Derek walked into the tent as a blue streak sailed by and slammed into Alejandra’s calf.

“Why hello to you, too,” Alejandra said to Quetzal. The drake ran circles around her before he climbed up to her shoulder. She giggled, then brushed her cheek against his before he scampered down again.

Calawit appeared near a bookshelf. “How’d it go?”

“Phantom betrayed us and kidnapped Tyler. We defeated the entire army,” Milo said.

Calawit blinked. “Never a boring mission for you lot, is it?”

“What’s a boring mission?” Milo glanced at Clarissa. “What would that even look like?”

Calawit shook her head. “Ah! Ah! Ah! What did I tell you?” Derek glanced around, then noticed Quetzal. The drake gave a chitter. “Oh, don’t give me that nonsense. Of course you knew.” The drake growled again, then ran up to Calawit before pushing his head under his chin. “I give you two months tops before this cute baby thing no longer works. You can’t skate by on your looks alone.”

“Make a choice! Take a chance! Receive! Your! Consequence!” Derek reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Make a choice! Take a—” He swiped on his phone.

“Hey, Evelyn.”

“Is Tyler okay? He hasn’t been answering my calls, and I haven’t rolled any dice for a while.”

“Oh, uh. Yeah.” He moved his phone from his ear, looking at Tyler. “Do you have your phone on you?”

“Right.” Tyler reached inside his pocket. “Yes. Got too hot and shut off, though.”

“He’s fine. We’re all at Calawit’s tent.”

Evelyn let out a breath. “Thank god. Okay, that’s literally all I wanted to know.”

“I’m fine too, thanks,” Derek said.

Evelyn snickered. “Dork.”

“Also, Princess Clarissa was a total badass in the fight,” Derek said.

She tsked. “Princess Clarissa is always badass.” Derek chuckled as she hung up. Tyler had his arms folded as they watched Alejandra and Calawit discuss Quetzal.

“I guess she could have come,” Rafael said.

Derek didn’t even realize he was near. “Evelyn?”

“Yeah. She wanted to come when she heard about you. Maybe it was wrong of me to step on her toes like that, but—”

“No. It was smart to keep her with Nick,” Derek said. Honestly, it was nice having Rafael in the group, too. He always had excellent ideas. “Eventually, Nick won’t be prison bound in his home.”

Rafael rubbed his chin. “Is that… still happening?”

“Yep. Still.” Derek’s tone was quiet. Pained.

“I’m afraid this situation with our characters might break Nick,” Tyler said.

“Really?” Rafael glanced at Tyler. “How do you mean?”

“He’s been in survival mode the past year or so. Waiting until April. But these characters coming here, it’s forcing him to do more than survive. He’s being forced to push back against his dad, and…” Tyler trailed off.

“Coward’s gotta act,” Grizzizzik said from behind them. Derek glanced over his shoulder to see the rogue.

“There’s very little Nick can do right now,” Tyler said.

“The kid can do whatever the hell he wants.”

It was then that Derek noticed Grizzizzik wasn’t just playing with the flower petals on the back of his hand. He was using his hell dagger to get at the petal. Derek frowned. He didn’t see any blood, but it was still unnerving to see the rogue trying to peel back the petals with a dagger.

“Walt’s pretty well protected to keep doing what he’s doing, unfortunately,” Tyler said.

“Eh, excuses.” Grizzizzik twisted the dagger, but nothing happened. “There’re ways to make a death look like an accident.”

Derek’s face dropped. With Milo around, it felt like a nerd session every night. He wondered what it would be like to have Grizzizzik around, but was he getting a taste of it? Was Grizzizzik seriously suggesting Walt die? Did he ever suggest this to Nick?

The realization must have hit Rafael and Tyler at the same time. Rafael lightly touched his nose as Tyler kept Grizzizzik’s stare. “You haven’t been talking to Nick about these ideas, have you?”

Grizzizzik’s gaze lifted from the petal to the three boys staring at him. Derek was holding his breath. Grizzizzik said nothing as he sheathed the dagger and walked over to a dark corner to brood.

“You’re right.” Rafael’s voice was quieter as he kept an eye on Grizzizzik. “The characters coming to this world might break Nick.”

Derek pointed toward Grizzizzik, his gaze on Tyler. “Are you going to check in on that? Or should I?”

“Let me.” Tyler pulled out his phone before remembering it was dead. He slipped it back in his pocket and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll check in on both of them once we get back, though I might need to make sure my phone can turn on again.”

***

Nick finished writing his paper for English Lit. He hated The Lottery. Such a sick story. Why did they always read dark stuff for English Lit?

But this meant he wouldn’t have to worry about homework for the entirety of fall break. Not that it really mattered. His plan was to go to work at nine when it opened and stay until five. Then he’d come home and lock himself up in his room so he wouldn’t have to deal with Walt.

There was a knock on the front door that he ignored. He put all his school stuff in his bag when his bedroom door opened and Grizzizzik walked through. Nick barely glanced at his character, but then turned his full focus on him. His rogue was off. He didn’t understand how he knew, but looking at his face, the glare, the tense shoulders, something was weird. In a word, Grizzizzik was in a mood. And it wasn’t a pleasant one.

“Are you—”

“Fine,” Grizzizzik said.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Nick blinked, then glanced at the door, realizing he could hear Evelyn speaking with someone.

“I noticed you got a lot of gold coins.” It was lame, but it was the only conversation he could think of that would make Grizzizzik happy. Instead, his character grunted before undoing his cloak and flinging it to a corner. Grizzizzik didn’t look too hurt. He had blood on his clothes, but it looked like someone else’s.

“Pretty sure Tyler wants to talk to you,” Grizzizzik said, folding his arms.

Nick glanced at the door, finally hearing Evelyn’s voice coming through, and a male voice that wasn’t Walt’s. “Oh, Tyler’s here?”

Grizzizzik said nothing, just folded his arms tighter and glared at the corner. It might benefit his rogue to get a few minutes alone. That, or the entire house might be in flames. Hopefully not the later.

He got up and walked out of his room. He’d have to check in on this later. Grizzizzik being in a mood was not healthy for anyone. Nick walked down the hall and saw Tyler inside the entryway. Evelyn was talking animatedly, no doubt nervous. When Nick approached, he winced at the thin grey line across Tyler’s neck.

“Sorry, I’m talking so much. I was really worried.” Evelyn even sounded out of breath, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at the ground.

“Don’t apologize. In fact, I’m sorry I made anyone scared. None of you needed to be. I’ve seen all your characters work, and I was never worried about my wellbeing.” Tyler nodded at Nick. “Hey, man, how are you?”

“Um, good,” Nick said. “I’d like to say better than you, but you seem to be alright.”

“Phantom’s a big softie at heart. He only stabbed me because he was curious about how it wasn’t hurting me.” He lifted his shirt to show a ton of grey marks on his stomach. Nick winced.

“Ouch.”

“No ouch, just uncomfortable.” Tyler dropped his shirt.

“What’s this about not going out of your way to get stabbed to protect our characters?” Nick asked.

Tyler’s grin was sheepish. “Yeah. Don’t do that.” His usually relaxed stance stiffened, and that alone clued Nick to the fact that Walt was approaching. “Hello Mr. Larsen,” Tyler said.

“Tyler.” Walt said it with more of a grunt. “I assume you won’t stay long, since my son is still grounded.”

Tyler shifted his weight, trying to smile. “Yeah, I won’t stay long.” Nick folded his arms, trying to relax his face. Evelyn glanced at him, a look in her eye that told him to be careful, because his signature scowl appeared on his face. “I wanted to stop by personally and update Evelyn and Nick on our recent CCNC session. It’s important to keep the storyline fresh.”

“Well, I assume Nick’s told you, then, about how he’s getting his punishment lifted?”

“I was going to. He just got here,” Nick said. Evelyn frowned, glancing between Nick and Walt.

“I’m not lifting Nick’s punishment until I see him interacting civilly with Rafael. Therefore, the next CCNC session must be at our house, and at a time I can observe my son. Only then will I allow Nick to go back to CCNC.”

Nick’s jaw started working, the scowl deepening on his face. “I was going to tell him.” It came out harsher than he wanted.

“Well, I told him instead,” Walt said.

Tyler kept his eyes on Walt. “Oh. Right. Yeah, um…” Tyler froze, then his head slowly tilted to one side. “Yeah.” Evelyn and Nick both glanced at him. Their game master had entered his head for a minute, and he dropped his gaze, his eyes darting around in thought. “Yeah. Actually, that’s… fantastic. We could work with this.” He pulled out his phone, and Nick frowned, wondering what Tyler meant. “So… what with schedules and the current storyline…” He nodded. “It might be more the end of the month. I want to make sure the characters are as leveled up as possible.”

“That’s fine. I’d prefer it if it was a weekday. I’d rather not waste one of my weekends.”

Tyler hesitated enough before glancing at Walt, and Nick understood. It was a subtle jab at the pointlessness of the game, but for someone like Tyler, it probably hurt. “Okay. Um… lessee, fall break is no good.” He furrowed his brow. “The week after might work, but… no, no, let’s wait until the week after that.”

Walt pulled out his phone. “The week of the twenty-second?”

“Yes. Does that work?”

“As long as it’s on a weekday,” Walt said.

“Good. I doubt the weekend would work, anyway. Derek’s in Clue and they’re performing it that weekend,” Tyler said.

“Oh, he’s in that?”

“He’s Wadsworth. Already have my ticket. It’s going to be hilarious.” Tyler made a note for himself on his phone.

“Alright. Well, get that scheduled as soon as possible and let me know.”

“Evelyn, how do you feel about that?” Tyler asked.

Evelyn opened her mouth, taking a breath to speak, when Walt shook his head. “She’s fine.”

Writing the note on his phone still had most of Tyler’s attention. “No, I mean about the session at her house. I don’t want her to attend if she doesn’t want to.”

“And I said Evelyn’s fine. By the end of the month, she and Rafael will go back to being friends, no doubt.”

Tyler stopped mid text. Nick felt the muscles in his arms tighten as his hands turned into fists. Evelyn glanced at her feet, her cheeks growing red. Tyler’s gaze slowly lifted to meet Walt’s. “We have a system. I want to make sure she feels safe.”

“Oh, come on. Rafael Walker? The kid’s a model student.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Larsen, I was asking Evelyn’s opinion on the matter, not yours.”

Nick made a mental note not to mess with Tyler. Ever.

Evelyn’s cheeks were growing a deeper red. Nick had never seen her look so embarrassed. It was no surprise that Walt ignored her. “It’ll be at my house, and I assure you, my opinion does matter because I know my daughter.”

Tyler’s eye twitched. “It may be your house, sir, but it’s my table, and therefore my rules. And my rules are no one sits down unless they feel safe.”

Walt about said something when Evelyn rose a hand. “Dad, please. Please stop.” She turned to Tyler as Nick closed his eyes to force the glare from his face. “I’ll tell you a couple of days before the session how I feel about it.”

Tyler nodded, short and stiff, his gaze on Walt. Walt rolled his eyes before walking away from them. Nick covered his face, letting out a breath, trying to force a calm he’d never feel before dropping his hands. “He told me you don’t have to attend. This is Rafael and me. You don’t have to be a part of this. I don’t know why he’s insisting you have to go.”

The red from her cheeks lessened as she watched Walt disappear down the hall. “It’s a few weeks away. We’ll see what happens. But… yeah. I’ll let you know a couple of days before.”

She looked again at Tyler, who was still staring at where Walt disappeared. “Do not feel any pressure at all.”

“You really think we’ll have a regular session?” Evelyn asked.

Tyler dropped his voice. “I’ve been trying to think how we’ll steal something from Akshi for the lycanthropy cure. There’s no way around it, they’ve got to do a heist. And your dad, of all people, gave me a brilliant idea to keep us away from the action. Rafael’s getting a stronger link with Ezekiel, and by the end of this month, I bet we can do a session here at your house while the characters are infiltrating Akshi’s place. That way, if something goes wrong, none of us will be there.”

Nick felt the tightness of his chest loosen. Breaking into Akshi’s place, therefore most likely Mr. Stower’s, was on the agenda, and he was terrified of doing it. He was almost happy to sit that one out and roll dice from a distance. It was completely up to chance, and if chance made it go bad, then the police might get involved. The thought alone made his fingertips grow cold.

But if Nick never had to be there? If they could all make the rolls from a distance?

“Do you think that’ll work?” Evelyn asked.

“I don’t see why not. If we all gather around a table with our figurines, it could work. We all know our characters well enough to role play what they say, and I feel like Chaos and Order would prompt me enough to let me know what’s going on. I’m really confident about this. But we’ve got to level up before then. We’re almost to level four, which is still…” Tyler trailed off, rubbing his forehead. “Still not nearly as high as I’d like going up against Akshi, but it’s a heist.”

“Hopefully, the rolls are good enough we won’t face him.” Evelyn didn’t sound convinced.

Tyler sighed. “Ezekiel needs to figure out what he needs from Akshi. I’m hoping it’s nothing on him.”

Nick rubbed the side of his face. “Okay.”

“And…” Tyler again trailed off, glancing at Nick. He already knew what Tyler was thinking.

“Hopefully Grizzizzik doesn’t get too deep in his plot for revenge that he purposefully seeks him out and causes more trouble for everyone?” Nick ventured.

Tyler’s face fell. “Yeah. Hopefully not.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “That’s… stupid.”

“It’s Grizzizzik going up against his father,” Nick said. “Which I will have to role play in front of my dad.”

Tyler winced. “I didn’t think about that.” He glanced around. “Also, I’m asking because of a comment made by Grizzizzik today at Calawit’s tent, but he’s not trying to convince you to kill your own father, is he?”

Evelyn snorted, smiling at Nick. It evaporated when she noticed he was not joining in on her levity. “Nick?” A touch of horror weaved through her voice.

“He’s not…” Nick ran a hand through his hair, glancing at where Walt disappeared. At the hallway leading to his room, where Grizzizzik was in his mood. “It’s…” Nick shook his head. “Obviously I’m not going to.”

“Obviously,” Tyler said, almost as a prompt.

“So… don’t worry.”

Tyler gave him a good, long stare. He then reached into his pocket, sighing. “You need friends. You need… so many friends. Don’t listen to Grizzizzik and know I’m a phone call away. We all are.”

“You’re all a phone call away on Evelyn’s phone,” Nick mumbled.

Tyler pulled out his phone, checking his messages again. A look of defeat flickered across his face. “Yeah. Please check in with me once a week. Text or call, I’m open to anything. I’m serious. This… isn’t healthy.”

Evelyn still stared at Nick with wide eyes.