The repetitive, whitewashed landscape of a suburban neighborhood glided past the car's window in a homogenous blur. Long shadows cast by the houses and occasional trees stretched toward the center of the asphalt road, lengthening bit by bit with the descending sun. Glowing windows half-lidded by blinds seemed to glare suspiciously at the passing vehicle as it cruised along.

Kaitlyn scanned the street ahead with a careful eye. She didn't remember Philip's address, unfortunately, meaning that all she had to go off of was a few distant memories from a pair of car rides. And as good as her memory had gotten, it certainly wasn't perfect.

I mean, I didn't exactly try to memorize the route or anything, either. Why would I ever need it? I don't drive, and I didn't think I'd ever have a reason to go to his house without him…

"Look familiar?"

Kaitlyn glanced over to the driver's seat. A stocky, bear-like girl sat back in her chair, one hand on the wheel and the other hanging casually out of the open window. She still wore the red and black uniform of a local grocery store, and her dark hair had a slight kink in it from where it had recently been tied up in a ponytail.

Kaitlyn nodded. "Yeah. I think we're close. Turn right up here."

Despite the number of wrong turns they'd taken, Valerie remained remarkably patient and didn't seem to have a problem with continuing their search. It was more than Kaitlyn could have possibly asked for, considering the situation.

I already feel like I owe her a ton for the regular grocery runs she makes for me. But this? She really didn't have to do this. I'm going to have to go all out when I make her those desserts…

"Thanks again for doing this, Val. I really appreciate it."

"No problem at all. You're lucky you caught me just as I got off work," the girl chuckled. "Any later and I might've been busy."

Kaitlyn straightened. "Shoot. Did you have plans already? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Nah, nah," the girl waved her off casually. "Em and her friends were planning to go to some play on campus. I was thinking about tagging along, but didn't really want to. So I'd much rather be helping a friend in need. Straight or left?"

At that, Kaitlyn relaxed. "Oh. Good… Straight. I think I see it up ahead."

Looking back on it, her messages might have come across a bit more urgently than she'd initially intended. But she'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried. The whole situation made her feel uneasy.

What happened to you, Philip? Where did you go?

Maybe it was just paranoia getting to her. The longer they drove, the more it felt like she was blowing things way out of proportion for no reason at all. But she still couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong.

As they continued down the street and into a much less idyllic section of houses, Kaitlyn perked up and pointed out the window. "Right here. The house on the left."

"This one?" Valerie eyed the house suspiciously. "Seems kind of run down."

She wasn't wrong. Compared to most of the homes they'd passed, Philip's place was definitely on the dingier side. Between its peeling white paint and the irregular patches of brownish grass and struggling weeds that had replaced the lawn, Kaitlyn would have normally marked the place as one to steer clear of. But she knew better.

I promised him and Serena that I'd remember for them. So if I couldn't even remember what their house looked like… well, I'd feel like a total failure.

To her surprise, Philip's dingy sedan was parked out front. She'd half expected for it to have disappeared along with him. Maybe he really was spending time at home, then?

"Yup. This is it." Kaitlyn nodded affirmatively, her sense of unease growing. "Don't worry, they're not bad people. Just… fell on hard times."

Valerie's white sedan cruised to a stop along the curb. As they parked, Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow at her friend. "You want to come with? You don't have to if you don't want to. I don't know which one would be more weird for you."

Her suitemate shrugged. "I'll go. Better to stick together, right? And besides, I'm kinda curious about what's got you all riled up like this…"

"I'm not riled up!" she protested. "I'm a little worried, sure, but…"

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Kate, you were fidgeting for like, the entire ride. You're pretty obviously worked up, here."

She blushed. Was I really? I didn't even notice…

Internally, she admonished herself. There was no reason to get worked up. There was every possibility that they'd find Philip at home, ready with a perfectly reasonable explanation that made her look insane for worrying and like a complete stalker for coming out this far. She'd have a lot of awkward explaining to do in that case. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't quite convince herself to believe it. Not until she saw him firsthand.

They stepped out of the car and headed for the front door, passing by a small collection of broken flowerpots as they did. Their wilting buds and leaves lay scattered on the ground amidst the spilled soil. Before she could overthink things further, Kaitlyn raised a fist and knocked. Despite the closed blinds and overall appearance of the house, a faint bit of amber light visible inside suggested that someone was actually home. The real question was, who?

Moments after knocking, Kaitlyn heard a series of rapid footfalls approach the door. It flung open suddenly enough to make her flinch back. "Phil!"

She had to look down to see the source of the voice. A young girl with raven-black hair stood in the doorway, her entire body tensed and ready to spring forward. Her eyes were bright with expectation and hope as she yanked open the door.

However, all of that excitement guttered out as she took in the visitors. "Oh. Sorry. I just…"

Kaitlyn's stomach turned. It had been a long time since she'd seen Philip's little sister, and the sight sent a pang of nostalgia through her. But that was only secondary to the real issue.

That means he's not here.

"Serena, dear!" A reedy voice called from further in. "What did we say about opening the door for strangers?"

"Always look to see who it is first," she mumbled. "But Granny—"

"No buts, young lady. I need you to act like a big girl."

A stooped old woman slowly hobbled into view. Her blue-gray hair was done up in a neat bun, while a thick shawl wrapped around her shoulders kept away the cold of the changing seasons. A warm smile spread across her features as she looked up to see Kaitlyn and Valerie, though it felt the slightest bit strained.

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"My apologies. Hello, dearies. What can we do for you?"

Kaitlyn reined in the chaos of her thoughts. "Hi. I'm, uh, looking for Philip? Is he around?"

A look of unease flickered across Granny's expression, quickly enough that Kaitlyn wasn't sure if she'd imagined it. The woman spoke slowly and carefully. "He's… not. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm a friend of his," Kaitlyn replied. "My name's Kaitlyn. This is my friend, Valerie."

"A friend, you say?" The woman seemed surprised. "Why, he doesn't have many of those."

"Well… more of an acquaintance, I guess," Kaitlyn reluctantly admitted. "I know him from the restaurant. He hasn't shown up in a few days, and we were all getting a bit worried… We just wanted to make sure he's ok."

It wasn't entirely truthful. But for once, Kaitlyn thankfully didn't get called out on her omissions. Granny looked at her for a long moment before sighing. "I see. Well…" Her rheumy eyes looked down at Serena, then back up at her. "Perhaps you should come inside."

A quiet Serena opened the door a bit wider, allowing them in. Granny led the girls over to one of the dingy couches in the living room, then settled herself onto an old armchair with painstaking slowness. "Serena, dear? Could you start some tea and fetch our guests some refreshments from the kitchen?"

"Ah! Ok!" The girl scampered off hurriedly.

Granny sighed, her bony fingers folding together in her lap. Her face turned thoughtful as though considering what to say. "Well… how to put this… "

The few alarm bells that hadn't already been ringing like mad in Kaitlyn's head sprang to life. He's not home, but his car is. Serena seems to think he'll be home any minute. Granny looks like she's about to drop something seriously heavy on us… He can't be dead, right? No, that wouldn't make sense. Then what?

After what felt like an age, the old woman finally spoke again. "A few days ago… Philip was arrested."

Kaitlyn felt as though she'd been punched. She blinked a few times, waiting for the old woman to laugh or admit that it was all a joke, but she simply continued to stare at her sympathetically. "Wh… what? Why…?"

Granny sighed. "That's what I wanted to know. Why, it must be some sort of mistake. Philip's always been such a good boy. The idea of him getting tangled up in some kind of criminal dealings… I simply can't believe it!" She shook her head. "I can only imagine there was some sort of misunderstanding. But whenever I call to ask about it, they give me some hogwash about his income…"

"Income?" It was all Kaitlyn could manage, reeling as she was.

The old woman nodded. "Yes. Why, I know he came into some extra money recently, but it sounded like that was from the restaurant. Not from some shady business…" The woman let out another long breath. "I wish there was more I could do. Calling and giving them a piece of my mind is just about all I can manage. Why, I can only hope they get things straightened out so that he can come home soon."

Her ears rang. Kaitlyn barely registered the old woman's words as she continued to speak. Philip had gotten arrested. He was in prison, and for what? For getting tipped well? For something that he didn't even have control over?

Is this… is this my fault? I gave him the money. But… why? That's not illegal, is it? Why in the world would it be?

"...It scared me out of my wits when those men came to the door," Granny was saying. Her hands shook slightly as she clasped them together. "Why, they kicked the thing in and just dragged him off, shouting the whole while. Scared me half to death, they did. Thank God Serena was at school at the time…"

Her blood froze. The description dredged up memories she'd long since put behind her. Memories of men in black tactical gear flooding into her dorm room, shouting commands as Heather screamed, seizing her and taking her to who knew where…

…No. It can't be.

Kaitlyn's hands clenched into fists, bunching up the material of her pants. "Where? Where did they take him?"

***

They didn't stay around for tea. After asking Granny a few more questions, Kaitlyn and Valerie bid her a short farewell and left as quickly as she could. As they piled back into the car and took off again, it was all she could do not to scream.

Why the HELL did the Enforcers go after him?! It's one thing to go after ME for trying to exploit the game. But he didn't even do anything! He's not guilty of breaking any rules! He's innocent!

Her hands balled into fists. No, it wasn't just that. She wasn't just angry at the Enforcers. She was also pissed at herself for not realizing this was a possibility.

I'm the main character, here. The player. The one who introduces all of the real changes to this time loop. So why the hell would HE be held responsible for something I did?

Some small corner of her mind rebelled at that line of thought and the implications it had for free will within the game. But that part was immediately drowned out and utterly quenched by the sheer rage coursing through her.

It should be me. If this isn't allowed, then I should be the one getting arrested or kidnapped or whatever the hell you call this. I'm the one who's causing the problems. Not him.

"...Are you sure you're ok?" Valerie asked hesitantly. "You seem… well, you seem pretty pissed."

Kaitlyn recovered enough of her wits to remember that she was still in Valerie's car. "I am pissed," the words came out clipped and terse. "This is so… so…"

As she struggled to find the right words, Valerie eyed her with concern. "You've gotta calm down, girl. I mean, I don't know what's going on exactly, but this definitely isn't gonna solve it. You're gonna blow a gasket at this rate."

With an effort, Kaitlyn took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. It didn't work.

How can I be calm? How in the world am I supposed to be calm with all this going on?

"...I'm cool with stopping by the police station," her suitemate continued. "But we're not getting out until you've cooled off a bit. You can't pay me back if you do something stupid and land yourself in jail, too."

Given Granny's belief that Philip was arrested, it only made sense to stop by the police station. Kaitlyn quite honestly had no clue whether it would lead to anything, though. If it truly was the Enforcers who had taken him, then they could very well have some sort of secret underground blacksite of their own. It was anyone's guess. She didn't exactly know where they'd taken her all those loops ago.

Who knows, the Enforcers might not even be related to the police at all. They definitely seem like some sort of bigger entity. Or maybe the Enforcers ARE the police. I just don't know.

Still, it was the best lead they had. Even if it led to nothing, then it would help her feel like she was doing something.

Kaitlyn looked over at her suitemate. She didn't need to be here. Valerie had already done so much more than she'd asked for. But now that she knew for a fact that Philip was in trouble, there was no way she'd refuse her continued help.

"...Thanks, Val."

"No problem." She gave a short chuckle. "To be honest, I'm kind of invested in this whole thing now. I want to see how it turns out. Just don't go getting yourself arrested, too, ok?"

They continued to drive in silence. The whole while, Kaitlyn tried her best to focus and rein in the turbulence of her own thoughts.

Relax. Just… breathe. This probably won't even lead to anything. But if it does, I need to have a plan. I need to do SOMETHING. And getting worked up like this won't help anyone.

They arrived all too quickly at the concrete box of a station. By that point, Kaitlyn had managed to put a lid on her simmering anger, enough that she wasn't actively glowering at the bored-looking officer manning the front desk within. Still, Valerie took the lead in addressing the man.

"Hi. We're here to ask about a friend of ours."

The officer didn't even look up from his computer. "Name?"

Valerie looked to Kaitlyn expectantly. With one more deep breath, she relaxed her shoulders as much as she could manage. "Philip."

The man's unimpressed gaze flickered over to her. "Uh-huh. Last name?"

She opened her mouth, then blushed. Shoot. I don't know his last name, do I?

To be fair, she didn't know the last names of most of the guys. Elliot's was the only one she could call to mind. It was another one of those things that had just never seemed important. Until now.

As she struggled to come up with an answer, the soft click of a door opening sounded from a nearby hallway. Her head turned instinctually at the sound. There, stepping out of a room, stood a clean-shaven professional who was the spitting image of a secret service agent. The only thing missing were the sunglasses, which made sense given they were indoors. As generic as he looked though, his was a face that she couldn't forget if she tried.

Without thinking, Kaitlyn whirled and strode towards him. He had been turning to move deeper into the building, but stopped at the sound of her approaching footsteps. Coming to a halt just in front of the Enforcer, she stared him down.

"Where's Philip?"