Nick walked with Evelyn through the halls. He wasn’t nearly as familiar with the theater section of the school, so she led the way. Derek was already there, looking very excited.

“He’s made mana!”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Milo?”

“Who else would I be talking about? He got twenty-five experience points for it, too! Just for the one, though. The weird thing was, the kitchen was a mess this morning, but my mom acted like it was pristine. There is something at play here that makes it so they can’t see them or any mess they create.” Derek shook his head, amused. “My mana fusor sure gets a lot done with a stove and a microwave.”

Nick was confused and also impressed. “Nice.”

“Clarissa changed, too. Didn’t you notice?” Evelyn asked, glancing at Nick.

“Oh. I thought you just died her hair to help her blend in better.”

Evelyn blinked at him. “Why would I bother dying the hair of a woman who is invisible to everyone else?”

Nick opened his mouth to explain, but realized she was totally right, causing him to fumble for some words.

His little sister faced Derek. “Clarissa became a desert elf. She made claim to the terrain, and I think that brought mana to earth.”

Curiosity filled Derek’s face. “What did she do?”

Evelyn explained the story during the hustle and bustle of teenagers figuring out their second day of school and easing into their schedules.

Derek nodded. “Yeah, that must have done it. Milo can cast spells again. Can Clarissa?”

“Yeah. It was one of the side quests,” Evelyn said.

“You’re getting side quests for your character, too!” Derek looked beside himself with joy.

“Yes! I’m so glad someone else is getting them!”

“There’s a main quest tab. Is yours the same as mine?” Derek asked.

Nick looked at the two of them having a fast conversation. “Wait, what?”

Derek hardly looked at Nick. “Mentally think about quests, and it should appear for you.”

Nick gave it a shot and found a short list appearing in front of him. He tried to zoom in. The main quest was there.

Figure out if you can get them home.

He said it aloud, and Evelyn and Derek mentioned it was the same for them, too.

There was a tab for side quests, which Nick mentally opened. There was one side quest for Grizzizzik.

Find out if Akshi made it to Earth.

“Nope,” Nick said.

“‘Nope’ what?” Derek asked.

“Grizzizzik’s side quest is to figure out if his father made it to Earth. There’s no way I’m giving him that sort of suggestion. It will consume him. I don’t want to be around him when he’s obsessed with his revenge,” Nick said.

Evelyn winced. “Probably a smart move.”

“Hey, everyone!” Alejandra said.

Nick turned, smiling, as Alejandra walked over to them. To Nick’s surprise, Rafael was there, sulking behind her. “What are you doing here?”

“I invited him,” Derek said.

Alejandra was still smiling. “Ezekiel’s blown through the Lord of the Rings and is halfway through the Hobbit.”

“Well, that’s… ironic,” Derek said. “Did he love them?”

Alejandra let out a chuckle. “Adores them. He thinks they’re our version of holy scripture.”

Nick smirked, thinking of the cleric he’d played much longer than Rafael, encountering the Lord of the Rings. “Well… he’s sort of right. It kind of depends who you ask.”

Alejandra shook her head. “It’s all good. I’ll take him to the library tomorrow. Probably check out all the Narnia books next for him.”

Derek chuckled at that. “Also ironic.”

Rafael glanced at his phone, looking annoyed. Derek must have noticed, too. He pointed to Alejandra. “Well, keep us updated on that fascinating development. Perhaps a wardrobe will get these guys back.”

Alejandra snorted. “I’ll check some cupboards while I’m at it.”

Derek faced everyone. “I went to visit Tyler over the weekend, and he’s been doing a ton of research for us. So far, nothing solid. Just rumors, but the rumors are promising.”

“Characters have come out of the game before?” Nick asked.

“We think so. It—”

“Rafael! There you are!”

Everyone turned to see Hazel Jones walking over to them. Nick had seen Hazel from a distance, mainly because his sister was on the cheerleading squad. Hazel was the cheerleader captain, which meant she was so far out of everyone’s league. It was almost laughable she was even talking to anyone in this group. And the thing was, she was so nice to everyone. She would talk to everyone, and they would all be deeply honored to just see her. So being popular, a cheerleader, and kind, it cemented her untouchable nature.

Stolen story; please report.

Every muscle in Rafael’s body stiffened. “Oh, um, hi Hazel.”

“I was wondering where you were off to.” She walked over to him, grabbing his face and kissing him like they’d been dating for months. Nick again stared, far too surprised to figure it was rude. Derek’s jaw became slack. Even though Hazel acted like they were dating for months, Rafael broke the kiss off early.

“Yes, well, here I am,” Rafael said.

Hazel turned to the group, smiling. “Hello, I’m Hazel Jones.” She said it as though no one knew her.

“Hello, Hazel Jones,” Derek said in a breathless voice. Derek, along with most of the school, had a crush on her. She was about Alejandra’s height, with brown hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth.

Hazel’s eyes landed on Evelyn, and she gasped. “Evelyn! Hi!” She opened her arms wide, startling Evelyn a little.

“Oh, hey.” Evelyn hugged Hazel. “I… didn’t know you were...”

The smile that was so prominent on Alejandra’s face before disappeared. “Rafael. Are you… dating? Hazel?”

Hazel turned toward Alejandra, surprised. “Rafael didn’t tell you?”

Rafael looked as though he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. Alejandra didn’t look at Hazel, and instead gave her brother a dead look. “No. He didn’t.”

Rafael didn’t lift his eyes to meet her gaze. Nick folded his arms. The guy wasn’t just a jerk to his old friends, it seemed.

“Well, I hope I’m not too forward. I just thought… I thought he would have told you at least,” Hazel said. There was a beat of silence as Alejandra kept her eyes on her brother. Hazel took Rafael’s hand. “Well, I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds by...”

“I doubt he would’ve ever told me,” Alejandra said, clearly trying to keep the anger and hurt from her voice.

“Well, hello, Alejandra. My name’s Hazel Jones. I am excited to get to know you a little better,” Hazel said.

“I… am too,” Alejandra said.

“Sorry, was I interrupting anything?” Hazel asked, her eyes traveling over the group.

“No,” Derek said, still in awe.

“Yes,” Rafael said at the same time. Rafael shot a glare at Derek, then back at Hazel. “Sorry, Hazel, it’ll just be two minutes, then I’ll come join you and the others.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later. Once you’re done talking about…” Hazel hesitated, then glanced at the group.

“Uh, CCNC,” Derek said.

Surprise entered her eyes. “Oh, I know that game.” Derek gave a high-pitched gasp. Nick shoved an elbow into his ribs. “My little brothers play it all the time.” She turned to Rafael, squeezing his hand. “I didn’t know you knew how to play it.”

“I don’t. I mean, I do, but not anymore. I’ll see you later, Hazel,” Rafael said, letting go of her hand.

Hazel gave him a humorous look. “Well, alright. My brothers might freak out if they know you know how to play.”

Rafael did nothing more than give an embarrassed smile. Hazel reached over again, giving him a parting kiss on the lips before leaving. Rafael didn’t even watch her go. He rubbed his chin, clearing his throat. “Right. Um, where were we?”

There was silence again among the group. Derek stared at Rafael like he was the one that was a snake person. “Dude.” Rafael, who was mostly looking at the floor, tore his gaze from it to give Derek a confused look. Derek still just stared. “Duuude.”

Rafael gave Derek an annoyed look. “I’m not giving you any details about my dating life, Derek. It’s personal.”

“I just want to help you out, you know? It seems like you’re off to a rocky start,” Derek said.

Rafael looked annoyed. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m just saying that no man would receive a kiss from Hazel Jones and be the first to break away, let alone look embarrassed about it, unless they were questioning some things.”

Rafael once again looked as though the floor needed to devour him, except he was angry it wasn’t already happening. “So… getting these characters home?”

“Right.” Derek pulled out his phone. “Here’s the biggest thing Tyler found. CCNC has its annual con, and this year they’re holding it in Phoenix.” Derek raised his phone to show the dark purple banner of the CCNC convention. “Guess who’s making an appearance?”

Derek scrolled the phone down a bit. Nick couldn’t help it and gasp. “They’re bringing Neal Richmond out here? He never leaves his mansion.”

“Except for con. And con just so happens to be in Phoenix this year!” Derek raised his hand, expecting someone to slap it. “We just rolled a nat twenty in real life, baby!”

Nick gave him a high five because his friend expected it, not because he felt it. Rafael took Derek’s phone, scrolling through it. “Con isn’t until the end of September.” Rafael glanced up from the phone, staring at Derek. “What do we do with these people until then?”

Derek shrugged. “I don’t know. We keep trying to get them home, but until then, we at least have the creator of Choice, Chance, and Consequence appearing in Phoenix to ask him questions.”

“And you think he’ll actually give us the time of day? The guy is a multimillionaire. Possibly even a billionaire. He’s going to have security all around him. And what exactly do we even say to him?”

“We say ‘hey, you know those rumors in the eighties about demon portals that bring CCNC characters to our world? Well, that happened, and we need to get them back,’” Derek said.

Rafael gave Derek a look. “And you think he’ll actually listen to us?”

“I have a feeling this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Hence the rumors in the eighties.”

There was no humor in Rafael’s voice. “And what am I supposed to do with Ezekiel for two months?”

“Well, there are a lot of creatures out there. We lie low, unless we need to slaughter bad guys.”

There was a pause as Rafael stared at Derek, then he slapped the phone back into Derek’s palm. “Let me know what the millionaire thinks.” He turned, walking away.

They all watched Rafael disappear into the crowd.

“I think that went well,” Derek said.

Nick rolled his eyes. “Despite his jerk behavior, he is right. A VIP ticket isn’t exactly cheap, and we’ve got to figure out what we’re going to say to him.”

“I got my ticket months ago when they announced the Rollin’ 20s are going to be there,” Derek said, searching on his phone. “Tyler’s already got his ticket, too. It’s going to be sick.”

Evelyn took the phone, glancing at the dates. “That’s getting into football season. I might be tied up with cheerleading.”

“That’s fair. Nick? Alejandra?” Derek asked.

“Do you honestly think my father would let me drive all the way to Phoenix for a convention?” Nick asked.

Derek shrugged. “Wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

Alejandra took the phone, and Nick knew exactly what she was looking for. She checked the price before shaking her head. “No, I can’t go.”

“Just that Saturday? Technically, it’s the only day Neal can be there, too,” Derek asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t think all of us need to go, do we?”

“But do you want to?” Nick asked. “I’ll pay for your ticket if you want.”

Alejandra looked surprised. “No, Nick, really. I couldn’t ask you to do that. It’s too much.” She handed the phone back to Derek. “You guys have fun, though.” She gave one of her smiles that was more embarrassed than anything before she slipped away. Nick watched her disappear into the crowd.

“So, are you going to ask her out before you turn eighteen? Because things get messy once you’re considered an adult,” Evelyn said.

Nick barely had time to glare at her before Derek reacted with a wide smile. “That’s what I said!”

Nick shook his head. “You two are ridiculous.”

“Derek!” someone shouted.

“Hey, Noah!” He turned to the other two. “I’ll see you two later. Noah has that look on his face that says he’s got some juicy gossip, and if he doesn’t spill it now, he’s going to burst during English class and tell Baily, who’ll tell Eric, and depending on what it is this could end in disaster. Especially if it’s about Emma.”

Nick couldn’t even come close to understanding what that meant.

“See you, Derek,” Evelyn said.

He left to mingle with his other group of friends. Evelyn gave Nick one look before she turned and left, most likely heading to her group of friends that wouldn’t be hanging out in the theater section of the school.

Nick was on his own. He watched his fellow high schoolers talk and laugh, catching up with friends. Some were scrolling through phones, listening to ear buds. Nick felt his face falling into the usual bored expression he had. He sighed and mingled in with the crowds. He half wished that he had ear buds of his own, but since everyone else was distracted with their own lives, he felt ignored enough. There were a few people that noticed him, but it was difficult to be arrested before he was fifteen and not have some sort of reputation. One that could be quite lonely.