitting quietly, anxiously. We pulled up outside and walked in slowly. When we told the man our names he smiled and asked us to step into a small room to the side. Confused we did what we were told and walked into the room. Looking around it was decorated with rose petals and candles. There were bottles in buckets of ice and soft music playing; all in all it was lovely! I heard Kate gasp beside me and I smiled to her and spun around while she sat in the nearest chair. I was spinning until I felt so dizzy I almost collapsed, before I did though I felt a pair of strong arms take me and we started swirling around together. I looked up to see Julien and I laughed at the expression he was wearing. He stepped back and looked at me for a long time before he spoke.
“You look absolutely beautiful. When I gave you this dress I could only imagine what you would have looked like but now, I see that my mind could have never fathomed how radiant you are.” He said softly. I smiled and I felt myself blush but like the first time we met I stayed strong even though I felt like a noodle. I heard Kate clear her throat and I looked at her impatiently.
“Not that this isn’t fun but where’s Dan—I mean Kid Darkness?” she asked. Julien chuckled and then took out his phone. A few seconds later he sent a text and then nodded toward the door. Within 5 minutes Kid Darkness ran in with his bow-tie barely on and his mask in hand while he was breathing heavily.
“Oh God, sorry I’m so late! I accidently fell asleep and then I couldn’t find my mask and I heard my phone go off and now---“he stopped mid-sentence and stared at Kate. His eyes grew big and it looked like he wanted to compliment her but he couldn’t find the right words to. She looked down and I saw a blush creeping up her cheeks as she started to turn away. He took a few steps forward and before I could comprehend what was happening he was kissing her! I was shocked. He was full on, lip to lip, tonguing her! I went to object but Julien kissed me softly and then took my hand and led me away from them. He dragged me out into a deserted hallway and when I was about to ask him what was up with them I was against the wall with his hands on either side of my face. I forgot everything and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I remembered where I was whenever I heard clapping and laughter. He pushed back from the wall and groaned.
“Give me 5 minutes babe, I’ll be right back.” And then he ran off into the other room. A minute and a half later I was walking away from the wall and I somehow managed to find him again on top of the mezzanine above the dance floor. I watched as Natalie and Luke kissed and then Julien stepped out. I heard the conversation and I saw Luke storm off. Natalie screamed at Julien and then came storming my way. When she passed me she stopped and without looking at me she told me something.
“I don’t like you but you are better than my brother, you deserve better than my brother. Don’t waste your time on a guy more dedicated to ruining everyone else’s life when he doesn’t even know how good of a thing he’s got.” She said and then continued walking. I watched her until she was out of site and I let her words sink in. I saw Julien standing not far from me and he was chuckling to himself. He turned around and saw me standing there. I had tears in my eyes and he went to walk towards me but I stopped him and looked straight into his eyes.
“I can’t do this, whatever it is; I just can’t do it anymore. You are the person that I am trying to defeat; you are the enemy. I’m sorry but I can’t let my emotions mess up my responsibility. Don’t talk to me anymore, stay away from me.” I said. With one final look I turned around and walked away. The last glimpse of him was one of pain; I had done it. I broke the competition like Carlos told me to do. I was actually debating on canning the plan and staying with Julien but after what I just witnessed I realized that Carlos and I had made this plan for a reason and we kept it secret from everyone so it’d be easier to go through with. Now I just needed to find Kate so we could get out of here.

Kate’s POV
After Heather and Julien left Daniel and I made our way out to the dance floor. He swung me around and right when we stepped in the middle tango sounding music came on. He smirked at me and bent down close to my ear.
“Think you can handle this?” he asked. I laughed and kissed him quickly.
“Bring it babe.” I said back. We started dancing around doing every move we could think of. It wasn’t until the end of the song that I realized everyone had left the dance floor and were now watching us. Clapping ensued and I just smiled and bowed. Daniel laughed and pulled me to the side. He kissed me sweetly and offered to get me a drink. I smiled and nodded yes and he walked off in the opposite direction. A few seconds later a weeping girl was running up to me in a silken red dress; it was Heather. I ran up and grabbed her arms and she looked at me seriously.
“We need to leave; now!” she said. I was about to protest but I saw Julien making his way through the crowd frantically. She looked at me panic-stricken so I grabbed her arm and rushed toward the exit while inwardly hoping that Daniel would understand. We got in a taxi and got buckled in. Right while I was telling the driver our address Julien started knocking on the door. Heather pushed the lock down and looked at me almost painfully. Julien looked like he was in agony and he was practically screaming.
“Heather, get out of the car! Please, talk to me! I can change; no I WILL change! Don’t leave like this! Don’t leave me Heather, please!” he screamed. She told the taxi driver to go and he started pulling out slowly but before we pulled into traffic though I heard Julien scream one last time. “Heather please; I love you!” I gasped silently and looked to see Heather hang her head, a tear falling into her palm.

Kate’s POV
On the ride back to the vault Heather stared out of the window without speaking. The tears had stopped streaming down her face and she continually pushed my hand off of her shoulder. After the taxi stopped we stepped out and made our way to the vault’s doors. She walked straight ahead without talking and she just stared blankly. Before I could try to comfort her again we saw Luke hitting the door to the vault cursing loudly. I ran up with Heather walking behind me and pulled one of the twins to the side.
“What is happening?” I asked. He looked at me sadly and hugged me tight.
“The bank has taken away the vault. Sadly we are departing. We hope to see you girls again sometime.” He said. After that his twin and him gave Heather and I two bags each and they grabbed theirs and started to walk away. I went to go with them and I motioned for Heather to follow but she didn’t. Carlos came up beside her and hugged her. She broke down again and he grabbed her hand and they walked down the opposite alleyway. I didn’t follow her though; Carlos could help her more than I could it seemed. I felt my heart hurt a little but I turned around and followed the twins. Maybe this is what’s supposed to happen. I turned around when I got to the end of my alleyway to see Heather staring at me from the end of her alleyway. She smiled at me sadly and waved goodbye. I let a tear drop and waved goodbye to her too. We parted ways and I immediately regretted it. I went to turn around but two hands stopped me. I looked at the twins and they both pulled me into a hug. They grabbed my arms and we continued walking.

A week had passed since we were kicked out of the vault. I hadn’t seen a hair of Heather since then and I was starting to worry. I had seen Carlos though and he said that she was safe and that she spent most of her time dancing or cleaning. I asked if I could go see her but he told me that she didn’t want to see anyone at the moment. I was staying with the twins and it turns out they’re really fun to be around. We went out every night and we even met up with some of the dancers from the vault. Apparently both Luke and Moose were nowhere to be found, just like Heather.
About two days after Carlos and I met for coffee there was a knock on my hotel door. I thought it was just one of the twins and they had forgotten their key or something but when I opened the door I saw Julien standing there. Before I could say anything he pushed passed me and started pacing.
“Listen I know you are Heather’s best friend and I know she’s with you I just need to talk to her.” He said quickly. I looked at him fully for the first time in weeks and his normally bright blue eyes were dull, his clothes were all wrinkled, and he had dark circles around his eyes. I sat down in front of him and sighed deeply.
“I haven’t seen Heather in over a week. Julien, she won’t talk to me. I don’t know what happened but whatever she said to you she didn’t mean it. After we left the ball she was just numb. If you really care about her though you have to prove it to her; if you don’t then you just need to turn around and leave her alone. We’re not going to be competing at the World Jam so you can stop trying to play her so you can win. You’ve won; you’ve got what you wanted.” I said icily. He looked up at me almost defensively and sat down quickly.
“I would throw the whole damn thing if that meant she would come back to me. At first she was just some hot girl on the other team; she was a challenge and I liked that. Then she was my way to win this competition, but she started to grow on me. The way she bites her lip when she’s thinking, the way she unknowingly taps her fingers to a non-existent beat, and God I love it when she sings and she doesn’t even realize it! She makes me laugh when I don’t feel happy, she makes me want to go out and buy her flowers and candy and recite poetry outside her window! I feel sappy and cheesy all at the same time and I know it sounds unreal but it’s true! It’s so true, I fell for the enemy and now I just want to be with her so if you could just please tell me where she is I would be so grateful.” He said all in a rush. I stared at him for a minute and he was pleading with his eyes. I pulled out my phone and called Carlos. After much convincing he put Heather on the phone.
“Heather?” I said cautiously. I heard her sigh on the other line.
“That would be me.” She said shortly; impatiently.
“Julien needs to talk to you Heather, just listen.” I said. I heard the breathing on the other line stop.
“I don’t want to talk to him. I’m done with him, don’t you get that? I don’t need him; he finally gets what he wanted. He can go and win the World Jam and live happily ever after with some blonde bimbo. I’m over it. Don’t try to contact me again.” She said and then the line went dead. I looked up at him sadly and he made his way toward the door. He turned around before he left.
“What is that little curly haired kid called?” he asked curiously. I looked at him weirdly but answered.
“Robert Alexander III or Moose.” He smiled and walked out. I knew he was planning something but I didn’t really care. I was more hung up on what Heather said to me… ‘Don’t try to contact me again’. Was she serious? Maybe she was just angry about Julien. I just hope that in the future she’ll become herself again.

Heather’s POV
I hung up the phone and let the tears fall down my face and Carlos laid the piece of paper down. He had written me a script on what to say to Kate while he was trying to convince her I didn’t want to talk. He came up and hugged me and we sat down on the couch.
“Why did I have to say that to her Carlos? Why would you make me say that to her? I don’t want her to think I hate her. This was a stupid plan Carlos! This was stupid! I want to be with my friends and Julien!” I yelled. He came up to me and grabbed my shoulders and made me face him.
“Do you think that Julien actually cares about you? He doesn’t care about you, it was all a lie. Do you think your best friend cares about you? She’s too busy tonguing Kid Darkness to care! I care about you Heather, they don’t!” he yelled and then he kissed me. I was shocked. I pushed him off of me quickly and stepped backwards. He looked at me like he just got caught.
“That’s why you were so nice to me. That’s why you were there for me whenever Julien or Kate did something to me I didn’t like. You used me! I’m sorry Carlos, I have to go.” I said quickly and ran out. I was halfway down the street when I bumped into a familiar curly headed boy with a cardigan.
“Heather?” he said. I smiled and hugged him tightly.
“Moose, oh thank God you’re here!” I said happily. He looked at me weirdly but I just pulled him down the street. “So why are you walking on this side of the city Moose, you looking for somebody?” I asked. He draped his arm around my shoulder and smiled at me.
“Actually I was looking for you. I’m gathering the crew, we’re going to the World Jam.” He said.

Kate’s POV
I was sitting on the railing outside my hotel room when the twins ran out looking happier than I had seen them in weeks.
“Pack your things! We’ve got to go meet Moose and the rest of the dancers! We’re going to the World Jam baby!” they yelled. I jumped up screaming and hugged them both. We packed our stuff quickly and checked out of our hotel. We ran down the street to meet Moose outside of a diner. He ran up to us smiling but he wasn’t alone, Heather was with him. I smiled at her and she ran and tackled me in a hug.
“I’m so sorry Kate! I shouldn’t have left, I needed you more than anyone.” She said. I hugged her back and everyone smiled at us. Moose ran inside and came out a few minutes later dragging Luke behind him. Luke smiled at all of us and just stood there staring. After a few seconds I exhaled loudly.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go practice for the World Jam!” I screamed. Everyone cheered and applauded and jumped up and down. The crew took a few minutes to hug each other and catch up on the last few weeks before we followed Moose to a huge carnival. Once inside we met up with a small Asian girl and she showed us a huge room that we would be using for practice. I turned to see Heather looking worried.
“Guys, we don’t have near as many dancers as they do. The Samurai outnumber us three to one. What are we going to do?” she asked. I saw Luke look a little disappointed before Moose’s face lit up and he ran to a large automatic door. He pressed a button and the door rose up to reveal more dancers. Heather cheered and was the first one to greet everyone. They were all really friendly and willing to help us clean up the space we had. We needed to hurry if we wanted to be prepared for the World Jam.

Heather’s POV
We had been practicing for a week straight. I was collapsed on my cot, sweat dripping down my face, and my hair frizzed out. As soon as I had collapsed that night I had slipped into a needed sleep. Not but fifteen minutes later I was shaken awake by a pair of very anxious hands. I opened my eyes to see Luke looking down at me.
“Follow me, it’s really important.” He whispered hastily. I sighed but got up. I saw that he had also woken Anala and Jacob. They smiled at me and we all followed Luke to the outside gate. When we got outside a silhouetted figure was making their way down the damp street toward us. When they got closer the light hit their face and I saw who it was… Carlos. I stayed back and heard Luke and Carlos bickering. Luke stormed away with Anala and Jacob but I saw Carlos linger at the gate. I thought I was well hidden in the shadows but when I went to turn around I heard a voice.
“Heather, please don’t leave yet.” I turned to see Carlos staring right at me so I stepped out of the shadows and toward the gate. He looked me up and down but lingered on my lips. I caught him staring and looked down.
“What do you want Carlos?” I asked. I thought I had sounded mean but I sounded like I was about to cry. His grip had tightened on the bars and he was staring at his feet.
“Why are you mad at me?” he asked. I couldn’t help it but a surge of anger shot through me and I laughed, I laughed an evil sadistic laugh. He looked up at me quizzically and a little bit scared.
“You want to know why I’m mad at you.” I said menacingly stepping forward closer to the gate. I grabbed the bars and looked him in the eyes. “I’m mad because you tricked me into leaving all of my friends. I’m mad because you used our friendship to manipulate me! I’m mad because you talked me into leaving the one person on this whole world that I love and that I would do anything for including drop out of this STUPID competition! I’m mad because you did all of this just because you like me. You knew who I had feelings for and you still went behind my back and caused me misery because of your own selfish needs. That is why I’m mad at you Carlos.” I said and went to walk away. I felt his hand grab my wrist and I heard him sigh angrily.
“What if Julien isn’t the only one that loves you?” he asked. I laughed and yanked my hand out of his reach.
“Well he’s the only one I love.” I said. I looked back at him one last time and walked away. I knew I had just lost one of my closest friends and that I was cold-hearted but I had to do it, I couldn’t let Carlos continue to think that we could have been something when we couldn’t. I heard his footsteps echo through the breezeway and I felt a pang of regret. I turned to see him already gone and I saw Kate standing in the darkened doorway. I walked up to her and she pulled me into a hug.
“You had to do it. I understand that and everyone else will too.” She said. I pulled back and looked her in the eyes.
“No one needs to know about this. Carlos and his feelings had nothing to do with everyone else.” I said seriously. She nodded and we walked back to our cots. I got back on my cot and let my eyes droop. Tomorrow was the World Jam, we were prepared.

Kate’s POV
We had practiced our routine for a week straight. Practice was actually the one thing I looked forward to. At the beginning of the week I had gotten a phone call from a very special someone. When I answered I heard a sound like a dry sob and then a voice came on the other end. It was Daniel. He said five words that made me collapse… ‘We can’t be together anymore.’ And then the line went dead. I muffled my sobs and after I was done crying I made my way to practice. I learned quickly that practice helped keep my mind off of things. I knew Heather was too upset about everything that was going on so I didn’t bother her and I couldn’t tell any of the other dancers because they didn’t know we were dating in the first place.
I had walked outside and saw the commotion between Heather and Carlos. I was already in a dark place so whenever I heard what she said to him I actually agreed with her. I got a sick sort of satisfaction whenever I saw him start to cry as he walked away. She was broken and I knew it. I had to be there for her and set my own personal feelings aside. I looked to see her eyes stone-cold and hard. She was gone. She needed Julien but the fact of the matter is he was gone and she wouldn’t go crawling back to him because of her personal set of dating rules.

Kate’s POV
I felt my pulse quicken and my palms got all sweaty. I turned to my crew and we all exchanged nervous glances. We stepped out into the bright lights and the crowd roared with applause. I turned to see Heather looking forward, her expression steely. The crowd had been quiet for a few minutes before the loud applause started up again; the Samurai were here. Heather turned around and I saw her expression change to shock and anger. I turned to look where she was looking and I saw Carlos standing there with his hand on Julien’s shoulder. Julien looked as serious and cold as Heather but Carlos was smirking at her. The crowd was silent and we could hear what the other crew was saying. One person caught mine and Heather’s attention.
“Remember man, she only used you. She never loved you, soon after she broke your heart she came onto me. She doesn’t care about you.” It was Carlos. He was speaking to Julien and looking straight at Heather. Before anyone could stop her she had lunged at Carlos. She got in a good punch before Moose and Luke had pulled her away. The crowd started up again and the announcer came over the mic.
“Whoa whoa! Another stunt like that and we’re giving it to the Samurai!” he said. I saw her cold gaze ignite and turn into flame. She was going to kick Carlos’ ass, but on the dance floor. She stiffly nodded and the competition began. We started first with the simple part of our routine. We got applause from the audience and I saw Heather smirk. The Samurai were up next. This back and forth continued until I saw one person I couldn’t keep my eyes off of… Daniel. He glided into the middle of the floor and did his part of their routine. He was amazing and I felt myself start to tear up. When it was our turn Heather got her solo part and as she slid into the middle of the floor doing what she did best I saw him staring at me. He looked tired and he just looked at me sadly.
About ten seconds later I was queued in to join Heather and we were supposed to do our special salsa tango dance. I spun in and she turned toward me as we met in the middle of the floor. She smiled before we turned toward the other crew. Sometime after we sunk back into the group Natalie had jumped in and she and Luke were doing their practiced routine. I saw Julien go to move forward but he was stopped by Daniel. When they were done Natalie took the floor and had made a jump, into a backward toe-touch, and landed it perfectly. I knew it was time. We all stripped off our jackets and the lights dimmed. After that we let loose doing our secret routine. We were a flash of color and light and all too soon it had ended. The crowd went wild and I felt Heather jump up and hug me. We waited patiently while the judges tallied the score. Our crew huddled together and we all hugged and breathed silently. I felt Heather slide to the floor and it looked almost like she was praying. I looked over to the other crew and I saw Julien staring at her. I knew he wanted her back and I knew she wanted him back too. I think after that little scuttle with Carlos he knew she wanted him back too. I looked over at Daniel and he was already staring at me.
I heard the announcer clear his throat and look up at the judges. The female judge stood up and a few seconds later the flag of the pirates was flying down toward us. The crowd’s reaction was so loud I couldn’t hear anything for a few seconds. I looked to see our crew jumping around celebrating. I searched to find Heather and I saw her pushing through the crowd. A few seconds later I was lifted into the air by the twins and luckily I could see where Heather was going. She was chasing after a tall blonde guy that was wearing all black. I smiled to myself and couldn’t help but hug the twins when they put me down. I felt a finger tap my shoulder and the twins started glaring. I turned to see Daniel.
“What do you want Kid Darkness?” I said coldly. I saw him cringe at the sound of his nickname coming from my mouth but he looked straight into my eyes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do what I did but Julien made me because Carlos told him that Heather didn’t love him and that she used him. He said you and her weren’t to be trusted. I just want you to know that if you were using me I don’t care because I love you.” He said over the noise of the crowd. I saw the twins look at each other and then smile and they walked away. I felt a tear run down my cheek and I watched it fall to the ground. Apparently I waited too long to answer because Daniel sighed. “I guess I’m sorry I said that… I’ll leave you alone now. Congratulations.” And then he turned away. I lunged forward and spun him around.
“You are right. I did use you.” I said and I saw his face drop and his eyes got watery. I smiled up at him. “I used you because you are a damn good kisser.” I finished and jumped up and connected our lips. I felt tears run down my face and I felt his tears run down his. He wrapped his arms around my waist and he lifted me up. We stayed like that not caring about our crews or that his crew is pretty much over and mine is standing behind me. We just kissed.

Heather’s POV
I waited with baited breathe as I let the air circulate around me. I felt the warm surface of the floor beneath me and I felt my pulse quicken at the thought of what I was about to do. A few seconds later I heard my crew cheer and I knew we had won. I looked over to see Julien leaving the room quickly and before anyone could see me I chased after him. I was pushing my way through the sweaty bodies of the audience and I saw his head go out of the door and into the night air. I quickened my pace and made it to the door. I pushed it open and ran out after him. I saw him across the parking lot almost to his car. I started sprinting.
“Julien!” I felt myself scream. He turned around and stopped. I ran faster than I had ever run and within a few seconds I was in his arms knocking him backward into the side of his car. I felt myself sobbing uncontrollably and I heard him shush me and calmly stroke my hair. “I’m so, so sorry! I shouldn’t have left you! There wasn’t a minute that went by that I wasn’t thinking about you and your incredible smile and your laugh that’s warm and soothing and the way you bite your lip when you get really nervous and your weird love for birds. I miss you, I miss this. I didn’t throw myself at Carlos, he came onto me and then he ran to you and lied about it! He said I didn’t love you but I do. God, I do! I love you so much. I love you more than this damn competition! I completely understand if you don’t love me anymore but I just wanted you to know how I felt.” I said. I had calmed down and I was a few inches from him and staring into his blue eyes. He was pondering for a moment. It was making me really anxious. I felt myself start crying again. I couldn’t take it if he didn’t love me anymore. He stepped forward and wiped my tears away.
“Let’s start over, please.” He whispered to me. "I've seen you; you were one of the ones to beat Kid Darkness. Well if I must say you are quite beautiful. What's your name?” he whispered smiling. I laughed out loud and smiled back.
“Exactly. Your. Type.” I replied. He smiled and kissed me softly. I brought myself closer to him and we deepened the kiss. I don’t know how long we stood there but we pulled away and he grabbed my hand. We walked back inside and the celebration was still going on. I saw a couple kissing in the middle but the girl looked familiar. It was Kate and Kid Darkness. I pulled Julien behind me and I tapped on her shoulder. They broke apart and she looked at Julien and I and I looked at her and Kid Darkness.
“Congratulations.” We both said to each other at the same time. We both laughed and turned around. Our whole crew was standing there staring at us. Kate and I cleared our throats and we both stepped forward with Julien and Kid Darkness.
“I’m sorry to say that I have been seeing a Samurai. I fell in love with the enemy but the fact of the matter is, he’s so special to me and I hope you all can accept that.” I said bravely. To be honest I was shaking badly. Kate wrapped her arm around my free arm and she spoke up.
“I love Daniel. I don’t care that he’s in another crew because he is a different person with me. I don’t know Kid Darkness. I hope you can accept that Heather and I are truly in love with people that are no longer your enemies.” She said. I saw a few of them whisper and then they turned toward us and smiled.
“Welcome to the family boys!” Moose shouted.

Kate’s POV
Heather smiled widely and she ran up and hugged them all. Then she turned toward everyone smiling brightly.
“Does anyone know where Carlos is?” Luke asked. Julien nodded toward a girl in short shorts and a see-through shirt flirting with Carlos on the side of the stage. Luke went to go after him but Heather put her hand on his chest and smiled evilly. She walked forward and stood on the stage behind Carlos.
“OHHH CARLOS!” she yelled. He turned around and smirked at her.
“What do you want whore?” he asked. Julien started forward but Daniel and I held him back while we watched Heather. She held her smile and bent down to his level.
“Payback is a B****.” She said and then lunged at him. Not but 5 seconds later we heard a yell and an evil cackle. We all ran over to see that Heather had kicked Carlos in his favorite place and was now punching him repeatedly. Julien jumped down and dragged her off of him. He handed her off to me before turning around and giving Carlos a swift kick to the ribs.
“If you EVER call my fiancé a whore again, I’ll beat the s*** out of you.” Julien said. Everyone smiled at him and Heather looked dumbstruck.
“Fiancé?” she asked quietly. Julien smiled, climbed back on the stage, and hugged her to his chest.
“It’ll happen eventually baby. I love you too much to let you go.” He whispered. We all smiled and went home.

Heather’s POV
The crew had left to go say goodbye to Luke and Natalie at the train station but Kate and I stayed behind so we could let Julien and Kid Darkness into the Vault with their stuff. We heard a buzzing sound and we opened the elevator expecting to find Julien and Kid Darkness but instead finding the two snotty boys from the arcade standing there. We both backed up and they entered. Instead of looking like trailer park trash though they looked nicely dressed and presentable.
“How have you girls been?” the taller one asked. We just nodded and they laughed.
“You’re probably wondering why we’re here. Well we’re the ones who sent you here. Think of us as your guardian angels.” The other one said. Kate smiled and I just stood there dumbstruck.
“We have one important question for you two before we leave you.” The taller one said. Kate motioned for them to continue and the other one cleared his throat.
“Do you want to stay here with Julien, Daniel, and the others? Or do you want to go home, to your world?” the other one asked. I saw Kate’s smile fade and she looked at me.
“We have family and stuff in the real world that probably miss us.” She stated. I knew she was right. I frowned.
“We have a new family here that loves us and two amazing guys. We can’t just leave. I want to stay.” She looked at me and then thought for a moment. A smile slipped across her face.
“I want to stay too.” She said. The two boys smiled and then a bright light flashed and they were gone. Kate and I turned around and saw the Vault empty. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I guess so did Kate because we both screamed and spun around. Julien and Kid Darkness backed up and held their hands up.
“God, sorry; didn’t mean to startle you.” Julien said. I was catching my breath but I smiled up at him.
“It’s okay. We just thought you were our guardian angels.” I said. Kate smiled over at me and I smiled back. The boys laughed and hugged us.
“Baby I’ll always be your guardian angel.” Julien whispered into my ear. I hugged him tighter and smiled. He had no idea.