Rafael folded his arms gently, but it still reminded him of his still broken ribs. No one spoke on the way home. Ezekiel was reading his new book. Alejandra showed him how to turn on the flashlight on her phone, and he was happily reading inside the van. Everyone else was quiet. Contemplative.
They got to Rafael and Alejandra’s house. Hraktar stumbled out of the minivan before heading straight for the house. Rafael, Alejandra, and Ezekiel took longer to get out.
“Hey, um…” Rafael turned to Derek. “Thanks. For coming.”
Derek nodded. “I’m going to call Tyler and explain everything. Maybe he’ll have more insight. I’ll do everything I can to help save Ezekiel. We don’t want to lose him.”
“Yeah. I don’t want to lose him either,” Rafael said.
“Good. I’m glad to hear you say that,” Derek said.
“Sorry, I’ve just…”
Derek ran his hands over the steering wheel, not looking at him. “Been purposefully using harsh language to keep us at a distance because you didn’t want us figuring out what you did? Or rather, didn’t want Nick to figure out because then he’d murder you?”
Rafael let out a breath. “Yeah.” It was such a tortured sound that Derek’s face softened to a smile.
“Honestly? I get it.” Derek shifted from park to reverse. “I’d do the same. Which is why I’m glad I’m not in your shoes, but… I’ll work on Nick. Give it a couple of decades. He might stand being in your presence again.”
Rafael’s chuckle was a self-deprecating sound. “Thanks, Derek.”
Derek checked behind his shoulder. “Just to be clear—”
“I know. I’m a shitty friend.”
Despite it all, a smile grew on Derek’s face. “I’ll see you later, Rafael.”
“See you later.”
Derek backed out of their driveway and drove off. Rafael sighed, then turned and walked carefully back into his house. He couldn’t help but feel like a failure. A failure to his friends. To his family. To Ezekiel.
As the game says, it’s always a chance roll of the dice. Clarissa and Grizzizzik both got a high roll and didn’t get lycanthropy. Ezekiel was unlucky. It didn’t mean that it was because Rafael held the dice, even though it felt that way.
He opened the door, and Alejandra was waiting for him.
“How many more experience points does Ezekiel need before he hits level two?” Alejandra asked.
“Um…” Rafael mentally brought up the character sheet.
265/300 XP
“Thirty-five more points. He was so close.”
Alejandra smiled. “We could travel around this weekend to see if there're any creatures you could kill. It’d be nice to bump you up to level two.”
“Right. Yeah, Ezekiel really needs it,” Rafael said.
“You know I’m suggesting this for you, too.”
“Oh.” Rafael glanced at Ezekiel, who was reading on the couch. “Yeah. I mean… what?”
“We haven’t hung out in ages. I’m excited to help Ezekiel level up, but it’ll be fun spending time with you again.”
“Yeah. It will.” It surprised him to know he meant it.
There was a knock at the door, and Rafael glanced at it. Who would come to their house past ten at night?
Alejandra moved past him. Perhaps she was thinking the same thing. She once mentioned Hraktar was based on him. The protective older brother instincts. But honestly, Rafael saw much more of Alejandra in Hraktar’s quiet, thoughtful protectiveness.
She opened the door, and her body relaxed, but only a little. “Hello Hazel.”
Rafael’s heart plummeted. He instinctually grabbed his phone from his pocket to check if Hazel tried to call, but there was nothing there. The last thing he sent to her was a simple text, saying he understood if she wanted to break up with him. She saw it, but didn’t reply.
“Is Rafael here?” Hazel asked.
His little sister hesitated long enough before turning to one side. Hazel walked in, taking in Rafael’s face. He glanced at Alejandra, who was heading toward her room, giving him and Hazel one more look.
“Um, hi. Hi, Hazel,” Rafael said.
“You know I don’t like using texting for things that deal with our relationship.”
“I… know. I just wanted to give you an easy out. If you don’t want to—”
She played with a lock of her hair, keeping her gaze on him. “There are a lot of rumors going on. I’d like to hear the truth from you. Entirely.”
“The… truth?”
“Yes. I’d rather hear it from you than whatever the rumor mill is churning up.” The bracelet she wore slipped down her arm as she continued to play with her hair. Rafael’s heart hadn’t stopped pounding since she came in. “What happened between you and Evelyn?”
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Heat hit Rafael’s eyes. He didn’t want to talk about this. Not with his girlfriend. Not with someone who was so kind. Someone he’d always seen as innocent. Yet that wasn’t the right word for her. Innocent, naïve, they seemed like perfect words for Hazel when he’d first gotten to know her a year ago. But an innocent and naïve girl would have accepted what he said blindly. Would have run away the moment she heard what happened. Not come to his house. Asked him questions. Really wanted to find out what happened. Sure, maybe she was a little innocent, because the world didn’t work like that anymore. But it wasn’t innocence. It was a courage he’d never understand.
He pointed toward the table. “Do you… want to sit down?”
Hazel nodded, still keeping her distance, but giving him the benefit of the doubt. Rafael did not deserve this woman.
So he told her. Quietly. Ezekiel was still on the couch, reading his Flannigan Jones novel, so he was certain he didn’t overhear. Hazel took it in, her face a mixture of compassion and pain. Rafael didn’t tell her about CCNC. She might not understand, anyway.
He finished the story, explaining briefly that he caught up with his old friends and it came out about what happened. And Nick, understandably, did not take it well.
Hazel again looked at his face. There were tears in her eyes. “Thank you for telling me.”
Rafael said nothing, again glancing at Ezekiel before focusing on the ground. “Again, if you… want to leave…” Hazel frowned, and Rafael was starting to believe that maybe she wouldn’t break up with him. “I mean… don’t you?”
Hazel shook her head. Her voice lowered. “I’m not going anywhere, Rafael. This is complicated, no doubt, but…” She sighed. “Honestly, I’d kiss you, but I don’t know what your cousin would think.”
The frown on his face became more pronounced. He tried to think of which of his cousins Hazel knew, but they were all in a different school district.
“Sorry, um, which cousin are you talking about?”
“The one right over there.” She pointed toward the couch. “The one totally engrossed in his book.”
Rafael’s gaze shot toward Ezekiel, then back at Hazel, his eyes widening. “You… see him? You can see him?”
Hazel frowned. “Of course I can see him. I didn’t notice him until I sat down, but… I mean…” She tucked some hair behind her ear as she stood up. “Do you want to introduce me to him?”
“I… I…” Rafael got to his feet, his eyes still wide. “Hazel, are you…”
She walked over with her bright smile. “Hello. My name is Hazel.” Ezekiel’s eyes tore from his book to look up at her. He blinked as their eyes met. “I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Rafael’s girlfriend, Hazel Jones.” She smiled at Ezekiel, then at Rafael. “You both look alike, so I assumed you were cousins.”
Ezekiel stood up, holding out his hand. She shook it, smiling.
“I thought you said people of your world couldn’t see us,” Ezekiel said, glancing at Rafael.
“It’s… I’m not…”
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” Hazel said.
“Ezekiel. I’m Ezekiel Watson. Cleric of the Great Lady of Light.”
It was finally this that made Hazel’s smile falter. “Sorry, you’re… what?”
Rafael’s mind spun. He didn’t know what to do, except to give this the ultimate test. “Hraktar! Can you come out here, please?”
Hazel glanced at Rafael, frowning. “Hrak… Hrakwho? Hraktar?”
Alejandra’s door opened, and they heard the thumping of the fighter’s footsteps. Hazel turned, then screamed as Hraktar appeared around the hallway. Hazel backed away, and Rafael held her on his side that didn’t have broken ribs.
“Who is that?” Hazel asked, her voice strained with fear.
Alejandra appeared beside Hraktar, concerned. “Wait… can Hazel see him?”
The fighter frowned, watching Hazel. “Yeah. She can. I know that reaction anywhere.”
Hazel was breathing deeply, her wide eyes fixed on Hraktar. “What’s going on?”
Alejandra turned toward Rafael, her eyes wide. “Anyone who can see them has a part to play. That’s what Tyler said. Hazel can see them, therefore—”
“No,” Rafael said.
“No? What do you mean?” Alejandra asked.
“We… no. We can’t let Hazel get involved.”
“We don’t have a choice, Rafael. She can see them.”
Hazel moved out of his arms, closer to Ezekiel than to Hraktar. “Rafael, what’s going on?”
His hand naturally touched his side, and the wince he gave wasn’t from pain. “Hazel, this is…”
“She sees them, Rafael. She’ll see Akshi tomorrow. That alone means we need to prepare her,” Alejandra said.
Rafael groaned, rubbing his forehead. His sister was right. If Hazel saw Ezekiel and Hraktar with no issues, she would see Akshi.
“Let’s… all sit down. Hazel, there’s more to the story you need to know.”
***
Evelyn found it easier to lose herself in her phone, scrolling through everyone’s pictures on social media. Seeing the perfect faces and perfect lives they all pretended to have. The kind of pretending she could do, if it wasn’t so exhausting. It was the start of the morning, and everyone was waiting for the bell to ring to start school. Evelyn was seriously considering skipping a day. When her mother scheduled her therapist appointment for Thursday night, she was almost sad she didn’t schedule it during the day. Jennifer and Rebecka practically ignored her now, not that they were great friends to begin with. But she always got the impression that if those two couldn’t tolerate someone, then no one else put in the effort. Mornings were getting lonely.
“Evelyn?”
It wasn’t a voice she expected. One that confused her, too. She glanced up to see Hazel.
“Oh, hey. Hey, Hazel.”
There were tears in the cheer captain’s eyes as she walked over and hugged her. Evelyn was surprised, but hugged her back. There was a lot said in the hug, but she didn’t understand any of it. Hazel must have figured out. Of course she did. Everyone at school had some wild story about what happened.
Hazel broke away, then started wringing her hands. It was so not Hazel to be this uncomfortable. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. So deeply sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Hazel.”
“I know, but… you should also know…”
Hazel didn’t have to continue. That part Evelyn understood. “You’re still dating him.”
She sighed, then looked at Evelyn. “Yeah. I am.”
Evelyn nodded, looking away. She didn’t know how to feel about it, so she refused to feel anything.
“You ought to know the only reason I am is because… because I know it will never happen again. I understand if you never want to see him again, but he was crying when he told me what he did to you.”
Evelyn nodded again, still refusing to look at her face. “I get it.”
“And… one more thing.” The shift of her tone made Evelyn tear her gaze from the wall. What else could there possibly be? “I know how complicated this is for you and I. I understand cheer is going to feel awkward. But… I still need to learn about CCNC. I… saw them. Last night. Ezekiel and Hraktar.”
Evelyn’s eyes went wide. “You saw them?”
Hazel nodded. “And apparently I need to be on the lookout for a snake man named—”
“Shh.” Evelyn couldn’t help it. She doubted Akshi would appear if anyone said his name, but she still didn’t want to chance it. Evelyn covered her mouth, trying to think straight. “Okay, um…” She rubbed her forehead again. “Okay. Akshi comes to cheer occasionally. I assume you know about Mr. Stower.”
“Yes.”
“Right. So… pretty much wherever Mr. Stower is, Akshi is there, too. Be on the lookout, but never look right at him. Never let him know you can see him.”
Hazel nodded. “Thanks, Evelyn.”
Evelyn wasn’t sure how she felt about this turn of events. “I still would like to be friends, but…” she rubbed her arm, “but I can’t be around Rafael right now.”
Hazel took Evelyn’s arm and gave it a squeeze. “I completely respect that. I don’t want to lose your friendship either.”
For the first time since the secret broke, Evelyn felt the smallest weight lift from her shoulders. “Thank you.”