Chelsy Holmes and Nathan Sharles have been next door neighbours since they were toddlers. He is best friends with her brother Max Holmes so she is stucked with seeing him everyday despite how much she hates his guts! But what happens when Chelsy starts growing up and they are past sand-building and swing rides stage? What happens when feelings arise and Chelsy is coming of age?
Will she still see Nathan as just a guy next door who annoys her or will she just realise that feelings for him are starting to surface?
Find out in this sweet tooth novel!!❤❤

WARNING: Book contains Language and Mature Sexual Content. Read at your own risk ;-)

What exactly is "Family"? Is it just a word used to label people who are blood-related? Dianne in the beginning believes so. but throughout the exploration of different kinds of experiences Dianne has a very different meaning to the word "Family". Read and Find out. What exactly is the definition of... Family?

Aralia is just a normal girl- if your definition of “normal” includes murdering your boyfriends and hiding them in gutters- at the age of 17.

Hi my name's Pitch and I'm the youngest daughter of three. My father is a forty-year-old CEO, called Patrick Black. My two brothers, Bolt and Dash Black who are the pride of the family spend all their time earning millions for the family although we are financially independent.

My mom, Eleanor Rose Black is a woman of few words and a stubborn mind. She married my father at the age of 20 because they had been betrothed. After 17years of marriage. She had suddenly packed her bags one day and asked Dad for a divorce. She later moved to Hawaii and completely isolated herself from us.

My father had been heartbroken for months and then one day, he called all of us to the company's annual dinner only to announce that he was getting engaged to a lady we had never met before, until that night. 
The lady, Rodrica did not come alone.

Now I have a step-sister, Marisa. And you would think that she would bond with me considering we are the only two girls in the entire family. Not really, as she continuously tries to sabotage my relationship with my father.

Marisa Devon is the true definition of Bad.

"Pitch?", I heard my name from the kitchen. It must be Rodrica. 
" Coming", I answered.
"hurry baby, your father and I are leaving soon", I heard her shout.

Ves always found something joyful in teaching.
He knew he was good in mech design. That did not automatically mean he was good at teaching.
In fact, from an objective standpoint, Ves was even sure whether he would be able to qualify as an able teacher at all. Yet the pleasure he derived from guiding others to become better mech designers was genuine enough to make him believe that he possessed an aptitude in this aspect.
Regardless of how schools would evaluate his teaching ability, Ves earnestly wanted to prep Maikel and Zanthar for the many challenges that awaited them once they began their true studies.
"Right now, the two of you haven't graduated from high school yet, so I won't hand too much coursework to you." He announced to the young men. "Even so, it is never too early to begin shaping your mentality towards mech design. The right mentality not only ensures you'll be on the right track when you graduate from my tutelage, but also ensures you are sufficiently motivated in your studies. The two of you have recently received some lessons from Mayer Torto, right?"
Maikel nodded. "Maisie and Rennie attended Mr. Torto's lessons as well. He's very smart."
"As he should, or else I wouldn't have hired him to begin with. What did he teach you two, exactly?"
"We learned about the role of mechs in human society in the Age of Mechs."
"Ah, that's a good lesson that every mech design should know by heart." Ves smiled. "Tell me in your own words what purpose they serve in today's society. You first, Maikel."
The young man hesitated after being put on the spot so suddenly. "Uhm, mechs are war machines. They are tools used to fight and win battles. They're similar to swords, tanks and warships in that they give humans a much greater capacity for violence."
"That's.. correct, but not the answer I'm looking for." Ves leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. "If you want to become an average mech designer, then this basic definition is sufficient to guide your approach towards your work. If you want to move beyond that and become a creator on the level of a Journeyman or above, then you will have to develop a deeper perspective of mechs. This is in essence the first step towards developing your own design philosophy!"
Both Maikel and Zanthar looked incredibly interested at that! Ves inwardly shook his head at their enthusiasm. While he liked their eagerness, it was way too soon for them to form their own design philosophies.
That said, it wasn't too early to teach them some of the precursors in order to ensure they wouldn't be going askew when they were ready to explore their own way.
"Zanthar." Ves directed his attention towards the other young clansman. "Tell me, what is the definition of a designer? What do they do, and why do they exist?"
"A designer is someone who makes.. designs?"
Ves did not look amused. "Is that the extent of your definition?"
"Uhm, no! A designer combines art and science to produce a plan or drawing that outlines the construction of a certain object or process! They are creators who use their skills and talents to provide tangible solutions to their customers or clients!"
"That sounds a bit better. I think you are still too hung up on the textbook definition of design, though. You're kind of mixing them up. Anyway, let me tell you a bit how I look at design."
He leaned forward and lowered his tone. "Design is a process of creation. The common definition of mech design or any sort of design includes both art and science for a very good reason. This is because they are both the core prerequisites to making it all possible."
"First, the science aspect. Anything more complicated than a handheld slingshot requires at least some knowledge of the sciences to design and construct. You need to know how metals work, how energy works, how processors work, how actuators work, how gravity works and etc. All of that requires a solid grasp of the natural sciences. However, it is a mistake for mech designers to think that science is all you need to become a good mech designer. What is a mech designer who is only good in the sciences?"
A pregnant silence ensued.
"I call that an engineer." Ves answered on their behalf. "Is that bad? Not necessarily. There are many positions in the galactic job market that ask for someone who is good with numbers or good in the sciences to solve all sorts of complex problems. Now, what do you call a mech designer who doesn't know any science but is very proficient in art?"
"Uhm, an artist?" Zanthar guessed.
"Ding ding ding! We have a winner! An artist is exactly the sort of person who is capable of creating beautiful designs that are completely unable to function in reality. There are many people like this as well. In fact, a lot of large mech companies run by mech designers who aren't necessarily good in this department employ swathes of artists to come up with mech concepts or are tasked with refining the final exterior appearances of their new products. Now, let me ask you something important. Why do mech designers exist? Why must they be proficient in both art and science when you can just gather a bunch of engineers and artists and lock them up in the same room to pump out designs?"
"Has that been done?"
"Certainly! Many times in fact! However, this practice fell out of fashion once mech design universities started flooding the job markets with mech designers. What distinguishes a mech designer from a team of engineers and artists?"
"They can do the job of both. Isn't that more efficient?"
Ves shook his head. "I wouldn't necessarily say so. In an age where there is far too much knowledge that we can ever learn in our lifetimes, specialization is the name of the game in personal development. On the surface, it is much more efficient to teach one person to become a good engineer and another person to become a good artist and divide the task of designing a mech between them. The artist is responsible for creating a concept and vision while the engineer digs into the nuts and bolts and tries to turn the idea into reality. This model is still commonplace in every other industry aside from mech design. Why the exception?"
Neither of the two students could come up with an answer. They were completely stumped!
Fortunately for them, Ves expected this kind of response.
"Think of the great works of Master Mech Designers and Star Designers. Think of the brilliant, superhuman feats of god pilots. Do you think they can accomplish all of their reality-defying work by abiding by any kind of normal process?"
"The expert pilots in our family are different!" Zanthar piped up! "All of the older folk always told me that expert pilots are more than human, more than mech pilots!"
"Exactly. What they are hinting towards is that expert pilots aren't completely constrained by the conventional laws of reality. Let me tell you what a mech designer is and what makes people like me different. Both expert pilots and Journeyman like me are able to go beyond what regular engineers are able to accomplish."
"How?"
"We learn the sciences because we need to be as capable as any engineer in coming up with a viable technical plan of a complex, multi-part machine. We learn art in order to expand our creativity and learn how to go beyond problem solving. The critical reason to learn both is to combine them together! A mech designer cannot be one without the other!"
The young Larkinsons looked pensive. They didn't entirely understand his point.
Ves sighed. "Look, the meaning of design is creation. We create actual working machines for a living. Creation is the keyword here. I cannot emphasize this enough. Science enables us to create a working machine, but that alone is not enough to justify the existence of my possession. It is only when it combines with art that will result in true creation! While every engineer has learnt how to 'design' something, a mech designer is expected to do more. They are expected to design a practical mech concept, build a compelling vision around it and transform it into an actual design!"
"I don't get it, sir. Isn't that something that can still be done with multiple engineers and other people?"
"Ah, that should have been the case if not for the existence of high-ranking mech designers. You see, in the early days of the Age of Mechs, the most successful mech designers back then tended to be the most enthusiastic and obsessed of this newfangled weapon platform. In later years, the MTA honored these admittedly radical visionaries as the first Journeymen and Seniors of our profession! Their early success have contributed enormously to the rise of mechs in human society and legitimizing the special status of mech designers compared to other design and engineering professions."
"That must be because their design philosophies are able to accomplish something that automation can never equal, right?"
"Good answer, Zanthar!" Ves clapped his hand. "This is a critical point to make. The discovery of design philosophies and how they enhanced the capabilities of mechs was an essential step in the popularization of mechs as the premier war machine in this day and age! I don't think I need to tell you how many benefits they can provide."
"So.. mech designers exist because they can combine their art and science into a powerful design philosophy?"
"That.. is one of the worst definitions that I have ever heard, Maikel." Ves shook his head in exasperation. "It's a gross oversimplification, but the idea is close enough. In a nutshell, mech designers can become so good in creating inspiring and innovative mech designs that they essentially bend reality! It is not wrong to consider Gloriana and I the mech designer equivalent of an expert pilot! Just like how an expert pilot is able to crush regular mechs by leveraging resonance, mech designers are able to create machines that possess powerful advantages by levering the effects of their design philosophies! No regular engineer or artist can achieve this! Only one who masters both are able to foster a powerful design philosophy!"
Both his students looked enthralled by his description! Ves had unconsciously employed the same tricks he used to manipulate his Larkinson clansmen during his previous address!
In essence, holding a speech and lecturing a bunch of studies was not that different from each other. In both cases, the speaker sought to indoctrinate his audience!
Perhaps that was why he possessed a talent for teaching.
"Now let us get back to the meaning of design." Ves tried to center his lesson back to the main point. "What exactly is a design philosophy and what exactly makes it so special? Don't answer that. You won't be able to at this stage. In fact, you'll have to reach Journeyman if you want to provide a somewhat complete answer. For now, all you need to know is that the development of your design philosophies is critical to your future success. While it is too soon to figure out what you want to specialize in, I want you to prepare the first building blocks by thinking about the meaning of design and how it will shape your future work. If you can't figure this out, you'll never become a good mech designer!"
One of the greatest shortcomings Ves had noticed in many Novices and Masters was that the schools they attended didn't emphasize the artistic and creation side of mech design enough!
Privileged mech designers such as Gloriana were able to attend excellent universities where actual Masters set the curriculum and knew first-hand the importance of creativity!
"Dare to design." Ves told his two students. "These words encapsulate my heart of mech design, and the hearts of any competent mech designer! Never constrain yourself too much by practicalities. Let loose a bit! Go a little wild! Anything is possible in mech design as long as you dedicate your entire being towards your goals! It is all up to your vision and how much you are willing to devote to realize your ambitions. When it comes to your design philosophy, as long as you commit to something, don't ever let anyone else convince you that you are wrong! Even if I tell you that you are wrong, as long as you work hard enough, you can always make it right!"
His words succeeded in inspiring Maikel and Zanthar Larkinson!
While many interpretions existed on the meaning of design, to Ves it centered around creation! He wanted to push this view on his two students in order to ensure they wouold adopt a similar approach towards mech design as him! He did not wish for them to end up as mediocre, uninspired mech designers.
If Ves had his way, he wanted to make them just as brilliant as himself!


After obtaining the Mech Designer System, Ves aims to create the greatest mechs in the galaxy!

In the far future, the galactic human civilization has entered the Age of Mechs. The countless lesser powers of humanity have come to adopt mechs as their main weapons of war!

Only a small number of humans have the right genetic aptitude to pilot these destructive war machines the size of buildings.

Born to a military family in the edge of the galaxy, Ves Larkinson is one of the many people who lacks the talent to earn glory in battle. Instead, he became a mech designer. Helped by his missing father, Ves has obtained the mysterious Mech Designer System that can help him rise in the galaxy and beyond!

His mechs based on the principles of life quickly allows him to rise to prominence. Powerful and highly compatible with mech pilots, his products have the potential to take the market by storm! However, success does not come easily, and countless challenges bar his ability to sell his mechs to a market eager for innovation!

With the sins of the human race in the galactic arena slowly catching up, Ves must navigate the perils of the ultra-competitive mech market and maintain control over his growing organization of misfits.

This is the golden age of mechs. This is the golden age of humanity. The question is, will it last?

"Any challenge can be overcome as long as I design the right mech!"

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--Cover Art by Derek-Paul Carll (carlldpn)

--The Mech Touch is an original webnovel written by ML "Exlor" Duong.

The Mech Touch is exlusively published on Webnovel.com and a select few platforms affiliated with the parent company of this website.

The Mech Touch is not published on Amazon, RoyalRoad, WattPad and etc.

I stood up from my chair and ask "how do I get the items that I bought from the store?"

[To open your inventory say or think the word inventory]

I think the word inventory and a grid that has hundreds of empty squares show up in front of me, I look at the empty spaces and I see that only two squares have something inside them.
I focus on one of the squares and a message about the item shows up on my screen.

[King of fighting]
[To use the king of fighting put the orb close to your head]
[Would you like to equip this item]
[Yes/No]

I think yes and the next thing I see is a ball of light coming out of my inventory, I grab the ball of light and put up to my head once it gets close to my face a massage appears in front of me saying.

[Would you like to use the king of fighting]
[Yes/No]

I think yes and the ball of light starts shaping into a needle as it shoots into my head as soon as it goes into my head a bunch of memories of hand to hand combat and footwork starts flowing into my head as soon as the memories stop I get this intense pain throughout my entire body, I start stumbling to my bed and just when I get on the bed I pass out.

...

After an unknown amount of time later I wake up with a smelly black sticky liquid on and around me I stand up and feel much lighter than I did before I passed out, I ask "where can I take a bath?"

[To change rooms just think what room you want to go to]

So I think of a bathroom and a huge bathroom appears around me, as I look around I only see a big bath on the side of the room. After looking around a while, I decided to just take a bath.

...

Once I get out of the bath and put my clothes back on and think of the room I was just in, it appears round me again I go over to the pc and turn it on, once it turns on I click the created worlds icon and click the world that says Eolia 'this is most likely the name the population gave the world.'
Once the world loads in, the pc screen says.

[Would you like to see the world on your tv]
[Yes/No]

I click yes and the tv turns on with a large city full of people walking around on the sidewalks, I turn to my pc and see that this is the biggest city in this world with a population of 35,053,839, the name of the city is Dragonfall.
As I was reading the details of the city I started to wonder if there was a way to go down to my world so I ask "is there a way to go down to my world just to explore?"

[To go down to your world just walk through the door labeled 'world']

Before I go through the door I have some questions to ask so I say "what happens if I die in the world?"

[If you die on one of your worlds your soul reincarnates on a random world that you have created, without any memory of being a creator]

This is about what I thought would happen minus the reincarnation, I have more questions to ask, mostly about the powers that the system said I could create so I ask "Is there a way for me to give the people on my world some sort of supernatural powers like hellflame or one for all from mha?"

[It is possible to change a world in any way you want]
[Would you like to buy the random mutations for 15 points in the shop]
[Yes/No]

Without even thinking about it I say yes and I immediately open up my inventory and pull out the random mutations, with the ball of light in my hand I freeze and ask "how do I use this?"

[To use world skills go to the pc and throw it into the screen]

Thinking 'this is a little weird' as I'm walking over to the pc once I was close enough to the pc I throw the ball of light into the screen and the ball of light got absorbed into the screen then the next thing that happened was nothing until a message popped up saying world successfully absorbed the world skill random mutations.
I ask "what does the random mutations do" having been too fast to read the definition.

[The world skill 'Random Mutations']
[Definition: Everyone has a random mutation from making a small world to having a faster reaction time than a normal human. The downsides of this skill are that the world creator can't tell what mutation someone will get, what age the mutation will activate, the more powerful the mutation the rarer the power will be, and that bloodlines affect the chances of getting strong powers]

When I'm done hearing this I open up my inventory and pull out the creator phone, it just looked like a normal phone but when I turned the phone I felt a pain on my finger when I pull my hand off the phone I see that blood is coming out of my finger when I looked back at my phone I see that it's almost exactly like what I would see on my pc but with more icons.
Some of the new icons are messages, calls, creator forums, etc. I put the phone in my pocket and ask "how do I make more points?"

[To gain points, you have to somehow affect the world in any way whether by you or someone you affect in your world]

This is what I expected so I start walking to the door that says 'world' and go through to Dragonfall city.

Skylar Marie Johnson is a mere 17-year-old girl who loves everything to do with music and writing. Unable to keep up with the demands of her long, wavy hair, she decided it'd be best to just...cut it off; much to the dismay of her parents. 

Well, they weren't part of her life anymore, anyway.

Skylar was pretty tall for her age, standing proudly at 5'6". A lover of all things sports, it's no wonder she was the captain of multiple teams at school: flag football, football, American football, rugby and swimming. It was a lot to take on top of her school work, but she managed.

Amelia Ann Rose, too, is 17. In a band with five of her other sisters, she never understood what having a 'normal' life meant. Or perhaps, this was her definition of 'normal'. Always on the road with her family, either for a gig or a simple road trip, Amelia saw a lot of the outside world; but not the kind she wanted to see. Being born into fame and coming from a family of a whopping 11 kids, the poor girl was homeschooled. She never got to experience growing up with other children around her was like, lest for her siblings. She yearned to talk to someone that just wasn't related to her, even if it was just for one time and nothing more.

•••

It was 7am here in Yorkshire, Northern England. Skylar was the only one awake. Typical. She'd texted her friends just moments before, but she wasn't expecting a response anytime soon.

Seeing as she had nothing better to do, she ripped a piece of paper off her notebook and picked up a pen. Her lecturer had gone on and on about the importance of letters and pen pals, as if the 21st century hadn't already caught up to them.

Well, it was graded...so why not, right? How hard could it be to score an A for something so simple?

Skylar opened her laptop, wondering how she'd be able to find someone to write to.

Okay, maybe not too simple.

Nevertheless, she decided to try anyway. Coincidentally, the Rose girls had just posted a new video about fan mail.

"They're never going to see it anyways, but why not give it a shot? I've got nothing to lose," she mumbled under her breath.

Unable to figure out what to write, the brunette wrote a few variations of...well, pretty much the same paragraph.

"Dear Rosy Illusions,

Thank you for being who you are.

Skylar"

No, if she wrote something so short, they wouldn't think she was serious. Right?

So, she tried again. 

"Dear Rosy Illusions,

I love you. Thank you so much for being who you are. You saved me from myself. Whenever I'm feeling down, I listen to your music and laugh with you guys in the bloopers. It always makes me feel better. People always look down on me, but I ignore them, because I know you guys wouldn't want me to give in. You're what's keeping me alive.

Skylar"

No, that's too long. They'd think she was a psycho if they read this. 

And that was when Skylar realised she'd been going about this all wrong. Her lecturer had mentioned a pen pal, not a group of them.

"Okay," she heaved a sigh. "What if I just write to Amelia?" 

The American was the closest to her in terms of age, anyway. 

"Dear Amelia,

Thank you for everything.

Skylar"

There, that would have to do. Just something simple, nothing too wordy. Forget what was said about it being too short. 

Skylar sealed the letter in an envelope, wrote the girls' PO box address on it and mailed it. 

Now all she had to do was pray and hope that the addressee would see it. 

Only for the grade, of course.

‘Dear Amelia’ is the story between two lovers who, initially worlds apart, come together as the universe would have it.

Things go smoothly at first; they get through what little hardships with no trouble at all. But what happens when troubles they can’t face start to arise?

I Am Arthur Methuselah reincarnation of Arthur Pendragon 
I Broke the programme "tori 378" by modern age government which was introduced a few years ago I Arthur the king of Camelot was sent to the future by SAM EL 
You will know who sam el is I'll tell you the story how I ended up in the future...
In a battle where I ARTHUR, SAM EL, JACK, MERLIN & Methuselah we're weakened by the greatest creation of the demon king the "ema" it's an unbelievable creature of darkness which grows stronger and stronger as it's defeated. "ema" is a perfect definition of what you call a demon a perfect demon which outclassed us.
It's strength even surpassed the strongest of us SAM EL...
I took a fatal blow from "ema" and lost consciousness and then I woke up here as a baby and as I grew
I recovered my memories I was given the responsibility of passing on the information of the past and what's coming onto the future generation. "Methuselah" is an incredible person who fought along with us with "ema" 
Today I AM born in his bloodline as Arthur Methuselah.
and for the matter how I happened to break the programme "tori" was because in my previous life I learnt many arts and "tori" was the easiest of puzzles I've solved until now. I hate to say this but... In my timeline, everyone was wishing for evolution... And many centuries later I see humanity weaker and with less knowledge...Humanity never evolved It only devolved. It's a sad thing to see.
However, my purpose is to let the world know what's coming and what the prophecies are....
I don't think humanity will be able to stand the energy of Gaya after it's released from the gates 
Before we went on the battle I secured my sword within the arms of the lady of the lake it seems to me it's impossible to search I need to go on a journey and prepare for what's coming next 
....
Excalibur was forged by merlin, the strongest wizard of Camelot and was blessed by "supreme"'s(almighty creator) kindness it was touched by Gaya then finally it was passed down to the righteous families for many centuries.the sword protected many in need and slew many creatures from darkness but it's true potential was only drawn by Sam el once and no one else. For now, I set my journey to seek my sword.
3 Months later...
I

have searched all lands of modern Earth I couldn't find the lake many lands have disappeared my only hope is ariel and I need to seek his help to visit the Island 
I can't visit the land as per the government's new law and I'm still a 14 year old and we Are not given rights...

Near Ariel's adventurer's office

Come in
...
Are you the great adventurer Mr.Ariel 
Yeah, but do I know you.
...
My name's Arthur Methuselah...
You're the Arthur methuselah? 
The one who broke tori?
Yes it is I who broke it sir 
You're a celebrity damn it have a seat and may I know what brings you here?? 
 Yes, I needed a talk with you about the island that will show up in a few days...
And I know this that you will be going to the island to explore it I request is to take me with you
What you ask of me is not a simple thing boy I need to cross seas and the only group which has rights to step on the island is my group and taking you would be a huge risk
I understand but I need to go with you it's very important sir 
Very well then, I'd like to know what's really important on the island I only stepped once.
It's complicated sir,
Try me kid
It may sound stupid but I'm the reincarnation of  King Arthur I'm born to the Methuselah bloodline...and I need to find my sword asap 
You want me to believe that??
 Yes 
..... it's the truth and I need help
 It's hard to believe you're the reincarnation of sir pendragon.
 Yes Ariel PANDORA I am him 
I'll believe you 
you're coming with me methuselah
 Alright




7 DAYS LATER....
how far are we walking? methuselah!!!!
And this is a desert a freaking endless desert
I got you to the island!!!! Now, where is you're sword Arthur!!!

Ahhh my goodness please stop complaining ariel don't be such a kid

A kid?? Are you serious!! We just travelled 180km on foot and this desert is endless we've encountered 17sand storms the routes keep changing we are lost!!!!


....to be continued

A MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENON TAKES PLACE ON EARTH LEADING SOME PEOPLE TO FIND A MINUSCULE ISLAND WHERE THEY MEET A NEW TRIBE AND ENDS UP WITH A  BOOK , AND A STRANGE PHENOMENON OCCURS BREAKING TIME AND SPACE 
LEAVING ALL RACES CONFUSED .
WHEN RESOURCES COME TO AN END GAYA SHALL RISE AND PROSPER THE CREATION WITH DIVINE LIMITLESS ENERGY

Christen was waiting outside the cabin, leaning against the wall—his arms crossed. I walked past him without even a glance his way. He followed and stepped up to my side with ease. Infact, his long strides made it difficult for me to keep up with him. I increased my pace a little, hooking my thumbs in the belt loops. 
"Rule one— Don't kill any innocent except in case of self-defense .", I stated, throwing the keys towards him. He caught it with graceful ease. These words were like a fine line between who I was and what I could become. These were a reminder that there was something, however little it might be, good in me. 
"Why? ", he lifted a brow. 
I shrugged, and turned towards a left corridor, " It is how Lucas wants it. He wants only the criminals roaming unpunished to suffer.", I gave him a sidelong glance. "But the question you should have asked was 'What do you mean by innocent?'"  
Because our definition of innocent was a little different. And life, as it was now, I could hardly see any innocent or someone who would fit in its universal definition. So, we need to be careful in whom to kill or spare. 
He snorted, " I don't know about you...", he glanced at me for emphasis, "... but usually at this age everyone is well aware about 'what does innocent mean'.", he lifted his both hands—making a gesture for inverted commas at the last four words. 
I rolled my eyes," Two years back, a person looted the banks of millions of dollars—hacked the accounts basically. So, does he fit in your definition of innocent?", I asked as I pushed open the door to the library. 
Almost the whole ground floor was occupied by this library. It was like a massive wheel, shelves carved out of the walls itself which then spiralled inwards. 
Some shelves curved inwards to make small compartments —which had comfortable leather arm chairs and tables to read in hushed, undisturbed setting. 
There were stairs to reach the upper shelves with reading areas jutting out from the walls like little balconies. I went to one of the shelves and trailed my finger over the books. The floor was shiny black and so smooth I could see my reflection in it. Christen rotated slowly, marveling at the beauty —looking around at the shelves, at the books and at the tables. 
"This is the Keep's library as you can see. You will find almost every kind of book over here. " 
Christen picked up a book from the dark, oak table near him and opened its first page. He nodded, skimming through the pages, " No. He doesn't fit... I mean in the definition of innocent that is." 
"Indeed.", I gave him a knowing smile. It was an expected answer. "But when we looked into the matter, we found out a pattern in all the accounts he had looted. They were all criminals. They didn't report the robbery to the police because they were afraid they might themselves get caught in the process. So one of those criminals came to us to kill that hacker. ", I paused a little." So what do you think now? " I slid my hands into my pockets and fixed my gaze on him. 
He kept the book down and leaned against the shelves." Still not innocent.", he shrugged a shoulder. 
I snorted," Expected. We are not the police. Our definition of innocent is different. We didn't kill him, infact we offered him to join us. He wasn't innocent but his intentions weren't wrong. " 
I approached him and held his gaze as I said, " And..... I knew the definition of innocent even long before anyone my age would have learned to pronounce it.", I let power drop in my voice. 
It was true. Not because I came here when I was ten and I learned a lot of things early and the hard way. Maybe that also. But because my father was.... he was incredibly intelligent, even that was an understatement and he taught me alot at a young age. I didn't know back then, he would leave me so early. My throat suddenly felt tight. 
He watched me a moment longer and I wondered if he had noticed my change in mood, before saying, " Where do you all learn? Do you guys go to school or something?", he swirled the keys in his forefinger. It didn't feel like he wanted to insult us but instead a genuine, curious question. 
I nodded, "Yes, we go to schools or have private tutors—it's our choice. I preferred private tutors.", I moved towards the door to show him some other important places. "If someone wants to study further, it can also be arranged. But our job is the first priority."  
"How do you guys stay hidden and safe?" his voice held a little touch of curiosity. 
I looked over my shoulder and smirked, "What makes you think I will tell you that?" 
He curled his fingers around the keys, a little too tight to be casual and crossed his arms—his biceps bulging beneath his tight-fitted, black jacket, giving me a cold, hard look. "Because I am one of the assassins now.", he raised an eyebrow. 
"Temporarily.", I crooned, turning fully towards him. My mouth flashed with a wicked smile. He wouldn't be a member here until his first kill, if he manages to do it, that is. 
He sauntered towards me, he came close enough that I had to tilt my head up to look at him. His eyes were lit with amusement, the blue in them looking more bright. He leaned in until we shared our breaths or would have if I hadn't been holding my breath. I curled my hands into loose fists if only to hide the slight shaking of my fingers which was impractical — I wasn't afraid and I was sure of that. 
"I am not in a habit of losing anything. Quite the contrary infact.", his voice was low—deep, every word crisp clear. He shoved me with his arm as he strode past me towards the door. Only years of training kept my balance from faltering. Prick! 
Let him find his way alone! Not in a habit of losing, is he? My lips split in a cruel, wicked smile. Let's see. 
"She could be annoying at times.", James voice filled the hallway. When I reached the end of the corridor, I saw him talking to Christen. He had a half smile on his face. 
"Who could be annoying James?", I asked, arching a brow. 
" You. Who else.", James grinned. My mouth almost dropped open. Almost. 
Huh, how dare he say that? 
Christen's face broke into a grin at that. 
"I will show you precisely how annoying I can be—later.", I gave him what was supposed to be my most dazzling smile though my eyes promised a death sentence. 
James only gave me a wink. Christen lifted his brows at us. 
Oh.... oh. Did it look like something else to Christen? Anyways why do I care?, I strode towards the lift, ignoring both the guys. 
"By the way, your room is across from Andrea, on the second floor.", James said to Christen. I could feel the frown in his voice, he knew I didn't let anyone have a room near mine. 
"Why near her? Is this some kind of a test of my patience level or something ?", I could hear the laughter tinging his voice. 
Christen Salvatore, if this is a test— I will make sure you fail. 
"All the best dude.", James laughed. Laughed? I resisted the urge to throw my sneakers at his face. He should be on my side. 
You traitor! Just you see James. 
Just when the elevator door was about to close, Christen lodged his foot in and stepped inside. The door closed behind him. 
I leaned against the elevator wall, arms crossed and ignored his presence. I didn't need to give him more attention than necessary. 
He leaned beside me against the wall and asked looking straight ahead, "Have you ever killed an innocent?" 
"No." I replied without even a thought. 
No, I haven't. Did he think of me as someone who would? Okay. I am an assassin at the age of eighteen only, what else should he think of me? 
He dragged his eyes to mine, " I could kill you and I wouldn't be breaking any rules." He said it matter-of-factly but.... to me it looked like a threat. 
I leaned my head back with a lazy attitude, hooking my thumbs in the belt loop as I smirked, letting the dangerous tone flash in my voice, "You could surely try." 
He scanned me over from head to toes, a calculated look but it sent a shiver up my spine nonetheless. A mischievous gleam danced in his eyes and then he winked. Before I could react, the door opened and he left. 
Later when I found James, I literally chased after him with a shoe in my hand. 
" You traitor! ", I half shouted at him though it didn't contain any real anger. We never really fought. "I am annoying? Annoying?" 
"Hey! I was just joking.", he gave an apologetic glimpse over his shoulder. 
I threw my shoe at him from where I stood twenty feet behind him,"You deserve this!", I shouted, only half serious. 
He moved at the last moment, the shoe just slightly brushing his arm. 
"Okay! Okay! I am sorry.", he lifted his arms in surrender, eyeing the second shoe in my hand with suspicion. 
I gave him a satisfied grin and dropped the shoe, "Good." 
He came rushing to me, enveloping me in a tight hug and said, "You are so annoying." And laughed.

Andrea Hawking is an assassin girl, courageous but paranoid. Her life is all about taking risks and seeking adventures. But being a mindreader, she relentlessly reads everyone's minds for she isn't prepared to trust someone. So what happens when she meets a guy, whose mind she can't read. Tall, handsome and as courageous as her, he always challenges her—makes her consider if trusting might be a good thing. Will she trust him and fight the past that still haunts her?

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