I Love My Furbabies!

I can fully admit that I am one of those obnoxious parents that constantly brags about their kids at every opportunity, always has 5,000 pictures of their kids to show to anyone who will tolerate it and thinks that their kids are the best, most beautiful thing that has ever happened to this planet. Except, my kids have fur. Yes, I have pets but they're more than pets to me, they really are like my children, and the best part is that they can't talk back! So, I'm about to go all braggy mama on you and show you a gazillion pictures of my babies. 

 This is Roxy, she will be 2 years old this August. 

 This is Remi, he will be 1 year old this July. 

Roxy is an odd cat, she's not one of those stereotypical cats who will only let you pet her on her terms and when you want to cuddle she runs away. She's the exact opposite, she's always up for cuddles and comes to you when you whistle. 

 Despite the innocent look on Remi's face he sure is a troublemaker, but I can never stay mad at him because, well, look at that face! 

It's hard to tell what "breed" cats are but I have a theory that Roxy is a mix between a maine coon and a British Longhair.  

Remi was born with host-specific lice and lost most of his fur because of it. We took him to the vet and they gave him a shot and gave us some shampoo to get rid of the lice. After that I ordered this really great lotion stuff that has all sorts of essential oils in it and rubbed it on him at least twice a day every day. Before I knew it all of his fur had grown back in all nice and thick and soft and now he's a handsome young boy! 

Remi is super energetic and doesn't realize how big he is so he's always jumping all over me and almost knocking me over. He used to be hard to cuddle because he would get irritated or claustrophobic maybe and start biting (not hard) at you. After a lot of work and a lot of bonding time he now gives hugs and loves to cuddle.  

Remi is a pure bred husky but when he was a puppy he looked like a baby bear.  

Remi loves car rides like most dogs but absolutely insists on being in the front seat. 

Remi's favourite activity would probably have to be "eating" Roxy. He likes to rough house with her and stick her entire head in his mouth. He never really hurts her though and if he gets too rough she lets him know. Sometimes I catch them napping together.   

He has recently finally understood what the words "walk" and "treat" mean. This face means you have this attention.  

 When I first went to pick Roxy up we had to put her in a kennel for the car ride home. It was about a 45 minute drive and she was obviously scared because she was being taken away from her mom by some stranger. We put the radio on in hopes of calming her down and it worked. There was a good song on the radio and she stopped meowing and crying and started listening. The song then changed to something not so great and she started yowling. At least we know she has good taste in music! 

 You would think that if you were to put a small plate of turkey, mashed potatoes and corn in front of a cat that they'd go after the turkey first, maybe try the mashed potatoes and leave the corn but that wasn't the case last Thanksgiving. She went straight for the corn, ate almost all of it, tried some mashed potatoes and hardly touched the turkey at all. She's silly! 

Roxy is pretty shy when it comes to new people, if she hears the door open and it's a stranger she runs and hides but once she gets to know you on, you won't be able to get rid of her. She'll sit on your lap for hours if you let her. 

 One thing that Remi's pretty good with is bed time. Right around 9 or 10 pm he settles down and gets ready to go to sleep. That makes a very happy mama! That is, until he wakes up early the next morning and it's mama's day off and she wants to sleep in but Rem says "nooo! I want to go outside!" 

Roxy's a very happy kitty. She doesn't get in bad moods very often and she's always there to cheer me up. She just knows. She'll come over and lick the tears off of my face and put her forehead against my face and just lay there with me.  

Roxy feels the need to sleep on me. Every. Night. 

When Remi was a puppy we didn't have the chance to kennel train him because our neighbours complained about him whining (we live in a duplex), so it made it really hard to keep the house clean when we were gone. Luckily, those neighbours moved out and a friend of mine moved in who didn't mind the whining until he got used to it. Now he's so good that all I have to do is walk over to the kennel and open the door and he goes in. Treats always help too of course!

If it were winter all the time and Remi got to spend every day outside he would be as happy as a clam.It took awhile for Remi to get used to the snow but once all of his fur came back in he learned to love it. The first time I introduced Remi to snow I couldn't help but laugh. I opened the door to let him out and he stopped, sat down and looked at me like "you expect me to go do my business in this? Are you nuts?!" 

So, yeah, those are my furbabies along with some fun facts about them. I know you probably don't care all that much but they both mean the world to me and I don't know what I'd do without them. I love them both with all my heart. 

Also, if you were to ask me if I'm a cat person or a dog person I really wouldn't have an answer for you. I like having both because then you have both a dog that you can take places, keeps you active and loves to play as well as a cat that loves to cuddle, is more independent and does the most hilarious things. They both keep me going and keep me smiling every day! I wish I could say that at least one of them is a rescue but they weren't. I do hugely support rescue animals though and if I had the room I'd take in a whole bunch of them! 

On the topic of rescues, if you're looking to adopt a pet, adopt a rescue. If you're not looking to adopt but have room in your home, foster a pet. If you don't have room in your home but you could spare a little bit of your time to help out at your local animal shelter, please do so, they always need volunteers. If you don't have time to volunteer but still want to make a contribution, please donate, the cost of taking care of so many animals is not cheap. If you do at least one of these things you are helping save lives and bringing families (or fur-families) together. :) 

Live, Every Day.

I've never been able to grasp the concept of death, when I think about someone I know or once knew, I can't picture this world without them in it, and once they're gone my mind cannot believe that they're actually gone. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, that part of me still believes that they're here (in our hearts, memories etc) but the one thing that I find the most strange is how people as a whole deal with death. Instantly when you hear of someone who passed away you start thinking of all of the things you once did together, the things you said to them and how you overall interacted with them, you recall memories. Then, you start wondering if there was anything that you wanted to say or do but didn't and you begin regretting not acting on it when you still had the chance. Here's the part that just blows my mind though, even though we feel this way when dealing with death, we do not feel this way as often in life. Instead of saying the things we want to say or taking a chance and doing the things we want to do with our friends or even our peers we don't even give it a thought, we do not live life to it's fullest and take advantage of every opportunity that arises. We do not think about "what if I never see this person again, what if I never even get to say goodbye?" I believe that we should always show our true feelings to others, even if it's scary, it's okay to be afraid. I once said that we should never live each day as it's our last, we should live it like it's our first because if you treat every day like every experience is new to you, you will learn to appreciate life more. But I also believe that we should treat every day as if it might be someone else's last, because you never know. We should take chances and risks, and make sure that our loved ones always know how we feel, we should be compassionate and emotional and express ourselves as often as possible. When the day comes where my life comes to an end I want the people that I love to know just how much I loved them and that I treasure every moment I have ever had with them. I want the people who made a difference in my life to know that they made a difference and that they taught me something to help me become the person that I am. This is the reason why I do not like going to bed angry, I like all issues or problems that arise to be solved quickly and handled well. You never know when the last time you see someone might be, and you never want the last thing you say to them to be a negative thing. 

Just my thought for today, I hope it made you think a little. 

New Favourite Song EVER!

Okay, so I know this is a cover but I heard the cover before I heard the original and I fell in love with it, not to mention this girls voice as well! So take a listen and fall in love. 


Cups (When I'm Gone) by Lulu and the Lampshades cover from Pitch Perfect: 

If you liked that song and want to learn how to "play" the cups part you can watch this girl's instructional video, super helpful! 

Or, if you just can't get it or can't sing and play at the same time (like me) you can use this "karaoke" video. 

Enjoy :) 

Look What I Made!

Lately I've been in a super creative mood. I found some old jars from candles that I had bought awhile back that still had wax in them. So, I boiled water and put the jars of wax into it and let it melt. Then, I emptied the wax and cleaned the jars. After that I used permanent marker to draw on the designs and used nail polish to make it look pretty! Here's the results! :) 




"Love" candle holder:

"Peace" candle holder:

"Joy" candle holder:

All three:

He's Just Not That Into You

Here's something everyone (whether you're male or female) should do. This is from the novel "He's Just Not That Into You", which I previously mentioned in my article "Amanda's Rules of Dating". This is what you need to do, reset or re-evaluate your standards, here's a list of suggestions from the book. 


- I will not go out with a man who hasn't asked me out first
- I will not go out with a man who keeps me waiting by the phone
- I will not date a man who isn't sure he wants to date me 
- I will not date a man who makes me feel sexually undesirable 
- I will not date a man who drinks or does drugs to an extent that makes me feel uncomfortable
- I will not be with a man who is afraid to talk about our future
- I will not, under any circumstances, spend my precious time with a man who has already rejected me
- I will not date a man who is married (or otherwise unavailable) 
- I will not be with a man who is not clearly a good, kind, loving person 


Now it's your turn, write down some of your own standards you came up with, and STICK to them. This short article could also be used as an example of what you SHOULD when interested in someone. For example, ask them out first, call them or return their calls/texts, etc. That is all. 

Amanda's Rules of Dating!

1. Introduction: I Think I Need a Time Machine...
First of all, I am very old fashioned when it comes to dating. Do you ever look back at the past and think, "woah, things seemed really awesome back then!" Well, it's because they had a whole different take on things. In today's society things like one night stands and casual hook ups are not an uncommon thing. A lot of people will have sex with complete strangers, and I personally don't think it's right. Remember back in the day where a guy would have to woo a girl, take her on dates, and actually work really hard just to get one little kiss? I certainly do! What ever happened to that? I mean, I wasn't alive when all this was happening but I've seen movies, I've read my fair share of stories and even heard stories from older people. Back in the day people were romantic, and somehow we have lost our way. So why not go back to how things used to be? Do things the OLD FASHIONED WAY! :) In case you need a little help with that here's some guidelines you should follow. 


2. Step One: Who Woulda Thunk Of Getting to Know Someone? 
I'm totally sick and tired of hearing of people jumping into relationships, or into bed, with someone they hardly know! Relationships work SO much better when you don't do things backwards. Yes, I know, this sounds hypocritical because I've jumped into relationships before, but maybe you should listen to me since I've experienced it! Before you start dating someone you should have ACTUAL conversations with people. "What? Conversations you say? What is this nonsense you speak of? Can't I just say 'hey baby, you look hot'? That usually works, right?" WRONG. You need to let this person know EXACTLY what your all about and you need to know that about them as well. Don't know what to talk about? Here's some suggestions: 

- favourite bands/artists/genres 
- crazy fun stories of your past
- what you want to do with your life
- your views on things in life
- favourite tv shows/movies/short films/any type of media
- hobbies


I'm not gonna lay out EVERY topic cause there's so many but once you start talking with the right person you'll find it's hard to stop. Common interests in things bring people together. That saying "opposites attract" isn't really true because if you truly are opposites of each other then you generally don't have the same interests which leaves you with nothing to talk about and usually ends in arguing of some sort, or something along the lines of that. That being said, people can have different interests, people expand on their own interests by becoming interested in other peoples interests. I've said "interest" enough now. The point is, FIND SOME COMMON INTERESTS AND TALK ABOUT IT! Talk through the internet, the phone, through texting, in person, through smoke signal, I don't care just communicate in some way before even considering dating this person. 


3. Step Two: The Almighty First Date.
Now that you've talked, you feel like you are genuinely interested in this person not only for their stunning good looks and charm but also their awesome personality as well, right? Okay, so this is the time to take a risk, asking them on the almighty first date! This can be a little scary because yes, we are all afraid of rejection, but it's better to have tried and failed than not tried at all. If you fail, you move on, find someone new and start all over. That's all there is to it. But how might you ask someone on a date? Or, what should I do for this date? You may ask. Well have no fear! I shall tell you! Here's a list of DOs and DON'Ts


When asking someone on a date....


DO: 
- Ask them in person, over the phone or something more personal than texting or over any form of "chatting" 
- Ask them in a comfortable manner, make sure you're giving them a choice and not making them feel obliged to say yes. [Example, "Hey (insert name here) I was just wondering if you would like to go ice skating or something with me on Sunday" (insert stunning smile here)]
- Be confident, confidence is sexy. 


DON'T: 
- Make a huge show of it because that could make them feel like they have to go, don't be buying gifts or anything like that until at least the third date, and even then make it a small gift, like a single flower rather than a bouquet. Also, some girls are uncomfortable when it comes to receiving gifts, like I am, so be sure to discuss that sort of thing casually. 
- Get your friend to ask them, or any other impersonal thing like that, this must be done yourself. 
- Don't set up the date before they know [Example, "Hey (insert name here) I reserved us a table at that restaurant you said you liked for Saturday, hope you're as excited as I am!" That's just inconsiderate.] 
- Be over-confident because then you just look like an idiot who is full of themselves. 




When going on a date...


DO: 
- Choose a place to go together, somewhere that you will both enjoy. If you like sports and they don't, don't invite them to watch the game.
- Go somewhere casual rather than fancy, like go ice skating, go for a walk down the pier, or to the beach etc.
- Go somewhere that's not overly loud, where you can talk. 
- Bring gum, no one likes bad breath
- Holding hands is first date acceptable if you are both comfortable with it.
- Express that you had a great time and would really like to do it again some time. 
- Walk them home from your date (if walking) 
- Be polite, have manners and etiquette. 
- Guys, opening doors for the ladies is always nice. Girls, thank the gentleman who just held that door open for you! 


DON'T: 
- Bring friends on a first date, later on in the relationship double dates are great and can be a blast but this is the time when you're getting to know each other romantically instead of just as people. 
- Ask them to pay/ refuse to let them pay. If you come to a problem like this, you can discuss if you want to split the cost. I may be old fashioned but the man doesn't always have to pay. I think the person who asked the other person on a date should pay, unless the other person wants to chip in of course. 
- Try to kiss on the first date, or anything like that. 
- Give any gifts at this point. 
- Be obnoxious, talk about only yourself, show off a lot or anything like that.

4. Step Three: Dating
Did you know that 'dating' can mean that you're not in a relationship at all? Oh wow, that's unheard of! Everyone is always in a relationship! After getting to know each other and going on the almighty first date, you should probably consider 'dating' this person you're interested in, instead of immediately asking them to be in a relationship with you. "Well, how long should I be 'dating' this person? Or, what are the rules of this 'dating'?" I'll tell ya. Dating should last for at least a couple weeks, at least long enough to go on at least 3 dates (3 can be a magical number ya know!). Personally, I'd prefer that dating lasts 3 weeks, one date a week, you can go on more dates than three or continue dating for longer than 2 or 3 weeks, but you should stick to the rules of dating while you're dating, makes sense, doesn't it? Here are a few rules when it comes to dating. 


DATING RULES TO KEEP IN MIND! 
- For all first date dos and don'ts, re-read step two!
- Do not kiss on the second date, a kiss on the hand or the cheek in parting or greeting would be acceptable but no kissing on the lips and no going any farther, obviously. Still no gifts at this time, save that for the third date. Go somewhere like a movie, to see a comedy show, go to a concert etc. 
- Yes, you can kiss on the third date, you can also now purchase a small gift if you'd like such as flowers or something, but nothing super expensive. Going to dinner is a good idea for the third date. Do not do anything more than kiss on the third date. 
- While dating you should not sleep together or anything of the sort, wait for the relationship stage.
- "Hanging out" is not considered a date. 
- Dating means that you're are NOT exclusive at this point, that comes when the relationship begins. 
- Do not go to a bar or club for a date, it's not classy at all. 
- If you go to a place that serves alcohol such as a restaurant/concert etc. do not get drunk, also not classy, a drink or two is not a problem but getting drunk is sloppy. 
- Always. Be. Classy. 


5. Step Four: Relationship Time!
Okay, so you've decided that you really like this person and you want to become exclusive, so what do you do? You ask them to be your boyfriend/girlfriend of course! But there ways that you should do this. Here's a few guidelines to follow about how to ask someone out.


Guidelines!
- I suggest asking them while on a date, not just out of the blue. 
- Do NOT ask them over texting or any form of instant messaging, that just takes the special and excitement right out of it.
- Actually, that's about it, you just have to be personal about it and obviously don't make them feel like they have to say yes. 


Okay, so they said yes, and you're in a relationship. No, this does not mean you should jump into bed with each other. Personally, I believe that you shouldn't sleep with someone unless you know you have really strong feelings for them, so be sure of those feelings first. 


6.Uh Oh, Break Ups. 
It's not working out? Well it's better to have loved and lost than to never loved at all right? Okay, so you want to break up with this person, after everything you've decided that you're just not going to work out. Here's some guidelines when it comes to breaking up with someone. 


- Don't do it over text/ instant messaging
- Over the phone is kind of iffy
- It'd be best and most respectful for you to do it in person 
- Don't say the totally cliched line "It's not you, it's me" 
- You better actually have a reason, and you better actually tell them why you two are not going to work out. Breaking up without explanation is just stupid. 
- So, you met someone else that you think you'd be more interested in, it happens sometimes. Be a good person and tell the person you're currently with instead of sneaking around behind their backs, or worse, cheating on them. 
- Always think twice before breaking up with someone, think about if it's something you really want to do. If you're just having some problems see if there's a way that you and your partner could work on these problems rather than just ending it and running away from them. I'd say about 90% of problems that people have in relationships are solvable. Yes, it's going to take time. Yes, it's going to take effort. But if you really care about your partner it's worth it. 
- After breaking up, do not sleep with your ex. It only causes mixed feelings and hurts both people. In a sense, yes it's better than sleeping with a stranger but at the same time it could be very harmful to the friendship if you're wanting to stay friends. 
- After breaking up rebound relationships tend to follow as you're feeling very alone and just want to be loved. Be very careful about this because rebound relationships never last. You want to be at where you and your ex were at so you rush through the relationship trying to get there and it damages the relationship, therefore causing it to end. At the end of a rebound relationship, both people just end up getting hurt. I really don't suggest it. Instead, just take some time to concentrate on yourself and becoming happy again. 




7. I MISS MY EX! 
Okay, so you broke up with your ex and are now missing them like crazy. Don't worry this happens but if you decide you want to get back together, give it time first. You're both still healing and everyone goes through stages after a break up. Here are the stages: 


STAGE ONE: Healing from the Break Up.
During this stage you are healing from the pain you experienced from the break up. Break ups can be harsh and are always hard to deal with so during this stage you (and your ex) will both be very emotional and fragile. It's best to keep your distance and allow them their space so they have time to heal. 


STAGE TWO: Healing from the Bad Memories.
When you two were together something obviously went wrong to cause the break up, either loss of chemistry, attraction, maybe a fight or something along the lines of that. During this time you are slowly pushing all that into the back of your mind, not completely forgetting it but no longer allowing it to bother you. Talking to your ex now would just remind you both of the bad memories and prolong this stage so I suggest keeping the distance until this stage is over. 


STAGE THREE: I Miss You.
After all of the healing, you (or your ex) can finally miss the other person, generally you're not going to be remembering the bad times but you're going to be remembering the good times you had together, the laughs you shared and how happy you were with that person. Think really long and hard if you're sure you want to get back together with your ex, because numerous break ups can be harmful on a relationship and it wastes your time with someone you don't want to be with or doesn't actually want to be with you when you could be finding someone else. Make a list of pro's and con's if you have to and then go about trying to rekindle your relationship or moving on, which ever you choose. 


STAGE FOUR: Moving On. 
After long enough all of the pain and bad memories have subsided, you have decided to maybe try and find someone else who will be more compatible with you. Good for you! Get back out there hot stuff! Just head on back to the top of the page and start all over. If your ex is moving on and you don't want them to, sometimes you just have to accept that it's over and do the same. It's hard but there's no point in waiting around for something when it's already off with another person. Always remember, you are a wonderful person, there are many people who are going to want to date you, you are a fox! So get back out there and be happy! :) 


8. Author's Note
I have been through some pretty bad relationships, break ups and over all had some terrible experiences with dating, not that I'm going to share them with you at this time, but I'm saying I know how it feels. It feels pretty hopeless. I just want to tell you right now, don't give up. Because there ARE awesome people out there. Not all relationships work out and you just have to come to accept it. As you go through these relationships, break ups and bad dating experiences you learn and you grow as a person so sometimes you have to go through the bad to see the good. 


One of the toughest things in the world would have to be break ups. I know there have been times in my life where I go crazy over a break up because you just know that there's some way you can fix it, but sometimes, there's not. I haven't actually gotten around to reading this book but I know the author is great and after skimming through it, it looks pretty helpful. If you're stuck in the middle of a break up and feel hopeless and lost I suggest you read "It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken (A Smart Girl's Break Up Buddy) by Greg Behrendt & Amiira Ruotola Behrendt". Greg was also one of the author's in the book "He's Just Not That Into You" which I'm going to talk about in a minute but first I have one thing to say about this book. Yes, it says a smart girls break up buddy but hey, guys can use it too. A lot of the time both guys and girls have had the same feeling towards a break up. So, if you're a guy and you're going through a really tough break up there's no harm in checking out this book. 

Another really great book, which is also directed towards the ladies (but hey, guys, give it a chance!) is a book called "He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo". You've probably seen the movie but I have to say the movie is BASED off parts of the book, the book is nothing like the movie. It's not a bunch of characters doing their thing or anything, it's a book that tells you "if he's doing (insert action i.e. not calling you) he's just not that into you" and it goes more depth into it. This is a book I STRONGLY recommend to anyone, especially people who have had previous issues with dating, such as always going for the wrong type of person. This book has given me such great insight to relationships and if I could hug Greg and Liz and thank them for writing it, I would. If you can get the "newly expanded edition" I suggest it as they added more wonderful things in there for you. 

*newly expanded edition

You can find either of these books at your local bookstore (I bought them from Chapters) or you can order them online. Here are a couple links to order them if you so wish. 

It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken:

http://www.amazon.ca/Its-Called-Breakup-Because-Broken/dp/0767921852

He's Just Not That Into You: 

http://www.amazon.ca/Hes-Just-That-Into-Understanding/dp/068987474X

9. Thank You!

I just want to thank all of you readers for reading my article and I hope it has somehow in someway helped you. :) I love every single one of you! 

A Dream I'll Never Forget

On the poll I have posted on the side of my blog people voted for some of my original stuff, well here's an original story I started writing, but first I'm going to tell you how I came up with it. It came to me in a dream, like, literally, this was actually just a dream I had. Of course I added a few things, changed a few things and all of that fancy writer stuff because if I didn't it would be really confusing (as most dreams are). There is no title yet, but I was thinking something along the lines of The Immortals, cause it just fits. Basically, the story you are about to read is a story of love, fear, suspense and friendship but it's not your average romance novel or something like that, because there's a twist. What is it? Read on to find out... 


> Things had been pretty strange lately, to say in the least. News reports in the paper, on the tv, over the radio, all going on about missing people, buildings being set on fire, and so on. It may not seem strange because these things do happen but it's not the events happening that was strange, it was how frequently they had been happening. I had decided to bring it up with my "kind-of-boyfriend", Alexander as we stood in my kitchen of my apartment one late afternoon. I say "kind-of-boyfriend" because we really hadn't put a label on our relationship yet but we might as well have been dating. 


"You see the news lately?" I asked


"Yeah," he replied "why?" 


"I don't know," I said, shaking my head "it just seems kind of strange is all." 


"Oh yeah, I agree. They said they have no leads on who might have been doing it either." he nodded, looking concerned. 


"Well, whoever is doing this must really know what they're doing. I'm really worried, I mean, what if something happened to one of us? I can't even..." I trailed off, not wanting to think about what I would do if I lost him. He pulled me close to him. 


"Me too." he whispered into my hair.


That's one of the things I've always loved about Alexander, he could say so much without saying hardly anything at all. Cheesy as it may sound, we could look each other in the eye and it was like we could have a whole conversation without saying a single word. 


"I've gotta get going though." he said, breaking the silence.


"Where are you off to?" I asked out of curiosity 


"Oh, nowhere," he said nonchalantly "Just to meet an old buddy of mine." 


I hesitated for a moment. Alexander was never vague about his plans, I couldn't help but be slightly suspicious. Alexander himself was mysterious, sometimes you just couldn't tell how he felt about things, he kept his emotions hidden from everyone. This often made me question his feelings towards me. After all, we still didn't have a label on our relationship and we had been seeing each other for a couple months. Alexander broke my train of thought by moving my hand away from my face. 


"Stop biting your nails, you'll regret it later." he reminded me "What are you so nervous about anyways?" 


Unlike Alexander, I've always been very easy to read. My facial expressions and behaviors give away everything all the time so it's nearly impossible to keep secrets, especially from someone as observant as Alexander. I looked away from his big, green eyes. I couldn't look him in the eye and lie to him. 


"Just don't get hurt okay? It's dangerous out there." 


"I won't," he smiled sympathetically "I'm just going to the mall anyways, there's lots of people there. I don't think anyone would try anything in such a public place at this time in the evening." 


"Yeah you're probably right." I mumbled


"I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" he reassured me with a kiss on the cheek


"Okay." 


He grabbed his coat and walked out the door. As I heard the door shut I walked into my living room. I sat down on my "white as snow" couch alone for a few minutes, thinking. The whole situation was kind of strange, he seemed so excited to see this "buddy" of his who I'd never heard him talk about before. And since when did he use the word "buddy", it wasn't a word in his day-to-day vocabulary. Or since when did he not tell me who he was going to go meet? I never even had to ask before, he'd just tell me where he was going and who he was going with automatically, something was weird about this. I may have been paranoid or jumping to conclusions but the only thing I wanted to do was jump in my car and go investigate. I glanced at the clock, it was 5:30 pm. Alexander had left almost half an hour before, it would be safe for me to go to the mall and check up on him. Besides, I needed to pick up a few things anyways, or so I told myself to feel reassured about nearly stalking my own partner. I quickly got ready and jumped in my car. It was freezing as I turned on my heater full blast, I hoped the roads weren't going to be icy, it was the middle of January, and colder than ever. 


I finally arrived at the mall after being stuck in traffic and trying to find a parking spot. I had managed to avoid a few accidents almost caused by people who weren't smart enough to invest in winter tires. By the time that I got into the mall I was irritated and frustrated beyond belief, cursing and swearing people under my breath. I became even more irritated and frustrated when I realized how impossible it was going to be to find Alexander in this crowded mess of a mall. I walked around for awhile looking at people, looking for someone with longish, brown hair, green eyes, pale skin and a smile that lit up my world but found none of those, only strangers who didn't smile at me at all. 


Finally, I gave up and accepted defeat, clearly I wasn't meant to find Alexander. Clearly, I was being paranoid and stupid and all my efforts were a huge waste of time. I walked over to the movie theatre's concession stand they have conveniently located in the mall and bought myself a bag of popcorn with extra butter, who cares about the extra calories and things that make your body go "ick", I was feeling down. After sitting down and eating the whole bag of popcorn feeling stupid, I was about to get up to go home when I saw him. There was Alexander, walking out of the theatre, laughing and chatting with some girl who looked like a spitting image of a Barbie. Anger bubbled up inside me, yeah right, hanging out with a "buddy". I stood up and marched over to them.  


"Oh, Alexander, hey!" I said through a fake smile "So, this is the 'buddy' you were talking about? How nice." 


"Marie? What are you doing here?" he asked, looking genuinely surprised. 


"Oh, I just remembered that I had to pick up a few things. Can I talk to you for a moment, in private?" I turned and looked at Barbie girl who was just standing there, smiling. So, she was stupid too. "I'm his girlfriend by the way."


"I'm Kendra, but my friends call me Kenny, I'm-" she began


"That's nice, Ken. I just need to talk to Alexander for a teensy, weensy moment here so just give us a minute okay?" I cut her off, dragging Alexander away. She smiled and waved at us, yet looked kind of confused. Clearly, she just didn't get it. 


"What do you call this?!" I exclaimed as soon as we were safely out of earshot. "You're hanging out with a 'buddy'? Buddy is a word used to define a guy friend you watch the game and have a couple beers with, not some blonde chick you take to see a movie!" 


"Marie, if you just let me explain-" he began 


"I don't need you to explain what's right in front of my eyes! I see it clear as day! You're with another woman!" I cut him off "You know, I never pushed for a label on us, but maybe I should have. Maybe there was a reason why you never pushed for one either!" 


"Why won't you listen? I'm trying to tell you I'm not seeing another woman!" he said through his teeth. 


"I don't believe you." I retorted. 


"You don't believe me?!" he asked, looking at me incredulously "I have never given you a reason to not trust me." 


"You just did." I pointed out. 


"You know what? Forget it, Marie. You're being impossible, I'm done with this conversation. Goodbye." he said angrily and walked back to Barbie girl. 


I sighed in defeat and sat back down at the table. I watched them walk away slowly as if they were trying to rub it in my face. I watched them walk off into the distance and disappear in the crowds when suddenly I heard something. First, a crash and then a bloodcurdling scream. I froze where I was, trying to comprehend what had just happened. As soon as I could move I ran over to where the sounds came from. As I turned a corner I saw it and I was stuck where I stood, frozen with fear. Already, half of the mall was filled with flames, screaming people and bodies all over the floor. Blood covered everything that surrounded this horror scene. 


"Alexander." I whispered to myself as I whipped back around the corner. Did he get out of the mall already? Was he alive? My previous anger towards him quickly turned into fear and sadness. I couldn't lose him, especially not the way we had left things. I had to find him. I glanced around trying to figure out who or what was causing this mess. I peeked around the corner again and as I did I saw one of them. At first I thought it was just a man but when I looked at him closer I noticed he was kneeling down beside someone. He grabbed their head between his hands and suddenly with a twisting, jerking motion he snapped their neck without any effort at all. I gasped and covered my mouth, hoping he hadn't heard me but it was too late. He stood up slowly and turned towards me. His eyes met with mine for just a second and I couldn't believe it but I could have sworn his eyes were glowing a deep red, like the colour of fresh blood. A huge, evil grin spread across his face as if he were saying "you're next". He raised an eyebrow at me and took a step forward. I just stood there, in shock, watching him. I managed to make my legs work and backed up slowly around the corner. With my hands at my sides, I felt a cold surface behind me, and turned around to see a window with an older man looking at me from behind the glass. I jumped back in surprise. The man moved forwards and I heard locks clicking and a doorknob turning. I wanted to run but something told me not to. The man opened the door a few inches and beckoned to me. 


"Quick, come in!" he hurriedly said in a hushed voice. Without thinking I grabbed the door and hurried inside the small room. The room looked like some sort of meeting room, only smaller. It had a table that could seat about six people, a white board, an old desk with a green lamp on it and a big white clock mounted on the wall. Other than that, the room was empty. The man began re-locking the door and turned off the fluorescent lights. It was pitch black other than the little light coming in from the window. I heard some shuffling and then the lamp was turned on. 


"Please, sit down." the man said gesturing to the chairs surrounding the table. 


I did as he suggested and sat in the chair farthest from the door. The man pulled open the desk drawer and pulled out of stack of black paper and some tape and began placing them over the narrow window. 


"What happened here?" I asked 


"The same thing that has been happening for some time now, don't you watch the news?" he replied. 


"Well, yes," I nodded "so these people, they're robbers or something? Terrorists? Serial killers?" 


For each suggestion I came up with he shook his head. "Immortals." he said flatly. 


"Excuse me?" had I heard him correctly? 


"They're not normal people, they're immortal in a way. They don't need to sleep, eat, or even breathe." he sighed. Oh, great. I managed to escape a crazy killer and now I was locked in a room with someone just as crazy. 


"You're telling me these things are like mythical creatures, like vampires or zombies?" I half rolled my eyes. 


"No, I'm not." he retorted "They don't kill for blood, they don't kill for brains, they don't feed off of people at all. They kill for the thrill of it, my theory is that they live off of fear." 


I wasn't sure what to think. "Why do you know so much about all of this?" I asked suspiciously. 


"I was curious," he replied " I looked into all of the reports, really looked into them. I figured it wouldn't be long before I'd see this with my own eyes and experience it so I might as well be aware of what I'm getting into." 


It made enough sense to me. I looked at the man in depth for the first time since I had gotten into the small room. His hair was greying, wrinkles beginning to form on his wise face. As he talked his bright, blue eyes were wide with fear and knowledge. I realized he was wearing a navy blue uniform.


"So you work here?" I asked


"Yes ma'am. I'm a security officer." He showed me his badge. It certainly wasn't as cool as a police officer or something like that but somehow I felt a bit safer. "This is my office. By the way, the name's Chester." 


"Nice to meet you Chester, my name is Marie." I smiled slightly. "So, Chester, what are we going to do?" 


"Well," he began "I'm not an expert on these things yet, I don't know what they're capable of but I know that not only are they strong, but they carry weapons. All that fire you see out there? Flamethrowers. No clue where they got them and got so many of them but they've got 'em."


"Flamethrowers... great..." I felt nauseous, where was Alexander? 


"Now, what's wrong young lady? Something's on your mind, aside from the fact that we're trapped in a tiny room with killing machines running around. There's just this look on your face, and you gotta stop biting your nails." Chester said, trying to make a joke out of the situation. 


"It's a man, a man I love. He's here somewhere in the mall and I don't know whether he's dead or alive." I lowered my head. 


"Ah," Chester said sympathetically. "I lost my wife three years ago, I know the feeling of loss. Tell me what happened, why wasn't he with you?" 


I launched into my story starting back at the apartment, I told him all about Barbie girl and how he stormed off, angry with me. 


"And now that brings me here." I ended the story.


"You wouldn't let him explain?" Chester shook his head and clucked his tongue. "One thing you always have to remember in life is to have patience, always give people second chances and stop being in such a hurry to point fingers." 


"I know, I realize that now," I replied, a tear forming in my eye. "But for all I know it could be too late." 


"Don't you worry," Chester said, walking over and bending down to wipe the tear from my cheek "You'll find him, you just have to be brave. Here, I have something for you." 


Chester walked over to the desk and rummaged around for a minute. He came back and handed me a switchblade knife, reached into his belt and handed me a taser. 


"It's not much but it's all I have, well, that and my good ol' beating stick but I'm gonna keep that for myself just in case. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone about the knife, not supposed to have those no more." He winked at me. 


"Thank you, so much." I said, and I really meant it. I stood up and made my way towards the door, knowing what I had to do next. I had to face the immortals and find my Alexander. Chester walked over to the door with me and put one hand on my shoulder and the other on the lock. 


"Be careful out there, Marie. I don't know what other weapons they have, I don't know of any other things they can do, but my one word of advice is that at any time you come across one, flight before fight. I've noticed some of them are slower than average and if you're in good shape unlike me, you can probably outrun them." He said


"Again, I can't thank you enough, Chester. Is there anything that I could do for you at all?" I asked


"I don't want much, I'm just glad to help out, it is my job after all. But you could do one thing, if you happen to come across a Twix chocolate bar, bring it back for me will you? They're my favourite, and I'm starving. I'll just be in here, hiding out." He smiled and patted me on the back. "Good luck young lady." 


"Thank you, you too." he unlocked the door and I turned the handle, about to face a whole world of the scary unknown, but I could do it. I could do it for Alexander. 


----


> I opened the door and peeked around the corner, it seemed as if the immortals had left, I clutched the knife at my side just in case. I walked slowly and carefully down the hallway of the mall, all around me was broken glass, blood and dead bodies. I tried not to look at the bodies but it was nearly impossible, there were so many. As I passed one body I heard a moaning noise coming from it. I stopped suddenly, contemplating whether or not I should go see if they were okay. I saw no harm in it so I walked over to the moaning person. I knelt down beside them, they were laying on their side, clutching their stomach. I rolled them over and looked into their face to find it was a face I recognized. I gasped with shock. A young man with bright blue eyes, blonde hair and a strong jaw looked back at me vacantly. There lay one of Alexander's coworkers, Mason. I had only met Mason a few times, and I had him and Alexander over for supper one night. I never really got to know him well, but seeing him laying on the floor dying was still heartbreaking. 


"Mason, can you hear me?" I asked him


"Yes.." he managed to whisper. 


"What happened?" I asked, frantically looking around.


"Those things... they.." he took a breath and moved his hand which was resting on his stomach. Underneath his hand was a giant wound, it looked as if he had been stabbed. My mind raced, what should I do, should I get him to a hospital? But I needed to find Alexander. 


"Mason, have you seen Alexander?" I asked, feeling bad about asking.


He nodded and pointed in the direction that I had been heading before. I looked at Mason and decided I couldn't just leave him there, I had to do something to help him. 


"Mason, do you think you can move if I helped you?" I asked


Mason hesitated for a moment then nodded. I moved to near Mason's shoulders and glanced around quickly to make sure we were still safe.  I slowly lifted him up, using all of the strength in my body that I could. With his help, I managed to get him on his feet and got him to lean on my shoulder. Together, we walked back in the direction I had came from. I needed to find somewhere safe for him and I knew where that could be. 


I brought Mason back to Chester's office. I knocked on the door quietly and whispered for Chester to open the door. I heard the lock click and the door open a crack. 


"Good gracious!" Chester exclaimed, "Back already? Is that your Alexander?" 


I walked in the door with Mason leaning on me, it was so hard to walk with him since he was taller than me but at least 5 inches. "No," I replied "But this is one of his friends, he got attacked by the immortals, it looks as if he's been stabbed. I have to try to save him." 


"Well, you're going to need to get some sort of dressing on that wound to slow the bleeding or he'll bleed to death." Chester pointed out. "There's a store here in this mall that has towels, it's not too far from here, just go around the corner and keep walking until you come to the food court, take a right from there and it should be right in that area, it's pretty easy to find." 


I nodded, and made an attempt at passing Mason to Chester, Chester wavered under Mason's weight. I looked at him, as if asking if he could handle it. "I've got him," Chester reassured me "I'll do what I can while you're gone. Go quickly now." 


I rushed back out the door and around the corner, nearly running down the hallway of the mall, I got to the food court in no time at all. I paused once I was in the food court, glancing around to make sure I was alone. I didn't see anyone but I just had a feeling that someone was watching me, waiting for me. I shrugged it off and hurried to the right where the store was supposed to be, I saw it immediately and ran in. It wasn't a small store like I was expecting, it was one of those big stores attached to the mall. I ran down the first aisle I saw and looked frantically for towels. Nope, not the first aisle I checked, not the second one either. I looked towards the back of the store and saw a sign that read "linen". I assumed there would be towels in that aisle and made a beeline for it. 


Once I was in the back of the store I got that same feeling again, the feeling of being watched, of being hunted. I couldn't shake it off this time, I swore I saw something out of the corner of my eye but when I turned to look there was no one there. I saw a large, folded up, white sheet and grabbed it, thinking it would work the same. I quickly turned back around and made my way to the exit, not running this time. Every corner I turned I looked before walking, I still felt the presence of another person.


I was nearly at the exit when I heard something go whizzing by my ear. It hit the wall just past my head and shattered into a million pieces. I examined the mess for a moment and realized it looked like it was once a glass jar. I turned around slowly, to face one of them, staring at me with another glass jar in his hand about 15 feet away. I put my hand on my knife, ready to pull it out if needed. It wasn't until he smiled at me that I recognized him. It was the same immortal I had seen before when Chester saved me. He raised his eyebrow at me as if to challenge me and took a step forwards. He whipped the glass jar at me and automatically I ducked. It flew over my head and smashed against the wall, joining the other shards of glass laying on the ground. He took another step forward. 


"What do you want?!" I exclaimed without knowing why I'd even said it. I wasn't even sure these things could talk. 


His eyes narrowed and he looked right into my eyes. "You." he said in a deep, harsh voice.


Startled, I took a step backwards a bumped into a table. I glanced behind me and saw a sign on the table marked "Clearance" with a bunch of items laying on it. My eyes automatically went to the kitchen knives  in a box laying partially opened on the table. I grabbed them as fast as I could, taking another step away from the immortal, trying to rip open the box. He took two more steps towards me and slowly raised his hand with his palm facing up. He beckoned with his fingers as if saying "come here". 


I shook my head and freed the first knife from the box, it was just a small knife but it was sharp. He took one more step towards me and without thinking I threw the knife at him. It went tumbling through the air and to my surprise stuck right into his arm. He looked down at his arm with the knife in it without any expression at all. He grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled it out with ease and dropped it to the ground. I noticed there was no blood on the knife. I froze in shock. 


Suddenly, I remembered what Chester told me. His voice came into my head. "My one word of advice is that at any time you come across one, flight before fight. " I nodded as if he were really talking to me. I dropped the box of knives and turned around and started running for the exit. Once in the hallway I paused for a brief moment to look behind me and saw him making his way towards me, not running at all, merely walking with a smirk on his face that said "I will get you, eventually." I started running down the hallway again towards the food court. I threw the sheet over my shoulder and pulled the taser out of my pocket and held it in my hand as I ran. 


Every corner I turned I glanced behind me to see if he was still following but once I was out of the food court I couldn't see him anymore. I finally reached Chester's office door and pounded on it loudly. He quickly unlocked it and opened it then shut it quickly behind me. 


"You're as pale as a ghost." Chester noticed aloud. 


"I.. I saw one." I stuttered. I handed Chester the sheet and sat down on the floor. "It was the same one as before." 


Chester raised an eyebrow at me and bent down beside Mason who looked to be unconscious. He began dressing Mason's wound, quickly yet so gently. "What happened?" he asked

"I saw him in the store where I got the sheet, he threw glass jars at me so I threw a kitchen knife at him. He just pulled it out like nothing and there was no blood at all. When I ran away he didn't run after me, he just walked, it was so strange.." I trailed off remembering the look on his face as I ran. I shook off the thought and turned to Chester who was deep in thought. 


"Hmm.." Chester said after a few moments "That does seem very peculiar. Well, the more we know about them the better, but I'm glad you're safe." 


"Yeah, not for long. I have to go back out there and find Alexander. Thanks to Mason, I know which way he went." I turned to look at Mason who was laying on the floor. "Is he going to be okay?" 


"I sure hope so," Chester replied "He's losing consciousness but he's still breathing, I hope he'll be alright. He needs to get to a hospital really soon though." 


"Well, what are we going to do?" I asked


"I called them on my cell phone, they said the authorities have already been informed of what's happening but they're not sending anyone in yet." He shook his head looking angry "There's people in here who are suffering and dying, they need medical attention, it's just not right." 


I nodded my head in agreement and remembered Alexander. He could be somewhere needing medical attention too. I figured it was time to go back out there and find him. "I guess I better get back out there," I said turning to the door. "Here I go, again." 


---

Once back outside I began running the way that Mason had pointed. I clutched the knife at my side and glanced behind my shoulder as I ran through the food court. I had been expecting the immortal to be standing there, or still slowly walking towards me with a smirk on his face, as if he had all the time in the world to catch me and kill me. I shook my head trying to rid the morbid thoughts in my head. I didn't have time to think about how I would die right now, I had to concentrate on Alexander. 

I passed the store which had broken glass trailing out of the exit and looked towards the escalator that lead upstairs to other stores. There was a sign showing all of the stores that were on the second floor. There was a candle store of some sort, a book store, a couple clothing stores, shoe stores, a coffee shop and more. As I skimmed through the list of stores I didn't see any reason for Alexander to go up there, unless maybe he were looking for a good book when everything happened so suddenly. 

I got the feeling of being watched again, but this time the feeling of being hunted wasn't accompanying it. I turned my head to peek over my shoulder and saw a figure standing in a dim corner near the escalator by a bench and a garbage can. The figure stepped towards me quickly then stopped suddenly as if realizing I was not the person they thought I was. They retreated back to the bench and sat down. Out of curiosity I began walking slowly over to the figure. It obviously wasn't an immortal, if it were I would probably be already dead. 

As I drew closer I started recognizing the figure, it was a man sitting there, hunched over, but it wasn't just any man. 

"Alexander?!" I gasped. I began smiling ear to ear. Relief swelled over me, just knowing that he was alive. I stopped smiling when I saw his grim expression. "Thought you'd be a little happier to see me..." 

"It's not that I'm not happy to see that you're alive and safe, it's just the circumstances are..." he paused, clearing his throat as he gestured to our surroundings "rather grim."

I took a look around us finally seeing everything in depth now that I was no longer distracted with finding the love of my life. There were ashen stores with flickering flames and glowing embers, there were moans of people suffering from stab wounds and various other injuries, everything in the mall was completely out of place. Papers lay scattered along the floors along with broken glass, dirt from knocked over plants and blood. I turned back to look at Alexander and realized for the first time that he was alone. I was unsure if I should ask him the question that I was sure I didn't want to know the answer to. 

"Where's Kendra?" I asked softly, almost whispering. 

Alexander shook his head. "I don't know, I've been looking for her but I haven't been able to find her. I last saw her just after we parted at the movie theatre. When there was that loud noise everyone began panicking and scattered everywhere, she got lost in the crowd." 

"Oh.." I trailed off. I couldn't help but notice that he had mentioned he looked for Kendra but not me. I guess he was really upset with me. 

Alexander saw the expression on my face and read me like a book. He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. "I tried to look for you too, you know that right? I'm not a cold person you know." 

We both smiled slightly as we were on the verge of kissing and making up but we both paused for a moment when we both heard a faint sound. This faint sound was too familiar for me to ever forget, even if I tried. It was the sound of footsteps, but not just any footsteps, the footsteps that belonged to the immortal that had been following me around the mall, slowly as if he knew he'd get me eventually. I'd be damned if I let him get me now, now that I knew that Alexander was alive. I had completed my mission but I wasn't giving up yet. 

"We have to hide somewhere." Alexander said, eyes wide. "We can't stay here much longer or it will see us." 

"I know of somewhere.." I trailed off. I thought of Chester's small office but then remembered it was in the direction that the immortal was coming from. "But we'll have to see if we can find another way there, he's blocking our path. Let's try to go upstairs and go around somehow." 

Alexander nodded and took my hand and we crept around the railing of the escalator and peered and the immortal slowly making his way to us as we travelled up the stairs. It was hard to tell what he had in his hand but as a beam of light hit the object and the light shone off of it I was fairly sure I could guess. This immortal had found a flamethrower. 

**to be continued.