Cynus

Angie doesn't quite grasp all the different layers in the seven layer bestie dip. Don't worry, though, she's working on discerning what life is all about. She's got a good head on her shoulders, even if she doesn't always use it. Travis is scared (irrationally) that if he tells someone about Sheila, he won't be believed, and then he'll be dead for sure. He's been terrorized by this girl for a long time, so he's had a long time to get into his victim complex. And we'll find out more about Donny in the next chapter, which is available now. Thank you for the review!

I'm glad you caught the Sheila connection with Travis telling Clint to stay away. I'm not trying to directly conceal anything (well, maybe ONE thing), but I am trying to misdirect people. It's the game I get to play as a writer, and it's really the reason I enjoy writing. However, I'm happy whenever a reader gets one right ahead of schedule, though I probably wouldn't feel that way if it happened all the time. More on Donny's status in Chapter 8. Thank you for the review!

Well, Donny was hurt in the accident, just didn't die. The details on how severe will be given in chapter 8. Clint's guilt is certainly not justifiable, but in the complicated mess of emotions Clint was feeling, guilt simply sneaked its way in there. Travis and Angie . . . we'll just have to wait and see, eh? Lots of surprises in store. Get ready for a big reveal!

I have a rather complicated relationship with both of my siblings as well. We have a lot of issues in our family, and we skirt around them rather than deal with them more often than not. Some of those issues are actually rather serious, and I wish sometimes we only had such frivolous things as each others' opinions on friendships to worry about. Sorry about the lack of Donny. I didn't remember the chapter sequence as well as I thought. More on Donny in Chapter 8, I promise this time. Travis won't really be there for chapter 8, though. He'll be back in 9. Look forward to your thoughts on the next chapter!

There had to be something about Angie to make her more human, and this seemed to fit at the time. She's this tough martial artist who doesn't take crap from anybody. Making her a bit worldly allowed me to treat her as flawed, putting her in the same place as the rest of us. It's more that in Travis' fear he forgot Clint had ever revealed he was gay, because the immediacy of what Sheila did to him robbed him of his presence of mind. But yeah, complicated he will always be. Just wait, there's more . . . Thank you for the review!

That aspect of Clint's Dad, the quiet admonishment, was modeled after my own father. He never yelled at us, not for anything except to let us know that dinner was ready. There's a lot he did wrong by me in other areas, but that, at least, was something which stuck out to me as a positive. Sounds like both our fathers thought along similar wavelengths. Thank you for the review!

So, now you know there was more to it. How do you feel about it? I guess I'll simply have to find out in your other reviews. Thank you for your comments.

I’ve taken this road several times over the past few days, and though I’m new to the area, it’s starting to look familiar. The curves in the highway are becoming recognizable, and I can judge how far we are from Springville entirely from landmarks. Dad’s quiet and has been since we left the house, giving me a chance to focus on the scenery. Not that I mind. Travis offered me a distraction from worrying about Donny, but now that I’m alone with my thoughts again I need to figure out what

A very merry day of existence to you, and as for the other life change you're about to have, congratulations, buddy!

The ellipses fits my frame of mind right now. It's as if my mind can't complete any of its thoughts properly. I'm constantly locked in this never-ending battle with my wayward brain. It's complicated, and it's starting to screw with me in ways I never thought would happen to me. I can't write like this. At least, I can't write novels. I can probably still do a short story, possibly even a novella, but novels? It just isn't happening. I sit down, maybe get through a chapter, and then the thoughts just trail off into nothingness. Like an ellipses. I'm going to take some time to regroup. I don't know exactly what that means, yet. I think it means I'm going to shift my focus away from writing novels and onto short stories, and I don't know when or how many of those I'll be able to do. I don't know if this problem will spread and hit my ability to write short stories as well as novels, or if the short stories will free my brain from this wandering captivity. I just don't know anymore. Until such a time as I am able to regroup, I am open to do some editing. If you'd like my eye as proofreader, beta-reader, or as editor, please feel free to consult me. I will read any genre, though there are some genres I'm less keen on. Please direct any inquiries through the PM service, or through my email at Samuel.D.Roe@gmail.com Peace and Love, Rikki Tikki Tavi

I’ve paced this floor so many times in the last five minutes, I’m surprised I haven’t worn a hole in it yet. Donny is in the hospital. What the fuck? How did that even happen? Did Brent beat the shit out of him, or did he hurt himself after he outed himself? I don’t believe he would, but he was terrified. Scared people do stupid things all the time, and I doubt Donny is immune to it. Hell, I know he can be stupid. Look at what happened between me and him. Doesn’t change my concern, thou

I loved writing this part. I loved writing part of chapter seven as well, which I imagine will make you fall in love with the family even more. This story is more about family than I'd intended it to be, but it makes me very happy to see how many people have fallen in love with the Fjeldsted family. Thank you for the review!

I was a bit worried about whether or not people would find this inconsistent in the dad's character. The way I see it, is he hadn't quite reached the point where he was completely worried, because they weren't extremely late yet, just late. Which gave them some time for him to get an explanation out of them, which gave him time to process what had happened, and then . . . well, he knows his kids and knows how to handle them, so this method of disciplining them comes from a well-established precedent. I'm glad you enjoyed the bonding between the twins. I love twins. Have I ever mentioned that? Thank you for the review!

I might not surprise you, either. You've done pretty well and predicting the flow of this story, and I did say it was a tad cliche. Doesn't mean you're right about this one, of course, but you've done a great job so far. I didn't try to conceal as much in this story as I have in past stories, but it's still written with a bit of misdirection in mind. Of course, I could always be becoming predictable. Clint forgives easier than anyone. Doesn't mean he'll just accept someone back into the same role they were in before without keeping a wary eye on them, but he does give second chances. Angie and Clint are definitely where they need to be now. Besties and Twinsies. You read it right. Thank you for the review!

It's how I've always wanted to raise kids, if I should ever have them. (I probably never will. It's not really my thing, for the most part) I might foster kids some day, and I think I'd treat them this same way, if possible. Plenty in store for Donny and Clint. I don't want to spoil anything, so you'll just have to wait and see. Plenty in store for Brent, too. I'm sure you'll have enjoyed the story once it's all said and done. Thank you for the review!

Angie's just great, isn't she? She certainly is showing her willingness to stand up for her brother and take care of him. It's good they're getting a chance to reclaim the friendship they once had. I'm sure you'll love this next chapter. The suspense about Donny might still get to you a bit, but there's something good which will help keep your mind off things. Thanks for reading, Emi.

And it will arrive within the next twelve hours. Clint certainly does have a knack for making life exciting, even if it isn't always his fault. I find the quality endearing, don't you? Thank you for the review.

I do heartwarming from time to time. Don't look to Ashes of Fate for that, though . . . I'm glad you love the family. It's the kind of family I'd love to have, that's for sure. Mr. Fjeldstead did a great job, didn't he? Details on Donny soon, I promise.

After an hour of driving in silence, Brent drops us off at our house around ten. None of us want to talk, Angie and I least of all, when we look up at the house and see the living room light is on. Dad is waiting up for us, and he’s not going to be happy. I raise my sodden cast and groan. He’s going to be unhappy with me most of all. Now we have to face him and get my cast taken care of. Why didn’t I get the waterproof model? That decision has bitten me more times in this last week than

Emi.

We can only assume, yes? There's going to be plenty of changes in store for our boys, that's for sure. Donny and Brent both surprised us a little, but there's more to come, so stay tuned. Thank you for the review.

Donny definitely has quite the road ahead of him with Brent. He's clearly afraid, considering how he sped off into the night, stranding Clint in his fear. At least Brent was kind enough to give them a ride home, though. He can't be all bad, can he? Maybe things won't be as bad for Donny as you think? Or maybe I'm just leading you on, so I can catch you off guard later? You reacted to this exactly how I intended people to react. I wanted Donny to come across as a good guy who was simply caught up in the moment. He tried to apologize immediately after Clint whacked him in the face, after all. Donny's a complicated person who doesn't quite know how he's supposed to act on a date with a guy (because in his mind it's different than a date with a girl), and he really likes Clint, so he's awkwardly trying to make everything right while he really just messes everything up further. I suppose, in that way at least, he's as accident prone as Clint. But at least Clint managed to get out of it, right? There's one advantage there, even if he is now out to Brent, and who knows what's going to come out of that! Thank you for the review. I'm glad you're still enjoying it.

At least Clint was planning on coming out, though. That has to count for something, right? Donny, on the other hand, was planning no such thing. Angie is Clint's twin, so she definitely knows him pretty well. Did she know that? Only time will tell. Travis... I look forward to your thoughts on future chapters, Emi. Thank you for the review!

Clint seems to attract disaster, doesn't he? I was intending this to be a bit of a comedy, but perhaps tragedy is more fitting. I've been wanting to write an ambiguous "attempted rape" scene for awhile, where it's a bit difficult to tell where everyone's intentions were, though "no" will always mean "no". I think I achieved that here, and I hope you agree. At least Clint came out with a bit of a memorable bang, eh? He did so with everyone so far, except maybe Travis. Thank you for the review! Sorry this chapter was a day late.

Lots in store for the characters, and you'll have answers to your questions soon. Angie is kind of awesome, isn't she? I love her. She's one of my favorite characters I've ever written, and she might get her own book someday (If I can ever write a sequel at all ) Chapter five has some awesome moments with the twins, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Thank you for the review!