"Lets get one thing straight; there is no way in Hell that I'm staying at anywhere other than Seth's," Noah grunted grumpily as we gradually descended the metal stairway leading from the gigantic airplane we boarded and towards the bus that will be taking us to the terminal.

I scoffed mockingly. "Oh, really? How else are you supposed to receive the protection you're practically begging Xavier for?"

Noah snapped his head to my direction, sending me the deadliest glare he could muster. I knew an equally bad response was just on the tip of his tongue but he held himself back since we were surrounded by strangers.

Sleep deprivation was beginning to take a toll on my life, impacting both my physical and mental well-being. My eyes felt like they were getting poked at repeatedly by a heated fork, the pain extending towards my head into an intolerable migraine. I had spent the first hour of our flight writing and sending emails to my boss, claiming I had a family emergency that required extending my vacation - and then texting my parents that I'd extended my vacation stay at Indiana with my friends. Afterwards, no matter how hard I'd tried to silence my running, wild thoughts with a nap during the remaining two hours on flight, I'd failed miserably and reopened my eyes feeling twice as frustrated. Eventually, I'd given up completely and ended up watching a movie on my laptop.

"Will anyone be picking us up?" Ariel asked as soon as the bus started moving. I gripped tightly onto the seat to my right while miserably trying to balance myself and also keep a firm grip on my suitcase that was rolling over strangers' feet. I kept offering apologetic smiles, mumbling a "sorry" every few seconds.

"Seth should be waiting outside," Elliot replied. Bella was hunched over by his side, her cheek resting on his shoulder and her eyes closed as she tried to control her breathing. She looked paler than usual. Flights often did that to her, she wasn't a huge fan of flying.

I pointed my chin towards her, "is she okay?"

Elliot glanced down at her, his eyes hardening from witnessing her weakened state. "She will be."

I felt another wave of guilt washing over me like a bucket of ice-cold water. I shivered.

Even if this wasn't completely my fault, I still felt responsible for the bigger part. I shouldn't have gone out with Xavier; those men shouldn't have seen me with him. If I had just kept to myself the way I had been for years, I would be at home right now preparing to go back to work in a few days, and my friends would all be doing the same - each preparing to continue on with their usual smooth daily-routine, instead of having to move away to a different state with no previous preparation, asking for protection from a man we've known for only a couple of weeks.

"Nora!" Ariel's distant voice called out for me, and I was snapped out of the haze my thoughts had formed. I searched for her in the now nearly-vacant bus, noticing that it had stopped at the terminal and everyone was stepping off. I grabbed my suitcase and followed behind an elderly man, rushing out towards where my friends waited for me.

After nearly fifteen minutes spent finishing all the procedures, we reached the gates of the airport and walked out into the bright afternoon sun. My eyes instantly began to ache from the blinding rays, and I squinted hard trying to soothe the pounding in my head. I was in desperate need of sleep, but I doubted I would be getting any proper rest before this whole ordeal was over with.

"Yo!" Someone to our left called out loudly, attracting the attention of plenty of passersby. We all turned to the source of the voice and saw Seth waving us over from across the parking lot, standing beside his car with the driver's door open.

We strolled over to where his Jeep parked, and I eyed his car skeptically. "Is this our only ride?"

Seth glanced over his car and shrugged. "It was a last minute call, I couldn't find a bigger ride. You will have to squeeze in somehow."

I groaned. Perfect.

"Shotgun." Elliot announced before anyone had the chance to think it over. Everyone groaned loudly.

"Well, I am not taking the trunk." I beat the rest to it, moving to pull my suitcase into the open trunk and then rushing to take the window seat behind the passenger's.

"Not it!" Ariel exclaimed, rushing in behind me to take the seat behind the driver's.

"Bella can't take the trunk," Elliot objected the second Noah opened his mouth to speak. "She needs a window seat, she's already feeling too unwell."

Noah groaned loudly, "oh, come on!" He rolled his eyes, but when he looked over at Bella and noticed her weakened state, he shut his mouth and dragged himself forcibly to the back of the car.

I glanced over at Bella standing silently beside Seth as he loaded the back of his car with our suitcases. Elliot was right, her lips had now taken on a lighter shade, almost matching her skin tone.

I called out to her and slid over to take the middle seat. She climbed in after me and took my previous seat by the window, which she immediately rolled down for fresh air, and her head instantly fell to rest on my shoulder. I tried my best not to move for the rest of the ride, knowing just how much she needed the rest, and I was afraid that a slight movement would disturb her sleep.

The whole ride was very silent, everyone too tired to speak a single word. Seth had the radio on playing a soft tune to an unrecognizable music, and he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Around half an hour later we arrived at his parents' house, the place we were apparently going to stay at. Good thing was that his parents were away on a cruise, so we didn't have to feel like a burden.

As everyone unbuckled and got out of the car, I slightly nudged Bella's arm. "Bella?" I whispered to her, she hummed and moved around a little. I nudged her arm a little harder, and she lazily opened her eyes. "We're here."

She inspected her surrounding before finally recognizing what was happening. She pulled back and opened the car door. "Sorry about that. Your shoulder must've cramped up," she smiled lightly.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Don't worry about it, I'm good. How are you feeling though?" I slid over the seat and hopped out of the car on two wobbly feet.

Bella nodded slightly. "Better. I don't know when I'll ever get used to flying." She rolled her eyes.

Ariel had stepped into the house alongside Noah while Elliot and Seth began to unload the trunk. I reached out for Bella and grabbed her arm, she looked up at me with a startled gaze.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

She nodded hesitantly, "sure."

We moved away from Seth's dark Jeep and towards the white wooden porch, moving to the far right. "I never had to chance to talk to you about everything that's happened. But I wanted to apologize. I know this isn't easy, and I've messed things up stupidl-"

She instantly interrupted me, shaking her head firmly. "No, don't go there."

"No, you guys need to hear it. I-"

"Nora! Listen to me," she reached out and put her hands on my shoulders, squeezing gently. "No one is blaming you here. What happened was not your fault. Elliot explained everything to me; this thing started from the day we met Xavier and his friends at the lake inn, we just didn't know about it sooner because those people that are supposedly after us are very discreet, and they only proved their intentions when they stepped in and tried to hurt you. You didn't cause any of this."

I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. "How does Elliot know that?"

Bella's hands fell from my shoulders back to her sides. "Xavier was watching out for any possible dangers because he had his doubts about them. Apparently he's very guarded and cautious, and likes to constantly keep an eye out on things in case they take a bad turn." She shrugged.

The sound of a roaring engine neared us as it rolled into the house's driveway. Bella and I turned to look over the source and I noticed a very familiar car parking behind Seth's Jeep and switching off its engine.

My heart immediately leapt out of my chest and I felt a blast of fire charging up my veins, suddenly electrifying me back to life. My droopy eyes were shot wide open and my back straightened subconsciously; I instantly felt more awake.

The sudden change in my behavior didn't go unnoticed by Bella, as she eyed me skeptically. I knew for sure that I would've done the same had I been in her place; I was as equally confused by my reaction. I frowned at her, and she frowned back.

My eyes moved back to the cars and the gaze that I could feel lingering on me. Xavier stood beside Elliot and Seth, shaking their hands in greeting but his intense silver gaze never left my spot. I felt my stomach clench.

He excused himself from my friends and began making his way towards Bella and I, and my stomach did a little flip of its own.

Get a hang of it! an inner voice exclaimed at me, annoyed by how easily my mood and behavior can be changed by this stranger's presence. I was beginning to get annoyed at myself too, for something completely out of my hands. I didn't know why I was reacting the way that I was, and I wished the feeling could leave me be.

"Nora, how are you doing?" Xavier greeted me with a warm smile, his eyes glistening as he stared at me with an emotion I couldn't decipher.

I could feel Bella's gaze traveling between the two of us standing across from one another, but I was so captivated by Xavier's eyes that I couldn't spare her a single glance.

"I'll see you inside, Nora," she whispered before heading towards the front door and entering the house.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Xavier.

"I just came to check up on things."

I huffed. "Always checking up on things," I mumbled mostly to myself, my gaze moving towards the trimmed grass sashaying from the slight breeze in the front lawn.

Xavier frowned in response, his confusion evident on his features. A little crease formed between his eyebrows, and I had to resist the urge to poke the muscle with my index finger, demanding it let loose.

"Is that supposed to mean anything?"

I rolled my eyes. "No." I turned to start heading inside the house, but he reached out just in time to stop me, his long fingers coming to wrap around my arm and halt me in my tracks. I inhaled sharply, his warm touch causing a spark to shoot up my arm. I pulled back, glaring at him for making me feel whatever that was.

Xavier straightened his posture, clearing his throat. "Can I speak with you for a minute longer?" He politely asked. I opened my mouth to say no, but he interrupted me before I had the chance to speak - probably already sensing my answer, what with him and his creepy sixth sense, always predicting the future. "It's really important that I clear this out."

I sighed defeated, hesitantly nodding for him to continue on.

"Believe me, Nora, when I say I'm truly apologetic for having you go through this mess. It was never supposed to happen this way. But as I vowed to you once, I will ensure that no harm gets to you or your friends. This whole thing will be over with in less than a week, I promise you that."

I stared back at Xavier blankly, hearing his words and understanding the promises he was making but unable to bring myself to react to any of it. "Why is any of it happening in the first place?" I managed to whisper against my exhaustion.

"I made enemies of the most vulturous men, and they're out to hurt me in any way imaginable."

I shook my head. "No, Xavier. I want the whole story."

He stared at me with confusion swarming behind his silver gaze.

"What did you do to them?" I prodded. Realization of which specific answers I was asking for finally hit him and his shoulder muscles stiffened. "What made them this upset?"

Xavier straightened his stiffened back and stood tall across from me. His hand came up to his face and he stroke his trimmed beard, while I watched the wheels run in his mind.

When he took too long to answer, I rolled my eyes preparing to leave. "You know what, Xavier? Never mind. Your business is your business. Just keep your pro-"

"I will explain to you everything in detail, and answer any and all questions you may have," he replied by interrupting me. "But not right now. I need a little more time."

My jaw clenched visibly, and his eyes moved down to where my jaw muscles twitched. As much as it annoyed me that we will once again have it his way, I couldn't deny the fact that I was in desperate need of rest anyway.

"Fine." I relaxed my stiff muscles and moved towards the front door of the house. This time, Xavier didn't stop me.

The house was awfully quiet. I didn't have the time to explore the place or even fully comprehend where I was stepping. With droopy eyes, I made my way towards the living room and plummetted down to the longest couch available. I reached out under my back and yanked off the pillows, throwing them across the floor. With each leg, I pushed off my shoes and heard them let out a faint thud as they fell to the wooden floor. And within only a few seconds, I was knocked completely out of my senses by the unbearable exhaustion.