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[Paige Worchester]

Why was it that when you were bored completely out of your mind there were never any books to satisfy your taste? Nothing appealed to you what-so-ever. Romance was cheesy, mystery was work, suspense got old and everything else began to seem like the same story told over and over again just with new names for the same characters.

Paige was at that point and hated it completely.

She loved to read, getting a new books was something she looked forward to, but for when these moods set in. Then she couldn't find anything that made her want to sit down and read the book from cover to cover. Instead she'd doddle with the book, reading a little here and there, but never fully committing herself to the story. There was no fun in that.

Yet there she was, at Jeffers', hoping against all hope to find a book or two that she could delve into. Things were looking bleak, still she sorted through the half price off bin. Maybe there was something in here she hadn't read already...

[Juliette Ciceros]

Books, thats all the girls wanted to read. She knew she had to get them more books. So when she got off from work she made her way to Jeffer's book store. As soon as she parked she made her way inside. The girls had already gone home with there dad thankfully so Juliette could actually shop alone.

Mostly Juliette would find those little kid books and of course everyone in the store would look at her confused almost. Like she was the one reading them or something to that affect. She didn't look like she could be the mother of two girls, one two, one three. She didn't look like she could handle even getting pregnant. So when she made her way inside she went over to the bargain area.

Juliette smiled up at the girl and then opened her mouth to make conversation. "So any good half priced marked items?" She asked.

[Paige Worchester]

Sometimes when she got looking for books, that was all she could focus on. Out of habit, she made sure she paid attention to her surroundings, but sometimes she didn't know who walked up near her. Like now, she knew someone had come near the bin she was looking at, but she had no idea if it was man or woman. Not the best thing to do...

"So any good half priced marked items?"

At that voice, Paige finally looked up to see who spoke. Her eyes widened on the person they landed on before she gave a small laugh of delight. "Juliette?" she questioned before her eyes looked around for the adorable little girls she'd seen with her friend at Ezra's memorial. "Okay, no little ones... Out for some alone time?"

[Juliette Ciceros]

Juliette let out a small smile as she looked at Paige. "Auggie has them at home with him, I decided to go ahead and go to the book store and see if they had any new books for them." She confided. "So you could say I'm out for a little alone time." She stated as she glanced at the books.

"Did you see any children's book's in here? Julia and Mariah have been bugging me for new bedtime stories." She laughed a little bit. Then she held up a book called Bearsteins Bears and smiled. "See this would be perfect." She said with a smile. "So how have you been Paige?"

[Paige Worchester]

"Auggie has them at home with him, I decided to go ahead and go to the book store and see if they had any new books for them. So you could say I'm out for a little alone time."

"Oh okay," she said with a nod and smile. "Well at least you're getting that and the girls get time with Auggie." With having so little time with her real father, she knew what it meant to have a strong bond with ones father. She still struggled with that, but she thought she was doing better.

"Did you see any children's book's in here? Julia and Mariah have been bugging me for new bedtime stories."

A small frown covered Paige's face. "I thought I saw one a second ago."

"See this would be perfect."

"Hmm?" She glanced at the book to see it was about the Bearsteins Bears. Those were sweet stories, but that hadn't been the one she saw a second ago. Carefully she shuffled through the books.

"So how have you been Paige?"

"I've been good," she said with a slight smile. "For the most part. Still grieving, but aside from that good."

The young woman paused before she glanced around. No one else was close enough to hear what they said to each other. So her eyes turned to her friend once more. "They put him away," she said in a low voice. "And my mother's divorce will be final next month."

[Juliette Ciceros]

"Yeah, the girls love spending time with Auggie, He is such a great father." She smiled as she thought about her husband. The man she said I do too. The man she wanted in her life forever. Her life was complete and she was happy with him. "He was everything I ever wanted in a husband."

"You did? It wasn't this book was it?" She held the book up and wondered if that was the book she saw.

"I've been good," she said with a slight smile. "For the most part. Still grieving, but aside from that good."

"I don't think everyone of us are going to be over grieving for him, he was a great friend and I want someone to find out what really happened, I just don't believe he killed himself." She sighed inwardly.

She watched as Paige looked around. "They put him away, Oh I am so happy for you." She said giving her friend a warm embrace. "You know it took guts to speak against him, right." She nodded about her mothers divorce.

"I am proud of you Paige, not just because I've been a Counselor now, but because it really took guts." She smiled. Juliette really never stood up against her mother, except when it came to her life now and the life of her kids. She wants her mother to have nothing to do with them.

[Paige Worchester]

"Yeah, the girls love spending time with Auggie, He is such a great father. He was everything I ever wanted in a husband."

Paige smiled. "I'm happy for you."

"You did? It wasn't this book was it?"

"Is it about fairies?" she asked as her eyes shifted to the book. "I think that's it, yeah." The picture looked familiar, but she couldn't be for sure. She'd only seen it as she moved it aside to find other books below it.

"I don't think everyone of us are going to be over grieving for him, he was a great friend and I want someone to find out what really happened, I just don't believe he killed himself."

"Glad I'm not alone with those thoughts." Ezra just didn't seem like the type to kill himself...

"They put him away, Oh I am so happy for you."

"Yes they did." She couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face. "So am I. It feels so good not having to worry about him anymore."

"You know it took guts to speak against him, right."

She slowly nodded her head.

"I am proud of you Paige, not just because I've been a Counselor now, but because it really took guts."

A shy smile covered her face. Sure she'd heard that it took guts from her mother, the attorney and others, but it was different coming from Juliette. Probably because they were alike in that they were different from most people because of what happened to them in their lives. "Thanks, Juliette."

[Juliette Ciceros]

"Thanks, the girls love auggie, I think we are going to try for one more, probably a boy." Juliette told Paige with a smile on her face.

"Yeah the books on fairies." She nodded as she glanced at the book in her hand. "Maria and Julia they seem to love stories on fairies, butterflys, anything princess type."

"I don't think everyone of us are going to be over grieving for him, he was a great friend and I want someone to find out what really happened, I just don't believe he killed himself."

Finally someone who agreed. She was sick and tired of Scott trying to say that Ezra killed himself. Auggie was the same way, Auggie just didn't think Ezra did it to himself. "Yeah, Auggie and I feel the same way. he was a great friend, even in the mixed up years."

Juliette nodded and then smiled at Paige. "You know if you want too, you are more then welcome to come to the house and hang out with me and the kids and Auggie." Juliette wanted to extend the invitation to Paige. Maybe between the two of them they could help investigate. "I think Shelby is on the case." She mentioned about Ezra's case.

[Paige Worchester]

"Thanks, the girls love auggie, I think we are going to try for one more, probably a boy."

"Really?" she asked with a smile of her own. "That's great. Going to have another heart breaker in the family."

"Yeah the books on fairies. Maria and Julia they seem to love stories on fairies, butterflys, anything princess type."

Paige nodded her head at that. From her experience, most girls seemed to thrive for things that were magical. Stories about fair away lands, fairies, princesses and princes fit for that yearning they had in their hearts.

"Yeah, Auggie and I feel the same way. he was a great friend, even in the mixed up years."

"Yeah, it just doesn't make sense," she said. [b]"Granted, we are all capable of anything, but Ezra just never seemed like the kind of person to take his life. No matter how hard life got, he always seemed to try to look at the brighter side of things."

"You know if you want too, you are more then welcome to come to the house and hang out with me and the kids and Auggie."

The invitation made her smile. It was nice to meeting up with some of the old friends from Horizon, it was even better when they didn't want to just say hi and then run. "Thank you," she stared, but stopped as Juliette continued

"I think Shelby is on the case."

"Shelby?" Paige asked in a bit of confusion. It couldn't be... "Shelby Merrick?"

[Juliette Ciceros]

"Really?" she asked with a smile of her own. "That's great. Going to have another heart breaker in the family."

Juliette seemed to notice things alot more. She noticed the small smile when Paige was speaking and nodded a little bit. "Yeah might as well have another heartbreaker in the family, it seems that the kids take after there dad more and more." She told her with a smirk. The reason why they took after Auggie. Well Auggie had the more outstanding gene.

"Yeah, it just doesn't make sense," she said."Granted, we are all capable of anything, but Ezra just never seemed like the kind of person to take his life. No matter how hard life got, he always seemed to try to look at the brighter side of things."

"There was that one time that Ezra tried to commit suicide, but he always said he knew what he was doing and could stop before death. I don't think you know but he broke into the school's area that has the chemicals and huffed them." Juliette told Paige. "But he stopped, and then he promised he wouldn't do it again. I'm sure he wouldn't go about doing it again." She told Paige. "It just doesn't seem like he would after his promise."

"Shelby?" Paige asked in a bit of confusion. It couldn't be... "Shelby Merrick?"

"Yeah I believe she is on the case." Juliette nodded at Paige. "Why do you ask like that?" Juliette wanted answers.

[Paige Worchester]

"There was that one time that Ezra tried to commit suicide, but he always said he knew what he was doing and could stop before death. I don't think you know but he broke into the school's area that has the chemicals and huffed them."

Shocked crossed over her face at the news Juliette revealed. No, she shook her head, she'd never known about Ezra's attempted suicide. A cold chill slide down her spine, that news didn't sit well with her.

"But he stopped, and then he promised he wouldn't do it again. I'm sure he wouldn't go about doing it again. It just doesn't seem like he would after his promise."

"Yeah, Ezra tried to keep his word," she agreed.

"Yeah I believe she is on the case."

Well at least one of his friends was looking for answers, Paige just didn't know how she'd feel if she ran into Shelby again. At the moment, seeing her wasn't the best thing in her mind.

"Why do you ask like that?" Juliette wanted answers.

"Huh? Oh, no reason." Paige forced a smile. "I was just a little confused when you said Shelby, because it didn't click with me who you meant. That's all." Yeah, she better relearn to hide stuff now that she was around her old classmates. She'd managed to keep what happened between her and Trevin, the threats she made and everything else just like that, between Trevin and herself. That was how she wanted to keep it.

[Juliette Ciceros]

The look that was on Paige's face surprised Juliette. Then she realized that Paige wasn't there yet the time that Ezra tried to commit suicide the first time. He had said that he wouldn't do it again, especially to Daisy and the rest of the Horizon kids. Daisy it had been a while since she saw her friend.

She needed to hear one more person that would agree that Ezra didn't kill himself. She was happy to know she wasn't as weird or alone as Scott thought she was. "Really?" She asked.

"Oh okay." She would let it go at that. She wasn't going to pressure Paige to say anything else. She didn't want her friendship to get lost. "So what else is up?"

[Paige Worchester]

"Really?"

Paige nodded her head slowly. The thought of Ezra ever trying to kill himself didn't change her mind. Still didn't sit well with her, but it didn't change her mind about his death. Something just didn't fit right with all that.

"Oh okay."

With a quick smile, she averted her eyes to the bid of books. The last thing she wanted to get into was that whole mess with Trevin and Shelby. As far as she knew, no one ever knew about what happened between Trevin and herself or how she felt for the man. That's how she wanted to keep it, less painful that way.

"So what else is up?"

"Nothing much," she replied as she finally looked back at Juliette. "Busy with school and work. I'm trying to get all qualified for counseling so I can help kids like Peter and Roxanne helped us. I thought that would be a good career for me. Nothing else seemed to fit for me."

[Juliette Ciceros]

So Paige wanted to be a counselor. Well thats why Juliette wanted to be one is one. "Once I graduated from Horizon, I was working towards my degree to become a counselor. I did it." She smiled toward Paige. "I'm sure you can as well." It wouldn't take Paige long especially if she put her mind to it.

"I've helped around five kids so far, I'm still working on another child which they are rather hard to break. But I know I can do it." She confided with the girl. "I just have to keep working at it, which is what I'm going to tell you. Keep working to achieve your goalds."

[Paige Worchester]

"Once I graduated from Horizon, I was working towards my degree to become a counselor. I did it. I'm sure you can as well."

"Really?" she asked. "That's great to hear. Seems a lot of us are really involved in improving life now." With a quick smile, she gave a slight nod. "Thanks for that. I'm already working with some kids, but still have a bit more before I finish."

When she stated that she'd helped five kids so far, Paige couldn't help the look of surprise and respect that crossed her face. "That's amazing, Juliette. I'm so proud of you. And yes, you'll be able to help the other child as well."

"I just have to keep working at it, which is what I'm going to tell you. Keep working to achieve your goalds."

Paige gave a slight nod of her heave at what she was told. That's what she was doing, she wouldn't let anyone stop her. Yet, she couldn't help but feel something was missing. "Thanks, that means a lot. Hey, would you like to get together for lunch or something sometime?"